On February 26, 2024, the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicked off at the Barcelona International Convention Center in Spain. In contrast to CES earlier this year, MWC saw a greater presence of smartphone manufacturers, including familiar names such as Xiaomi, Huawei, ZTE, Honor, Samsung, Transsion, and more. Additionally, stalwarts like Qualcomm, MediaTek, China Mobile, and China Telecom were also on the scene.
As a new media outlet focused on AI hard technology, Lei Technology, after covering CES with a dedicated team, dispatched reporters to MWC for the first time this year. With a total of 8 exhibition areas, the venue was truly massive, and the content was overwhelming. As a member of the reporting team, I walked over 30,000 steps during the event, taking in the diverse offerings. As Lei Technology foresaw, the integration of AI with hardware, semiconductors, and mobile communication stole the spotlight at MWC this year. This edition marked the first AI-centric MWC, with the trend of AI omnipresence intensifying, as seen previously at CES.
(Image source: Captured on-site by Leitech Reporting Team)
So, what surprises did the thousands of exhibitors bring us on the first day of MWC 2024?
It's no exaggeration to say that Qualcomm might just be the exhibitor with the most products, the largest floor space, and the broadest array of technologies in the entire Hall 3, which, of course, fits right in with our image of Qualcomm as a big spender.
(Image Source: Coverage by Lei Technology Reporting Team)
Qualcomm's exhibition hall is primarily divided into three main sections: Network Connectivity Showcase, Chip Features Display, and Practical Experience. Taking chip features as an example, the exhibition for the third-generation Snapdragon 8 processor alone has five dedicated booths. Among them, what impressed Little Lei the most were the Honor Magic 6 Pro and Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Both of these devices leverage the powerful AI capabilities of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The former can use AI to generate images or videos in real-time, while the latter optimizes photos algorithmically just after they are captured. The common denominator is the remarkably fast processing speed, making it nearly imperceptible that AI is behind these operations.
(Photo credit: Lei Technology News Team, live on site)
The AI PC is also a major highlight at Qualcomm's booth this year. At last year's Qualcomm Summit, Qualcomm had showcased laptops powered by the Snapdragon X Elite. However, at that time, not many consumers or media got the chance to experience the product, which didn't make much of a splash in the market. This time around, Qualcomm has brought this product directly to all consumers. Compared to the mainstream x86 laptops, the laptops equipped with the Snapdragon X Elite's biggest advantages are high performance and long battery life, which could potentially revolutionize the market's traditional view of Windows laptops (notoriously known for poor battery life).
(Image source: Live coverage by Ray Tech Report Team)
What's even more significant is that the Snapdragon X Elite provides powerful computing capabilities for AI processing. During the exhibition, Little Ray observed the staff using the demonstration machine to rapidly "write" a detailed article, indicating that future Windows laptops will not only rival MacBook with X86 architecture but also surpass Apple in professionalism and work efficiency. This is something we should eagerly anticipate and pay attention to.
(Photo Credit: Live coverage by Lei Tech Reporting Team)
Additionally, due to space constraints, we won't dive into the details of the brand new FastConnect 7900 chip, the Snapdragon X80 5G modem and RF system, and Qualcomm's digital cockpit hardware here. However, if our readers are interested, Lei Technology will provide in-depth analyses of these new hardware pieces in future reports.
(Photo credit: Ray Tech News Team, on-site)
Finally, at the booth, Little Ray also came across the AI Hub, born from Qualcomm Snapdragon chips. It offers developers over 75 optimized AI models, enabling them to develop simpler yet sufficiently usable AI models. This paves the way for widespread application in fields like PCs, smartphones, cars, XR devices, and IoT, making AI ubiquitous.
(Photo credit: Lei Technology News Team on site)
Qualcomm's President and CEO, Cristiano Amon, made an even bolder statement:
"For Qualcomm, leading in hardware is no longer enough to meet our goals and needs. We believe that Qualcomm will bring us more surprises in the field of AI in the future, even becoming a leader in the AI era."
Speaking of Qualcomm, how could we not mention MediaTek? Unlike Qualcomm, MediaTek's booth focused more on a series of new technologies, with mobile technology taking a backseat. What caught Little Lei's interest, and even surprise, was a technology MediaTek referred to as Gen-AI Compute as One. Little Lei is confident that in the coming AI era, you'll see its influence across various technologies.
(Image source: Ray Technology Report Team, live on-site)
The principle behind this technology is quite complex, but its implementation is surprisingly simple. All you need to do is install a distributed access point at your home or office, and it will allow all devices connected to the same Wi-Fi to share their computing power. The staff also demonstrated one of its applications for us. Typically, a laptop would handle an entire rendering task by itself, but when the staff connected a smartphone to the Wi-Fi, the laptop automatically offloaded 30% of the rendering task to the phone. Adding another smartphone would decrease the laptop's workload by another 30%.
(Graphic Source: Live Production by the Tech Reporting Team)
The advantage of doing this is to keep all devices in the region in working condition instead of piling up all the workload on a single smart terminal. This not only increases the speed of task processing but also indirectly reduces the user's cost of use. Previously, tasks that may have required a high-performance laptop can now be accomplished with a lightweight laptop and a smartphone, potentially achieving even higher efficiency.
(Photo credit: Lei Technology News Team on site)
Beyond CPU, GPU, and NPU, Gen-AI compute as One also seamlessly integrates the AI capabilities of devices within a region. It's hard to overstate the impact this technology could have in the AI era. The only downside is that MediaTek mentioned the technology is still in development and might not meet expectations soon. But there's no need to rush. After all, we are just at the dawn of the AI era, which requires time to refine. Regardless, MediaTek's new tech is set to play a significant role in the AI future.
At the booth, Xiao Lei also observed numerous live broadcasting and streaming devices leveraging MediaTek's high-bandwidth chip characteristics. The latency was impressively low, even meeting the live broadcast needs of many businesses and organizations. This demonstrates MediaTek's continued competitiveness in the network arena, keeping pace with Qualcomm.
As the undisputed leader in the office domain, Microsoft showcased a series of commercial AI applications at this MWC. Known functionalities like summarizing articles, generating images/tables in real-time, researching, and automatic illustration integration have all been incorporated into various applications.
(Image Source: Live coverage by Lei Tech Reporting Team)
Let's take a practical example—Office 365, a tool commonly used in offices, has integrated a feature called Copilot. This feature allows users to generate corresponding documents in real-time based on their input. For instance, if a user wants to transform a section of text into a set of PowerPoint slides, they can simply copy and paste the text into PowerPoint. Copilot will then automatically format, insert images, and adjust phrases until the user is satisfied. If the user feels Copilot's output needs further refinement, they can continue to make real-time adjustments until they are content.
As an AI feature, Copilot continually learns from the user's work habits and provides relevant suggestions in the user's work context. While companies like Qualcomm and MediaTek focus more on the future AI market, Microsoft's showcased feature proves to be a practical and beneficial technology for current consumers.
Lenovo's booth at MWC is one of the liveliest in Hall 3, mainly due to the introduction of a rather futuristic laptop—the ThinkBook Transparent Edition. As the name suggests, both its screen and top cover are entirely transparent, reminiscent of Xiaomi's transparent TV launched a couple of years ago.
(Photo credit: Lei Technology News Team, on-site production)
But what sets it apart is that Lenovo's transparent notebook comes equipped with a high-quality transparent Micro LED screen. How impressive is this screen? It boasts a "global brightness of 1000 nits, with peak brightness reaching up to 3000 nits." To many consumers, these numbers might not seem exaggerated, and might not even match the performance of some flagship smartphones. However, it's important to note that the brightness of mainstream laptop screens today generally falls between 300-500 nits. For Lenovo to achieve a maximum brightness of 3000 nits with a transparent screen is nothing short of a mind-boggling feat of black technology.
The extremely high brightness of this laptop ensures visibility that rivals any mainstream notebook. Users won't encounter issues such as difficulty in reading on-screen text or concerns about privacy from users seated across due to the impressive display quality.
(Image source: Coverage by Lei Technology News Team)
Lenovo has introduced another cutting-edge technology for laptops – Smart Connect. Once you connect your phone to the computer, you can use the computer to control the phone in real-time. This includes tasks such as using the computer to operate the phone's camera for capturing photos/videos, conducting video calls, and transferring files. While we've seen similar functionalities in demonstrations by other manufacturers before, what sets Smart Connect apart is its openness to all brands. This means you can enjoy the "interconnected" experience without needing to purchase devices from the same brand.
Lenovo also showcased a foldable phone designed to be worn on the wrist. While its creativity is undeniable, its practicality may currently be overshadowed by its novelty.
(Photo Credit: Lei Technology News Team on-site)
As the undisputed stars of MWC, how could smartphone manufacturers be content with letting others steal the limelight? Xiaomi, Samsung, Honor, and ZTE each secured a large exhibition area in Hall 3 as their own "territory," and they all genuinely let consumers experience their latest products.
Xiaomi's booth featured the "Human-Vehicle-Home" ecosystem, with the most eye-catching being Xiaomi's SU7 car. Since its launch, the SU7 has been extremely popular in China. Xiaomi's willingness to bring the SU7 all the way to Barcelona for the exhibition shows their ambition to let consumers worldwide know that Xiaomi could very well become the next automotive giant.
(Photo credit: Lei Technology News Team, live on-site)
Lei Technology has reported live from the scene that on the day before the opening of MWC, Xiaomi held the global launch of the Xiaomi 14 series at the Barcelona International Convention Center in Spain, unveiling six new products: Xiaomi 14, Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4, Xiaomi Watch S3, Xiaomi Watch 2, and Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro. The starting price for the standard Xiaomi 14 is set at 999 Euros (equivalent to 7778 RMB), the Xiaomi 14 Ultra at 1499 Euros (equivalent to 11671 RMB), and the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 at 699 Euros (equivalent to 5442 RMB)… The pricing is significantly higher than in the domestic market, showcasing Xiaomi's ambitious aspirations for the European market, especially the high-end segment.
Xiaomi is currently a top brand in several European markets, including Spain. In the international market, Xiaomi aims to solidify its advantageous position in the terminal business (especially facing the aggressive expansion of domestic competitors abroad) while also seeking opportunities for new ventures such as the SU7 car.
Though ZTE's booth lacked a "big character" like the SU7 to anchor the show, it still brought two very creative new products: Nubia Music and Nubia Flip 5G.
Nubia Music features a large-sized speaker integrated into the camera module, which might look a bit odd at first glance, even somewhat ugly. However, its sound quality and performance exceeded Lei's expectations. The only downside Lei found was that the device's specs, including CPU and memory, might only meet the standards of entry-level phones, making it a trial model.
(Photo Credit: Lei Technology Reporting Team on site)
The Nubia Flip 5G isn't exactly breaking new ground; it's a vertical folding smartphone with a small secondary screen. There's nothing particularly innovative about it, and when you get your hands on it, you might even find its build quality and feel a bit on the cheaper side. However, its main highlight isn't its features or design but its price. According to leaks from international media, the Nubia Flip 5G is expected to be priced around 2000 CNY. Getting a foldable screen phone that has decent screen quality, average performance, supports 5G, and looks fairly nice for just about 2000 CNY – what more could you ask for?
(Image Source: Leitech News Team, live coverage)
Samsung and Honor are pretty much on the same page when it comes to their marketing highlights, generously showcasing their AI capabilities to the world. Both brands perform closely, capable of generating images and even videos in real-time based on keywords. Of course, for basic features like rapid Q&A, article summarization, and suggestions, both Honor and Samsung's products can swiftly provide solutions. Regarding the AI terminal layout and exhibition introduction of the two, Leitech will present an in-depth report. For now, let's keep you guessing.
(Image Source: On-site production by Lei Tech News Team)
Whether it's communication, terminals, or domestic brands, Huawei, as a heavyweight brand, is indispensable. However, the scale of Huawei's booth in Hall 1 and the excessive number of products displayed inside are quite "exaggerated." Therefore, Lei Tech News will analyze and summarize Huawei's exhibition separately in subsequent reports. Stay tuned.
While each exhibitor's booth may differ, they share a common theme: AI, to be more precise, AGI.
Unlike AI driven by deep learning, the AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) powered by the phenomenal technology behind Sora is driven by large models. These large models can understand and simulate the real world, completely reconstructing human-machine interaction patterns based on perception and cognition of the world. This results in unprecedented intelligent decision-making, creative abilities, smart assistance, intelligent office tasks, and much more.
(Image source: Coverage by the Ray Tech Reporting Team)
Indeed, since the end of last year, the term AI has been constantly present in our surroundings. Its emergence has made us realize that the capabilities of today's intelligent devices are growing rapidly. In 2024, companies like Honor, OPPO, vivo, Meizu, Lenovo, and Samsung have all clearly prioritized AI, accelerating the development of AI smartphones, AI PCs, and other AI hardware products. Giants such as Xiaomi, Huawei, and Apple, while not officially announcing AI hardware, have been silently investing in software, hardware, systems, and technology.
Beyond AI smartphones, AI PCs, and AI cars, there will be intensive innovations in AI wearables, AI home appliances, AI home automation, AI TVs, AI extended reality (XR), AI audio, and AI imaging. These AI hardware innovations are also key areas that Ray Tech is closely monitoring.
After discussions with staff at the booths of China Mobile and China Telecom at MWC, Little Ray realized that not only various smartphone, hardware, and chip manufacturers are paying attention to AI, but even seemingly "untouched by the mortal world" enterprises like telecom operators are also starting to value AI.
Taking China Telecom as an example, they have developed a comprehensive set of service platforms for developers. This allows more user-friendly AI programs to quickly integrate into our daily lives. On the other hand, China Mobile has collaborated with numerous manufacturers to establish new network standards. This ensures that they have sufficient influence before the arrival of 6G. Clearly, AI has become a fundamental element for them to thrive in the 6G era, with faster network connectivity and improved coverage relying on AI assistance.
(Image Source: Lei Technology News Team, Live Coverage)
AI has become an indispensable part of the smart era, spanning from chips to hardware, software, and even telecommunications operators, all benefiting from the "Sora dividend." Besides these manufacturers, Xiao Lei observed at the MWC event that many international brands also highlight AI as a key part of their marketing. It's possible that we're still unfamiliar with AI, or even a bit apprehensive and scared, but in the future, it will become ubiquitous, infiltrating every corner of the world just like the internet and WiFi today, creating value for humanity through applications in work, life, and education, driving social progress, and forging a new civilization.
It's possible that at this MWC, many manufacturers' claims about AI functionalities might seem baseless or overly optimistic. However, it's precisely these inspirations and suggestions from the manufacturers that help consumers realize the significance and practicality of AI, gradually making it an essential part of our lives.
(Image Source: Lei Technology News Team On-Site Production)
In a nutshell, the surge of AI at MWC 2024 left Lei Technology utterly astounded. Beyond AI hardware manufacturers, chipmakers like Qualcomm and MediaTek, telecom operators such as China Mobile, and software system service providers like Microsoft are all facing new opportunities. Theoretically, these are all part of mobile communication infrastructure services, and on this ground, a plethora of innovative software and hardware applications are bound to emerge. Just as smartphones paved the way for WeChat and deep learning brought TikTok to success, what miraculous applications will the era of AGI bring? Let's wait and see.
Editor: Gao Xuedan_NT5097
