MWC (Mobile World Congress) has traditionally been a gigantic trade event with a heavy emphasis on mobile devices, but in recent years, the massive portion of the term hasn’t applied as much. Because of the pandemic, it was much smaller and mostly online in 2021, whereas it didn’t happen at all in 2020.
MWC 2022 might then be a return to some normalcy for the event, as is currently planned, with a physical presence in Barcelona as usual.
But, of course, this will all rely on how the world appears closer to the time, and with some ambiguity remaining in the air, we don’t expect it to be as large as it once was. Indeed, Sony, Asus, and Lenovo have withdrawn from the physical event, and additional businesses may follow suit.
We’re keeping track of all MWC 2022 cancellations, as well as the brands who have confirmed their attendance. Having said that, the event organizers claim that this will be a very large event, with the majority of registrants planning to attend in person (rather than announcing things online).
Everything we’ve heard or suspected about MWC 2022 so far is included below, including when it’s scheduled to take place and what you might see there. Let us go right to it.
What exactly is it? 2022’s largest mobile tradeshow
When will it be? February 28 to March 3
When are the dates for the MWC 2022?
MWC 2022 will be held from February 28 to March 3, 2022. As usual, it’s being hosted in Barcelona, though we predict a stronger online presence, as there was last year, with the physical exhibition maybe being smaller than in past years.
It’s worth mentioning that, depending on the outcome of COVID-19, MWC 2022 could be postponed, canceled, or relocated entirely online. However, considering that it was able to proceed in 2021, we doubt this will occur.
The show’s producers confirmed to TechRadar in January 2022 that the in-person component of the show will continue.
What to Expect at the MWC in 2022
So far, there hasn’t been much news about what might appear at MWC 2022, but we’ve heard enough to make some educated estimates based on recent years.
Samsung
Samsung frequently makes announcements at MWC, with the company showing off its new smartwatch software (which will be found on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4) at MWC 2021.
We know the company will be at MWC 2022, but it appears that it will be focused on talking about connected experiences, which could mean that we don’t see many new gadgets.
It has been displaying phones and other gear for some years, but we haven’t seen in recent years the release of new Galaxy S phones during MWC. Instead, it usually debuts these at a different event — though occasionally at the same time of year.
Indeed, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 range arrived ahead of MWC, so we don’t expect any major announcements.
Still, we saw new Galaxy A series devices at MWC 2019, so perhaps we’ll see something similar at MWC 2022.
Sony
Sony has stated that it will not have a physical presence at the MWC 2022. “Sony Corporation has decided not to have its stand at the MWC 2022. Sony Corporation will communicate in ways that can deliver our exciting product announcements to a wider audience, as the world has mainly changed toward digital and online chances.”
However, it is unclear whether the business would not reveal anything at MWC or will not do so on the showroom floor (going digital instead). The business frequently unveils flagships during MWC, with the Sony Xperia 1 debuting with the Sony Xperia 10.
However, we wouldn’t expect to see the Sony Xperia 1 IV at MWC 2022, considering the company didn’t show anything off during MWC 2021, instead introducing the Xperia 1 III separately in April.
That’s possible because the MWC in 2021 was so much smaller, but given the April announcement of the Xperia 1 III, MWC 2022 in late February or early March may be a little early for the Xperia 1 IV.
However, it may appear, and we may also or alternatively see the Xperia 10 IV or Sony Xperia 5 IV. It’s worth mentioning, though, that Sony has a reputation of revealing their flagships months before they’re ready for purchase, so whenever we see the Sony Xperia 1 IV, it may not be available for quite some time.
Nokia
HMD Global, which operates under the Nokia brand, was one of the most visible exhibitors at MWC 2019, revealing the flagship Nokia 9 PureView; will the long-rumored Nokia 10 be unveiled at MWC 2022? It’s certainly a possibility.
We wouldn’t get your hopes up because no rumors point in that route, but some leaks indicate it’s coming soon, so it could appear. We might see some new Nokia phones if it fails, but nothing is assured.
Huawei
Huawei isn’t the phone force it once was – at least not outside of China – but it’s still developing intriguing stuff, and there’s a good possibility some of those things will be shown off at MWC 2022, as the company has confirmed its attendance.
We don’t expect to see the Huawei P60 there because the Huawei P50 is still not accessible in the West, and the company hasn’t shown off its key flagships at MWC in recent years. However, the brand did unveil the foldable Huawei Mate X at MWC 2019, so a new foldable phone — perhaps the Huawei Mate X3 – at MWC 2022 is not out of the question.
Indeed, given that the Huawei Mate X2 was released in late February of 2021, the timing would seem to point to that however, if that were the case, we’d expect to hear more about the X3 by now.
Honor
We know what to expect from Honor at MWC, as the company has stated that the Honor Magic 4 series will be unveiled there.
These are the company’s flagship phones, and we already know that at least one of them will be equipped with a high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU. Based on the teaser above, we’re also anticipating huge things from their cameras. These devices will be unveiled on February 28 at 3 a.m. PT / 6 a.m. ET / 11 a.m. GMT / 9:30 p.m. ACT.
Realme
We also know what to expect from Realme, as the firm has said that the Realme GT 2 line will be launched worldwide at MWC 2022.
They’ll be launched on February 28, but these phones have already been announced in China, so we have a good idea of the specs – it’s things like pricing and availability that we’re looking forward to hearing about here.
So far, we know that these are high-end devices, with the Realme GT 2 Pro, in particular, competing with big-name flagships but at a likely lower price.
OnePlus
We’ve included OnePlus because we expect the OnePlus 10 Pro to be released in the United States soon (and perhaps the standard OnePlus 10 to get unveiled as well).
However, OnePlus doesn’t usually have a strong presence at these events, so we’d be shocked if the company announced any OnePlus 10 models there. For the time being, we wouldn’t expect to see anything from OnePlus at MWC 2022.
Oppo
It’s a similar situation with Oppo, and OnePlus in that the Oppo Find X3 range debuted in early 2021, the Oppo Find X4 range could debut at MWC 2022.
Furthermore, Oppo did attend MWC 2019, albeit it did not reveal anything substantial Instead, it showed off some camera technologies and mentioned a 5G phone that it would announce in the future.
So we don’t expect to see anything from Oppo, but you never know. At the very least, the business has stated that it would be present at MWC.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi has just recently emerged as a key player in the smartphone market, and prior to that, it had little representation at MWC. It did appear at MWC 2019 to promote the western debut of the previously announced Xiaomi Mi 9.
However, we could see a global launch of the Xiaomi 12 at MWC 2022 (after a previous Chinese launch that has already occurred). In any case, the Xiaomi 12’s reported global debut date would suffice.
Xiaomi also makes a slew of other phones, including Redmi and Poco models, so there’s a good chance something may appear, especially since the company has already stated that it will be present at MWC 2022.
Lenovo
While we don’t know what Lenovo will announce at MWC 2022, there’s a strong possibility it will – weirdly enough, considering the company has now confirmed its withdrawal from the show.
Or, more accurately, it is withdrawing from the physical event owing to the ongoing epidemic. Still, it has also confirmed that it will have a virtual presence, so it will most likely have something to show.
Remember that Lenovo controls Motorola’s mobile brand so that we could see devices from that as well.
Others
There are a slew of additional names that could make an appearance at MWC 2022, as well as others that almost certainly will not. Based on historical performance, we’d be surprised if Apple was present, and while Google might be present, we don’t expect any substantial news from it.
For example, TCL, Alcatel, Vivo, and ZTE are all businesses that could make an announcement there.
TCL was one of the most visible companies at the otherwise quiet MWC 2021, announcing the Alcatel 1 and several smart glasses and the TCL MoveTime Family Watch 2. As a result, more launches along those lines are possible during MWC 2022.
