IFA Berlin has officially kicked off today and will end on September 6. A lot of companies including Samsung, LG, and Sony have already announced a bunch of interesting products at Europe's largest technology trade show, with more to come over the next couple of days from Huawei, HTC, and other big players on the market.
In this post, we're taking a closer look at the devices that have already been announced as well as those that are expected to be revealed at IFA. Just keep in mind that some companies have already shared which products they'll show off in the capital of Germany, while others are keeping things under wraps for now. However, we can make some educated guesses based on what was announced last year and the latest rumors that are making the rounds right now to figure out what exactly we can expect to see.
On a side note, those of you interested in attending the show can purchase tickets online. One-day tickets are available for €49, while two-day tickets cost €72.
Best Android phones (August 2017): our picks, plus a giveaway
Samsung at IFA 2017
As expected, Samsung took the wraps off three new wearable devices at IFA: the Gear Fit 2 Pro, Gear Sport, and Gear IconX 2018. Those of you who have been following IFA rumors on Android Authority have probably already heard about the Gear Fit 2 Pro, as the device was listed on Samsung's Spanish website about a week ago for a short period of time, revealing a lot about it.
It's aimed at the fitness crowd and actually shares a lot of specs with its predecessor, the Gear Fit 2, which made its debut back in June 2016. Both devices feature a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display, a 200 mAh battery, 4 GB of storage, and 512 GB of RAM. However, the new Pro version has a 5 ATM water resistance rating, while last year's model is only IP68 certified.
Improved water resistance also means that the device is a bit larger as well as heavier than its predecessor. Other features worth mentioning are a built-in GPS, heart rate monitor, auto-activity tracking, and swim tracking via Speedo On. The Gear Fit 2 Pro will go up for pre-order today, August 31, for $199 and will be available in stores starting September 15.
The second device announced is the Gear Sport smartwatch and comes equipped with a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display (320 x 320 pixels), 786 MB or RAM, and 4 GB of storage. It packs a 300 mAh battery, which is smaller than the one found in the Gear S3 (380 mAh), the device that still remains the flagship of Samsung's smartwatch series.
The big feature of the Gear Sport is its 5 ATM water resistance rating. This means you can take it with you in the pool as well as in the ocean, as it's certified for use in salt water, although Samsung doesn't recommend you go scuba diving with it. The device is a little smaller than the Gear S3 at 42.9mm, has a built-in GPS, and supports Samsung Pay. However, there's no MST payment option, meaning you can make payments via NFC but not on older magnetic stripe terminals.
Samsung has also introduced the 2018 edition of its Gear IconX wireless earbuds at IFA in Berlin. They pack an 82 mAh battery that offers up to seven hours of standalone time on a single charge, or up to five hours in Bluetooth mode, and up to four hours of talk time. The device comes with a carrying case that has a 340 mAh battery and can quick charge the earbuds in 10 minutes for an hour's worth of battery.
There are capacitive controls on the earpieces that offer a range of options to play/pause, skip to next track or playlist, answer and end calls, adjust volume, and call up the default voice assistant on any paired phone.
To learn more about the Gear IconX 2018 as well as the Gear Sport and Gear Fit 2 Pro, check out our hands-on video below.
LG at IFA 2017
LG has revealed the V30 in Berlin, the phablet that goes head to head with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. As expected, it offers high-end specs along with a design similar to that of the G6.
The device comes with a 6-inch Quad HD+ P-OLED display with 18:9 aspect ratio. It's powered by the latest Snapdragon 835 chipset and offer 4 GB of RAM. You'll find a dual-camera setup on the back featuring a 16 MP sensor with an impressive f/1.6 aperture and a 71-degree field of view, and a 13 MP shooter with an f/1.9 aperture and 120-degree field of view.
The LG V30 is resistant to both water and dust thanks to its IP68 rating and sport a Hi-Fi Quad DAC that was tuned by B&O Play. LG said that the handset will come with B&O Play headphones, although it's possible that could only be for select markets. It packs a 3,000 mAh battery, sports a fingerprint scanner on the back, and has an all-metal body.
As expected, the device doesn't have a secondary screen like its predecessor but does offer a floating bar instead. This is basically a slide-out menu that floats around the screen, can easily be dismissed, and gives you basically the same options as the second display found on the V20. To learn more about the device, watch our LG V30 hands on video below.
The phablet will go on sale on September 21 in South Korea, while the exact release date for the US and other markets hasn't been revealed yet. No word on pricing at this point, but rumors do claim that it will start at $699. There will be four colors available, which are Aurora Black, Cloud Silver, Moroccan Blue, and Lavender Violet.
Sony at IFA 2017
At its press conference at IFA, Sony announced a couple of new Android smartphones. Just as expected, the Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact made their debut, which come with premium processing hardware and a familiar design.
Starting with the Xperia XZ1, the smartphone has a 5.2-inch Full HD display and is powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset. It sports 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage that you're able to expand with a microSD card (up to 256 GB). The device is equipped with a 19 MP Magic Eye camera that allows you to scan your face or your full head and it then renders both of these in 3D with the help of the companion app.
The device is also resistant to dust and water thanks to its IP68 rating, features a 13 MP secondary camera, packs a 2,700 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0, and comes equipped with front-facing S Force Surround sound speakers.
The Xperia XZ1 Compact offers a lot of the same specs but in a smaller package. It has a 4.6-inch 720p display, 32 GB of storage, and an 8 MP selfie snapper. The rest of the specs including the main camera, processor, and RAM, are the same as those on the XZ1.
Both smartphones run Android 8.0 Oreo and are quite similar in terms of design. To learn more, check out the video below.
Additionally, the company also took the wraps off the Xperia XA1 Plus smartphone, which brings a range of Sony's flagship features into a less expensive package. Among these is the 23 MP camera with a 1/2.3" sensor and hybrid autofocus, which can be launched in just 0.6 seconds. It also comes with 5x Clear Image Zoom and Sony's SteadyShot technology for stable recording.
Other specs include a 5.5-inch Full HD display, the MediaTek Helio P20 chipset, 3 GB of RAM, a 3,430 mAh battery, and an 8 MP selfie snapper. Unlike the other two smartphones announced by Sony, this one runs Android 7.0 Nougat.
The fourth and last product Sony unveiled in Berlin is a smart speaker that goes head to head with the Google Home and Amazon's Alexa-powered devices. Called the LF-S50G, it has Google's Assistant on board and is, therefore, capable of playing music from services like Spotify, Google Play Music, and Pandora, letting you know what the weather is like, and even answering any weird questions you might have.
Sony's smart speaker is splash-resistant (IPX3), offers a 360-degree audio experience, and sports a gesture control top that allows you to play music, skip tracks, and adjust the volume. In the US, you'll be able to get your hands on it in October in either black or gray for $200.
Acer at IFA 2017
At IFA in Berlin, Acer showed off two 360-degree cameras called the Holo360 and Vision360. The former features a 3-inch touchscreen, runs on Android 7.1 Nougat, and has LTE capabilities. The main idea behind the Holo360 is that it allows users to capture and edit photos, as well as share them, all from a single device.
It's powered by the Snapdragon 625 processor, which arrived as part of Qualcomm's Connected Camera Platform introduced in 2016. This was designed to help manufacturers bring 360-degree camera devices to market with advanced image processing and networking features, such as the integrated X9 LTE modem and support for up to 24 MP images and 4K video at 30 FPS HEVC (high-efficiency video coding) capture.
The device also sports ImmerVision-certified panomorph optics, said to lack the "barrel distortion" artifact created by typical wide-angle lenses and can stitch videos in real-time. To learn more about it, check out our "Acer Holo360 quick look" post.
You'll be able to get your hands on it for $429 in North America, once it goes on sale in November. It will also be available in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia sometime during Q4 2017 starting at €349.
Acer's second camera, the Vision360, is designed to be used in cars. It automatically starts recording when something collides with your vehicle and takes note of where the incident occurred. The data is then saved both onto the camera as well as in the cloud, just in case.
One more feature worth pointing out is that the camera also shows you exactly how fast you're driving, so you don't have to look down at your speedometer all the time to see if you're going too fast or not. Nice!
In addition to the two cameras, Acer also revealed the new Chromebook 15. It sports a 15.6-inch IPS display that's available in touchscreen and non-touch configurations. Acer said that it's powered by your choice of a dual-core Intel Celeron or a quad-core Intel Pentium processor, and will be available in either 32 GB or 64 GB of eMMC storage and come with 4 GB or 8 GB of RAM.
It has an aluminum design, a 12-hour battery life, and, unfortunately, a higher price tag than Acer's previous Chromebook generation that started at $299. The device will be available in October in the US and Europe starting at $399 and €499.
Huawei at IFA 2017
Huawei has announced that it will hold a press event at IFA on September 2. It looks like the company will show off its AI (artificial intelligence) efforts in Berlin, although there's no word on what exactly we can expect to see. One possibility is a digital assistant that will go head to head with Google Assistant, Alexa, and others.
Is the future intelligent?
Join us #LIVE from @IFA_Berlin 2nd September at 2pm (CEST) and find out… #HuaweiMobileAI http://pic.twitter.com/pbEzEH4EZw— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) August 21, 2017
Unfortunately, the rumor mill has been pretty dry when it comes to any possible devices that Huawei might reveal at IFA. At last year's show, the company took the wraps off the Nova and Nova Plus. Their successors — Nova 2 and Nova 2 Plus — have already been announced in May, but they aren't available in Western markets yet. It's therefore quite possible that the company will officially launch the two devices in Europe at IFA. The smaller of the two smartphones has actually already popped up on websites of various retailers in the Netherlands, revealing that it will set you back €400. Of course, pricing will likely vary from country to country within Europe, as it usually does.
We probably won't see any high-end smartphones announced by Huawei in Berlin, as the flagship P10 series was revealed in February, while the upcoming Mate 10 phablet will make its debut on October 16 in Munich, Germany.
HTC at IFA 2017
Back in February, HTC announced that it only plans to release six or seven smartphones this year. These will either be mid-range or high-end devices, as the company doesn't plan on launching any entry-level smartphones — the competition is too fierce and the profit margins are too thin to justify the effort.
Three of HTC's 2017 phones have already been revealed — U11, U Play, and U Ultra — which means we're expecting to see three or four more by the time 2017 comes to an end. A few of them (probably not all) just might be shown off at IFA in Berlin.
As of now, we have only heard a few things about one of the upcoming device that's codenamed Ocean Life. According to one of our sources, the smartphone will launch as the HTC U11 Life and will feature a 5.2-inch Full HD screen, the Snapdragon 630 chipset, and a two 16 MP cameras (front and rear). What's even more interesting is that it will come with HTC's Edge Sense technology, just like the U11. However, the device is said to launch "later this year," which means it might be revealed sometime after IFA.
If the U11 Life will indeed make its debut towards the end of the year, HTC will likely announce one of the other smartphones it has in the pipeline. The company has unveiled quite a few new devices at IFA over the last few years, and we think that this trend will continue in 2017. Last year, for example, it showed off the One A9s.
Lenovo at IFA 2017
It took a while, but Lenovo finally took the wraps off the Moto X4 at IFA in Berlin. In terms of specs, the smartphone sits squarely in between the high-end Moto Z2 line and the mid-range Moto G series. It sports a 5.2-inch Full HD display and is powered by the Snapdragon 630 chipset. It comes with either 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage, or 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage depending on the market.
The smartphone is equipped with a dual-camera setup featuring 12 and 8 MP sensors and packs a 3,000 mAh battery. The IP68 rated Moto X4 has Amazon's Alexa on board and a new Wireless Sound System powered by French startup Tempow, which allows your phone to truly become the centerpiece of your very own mobile disco. Check the hands-on video below for more info about the device.
In addition to the new Moto smartphone, Lenovo also revealed Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, a new smartphone-based augmented reality experience that you'll be able to get your hand on sometime this holiday for $199.
The box will contain an AR headset along with a Lightsaber Controller and a tracking beacon that must be placed on the floor so it can track the AR headset's movements with its cameras. To play the game, you'll have to download the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges app on your smartphone and insert it inside the Lenovo Mirage AR headset.
In Berlin, Lenovo also showed off the Home Assistant Pack, which is a special dock that can mount a 4-series tablet and basically transform it into a smart speaker assistants with a screen. The mount features a three-watt speaker which helps to boost the audio from your tablet and should get just as loud as a standalone Amazon Echo device.
It will set you back $69.99 when it goes on sale in October, while pricing for compatible tablets starts at $129.99.
Garmin at IFA 2017
Garmin used IFA to add three new devices to its vívo lineup: the vívoactive 3, vívomove HR, and vívosport.
The vívoactive 3 smartwatch is the first device to feature Garmin Pay, the company's new contactless payment platform that supports Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards from a number of major banks. It sports an always-on touchscreen Garmin Chroma display and comes with all of the other features we've come to expect from the company's high-end devices: a built-in GPS, waterproofing, week-long battery life while in watch mode, and Garmin's Elevate heart rate monitor.
The vívoactive 3 also allows you to receive and respond to text messages and social media notifications, app alerts, calls, emails, and more. The black/stainless and white/stainless models will set you back $299, while the back/slate variant will retail for $329.99.
The vívomove HR is quite different when compared to the vívoactive 3, as it's basically a hybrid smartwatch that sports a small digital display located beneath the analog watch hands. The device supports vibration alerts for emails, texts, phone calls, app alerts, social media updates, and more, and allows you to control the music on your smartphone.
As this is a hybrid smartwatch, the battery life is quite a bit better when compared to traditional smartwatches. Sure, the vívomove HR does feature a display, but it will only light up when you turn your wrist. The battery should be good for up to five days in "smart" mode or up to two weeks in watch mode.
There are two variants of the device to choose from. The first is the vívomove HR Sport ($199.99) that comes with a silicone strap, while the second is called the vívomove HR Premium ($299.99) and is a bit more fancy with its leather strap and a full steel body.
Vívosport is the last of the three devices the company revealed at IFA and features an always-on Garmin Chroma color touchscreen display, a built-in GPS, and the Garmin Elevate heart rate sensor that allows you to track your VO2 max and fitness age. Additionally, the device also offers built-in sports apps for walking, running, biking, cardio, strength training, and cycling, and will track your stress levels all day.
The Garmin Vívosport is waterproof and packs a battery that will last you up to seven days in smartwatch mode and eight hours in GPS mode. It will set you back around $200 and will come in a few different color options: black/slate, black/fuchsia, and black/limelight.
In addition to the three products mentioned above, Garmin has also announced a new software update for the fenix 5 and Forerunner 935 devices. It allows the devices to keep track of reps, sets, and rest times during free weight and bodyweight exercises, and adds the ability to track activities like boot camp classes, high-intensity interval training, and more. You can also create customized cardio and strength workouts on Garmin Connect and download them to your watch. The update will roll out to the fenix 5, fenix 5S, fenix 5X, and Forerunner 935 sometime this month.
Final thoughts
In addition to the ones mentioned above, we'll obviously see a lot of other tech companies at IFA in Berlin as well. Asus, ZTE, and Alcatel will be there, just to name a few.
As soon as we hear more, we'll update this post to keep you up to speed with the smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets that might be unveiled. Meanwhile, let us know which of the devices mentioned in this post are you most excited about.
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