Xiaomi should reveal an updated global version of its collaboration with Leica. Image: Xiaomi<\/p>\n Honor will be up next, with its event set for Sunday. The company has already revealed the MagicPad 4<\/a> \u2014 apparently the thinnest fully fledged tablet around \u2014 and teased its next-generation foldable phone, also expected to be the world\u2019s thinnest. But much more exciting than either is what the company promises will be a proper look at its so-called Robot Phone, first teased late last year in a concept video<\/a> and shown in static prototype form<\/a> at CES last month.<\/p>\n From what we\u2019ve seen, it\u2019s certainly more phone than robot, but the gimbal-stabilized camera arm that unfolds out of the phone\u2019s back is undeniably novel. It\u2019s like a cross between a smartphone and a DJI Osmo Pocket<\/a>, with teasers hinting at AI features and a cheery, WALL-E-esque sense of character. With Honor also teasing the reveal of its first foray into full humanoid robotics<\/a>, expect it to lean hard on its robot credentials.<\/p>\n I have my doubts about how realistic Tecno\u2019s magnetic modular concept phone is, but it does look pretty slick. Image: Tecno<\/p>\n And those are just the big two. Expect to see more from Nothing, which is launching its Phone 4A series and a new pair of over-ear headphones<\/a> at its own event on March 5th, but is almost certain to tease more details on both over the next few days. Tecno has promised a modular, magnetic concept smartphone with attachable lenses and action camera; Vivo has announced some sort of reveal of its camera-centric X300 Ultra flagship; and Lenovo, which simply loves to bring a weird and wacky concept device to the show, is teasing its own announcements.<\/p>\n Will anything be as silly as last year\u2019s Realme concept, which strapped a DSLR telephoto onto the back of a smartphone? Image: Dominic Preston \/ The Verge<\/p>\n For MWC, none of this is entirely new. We declared<\/a> last year\u2019s show \u201call about the odds and ends,\u201d with modular smartphone camera lens attachments<\/a>, color-changing designs<\/a>, and oversize smartphone speakers<\/a>. The year before gave us our first proper look at the Samsung Galaxy Ring<\/a>, we got to try a Motorola concept phone<\/a> that bent round your wrist into a bracelet, and saw some unusual privacy tech from Samsung Display<\/a> that launched in the Galaxy S26 Ultra this week, two years on. The products that we know are coming probably only scratch the surface of how weird and wonderful MWC 2026 is likely to get, as the mobile industry gets its freak on for a few days in the name of securing just a little of your precious attention.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re competing with Apple for attention, playing it safe won\u2019t get you very far <\/p>\n And you can\u2019t blame them, not least when Apple has waded in to promise its own week of announcements<\/a> starting\u2026 Monday, the same day that MWC officially kicks off. In true Apple fashion, we don\u2019t know for sure what\u2019s coming, but affordable MacBooks and the midrange iPhone 17E have both been heavily tipped. When you\u2019re competing with Apple for attention, playing it safe won\u2019t get you very far.<\/p>\n I\u2019m at least half a cynic when it comes to these outlandish hardware announcements. The ones that you can actually buy are often little more than gimmicks, and the ones you can\u2019t usually feel like no more than marketing stunts. But in the past 10 days, we\u2019ve had the Pixel 10A<\/a> and Galaxy S26<\/a> in quick succession, both minimal upgrades that lean on fractional spec bumps and AI additions to justify their existence. I wouldn\u2019t hold my breath for next week\u2019s iPhone 17E<\/a> to revolutionize much either. As Allison Johnson put it in her S26 Ultra preview<\/a> this week, \u201chardware thrills are hard to get these days.\u201d MWC has them in spades.<\/p>\n Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Dominic PrestonClose Dominic Preston<\/p>\n Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All by Dominic Preston<\/a><\/p>\n GadgetsClose<\/p>\n Gadgets<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Gadgets<\/a><\/p>\n MobileClose<\/p>\n Mobile<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Mobile<\/a><\/p>\n MWC 2026Close<\/p>\n MWC 2026<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All MWC 2026<\/a><\/p>\n PhonesClose<\/p>\n Phones<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Phones<\/a><\/p>\n ReportClose<\/p>\n Report<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n![\"Xiaomi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/xiaomi-17-ultra-leica-edition-main.jpg\"\/)
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