Oh, the Fun We Had: A behind-the-scenes look at CNET’s MWC 2026

Mobile World Congress has come to a close, and the CNET team saw everything from backwards-facing robots to furry AI companions. It’s been a busy couple of days, with nearly every major tech company doing something at the show. But covering all these messages is not an easy task. CNET’s team on the ground had to really go out of their way to bring you the kind of quality journalism you’ve come to expect from us.

Instead of telling you about cool camera phones or amazing hypercar concepts, I wanted to show you a rare behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at trade shows like CES. Scroll through to see the CNET team in action doing what they do best.

First up, Andrew Lankson (it’s me, hello!) captured footage of video producer Celso Bulgati crawling around on Abrar Al-Hetti’s Galaxy S26 Ultra. It’s usually not that invasive – it’s just a way to show off the phone’s new privacy screen.

Aliza Umali does a great impression of a statue.

Tara Brown and Katie Collins had press passes ready to enter Honor’s conference, where they saw Honor’s backwards-spinning robot.

Tara had a busy conference schedule. Here we are waiting for Xiaomi’s keynote to start. I look excited, don’t I?

A candid moment of debate between David Lumb and Patrick Holland. Who knows what high level decisions were made…

A typical MWC scene: tons of journalists crowding around a display, not giving themselves space to take the photos they need. Instead of joining the melee, I stood back and photographed them instead. why Because I already had the phone in my pocket.

Katie Collins inspects her hair and scalp for a tech demo. The result? Beautiful hair. But we already knew that.

It can’t all be dark conference rooms and neon-lit demonstration areas – here’s some of the team enjoying the sunshine in Barcelona.

And of course, doing her best Cheetah Girls impression.

A moment of calm and caffeine at a Motorola event overlooking the city.

CNET Team Dinner. Our team is spread all over the world, so it’s amazing to be able to come together and collaborate on events like this.

The team waited not very patiently for a taxi. Well, most of the team waited – I was obviously acting like I was trying to land a modeling contract.

Some events – like Showstoppers, a mini tech conference in its own right – are held away from Fira’s main convention center. In this case, it was in an actual palace, so naturally we had to take a photo right outside.

The palace was full of mirrors, which I obviously made the most of.

The palace ceiling and chandeliers were damn good.

I took a moment to shoot a quick social video on my orange iPhone going pink with Tara Brown.

It might be a cliché to say, but we really made each other laugh this week and it was great to come together as a team. MWC, like many big tech events, can be challenging, and while it’s certainly a huge amount of work for all of us, it’s also an amazing opportunity to get together and have fun with like-minded tech geeks.