• The World Mobile World Congress was held in Barcelona from 27 February to 2 March.
  • After Samsung and Oppo had presented their premium smartphones upstream, their competitors were looking for the light.
  • More powerful and efficient, better in photography too, and sometimes more durable, their novelties were enough to make you dream.

Connected glasses do you want (at Xiaomi, TCL, Oppo), ads of folding mobiles (at OnePlus) or rollable (at Motorola), ever faster charging systems (300 watts at Xiaomi), the Mobile World Congress show held from February 27 to March 2 in Barcelona sold dreams to telephony fans. It was necessary.

At a time when the sector is at half-mast, with global smartphone sales falling by 11.3% last year according to IDC, innovation had to take precedence this year to re-enchant the 80,000 visitors expected. In addition to Samsung and its new Galaxy S23, or Oppo and its Find N2 Flip, which had presented their latest terminals before the show, new smartphones were unveiled. 20 Minutes has spotted those we will hear about.

The challenger: The Honor Magic 5 Pro

Inimitable, with its rounded rear photo block and perfectly integrated into its shell, Honor's Magic 5 Pro clearly wants to compete with the biggest. With a 6.8" (120 Hz) screen, integrating Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (the reference!), weighted with a 5,100 mAh battery with 66 W fast charging, with 512 GB of storage, the terminal also plays on its photo quality with its three 50-megapixel rear sensors. EUR 1,199.



Our opinion: Under Android 13, this smartphone is promising and poses as a credible alternative to Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra. No doubt its main sensor of 50 megapixels will struggle to compete with that of 200 megapixels of its rival, better in low light. But his photo prowess is real, praised by the DXOMARK lab, which is a reference. It should especially make the difference with its storage capacity. With equivalent memory, the S23 Ultra is worth 400 euros more!

The photographer: Xiaomi 13 Pro

To seduce photo enthusiasts, the Xiaomi 13 Pro is equipped with a trio of 50-megapixel sensors, including a 1-inch format main sensor, topped with a Leica lens. Enough to offer it a beautiful seat for photos in low light and to capture more details. 32-megapixel selfies should also deliver on their promises. For its part, the video is announced up to 8K at 24 frames per second (and in 4K up to 60 fps).

With a WQHD + definition (3,200 x 1,440 pixels, in 120 Hz), the imposing 6.73" screen of this 13 Pro also flatters the retina with its precision and contrasts. Xiaomi finally surprises with the fast charging of 120 watts (charging block provided) which allows you to fully refuel your battery in about twenty minutes. EUR 1,300.



Our opinion: Our first grip testifies to a terminal actually gifted in photography, including a remarkable Portrait mode and an almost irreproachable Night mode. Its screen is a small wonder, and the 13 Pro is IP68 certified. Remains an exorbitant price for a Xiaomi smartphone that will struggle to make a place on the favorite playground of Samsung and Apple, that of premium smartphones. Astonishing: for any pre-order of this smartphone before March 7 included, Xiaomi offers a 43" TV (the Xiaomi TV P1E, worth 449 euros)!

The gamer: OnePlus 11 Concept

In addition to its detonating appearance, the OnePlus 11 Concept wants to innovate with its liquid cooling system called Active CryoFlux Actif. According to OnePlus, this would reduce the temperature of the terminal up to 2.1 ° during a gaming session, and 1.6 ° during charging. This may seem small, but the manufacturer ensures that the experience is only better for gaming, thus causing an increase in performance. Launch date and price not specified.



Our opinion: OnePlus is accustomed to well-ordered buzz. Declined from the OnePlus 11 already marketed, this smartphone screen of 6.7 '' with its back shell with "hypnotic view of the pipes" (sic!) is no exception to the rule. The system unveiled would be close to the water-cooling process on computers dedicated to video games, already approached by Xiaomi in 2021 with a refrigerant called Loop Liquid Cool on its MIX 4.

The sustainable: Nokia G22

Nokia took advantage of the MWC to highlight its G22. This smartphone benefits from a partnership with the iFixit repair community. The goal: to offer, as soon as the terminal is put on the market, guides, tools and spare parts so that the G22 is easily repairable by its owner. Screen, charging port, battery (5050 mAh) can easily be replaced, step by step. Nokia claims for example 5 minutes of repair to change the battery of the G22, and 30 minutes to replace the screen. 179 euros (in 64 GB) and 189 euros (in 128 GB).



Our opinion: Following in the footsteps of Fairphone and its repairable smartphones, Nokia and iFixit sign a great initiative. Too bad it only applies to an entry-level model (with a 6.52" LCD screen and a 50-megapixel main sensor), a device that, by its nature, is not necessarily among the most resistant to time.

Seniors answer the call

Who has never seen their elders struggle with a smartphone? Dedicated to seniors who have trouble with technology, the Zeus 4GO pro from the Spanish firm SPC (sold 159 euros) is a simplified smartphone. Thus, its small HD + screen of 5.5 '' (1,400 x 720 pixels) displays only four to six icons. The six main contacts can also be grouped on a single screen, with their photo. Practical and reassuring.

Under Android 11, this discreet and light smartphone (155 g) is particularly intuitive and competes with those, well known in France, of the Doro brand. In addition to its ease of access, it has an SOS button on the back that can be activated to send an alert with geolocation to three predefined contacts.

  • Tech
  • 20 minutes video
  • Telephony
  • Smartphone
  • Foldable smartphone