Mobile World Congress 2024 (MWC 24) officially kicks off next week in Barcelona, with the world’s biggest tech event running from 26th February until 29th February.
Before the doors to the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via conference centre open up to attendees and exhibitors, Sunday 25th February, also known as Day Zero, also sees a number of companies host press conferences around the Catalan capital.
While there will not be as many new hardware announcements as there have been in previous years at MWC 24, Day Zero does still promise to run a wide gamut of reveals and unveilings. We’ll see new smartphones both regular and foldable, as well as laptops imbued with AI capabilities, along with a few surprises including electric vehicles.
With that in mind we’ve rounded up who will be hosting press conferences on Day Zero, as well as what they will potentially be showcasing for MWC 24.
Huawei
If you’re hoping for new hardware from Huawei in Barcelona next week, you may be out of luck, as the enterprise side of the business will be the focus, where more 5G developments are expected. With South Africa being a key territory for the company, 5G-related announcements are expected for this region too. Huawei does not have a singular press conference, but is hosting multiple sessions throughout the first few days of MWC 24.
Honor
The Chinese smartphone maker has been fairly open about what it plans to showcase at MWC, with two new smartphone lineups set to be revealed on Day Zero – the Magic6 and Magic V2 series. The latter is a foldable, with a Porsche Design iteration in the offing. Honor’s press conference kicks off at 15:00 SAST.
HMD
A fixture at MWC in recent years and continuing its focus on the entry-level to mid-range smartphone space, HMD (it recently dropped the Global) is expected to showcase a handful of new Nokia Mobile devices. A pair of notebooks are also anticipated if leaks are to be believed. All will be revealed, however, at 13:30 on 25th February when HMD holds its press conference.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi is another phone maker that has not been shy about letting others know what’s coming to MWC 24, as the company plans to unveil its Xiaomi 14 Ultra flagship phone. On the non-mobile side of things, rumours suggest we could see the company’s electric vehicle make an appearance in Barcelona – the SU7 EV. Xiaomi’s press conference begins at 17:00 in the afternoon for Day Zero.
Lenovo
Another company which has already teased that it will debut a full lineup of laptops running next-gen AI solutions. There is still scope for surprises, however, as the company could showcase a newer iteration of the wrist-wrapping foldable it displayed late last year. At the time of writing, no time has been detailed for the company’s press conference, but Lenovo will have a large presence at the event.
Motorola
As for the mobile division of Lenovo, it too is reportedly planning to showcase new wares, with an update to its foldable razr potentially on the cards.
The above are not the only companies that will be in attendance at Mobile World Congress next week, with other industry players like Nokia, Ericsson, and Google expected to be there to discuss all things connectivity and cloud.
Added to this will be the likes of Samsung, which will be reiterating its AI focus with the new Galaxy S24 series. With the Galaxy S24 Ultra being one of the first flagship phones where AI functionality is such a significant focus, it will be interesting to see how other Android phone makers react.
To stay in the loop on all things MWC 24, be sure to check out our dedicated hub which goes live on our homepage next week. Hypertext will also be on the ground at this year’s event, so give our X account a follow as we share anything and everything we spot at MWC.
