MWC, Mobile World Congress, is an annual technology showcase and trade fair that takes place in Spain. From Monday 26th to Thursday 24th February, the biggest players in the mobile technology industries landed in the Enigmatic Spanish city, Barcelona, to partake in MWC2024. These are some of the highlights that stood out from the event:
MediaTek on-device AI
MediaTek showcased its groundbreaking on-device AI technology at Mobile World Congress 2024, its AI engine called SDXL Turbo could generate images in real time all on the edge(the model is hosted locally on the device and is accessible even when device is offline). What greatly stood out was how fast the innovation can generate images. In most cases the Image was generated as soon as one finished typing. The device was reportedly powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300 chip which is one of the most powerful available.
Xiaomi SU7
Xiaomi, the popular phone manufacturing company showcased the SU7 to the world at MWC2024. The company had earlier promised to invest 1.4 Billion USD into its car manufacturing business.
The SU7 is designed to offer a range of 800 km on a single charge and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.78 seconds, with a top speed of 265 km/h. The vehicle is equipped with a 101 kWh battery and features a 0.195 Cd drag coefficient, making it one of the most aerodynamic production cars available.
The SU7 is expected to begin mass production in the first half of 2024 and will be priced under 42,500 USD which is cheaper than the main competitors.
Lenovo Transparent Laptop
Lenovo unveiled a concept laptop with a transparent display, the ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop. This 17.3-inch device features a MicroLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, 720p display and 1,000 nits of brightness, offering a unique viewing experience.
The laptop is designed to be used in various settings, such as concierge services and education. The major drawback of the laptop is that the user has no privacy at all since the screen is on display to anyone who cares to look. This means that one would have to be extremely cautious when handling sensitive data. However, the laptop is still in the concept stage, and seems to lack a proper use case to warrant mass production.
The Galaxy Ring
Samsung showed the world the first glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy Ring at the Mobile World Congress 2024. A smart ring that integrates advanced health tracking features. This innovative wearable device will offer a rumoured 9 days of battery life. Samsung has emphasized the health-centric design of the Galaxy Ring, focusing on sleep tracking and overall well-being. The device will utilize leading sensor technology to provide insights into heart rate, sleep latency, night movement and more. Samsung will seemingly provide more data on the Samsung Galaxy ring at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event in July.
Slidable Phones
Tecno showcased the Tecno Phantom Ultimate, a concept phone that features a rollable screen expanding sideways from 6.55 inches to 7.11 inches. This innovative device utilizes a single-drive motor mechanism that allows the screen to expand at the push of a button, with the unrolled portion acting as a secondary display showing time and date information. The phone takes less than 1.5 seconds to fully expand its screen.
The 7.11-inch AMOLED panel with 9.33mm thick at the base, ensuring it can still be comfortably held with one hand. The device boasts a layer of protective glass on the sliding area and textured back for improved grip. While there is no confirmation if the Phantom Ultimate will be available for purchase, it serves as an exciting glimpse into the potential of rollable phone technology.
The Humane AI Pin is a ground-breaking wearable device that offers a compact powerhouse of functionality driven by AI. It is essentially all the functionality of a phone fitted on a smaller device powered by Artificial intelligence. This small square gadget magnetically attaches to clothing and integrates AI seamlessly into daily life. The AI Pin operates independently of a smartphone, with its own dedicated phone number, enabling users to interact directly with it for various tasks like translating languages, taking photos, and providing location information. It adapts to the user’s communication style, generating natural-sounding responses and offering real-time translations in multiple languages. The device can project text and images onto the user’s hand, making information easily accessible. The Humane AI Pin provides a futuristic and engaging user experience that sets it apart from traditional smartphones .
All in all, the top tech companies in the world converged to show the coolest gadgets they think of/are making. Some of them seem to have no meaningful use case but some are seemingly at the cusp of a modern technological revolution. It is an interesting time in the world, a time where the AI and tech revolution has come in full swing.
Written by Ray Munene.
