Most mainstream phone options are kind of the same, year in and year out — but that doesn’t mean there’s no innovation to be found. The Verge’s Allison Johnson is at Mobile World Congress, and joins the show to report on all the modular phones, robot phones, small phones, big phones, and (alas) 6G phones set to hit the market this year. After that, The Verge’s Jess Weatherbed explains the phenomenon of the gadget strap, and makes the case that they’re an increasingly useful accessory as our phones become even more important to our daily lives. (Yes, even if you have pockets.) Finally, The Verge’s Jay Peters helps David answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about whether the metaverse, however you want to define it, is ever going to be realized. #Vergecast #Technology #Podcast 00:00 Intro 02:38 MWC 03:56 6G Reality Check 06:39 Modular Phone Comeback 09:37 Privacy Display Pixel Flex 12:55 Foldables 18:57 Thin and Light Trend 21:49 E Ink Phone 23:58 Robots and Pet Phone 29:03 Gadget Straps Explained 30:51 Why Straps Beat Bags 34:30 Hands Free and Security 37:06 Tokyo Strap Culture 39:09 Japan Origins Explained 42:08 Fashion Meets Utility 47:32 Hip Clips Comeback 51:26 Wearables Versus Phones 54:47 Which Strap To Buy 58:49 Hotline Metaverse Question 01:04:53 Mobile Metaverse Reality 01:08:00 VR As AR Feature 01:11:17 Wrap Up Subscribe: http://goo.gl/G5RXGs Like The Verge on Facebook: https://goo.gl/2P1aGc Follow on Twitter: https://goo.gl/XTWX61 Follow on Instagram: https://goo.gl/7ZeLv Watch The Vergecast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/40RFRkg The Vergecast Podcast: https://bit.ly/3WQDexZ Decoder with Nilay Patel: http://apple.co/3v29nDc More about our podcasts: https://www.theverge.com/podcasts Read More: http://www.theverge.com Community guidelines: http://bit.ly/2D0hlAv Wallpapers from The Verge: https://bit.ly/2xQXYJr Shop our Verge merch store here: https://bit.ly/4kPCmEc Subscribe to The Verge: https://bit.ly/3FT6n5S Subscribe to The Vergecast on YouTube, new episodes on Tuesday and Friday: https://bit.ly/3I6nJtz If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content. For more information about our ethics policy, visit: https://bit.ly/3ZWTlLs