Tech Advisor’s Best of MWC 2024 Awards

MWC (Mobile World Congress) is back for 2024 and has hosted some of the world’s biggest tech brands showing off their latest and greatest tech. As ever, our team of intrepid editors hit the show floor to find the best gadgets.

Although the trade show, held annually in Barcelona, is primarily focused on smartphones, there were plenty of other interesting devices to be found. We’ve searched high and low to create something of a wishlist of gadgets you’ll want to own this year.

As well as the latest handsets from Xiaomi, we also saw amazing innovations from Honor, Oppo, TCL and Lenovo including a rather interesting transparent laptop concept.

Without further ado, here are the products that caught our attention this year.

Xiaomi 14 series

Two of the best phones to launch at MWC this year were the Xiaomi 14 and its bigger brother, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, with the latter being the first Ultra to launch in the UK. 

Both phones are highly specced starting with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processors and 12- or 16GB of RAM respectively. They also have CrystalRes AMOLED screens capable of a 3000 nits peak brightness. 

Perhaps most interesting of all is the cameras co-engineered with Leica, continuing the company’s collaboration with the German optics specialist. The regular 14 has a trio of 50Mp cameras at the rear while the Ultra has a fourth camera in a floating periscope and its main camera has a large 1-inch sensor. 

Both come with speedy 90W wired charging with a brick included in the box and have 50- and 80W wireless charging respectively. 

The Xiaomi 14 starts at £849 while the 14 Ultra is £1,299 and comes with my favourite product from MWC this year, the Photography Kit. 

OnePlus Watch 2 

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

OnePlus is getting back in the smartwatch game with the Watch 2, which now runs on Google’s WearOS software. This is a welcome change from the buggy UI seen in the first entry in this series.  

One of the standout features of this wearable is its dual chipset. One is enabled for performance, and the other for efficiency, giving the Watch 2 an impressive 100-hour battery life. This is more durable than other Wear OS rivals such as Google’s Pixel Watch 2 and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6.  

The build is equally impressive, with the strap options matching the colourways of the OnePlus 12 flagship smartphone. The stainless-steel body is on the chunky and heavy side, but with a MIL-STD-810H standard certification, it’s built to withstand tough environments. Plus, the 1.43-inch display is big, bright, and clear.  

You can pre-order the OnePlus Watch 2 now for £299/$299, with discounts available if you buy it before it goes on sale on 4 March. 

Honor Magic 6 Pro

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Honor’s Magic 6 series debuted in China in January, but it was introduced to a global audience at MWC. 

Only the high-end 6 Pro is coming to Europe, with no room for the regular model. The much cheaper Magic 6 Lite is already available globally. 

In many ways, the Magic 6 Pro is Honor’s all-out flagship. Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset drives stellar performance, while battery life has been superb during initial testing. Alongside fast charging (80W wired, 66W wireless) and a gorgeous 6.8-inch 120Hz OLED screen, it’s a high-end phone in pretty much every sense of the word. 

That extends to the cameras, which provide genuinely excellent results across all four main lenses: 50Mp (f/1.4-f/2.0 dynamic aperture) main camera, 180Mp telephoto (2.5x optical zoom), 50Mp ultrawide (122° field of view) and 50Mp selfie. 

A separate 3D Time of Flight (ToF) sensor on the front means face unlock can be just as secure as the in-display fingerprint sensor. It also enables excellent eye tracking, which can detect when you’re looking at a notification and open the associated app without the need for a tap. 

The Honor Magic 6 Pro is expensive, costing £1,099.99, but it’ll be worth it for many people when it goes on sale on 1 March. 

Nubia Flip 5G 

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Phones from ZTE sub-brand Nubia aren’t as well-known as some rivals in the UK or US, but the first foldable handset from the brand was such an MWC standout that we had to include it in our awards list. 

At just $599, the Nubia Flip 5G is further proof that foldables can be made at a more affordable price alongside Motorola’s Razr 40 model. You get a decent range of specs, including a 6.9-inch 120Hz interior display and a smaller circular exterior display that’s reminiscent of a compact mirror when you use the 50Mp rear camera with OIS.  

There are compromises to keep costs down, of course. The phone runs on the slightly older Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor, and ships with Android 13 rather than the latest OS. Nonetheless, the hardware looks and feels great, with a chunky retro build and three shimmery finishes. There was also no crease in sight when unfolding.  

If you’re big on folding tech but can’t afford to splash the cash, then you should keep an eye out for the Nubia Flip 5G. It’s set to arrive in Europe, but we don’t know if this includes the UK. ZTE did not announce any plans to launch the phone in America.   

Humane Ai Pin 

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

The Humane Ai Pin is currently only shipping to those in the US, but the team (many of which are ex-Apple) were on the ground in Barcelona showcasing this weird product to the tech world.  

The Ai Pin is touted as an ‘escape’ from screens. It clips onto your chest like a badge and has a voice assistant that can answer your questions, play music, and summarise your email inbox through its built-in speaker. On top of that, it includes a laser ink projector, which can display text on your palm if you hold it in front of you. It also has a camera, a Snapdragon chip, a depth sensor, and a motion sensor. 

The Ai Pin ships with an accompanying charging case, not dissimilar to what you’d get with a pair of earbuds. It’s rather necessary, as it only has four hours of battery life on a single charge, which isn’t great. However, the company includes two battery boosters, which can clip onto the rear of the device.  

The Humane Ai pin costs $699 upfront and then requires a $24 per month subscription for a unique phone number, data, and texts. It’s by no means cheap, but if you consider yourself an early adopter of unique gadgets, then this should be on your list.

Honor Pad 9

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Typically, cheap Android tablets come with several big compromises. That’s not the case with the Honor Pad 9, which offers a compelling all-round experience for just £349.99 in the UK. 

This 12.1-inch slate’s aluminium and glass design feels very premium, while the 120Hz 2.5K screen doesn’t feel like a compromise at all – even if it is an IPS LCD panel, rather than OLED. 

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and 8GB of RAM deliver surprisingly strong performance, even while gaming, while strong quad stereo speakers offer premium, room-filling sound. Even Honor’s polarising MagicOS skin (over Android 13 here) works pretty well on the larger display. 

However, it’s not clear how long Honor will support the device with software updates. And the combination of disappointing battery life and relatively slow charging can be frustrating at times.  

But considering how affordable the Pad 9 is, it’s still an impressive device that’s worth considering.

Oppo Reno11 F 5G

Chris Martin / Foundry

At its Night Gala event where the Chinese firm officially announced its return to Europe, Oppo had some new devices on hand for us to play with.

Among these was a new handset in the form of the Reno 11F 5G which could well be one of the best budget phones of 2024. For starters, it has a striking design with the Ocean Blue model on display offering an interesting rear cover design that looks a little like wet sand or the rippling of a swimming pool.

The glittery effect (similar but different on the Coral Purple and Palm Green colourways) might not be for everyone, but the specs look impressive with a 64Mp main camera at the rear and a much higher than average 32Mp selfie camera around the front. Oppo calls this phone ‘The Portrait Expert’.

Other specs include 67W SuperVOOC charging, 5000mAh battery, IP65 dust and resistance and a large 6.7in AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate.

It could give the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro and Samsung Galaxy A25 5G a run for their money when it goes on sale in April.

TCL Tab 10 Nxtpaper 5G

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

TCL is onto something with its Nxtpaper displays. Not only does it significantly reduce harmful blue light and eye strain, but the matt coating also dramatically improves visibility in all environments.  

Impressively, this is achieved without any noticeable impact on detail or colour accuracy – it still looks excellent. 

However, the latest Nxtpaper 3.0 standard takes things to the next level. It allows you to switch between three modes – regular, colour E Ink, or monochrome E Ink. The latter is just like you’d find on a Kindle, while the option to add colour makes it a great choice for comics or books with lots of images. 

Nxtpaper 3.0 is only available on a handful of devices so far, including the Nxtpaper 14 Pro. The smaller Tab 10 Nxtpaper 5G misses the dedicated switch, but (as the name suggests) its unnamed chipset adds 5G support. It’s not a rapid tablet, though it feels plenty fast enough. 

Its 10.4-inch display has a high 2.5K (2560×1440) resolution, while you also get 128GB of internal storage and a 6000mAh battery.  

However, the Tab 10 Nxtpaper 5G will be exclusive to the US when it launches in the spring, and it’s not expected to be released in Europe. 

Tecno Pocket Go

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

You’ve probably heard of the Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally handheld consoles. AR glasses, including the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and Xreal Air, may also be on your radar. But what if you combined the two for gaming?  

That’s exactly what Chinese company Tecno has achieved with the Pocket Go, delivering a smooth, immersive gaming experience that you can take anywhere.  

The headset, known as AR Pocket Vision, is equipped with a 0.71-inch Micro-OLED screen. Tecno says simulates being six metres away from a 215-inch TV, and from a test playing Cyberpunk 2077, it certainly feels that way. It’s easy to adjust the Pocket Vision to suit your eyes, and the headset is very comfortable to wear. 

Its companion controller, the AR Pocket Windows Handheld, is just as good. It retains the familiarity of an Xbox-style layout, yet looks more like a smartphone and is much lighter than a typical controller. 

The two combine to deliver a smooth, high-quality gaming experience that’s on par with the latest consoles. Tecno says the 50Wh battery will get you at least two hours of gaming, and it can easily be removed and replaced with another one. 

Tecno hasn’t revealed Pocket Go availability yet, but it’s unlikely to be released in Europe or North America. That’s a real shame, given the potential of the product. 

Xiaomi Watch S3

Chris Martin / Foundry

It might not have WearOS like the Xiaomi Watch 2 but there appear to be some benefits to the Watch S3 coming with HyperOS instead. 

Top of that list is a touted 15-day battery life along with 2 days of usage from a quick 15-minute charge. HyperOS also lets you do various things, like reject calls, with one-handed gestures – or ‘flips of the wrist’ – so there’s no need to touch the watch if your other hand is unavailable. 

The S3 has a 1.43-inch AMOLED display, a 12-channel heart rate monitoring module for more accurate tracking, and can even track skiing and snowboarding. 

On the design front, it has an interesting trick up its sleeve with interchangeable bezels that quickly clip on and off and also come with accompanying watch faces. 

It will arrive in mid-March at £129.99. 

Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4

Chris Martin / Foundry

Getting past the tongue-twister of the name, the Pad 6S Pro 12.4 looks like it will be one of the best tablets of the year. Ok, it doesn’t come bundled with the Touchpad Keyboard or Focus Pen (stylus) but those optional extras are there if you want them.  

Among other specs that we’ll come to, it has insane 120W HyperCharge wired charging meaning you can get the 10,000mAh battery from dead to 100% in just 35 minutes. As far as we’re aware, this is the fastest-charging tablet in the world. 

And the impressive specs don’t stop there as it’s got a 12.4-inch 144Hz 3K display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Xiaomi’s HyperOS has various features including Cross-device collaboration and an AI Art feature that can turn your rubbish scribbles into proper artwork at the touch of a button. 

The Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 comes in two models with either 8- or 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage for £599 or £699 respectively.

Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop Concept

Chris Martin / Foundry

Revolutionary or gimmick, you decide, but Lenovo’s transparent laptop is certainly interesting and impressive at the same time.  

This gadget is the first laptop with a 17.3-inch Micro-LED transparent display, providing a “completely borderless and see-through display experience”. Whether you want that or not is another thing but in real life, it’s a feat of engineering at the very least. 

The laptop also has a sci-fi movie-worthy transparent keyboard area along with a ‘floating footpad design’. 

With a brightness of up to 1000 nits you can even use the device outdoors and should you want to blend physical and digital environments then this is the device for you. 

Whether you’ll ever be able to buy one (or afford it) is another matter. 

Oppo Air Glass 3 

Chris Martin / Foundry

It’s worth prefacing that these smart glasses are a China-only device, but the Oppo Air Glass 3 has one of the best designs we’ve ever seen from a pair of AR glasses. 

They’re discreet to wear, in that they just look like a normal pair of glasses rather than a bulky, awkward piece of headgear like the Apple Vision Pro. Available in basic black, they’re made from a magnesium-lithium alloy and weigh just 50g.  

Projections are controlled via swipes on the arm, and there are four built-in speakers that can play prompts and commands from Oppo’s voice assistant. This is integrated with the AndesGPT model, which can process images, text, video, audio, and more.   

In the prototype we demoed, we were able to use the Air Glass 3 to read an eBook, scroll through to a calendar, see the weather and more. If these glasses were to come to market, then they could be game-changing for things such as live translation and directions when out and about.  

For now, they’re a great example of what smart glasses should look like in the future.  

Anker MagGo Foldable 3-in-1 Qi2 Wireless Charging Station

Foundry

Qi wireless charging has been around since 2008, so it’s something of a slow technology when it comes to upgrades!

2024, however, is the year of Qi2 as proven at this year’s MWC. Qi2 offers magnetic wireless charging at twice the speed of Qi, with a new maximum of 15W. That’s the same as Apple’s own MagSafe wireless charging standard but without the extra certification expense.

Anker is the first to market with a range of Qi2 wireless chargers, and the MagGo Wireless Charging Station doesn’t just massively increase charging speed, as this charger/stand combo is the smallest and most stable portable 3-in-1 we’ve seen.

It’s about the length and width of a credit card and an inch deep, weighing 195g. Not only does it charge a Qi2-compatible phone (most notably the iPhone 13/14/15) at 15W, but it’s also officially certified to fast-charge an Apple Watch and features a pad that’s perfect for charging your AirPods or other wireless earbuds case.