Skip to main content

MWC day one roundup: All the news from the biggest mobile tech show in the world

Ahh, Barcelona. So beautiful. So crowded. So full of smartphones.

Mobile World Congress officially opened its doors on March 2, although a slew of big name press events crowded the schedule at press day on Sunday, March 1. Digital Trends is at the show in full force, reporting live from all the major events — where cool smartphones, funky new wearables, and gadgets of all sorts have been unleashed in landslide.

With the first day of the show now over, Digital Trends’ crack team of editors have handpicked nominees for The Top Tech of MWC in five key categories: mobile, wearables, cool tech, apps, and accessories. Follow the link to find out more about each nominee.

Stare to Unlock

Just how many ways are there of unlocking your phone? We’ve got passcodes, patterns, fingerprints, and now, thanks to the ZTE Grand S3 — biometric retinal scanning. We’ve seen this tech before, and even heard rumors of it showing up in other devices, but this is the first time we’ve seen it properly implemented on a real smartphone.

How to be Invisible

Whether you like it or not, we live in a surveillance state. Cameras are absolutely everywhere nowadays, and to make matters worse, advancements in facial-recognition tech could soon give governments and private corporations to power to not only recognize us, but also cross-reference our faces to other personal data found online.

avg facial recognition glasses
Image used with permission by copyright holder

But not to worry. At MWC in Barcelona this week, security software maker AVG is demoing a pair of concept glasses that can bamboozle even the most sophisticated facial recognition tech. Follow the link to learn how they work.

Too light? Yeah, right

The Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet is sublimely slim, ferociously fast, and offers a cutting edge Android 5.0 Lollipop experience. As an entertainment device, the large screen and enhanced sound make it ideal, and there’s a keyboard attachment for the business crowd. It’s also waterproof, and it has great battery life. This is as close as you get to an iPad on Android.

Zuckerberg wants everyone online

While the Internet may be ubiquitous to those of us living in the Western world, for billions of other people in emerging markets, getting online remains a technological and conceptual challenge. Carriers are slowly expanding coverage in these new markets, but not all users know about all the offerings of the Internet, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg wants to help change that.

mark-zukerberg-mobile-world-congress-keynote-2015-6
Image used with permission by copyright holder

That’s what brought the CEO of the world’s largest social network to Barcelona on Monday to speak at Mobile World Congress 2015. Follow the link to learn what’s on his mind.

Android Wear gets classy

Not everyone wants a sporty-looking smart watch, and while the G Watch R is a good looking piece of wearable tech, the solid black body and chunky bezel wasn’t for everyone. Step forward, LG Watch Urbane, an all-new design with a slightly tweaked name, and the same G Watch R specs underneath.

The numbered bezel has gone, and the body now comes in classy gold or classic silver. The flattened, polished bezel catches the light very attractively, and there’s no fuss around the edges, or a multitude of buttons to ruin the minimalist and attractive style. Follow the link for all our thoughts on the new watch.

Sexier than Apple’s Watch?

The Huawei Watch is drop dead gorgeous. It’s the finest Android Wear smartwatch our writer has seen, shedding the bulky look of devices like the LG G Watch R, absurdly futuristic devices like Samsung’s Gear S, or imperfect and somewhat chunky designs like the Moto 360. The Huawei Watch is just the right size and shape.

Huawei Watch
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The best phones from Samsung. Ever.

It’s a new year, and that means a new Galaxy S phone, but this year is different. This year, Samsung has given its flagship Android phone a design makeover — and a curvy sister that’s sure to catch your eye.

That’s right, there are two Galaxy S6 phones this year: the standard S6 and the sexy new Galaxy S6 Edge, which is identical in almost every way save its screen, which falls right down the sides of the phone like water running off a ledge. Which one fits your style best? Read on for all the details.

Full coverage

MWC day two is in full swing, and DT will stay on top of the news for you. Stick with us all week to stay on top of all the show’s news, and follow our writers on Twitter for breaking news, photos, and details as it happens.

Jeremy Kaplan
As Editor in Chief, Jeremy Kaplan transformed Digital Trends from a niche publisher into one of the fastest growing…
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more
Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today
Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally. 

Read more
The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024
A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad

Read more