Three new smartphones offer showboating, timeless simplicity and quirky innovation

Smartphone season continues to bestow its riches upon a wearying consumer base, buoyed by the industry’s annual convocation in Barcelona for Mobile World Conference. It’s as good a time as any to unleash new style, silicon and feature sets on the world – we’ve rounded up three debuts of varying degrees of innovation.

Apple iPhone 17e

First up is the new Apple iPhone 17e, the much-anticipated mid-range variant of the current flagship iPhone 17 range. While the 17e doesn’t offer anything as seductive as the slimness of the iPhone Air, the ‘e’ designation usually representations a distillation of the best materials, features and performance into a much lower price point.

Apple iPhone 17e is no different. The headline here is the doubling of base-level storage to a generous 256GB. On top of this, hardware improvements include a faster and more efficient cellular modem (complete with access to Apple’s satellite-powered emergency comms features), the new A19 chipset, and 48MP Fusion camera capable of delivering 4K Dolby Vision video.

The new device also features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, brighter and tougher than before. The new colour range includes a soft pink (the handset hue of the moment) as well as black and white, and full compatibility with MagSafe and Qi2 for wireless charging and accessory connection.

Apple iPhone 17e, from $599 (256GB model), Apple.com

Honor Robot Phone

If the 17e represents peak simplicity and restraint, Honor’s new Robot Phone is one for the early adopters. Billed as ‘a new species of smartphone’, the Robot Phone gets its name through the integration of an ultra-compact robotic arm into the body of the smartphone. Equipped with gimbal system for image stabilisation, the little mechanical appendage is equipped with a high-quality camera system.

What are the advantages? No one else will have one, for a start. But the target market here is, of course, content creators, especially those who have become used to wielding gimbal-equipped cameras like the DJI Osmo range or after-market handheld devices like those sold by Insta360.

In addition to wielding the Robot Phone to capture smooth motion video, the AI-equipped folding arm can track movement during video calls (or track any other object), with 90-degree and 180-degree rotational movements, with triple-axis movement. The camera itself has a powerful 200MP sensor. In Honor’s words, the new phone ‘aims to close the gap between smartphone video and professional-looking storytelling’.

Finally, where would a modern robot be without a suite of anthropomorphised expressions? The armature has been programmed to exhibit what the company calls ‘emotional body language,’ embedded little nods and ‘head’ shakes into the device, as well as physical response to music. A gimmick, for sure, but in the novelty obsessed world of smartphone one-upmanship, a certain winner for some.

Honor Robot Phone, more information at Honor.com

FIFA x Motorola Razr Fold Limited Edition

From the sublime and the ridiculous to the passionate, Motorola is making the most of its allegiance with the FIFA World Cup 26. Heading up a shelf-load of co-branded devices in the FIFA World Cup 26 Collection is this, a limited edition of the flagship Razr Fold.

So how does this device bring you closer to the football action? Motorola has gone all out on both access and aesthetics. The former is covered by a T&C-laden promise of ‘Free FIFA World Cup 26 access’ which – given the price of tickets to the tournament – could be a way of skipping the queues and the tours (for the record, the disclaimed reads ‘Customers that purchase a Razr Fold within the FIFA World Cup collection may select a preferred FIFA World Cup match during the ticket redemption process, available on motorola.com from 13 April 2026’).

If a trip to North America is no longer on the cards, fans will still benefit from official wallpapers and ringtones, plus preloaded access to the licensed FIFA Heroes game. Matches themselves should look pretty good on the 8.1-inch folding display, and the whole ensemble is finished off with a tactile finish that mimics what Motorola calls the ‘textures and materials of the game’ (read leather boots and balls), with the faintly tainted bonus of an official FIFA logo.

All branding aside, the Razr Fold is an undeniably fine device, with Sony-powered cameras, support for the moto pen ultra and a large battery. Still, this is one for the collectors and serious fans.

Motorola razr fold, FIFA World Cup 26 Collection, £2,119.99, Motorola.com