Best of MWC 2025: The age of ultra-thin phones is upon us

If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that it's impossible to judge how interesting the Mobile World Congress will be based on pre-announcements and teasers.

Yeah, we knew the Nothing phones are coming, and Xiaomi's new phones weren't exactly a secret, either. But at the show floor, we've also found some extremely thin phones, some wonderfully weird (but useful!) phone accessories, and we even got the first real-life glimpse of Xiaomi's new supercar.

Here's a list of the best and the most interesting stuff we've seen this year.

Best phone that's also a camera: Xiaomi 15 Ultra

Everything is "Ultra" with Xiaomi, isn't it? Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Xiaomi never fails to amaze with the amount of camera tech it stuffs into its Ultra series of phones. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is, by all accounts, a very powerful phone, but that camera system on the back is something else. Just one detail: The phone has not one but two telephoto cameras, enabling you to take lossless photos at up to 8.6x magnification.

The company also sells a Photography Kit that drops all pretense that this is a phone and lets you use it as a pocketable (well, sort of) camera.

Best weird laptop: Lenovo ThinkBook Flip AI PC Concept

They just had to stuff "AI" in that name, didn't they. Credit: Christian de Looper/Mashable

Need more screen real estate on your laptop? How about a laptop with a folding display that has an 18.1 inch diagonal when fully unfolded? Lenovo's got you covered.

Like most weird Lenovo things, the Lenovo ThinkBook Flip AI PC Concept is just a concept for now, but the company does tend to eventually release some of its weirder tech to the masses, so we wouldn't be too surprised if you could buy something like this in a year or two.

Best supercar that doesn't cost like a supercar: Xiaomi SU7 Ultra

Looks like a supercar, costs like a premium family sedan. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Xiaomi's gotta be saving some costs on the SU7 Ultra, but we're not sure where. Generously adorned with carbon fiber, fitted with massive ceramic brake discs, lined with Alcantara fabric on the inside, and equipped with three motors pushing the car from 0-100km/h under two seconds, you'd say the SU7 Ultra has to cost hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars. But Xiaomi is selling it now (in China), for $72,750. Go figure.

Thinnest phone: Tecno Spark Slim

Can you even see the phone? Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Yeah, it's not the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, even though Samsung did bring the phone to the show. The problem is, the company wouldn't share any of the specs, or let us get close enough with measuring tape.

To be fair, Tecno's Spark Slim, which is just 5.75mm thin, isn't exactly finished either; it's just a concept, and we have no idea when or where it'll become available. But the company let us touch it, and it is, indeed, extremely thin. Do we need phones this thin? This is not a question we should be asking now, because we're definitely getting them.

Thinnest foldable phone that folds two times: Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2

OK, this is impressive. Credit: Christian de Looper/Mashable

Not content with bringing an extremely thin candy bar phone, Tecno also brought what is probably the world's thinnest tri-folding phone, the Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2. This one is also just a concept, but boy, this thing is impressive to look at. It's even thinner than the 12.1mm Galaxy Z Fold 6, and that one only folds once.

Best phone accessory that's also a pair of earbuds: HMD Amped Buds

It even works with an iPhone! Credit: HMD Global

All the earbuds these days come with a charging case. And that charging case is, well, a battery. So why not make it so that you can stick the earbuds case onto your phone — MagSafe style — and have it wirelessly charge your phone if needed?

HMD did exactly that with its HMD Amped Buds, whose case has a 1,600mAh battery, and even made the case thin enough to be (sort of) practical. We applaud the ingenuity of this one.

Best semi-transparent phones: Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro

You gotta give it to Nothing: Their phones look different. Credit: Diana Ribaric Sredl/Mashable

Nothing chose a bit of a late reveal for its new Nothing Phone 3a and Nothing Phone 3a Pro phones, opting to officially reveal them on the second day of MWC in Barcelona.

Having seen the phones beforehand, I can say that these are definitely the coolest-looking phones you can currently get. OK, you have to be a little bit of a geek. OK, you have to be a full-time cyberpunk nerd. But the phones do look cool, trust me.

They also have upgraded camera tech and AI-powered note taking, which is an odd flex but hey, why not.