Mobile World Congress sees the biggest and best tech companies, the world over, gather in Barcelona to show off their latest, greatest products. MWC 2026 runs March 2 to 5 and we expect to see several major phone launches, some wild concepts and a lot of tapas. But what about products we saw in prior years?

From Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S phones to incredible hardware from Xiaomi, we’ve seen some amazing devices in the years CNET has been attending the show. But we’ve also seen a lot of unusual products that have promised more than they’ve delivered. 

From concept devices that are quickly forgotten to new gadgets that boast revolutionary functions, these are the MWC tech launches that arrived with a fanfare… but aren’t necessarily where you’d expect them to be today. 

Humane AI pin

AI might still be the biggest buzzword in tech, thanks to every phone company cramming their devices with all kinds of bizarre AI functions. But at MWC 2024, one company wanted to take that further. The Humane AI pin was a wearable badge that you could talk to and ask questions about your schedule, the weather or things like sports results. It could read answers out and even project them onto your hand with a laser. Because everyone loves lasers.

Sounds fun, right? And the company’s rhetoric around how AI-based devices like this will replace phones sounded compelling. However, the product, well, sucked (just ask CNET’s Scott Stein, who spent extended time with it) and the company was eventually swallowed by HP, with the Pin itself ceasing to function in February last year. If you were one of the early adopters, do let us know what you’ve done with that $699(!) paperweight now. 

Motorola Rizr

MWC is a great place to show off concepts that will excite technology nerds like us. Motorola has a good history of this at the show and the Rizr is one of my favorites. This phone didn’t just have a flexible display like we’ve seen on many of today’s foldable phones, its display could actually mechanically unroll at the push of a button, extending the top of the screen to give a more immersive display for watching videos or playing games. 

It was amazing to see in person and it was certainly a different idea on how to use flexible displays. But that’s all it was; an idea. Motorola hasn’t deployed the Rizr’s mechanical unfurling into any of its products, with its upcoming Razr Fold launch being just a standard book-style foldable. The reason is obvious: The technology is likely expensive and probably fragile too. Three years on and Motorola hasn’t said a thing about this cool concept, but I’ll still keep my fingers crossed for this year.

Xiaomi SU7 EV

Xiaomi might be better known for its superb camera phones, but the Chinese firm has fingers in many pies, including scooters, vacuums, air fryers and, er, water pistols. It was no surprise then that during MWC 2024, the company showed off its first EV, the Xiaomi SU7. With sleek, sporty looks and a promised range of over 470 miles, I was excited. 

I was excited again when the company showed off an even more performance-focused model at last year’s show, which had already delivered some blistering track times on the infamous Nürburgring. But I’ve yet to get behind the wheel. While Xiaomi is already producing and selling cars in its native China, the company has no plans to launch in the UK or wider Europe until at least 2027 and they almost certainly won’t sell in the US at all. 

As a result, I feel like I’ve been teased somewhat with the promise of this slick, powerful EV that would have sat perfectly on my driveway. In reality, I still have a big wait ahead of me, if the SU7 European launch happens at all. Sales of the SU7 in China have surpassed those of the Tesla Model 3, according to a report by Car News China. Meanwhile, the same story shows that the SU7 Ultra’s sales have declined dramatically due to a number of controversies and lawsuits around the car and Xiaomi’s rollout.

Samsung Galaxy Ring

Samsung’s Galaxy Ring made for an interesting MWC in 2024. Here was a new type of wearable that promised advanced health and fitness tracking, while blending into your daily life by sitting unobtrusively on your finger. And that’s what it does, with CNET giving it a healthy 8.5 out of 10 in our full review. 

But that was in 2024, and a full two years later, I’m left wondering what’s happening with the wonderful world of smart jewelry. Samsung has made no official comment around a follow-up, through rumors suggest we may see one in late 2026 or 2027. Smart ring manufacturer Oura, meanwhile, has filed a public lawsuit against Samsung and other smart ring companies claiming patent infringement. This is likely one of the reasons we’ll have to wait for a Galaxy Ring 2. While other smart rings do exist — like the Oura Ring 4 — it’s not a category that flourished after Samsung launched its ring. 

There’s no Google Pixel Ring, no Apple iRing and not even an LED-infused Nothing Ring (1). Most other smart rings are made by smaller companies, such as Pebble’s recently announced $75 recyclable ring. Smart rings may have a place on our hands for a while yet, but Samsung’s lengthy delay in launching a follow-up might suggest that it’s not exactly a priority product. 

Motorola wrist phone

I said that the aforementioned Moto Rizr was «one of» my favorite MWC concepts.That’s because the company’s flexible wrist phone from 2024 absolutely takes my top spot. This candybar-style Android phone had a fully flexible body that let you to wrap the whole thing around your wrist and wear it like something resembling Leela from Futurama’s wrist-mounted doodad. 

I found it extremely intriguing. Here was a phone that doesn’t bulge out your skinny jeans when it’s in your pocket, but that’s also just a glance away like a smartwatch. And compared to the precision engineering required for the Rizr, the wrist phone’s technology seemed relatively achievable. After all, we already have flexible displays and this didn’t even require any specialized tiny motors — you just whack it onto your wrist like a ’90s slap bracelet. 

But, like the Rizr, the wrist-mounted phone remained just a flight of fancy I experienced oh so briefly for a few days in Spain. And like any holiday romance, perhaps it’s best for me to simply remember it for what it was and not spend my days pining for what could have been.

With MWC 2026 just a few days away I’m excited to see new and wild products show their face, and I’m curious to see which of them will have staying power.

Equipped with better drivers, the latest Bluetooth technology and upgraded chipsets, full-size headphones are delivering increasingly powerful performance for more affordable prices. However, some headphone models can cause real headaches.

In the past, I typically used lighter headsets for studying or communication, so headaches were never much of a problem until I started reviewing larger gaming and work headsets early in my tech reporting career.

After a few lengthy Overwatch and Destiny sessions, I noticed my head throbbing and my temples aching — and after researching the issue, I found many people had headphone headaches to share, especially when gaming or working for long periods with tight headphones. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

These headphone-induced headaches typically occur from a combo of pressure, weight, heat, wearing glasses and similar factors. But I have good news: it’s possible to treat headset woes like these with a few careful tweaks to your setup. Here’s what I’ve found works best, even when headphone sessions last for hours.

1. Try over-ear or open-ear headphones 

On-ear headphones are smaller and lighter than the large earcups of over-ear models, and often more affordable, but they can also cause headaches. That may sound counterintuitive, but it’s due to the earbuds’ gripping design and the lack of padding in on-ear models. That includes popular music headphones like the Sony WH-CH520 or the Beats Solo 4. 

The smaller earcup design of on-ear headphones typically puts more pressure directly on the ear, which gets very tiring during extended use. That’s especially true for people with glasses, who often experience pain with these headphones.

The best alternative, without sacrificing too much audio quality or extra features, is switching to over-ear headphones. These headphones have significantly larger, cushier earcups that create less pressure and improve noise isolation. In this case, going big may be the best way to ease your pain.

The other option is to use earbuds or innovative open-ear headphones like Shockz, which use bone conduction and other methods to reduce ear fatigue. You may lose audio quality compared with over-ear models, but it’s a pain-free option, especially for those relying on their glasses while they work, study or play.

2. Switch to a better ear cup material

If you’re adamant about sticking to over-the-ear headphones, consider a better ear pad material for your earcups, as it can significantly reduce pain. If your headset is stuck with basic foam covers, it’s time to find a model with thick memory foam or a similar material.

Likewise, if you find the padding material on your earcups is scratchy, stiff, or pulls on your ears, try switching out the covering material. Velour tends to work best for comfort levels, as does suede. If you find your earphones overheat your head and lead to headaches, consider trying a mesh fabric cover instead.

If you already have a gaming headset or professional over-ear headphones, look up your brand to see if they offer ear cup replacements in different materials. That may be pricey, but you can explore affordable alternatives like ear covers for $10 that can help some earcups feel smoother and cooler. 

3. Experiment with adjusting your headband

Do your current headphones offer headband adjustments or similar customization? If not, I highly suggest looking for a pair that supports them. Even standard headsets can be heavy — the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5, for example, clocks in at nearly 10 ounces— leaving it on your head for a few hours can cause discomfort. That’s why weight distribution is important.

The tension of your headband can directly affect the tension in your head. Too tight, and the headphones will apply uncomfortable pressure and pull at your hair. Too loose, and your earcups can feel like dead weight. If you get frequent headaches, try loosening your headband a little while still keeping it firm. Ear cup height adjustments can perform a similar role.

Additional note: Some headphones are heavy, like the AirPods Max (a hefty 13.6 ounces), but distribute the weight well. But lighter is often better. Check out our reviews and recommendations to see which headphones we call out for their stress-relieving designs.

4. Shift your volume to lower settings

I know you may want to pinpoint the sound of footsteps or hear every possible environmental sound, but it’s important to keep headphone volume at a safe level. Beyond a certain point, volume can be an active trigger of painful headaches, even if you don’t usually experience them.

If you’d like to dive into this topic, I highly recommend my colleague Anna Gragert’s account of earbud-related health issues and what she learned from talking to audiologists. If your volume is high enough to trigger ear pain and headaches, there’s also a good chance it’s causing long-term hearing loss or other problems.

The general rule for headset volume is to keep it significantly below 85 decibels, a tip recommended by Turtle Beach and other headphone brands. I suggest heading into your headphone app (if available) and tweaking your audio settings so the emphasis is placed on the sound details you want, letting you keep the overall volume lower.

If you prefer headphones for music and find yourself listening to your favorite album at a higher-than-usual volume, it’s a good idea to lower the volume to a quiet setting and chill with more lo-fi music to give yourself a break.

Brands like SteelSeries also produce headphones with volume-limiting features for this very purpose, placing a universal volume cap on headphones to help rein in bad habits or protect kids’ ears.

5. Turn down screen brightness or enable a blue light filter

Headphone pressure and volume aren’t the only causes of headaches. Your screen is also an important factor, especially if you’re staring at it for long periods in a dark room.

That’s why I also recommend turning down your screen brightness if you suffer from headphone headaches. Set your computer or TV to a lower brightness or dimmer mode when you start a session, and see if that keeps the headache at bay.

If your display supports it — typically in software settings or some game settings — you can also enable a blue light filter. These filters reduce the colder, bluer light on the display, which is most responsible for eye strain. It will slightly shift the visuals toward warmer hues and can also provide significant relief.

For glasses wearers, there’s another option: You can find glasses with blue light-blocking lenses for continual protection, no matter what screen you’re on. Again, these are best paired with over-ear or open-ear headphones to complete a comfortable headset setup.

6. Kill the noise-cancelling features for a while

Are active noise-canceling headphones giving you headaches? Those high-tech features, found in popular lines like Bose QuietComfort, larger Sony WH models and the AirPods Max, may actually be the problem. Active noise cancellation uses sound waves to cancel out ambient noise. It’s a neat trick, but not everyone responds the same.

Some people report feelings of pressure, dizziness and general weirdness when using noise cancellation. Similar to sudden altitude changes, it can trigger headaches for people trying to concentrate.

If your headphones have an active noise cancellation feature, switch it off to see if it helps reduce the pain and strain of long-term use. If it makes a noticeable difference, you should probably stick with passive noise cancellation on your headset.

With your headache issues sorted out, now is an excellent time to take a look at the best PC games we’ve tried and the best monitors for the action.