Oompah bands, Bavarian bierkellers, techno and technology. And yes, it's this time of year again: IFA 2019, Europe's largest technology fair, is gearing up for its annual exhibition in Berlin. Outside of CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, this is one of the biggest dates on the tech calendar, with brands like Samsung, LG, Sony, and many others vying for attention. Present your latest technologies. From phones to TVs, speakers and computers, IFA 2019 will cover the full gamut of consumer technologies. So what should you expect from IFA 2019? Which manufacturers will bring the biggest guns and will there be surprises for us? Let TechRadar editors fill you in on one of the biggest tech shows of the year.
What do you want to know
- What is IFA? IFA, held every year in Berlin, is the largest European conference on consumer technologies. It features upcoming releases from some of the world's leading electronics brands. Its origins date back to 1924, when it began as a radio convention.
- When is IFA 2019? IFA 2019 will take place from September 6 to 11, 2019. However, the press will be quick to access the site and some releases will be revealed before the show. So expect to hear from IFA about a week in advance. , increasing as of September 4.
- What brands do they exhibit? If you're dealing with a consumer-centric tech company, you can bet your bottom dollar will be yours, from Acer to ZTE and everyone else. Some companies may organize separate events outside the main Messe conference center in Berlin, but almost all will be present. The only missing big name will be Apple, which still chooses not to use IFA or CES.
Latest IFA 2019 news and rumors
Hundreds, if not thousands of exhibitors will line the halls of the Messe conference center in Berlin for IFA 2019. A complete show where drone designers rub shoulders with microwave manufacturers. Navigating the show and all its news can be a nightmare. So, on the eve of the floods announced to silence the newspapers, here is a summary of what we expect from all the major players.
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Acer
Computer company Acer is still hosting shows during IFA, and for 2019, it's even hosting a keynote session, during which we hope a lot of its scope will be revealed. The IFA tends to be the place where the Acer Predator gaming lineup gets updated and is often where Acer debuts with concept products, like the Predator 21X laptop or notebook. Acer Predator Thronos gaming chair. He expects to see a good performance from the company.AMD
With its next-generation Ryzen 3000 processors and Navi rDNA graphics architecture designed to power the Xbox Scarlett project and PS5 consoles, AMD has its hands full for the moment. Although she is usually present at IFA, we do not expect big announcements from the company this time around.
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Blackberry
The blackberry! Yes, do you remember those phones? They are not quite in the way of the dodo yet. There's been some buzz around the BlackBerry brand with a new phone (now made by TCL) coming in 2018 in the form of the BlackBerry Key2 LE. But with no sign of Key3 in 2019 so far, and the general fortunes of brands not showing any signs of recovery any time soon, we'd say it's pretty unlikely we'll see a phone bearing the BB name at IFA this year.Dell
We expect to see many new products from Dell at IFA 2019. Dell could surprise us with another XPS product or use this opportunity to adapt its other product lines to current IT trends. In previous years, Dell and Alienware were really wild cards at IFA. If there's one area that could make headlines, it would be in your gaming hardware. So beware of the Alienware material that will come out of the series.
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fossil
Wearable technologies continue to perform very well at IFA and Fossil often announces new watches. Could the Fossil Sport 2 appear? Otherwise, expect other brands, like Michael Kors or Diesel, to fill this watch-shaped space around your wrist.Garmin
Like Fossil, Garmin likes to use IFA with a range of wearable devices specifically designed for sports. But this year the situation is slightly different, after the start of a series of busy announcements. Expect to see variants of existing Garmin lines, rather than new features.HP
The Houston-based computer maker is generally not very successful at IFA, preferring Computex or CES rooms. We might see a new product or two launched at the show, but not much more than that. Strange things have happened.
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Hisense
With its first line of OLED TVs finally in stores, Hisense will be doubling down on its technology at IFA 2019, as one might imagine. Its current price is high for high-end OLED TV, but it lacks some of the more premium features offered by the competition. Although the brand tends to target the budget and affordable market, we expect to see at least one Prestige Package that targets more luxurious features at a more affordable price.honor
Here's one that might be a bit surprising. Honor has announced the launch of Honor Magic 2 at IFA in 2018, but has also run an additional promotion around the previously announced Honor Play game. The Honor 9X, 9X Pro, and Honor Band 5 have just been launched in China. Could IFA be your first European album? Whatever the case, since the company is under the Huawei umbrella, expect the parent brand to talk about it more often.
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Huawei
Last year, Huawei booked its highly-anticipated Mate 20/20 Pro launch after IFA, but introduced the range with the Mate 20 Lite in Berlin. We could see something similar here, with a mid-range phone released, perhaps going by the name of the Mate 30. You probably won't see a flagship launch though, the company is now all for its own personal shows. The company is also interested in smart speaker technology, as the AI Cube is both an audio device and a 4G router. Could a 5G upgrade be in the cards? We also got to see Huawei launch a new MateBook during the tech event. Its laptops, like the Huawei MateBook 14, are among our favorite laptops. That's why we're looking forward to seeing other computing products from the company.Intel
Intel will be present at IFA 2019. The competition against AMD is tougher than before, so we expect them to be relatively big at IFA. We believe that Intel could have XNUMXth generation Comet Lake processors, as well as project Athena laptops.
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Lenovo
The company behind Motorola laptops and phones has hosted a huge evening event titled "Tech Life", scheduled for IFA 2019, which will feature numerous products. It's likely that more of Lenovo's flagship products for 2019 could be unveiled here, including the new Yoga and ThinkPad devices. Don't forget that Lenovo is throwing more and more into the smart home arena. We were very impressed earlier this year by Lenovo's Smart Clock, for example. Don't be surprised if this adds more to your smart home range.LG
TV and home theater technologies will undoubtedly be the main draws of LG's exhibit at LG's IFA, as the company (as the only real tech maker) continues its praise. of its OLED TV technologies. It also tends to have mid-range phones at the show. In 2018, it's all about the LG G7 One and the LG G7 Fit, which are coming out of the line at lower prices. On the audio side, we expect the partnership with UK experts Meridian Audio to be fruitful. But LG is an industry giant and is involved in virtually every imaginable consumer technology space, from freezers to laptops to displays to robotics. Last year, his CLOi robots were the highlight of the show.
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Motorola
Lenovo's phone branch has become a hope for those looking for high-end smartphone features on a budget. Moto usually has one or two phones to show off at IFA. In 2018 we had the Motorola One, a respectable mid-range device, for example. While it is unlikely that a new flagship product will be created in Berlin, it is certain that more mid-level people can predict if past exhibitions are not lacking.Philips
The European arm of Philips' TV division (read: better) can't show up at CES, we're expecting big things from the brand at IFA 2019. The manufacturer now has time to shine and we're expecting a flashy new OLED Ambilight's flagship product will will launch at the fair. Plus, Philips is expanding its audio offering by dusting off its neglected Fidelio range. Once upon a time there was a powerful helmet player - could he return to regain his position?Samsung
The IFA once represented a big phone demo for Samsung; literally, this is where the company first introduced its wide range of Note smartphones. But absent any new launches at the 2018 show, and the company is unlikely to have anything major in terms of phones, tablets or wearables after its Galaxy Unpacked event on August 7 (where we expect to see the Note 10, Watch Active 2 and even the Galaxy Tab S6), expect a quieter mobile offering from the brand at IFA 2019. Don't totally exclude it, though, because it always has a press conference and a significant presence at the show. He expects it to focus on its extremely bright QLED TVs. Like LG, Samsung is involved in many consumer media. So if you're in the market for a new connected washing machine or fridge/freezer, wait until you see what the IFA 2019 press conference has to offer.
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