MWC 2016: the world's biggest phone show as it happened

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Everything we saw in Barcelona

MWC
What will next year's event hold?

MWC 2016 is now over. The biggest event in the smartphone calendar has been and gone with major announcements from a plethora of manufacturers.

We saw the new Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge as well as the modular LG G5. But it's more than just the big name phones. The show was stocked full of smaller, interesting tech and here's your place to discover everything we saw at the show.

We reported the whole event live from Barcelona and below you'll find everything we loved at MWC 2016. Before that, take a look at our five favorite phones from Mobile World Congress 2016.

Samsung

S7

Samsung has managed to somewhat steal the MWC show for the past two years, launching the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy S6 at the 2014 and 2015 events respectively. This year has been no different, with the smartphone giant launching both the S7 and S7 Edge (with part of the press conference done in virtual reality), and surprising us with an appearance from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

You can see the entire thing as it happened in our live blog. Or, go straight to checking out our hands-on reviews of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. While both phones turned out exactly as leaks and rumours had led us to believe, they weren't the only thing Samsung was at MWC to talk about.

The company also announced the Gear 360, its 360-degree camera that can be used to capture footage to be played back in virtual reality.

But probably the biggest moment was when Mark Zuckerberg dropped by to big up virtual reality. Not only did Zuck explain why VR is the next social platform, he also announced that Facebook would be bringing many more apps to Gear VR. He also confirmed the launch of Minecraft on the platform.

Gutted you weren't at the show? Well, now you can be! Sort of. We made a 360-degree video for you to immerse yourself in. Check it out below.

LG

G5

LG revealed all at MWC 2016. As we expected, the new 5.3-inch G5 has an always-on display that never sleeps, letting you see the time, date, and notifications at a glance.

Perhaps more interesting, however, is the phone's "magic slot", which allows for additional accessories to be added onto the phone. LG has essentially made its first modular phone. Read our hands-on first impressions of the LG G5.

As well as the phone, LG is entering the virtual reality race with its first VR headset, which is powered by the G5. It's also much smaller than its rival Samsung Galaxy Gear VR - and pretty much every other VR headset out there right now.

  • Here's how the LG G5 compares to the LG G4.

Sony

Xperia

Sony, never one to shy away from a trade show, is here at MWC showing off some new smartphones - the Xperia X and the Xperia XA, both of which gave us some hints about what the Xperia Z6 might bring.

But the more interesting announcements from Sony, perhaps, weren't phones at all. It revealed the Xperia Ear, a tiny personal assistant that sits in your - yup - ear. It looks very much like the one from the movie Her, although probably doesn't come loaded with Scarlett Johansson's voice.

We also got to play with Sony's Xperia Projector, which will turn any surface into an interactive display. James Peckham already sees a lot of potential in the device.

Oh, and speaking of personal assistants, Sony showed us the one it's been working on. It's a bit like Amazon's Echo and uses touch and voice gestures. You can read more about it here.

HTC

HTC One M9

Will we see a radically different phone from the M9?

HTC used MWC 2015 to launch the One M9, but the HTC One M10 didn't make an appearance at MWC 2016. There wasn't a press conference, but the company did show off the new HTC One X9 as well as the Desire 530 and Desire 825.

Never been to MWC?

We made a short little video to explain why we love the best show in mobile tech. Check it out below.

Day three

Day two

Day one

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John McCann
John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.