IFA is the start of a busy season of tech releases and is home to numerous high-profile launches from some of the biggest brands in the world including Samsung, Honor and more.
Taking place in Berlin, Germany, IFA tends to have a particular focus on audio and smart home tech. That’s not to say there’s not more variety though, as this year has seen numerous computing releases and a smattering of standout smartphones.
Our product experts have been trawling the show floor, attending multiple product briefings and getting their hands on the new tech to get the lowdown on everything new. Below you’ll find a selection of the very best.
Honor Magic V3
Foldables have been criticised for being too thick in the past, but that’s not the case with the Magic V3 – Honor’s latest book-style foldable.
This is up there with the thinnest foldables we’ve ever held, and it feels all the better for it. There’s a hefty 5150mAh battery inside, fast 66w wired charging and a very good set of cameras on the back. This is a fantastic foldable that looks great, too.
Samsung Premiere 9
The Samsung Premiere 9 ultra short-throw DLP 4K projector delivers incredibly bright, vibrant and punchy HDR images thanks to its triple-laser light source.
Add in impressive accuracy, a genuinely immersive Dolby Atmos sound system, extensive gaming features and a comprehensive smart platform and you have a fantastic alternative to large TVs.
Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406)
Launched on the eve of IFA, the Asus Zenbook S 14 is a stunning machine powered by the Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) chipsets
AI features, including those included in the CoPilot Plus software layer, are here as is a lovely 14-inch OLED display, standout design elements and a good port selection.
Honor MagicBook Art 14
A sleek, ultralight laptop with a whopping 14.6-inch 3K OLED touchscreen and top-end processing power, Honor’s MagicBook Art 14 manages to stand out from an ever-popular sea of lightweight laptops.
We’re also big fans of the privacy-focused modular webcam tech that allows you to simply remove the webcam from the top of the screen when not in use.
Ninja Luxe Cafe
Ninja’s first range of coffee machines brings something different to the table. While they look and act like manual espresso machines with an integrated grinder, the Luxe Cafe range does so much more, including making a wider range of drinks than normal (everything from espresso to cold brew and filter), and they help you get the right grind for your chosen drink.
Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum
Packed with technology, the PowerDetect cordless vacuum cleaner can automatically detect dirt levels and floor type to get the right power level.
This cleaner also has edge detection, adjusting power to the left or right side of the floor head to aid pick-up at the edges of rooms, and is as effective when pulled back as pushed forward.
Roborock Qrevo Curv
Aside from unheard of levels of power in a robot vacuum cleaner (18,000Pa), the Qrevo Curv also has the AdaptiLift Chassis.
This lets the robot lift its entire body 10mm off the ground, for deep cleaning thicker carpets; or it can lift each side independently to climb high thresholds (up to 4cm) and navigate tricky obstacles, such as sled-leg tables.
Acer Project DualPlay
Acer showcased Project DualPlay at IFA 2024 and we can’t stop thinking about it. This gaming laptop concept includes detachable controllers and pop-out speakers built directly where the touchpad would typically be, enabling multiplayer play on the go.
SwitchBot Roller Shade
We’ve had smart blinds before, but the SwitchBot Roller Shade is the first adjustable model, with widths from 22.8-inches to 72.8-inches.
It then works with your choice of blind, and you can even replace your blinds when you want to update your room. It’s compatible with SwitchBot’s app and Remote, plus it’s Matter compatible via a SwitchBot Hub.
Yaber K3 Pro
There’s nothing too unusual about another portable projector being announced at IFA, but this ‘Pro’ version on the Yaber K3 gives its built-in audio solution a boost with an external subwoofer.
If the complaint about home cinema projection is that the sound has never really matched the images, then the Yaber K3 Pro could be one of the first to properly solve it.
Soundcore Space One Pro
Some of our favourite budget headphones in recent years have come from Soundcore, and there’s every chance the Space One Pro will be the best yet.
These premium cans pack advanced noise-cancelling tech, with six microphones – including four feedforward mics – and an expanded acoustic chamber. A Smart Chat feature lowers the volume automatically when you’re talking and battery life is estimated at 40 hours.
MSI Claw AI+
The Claw AI+ is the first portable gaming PC to run on Intel’s new Core Ultra (Series 2) chipsets giving it a power boost and a range of AI features.
Elsewhere, there’s an 8-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS display with a variable refresh rate, 16 or 32GB RAM and an 80w battery.
Ztove
Induction hobs are typically set using an arbitrary power scale; the Ztove induction hob is different, using precise temperature controls instead.
Cooking using a selected temperature has advantages, such as pans not boiling over, as well as offering precision cooking while using only the exact amount of energy required.
Samsung Bespoke AI Laundry Combo
While washer-dryers are machines of convenience and great for people without much space, they’re not the most efficient devices.
The Samsung Bespoke AI Laundry Combo changes that, using heat pump technology for the dryer to get a A-grade efficiency rating for the wash and dry cycle, and being 20% more efficient than the A-grade efficiency threshold for the wash cycle.
Technics SC-CX700
The SC-CX700 is Technics’ first bookshelf speaker aimed more at the lifestyle enthusiast crowd but not skimping on features either.
Aesthetically it looks nice with its Alcantara-like skin, and it has all the connectivity you’d want to connect to your gear with HDMI, optical, phono out, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options. And it sounded pretty good from our brief listen in not the best of environments. Technics could be on to a winner.
Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360
The first laptop in the Book 5 series, this sleek machine packs Intel’s new Core Ultra (Series 2) chip for some fantastic performance and a huge selection of AI skills, including those previously restricted to machines with Snapdragon chips.
On the front, there’s an AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and Dolby Atmos speakers, while a S Pen is included in the box.
Technics SL-1300G
Technics rarely serves up misfire with its turntables, so we’re expecting the same high quality performance from the SL-1300G that’s aimed more at the hi-fi crowd than the DJ one.
This is a model where Technics have gone to great lengths to reduce the impact of vibrations to deliver the high quality sound you’d expect from a brand with as rich a tradition as Technics.
Reolink Atlas PT Ultra
With a massive 20000 mAh battery, this dinky security camera can record continuously for a whole week from just a single charge. Impressive stuff. You don’t need to record for a week though, as this will last for a full year if you use event-based recording instead.
There’s smart auto tracking too which can tell the difference between people, animals and vehicles plus all the footage is recorded to a microSD card meaning no fees or subscriptions.
Bluetooth Auracast
Auracast has been talked about a lot since it was announced a few years ago, but we’ve never had the chance to really experience what it’s about, just hear what it could do.
In person, it’s an impressive piece of tech that could open up your headphones to all the devices around you. At a sports bar and want to hear the commentary? Just tap and the audio is beamed to your headphones. Want to share music with your friends? You can do that with a tap too. Worried about missing out on your flight announcement at the airport? You won’t have to if you’re tuned into the gate’s tannoy. And it does with barely any noticeable latency.
DTS Clear Dialogue
As TVs have gotten slimmer and prettier, the sound has gotten worse. Well, with DTS’ Clear Dialogue feature, they aim to make clear what’s being said on your TV so you’re not missing a word.
In reality it works, reducing the impact of the background noise by using machine learning to figure out what’s dialogue and what’s not. It won’t be for everyone, but for those who need it, you’ll be able to hear what’s said in your favourite Christopher Nolan film again.
TCL NXTFRAME TV with Audio by Bang & Olufsen
There’s been a big emphasis in recent years on TVs that fit with the mood of your home, and TCL’s TCL NXTFRAME TV does that with its slim and minimalist looks.
But what caught our eye at the company’s booth/presentation was the subwoofer that comes with the Pro model, making up part of a sound system created by Bang & Olufsen. That has us more excited than the design or the images this TV is capable of.
Acer Nitro Blaze 7
The Nitro Blaze 7 is Acer’s first handheld gaming PC and it could rival some of the big hitters in this growing category. With its 7-inch Full HD IPS touch screen and AMD Ryzen 8840HS processor, the Nitro Blaze 7 is ideal for gaming while travelling or otherwise out and about.
XGIMI Aura 2
The XGIMI Aura 2 is a sequel to a projector we gave four stars to a few years back, and it looks as if XGIMI has improved it in several ways.
Aesthetically it’s much nicer looking, carrying more of a natural, lifestyle look than the previous model. The distance from which you can position it near the wall is 17.8cm, meaning it takes up little space in a living room, able to produce an image of 100-inches from that distance. And with Dolby Vision and IMAX Enhanced support, from what we saw, it looks like it could exceed the original’s brilliant picture quality.
DJI Neo
The DJI Neo is a dinky, selfie drone that looks both ridiculously cute and seriously fun to use. It’ll cost $199 when it launches and can follow you around, orbit overhead or hover with just the press of a button. There are some return-to-home capabilities onboard too and can be paired with a controller for greater control.
The Neo shoots in 4K at 30fps and 1080p at 60fps while there’s also support for 12MP photos.
