The tech world is buzzing, and this past week, We were at IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung) in Berlin, soaking up all the latest gadget and tech trends. After a week surrounded by laptops, next-gen chips, foldable phones, and even wireless kitchen appliances, I’ve got a lot to share. Seriously, this year was a whirlwind, packed with more announcements than I’ve seen at a trade show in a long time.
Normally, we structure my breakdown into three neat stories, but this time?We’re just going to lay it all out there—buckle up! You’ll want to hear about everything from laptop trends to tech that charges kitchen gadgets wirelessly on your counter. Wild, right? Let’s dive in.
Main Trends and Announcements at IFA 2024
The biggest theme at IFA this year was simply: laptops. Almost every major brand rolled out fresh models, and the push largely centered around two key catalysts: Intel’s new Lunar Lake chip and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X+ chip launch.
Laptops: From Budget to Premium
Let’s start with the Snapdragon X+ chip. This new mid-range powerhouse comes with 8 cores, down from 10, and features a weaker GPU. On paper, this might sound like a slight downgrade, but it’s actually great news for anyone wanting affordable Windows on ARM machines. More competitive pricing will become possible, with devices like Lenovo’s 16-inch ThinkBook starting at just $749. That’s a solid entry price for Snapdragon-powered laptops.
On the flip side, premium laptops are still commanding big numbers. Premium models start at around $900 and shoot up past $2,000—depending on what you’re after. One standout was Lenovo’s Aura Edition laptops, which we’ll cover in more detail next.
Premium Laptop Features: Lenovo’s Aura Edition
The Lenovo Aura Edition laptops were definitely show-stealers. Lenovo has been working tirelessly on these “imagined with Intel” devices for years, and they hit the market on the super-premium end of the scale. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition starts at €2,700, an eye-watering price, but Lenovo justifies it with some slick features.
Warm Welcome from Intel
These laptops reportedly feature souped-up versions of Intel’s latest Lunar Lake chips, providing slightly more performance than the general releases. It’s subtle, but for those doing high-end work—editing, designing, and so on—that extra kick might make all the difference.
But the headline feature everyone’s talking about? It’s something they call “tap-to-connect.” You can tap your phone—iPhone or Android—anywhere on the laptop screen, and your phone’s camera feed opens up instantly. This takes phone-to-laptop integration beyond simple things like drag-and-drop file transfers. It’s powered by the Intel Unison app and it’s surprisingly smooth.
Other perks include the Smart Care app. Unlike AI-based bots, this app gives you 24/7 human support. Yep, actual humans. That’s becoming rarer every day, and it’s an appealing benefit on such a high-end machine.
Innovative and Conceptual Laptop Designs
Beyond the practical upgrades, there were a lot of wild, conceptual designs being shown off. Let’s talk about two that grabbed attention: Lenovo’s Auto Twist and Acer’s Project Dual Display.
Lenovo’s Auto Twist Magic
Picture this: a laptop that moves as you do. The Lenovo Auto Twist features a motorized 360° hinge, allowing the screen to automatically follow you around. Say you’re giving a presentation, and you need the screen to rotate as you move—this concept will do exactly that. Oh, and it’s voice-controlled. Just ask it to open or close the lid, and boom, it’s done.
Sure, it’s still in the proof-of-concept stage, but it’s exciting. We wouldn’t mind having a laptop that can obediently swivel to follow me as I move between meetings. It’s futuristic—and perhaps we’re closer to the future than we thought.
Acer’s Strange Surprises
Acer also had two of the quirkiest laptop innovations of the week. First up, “Project Dual Display.” This concept involves pressing a button on the laptop to pop out the trackpad, turning it into a game controller. At the same time, the speakers slide out from the sides. The controller even snaps together magnetically, similar to the flexibility of the Nintendo Switch. It’s wildly different—but, surprisingly, it functioned decently in demos.
Acer also introduced live-trackpad monitoring—but not the kind you’re used to. They added a visual indicator that lights up whenever your laptop’s NPU (Neural Processing Unit) is active. To be honest, I’m not quite sure why we’d need to know when the NPU kicks in, but hey, it’s a feature, and it’s available on Acer’s shipping models.
Foldable Phones & Future of Charging: Honor’s Innovations
Alongside laptops, there were some big smartphone and charging announcements, too.
Honor Magic V3: The World’s Thinnest Foldable?
The Honor Magic V3 made waves as the thinnest foldable phone in the world, now heading to global markets at a starting price of €2,000. I’ve been testing it for about a week and will likely dive deeper into how it manages to be this thin. Foldable phones are getting more and more refined, and this just feels like another step in that direction.
Wireless Charging in Your Kitchen?
Now, here’s an interesting one. The Kitchen finally got a gadget! The wireless charging standard for kitchens, called “Ki,” was officially unveiled at IFA. Instead of charging your phone, Ki can charge small kitchen appliances, and it’s designed to be integrated directly into countertops. So you can just set down your blender or coffee maker, and it powers up. It’s similar to the Qi wireless charging system used for phones but for kitchen gear instead—hence the name Ki (get it?).
With backers like Philips and Midea, Ki has serious potential. It’s supposed to deliver 2.2kW of power, enough for most common kitchen appliances. They promise it works even as you slide your device around (as long as it’s not moved too far), and better yet, the charging surface doesn’t get hot. How efficient is it really? That’s something I’m going to keep an eye on.
Other Tech Announcements Outside IFA
IFA wasn’t the only hotbed of news this week. Let’s step outside the trade show for a moment and talk about some other cool tech announcements worth noting.
Remarkable’s Paper Pro
Remarkable dropped its third-generation Paper Pro, a $500 e-ink tablet with a color display. At 11.8 inches, the screen is not only larger but also more responsive. Every time I see Remarkable’s products, I wonder how productive I could be if I were more of a paper person. Their devices just look so sleek and simple, but for now, it’s just wishful thinking.
GoPro Hero 13 Black
GoPro also unveiled the Hero 13 Black, priced at $399. It boasts a bigger battery, magnetic mounts, and new lenses. While they’ve made plenty of updates, the image sensor remains the same as the Hero 12 Black. Is that a letdown? Maybe a little, but GoPro users might enjoy the other improvements.
Industry Updates and Developments
Now, let’s get into some deeper industry news. This week wasn’t just about launches—it also came with some sobering developments in manufacturing and tech standards.
Intel’s Manufacturing Woes
After showcasing Intel Lunar Lake at IFA, Intel had some bad news to share. The company announced that they’re canceling their 20A manufacturing process and skipping straight to 18A. Officially, they’re trying to spin this as a show of momentum for 18A, but let’s be real: this isn’t great news.
Their next big chip series, Arrow Lake, was supposed to be produced using the 20A process. Now, it seems likely that those chips will be produced by TSMC instead. On top of that, Reuters reported that Broadcom, Intel’s biggest customer for 18A, found their tests unsatisfactory. Intel really needs a big win in manufacturing, but it’s not looking fantastic at the moment.
Bluetooth 6.0 is Coming
Bluetooth 6.0 is on the horizon with something pretty cool: true distance awareness between devices. This could create an alternative to ultra-wideband (UWB) tech, allowing you to know the exact distance between two Bluetooth-enabled devices. It’s a subtle yet powerful addition.
Microsoft and Sony News
Microsoft Co-pilot Update
Over at Microsoft, they announced plans to reveal the next phase of their Co-pilot AI on September 16. We don’t know much about what’s coming, but it could be a pretty big next step for one of Microsoft’s largest AI programs. Stay tuned.
Sony Concord’s Rise and Fall
In gaming news, Sony launched Concord—and then two weeks later, yanked it from the market after selling just 25,000 copies. That’s an incredibly short shelf life. Our guess? Sony likely wrote off the game as a loss for tax purposes. Instead of letting it limp along, this allows the company to cut further investment and claim that loss to reduce their taxable income. It’s a sad fate for the game, but business is business.
