IFA 2017, Europe's answer to the Las Vegas tech circus that is CES, is just around the corner. The tech world will once again descend on the German capital of Berlin, a smart speaker in one hand, a bottle of pilsner in the other and with an insatiable hunger for the latest gadgetry (and currywurst sausages).
Traditionally a white goods, home appliances show, IFA has expanded over the years to cover the full gamut of consumer technology. So, for every connected fridge freezer and robot vacuum cleaner we're expecting to see this year, there will also be a healthy smattering of brand new phones, laptops, TVs and high-end audio gear to worry your wallet with.
As ever, TechRadar will be trawling the show floor, foregoing a healthy lunch and natural sunlight to bring you the best that IFA 2017 has to offer. But while you wait for the show to kickoff, read on for our hopes, predictions and expectations on what's set to take the show by storm.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Europe's annual technology blowout
- When is it? Officially, IFA is open to the public from September 1 to 6, but press (like TechRadar) have access a few days earlier
- What's on show? Everything from Wi-Fi fridges to smartphones, giant companies like Samsung to first-time start-ups
Samsung at IFA 2017
IFA 2016 was all about the smartwatches for Samsung, but it's looking likely the company will take a bit of a different tact at this year's conference.
Keen to shake the explosive image of its embattled Note line, Samsung is likely to use IFA 2017 to showcase an all new Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Likely getting revealed a few days prior to the show's official opening, IFA 2017 will most probably be the first opportunity for anyone outside of the Samsung dev team to get some quality time with the big-screen device.
Though tablets are less of a concern for the company these days, there's a good chance Samsung may put out a slate to compliment this year's Galaxy Tab S3, while the Gear 4 smartwatch making an appearance would continue Samsung's tradition for displaying wearables at IFA.
And then of course there's the smart home. Samsung's been touting its 'Smart Things' ecosystem for years now, but with the explosion in voice-activated speakers and affordable Internet of Things devices, it's a steadily growing area. With the white goods interaction the connected home offers, IFA 2017 will be the perfect stage for Samsung to show off some more of its efforts in the space. As for TVs, Samsung's already shown off its 2017 range, so don't expect any massive announcements like the unveiling of its Quantum Dot technology, but it may still find room for a 2018 TV tech tease, or a mad, never-to-be-affordable concept screen.
Sony at IFA 2017
Sony always puts on a good show at IFA, holding back a few flagship announcements for the autumn showcase along with some concept devices to set the mind wandering into the far-flung crazy tech future.
We're fully expecting Sony to continue with its traditional 6-month flagship phone cycle, meaning IFA could be a good platform at which to launch the rumored Xperia X2.
Android tablets don't really take the headlines anymore, but Sony's slick, slim waterproof models are still among the best to sport the Google OS. We'd love to see another make an appearance. Likewise, Sony doesn't seem as keen on smartwatches anymore, but new TVs, headphones, speakers and even some camera equipment are all safe bets for the show floor.
Huawei at IFA 2017
Huawei loves IFA. The Chinese brand has used the Berlin stage to go from cash-rich smartphone upstart to... cash rich genuine mobile player.
It'll continue its rise towards the smartphone elite this year, with the company likely to show off its Mate 10 phablet and mid-range Nova additions at this year's event.
Huawei also often uses IFA to waggle its wearable-adorned wrists, so expect an update to the Huawei Watch line, and iPad Pro bothering MediaPad tablets.
Philips at IFA 2017
IFA 2017 is always a good show for Philips. With one foot in the living room with its TVs and... several other feet in other rooms of the house with its connected tech line-up, there's always a diverse array of products on display from Philips.
The company has already hinted at a sparkling new connected toothbrush product, but its connected lighting Hue equipment always gets a nod, its Fidelio speakers could get an Alexa-enabled smart injection, and its TP Vision-powered screens get an annual refresh too. It's Ambilux UHD TV from a couple of years back was a showstopper – here's hoping they've something similarly mad this year too.
The rest
There are hundreds of exhibitors at IFA 2017 – the above are just those that have given the biggest hints at what to expect from their labs at this year's show. We'll keep this page updated with all the biggest leaks and news in the run up to the show, but here's the five-second rundown on some of the other major players in the industry yet to show their hands.
Acer: Having launched an insane curved screen Predator 21X gaming laptop at IFA 2016, expect similarly-mad gaming focused hardware, making use of Nvidia Max Q tech at this year's show.
Alienware / Dell: Gaming all the way here – 4K screens and Max Q internals will again take top billing.
AMD: Ryzen 3 is unlikely to make an appearance at IFA 2017, but AMD's having a good run at the moment against its GPU rival Nvidia, so expect to see some gaming gear with AMD internals garner praise.
Asus: Zenfone Android devices will likely make an appearance, but rarely bother than Android top-dogs. What's always fun though is the ASUS gaming gear – Republic of Gaming desktops, monitors and pixel pushing laptops will be the most exciting items on show from Asus.
HTC: With phones taking a back seat at recent show's for HTC (with the exception of the 'A' line), virtual reality gear is likely to be HTC's show focus if it makes an appearance. An impressive mobile headset or the fully-fledged HTC Vive 2 kit would be a show stealer, if the company was ready to show its hand in both cases. Unlikely, but we can dream.
Harman Kardon (JBL/ AKG): The audio giants always hit IFA hard, with everything from luxury headphones to Bluetooth speakers and smart audio gear on offer from each of the three brands. Don't be surprised if Alexa makes an appearance in some of its items this year.
Intel: With Kaby Lake out in the wild, expect to see plenty of laptops, convertibles and desktops running Intel's speedy and power-efficient processing tech.
Nokia: Hot on the heels of its Nokia 3310 revival, Nokia (as a phone company) is on a relative high. While it's not yet given away any IFA 2017 plans, it'd be the perfect time to show off its rumored Nokia 9 Android flagship.
from TechRadar - All the latest technology news http://www.techradar.com/news/ifa-2017
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