The spring breeze in Barcelona felt particularly sharp and unpredictable in March 2026.

If you try to book a hotel near Barcelona's Fira Gran Via venue now, you'll find prices have soared to staggering levels, with three-star hotels within a 3km radius all priced above 3,000 RMB and rooms in short supply.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of MWC in Barcelona. Over the past 19 years, from the dawn of 3G to the widespread adoption of 5G, the event has witnessed every breath of mobile communication. The theme for this year's conference is: The IQ Era.

01

Form Transformation: AI Grows 'Limbs'

Smartphones remain the core focus of the exhibition, but the ambitions of Chinese manufacturers extend far beyond the screen.

Honor is expected to unveil two groundbreaking products: the world's first consumer-grade humanoid robot and the world's first 'Robot Phone.' The 'Robot Phone' made its debut at the Shenzhen Leading Edge Intelligence Open Research Institute's unveiling ceremony, where it performed 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' alongside partner robots in a 'Cyber Matrix' dance.

Official Honor video screenshot

The 'Robot Phone' features a mechanical gimbal lens module capable of 360° rotation, pitch, and roll adjustments, offering comprehensive video creation capabilities, AI-powered auto-framing, angle optimization, scene recognition, and intelligent lens tracking—a phone that revolutionizes daily photography.

Details on the humanoid robot remain scarce, but at Honor's 400 series launch in late May 2025, CEO Li Jian announced Honor's entry into the robotics industry, revealing a robot capable of running at 4m/s—a new industry record. In October, Honor's robotics project won the IROS 2025 'Taoyuan' Challenge, showcasing its expertise in motion control, environmental perception, and other core robotics technologies.

Meanwhile, other Chinese manufacturers are also showcasing their form innovations.

As a 'concept phone specialist,' Tecno is expected to unveil a 'modular phone' concept. The base unit measures just 4.9mm thick, offering only the most essential functions—a sleek, ultra-thin phone for daily use. For expanded functionality, 'magnetic interconnection technology' allows for seamless attachment of accessories. Tecno offers a wide range of options, with battery and powered accessories connecting via metal contacts, while data transmission relies on millimeter-wave (mmWave) and Wi-Fi 7 technologies for near-zero latency.

ZTE's Nubia Doubao AI phone sparked a domestic sensation last year, even being hailed as a 'phenomenal AI product' by industry observers. Despite its premium pricing, the initial Doubao model sold out instantly, with resale prices surging on secondary markets. Early on, AI auto-operations faced restrictions from mainstream apps due to permission issues, degrading the user experience. After months of adjustments and negotiations, the ecosystem improved significantly, with leading apps shifting from resistance to collaboration, even actively seeking integration.

MWC26 may bring new changes. According to supply chain sources, the second-generation Doubao phone will feature top-tier hardware, including a next-gen flagship chip, upgraded imaging, battery life, and cooling systems.

Additionally, the fan-equipped Nubia Neo 5 GT will make its global debut, reinforcing its 'gaming powerhouse' image. The predecessor, Nubia Neo 3 GT, launched at the same event in March 2025, featuring a Unisoc T9100 processor, 12GB RAM, and a 6000mAh battery.

AI assistants are 'taking over' the real world through various hardware forms.

Alibaba's QianWen large model is entering the AI hardware arena, announcing the launch of its first QianWen AI glasses at MWC 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. Pre-orders open globally on March 2 via online and offline channels. Officially revealed, the product integrates QianWen's core AI capabilities, including navigation, voice interaction, information queries, and food ordering, bridging the gap between AI assistants and the physical world.

02

Connection Transformation: 6G Deployment and Agentic AI Emergence

While Chinese manufacturers seek breakthroughs in 'form,' collaboration between chip giants and device makers is crucial at the 'spiritual' level.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 series ahead of MWC, including the S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra, all powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5 for Galaxy processor. According to official data, the processor's NPU performance jumps by ~39%, image processing improves by 24%, and CPU performance rises by ~19%.

For AI applications, Samsung emphasizes three key points: accessibility, openness, and security. By combining these, Samsung envisions AI as a fundamental tool on smartphones, ultimately evolving into intelligent agents—a fitting and crucial label for the Galaxy S26 series: Agentic AI phones.

Agentic AI manifests as smarter, proactive assistance. Google Gemini now supports task automation. On the Samsung Galaxy S26, users can prompt Gemini with requests like, 'Book me a ride to the art gallery.' Gemini then launches the app via a virtual window and completes the process in the background. If options arise, it pauses for user intervention, offering an experience similar to the Doubao phone.

Qualcomm is laying the groundwork for this 'IQ' at a deeper level, focusing on AI-native design, 6G foundational technology evolution, and digital twin platforms at MWC 2026, demonstrating how 6G transitions from concept to prototype and how its chips enable AI innovation on devices.

At the infrastructure level, industry leaders are taking bolder steps.

Ericsson will partner with Apple and MediaTek to showcase key 6G technologies. With Apple, Ericsson will demonstrate MRSS (Multi-Radio Access Technology Spectrum Sharing) between 5G and 6G, enabling smooth migration and coexistence for telecom operators while minimizing resource waste and signal overhead. The live demo will feature a 5G system and a 6G simulation system both connected to Ericsson's TDD mid-band base station. In collaboration with MediaTek, the two companies will showcase cmWave technology. The closed-environment prototype integrates Ericsson's wireless RAN with MediaTek's user equipment prototype, covering complete baseband processing from wireless communication to the IP layer, with a focus on low-latency technologies like competitive buffer status reporting in the 6G tech stack.

Huawei, a leading communication infrastructure provider, previewed a full range of products and solutions at the event, aiming to reshape products and services with AI, deepening the integration of mobile networks, fixed networks, and AI to build a value-driven, leading network and intelligent computing foundation. Notably, ahead of MWC 2026, Huawei launched five products in Madrid, Spain, including the Mate 80 Pro, Watch GT Runner 2, FreeBuds Pro 5, MatePad Mini, and Band 11 series. Unlike the domestic version released in November 2025, the overseas Mate 80 Pro runs on EMUI 15.0, not HarmonyOS 6. The overseas model's chipset remains undisclosed, but Huawei confirmed hardware consistency with the domestic version.

Space is also a focal point. Satellite and non-terrestrial connections are emerging as key MWC themes, with SpaceX and Starlink teams attending to showcase their achievements. SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell and Engineering VP Michael Nichols will deliver speeches, likely discussing how low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations and satellite broadband integrate with global telecom networks and extend connectivity beyond traditional coverage areas.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijan Space Agency (Azercosmos) will make its MWC 2026 debut with an independent booth, signaling satellite communication's shift from niche industries to mass consumption.

03

2026 Outlook: Where is AI Headed?

In 2026, AI has transformed from a cloud-based illusion into a pocket-sized reality—even a companion by our side. Based on trends at MWC 2026, we can make three predictions for AI's direction in 2026:

First, the rise of Agentic AI. By 2026, AI will transition from Copilot to Agent. Users will no longer need to learn software but instead issue direct commands to AI. This shift demands extreme concurrency and low standby power at the semiconductor level to maintain AI agents' 'always-on' state.

Second, the 'mobilization' and 'democratization' of embodied AI. Humanoid robots, robot phones, and AI glasses are just the beginning. As sensor costs drop and edge computing power rises, AI gains physical form, meaning not just household robots but also smartphones, cars, and wearables will collaborate physically through unified AI protocols.

Third, the rise of sovereign AI and distributed computing. With growing emphasis on data sovereignty, MWC 2026 will see more 'sovereign AI' solutions. AI will no longer rely solely on centralized clouds but will distribute across edge nodes and personal devices via networks. This 'cloud-edge-device' computing restructuring will bring a new wave of growth to the semiconductor industry.