MWC 2025: What to expect from this year’s mobile-focused show

MWC 2025 is almost here, and brands are gearing up to showcase the latest in mobile-themed technology, from new flagships to new wearable devices and much more.

However, it looks like this year’s show will be a little different from usual, with one of the regular key players of MWC deciding to launch its flagship smartphone a little earlier than usual this year.?

That said, here’s everything you need to know about the biggest upcoming releases at MWC 2025 from the likes of Xiaomi, Honor and more.?

Xiaomi

Launch event: 1pm GMT on 2 March 2025

Xiaomi confirmed in early January that it’d be present at this year’s MWC, though it initially only teased that it’d be focused on ‘Connected Intelligence’.

That said, we know from previous years at MWC that Xiaomi takes the show as an opportunity to launch its flagship range on the global stage, and we expect nothing less this year. More specifically, we expect Xiaomi to debut the Xiaomi 15 to an international audience following the phone’s China launch in late 2024.

Last year’s MWC 2024 also saw the reveal of the new top-end Xiaomi 14 Ultra, replacing the Pro models we’d seen launched in previous years.?

This was later confirmed by Xiaomi, teasing the announcement of both the Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 15 Ultra on its website.

Given its AI focus, it’s also possible that Xiaomi’s self-driving car – a China exclusive – could be present on the show floor for automotive fans to check out, and it’s also possible that Xiaomi will launch other accessories alongside its flagship smartphone range at the show too.??

Honor

Launch event: 3:30pm GMT on 2 March 2025

Honor has also confirmed its presence at the upcoming trade show, but there’s a change to proceedings this year.?

In previous years, the company has taken a similar approach to Xiaomi, using MWC as a launchpad to reveal its flagship for the year. We saw the Honor Magic 6 Pro at MWC 2024, and the Magic 5 Pro made its debut at MWC 2023.

The problem is that Honor has already released its flagship for 2025, the Honor Magic 7 Pro, so what is the company going to launch at MWC??

Instead, the company is going to focus on what it’s calling the “Honor Alpha Plan”. The Honor MWC launch site teases elements like AI Agents, AI Upscaling, AI Safety and AI Connectivity, though there’s no hint of any kind of hardware release right now.

HMD

Launch event: 2 March

HMD is in Barcelona, and it’s launching new products, but it won’t have a presence at MWC itself. Instead, the company has confirmed that it’ll announce new products on 3 March at Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona.

Teasers showcase an HMD Fusion-esque smartphone with an FC Barcelona logo, suggesting a collaboration between HMD and the world-famous football team, as we’ve seen with previous releases like the Barbie phone.

Leaks suggest it’ll re-launch 2024’s HMD Fusion 5G with new ‘Smart Outfits’ that boost the phone’s functionality, new HMD earbuds, and partnerships with not only FC Barcelona but Mattel, Lego, and more.

Realme

Launch event: 8:30am GMT on 3 March

Realme is set to attend this year’s show, where it has confirmed that it’ll debut the Realme 14 Pro series for an international audience and an all-new camera-focused phone.

Not much is known about the smartphone right now, but the company describes a device with an “ultra-large sensor and optical telephoto lens engineered to redefine smartphone photography” in a press release. It also teased that it “uses a sensor larger than those in flagship models,” though it doesn’t go on to mention which models.

The Realme 14 Pro collection is less of a secret, having already launched in regions like India. We’ve actually reviewed the top-end Realme 14 Pro Plus if you’re curious.

ZTE

Launch event: 12pm GMT on 3 March

ZTE has teased the reveal of an “AI for All” ecosystem at MWC 2025, focusing on AI-powered tech that’ll play nicely together.

While we don’t have the specifics of the AI features ZTE is set to debut, the company has confirmed that it’ll also showcase the Nubia Flip 2 5G, which we’re yet to see in the UK or EU, and a pair of AI-powered headphones dubbed Nubia LiveFlip.

Nothing

Launch event: 10am GMT on 4 March

Nothing has teased an announcement that coincides with MWC, on 4 March 2025, though the company doesn’t have a presence at the Barcelona-based show itself.

While rumours initially suggested that Nothing would take the opportunity to release the long-awaited follow-up to the Nothing Phone (2), the Nothing Phone (3), subsequent leaks and official teasers from Nothing point towards the follow-up to last year’s Nothing Phone (2a), the Nothing Phone (3a).

Nothing first teased the (2a) collection at last year’s show, so the reveal of a follow-up makes a lot of sense. It could also tease the Nothing Phone (3), though we’ll have to wait and see for now.?

Samsung

Samsung is another stalwart of MWC, though it doesn’t tend to use the show to launch anything new – and we’re expecting much of the same this year with the release of the flagship Galaxy S25 range now in the rearview mirror.

That said, Samsung did officially tease the Galaxy Ring at last year’s show, with early models of the ring available for all to see on the show floor. Could we see something similar this year??

Samsung has been collaborating with Google on the first Android-based XR headset to compete with the likes of Apple’s Vision Pro, and it is confirmed to be released sometime this year, so it could be the perfect time to showcase it to the masses.?

That said, Samsung will likely also use the event to showcase its flagship S25 range and its improved Galaxy AI smarts for attendees yet to go hands-on with the new collection.?

Oppo

Oppo hasn’t had much of a presence at MWC over the past few years – no real surprise given the company’s issues with patents in the EU. But that’s now sorted, and we’ve seen the release of the?Find X8 Pro?in the UK and EU in late 2024, so could we be about to see a big presence at MWC 2025 to match?

Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Oppo hasn’t confirmed any official presence at the show, though the company will be hosting an MWC-adjacent event in Barcelona during the week focusing on Oppo’s vision of AI.

Motorola

Motorola has been a little bit quieter than usual on the MWC front. We’re confident that the company will have some kind of presence at the show, likely sharing a stand with parent company Lenovo as with previous years, but it doesn’t look like the company has anything new to show at this point.

Previous MWC events have been used to publicly showcase concept smartphone tech; 2023 saw a concept with an expanding display, while 2024 saw the hybrid phone/bracelet concept on the show floor.?

However, these are usually concepts first shown at Lenovo Tech World, an annual event where the company showcases new concepts and upcoming tech, but there was no new concept at Tech World 2024 in late 2024, so we might not be seeing anything at MWC 2025.??