MWC 2026: robots, foldables, and AI dominated the show in Barcelona

Rising interest in hardware, humanoid robots, and AI agents across industries – coupled with the fact that most startups are now AI-focused – stood out as highlights at Mobile World Congress 2026.

Fira Gran Via in Barcelona pulsed with futuristic energy last week as Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 wrapped up, drawing over 100,000 attendees to witness a hardware renaissance and unstoppable rise of AI. Amid economic headwinds, exhibitors doubled down on tangible gadgets and agentic artificial intelligence, demonstrating an increasing shift from software to hardware-software applications.

Here are four standout consumer technology highlights that illuminated the event.

1. Hardware rise: More devices, robots, and foldables than ever

MWC 2026 bucked digital fatigue with a dazzling array of physical innovations across product categories. Hardware took centre stage, from jumping humanoids to foldable smartphone retrospectives, proving consumers crave hands-on tech.

For example, Honor made headlines with its motion-enabled humanoid robot, unveiled in an exclusive closed-door presentation for business partners, media, and ecosystem players. Dubbed the “Robot Phone” for its seamless integration with mobile ecosystems, the bot’s jaw-dropping backward somersault over its own head left jaws on the floor – a viral moment primed for social media posts.

Samsung countered with a historical lineup, showcasing its smartphone evolution from early versions to sleek Galaxy flagships, reminding us how far we’ve come while teasing multimodal AI integrations.

Motorola joined the foldable fray with its debut book-style device, blending durability and portability to challenge Samsung’s dominance.

Xiaomi and Leica made waves with the Leitz Phone 3, the first international Leica-branded smartphone, featuring a physical rotating camera ring for manual zoom and exposure tweaks – perfect for vloggers chasing new content creation tools.

2. Agentic AI: The universal language across booths big and small

Forget niche demos – agentic AI, where systems act autonomously on goals like virtual personal assistants on steroids, dominated conversations from sprawling corporate pavilions to scrappy startup corners. Big players such as Samsung and Qualcomm integrated it into Edge devices for proactive tasks, while startups pitched niche agents for home automation.

The buzz? Scalable mobile AI that “thinks and acts” without constant prompting, positioning it as the next consumer must-have. Expect new agentic features in your smartphone by 2027.

3. AI startups take the spotlight at 4YFN Awards 2026

MWC’s 4YFN Awards, the annual startup competition held during the Congress, emphasised AI in innovation, with the audience of investors, executives, and ecosystem representatives watching startup pitches. Judged by expert jury from AT&T Ventures, Notion Capital, Samsung Next, among others, Spanish startup Biorce emerged victorious. Its AI platform streamlines clinical trials by predicting outcomes and optimizing patient matching – a game-changer for biotech efficiency.

Other finalists lit up diverse sectors:

• Doctor Scrap (China, climatetech): revolutionises scrap recycling with data analytics, automation, and computer vision for sustainable supply chains
• NeuralTrust (Spain, Digital Horizons): secures generative AI deployments, shielding apps and agents from data leaks and misuse
• Dost (Spain, fintech): automates finance ops for scaling businesses via intelligent workflows
• ConnectHear (Pakistan, Mobile Frontiers): a GSMA Innovation Fund alum delivering real-time sign language translation and AI alerts for deaf users

These pitches underscored AI’s cross-industry pull, drawing attention from the industry.

4. GLOMO Awards crown marketing’s mobile masters

The GSMA’s 31st GLOMO Awards, announced at MWC26 Barcelona, celebrated the industry’s sharpest innovations – featuring more than 30 honours across six categories, judged by over 250 independent global subject matter experts.

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In the Marketing Excellence category, for instance, winners showcased how creativity drives connectivity and impact – essential lessons for executives chasing return-on-investment (ROI).

Best Event Activation was won by China Telecom, R&J, and ZTE for a 5G-A-powered concert live stream, blending immersive tech with live spectacle.

The CMO Marketing Campaign Award was given to Singtel and Hogarth Worldwide for CUBICLΣ LIFE, a campaign reimagining urban living through mobile.

Winners in the Marketing for Good category were LGU+ for its integrated campaign elevating ixi-Guardian and ixi-O as Korea’s top AI security and call agent services.

The 2026 awards highlighted both industry giants and rising stars shaping the future of smart, inclusive connectivity.

MWC 2026 has cemented its reputation for ushering in the next chapter of mobile and consumer technology – hardware-rich, AI-smart, and startup-fuelled. We look forward to seeing what hits mass production and captures the market.