I will be in Barcerlona covering the Mobile World Congress, which runs between February 27 and March 2. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)Ahhhhh finally! I am in Barcelona after a gap of three years attending the annual Mobile World Congress, perhaps the biggest tech show dedicated to smartphones and telecom. There’s always so much anticipation for this show, and this year I am covering the event in person. As a journalist, I am always curious about massive tech shows such as MWC and CES, given I get the opportunity to meet different types of people associated with tech that you don’t otherwise meet often. But more importantly, MWC for me is a giant show all about the best and worst ideas in mobile tech.
My intention for this blog is to not bombard your phone screen with boring news that you can read anywhere. With this blog, I want to share with you a glimpse of my creative process of covering the Mobile World Congress and a little insight into my thoughts and ideas. This is not a debate nor I am looking for an open discussion, I’d like to say whatever you read on this blog is how I see the changing tech landscape and the future of mobile tech through my eyes.
So here is a diary of my time in Barcelona covering the Mobile World Congress and I hope you’ll enjoy it!
I met Nokia Product Marketing Chief Adam Ferguson on the sidelines of MWC and he explained to me why the company is going big on the self-repair programme. Ferguson was very clear about why the company chose the Nokia G22 over any other phone in the brand's portfolio. Repairing a smartphone is no joke, as it requires multiple steps. More importantly, consumers have no choice but to visit a service centre and pay a hefty fee to get the phone fixed. I believe more companies need to come forward and offer a solution to easily repair a smartphone at home without the supervision of a technical expert.
The reason I like to visit MWC, again and again, is because of the devices like the Motorola Rizr. I know it's just a concept device for now but it does hint at what's coming to smartphones four years from now. More than a replacement, I see the devices with rollable displays will emerge as alternatives to Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Oppo Find N2 Flip.
As I was exiting the Ericsson booth at MWC, I spotted a sea of people filming Samsung's concept foldable devices. Not one, two but the booth had at least 5-6 concept devices on the display. Most of them had foldable screens, except one which carried a slidable screen. My eyes immediately lit up with joy seeing a compact smartphone that can be folded inwards twice in a G shape. They appear to be functional products with working screens and operating systems. I couldn't talk to Samsung's executives on the ground but I do feel that these products are merely proof-of-concept devices at the moment.
How dominant is Apple at MWC? This picture (above) proves why Apple is the king of smartphones.
Over the past two days covering the MWC, I saw many people using their iPhones to take product shots of newly launched smartphones. Apple's presence at MWC, the world's biggest mobile tech event, is quite visible even though the tech giant isn't attending. Every major Chinese smartphone player has an extensive presence at MWC but when it comes to the choice of a smartphone to shoot product videos/shots, the iPhone is the preferred choice. I am, too, using my iPhone 14 for product shots.
This is a Xiaomi phone and not the iPhone 14 Pro. This isn’t the first time Xiaomi has borrowed design ideas from Apple and brought similar features to its phones. Even Xiaomi knows its copycat phone will get the most attention at a big tech show like the Mobile World Congress. The strategy to churn out a mid-range phone that looks similar to the popular, high-end smartphone and sell them at a far cheaper price is the real intention behind knocking off iPhones.
I was both excited and disappointed by the OnePlus 11 Concept when I left the pre-briefing yesterday. Let me start with the good part first. The concept phone is visually stunning. The clear glass back lets you see the icy blue pipeline, which is both fun and elegant looking. I get the idea behind the liquid cooling tech, but I was expecting more from OnePlus. I thought OnePlus would pull a magic card and give us something closer to the Nintendo Switch. But the device is essentially a pro-version of the OnePlus 11 with liquid cooling and fancy LEDs.
Lenovo took everyone by surprise by teasing a laptop and a smartphone each with a rollable display. I briefly checked them out at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and here are my thoughts.
At first look, the rollable ThinkPad looks like just another clamshell portable laptop. But once you press the physical button on the right-hand side of the deck, two motors drive the display upwards. When fully unrolled, Lenovo’s rollable concept laptop has a tall display with an aspect ratio of 8:9. The tall display could be useful for both office work and creative work.
Lenovo is also showcasing a concept Moto-branded smartphone with a rollable OLED display. The screen measures 5 inches when rolled up and that extends to 6.5 inches with a 22.9 aspect ratio. Unlike the laptop, there are surely some caveats to the rollable display when being implemented in a phone form factor.
Whether or not the rollable screen will survive in daily usage is my biggest worry. As for now, Lenovo is clear that the rollable-display devices are mere prototypes. Neither of the products is ready to be shipped to the public.
As I was passing by Lenovo’s booth at MWC, I spotted the Yoga book 9i. It reminded me of the Surface Neo, a dual-screen device Microsoft was working on but ultimately cancelled it. The Yoga 9i takes cues from the Surface Neo but takes the form of a traditional laptop. During my brief hands-on time with the Yoga Book 9i, I liked how one could use a regular notebook in multiple configurations.
It’s been two days in Barcelona, braving cold weather but the enthusiasm to cover the Mobile World Congress hasn’t diminished. I will head to the Fira Gran Via convention centre in the morning and cover the massive event on the foot. There will be a lot of running around during the week.… but I am ready for it.
Yes, I know I should have got a super fast charger but unfortunately, I didn't and now I am regretting it. I came to Barcelona without a super fast charger, thinking the regular Type-C cable would be fine for charging. And I was so wrong. My Galaxy S23+ is running out of juice and I am looking here and there to get an ultra-fast charger.
Samsung may not be launching any new smartphone at this year’s Mobile World Congress, but the brand’s influence can be felt everywhere you go, even in a busy mall in Barcelona. As soon as I entered the airport, I saw huge ads for the Galaxy S23 series, the company’s newest flagship series. Samsung decided to place large, ads across the city is an interesting way to feel your presence at the world’s biggest mobile tech show. In spite of launching no new products at MWC in recent years, Samsung has always been the invisible elephant in the convention halls. The move reminds me of when Apple put out a giant ad on the side of a building in Las Vegas with the marketing catchphrase "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," just in time for the Consumer Electronics Show.
Being a one man army at MWC, I knew I’d be needing the right gear to cover the event. So I brought my 16-inch MacBook Pro (M2 Max) with me to file stories and keep the blog rolling for the next few days. I know it’s a little heavy but I needed a machine that offers exceptional performance and long battery life. Along with the MacBook Pro, I am also carrying the iPhone 14 and Galaxy S23 Plus, my two go-to phones. Finally, I will be using the GoPro Hero 11, which I will use the most on the floor to capture video.