At Mobile World Congress, every booth promises the future. If you believed everything on display, we'd all be driving wild hypercar concepts and watching humanoid robots do backflips. In an event packed with exciting gadgets and cool concepts, it's easy to forget that most of what glitters on the show floor isn't worth your time -- and won't survive contact with your wallet.
With the show quieting down, CNET's on-the-ground editorial team put their heads together to work out which products really matter. It's not easy to separate genuine innovation from very expensive daydreams.
The products listed below all deserve a spotlight, either by offering something unique or by pushing the boundaries of what we expect from a device. Let's dive in, but first, a few honorable mentions that we felt deserved your attention.
Honorable mentions
MWC served up some serious concept tech this year, and while these gadgets won't be hitting shelves tomorrow, they're a thrilling glimpse into a future we can't wait to touch.
First up is Xiaomi's Vision GT hypercar. Designed to be a drivable vehicle in the racing game Gran Turismo, Xiaomi actually built a model for its stage. Needless to say, it looks wild.
We also loved the Tecno modular phone concept, with one module adding a large image sensor and a massive zoom lens, essentially turning it into a fully fledged camera.
Finally, the Lenovo Legion Go concept. This hand-held gaming device features a Nintendo Switch-style set of grips and, amazingly, a whopping 11.6-inch display in the middle. So, sure, you can game while holding onto an enormous display for fully immersive playtime, or you can fold the display back on itself and play with a more reasonable 7.7-inch display size. It's fun, quirky, and I'll be gobsmacked if it ever goes on sale.
Each iMoochi has OLED screens for its eyes that can blink, wink and be expressive. But when being charged, the eye displays a battery charging icon. Patrick Holland/CNET
ZTE iMoochi
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