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Smartphones and smartwatches should once again be the talk of the IFA tech show in Berlin, Germany, with new devices expected from Samsung, Huawei and Sony, just six months after the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
Chinese manufacturers will be heading to IFA en masse, where Lenovo is lined up to announce pricing and availability for its Moto Z, unveiled in June. This top-of-the-range smartphone can be hooked up to external modules (e.g., speaker, pico projector) to add functionality. The firm could also present a new smartwatch, following in the footsteps of its famous Moto 360, released two years ago.
Xiaomi could unveil the Mi Note 2, a ramped-up version of its 5.7-inch high-end smartphone. Huawei, on the other hand, is due to present a replacement for its Mate S, revealed at last year’s IFA, as well as a new smartwatch. Taiwanese manufacturer Asus is expected to bring its entire Zenfone 3 range and its new ZenWatch 3 watch to the German event. These new wearables from Huawei and Asus will showcase the full range of possibilities on offer from Google’s Android Wear 2.0 operating system.
While Samsung will evidently be presenting its Galaxy Note 7 — unveiled early in August — its most eagerly awaited revelation at the Berlin show is a new-gen version of the Gear S3 smartwatch. Samsung’s wearable is in line for a more powerful processor but will still run the firm’s own Tizen OS.
Sony is set to cause a stir with a new flagship handset called the Xperia XR, succeeding the X Performance smartphone presented back in spring. Sony will no doubt be bringing its PlayStation VR headset too, with the IFA falling just a few weeks before it goes on sale.
French tech firm Archos will present its low-cost Helium range of smartphones at this year’s IFA, with the 50f Helium, 55 Helium and 55 Helium Ultra, which go on sale after the event. Visitors can expect to see all kinds of other connected devices on show at IFA 2016. In 2015, the IFA consumer technology show welcomed some 1,600 exhibitors and 240,000 visitors.