IFA 2024: the biggest announcements and coolest gadgets
The IFA tech show is celebrating its 100th year. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The VergeLaptops that twist, robovacs that can climb, and AI in everything; here’s all you need to know about everything revealed at Europe’s...
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As IFA 2024 wraps up, we’ve got all the news on the biggest announcements, hottest gadgets, and newest places companies found to put AI.
You couldn’t shake a sausage-on-a-stick around the Messe Berlin without poking another laptop with AI. The most fun was Lenovo’s Auto Twist AI PC, a concept laptop whose screen you can control with your voice.
Acer also popped out a portable gaming controller, and Copilot Plus landed everywhere. Plus, IFA emerged as the staging ground for a brewing battle between Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm over the future of Windows laptops.
On the smart home side, we got gadgets galore, including cool new multi-functional LED wall panels from Nanoelaf and the long-awaited second-gen 8K Sync Box from Philips Hue. Aqara revealed its first-ever outdoor camera, one of just a handful that works with Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video, and Reolink showed off the first battery-powered camera that can record continuously 24/7.
There was a lot of chatter about Matter and Thread — including the arrival of the first Matter controller from a company not called Apple, Google, Samsung, or Amazon, along with the first home appliance to support the standard that you can actually buy.
There were hints that Thread’s troubles to date are causing manufacturers to hit pause on the protocol, as both Nanoleaf and Aqara released Thread products with a backup protocol on board, just in case.
Wireless power arrived in the smart kitchen as Midea debuted the first product to support Ki wireless power. There were new innovations in robot vacuums, including the first small steps toward stair-climbing cleaning machines.
The big takeaway from the show is that AI is here; let's see what we can do with it. From smart homes to laptops, foldable phones to appliances, everywhere you turn, manufacturers are pushing the limits to see what generative AI can bring to their products, as they look for ways to do more for us with less effort on our part.
Nanoleaf launches a smart switch after eight years of trying
Image: Nanoleaf
After nearly a decade of development, Nanoleaf’s smart switch is finally here. You can preorder the $30 Sense Plus Smart Wireless “Anywhere” Switch today, and it should ship in October. But to get to this point, Nanoleaf had to pivot from its adoption of Thread to create a new proprietary protocol called Litewave.
The battery-powered device brings physical control to Nanoleaf’s smart lighting system, allowing you to press a button to turn lights on or off, dim or brighten them, or change light colors. Plus, built-in motion and light sensors let the Sense adjust lighting based on room conditions.
Samsung is putting a ring on your smart home.
An upcoming Galaxy Ring and SmartThings integration enables the smart ring to trigger smart home automations.
A giant super-sized model of the wearable was at IFA this week to demo how your home can respond to biometric signals.
It showed the ring sensing the wearer had fallen asleep or woken up and then starting a sleep routine or a good morning routine. Now that’s an effortless interface.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Dreame’s concept robovac can climb (small) steps.
At IFA this week, Roborock and SharkNinja showed off robot vacuums that can lift themselves up to get over high room transitions, but Dreame went “a step” further.
It demoed its new ProLeap system, which uses retractable legs to navigate very low steps, as this video from The Ambient shows.
The tech is still in development but the company says it should arrive on its product line soon.
Aqara’s new touchscreen smart home controls are super slick.
I love a good tactile dial and a sleek touchscreen for controlling my smart home gadgets, so Aqara’s new Panel Hub S1 Plus and Touchscreen Dial V1 caught my eye.
Both hardwire to existing light fixtures and can control other devices wirelessly — and that physical dial is so nice!
They’re launching in Europe and Aqara says U.S. versions could arrive next year.
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Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
I found a Matter-compatible fridge at IFA. And it’s extra.
The Siemens/Bosch XXL built-in fridge freezer was launched last year, and Eelco Lammertink of BSH tells me it will be upgraded to Matter in early 2025.
“Our ambition is to have our entire product line be connectable via Matter,” he said. BSH is also upgrading its Smart Kitchen Dock to be a Matter bridge, which will allow existing appliances to work with Matter.
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Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
What’s in store for the iPhone 16
Image: The Verge
Imagine an iPhone. But slightly bigger. And slightly faster. Okay, now add another button to the side. Make it gold. You in?
Apple’s next event is on Monday, and the rumors and reports have been swirling for months about what we will and won’t see. New iPhones are a safe bet. New Apple Watches seem to be on the docket, and there’s strong evidence we’ll get some new AirPods, too. There’s even some smoke suggesting a new Mac Mini is in the offing... but that’s probably coming a bit later.
Midea’s new kitchen appliances are the first to use Ki wireless power
Image: Midea
Days after the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) announced it had finalized its Ki wireless power transfer standard, Midea has debuted its first line of cordless kitchen appliances that wirelessly draw all the power they need using the Ki induction technology.
Cooktops that use electromagnetic induction to heat pots and pans have been available in kitchens for years, but Midea is one of the first companies to leverage that technology to wirelessly deliver power to appliances. Its new Celestial Flex Series includes a blender, steamer, and kettle that simply need to be placed on top of an induction plate to run.
This camera can detect wild boars and weasels.
The Camovue is a new outdoor camera from the folks behind Reolink that can send alerts when it detects specific animals.
It can spot up to 12 species, including wild boar, deer (bucks and does), mountain lions, elk, ducks, weasels, cattle, goats, turkeys, raccoons, and foxes.
The company says it's working on adding more critter-spotting capabilities. The camera is slated for launch later this year.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Here’s Switchbot’s unannounced new video doorbell solution.
A camera embedded into a keypad that can stream to a separate video intercom inside your home, Switchbot’s first video doorbell solution also works as a keypad for its smart door locks.
Both components are quite large and bulky, but it's intriguing as an all-in-one solution for a video intercom. This is still a prototype; we expect to hear more about it next year.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
This robot vacuum has two “eyes” to see your floors better.
The Narwal Freo Z Ultra ($1,499.99) uses two cameras to constantly scan while cleaning and adapt to what it spots.
Dual AI chips mean it can identify objects and decide how to clean — get close to chair leg but give pet poop a wide berth, retract its brush when it sees a cable, and activate mop-only when there’s a wet mess ahead.
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Image: Narwal
I found the “dorkiest piece of headgear” at IFA.
Does it look good on me?
EcoFlow’s new $129 Power Hat is possibly the most uncomfortable hat I’ve ever worn — but if it can keep my phone charged while running around IFA in the blistering 90-degree heat in Berlin, it might be worth it.
The company says the hat can charge a 4,000mAh smartphone in a few hours. It’s surprisingly lightweight but unsurprisingly unattractive.
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Trying on the Power Hat. It’s very light but feels like you’re putting a giant piece of plastic on your head.
This smart ring claims to detect sleep apnea.
The RingConn 2 monitors your SpO2 levels while sleeping and promises 90 percent accuracy after just three hours of wear. The company is in the process of gaining FDA approval for the feature.
In the meantime, the surprisingly lightweight smart ring has the standard health-tracking features — including sleep, activity, stress, and heart-rate monitoring. It costs $299, claims up to 12 days of battery life, and doesn’t require a subscription.
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Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Xgimi’s new ultrashort throw projector keeps dust and dirt off its lens
Image: Xgimi
Xgimi has announced an upgraded version of its ultrashort throw projector. The new Aura 2 is smaller and lighter than its predecessor while delivering more brightness, but the most welcome improvement is an automatic sliding cover on top that protects the projector’s lens and helps minimize dust buildup.
Xgimi says the Aura 2 produces 2,300 ISO lumens of brightness from its “Dual Light 2.0” light source that uses a combination of lasers and LEDs. That’s up from 1,800 ISO lumens for the original Xgimi Aura, which should improve the Aura 2’s performance when used in rooms where ambient light can’t be completely eliminated. Xgimi claims the Aura 2 can project an image between 90 and 150 inches in size (measured diagonally), depending on how far it’s positioned from a wall.
Reolink’s battery-powered security camera can record for days without subscription fees
Image: Reolink
Reolink’s new Altas PT Ultra is the company’s first battery-powered security camera that is capable of all-day continuous recording. It doesn’t need power access, so it can be installed almost anywhere, and since it captures 4K video to a microSD card instead of the cloud, there are fewer security risks and no subscription fees.
There are already many battery-powered security cameras that streamline installation, but they’re limited by small batteries that can’t record for more than a day before needing a charge. Reolink’s Altas PT Ultra’s solution to that problem is a built-in 20,000mAh battery the company says has enough power to record for 12 hours per day for up to eight days or four days when recording nonstop around the clock.
Hisense TVs can now sync with these smart lights — no additional hardware required
Image: Yeelight
Yeelight’s array of smart lighting products will now automatically sync with Hisense VIDAA TVs. During the IFA tech conference in Berlin, Yeelight revealed that its app now integrates directly with Hisense TVs, allowing it to capture the audio and video on your screen while relaying matching effects across Yeelight’s devices.
That means you can quickly link up Yeelight’s light strip and its stackable cube-shaped lights to your TV (given that you have a Hisense, of course). That makes it even simpler to set up when compared to some other ambient lighting options from brands like Philips, which requires you to either purchase a Hue Play HDMI sync box to sync your lighting or the Hue Sync TV app, which is only available on some Samsung TVs released in 2022 or later and you have to pay $3 / month or a flat $130 fee just to get it.
Ugreen’s new Uno chargers have cute emoji faces that change when you charge
Image: Ugreen
Ugreen has a new collection of iPhone and USB accessories for IFA 2024 that really turn up the charm. The Uno line is a collection of GaN and Qi2 chargers, cables, a power bank, and a USB-C hub, each featuring a tiny screen solely for displaying robot-like emoji faces.
The most endearing ones by far are the $60 Uno Charger 100W four-port USB and the $70 15W Qi2 magnetic power bank that sticks to MagSafe phones — each looks like a helpful little bot friend you’ve appointed to live on your desk and help with your charging duties. They’re also the most expressive, with their TFT screens that show up to half a dozen different faces to give some idea of the actual charge levels / rates of your device.
Flic is ready to control all your Matter devices
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Shortcut Labs has been openly working toward the goal of turning its smart home hubs — the Flic Hub LR and the Flic Hub Mini — into Matter controllers for quite a while, and now the company tells The Verge it has done it. On Friday, Shortcut will release an update that, according to the company, lets its devices easily act as independent hubs for Matter devices without being part of the ecosystems from companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, or Samsung.
It’s a compelling idea: a way to build out a smart home without turning to one of the big tech companies and the privacy concerns and attempts at lock-in that come with that. Part of the promise of the Matter standard is that it gives users freedom of choice, but we’ve still mostly had to use at least one of those big ecosystems. Flic’s Matter controller update hints at a fuller version of that promise.
SwitchBot made an air purifier that’s also a table and charging station
Image: SwitchBot
Air purifiers are great and all, but they only really do one thing, and they usually don’t look elegant doing it. SwitchBot is trying to change this by making an air purifier that also serves as a table, a wireless charger, and a light source.
The device, aptly named the SwitchBot Air Purifier Table, costs $269.99 and puts a small platform atop the air purifier. You can place a Qi-compatible phone on the platform to charge it wirelessly or simply use it to set down your cup of coffee. Beneath the platform is a light that looks like it could come in handy for subtle nighttime illumination. You can choose from 10 different colors, with options for soft, moderate, and bright lighting; the light will also change color by itself — from green to blue to red — depending on air quality.
Intel strikes back against Windows on Arm
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Windows laptops are getting exciting again. Over the past few years, Apple has dominated the laptop performance and battery life conversation, thanks to its transition to its own silicon. Now, Qualcomm has shaken up the Windows laptop market with its new Snapdragon X chips, even challenging Apple’s power efficiency in its bid to make Windows on Arm successful. With laptop makers already eyeing up AMD chips in larger numbers, it really looked like Intel would be the loser in a laptop chip war, but this week, it began striking back with its Lunar Lake chips and calling out Qualcomm along the way.
At the IFA trade show in Germany, it was clear that a fierce battle is emerging between Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm over the future of Windows laptops. On one side, you have Intel and AMD trying to catch Qualcomm on power efficiency and battery life, and on the other, you have Qualcomm trying to catch x86 on app compatibility and push Windows on Arm laptop price points even lower.
Nanoleaf’s permanent outdoor lights arrive just in time for the holidays.
Announced at CES, the Matter Smart Multicolor Permanent Outdoor lights are now available for pre-order starting at $199.99, shipping in October.
The full-color and tunable white lights feature 30 addressable LED pucks per 15-meter strip with a Kelvin range of 2200 to 6500 and 50 lumens per puck. The lights are trimmable and extendable up to 45 meters and work over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
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Image: Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf’s new wall panels can show off your plants and Funko Pops
Image: Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf is giving its popular smart lighting panels a major refresh. The Nanoleaf Blocks (starting at $199.99) feature edge-to-edge lighting that the company says eliminates hot spots and dark corners, bringing a smoother, more even look. The new Blocks can also be customized with pegboards, shelves, and textured light panels to bring more function to your wall art. They’re available for preorder now and ship in October.
The company announced the new panels during its Nanoleaf Live event on YouTube and will show them off at the IFA tech show in Berlin this week. Nanoleaf is also adding two new features to its desktop app that work with the Blocks, as well as its entire line of smart lights, to offer more immersive lighting experiences.
Lenovo’s concept laptop can unfold itself and turn to face you
Image: Lenovo
Lenovo is back with another twisting laptop, and this time, it can twist itself. Today at IFA, the company showed off its Auto Twist AI PC concept, which has a motorized hinge. It can track your movements and rotate its display to face you as you walk around it and can transform itself into different modes in response to voice commands. The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy got a hands-on — well, hands-off — demonstration.
The Twist AI is a motorized take on the twistable form factor, which dates back more than 20 years. Most 2-in-1 laptops today have 360-degree hinges that let them fold backward into tablet mode with the keyboard facing outward on the bottom. But earlier convertible laptops rotated on a center hinge and then folded over the keyboard. HP and Acer were making them at least as far back as 2002. When HP and Lenovo briefly revived the form factor in 2012, we called them “traditional convertible tablets.” Lenovo did it again in 2023 with an OLED display on one side and an E Ink screen on the other. (That one sounded great, but it didn’t live up to its potential when I reviewed it.)
Lenovo’s new AMD laptops are skipping the US and Canada — save this one.
The ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, which launched as a Snapdragon laptop, will get a $1,699 AMD Zen 5 variant in October with an undisclosed Ryzen AI Pro chip.
North America won’t get: €699 IdeaPad Slim 5 with AMD Ryzen 7000; €1699 Yoga Pro 7 with AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 and a 14.5-inch 600-nit OLED; €999 ThinkBook 16 Gen7+ with Ryzen AI 9 365.
Image: Lenovo
