MWC 2025: The curtains have come down on Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025. As always, the event saw a number of products being launched and showcased, some ready for the market, some still in stages of development. While some of these seemed like incremental improvements, others pushed established tech boundaries.
Not surprisingly, AI was at the front and centre of the event, but other aspects of technology also had their time in the Barcelona spotlight sun, Here is a look at five gadgets that that shone the brightest at MWC 2025 in Barcelona:
Xiaomi 15 Ultra: Getting Even More Leica-ble Than Before
Xiaomi took the wraps off the Xiaomi 15 Ultra at MWC 2025, and not surprisingly, it was one of the biggest stars of the show. In best Xiaomi flagship tradition, the device came packed with high-end, cutting edge specs – a 6.7 inch WQHD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and 3200 nits peak brightness, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite with a whopping 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage, Android 15 out of the box with Xiaomi’s HyperOS on top loaded with AI, and a 5,410 mAh battery with support for 90W fast charging and 80W wireless fast charging.
But the biggest highlight of the phone was its camera setup, made in collaboration with Leica, one of the biggest names in photography. The phone features a massive one-inch 50-megapixel main sensor, and as if that was not impressive enough, it also packs a 200-megapixel ultra telephoto sensor, another 50-megapixel Leica floating telephoto, and a fourth 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor. It is not just about the numbers, though.
The cameras come with several shooting modes, including Leica’s famous portrait modes and a host of manual shooting controls that could redefine phone photography as we know it. As if this was not enough, Xiaomi has even placed it in a special silver and black design that makes it look like a typical Leica camera.
Nubia Focus 2 Ultra: A Functioning Camera Lens Ring
While Xiaomi’s Leica collaboration grabbed a lot of attention, it was by no means the only major phone camera innovation at MWC 20244. The Nubia Focus 2 Ultra puts its own spin on phone photography. On the face of it, it looked like your normal high-specced phone, but a closer look at the camera unit on its back revealed it was different.
What seems like a regular circular, slightly protruding camera unit actually has a physically revolving lens ring, mimicking the functionality of an actual camera. And it is not just for show, but actually a fully functional feature – you can adjust zoom or change filters using it. The rest of the specs include a 6.8-inch full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, a 5,000 mAh battery with 33W fast charging support, an octa core processor and some pretty powerful cameras (not officially confirmed though). However, it is the ring that is the star.
We hope it comes to other phones, too.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro: New Nothing Brings A Lot To The Table
Nothing released both the much anticipated Nothing Phone (3a) and the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro at MWC, and while both phones made headlines, the Pro bro naturally caught more eyeballs. While both phones follow Nothing’s distinct smartphone design language of having transparent backs and LEDs, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro stands out more thanks to a much bigger camera unit on the back.
And while the phone also brings some decent specs to the game, the biggest USP of the device has to be its camera setup. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has a triple-camera combo comprising a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto with 3x optical zoom (something one normally sees in flagships), and an 8-megapixel ultrawide, as well as a 50-megapixel selfie camera.
The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, which is paired with up to 12 GB RAM and a 256 GB storage option, and features a 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. The device comes with a 5,000 mAH battery with 50W charging support, although there is no charger in the box, and it runs on Android 15 with the super clean NothingOS on top. Its design and UI are eye-catching, but that periscope telephoto has the potential to be really game-changing in mid-segment camera photography.
TCL Nxtpaper 11 Plus Tablet: Best Of Both Worlds
TCL has been showcasing tablets with paper-like displays for a few years now, and at MWC 2025, it released a tablet that poses a serious threat to not only e-readers like Kindle but also to full-fledged tablets like iPads. The brand launched the TCL Nxtpaper 11 Plus Tablet, which comes with an Nxtpaper 4.0 display which lets users switch from a regular LCD display to what TCL terms an Ink Paper display, which has the texture and feel of paper.
There is even a color paper mode for those who want a middle ground between the two. That apart, the sleek tablet comes with an 11.5-inch display with 2.2K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate and is powered by Ma ediaTek Helio G100 processor with up to 12GB RAM and 256 GB storage.
An 8,000 mAh battery keeps it going, and the tablet comes with a number of features that aim to reduce eye strain and make viewing content on the device a more comfortable and strain-free experience. And, of course, it comes with several AI smarts, too.
Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro: TWS that can connect over Wi-Fi
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra might have grabbed most of the headlines (and awards) at MWC 2025, but Xiaomi also brought a major innovation to the TWS zone. The brand introduced a special edition of its Buds 5 Pro TWS, which could connect to your device over Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth.
The truly wireless earbuds come with Qualcomm’s S7 Pro chip, which allows you to stream audio at a much higher bandwidth over Wi-Fi. This could potentially change the whole wireless audio game as one will be able to access much higher quality audio, even over a wireless connection.
The buds will switch seamlessly from Bluetooth to WiFi, and as long your WiFi connection remains strong, your audio will, too. At the time of writing, these buds were compatible only with the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Ultra, but we expect that to change as time passes and more brands climb on to the Wi-Fi audio bandwagon.
