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Looking for a new smartphone? It’s time to check out the best new smartphones we saw at MWC 2024.
1. Tecno Camon 30 Premier 5G
The Camon 30 Premier 5G was just one of the excellent new smartphones launched by up-and-coming tech outfit Tecno here at MWC 2024.
Tecno’s Camon 30 Premier 5G features an eight-core Dimensity 8200 Ultra SoC, plus 12GB RAM, 512GB storage, and a separate GPU for your gaming and video needs.
Its 6.77-inch screen has a 1,264x2,780 resolution and a maximum brightness of 1,400 nits. It’s also anLTPO panel, which enables much better dynamic refresh rates, which is extremely useful when switching between intensive tasks.
Tecno is also pushing the Camon 30 Premier 5G as a phone for creatives, and its new Sony ISP furthers that aim. The Sony ISP is a powerful AI imaging and processing chip that powers Tecno’s new PolarAce imaging system that provides a bunch of AI tools.
On that, the Camon 30 Premier 5G has a triple-camera array with a 50MP wide lens, a 50MP periscope telephoto lens, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. It’s a powerful combination.
2. Honor Magic 6 Pro
Like Tecno, Honor keeps hitting it out of the park with its new smartphones, and the Honor Magic 6 Pro is outstanding.
The Honor Magic 6 Pro features a top-of-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, 12GB or 16GB RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 also significantly increases the Magic 6 Pro’s AI features, such as AI-powered eye tracking to open notifications, calls, and more, and Magic Portal, which lets you drag and drop information into other apps and immediately search.
Its 6.8 inch display comes with a 1280x2800 resolution (453 PPI), and has a maximum brightness of 5,000 nits, which is incredibly bright. I also like the visual style of the of Magic 6 Pro. It has a faux leather rear and a 50MP wide lens, a 180MP periscope telephoto lens, and a 50MP ultrawide lens.
3. ZTE Nubia Flip 5G
One of the least expected new smartphones at MWC 2024 was the new ZTE Nubia Flip 5G.
ZTE brought a heap of new smartphones to MWC 2024, and the Flip 5G was the most exciting of them all, marking ZTE’s first modern flip phone.
It’s a tidy-looking flip phone, too, its large circular front screen giving a reasonable level of interaction while also housing the Flip 5G’s 50MP and 2MP rear cameras.
ZTE is positioning the Flip 5G in the suddenly competitive mid-range flip phone market, taking a firm aim at the Motorola Razr and Tecno Phantom V Flip (it looks quite similar to the V Flip, too).
Its Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 isn’t as powerful as the latest Snapdragon Gen 8 chips. However, it is the same as the Motorola Razr and a little more powerful than the Tecno Phantom V Flip’s Dimensity 8050 chip, which could give it a slight edge.
4. Xiaomi 14 Ultra
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a creative’s dream smartphone. Xiaomi has packed a massive 1-inch Sony LYT-900 sensor into the 14 Ultra, which is massive for a smartphone.
The enormous sensor is vital for the Ultra 14’s quad-camera array, featuring a 50MP wide lens, 50MP telephoto lens, 50MP periscope telephoto, and a 50MP ultrawide, all with its Leica branding.
It comes equipped with a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and Xiaomi’s AISP neural chip, which enables a broad range of AI-powered features. For example, the Ultra 14’s AI Portrait feature creates a unique AI version of you—or anyone else you have at least 20 photos of (we’re not considering the clear privacy implications of this right now).
There is also AI image expansion, photo searching, translation, and more, plus four AI color models to work with and fine-tune your images.
5. Tecno Pova 6 Pro 5G
There are a few bits of the new Tecno Pova 6 Pro 5G I really like.
One, its 6.78-inch, 1080x2436 resolution screen has a very slimline bezel, which helps maximize how much you’re able to use. It also has a good refresh rate of 120Hz, though doesn’t feature the LTPO variable refresh rate found on Tecno’s more premium models (which figures, as this is very much aimed at budget buyers).
It also comes with either 8GB or 12GB RAM, plus 12GB virtual RAM, whichworks similarly to virtual memory on a regular PC. It’s a handy addition that gives the Pova 6 Pro 5G some extra capacity. There’s also 256GB storage for your games, photos, and so on. In addition, its Dimensity 6080 chip isn’t overly powerful, but it’s still plenty decent to get some 3D gaming done.
Now, of all the smartphones we saw at MWC 2024, the Pova 6 Pro is probably the most eye-catching. It has an extremely reflective rear panel, topped with a three-lens camera array and an equally head-turning LED array that flashes up with different patterns. Thankfully, it’s all white LEDs—companies including light-up arrays should steer well clear of RGB LEDs!
Finally, it’s also remarkably thin. It features a sizable 6000mAh battery, which is great for a budget smartphone, yet is still just 7.9mm thick. It feels lightweight in your hand too.
6. ZTE Nubia Music
From one eye-catching smartphone to another: the ZTE Nubia Music features a massive integrated speaker on its rear, which ZTE claims to be 600% louder than any other smartphone speaker.
Whether or not you need a smartphone speaker that is 600% louder is beside the point; ZTE has made this phone, it exists, and it actually looks pretty good.
The rear speaker is also DTS:X-certified, and in fairness, it sounded reasonable on the busy MWC 2024 show floor. You’re unlikely to crank up the volume on the back of the bus, but it could be a handy way to play music on the go elsewhere.
The giant speaker isn’t all the ZTE Nubia Music brings, though. It also has two 3.5mm headphone ports for dual listening experiences and, better still, a customizable LED light ring around the front screen bezel that you’re able to set to respond to your music.
I know it all sounds a bit gimmicky. And it is, and that’s what makes it absolutely brilliant.
