Cell World Congress—or simply MWC—isn’t one among our favourite commerce exhibits simply because it’s located within the lovely metropolis of Barcelona throughout a seasonally applicable time of yr. (Low-cost cava and tapas don’t have something to do with it both.) No, this present is a favourite as a result of it’s one of many best to navigate, and there’s all the time loads of attention-grabbing, enjoyable, or simply plain loopy tech to scavenge via.
This yr, such bounty consists of clear laptops, bendable telephones, a Barbie flip cellphone, and extra. Listed below are the highlights.
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HMD Rebrands (Type of) and Teases a Barbie Telephone
HMD was speculated to be the rebirth of Nokia telephones again when it made a splash at MWC 2017, nevertheless it wasn’t lengthy earlier than the corporate misplaced steam and it was clear that the Nokia model title wouldn’t actually compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple anymore. HMD as an alternative put its give attention to finances Android telephones over the previous few years and its characteristic cellphone enterprise. At MWC, it introduced that 2023 was the corporate’s first worthwhile yr, and now it’s attempting to vary issues up with a rebrand. First is the title—it’s leaning extra on “Human Cell Gadgets” (the total model of its acronym) as an alternative of HMD. This yr’s lineup of units will embody an HMD cellphone, an iconic Nokia cellphone, plus a Barbie flip cellphone.
Yep, you heard that proper. HMD is collaborating with Mattel to launch a Barbie characteristic flip cellphone. It’ll be coming this summer season, will clearly be pink, and is being touted as a digital detox system. That’s all we all know. The one photos of all of the teased telephones had been pixelated.
What we do find out about HMD’s different cellphone is that it’ll revolve round a system known as HMD Fusion. Just like Motorola’s Moto Mods or Google’s long-lost Venture Ara, it seems like a system of modular elements that builders can construct for the smartphone, from an prolonged battery and a barcode scanner to a cost terminal to medical gear. It launched a toolkit that builders can use to get began.
HMD additionally had a giant give attention to repairability—it expects half of its units launched globally this yr to be repairable. However this summer season, it says it would have a system that dramatically reduces the variety of steps it takes to repair a cracked display.
Motorola Bends a Telephone, and Debuts Sensible Join
Late final yr at Lenovo’s Tech World occasion, Motorola unveiled a bendable idea cellphone known as the Adaptive Show. I obtained an opportunity to mess around with it at MWC. It appears to be like and looks like its Razr folding telephones, besides as an alternative of getting a hinge that snaps the cellphone closed exactly in half, you may bend the entire thing backward.