BERLIN — IFA 2026, Europe’s largest consumer electronics trade show, officially opened Friday and runs through Sept. 8 at Messe Berlin, with artificial intelligence woven into nearly every category of product on display this year, from smart home appliances to toothbrushes. Last year’s edition drew 220,000 visitors from 140 countries and more than 1,900 exhibitors, and this year’s show appears set to continue that scale. Here are 10 of the standout technologies drawing attention from the show floor.
- Xiaomi 18 Fold. Xiaomi is using IFA week to build anticipation for its new “mid-fold” smartphone, officially launching in China on Sept. 7. The device features a 5.38-inch external display and a 7.58-inch internal screen, powered by Xiaomi’s new self-designed XRing O3 chipset built on a 10-core CPU architecture. The company has claimed the chip delivers significantly improved graphics performance and power efficiency compared with its predecessor, positioning the phone as a rival to Samsung’s and Huawei’s own wide-format foldables.
- LG ThinQ Claw. LG is debuting a new conversational AI agent for its smart home ecosystem called ThinQ Claw, built in part on the company’s earlier acquisition of smart home platform Homey. According to LG, the assistant is designed to understand user intent and context, helping complete tasks by connecting and coordinating relevant services and devices, whether those are LG appliances or third-party smart home products.
- Dyson CameraJet. Dyson is entering the electric toothbrush category for the first time with its $500 CameraJet, a device that combines an AI-powered camera with an integrated water flosser. The camera tracks a user’s brushing pattern in real time and automatically disperses mouthrinse like a water flosser whenever it detects the brush passing over a gap between teeth, allowing users to brush and floss simultaneously with a single device.
- XREAL Aura mixed reality glasses. XREAL is showcasing its new Aura mixed reality glasses at IFA, running on Google’s Android XR platform. Reviewers who tested the device compared the experience to a lighter version of Apple’s Vision Pro headset, noting solid display quality and a maturing software platform even as the broader smart glasses category continues searching for its ideal form factor. XREAL is targeting a release before the end of 2026.
- TP-Link Archer 8 Ultra and Deco 8 Ultra. TP-Link is among the first companies to bring hardware to market built around the still-unfinalized Wi-Fi 8 standard, unveiling its Archer 8 Ultra tri-band router and Deco 8 Ultra mesh networking system at this year’s show. Both devices use the upcoming IEEE 802.11bn wireless standard, with TP-Link framing the products as addressing everyday connectivity problems users actually notice, rather than simply chasing incremental speed increases.
- Acer Project DualPlay Mini. Acer showed off a concept gaming handheld that flips open and swivels to reveal a hidden keyboard, transforming an 8-inch Windows gaming device into a tiny laptop. The concept borrows design language from Acer’s existing Predator Atlas 8 handheld and remains strictly a concept at this stage, with no confirmed pricing, specifications or production timeline. Acer also introduced the market-ready Predator Atlas 7, a smaller 7-inch handheld that will actually reach consumers this year.
- Acer SleepLab Pro. Acer is also expanding into sleep-tracking technology with the SleepLab Pro, a bedside speaker that uses 60GHz radar to monitor sleep stages, heart rate and breathing without requiring a wearable device. The speaker doubles as a sleep aid, offering more than 180 built-in sounds and a 28-day guided breathing program, and Acer has said it will not require a subscription to access core features once it eventually reaches the market.
- XGIMI Aura 3 projector. XGIMI is pushing home projection technology further this year with its Aura 3 model, delivering high brightness output alongside 4K resolution at a smooth 120Hz refresh rate aimed at fast-moving sports and gaming content. Competing projector maker JMGO also showed its N3 Ultimate model at the show, though early hands-on impressions noted some color distortion issues at peak brightness settings.
- Beyerdynamic Aventho Y headphones. The century-old German audio manufacturer Beyerdynamic used IFA to debut its new Aventho Y headphones, featuring a design reminiscent of Apple’s AirPods Max alongside replaceable ear cups emphasizing long-term repairability. The company, long known for supplying professional audio equipment to musicians and recording studios, is positioning the new headphones as a consumer-friendly extension of that studio-grade audio heritage.
- JLab ANC earbuds with Apple Find My integration. Among the more budget-friendly standouts at the show, JLab introduced compact, low-cost active noise-canceling earbuds that incorporate proprietary technology compatible with Apple’s Find My network, allowing the earbuds’ charging case to function similarly to an Apple AirTag for location tracking, all at a notably small size and low price point compared with competing premium earbud offerings.
Beyond these individual products, IFA CEO Leif Lindner emphasized during the show’s opening ceremony that exhibitors continue pushing forward with AI-focused innovation this year despite broader industry headwinds, including a well-documented global memory chip shortage that has driven up component costs across the consumer electronics industry. That pricing pressure has been felt across categories, from smartphones to laptops, even as companies continue racing to differentiate their products through AI-powered features.
Samsung and LG separately dominated this year’s IFA innovation awards, with the two Korean electronics giants collectively winning 11 awards across categories spanning AI-powered appliances, next-generation display technology and audio innovation. LG additionally claimed the show’s top overall “Best Brand” honor, underscoring the intensifying competition between the two companies to establish leadership in AI-integrated consumer electronics across the European market.
With IFA 2026 running through Sept. 8, additional product announcements and hands-on demonstrations are expected throughout the remainder of the show, as exhibitors continue unveiling new devices spanning smart home technology, wearables, gaming hardware and home entertainment systems to the hundreds of thousands of attendees expected to pass through Messe Berlin before the event concludes.
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