MWC 2025: What we expect to see

We're less than a week away from MWC 2025 and there's plenty we expect to see at the annual trade show. For the uninitiated, MWC, or Mobile World Congress, is an annual gathering of all the biggest companies in the mobile tech world. It's here where they show off their latest devices, software, and everything in between. Pretty much anything used to keep you connected to the world around you, you'll find here.

This year, Android Central will be present at the show to get firsthand experiences with all that MWC has to offer, including upcoming phone launches and more. Be sure to follow our MWC 2025 coverage to stay up-to-date with everything going on at the show.

Speaking of, what can you expect to see from MWC 2025? While many major announcements from the biggest Android OEMs have shifted away from the show, there are still plenty of companies with exciting things to show off. Here's everything we know we'll see and some things we expect will be present at MWC 2025.

Also, be sure to check out our 2024 Best of MWC and the coolest things we saw at MWC 2024.

When and where is MWC?

MWC occurs every year in Barcelona, Spain, at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via convention center.

MWC is held around the same time every year, usually towards the end of February. This year, however, MWC 2025 will take place from March 3 to March 6. That said, while some announcements happen during the event, many major announcements are expected to occur in the days leading up to MWC.

You can purchase passes to attend the event at the official MWC website. Prices start at €989 for an Exhibition pass.

What companies will be there?

With a trade show this large, you can expect there will be plenty of companies fighting for a chance to grab the attention of attendees. At MWC 2024, there were more than 2,700 exhibitors, which highlights just how big this is. That said, it will be a mix of startups and small to large companies, with the large companies taking up the most space and likely the bulk of the attention.

We won't name every company, here is a list of some notable names we expect to see there:

• Google
• TECNO
• Honor
• Nothing
• Xiaomi
• Samsung
• RedMagic
• Motorola
• Qualcomm
• MediaTek
• Arm
• Meta
• TCL
• OPPO
• ZTE
• Huawei

What's being announced?

There will be no shortage of announcements at MWC from various companies, including those listed above. Not every company will have a major announcement, as some are just there to have presence and show off recently launched devices or features. Here's what we know about what will be shown off at the show from some of the bigger names:

Google

Google usually skips major announcements at MWC, but that doesn't mean the company isn't present. In fact, we can expect a bit of Google everywhere throughout MWC, and the company will likely have smaller announcements during the event. We also expect the company to be present to let attendees demo its products and software.

Honor

Honor recently launched the Magic 7 Pro, which features one of the best cameras we've seen on a smartphone so far. The company has begun teasing its MWC launch event for March 2 at 16:30 CET, where it will unveil its Alpha Plan, which will focus on the company's latest AI innovations. Honor recently announced that it plans to introduce better iOS cross-platform compatibility, something we've been seeing more of from companies like OPPO.

Motorola

Last year, Motorola wowed us with its unique concept devices, particularly the Motorola Rizr and the phone that could wrap around your wrist like a smartwatch. We haven't seen any new hardware concepts from Motorola in a while, so we're not sure what the company has planned for MWC, but we hope the company will talk more about its Large Action Model that it showed off at Lenovo World 2024.

Nothing

Nothing has been making quite a splash regarding its upcoming launch. The Nothing Phone 3a series is set to be announced at MWC on March 4 at 10:00 GMT and sporting quite an interesting design from what we've seen so far. Nothing has also teased a pretty impressive camera setup with a 50MP primary sensor and 50MP 3x periscope lens. The Phone 3a series will also be powered by a Snapdragon chipset.

Samsung

Samsung is another company we don't expect to hear much from at MWC. Last year, Samsung Display showed off a swathe of concept devices, including foldables and rollables, plus a phone that you could seemingly wear on your wrist. The company will likely be back to show off more concepts, but we'll be on the lookout for any notable announcements.

With any luck, Samsung will give us another glimpse of its upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge or Project Moohan, which were teased earlier this year at Galaxy Unpacked.

TCL

TCL made a splash at CES 2025, showing off its new TCL 60 XE NXTPAPER 5G with the NXTPAPER Key, which lets users switch to a more eye-friendly display. The phone looked pretty impressive for a budget device exclusive to North America, but TCL left us with a few questions, such as the availability. We know TCL will be showing something off at MWC 2025, so hopefully, we'll get more information about its latest phones.

TECNO

TECNO has been making a name for itself, and it's set to make a splash at MWC 2025 with an event lined up where it's teasing new AI features, a new phone in its Camon series, and updates to its Universal Tone technology for improved skin color in images. The company is also teasing the possibility that the Phantom Ultimate 2, a multi-fold concept phone, may be present at the event, along with what looks like AR glasses. It's safe to say we'll be seeing plenty of products from TECNO at MWC 2025, and while the company hasn't specified an exact launch day/time, we'll be present to cover the major happenings.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi went for an early pre-MWC reveal of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, showing off the design of a phone that appears to be more camera than phone. We were pretty impressed with the camera from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, so we expect big(ger) things from this absolute tank of a unit. The phone launches in China on February 27, but the global launch will happen just days later, on March 2.

ZTE

Last year, ZTE showed off its affordable Nubia Flip 5G and an eyewear-free 3D tablet. It's not clear what's coming this year, especially on the heels of the Nubia Z70 Ultra launch a few months ago, but the company has an event set for March 3 at 1 p.m. CET dubbed "AI for All ZTE Devices New Products Launch Event," so we'll be on the lookout for any exciting news.

AI everywhere

Of course, no matter where you go, AI will be underscored during nearly every announcement at MWC 2025. Some companies above have teased new AI features, but that's likely just the tip of the iceberg. MediaTek recently unveiled new mid-range chips with AI following a similar announcement from Qualcomm. This means more phones will be capable of handling on-device AI tasks, not just the ultra-expensive ones.