MWC 2025: What to expect this year in Barcelona

We are less than a month away from this year’s Mobile World Congress, or simply, MWC 2025, which makes it the perfect time for us tech enthusiasts to start wondering what the brands have in store for us this time around. While new and exciting smartphones are to be expected like every year, there is also a lot more that we can expect at the event. 

Here’s a quick look at what to expect from MWC 2025, including not just new smartphones, but also AI, mobile networking, sustainability, and more. 

AI innovations

Artificial Intelligence isn’t just a buzzword anymore, and at MWC 2025, it’s likely to be the foundation of nearly every major announcement. From network optimisations and smart IoT, to smartphones and other gadgets, AI could play a key role in a lot of the innovations we see at MWC.

Expect chip manufacturers to unveil new mobile processors with enhanced AI capabilities, allowing them to do things like run complex large language models directly on-device. 

We may even see the first steps of AI moving beyond devices and integrating into the network infrastructure itself. Several carriers could demonstrate “self-optimising” networks that could use AI to predict congestion, adjust coverage patterns, and even detect potential security threats, all of which could happen in real time.

Next-gen 5G networking

Major telecom players from across the globe are expected to showcase what they’re calling “5G Advanced” – which can be considered a bridge between today’s 5G networks and future 6G technology.

Network equipment manufacturers like Ericsson and Nokia may demo tech that can push 5G to its theoretical limits, achieving sub-millisecond latency (which means practically no lag) and speeds approaching 100 Gbps. 

ALSO READ: What is 6G data? Here’s everything you need to know about the next step 

We may even see early foundational demos of next-gen 6G technology, which may not just be about speeds alone, but rather the use-cases next-gen speeds will be the backbone of, including immersive extended reality and perhaps even holographic communications straight out of sci-fi movies. 

Smarter IoT

IoT or the Internet of Things, has now moved beyond the simple connected ecosystem, which was once magical, but considered everyday tech in today’s world of smart lights and appliances.

Rather MWC 2025 could explore how IoT can expand beyond just device connectivity. Next-gen IoT networks could instead focus on a smart network of autonomous systems that can make decisions without human intervention. 

Of course, AI is expected to play a huge role in next-gen IoT, and security also remains a crucial aspect. What companies will target these aspects and deliver to us the future of smart AI-meets-IoT innovations remains to be seen. 

Sustainability in AI

While Artificial Intelligence has been the largest keystone in technological innovations in recent years, the cost of running AI models from servers across the planet has only gone up. Yes, running your own AI models from the cloud is not just costly, but the energy requirements also take a toll on the environment.

At MWC, we could see data centre technology pick up tech like new cooling systems, more efficient processors and other ways to manage energy. 

New smartphones

No MWC expo is complete without a bunch of new smartphones, and that’s what we are expecting this year as well. We could see a number of phones launch or even be showcased during the event.

This is likely to include the Nothing Phone (3a), which is set to launch during the same dates on March 4. We could also see the Xiaomi 15 be showcased globally.  

ALSO READ: Xiaomi 15 series announced with Snapdragon 8 Elite chip 

Other smartphones may include new tri-folding models, mid-ranger performance-oriented devices and also phones with new camera abilities.

More details are expected as we inch closer to MWC 2025.  

When is MWC 2025 happening?

MWC 2025 is taking place next month, from March 3 to March 6, and while there won’t be a single livestream link to cover the whole event like most phone launches, you can stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma for all the coverage live from Barcelona, and all things tech.