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All the Top New Gadgets at IFA 2024
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Europe’s premier tech conference, IFA, has kicked off and is serving up a smorgasbord of new smart home devices with a light smattering of phones and other consumer tech. After running to press events and stomping the hall floors in Berlin, I've found the best morsels for your delectation. From folding phones and smart security cameras to home energy management solutions and self-emptying vacuums, these are the most noteworthy product announcements from the tradeshow.
Updated September 6: We've added a few more cool things we saw at the show.
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Ki Brings Wireless Charging to the Kitchen
You know about Qi wireless charging for your phone, but did you know that the organization behind it, the Wireless Power Consortium, has also been developing the Ki (pronounced kee) standard for your kitchen? Ki can deliver power wirelessly through a kitchen countertop to operate cordless blenders, kettles, rice cookers, and other kitchen gadgets. It uses magnetic induction, like Qi, but can deliver more power. Anything that requires up to 2.2 kW can potentially be powered by Ki.
I first saw a demo of this tech at CES a few years ago, but it is beginning to take shape at IFA, with manufacturers like Midea showing off working prototypes on its stand. Since Ki-powered devices can be cordless, they can also be dishwasher safe, and there will be no need to worry about outlets and cables. The idea is that folks will be able to mix and match from different manufacturers, and in addition to Midea, the likes of Beko, Philips, EGO, and Miele have shown interest. But the tech has the old familiar chicken and egg problem: Why buy a Ki device without a Ki transmitter? And vice versa. One possible route into kitchens for Ki is inside induction stove tops, which could also be a fantastic space saver for smaller kitchens.
The Midea stovetop I saw could recognize gadgets like a blender and kettle, and you can control them from a touchscreen panel on the induction hob, which also works like a regular stove top when you put a pan on it. The Ki hob uses NFC to recognize gadgets, and it has a small control panel for you to set precise temperatures and access recipes. Midea's Matthew Hunter demonstrated the hob for me on the show floor and said they are targeting 2025 alongside the Ki certification release, but there’s no word on the price.
LG’s Affectionate Intelligence
The LG stand at IFA was designed with the help of a sci-fi writer and firmly focused on how AI might help us in our daily lives. Instead of artificial intelligence, LG used the saccharine term “affectionate intelligence,” but its cute household robot felt distinctly dystopian to me. The poorly named LG Self-Driving AI Home Hub (I can’t believe they have not yet thought of a cutesy name) is a two-wheeled bot with cameras inside that can read bedtime stories to your kids, control the lights, and patrol your home. The big emoji eyes and the way it moves (for example, rocking from side to side when it’s excited) give it tons of personality. It is powered by LG’s Furon tech, which draws on multiple large language models, so it can answer to its name, avoid obstacles, and even invent stories based on your kid’s pictures. Part smart hub on wheels, part robot guard dog, the LG Self-Driving AI Home Hub is certainly interesting, but there’s no timeline for release just yet, and it’s safe to assume it will be pricey if it ever does hit the market.
Another weird but charming device on LG’s stand was the LG Puricare. This air purifier is designed for households with cats and has a lovely rounded seat on top that’s the perfect size for your kitty. My cats love a raised vantage point like this. Even better, the seat is heated for maximum feline comfort, it detects when your cat jumps on top and turns the noise down so as not to disturb them, and it even weighs your cat and alerts you to any major changes that might indicate health problems. There’s no word on a release date or price, but an LG rep on the stand assured me it is a real product coming out soon.
Belkin Has Travel Chargers and Headphones
With a wide range of new charging accessories focused on travel and several new releases in its rapidly growing audio range, Belkin had a very busy IFA. Our favorite Apple 3-in-1 from Belkin is not travel-friendly, but one of the new releases is a version that folds flat to slide into your case or bag. I also really liked the folding Qi2 chargers with spots for your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, particularly the model with the stylish material finish. Belkin also showed new speedy power banks with integrated cables and some new USB-C cables with a high percentage of GRS-certified postconsumer recycled thermoplastic.
On the audio front, Belkin showed off an affordable headset, the SoundForm Rhythm ($35), for working from home with a mic that mutes when you fold it up. There was also a new set of wireless headphones, a higher-end set with ANC, and a fresh version of its earbuds for kids. For folks who find wireless earbuds uncomfortable, Belkin has the SoundForm Clearfit Open-Ear Wireless Earbuds ($60), which hook over your ears and sit on top of your ear canal. They are very comfy and sound pretty decent to me.
TCL Switches On Max E-Ink Mode
There’s no doubt that TCL’s matte ebook reader-style displays are easy on the eye, but its previous budget Nxtpaper phones were a one-trick oddity. The new TCL 50 Pro NXTPAPER 5G (£280) has a special physical switch on the side to toggle between Normal, Color Paper, and Max Ink modes. If you go Max Ink, it silences notifications, switches to wireframe app icons, and promises to extend battery life up to a full week. The non-pro version is almost identical.
Both have a 6.8-inch Nxtpaper display with a 120-Hz refresh rate, a 5,010-mAh battery (up to 33W charging), and a triple rear camera (108-MP main, 8-MP ultrawide, 2-MP macro), but the Pro gets a 32-MP front-facing camera and 512 GB of storage, while the regular version has an 8-MP selfie cam and 256 GB of storage. They cost €299 and €229, respectively, but might not be coming to the US.
Climbing Robot Vacuums
Now that we have robot vacuums capable of precise navigation, floor mopping, and even dusting in corners, what's left for them to conquer? Stairs. It's their greatest nemesis, and Dreame (pronounced dreamy) showed off a robot vac prototype at IFA with a leg underneath that can detect stairs and lift the front to climb them. It even has a shock absorber inside to ensure it doesn't damage the floor coming back down. The catch is it can only handle steps of around 1.5 or 2 inches in height right now.
The newest Roborock robot vacuum, the Qrevo Curv, can pull off the same trick, detecting rugs and other slight steps and using its front wheel to lift over them. And then there's the SharkNinja PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro with a 20-mm tilt for rugs. I cannot wait for this future of stair-climbing and obstacle-hopping vacuums.
Acer Has a Handheld Gaming Console
The Acer Nitro Blaze 7 is the latest competitor to enter the handheld gaming console arena, and it is another Windows handheld that looks much like the Asus ROG Ally X (6/10, WIRED Review). It has a 7-inch, 1080p, IPS screen that goes up to a 144-Hz refresh rate, 16 GB of LPDDR5x SDRAM, up to 2 terabytes of storage, and the Ryzen 7 8840HS processor with AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics. I got a quick hands-on with one running Horizon: Zero Dawn and it was surprisingly light and comfy to use, though the demo unit was warm and dropped a few frames occasionally. It seems very much like what we've seen before, but will presumably undercut the competition in price, which Acer hasn't announced yet.
Acer also released a slew of laptops, desktops, and monitors, but the DualPlay concept laptop with a pop-out controller jumped out at me. Slotted into the Predator laptop with magnets, the controller acts as a trackpad when it's baked into the laptop, but you can pop it out and use it as a controller for gaming, and even split it into two like a Switch Joy-Con. The DualPlay also has a pair of 5-watt speakers that can pop out on each side to better annoy everyone around you. Again, this is a concept, so it's unclear when or if we will ever see something like this in a real product.
HMD’s Fusion Is a Modular Phone
HMD is on a roll. It released the first Qi2 Android smartphone several weeks ago (though we had some issues with the implementation), and more recently, it unveiled the Barbie Phone. Now, it’s time to get funky with the HMD Fusion. Teased back at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, this $299 Android smartphone wants to bring back the modular smartphone concept popular around 2016 (remember Moto Mods and Google’s Project Ara?). It might actually work this time because Apple’s MagSafe system has normalized sticking magnetic things to the back of a handset. HMD has also open-sourced its tech, so anyone can create “outfits,” as HMD likes to call them. There are smart pins at the base of the phone, so unlike MagSafe accessories, these outfits can transmit data with the phone wirelessly and even draw power from the Fusion’s battery.
To start, HMD is making a handful of these outfits. There’s a gaming controller outfit that adds controls to the sides of the phone, turning it into a gaming handheld of sorts. Some mods are simple, like the one that adds wireless charging support, while others are more complex, like the Rugged outfit. This makes the Fusion more durable with an IP68 water resistance rating and even adds an SOS and push-to-talk button. There’s an outfit that adds a flash not unlike a ring light, and you can swivel it to face the front of the phone so you’re well-lit while capturing selfies. HMD showed off some outfits made by fans too, including a projector, an E Ink back panel, and a solar panel that folds out the back of the phone to recharge it. The company isn’t bringing these to market but wants to help people create and sell their own outfits.
The Fusion otherwise seems like a solid $299 smartphone, with a 108-megapixel primary camera, a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, and a 5,000-mAh battery. It will get two Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates, and several components on this phone are user-repairable. You can just remove the screws to get into the internals, and parts will be sold at iFixit for seven years. Opening up the phone won’t even break the warranty. The Fusion will be sold in the US during the fourth quarter of the year (sometime between October and December). —Julian Chokkattu
Honor’s Folding Phone Is Super Thin
There were a few devices on show from Honor at IFA, but the headliner was the impressive Honor Magic V3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), the thinnest folding phone yet, with some interesting AI features you can read about in our review. At just 9.2 mm folded, it makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 feel chunky. It's a shame it's not sold in the US.
Honor also launched the MagicPad2, a 12.3-inch OLED Android tablet with a smart pencil and a snap-on keyboard for a laptop vibe and productivity-focused AI features, like voice-to-text, and formula and handwriting recognition. The Honor MagicBook Art 14 and Honor Watch 5 round out the new lineup. (Honor hosted WIRED at its media event at IFA and paid for a portion of our reporter’s travel expenses.)
Deepfake Detector
As deepfakes continue to evolve, the myriad ways they may potentially threaten us are growing rapidly. Scammers are already using deepfake technology to impersonate real people during video calls, so the ability to detect them is crucial. A part of Honor’s dive into AI includes a new deepfake detection system the company demonstrated at IFA. Running in real time on an Honor laptop, the detector was able to scan a video call and determine the likelihood of tampering. It's a prototype, but it will likely roll out to Honor devices as a software update when it's ready for prime time.
Tado Wants to Integrate Home Energy
Heating specialist Tado wants to be a one-stop shop for home energy management. I reviewed Tado’s Smart Thermostat V3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) a while back, and the company has since launched its X range, which includes a heat pump optimizer and radiator thermostats with rechargeable batteries with Matter support. It announced a new wireless smart thermostat for the X range at IFA, which is set to launch in the UK in November.
Tado also showed off some interesting new app features designed to help folks with solar panels take full advantage of the power they generate. Tado’s new solar forecasts help ensure that solar is channeled into your heat pump or EV charger, and the app can drill into real-time usage, though home batteries seem like an obvious missing piece in the home energy puzzle.
Intel Launches Lunar Lake Processors
It’s tricky to get excited about Intel’s Core Ultra 200V laptop CPUs until you consider its promises of faster frame rates and longer battery life. Intel says Lunar Lake chips will beat Qualcomm and AMD on several fronts including gaming and AI performance in the thin and light laptop class. The overhaul has a strong focus on power efficiency, so your laptop battery might be the biggest winner. (A general trend we've been seeing on Copilot+ PCs.)
They also have Wi-Fi 7 baked in, along with Bluetooth 5.4 and at least two speedy Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. New versions of the Dell XPS 13 and Asus Zenbook S 14 featuring the chips are imminent and many more will follow. These are some of the first “Copilot+ PCs” capable of running specific AI tasks not powered by a Qualcomm chipset.
Aqara Announces a New Smart Home Range
There was a raft of interesting announcements from smart home brand Aqara at IFA, including the Valve Controller T1, capable of automatically shutting off water or gas in your home in response to leak detection. Aqara also revealed a Garage Door Controller T2 Kit, capable of controlling two garage doors and adding support for geofencing, voice assistants, and automation through Matter-enabled platforms. The releases kept coming with a new Smoke Detector, several smart switches, the new LED Bulb T2, and tighter integration with Matter, Home Assistant, and Tesla. Aqara’s unique Voice Mate H1 is a battery-powered device for voice controls that only wakes when you pick it up to maximize privacy.
The Camera Hub G5 Pro caught my eye, since the Aqara Camera Hub G3 is one of our favorite indoor security cameras. The G5 is Aqara’s first outdoor camera, and it comes in Wi-Fi or PoE (power-over-Ethernet) versions with on-device AI for face recognition, and vehicle, pet, and package detection. It also has a built-in Zigbee 3.0 hub, can sync to cloud or local NAS servers, and offers wide compatibility with smart home standards including Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings, but most interestingly it supports Apple HomeKit Secure Video, which few outdoor security cameras currently do. It even has RTSP support for streaming to NVRs and video servers.
Asus’ New Laptops Go All-In on Intel
There was a cluster of laptops from Asus at IFA, or maybe an array, whatever collective noun you prefer. Asus released five new Intel-powered Copilot+ PC laptops: the Zenbook S 14, Vivobook S 14, Vivobook 14/16 Flip, and ExpertBook P5 which start from $1,000. They all have Intel's shiny new Core Ultra Series 2 processors and will get Copilot+ AI tools starting in November. The Zenbook S 14 seems to be the pick of the bunch, with a 3K, 120-Hz OLED touchscreen, a big 72-Wh battery, and a lovely keyboard.
Anker Has New Batteries
We are big fans of Anker’s phone accessories, as you can tell from our buying guides like the Best Portable Chargers, Best USB-C Cables, and Best Wireless Chargers. The new MagGo range unveiled at IFA includes a super portable 3-in-1 charger that folds up like a macaron, a simple stand for your iPhone that can spin it 360 degrees, and a couple of new power banks with embedded Apple Watch chargers. All are Qi2, which means they charge fast and support magnet connectivity, just like Apple's MagSafe standard.
Anker's growing Solix line of portable power stations also has a new addition: the X1 Hybrid Single-Phase Energy Storage System. This is a permanent, modular home battery, think Tesla’s Powerwall, that can act as a backup, store solar panel energy, and help you buy or offload to the grid when it’s the most cost-effective. It's set to launch in the UK and Europe soon, but it may be a while before it lands in the US.
Eufy Lights Up IFA
Anker’s smart home brand Eufy makes some of our favorite security cameras and robot vacuums, but it's now branching out into smart lighting. The Outdoor Spotlights E10 will cost $100 apiece, offer up to 500 lumens, and link seamlessly with its security cameras. Naturally, there's AI inside for “curated lighting themes,” a music mode for parties, and voice control via Google Assistant or Alexa.
There’s also the Indoor Floor Lamp E10 and a set of Permanent Outdoor Lights E22 that stick to your gables and light up your home. They all look familiar. Philips Hue and Govee should consider themselves on notice.
SwitchBot Empties All Your Vacs
The releases from SwitchBot at IFA were positively eclectic. The SwitchBot K10+ Pro Combo ($800) stood out to me, as it combines a robot vacuum and a versatile cordless vacuum cleaner into a single base station that charges and automatically empties both. I also love the idea of the new Air Purifier Table ($270). Why not make the top of your air purifier useful? The table is a handy surface with Qi wireless charging for your phone and an adjustable light underneath, which can also change color to reflect your air quality.
As a fan of SwitchBot’s latest Curtain Bot, a retrofit solution to give you smart drapes, I also like the look of its new smart Rollershade ($200). It comes in various sizes and finishes and supports the Matter standard for easy connectivity. SwitchBot also revealed the SwitchBot Evaporative Humidifier which can be refilled by its Floor Cleaning Robot S10, though the robot vac’s base station must be plumbed in.
Expanding beyond the smart home, SwitchBot had a surprise with the SwitchBot Wallet Finder Card ($25), a slim smart tracking card to slip into your wallet that works with Apple’s Find My network. It's a weird tangent from SwitchBot's other offerings.
Satechi Also Has a Find My Accessory
There are lots of new Find My devices now that Apple has opened up its tracking network, and this one from Satechi is designed to ensure you never lose your passport. The Satechi Vegan-Leather Passport Cover with Find My ($60) boasts four card slots, wireless charging capability with five-month battery life, Bluetooth 5.2, RFID protection, and integrated Find My technology.
Continuous Recording in 4K
Reolink’s new Altas PT Ultra security camera can record continuously in 4K, offers impressive color night vision, and promises 360-degree coverage with smart detection of people and automatic subject tracking. Reolink is an increasingly attractive choice for folks who prefer to avoid a subscription in their security camera and want to record locally. The company also has a new Battery Doorbell that offers 2K footage and the same smart detection features and local storage as its cameras. Its wired predecessor made our Best Video Doorbells guide, and we recently added the Argus 4 Pro to our Best Outdoor Security Cameras guide, so these new releases have piqued our interest.
Aukey Makes Wireless Charging Cool
If you get anxious about your phone heating up when you wirelessly charge it, Aukey has a new range of wireless chargers for you. The MagFusion 3-in-1 Pro ($130), MagFusion Gamefrost, and MagFusion Dash Pro feature Aukey's weirdly named Omnia-Frez cooling system, which can cut temperatures by up to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius). Daring to be different on the design front, the 3-in-1 looks like a microphone, the Gamefrost is a stick-on fan, and the Dash Pro is a car dock. All are Qi2-certified to deliver up to 15 watts. I can see the car dock being very handy on sunny road trips where my phone often overheats.
Twelve South Has a Charger You Can't Lose
The new PlugBug from Twelve South is a clever new charger you can't lose. If you tend to forget chargers in cafés, friends' houses, or anywhere else, the new PluBug range might help because it has Apple's Find My built in, enabling you to track its location on your iPhone or MacBook. The PlugBug 50 ($70) is a 50-watt charger with two USB-C ports, the PlugBug 120 ($120) is a 120-watt charger with four ports. Both models also come in a Travel version containing a travel case and switchable adapter plugs for the US, UK, EU, AU, KR, and CN.
DTS Uses AI to Make Movie Dialog Clearer
Do you often find yourself straining to hear what the actors on your telly are saying? You are not alone. Mumbly actors, quiet voice tracks, and booming music and sound effects all contribute to TV frustration. DTS says it has the answer. The on-device, AI-based DTS Clear Dialogue technology processes audio in real time to pick out voices and make them easier to hear. It is content and language-agnostic and has the potential to allow viewers to create their own tailored listening profiles. We just need some TV manufacturers to license the tech and stick it into a smart TV you can buy.
Philips Hue Finally Updates Its TV Sync Box
Great news for console gamers craving some light-syncing action on the big TV. The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K is finally here. By plugging consoles, Blu-Ray players, and streaming boxes into this gadget, you can have your Philips Hue lighting sync to the onscreen action. The previous version lacked HDMI 2.1, but the new model has it, so you can enjoy 4K at 120 Hz or 8K at 60 Hz. Sadly, it is not any cheaper than its predecessor at $350 (£300 in the UK) just for the box.
Thread Sews Your Smart Home Together
The latest version of the wireless protocol Thread has been officially released at IFA and is open for certification. Thread underlies Matter to form a fast, low-power mesh network that enables smart home devices to talk to each other. It is a crucial component for Matter’s adoption and success, so it is welcome news that Thread 1.4 includes proper integration, ensuring different Thread devices form a single mesh. Currently, each Thread Border Router, whether it’s an Apple TV 4K or a Google Nest Hub, creates a separate network, which is against the whole idea of interoperability.
The Thread group is also working to make it easier to troubleshoot your Thread network and control it remotely or hook in data from the cloud, and will now allow Wi-Fi and Ethernet to extend range and stability. It may be a while before we see all this, but at least it is now possible.
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