OPINION: On the first day at MWC 2024, I scoured the halls looking for some hidden gems. Yes, there has been a good number of big announcements but these shows often bring the weird and wonderful. As innovation becomes more software focused, there seems less room for quirky and innovative gadgets. But, Tecno is standing out amongst this trend.
Tecno’s booth at MWC 2024 was a bit of a box of wonders. Given it is far from one of the most well-known brands in the world, I wasn’t necessarily privy to all that they had on offer. There were three hidden gems that brought out the tech-loving kid in me. Naturally, as Computing Editor, it was a gaming PC that first caught my eye.
A “mega” mini gaming PC
There it is, Tecno’s latest MEGAmini Gaming PC. It isn’t the first time it’s shown off something of this ilk, with a concept model with a different look displayed at IFA 2023. But, it was seeing this model in person that really got me excited. If you’ve ever had a powerful gaming PC, you’ll know the logistical burden it can put on your bedroom or office space. Admittedly, larger form-factor gaming PCs are getting smaller but they remain substantial space occupiers.
Get 20% off a Steam Deck 512GB
The Steam Deck is wonderful way to take your PC games on the go and this eBay deal knocks a further 20% off the price.
- eBay
- Use Code: LEAP20
- Now: £374.95
By comparison, the Tecno MEGAmini Gaming PC is positively miniscule. I’d compare it to the size of your typical pod coffee machine (we don’t have the exact dimensions at the time of writing and I didn’t get my tape measure out on the MWC 2024 show floor). What’s particularly remarkable is that it features a fully-fledged graphics card, not simply a mobile version that you may find in laptops. Further, there’s water-cooling and some lovely RGB inside as well. A remarkable feat that I’d gladly welcome on my desk, and have plenty of room to spare.
There’s strong specifications inside too, with an Intel Core i9-13900HX chip, RTX 4060 graphics card, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage. Despite its small size, power has not been put to the back of the priority queue.
AR gaming glasses taken to the next level
Mobile Editor Lewis Painter going hands-on with the Tecno Pocket Vision
Next, there was a wonderfully fresh take on the AR glasses craze. In my experience with AR glasses so far, they’ve largely underwhelmed and felt rather cumbersome. The Tecno Pocket Go AR Pocket Vision that’s offered up as an accessory to Tecno’s Pocket Go handheld, controller and Tecno smart box streaming option is focused on gaming. The results are wondrous, with it offering a “unparalleled immersive 6D gaming experience.” Not sure about the “6D” but happy to express the Trusted team was blown away regardless.
The AR experience comes through a 0.71-inch Micro-OLED screen that gives the impression of a massive 215-inch display at around six meters away. When it comes to tracking, the AR Pocket Vision has a six-axis gyroscope, nano-structured acoustic materials along with advanced AI head-tracking and vibration. It was the type of experience that truly made going to MWC in-person feel worthwhile, a gadget that needs to be witnessed to be believed.
Keep rollin’ rollin’
It’s quite remarkable that I’m getting to a phone that can extend the size of its screen at the press of a button towards at the end of this article but here we are, and it speaks to the excitement that Tecno brought to MWC this year. The Tecno Phantom Extreme rollable concept is an idea you may have seen from some other brands but its rare to get to experience it in the flesh.
When I first arrived at the Tecno booth, I spotted the Phantom Extreme being display in a box and thought that might be as close as I was going to get. But, no, a Tecno representative had one in their hands and eagerly handed it over for me to try myself. It was quite a treat and the rollable mechanism worked just as advertised. There’s no need for that positively archaic folding solution (I jest), instead, with the press of a button at the top of this concept, you can go from a typically-sized phone display to a larger tablet-esque one.
From pushing the boundaries of gaming tower form-factors and changing how we experience gaming altogether through AR to pushing innovation on mobile phone design, Tecno showed gadget fans, and other tech companies, how to bring the fun to MWC.
