The 6G, modular, robot phones of the future

On The Vergecast: Funky phones, clever phone straps, and phone metaverses. If those are even a thing.

by David Pierce

Mar 3, 2026, 2:39 PM UTC

MWC 2026: all the phones, gadgets, and announcements from Barcelona

David Pierce is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.

Year after year, we mostly know what to expect from our smartphone upgrades. Galaxy, iPhone, Pixel, or whatever else, everything seems to get slightly better (and occasionally more expensive) without many surprises in store. That’s not to say there are no new ideas left in smartphones, though. You just have to know where to look.

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On this episode of The Vergecast, The Verge’s Allison Johnson reports back from Mobile World Congress, which is positively overflowing with ideas about smartphones. There are the big-name companies like Samsung, showing off the Privacy Display tech that you might soon start to see in other devices. There are the Motorolas and Honors of the world, relentlessly shipping new stuff. And there are companies like Tecno, which just keep building prototypes in the hopes that one might catch on. Allison helps us sort the silly and the serious, as we look ahead to the year in phones.

After that, The Verge’s Jess Weatherbed joins the show to discuss the hottest new mobile accessory: gadget straps. These simple gizmos have been popular around the world for some time and have recently made a splash in the US after Apple started shipping its crossbody strap. Jess explains why these straps are so useful and why lots of people actually want their phone dangling on their hip all day.

Finally, The Verge’s Jay Peters helps David answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com) about the metaverse. First of all, what is the metaverse? And second of all, is the ultra-immersive, all-consuming metaverse still coming? We have an answer for one question and an existential crisis for the other.