Best phones of MWC 2026: From concepts to future flagships

Like clockwork, it's that time of year once again: time for the mobile industry to gather in gusto at the Fira Europa in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress – the preeminent mobile show of the year.

While many of the best mobile phones are showcased, there are also plenty of concepts in the mix, too. We've been following the action on the show floor – check out our MWC 2026 live blog – to pick out the 10 best phone products worthy of your attention.

MWC 2026 was back on fine form once again, with plenty of possible products to pick from – too many to squeeze them all into here. Each of our selections below has something special about it, as we'll explain...

1. Leica Leitzphone

Your eyes do not deceive you: Leica, the iconic German photography brand, has put its iconic red dot on an Android phone for the very first time. Named the Leitzphone, this model is crafted in partnership with Xiaomi.

There's obviously a long-running history in that partnership – as you'll see in the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, featured below – and deep veins to heritage and prestige. It's that which this phone leverages, offering more camera kudos than most.

The triple camera setup on the rear is also designed to meet the brand's high standards for image quality and optics. It also makes use of the Content Authenticity Initiative, which is something we've seen on some of the brand's cameras, like the Leica M11-D.

2. Honor Robot Phone

Honor has consistently teased its 'Robot Phone' for many months, but it's now advanced yet more steps beyond its initial showing.

The idea here is that a camera can, on command, pop out from the phone's body and then follow subjects, motor around on its gimbal as you instruct it, and deliver a gimbal-like videography experience for super-smooth video that phones otherwise lack.

It's certainly a credible engineering feat, one that's still got some steps to go through before this concept could become a final reality. It's great to see Honor out on its own, doing things that no other phone-maker is even trying.

3. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

A bit of a cheeky entry, given Samsung's reveal of the S26 Ultra at its Unpacked event in San Francisco last week – but it's still one of the most important phones of the year and isn't on sale until 11 March.

Using the MWC show floor as a base of operations, however, Samsung showed off the 5-star phone in all of its available colours – including the online-only Samsung exclusive Rose Gold, as pictured above.

4. Oukitel WP63

This phone intentionally starts fires. Yes, really. The Oukitel WP63 features an integrated lighter, similar to what you'll find in cars, which uses an electric coil to generate heat.

It's a rugged Android device that's designed for survival needs and, while certainly whacky, it's exactly the kind of device we love to see at MWC.

It's not a concept either: the $500 phone will go on sale, features a massive 20,000mAh battery and is like nothing else you've ever seen.

5. Xiaomi 17 Ultra

Xiaomi is really proving itself as the photography king, with its Leica camera integration able to set this Ultra apart from anything else on the market.

It's the first phone to include a proper mechanical zoom lens, too, which, matched with the handset's other large-scale sensors, really helps to stand it apart from your typical phone camera.

It's certainly impressive, as outlined in our review, with Xiaomi using MWC as a base to launch its latest products to the European market – including the base Xiaomi 17 model, too.

6. Tecno modular phone concept

Tecno is no stranger to creative endeavours, with plenty of concept devices revealed over the years. Its latest, a modular phone, is really impressive – a super-slim handset that offers a huge variety of magnetic add-ons.

Whether a pro camera module, added battery, a charger, or even a vanity mirror, there are endless opportunities from this concept. It reminds us of Motorola's Moto Mods from years gone by, proving that good ideas – even if not successful – just can't be laid to rest.

Don't expect to see this one in stores, mind, as it's very much a concept – but one that's unlike anything else which was on the MWC show floor. It certainly attracted the crowds and is an obvious addition to our MWC list.

7. Motorola Razr Fold

While Motorola initially revealed its first book-like foldable at CES 2026 at the beginning of this year, details were scarce on the ground, with MWC used to reveal more about the handset.

It's the first foldable with a 6,000mAh battery capacity, which did make it the largest of its type – something that Honor (see below) has now beaten. That cell powers an 8.1-inch internal display, which is also the largest in this field.

It's a bold entry that will launch in the imminent future, with Motorola poised to sponsor the World Cup 2026 – there's even a special World Cup edition, which puts you in with the chance of winning a ticket.

8. Nothing Phone (4a)

Another cheeky entry to our list, as Nothing is technically going to launch the Phone (4a) in its home base, London, rather than at MWC itself. The brand did have a shipping container outside the show, though, where a sneak peek was available.

As you can see from the above shot, the Phone (4a) is bold in its colourways, offering a blue and a pink version in addition to the grey, marking something of a departure from Nothing's typically monochrome colour palette.

We'll know more about this one in the coming days, no doubt, plus the anticipated launch of a (4a) Pro model, too, which ought to up the camera ante yet further.

9. Honor Magic V6

Honor is really going all-out with its latest foldable, the Magic V6 offering the largest cell ever in a book-like foldable device. Its 6,660mAh capacity sounds devilishly capacious and ought to last for an extended period, no problems.

That's not all, though, as the Magic V6 is the brand's thinnest foldable yet, but also the first ever to offer IP69 rating against dust and water. That's a difficult task to achieve in this form, so let's call it a badge of Honor, eh?

Expect the Magic V6 to launch later this year, taking on the increasing competition in this space, from Motorola to Samsung, Google and others. And on the spec basis alone, it looks like Honor is onto a winner.

10. Vivo X300 Ultra

Vivo has continued to impress over the years, and while it's not widely available outside of Asia, that hasn't stopped the brand from going all-in on its photographic advancements.

The Vivo X300 Ultra's reveal at MWC 2026 was therefore a surprise – but a refreshing one. It's expected to be the first phone with two 200-megapixel cameras, really showcasing the upper limits of what's possible from mobile photography.

And, as you can see from the above picture, the phone's lens extender add-on – similar to what we've seen from Oppo in the recent past – only furthers its photographic kudos. Expect more details to emerge on this one over the coming months.