MWC 2024 award nominees unveiled: Apple, Google, Samsung, OnePlus vie for Best Smartphone crown

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 starts in Barcelona, Spain, on February 26, and the Global Mobile Awards (GLOMO) just announced the nominees across different categories (via GSMArena). These categories include Mobile Tech, Digital Everything, Device, Tech4Good, Government Leadership, and Outstanding Achievement. Now, let's check out some of the awards and who's up for them.

First up, let's see the nominees for the Best Smartphone award. GLOMO has narrowed it down to the Apple iPhone 15 Pro models, Google Pixel 8 series, OnePlus Open, OPPO Find N3, Samsung Galaxy S23 series, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. It's cool to see both foldable and non-foldable phones in the mix. Just a heads up, last year's champ was the iPhone 14 Pro.

When it comes to the Breakthrough Device Innovation award, we've got some well-known names in the lineup of nominees. Google is in the spotlight for its AI imaging prowess and dedication to providing extended software updates for Pixel phones. Additionally, the Chinese company Honor has earned a spot for the innovative silicon-carbon dual-battery tech in its Magic V2.

OnePlus Open, featuring OxygenOS 13.2 Open Canvas, and OPPO Find N3, equipped with ColorOS 13.2 Canvas Shift, are also among the nominees, as both offer essentially the same functionality for multitasking on foldable phones. Last but not least, Qualcomm has also earned a nomination with its latest chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

The Device category also features another award: Best Connected Consumer Device. This award recognizes "an everyday consumer electronic device or gadget that brings new and smart applications, efficiencies, and functionality to the user." It includes cameras, gadgets, household appliances, gaming consoles, music players, and more. A notable mention in this category is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.

This year introduces a brand new award, and it's probably not surprising given the recent buzz around artificial intelligence in mobile tech. The fresh addition is the Best AI Innovation​ award, focusing on "the potential for using generative AI for positive improvements in the mobile sector."

Among the contenders are Qualcomm, recognized for the Qualcomm AI Engine, and Pangu-Weather, acknowledged for developing the first AI weather forecasting model to outperform conventional NWP methods.

You can find the complete list of nominees across all categories here. But before you dive into that, let us give you a heads-up on what to expect at this year's MWC. Xiaomi is gearing up to unveil its Xiaomi 14 series globally. Meanwhile, OnePlus might introduce its new OnePlus Watch 2 featuring Wear OS. The icing on the cake could be the Sony Xperia 1 VI, along with the long-rumored foldable Sony Xperia F. Clearly, a lot is happening in the mobile tech world, so stay tuned for updates.