MWC 2026: Chinese smartphone makers bet on pivot to AI to weather memory chip crunch

Chinese smartphone makers are set to introduce their latest handsets at MWC Barcelona, as the mobile industry navigates an ongoing memory crunch and a pivot to artificial intelligence.

Some Android phone makers are also expected to showcase experimental robots and other AI devices at the annual trade show formerly known as Mobile World Congress, which will run from March 2 to 5.

Honor, an independent brand formerly under Huawei Technologies, will unveil more details about its highly anticipated “robot phone”, a concept AI-enabled handset featuring a fold-out gimbal-attached camera, on the eve of MWC Barcelona.

The smartphone maker is also slated to reveal its first humanoid robot at its Sunday event in Barcelona, a major development since the announcement of its foray into China’s crowded robotics space last May.

Besides the experimental robotic devices, the Shenzhen-based smartphone maker will also launch its latest foldable handset Magic V6, featuring a stronger hinge and upgraded AI functions.

Vivo, the world’s fourth-largest smartphone maker according to IDC data, is set for the global debut of its flagship X300 Ultra. With a focus on enhanced imaging and videography capabilities, the X300 Ultra represents the firm’s latest push into the international premium market.

The new models from Honor and Vivo will face off against the latest offerings from Huawei and Samsung Electronics in the global arena. Huawei launched the international version of its flagship Mate 80 Pro model on Thursday, the same day Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 series with a sharpened focus on AI.

The smartphone makers’ high-stakes innovations and experiments come as the broader industry scrambles to cope with surging memory chip costs, which threaten to squeeze profit margins and drive down shipment volumes.

Global shipments of smartphones in 2026 are forecast to decline 12.9 per cent to 1.12 billion units, marking the largest drop ever for the industry due to the memory chip shortage, IDC said on Friday.

“What we are witnessing is not a temporary squeeze, but a tsunami-like shock originating in the memory supply chain, with ripple effects spreading across the entire consumer electronics industry,” said Francisco Jeronimo, IDC vice-president for worldwide client devices.

“The global smartphone market, particularly Android manufacturers, faces a significant threat,” Jeronimo said, adding that smaller and low-end players would struggle with rising costs while Apple and Samsung could use the opportunity to expand their market share.

Meizu, a small Chinese smartphone brand, became one of the first victims of the situation after it announced on Friday it would halt research and development work on new handsets.

The decision came after the firm, owned by DreamSmart Group, announced in January that it pulled the plug on the launch of a new handset, the Meizu 22 Air.

“The sharp rise in memory prices … dealt a huge shock to our commercial plan for smartphones,” Wan Zhiqiang, the firm’s chief marketing officer, said at the time.