What to expect from Mobile World Congress 2024
Flagship smartphones, concept devices, and more AI
Some of the biggest tech firms will be gathering in Barcelona next week for Mobile World Congress (MWC). Trade shows like MWC and CES may have lost some of their mojo in recent years — the COVID19 pandemic didn’t help — but MWC is still the biggest event for all things mobile.
But if you’re a smaller player in the industry, MWC still has its appeal. For starters, it helps that a bigwig like Samsung isn’t around to suck all the air out of the room. Honor, for example, is expected to launch its latest Magic 6 smartphones at MWC. Xiaomi, too, plans to introduce its flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra at Barcelona. Judging from its MWC YouTube video, we can also expect other product announcements, including a foldable phone. Another reason to pay attention: There are almost always some interesting, and unique concept devices at the show. Motorola showed off a cool rollable smartphone at MWC last year, and we’re hoping for more.
Besides the smartphone brands, Intel continues to drum up momentum for AI PCs. PC makers like Dell and Lenovo also have more AI-powered innovations to tell us at the show. However, these are likely enterprise-related announcements. Unsurprisingly, one of the major themes for MWC this year is “Humanising AI”, and features a keynote about the state of AI by Demis Hassabis, CEO and co-founder of Google DeepMind. Definitely one to watch if you’re interested about the societal impact of AI. You can catch a preview of MWC 2024 from organiser GSMA here.
If you’re not sold yet on AI PCs, you can probably save some by getting an older laptop like the HP Pavilion Plus 14 that we recently tested. It’s pretty good for a mainstream notebook. We also tested an affordable gaming chair from TTRacing, as well as Sony’s premium A95L OLED TV. Check them out below:
The HP Pavilion Plus 14 is a mainstream notebook with an OLED screen that excels for multimedia entertainment. This display does increase the price by a bit, but the S$1,716 asking price is still fairly competitive. The overall performance, and battery life is good, while the mix of ports and connectors are spot-on.
The TTRacing Swift X Pro lacks the bells and whistles of more expensive gaming chair, but it’s much more affordable at S$279. Besides having all the basics covered, you can also choose between a PU leather and a fabric finish.
If money is no object, the Sony Bravia XR A95L is the OLED TV to get (S$6,199 for the 65-inch). It offers the best picture quality, and even scores well in the audio department. The only minor downside is that it just has two HDMI 2.1 ports, and of course, its premium price.