BERLIN – From folding phones to solar-powered speakers and watches that track your body temperature around the clock, innovation abounds at IFA 2023.
Europe's biggest consumer electronics trade show returned for its 99th year this week, attracting more than 2,000 technology vendors from nearly 50 countries to the sprawling Messe exhibition hall in Berlin. With close to 140,000 square feet of floor space filled with booths from the likes of Samsung, LG, Hisense, Honor, Bosch, Fitbit, Miele, Panasonic, Sharp, SpaceX, TCL, and Tesla—just to name a few—there was a lot to see, and we racked up our step count trying to get to it all.
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)Notably, the iconic IFA sign outside the Messe got a bit of a makeover this year—transforming from its usual bright blue to a classier navy tone as you can see from the image above, making it easier to identify coverage from journalists who are on the ground. After spending the week in Berlin taking in as much of the show as possible, these are the upcoming products and technologies we're most excited about.
Best Robot Vacuum
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)DreameBot L20 Ultra
There were tons of robot vacuums on the IFA show floor, but the most innovative one we saw was the DreameBot L20 Ultra. This high-end hybrid floor cleaner boasts a unique AI-powered MopExtend feature, which Dreame says allows it to mop closer to wall corners and edges than the competition. When the robot's sensors identify wall corners and edges, it automatically moves its mopping pad out to the side to close the gap.
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)The DreameBot L20 Ultra otherwise offers many of the same features of premium 2-in-1s like the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni and the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra, including the ability to wash and dry its mopping pads and refill its own water tank.
When mopping, it scrubs with two spinning pads, similar to the Deebot X1 Omni and the Bissell SpinWave Wet and Dry. When it encounters carpet while mopping, it can either automatically avoid it, or raise its mopping pad like Roborock and Ecovacs models and continue vacuuming. Or, you can also remove the mopping pads for vacuum-only runs.
Dirty and clean water tanks in the DreameBot L20 Ultra base (Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)For vacuuming, it offers up to 7,000Pa of suction power and supports automatic dustbin emptying. The DreameBot L20 Ultra is slated to go on sale this month for $1,499.99.
Meanwhile, just about every robot vacuum on the IFA show floor this year supports self-emptying. Manually emptying a dirty dustbin after every cleaning job is a real drag, so we're happy to see that self-emptying is becoming a standard robot vacuum feature.
Best Bluetooth Speaker
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)Urbanista Malibu
Urbanista already offers a range of light-powered headphones, and now it's extending solar technology to speakers. The Urbanista Malibu is a Bluetooth speaker with an integrated Powerfoyle solar charging panel on top that allows it to juice up its own battery whenever it's exposed to light. That includes sunlight and indoor light.
Its IP67 rating means you can take it on all your outdoor adventures because it's protected against sand, dust, and dirt, as well as water. When you're at home, just leave it near a window, and it'll stay charged all the time so it's ready whenever you want to jam out.
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)The Editors' Choice-winning Urbanista Los Angeles over-ear headphones and the Urbanista Phoenix earbuds boast the same solar-charging technology, and it worked well in our real-world testing. Despite not plugging in the Los Angeles headphones during our testing period, they never ran out of battery. Similarly, we had no issues getting the panel on the Phoenix to charge with an LED lamp but found that bright sunshine works best.
The Malibu doesn't support voice control so it's a smart speaker, but it works with a mobile companion app that features customizable EQ controls and light-charge monitoring. The Urbanista Malibu will be available starting in late September for $149 and comes in black and gray colorways.
Best Headphones
(Credit: Tim Gideon)Jabra Elite 10
Jabra’s flagship Elite 10 noise-cancelling true wireless earbuds are in the same category as the top-end models from Apple, Bose, and Sony. They feature large, 10mm dynamic drivers that deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. The earphones ship with Bluetooth 5.3 and support the basic AAC and SBC codecs. The IP57 rating is impressive for noise-cancelling earphones, which makes them a good potential workout partner. Jabra estimates that the earbuds can last roughly six hours per charge and that the case holds an additional 21 hours of power with ANC on. The Elite 10 earbuds deliver top-tier noise cancellation and a powerful, low-frequency response and have an excellent companion app to help manage them. These well-rounded earphones are certainly worth their $249 price.
Best Smartphone
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)Honor Magic V2
Honor says its Magic V2 folding phone is the thinnest and lightest book-style smartphone on the market at 0.39 inches (9.9mm) thick and 8.15 ounces. The Google Pixel Fold comes in at 0.5 inches (12.7mm) folded and 10 ounces, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is 0.53 inches (13.5mm) when closed and weighs 8.92 ounces. The device can withstand over 400,000 folds and relies on a titanium alloy cover over its hinge. The Magic V2 folds flat without any gap between its halves.
The outer OLED display measures 6.43 inches with a resolution of 2,376 by 1,060 pixels for a density of 402ppi and a peak brightness of 2,500 nits. The inner OLED screen measures 7.92 inches with a resolution of 2,344 by 2,156 pixels for a pixel density of 402ppi and a peak brightness of 1,600 nits. Both displays have a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, which should make for smooth scrolling and animations.
The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and all models have 16GB of RAM. The Magic V2 is offered with either 256GB or 512GB of storage. The device houses a 5,000mAh battery and supports up to 66W wired fast charging. The Magic V2 uses Honor's MagicOS, which is based on Android 13. As for connectivity, the Magic V2 supports Wi-Fi 7, 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC.
The phone will go on sale in the EU and UK later this year, but there's no word on pricing yet.
Best Wearable
Withings ScanWatch 2 (Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)Withings ScanWatch 2
When it comes to smartwatches, design is arguably just as important as a device's features and battery life. The Withings ScanWatch 2 appears to deliver on all fronts, with the same timeless look and 30-day battery life as its predecessor, plus new sensors for all-day body temperature tracking.
Withings says its TempTech24/7 technology allows the ScanWatch 2 to more accurately track your body temperature from the wrist than competing devices. The module "combines a breakthrough miniaturized heat flux sensor (measuring energy transit) with a high-accuracy temperature sensor (measuring ambient and skin temperature) alongside heart rate and accelerometer input calibrations to deliver a best-in-class body temperature variation assessment," Withings explained.
Whereas the Apple Watch Series 8, the Oura ring, and most wearable devices that track body temperature only do so at night for accuracy, Withings is so confident in its TempTech24/7 technology that it will also offer measurements during the daytime, when your body temperature is more likely to be affected by environmental and lifestyle factors like ambient air temperature and exercise. In addition to measuring fluctuations from your baseline around the clock, the ScanWatch 2 will track your workout temperature variation zones, a feature Withings says can assist fitness performance and recovery.
Withings ScanWatch Light (Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)Alongside the flagship ScanWatch 2 ($349.95), Withings at IFA introduced a pared-down ScanWatch Light ($249.95) for those just starting out on a path toward wellness. The Light version does not offer electrocardiogram (ECG), blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), or body temperature measurements, but it supports activity, sleep, and heart rate monitoring, as well as a new menstrual cycle tracking feature added this generation.
The ScanWatch 2 and the ScanWatch Light are available for pre-order now and are slated to launch this October. The ScanWatch 2 comes in 38mm and 42mm case sizes while the Light model has a 37mm case.
Best Laptop
(Credit: Matt Buzzi)Lenovo Legion 9i
IFA isn’t known for launching new laptops, but Lenovo’s liquid-cooled Legion 9i would be hard to ignore in the biggest crowd of new notebooks. This machine goes all-out for enthusiast gamers, combining elements of the company’s popular Legion Slim and Legion Pro lines with some cool “firsts” to create an elite, super-powerful gaming laptop. (Expect a towering price, of course: It starts at $4,399.)
With a 16-inch panel in a chassis that measures less than an inch thick, the Legion 9i crams in an Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. A closed-loop liquid cooling system—fully contained within the chassis, and a first among laptops—keeps that rip-roaring GeForce chip in check. Also, the carbon-fiber lid has a unique finish: The fiber textures show up in random patterns, so no two Legion 9i lids will look alike. Factor in all-around RGB lighting and extensive connectivity, and the 9i could be the gaming laptop of your dreams…if you can afford it.
Best Gaming Gear
(Credit: Joe Osborne)Lenovo Legion Go
Following the Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch, handheld gaming consoles have never been more popular—and the field has never been more crowded. Lenovo’s first play for a piece of this pie is its $699 Legion Go. We spent some time with the Legion Go and now feel the PC giant may have earned that dessert.
Like the competing Asus ROG Ally, the Legion Go runs on Windows 11 powered by an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. That’s backed by 16GB of DDR5 memory and up to 1TB of storage space. Impressive, but it’s the 1600p, 144Hz screen that stands out: At 8.8 inches, it’s the biggest and sharpest screen on a handheld console to date.
The Legion Go’s Switch-style twin detachable controllers are also major differentiators. The controllers include a built-in touchpad, a large D-pad, an angled mouse wheel, and 10 mappable buttons and triggers. Whether Windows-powered handhelds can compete with the Switch and the Steam Deck remains to be seen, but keep your eye on the Go when it releases this October. We didn’t want to put it down.
Best Concept
(Credit: Toni Kretschmer / Honor)Honor V Purse
The Honor V Purse is a folding concept smartphone that doubles as an accessory. When folded, the screen wraps around both sides of the outside (rather like the Huawei Mate X smartphone), and an attached strap makes it easy to carry like a purse. It's missing a place to hold essentials like lipstick and face powder, but its folding form factor combined with the ability to change the design on the screen and swap out the strap to match any outfit is a very cool idea.
@angela_pcmag Hands on with the Honor V Purse concept phone. With mobile payments, it’s almost perfect. It’s only missing a place to hold lipstick and face powder. But the folding form factor with the customizable strap and the ability to change the design to match your outfit is so cool. What do you think? Is this the future? #HonorVPurse #IFA2023 #Berlin #conceptphone #techtok ♬ Good as Hell - LizzoThe Honor V Purse is a gimmick for sure, and this concept device may actually never make it to market, but it could offer a glimpse into the future of foldable phones that are also a fashion statement.