Mobile World Congress, Renamed to MWCis Barcelona’s annual trade show where many major players in mobile devices gather to unveil new devices, announce services and close deals. It is no longer the central hub in all the latest and greatest smartphone announcements in the past, but there are some notable revelations this year along with many interesting concepts, AI and other gadgets. Wired has been touring the lobby to find the best of the best – here is the top pick for MWC 2025.
Unlimited access to power wired. Getting a first-class report is too important to ignore $2.50 $1 year per month. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive content for subscribers only. Subscribe now.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra is the camera king
-and-15-Ultra-(right)-rear-back-cameras-Reviewer-Photo-SOURCE-Simon-Hill.jpg)
Photo: Simon Hill
MWC no longer sees many flagship phones released, but Xiaomi 15 and 15 Ultra (8/10, recommended online) Worth a big fanfare, this year is probably the best performance. Both Android phone Polished with excellent screen, strong battery life, fast charging and silky performance. Xiaomi’s Hyperos are also mature, version 2 is freely seasoned – you guessed it. They are available in the UK and Europe, but will not land in the US. (The brand hosted Wired at MWC’s media event and paid a portion of our journalist’s travel expenses.)
mine In-depth comments Going into the deep internal operation of these phones, I like and don’t like it. But neither is cheap – the Xiaomi 15 starts at £849 (999 euros), and the Ultra will get you back £1,299 (1,499 euros). The Ultra Photography kit is a module connected to one end of the phone, adding dedicated camera controls and an additional battery, for an additional price of £179 (199 euros).
In addition to the new phone, Xiaomi has also shown many other devices. We got two new Android tablets with 11.2-inch screen and large battery, respectively, Xiaomi PAD 7 and 7 Pro – Pro adds a faster processor and a better camera. Then there is the Harman-tuned Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro with aggressive noise reduction, 8 hours of battery life, and support for AI transcription and translation. Xiaomi Watch S4 has a summary of hardware announcements, a slightly improved version that can be customized last year Watch S3– and the rectangle, fitness and health-centric smart band 9 Pro. –Simon Hill
No new budget phones are dazzling
%2520and%2520(3a)%2520Pro%2520SOURCE%2520Julian%2520Chokkattu-rear%2520back%2520cameras.jpg)
Photo: Julian Chokkattu
Nothing to own two new stylish smartphones – Telephone (3a) and Phone (3A) PRO. They are the same in almost every way except cameras. The Pro model has a different 50 megapixel main camera, which can capture more light thanks to larger pixels, plus it has 3x optical periscope lens, while the phone (3A) has 2x optical camera. The phones are $379 and $459, respectively, which itself is the achievement of setting up a multi-function three camera on phones under $500.
