???? Mobile World Congress confirms its commitment to AI

??? AI takes center stage at a congress surpassing 100,000 attendees and attracting young talent. Xiaomi and Samsung unveil new smartphones while the mid-range leads the innovations.

Barcelona has once again become the nerve center of innovation this week with a new edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC). With 101,000 confirmed attendees, the city has come alive with an event where, beyond the participation figures, the undisputed star has been artificial intelligence. AI has found its way into every corner of the congress, from new devices to software solutions, as well as robots already working in warehouses and systems capable of making autonomous decisions.

Despite the spectacle of certain presentations, such as the Xiaomi 15 Series at the Barcelona International Convention Center, this Mobile 2025 has confirmed the event's loss of magnetism as the stage for major global launches. Most manufacturers now choose to unveil their flagship models beforehand and use the Barcelona showcase for consolidation. That’s the case with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, already presented in China, but received in Barcelona as the high-end smartphone star of the event.

Its 200-megapixel telephoto lens, signed by Leica, and its 6.73-inch AMOLED screen, with a 6,000 mAh battery and a starting price of €1,499, have wowed the audience. Alongside it, the Xiaomi 15 offers a more modest but equally powerful option, with a more contained price of €999.

Beyond technical performance, both models share what seems to be the true battleground of this Mobile: AI. The new smartphones feature advanced capabilities for text generation, voice recognition, photo editing, and app control, thanks to integration with Google Gemini.

Another major highlight comes from Samsung. The South Korean brand has made a strong move to bring AI to mid-range smartphones. Without major fanfare or massive events, it has introduced the revamped Galaxy A series, with prices ranging from €299 to €529.

Under the slogan "AI for Everyone," Samsung offers features previously reserved for premium models. These include the visual search feature Circle to Search, instant translation of texts and calls, and the ability to remove unwanted objects from photos through assisted image generation.

While the mid-range fills up with AI, other brands like Honor have taken it a step further, turning AI into a proactive agent. The so-called Honor AI promises to book restaurants, understand the context of your location, and anticipate your needs. All this is powered by partnerships with Google and Qualcomm and backed by a $10 billion investment over five years to make the new era of autonomous personal assistants a reality.

But if there’s one area where AI has made a particularly strong impact, it’s robotics. The massive arrival of robots at Mobile is nothing new, but their maturity is. The humanoid Digit robots, created by Agility Robotics and led by Peggy Johnson, are already working in warehouses for companies like GXO in Atlanta, moving boxes like any other employee.

These humanoid robots are no longer just a promise for the future: they are already being deployed and paid per shift. The goal is to fill roles people no longer want or where there is a labor shortage. As Johnson explains, "if we want to free ourselves from these jobs, we must replicate human capabilities." This includes climbing stairs, navigating narrow aisles, and handling objects with precision.

Other companies like Unitree Robotics and Robocore are also showcasing their bets on service robotics, from mechanical dogs to caregiver robots like Temi, already operational in thousands of care homes and hospitals. Energy efficiency, lower costs, and the arrival of generative AI have been key to accelerating this new wave of automatons.

Beyond commercial launches, Mobile has also been a stage for major political statements. Telefónica's new executive chairman, Marc Murtra, called on Europe to support the consolidation of major operators to compete with Asian and North American giants. His strong, geopolitically charged message calls for less fragmentation and more continental tech muscle.

Meanwhile, the Spanish government announced a €161 million investment to deploy 5G in towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, reinforcing the country's digital cohesion and fighting the rural digital divide.

This Mobile has not only been a gathering of tech executives and political leaders but also a magnet for thousands of young people and startups filling sessions on digital talent, AI, and entrepreneurship. The industry's future won’t only be about the most expensive devices but also about making technology accessible to all.

With attendance figures surpassing 100,000 visitors and an increasingly noticeable presence of emerging projects, the Barcelona congress confirms its ambition to be much more than a gadget showcase: it wants to be the place where we debate the digital future we are already starting to live. Too bad Europe is attending merely as a spectator, and Catalonia as a host, to North American and Asian innovations.

To complete the innovation scene, Mobile has also hosted a flood of standout presentations. Xpanceo captured attention with smart contact lenses featuring augmented reality and night vision, reminiscent of Iron Man’s tech. Elmo Remote and Nokia demonstrated remote vehicle driving, aimed at revolutionizing long-distance car rentals. GLocalMe surprised with a phone designed specifically for pets, allowing owners to locate and communicate with their animals. Samsung Display showed off a foldable handheld console and flexible display prototypes, while Lenovo presented the ThinkBook Flip with flexible OLED and the ThinkBook 3D laptop without glasses, as well as a solar-powered concept device.

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