Middle East crisis, global memory crunch dim AI smartphone buzz at MWC 2026

The mobile industry buzzed with excitement over the artificial intelligence revolution showcased at MWC Barcelona 2026, but the optimism was overshadowed by the Middle East crisis and a memory crunch that could reshape the global smartphone supply chain.The AI showcase drew a large crowd, including King Felipe VI of Spain, to the booth of Chinese smartphone maker Honor, which displayed its “Robot Phone” with a built-in camera gimbal designed to become a companion to users.“This brings a certain level of excitement amid memory shocks,” said Ivan Lam, senior analyst at consultancy Counterpoint Research, who described the Robot Phone as “one of the biggest highlights” in smartphones at MWC.“This product’s new form factor opens up a new experience for human-phone interaction,” Lam said, adding it could mark a promising step forward for consumers.Just across the aisle in the same hall, Chinese telecoms gear giant ZTE showcased the China-exclusive Doubao AI agent phone powered by ByteDance’s large language model, as other Android rivals also announced new AI functions to build emotional and physical connections with users.Spain’s King Felipe VI visits a booth at MWC 2026. Photo: EPASmartphone and device manufacturers were looking to make AI tangible as they realised that “just having a voice isn’t concrete enough”, said Nicole Peng, research vice-president of consumer at tech research group Omdia. “Building that emotional connection is vital.”