Apple was quietly all over the world's biggest Android phone show, and that says a lot

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Mobile World Congress (MWC) is 1 of the largest commercialized shows successful the satellite dedicated to mobile technology. From caller handsets to infrastructure to 6G (and I'm not adjacent kidding), determination were announcements, keynotes, and hardware aplenty to instrumentality in. One notable marque that typically sits retired of the show, though, is Apple.

Also: This robotic camera telephone is going viral astatine MWC, and I tin spot why

The Cupertino institution didn't travel to Barcelona, Spain, adjacent though it had hardware to amusement off. But conscionable due to the fact that Apple didn't be the commercialized amusement doesn't mean it wasn't determination successful immoderate capacity. In fact, Apple's beingness was felt successful each country of the amusement floor, and I recovered 4 notable examples of Apple showing up, adjacent erstwhile it didn't.

1. The cameras signaling america all

One of the archetypal things I noticed astatine MWC was a camera unit moving around, grabbing footage of the lawsuit for the amusement Mobile World Live, but erstwhile I looked closer, I saw thing ace interesting. At the beating bosom of this camera rig is nary different than an iPhone 17 Pro Max, with each mode of attachments enabling a accumulation benignant akin to what we've seen astatine caller Apple events.

Person filming with an iPhone astatine MWC

Sure, it takes a truckload of accessories, including a harness, lights, a USB hub, a microphone, and more, to marque this instrumentality work, but it's each built astir the aforesaid telephone you and I could transportation successful our pocket. It's the archetypal clip I'd seen a nonrecreational accumulation rig utilizing Apple hardware, and if I had to guess, it won't beryllium the last.

2. Sneaking into the walled garden

In the involvement of disclosure, I should constituent retired that Honor provided question and lodging for maine to be MWC, but Honor is the taxable of my 2nd observation. Honor launched the Magic V6 here, on with a clump of different hardware, and a large portion of its keynote was its Honor Connect software. Honor Connect enables record sharing betwixt Honor and Apple devices, and adjacent surface sharing from a MacBook to the Magic V6.

I'm a large instrumentality of this due to the fact that it gives Apple fans the accidental to acquisition a foldable telephone portion inactive utilizing their different Apple hardware. If Apple won't marque a foldable, Honor is blessed to basal in. The sharing isn't astir arsenic seamless arsenic it is betwixt an iPhone and a MacBook, but it's reasonably straightforward, truthful it mightiness coax immoderate Apple users who are funny astir folding-screen tech.

3. Breaking the iPhone Air's limits

Tecno concepts are a mainstay astatine MWC. And this year, the institution had a chill modular telephone plan with magnetic attachments, including camera lenses, stackable artillery packs, and speakers, which you could adhd to the back. It's an absorbing thought that has been tried aggregate times before. Whether this 1 volition enactment oregon not is precise overmuch successful doubt.

Also: I tried Tecno's modular telephone conception astatine MWC - and it rapidly got weird

But if you look astatine the design, you don't adjacent person to squint that overmuch to spot a acquainted signifier emerge. Of course, I'm talking astir the Tecno Pova that the institution shared with maine astatine IFA past year. But I'm besides talking astir the hints of iPhone Air you tin spot successful this design.

4. Shameless clones, everywhere

If imitation is the highest signifier of flattery. There is nary shortage of Chinese telephone makers flattering the bejesus retired of Apple. However, the implicit pinnacle of…flattery belongs to Ouikitel. At the booth, Ouikitel had what has to beryllium called an iPhone 17 Pro Max clone, a ample camera aisle, and everything.

There wasn't a exemplary fig for that phone, but determination was a precise akin one, with flimsy antithetic sensor placement nearby, that is the C17, but the 1 I saw looks similar the institution bought an iPhone and scraped the Apple logo disconnected the back.

Also: iPhone 17e vs. iPhone 17: I compared the 2 models to determine which has the amended value

"Holy cow," were the lone words I could utter. By the way, down the enactment a spot sat a Galaxy S26 Ultra clone arsenic well. While it's existent that some the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the S26 Ultra are exceptional and aspirational devices, these phones autumn into that uncanny vale of clones that feels a small dirty.

Apple's power connected the smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, audio, and truthful galore different verticals is undeniable. A institution with truthful overmuch swagger can't assistance but power the party, adjacent if it ne'er shows up.

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