Wow, just wow. Day 1 of MWC started with a bang as top names in tech unveiled the gadgets they’ve been cooking up. The geekiest amongst us may have been following up on the rumors leading up to some of these, but it’s always new and exciting once you actually get to see and play with these gadgets in person.  Sure, we ran into a few duds. But for the most part, our team had a blast taking notes on what they felt looked most promising amidst the excitement and festivities.

Without further ado, we’d like to show you our top highlights from day 1. Oh, bear in mind they’re not in any particular order. Just keep an eye out on these guys:

Yezz: Andy AZ4.5 

In a nutshell, the Yezz Andy AZ4.5 is a sleek smartphone for mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa. Okay okay, we’ve seen many phones for seniors in the past, but they don’t hold a flame to this one. The Andy AZ4.5 is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz processor (we’ll leave it to you to tell them what it means) and runs on a simplified version of Android. And of course, the icons are larger than conventional smartphones.  Anyone who’s hard-of-hearing could make use of the voice assistant, and there is a SOS button located at the back of the handset, just in case.

What does all this mean? We are witnessing the beginning of usable smartphones for senior citizens! This will help pull senior citizens out of the smartphone sidelines, get over the intimidation-factor, and be able to enjoy the conveniences that come with owning a smartphone.

Sony: Xperia Lineup 

In true Sony fashion, their lineup created quite a lot of buzz. They launched a series of waterproof and dustproof tablets and smartphones. You know, because don’t you hate it when you spill your entire cup of iced coffee all over your smart devices? In all seriousness though, the offerings are impressive.

The Xperia Z2 tablet is only 6.4mm thick, and weighs 426g for the Wi-Fi model, and 439g for the LTE/3G model. The Xperia Z2 and M2 smartphones are also waterproof and dustproof. The Z2 phone shares many of the same features as the Z2 tablet, including noise-cancelling technology. The feature Sony is pushing hardest is the 1/2.3-inch 20.7MP camera, which they claim to be the “world’s best mobile camera.” No, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard such a claim, and certainly not the last. But we are curious to see if the device does end up living to the bold claim.

Alcatel: Fire C

Smartphones for the masses! Alcatel joined forces with Mozilla, and unleashed the new Fire C. It’s not just another pricy smartphone. In fact, it isn’t pricy at all! The unlocked version is expected to cost merely 59 euros. The Fire C features a 3.5-inch HVGA screen, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, VGA camera, and will run under the Firefox mobile operating system. The features may not seem impressive offhand, but come on – you can’t go wrong with a smartphone for that price for the kids, or for people that don’t care for the glitz and glamor offered by the iPhone and popular Android phones.

This is a great affordable entry-level smartphone. Once this phone hits the market, it’ll be pretty tricky for your one friend to come up with a legit excuse over why he/she still doesn’t own a smartphone.

Samsung: Galaxy S5 

Oh Samsung. They went there again. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S5. Note: S5, not 5s.

The S5 features a larger screen than the S4, and comes with a fingerprint reader and greater battery life. The phone is also water-resistant (not water-proof.) The phone will survive being at the bottom of a meter-deep pond for a good 30 minutes – not bad! Additional features include a 16-megapixel camera and an AMOLED screen. Oh, and those of you who don’t like covering your phones with cases will love the leathery feel on the back of the phone.

Check out this awesome review by MKBHD to become better acquainted with the Galaxy S5, which he jokingly refers to as the 4s.

Our team can’t wait to see how MWC 2014 continues to unfold, but we will keep our eyes open for more buzzworthy trends.

Please share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter, Google+, or Facebook where we are always listening.