Europe’s biggest consumer technology trade show, IFA, is taking place from September 4–8, 2026. Companies from around the world will pack into Berlin’s massive Messe exhibition center to show off their wares. IFA sees a host of announcements across audio, TV, wearable, smartphone, and smart home brands, along with some of Europe’s biggest home appliance manufacturers. This year robotics and AI will likely be making a big splash at the German trade show.
It’s the first press day at the IFA 2024 tech show, and Samsung’s giant billboard on the side of Messe Berlin’s City Cube might just hint at what we’ll see inside this week.
The South Korean tech giant’s press conference starts in 15 minutes, and The Verge will be there — as long as I can find some coffee first.
Follow our IFA story stream for all the news.
The modular Solix X1 already announced for the US is now available in Europe in single- or three-phase configurations. LFP battery capacities start at 5kWh and expand to 180kWh with up to 36kW of power output. That’s enough to juice any device — even your EV — for hours, days, or indefinite operation when integrated with solar.
Think Powerwall, but not from Elon Musk.
Samsung’s entry into the Microsoft Copilot Plus AI PCs was the weirdly throttled (and pricey) Galaxy Book4 Edge, but here’s a new 15-incher with Qualcomm’s budget 8-core chip, plus a Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360 backflipper with Intel’s Lunar Lake.
No prices yet, but both boast over 24 hours video playback; the Book5 has a 16-inch, 3K 120Hz OLED display that claims 120 percent DCI-P3 color.
The Zenbook S 14, Vivobook S 14, Vivobook 14/16 Flip, and ExpertBook P5 each have the new Core Ultra 7 and cost between $1,000 and $1,500. You can pre-order the Zenbook today from Asus; the Zenbook and Vivobook should go live at Best Buy in the next couple days. The Expertbook and Vivobook Flips are coming later this year.
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Technically, panel manufacturers showed 600Hz screens years ago, but I believe Acer’s the first to actually announce one with the Nitro XV240 F6! It’s coming early 2025 for $600.
With a 1080p TN panel, it’s a stretch even for competitive gamers. We already had 540Hz screens and 500Hz screens — and the difference between even 360Hz and 600Hz is well under a millisecond. Besides, OLED has better response times.
The 15-inch Vivobook S 15 Windows laptop will come with an eight-core Snapdragon X Plus, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 2880 x 1620 display with a 120Hz refresh rate — all for $900 at Best Buy, available today.
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The Claw was an embarrassment, and MSI quickly announced successors with Intel’s new Lunar Lake instead. But though MSI originally said the “MSI Claw 8 AI Plus” should arrive September, it’s now telling ComputerBase it won’t launch till CES in January.
Just to be clear, the ROG Ally X put the final nail in the original Claw’s coffin. Friends don’t let friends buy an original Claw.
First announced at IFA last year, Switchbot’s new humidifier uses cold evaporation and a 4.5-liter tank that you’ll never have to refill yourself — if you own the Switchbot S10 robot vacuum. The latter can automatically bring water to the humidifier when it’s running low.
The SwitchBot Evaporative Humidifier (Auto-refill) is now available for $239.99 / €239.99. It supports Matter through a Switchbot Hub.
*While streaming Netflix at 1080p with an FHD+ screen at just 150 nits of brightness.
Still, that’s eight hours more than its last-gen laptop in the same test, even with the same battery size and display. The only thing on the spec sheet that’s changed is the processor — to Intel Lunar Lake.
These watches hit a nice balance between style and function without bombarding you with information.
The company’s Hue Secure security cameras sync with its smart lighting to flash red lights throughout your home if there’s a breach and sound a siren. But I don’t think they can lock down the bridge.
Here’s my hands-on on with the new hardware from the launch event at IFA 2023 and you can read more about the Hue Secure features (or lack of them) here.
Bridging older smart home gadgets into Matter is finally fully supported, and cameras are on the horizon, but the new smart home standard still has plenty of unfulfilled promises.
“This would have been the coolest gadget ever if it was released in 1995,” says Jon. 27 inches, 1080p, three-hour battery. $999, shipping mid-October or maybe possibly September.
European tech manufacturers know how to make good-looking cameras.
The new Bosch Eyes Outdoor Camera II on display at IFA 2023 has a sleek look and integrated, full-color ambient lighting in addition to a 1,100-lumen floodlight. It only records in 1080p and costs €350, but compared to most floodlight cameras it’s got some je ne sais quoi. It comes in silver and black, but sadly it’s not coming to the US.
