IFA Berlin 2017: the best phones, laptops, headphones, and everything else from Europe’s biggest tech show

The IFA technology conference in Berlin this past week blessed us with gadgets. We witnessed the introduction of questionably large speakers, new phones, mixed reality headsets, and even new gaming mice. Much like we saw at CES, virtual assistants also continued to creep into every product. 

As of this summer, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Cortana can all be built into third-party manufacturers' devices, and these new IFA products demonstrate an interest in including them. Most companies either bundle support for all the assistants into one device, or release a specifically designed gadget for each assistant.

Acer is joining the 360-degree video craze with two new cameras, including one designed for your car. The Acer Holo360 is smartphone-sized 360-degree camera powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. The LTE-connected camera comes with a 3-inch display and can capture 4K 360-degree videos. It also runs Android 7.1, making it easy for users to share their videos over social media.

The other camera Acer announced is the Vision360, a camera designed as a high-end dash cam. The Vision360 is designed to film every angle of your car during a collision in 4K, and then upload that footage to the cloud with GPS coordinates and your speed. If your car is stationary and is hit (say in a parking lot) the Vision360 will activate, record a clip, and send your phone a notification, a far better solution than a simple dash cam especially if your vehicle gets hit from behind.

Honor is releasing its Honor 9 phone in a new "robin egg blue" shade. The turquoise is certainly unique, although I'm not sure whether that's a good thing. We all want our phones to stand out, but this blue makes my eyes hurt a little bit? It's just so bright and so turquoise. I want to put it in an Easter basket. It shouldn't leave the Easter basket.

Maybe you're into the pastel trend, though, and are ready to fully commit to that lifestyle, in which case, this is probably a good color for you. The limited edition release went on sale in China on August 16th. It'll be coming to the UK in mid-September for £459.99.

Like anything else in life, IFA is what you make of it. Yes, everyone will experience the big marquee events from Samsung, LG, Lenovo, and Sony, but after that, it’s really up to you to decide how you’re going to digest 22 cavernous halls of new gadgets and technology. My choice? Hall 1, where all the audio gear makes its home. I came to this cacophonous spot to experience Audio-Technica’s new flagship headphones, the ATH-ADX5000, which are priced at a mighty $1,999 and come in a handsome carrying case.

Audio-Technica is a familiar brand to most people, having proven its quality and enduring popularity with affordable in-ear headphones and the widely lauded M50 over-ear cans that are many people’s first taste of higher-quality audio equipment. I’m not a big fan of the M50s myself, but I can see how their more sharp and precise sound can be a major upgrade. The less well-known Audio-Technica, the one that I like very much more, is the brand that caters to audiophiles with headphones like the 2000Xs, 2000Zs, and the lovely and wireless DSR9BTs. Even so, we’re talking about gear whose price hits $1,000, at most, and stops. The X5000s I listened to for the first time today are essentially carving out a new price range for Audio-Technica: the everyday audio company is stepping up in price range.

Now that you’ve upgraded to a shiny new 4K TV, Sharp has revealed its latest screen to stoke your fear of missing out: a 70-inch Aquos 8K TV. That 8K (7,680 x 4,320) resolution is 16 times that of your old Full HD (1920 x 1080) TV. Sharp calls it “ultimate reality, with ultra-fine details even the naked eye cannot capture,” which doesn’t seem like a very good selling point.

Keep in mind that having a screen with more pixels doesn’t buy you much after a certain point, because those pixels are invisible from a distance — while an 8K panel would be beneficial as a monitor, where you’re sitting close, it won’t buy you much when leaning back on the couch watching TV. HDR, however, is something else entirely, and fortunately, Sharp’s new 8K set is compatible with Dolby Vision HDR and BDA-HDR (for Blu-ray players).

I’ve heard a lot about Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality, but up until this week I’ve been a little confused. Microsoft insists on calling its new headsets “Mixed Reality” ones, when they’re really just virtual reality. At IFA in Berlin this week, Microsoft is showcasing all of its Mixed Reality headsets from PC makers like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Most of them are arriving next month, priced around $349 to compete with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. So what is Windows Mixed Reality really like? I got a chance to try it and find out.

Unlike some of the previous demonstrations of Windows Mixed Reality headsets, the experience now includes a portal and home area (Cliff House) where you can access games and apps. It’s the most impressive part of Windows Mixed Reality for me, and it acts like a virtual living room of sorts. You can drag and drop holograms around just like you can in HoloLens, pin apps to walls, and there’s also a separate cinema room for watching TV shows or movies.

The Bragi Dash wireless earbuds are getting a new feature later this year: the ability to talk to Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa. The headphone maker announced at the IFA trade show today that a software update coming in October will allow access to Alexa, and will be available in English (US and UK) and German.

It’s not the first pair of headphones to receive Alexa support, but this is definitely the first pair of truly wireless earbuds to offer access to the digital assistant. Alexa won’t be triggered by a wake word, though — users will have to either tap or use the Dash’s “4D menu,” in which the earbud uses motion sensing to allow users to turn their head left or right and select from a virtual menu.

I came to IFA in Berlin fully prepared to bury Sony’s mobile division and its perpetually inadequate efforts to compete in a congested, hypercompetitive smartphone market. The design of the new Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact has barely evolved from the stuff Sony was showing off back in 2012. The specs are so commonplace as to engender merely a shrug. And the cameras, well, let’s just say that Sony’s camera problem is Sony itself — I trust this company to build the world’s greatest imaging sensors, but not to use them properly.

But here’s the surprise that blindsided me, having tried Sony’s new phones at IFA: Sony’s 3D Creator app is an augmented reality marvel that made even my cynical old soul happy and joyful. Up until this year, AR has always been a clumsy gimmick, poorly implemented and mostly useless beyond the initial novelty. Sony’s trick is to create a 3D scanner that is astoundingly accurate and detailed, truly professional level stuff done with just the regular hardware of your Android smartphone.

Sennheiser is announcing three new headphones today: two brand new models of wireless earbuds, and a redesigned version of what the company claims are the “finest pair of ear canal phones on the market.”

At the top of the list is the Momentum HD1 Free (seen above), a new entry in Sennheiser’s line of fashionable but good-sounding headphones. It’s a pair of neckbuds, but they aren’t attached by one of those huge plastic neck straps — there’s just a cord in between the earbuds, with small plastic pieces on either side, one of which contains playback controls and a mic.

Lenovo is making its Surface competitor a lot better this year. After slow iterating the Miix tablet from its Core M roots, the new Miix 520 will include Intel’s 8th generation quad-core i7 processor. It’s an addition that pushes its CPU performance past Microsoft’s new Surface Pro, alongside 8GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and a 12.2-inch 1920 x 1200 display. Lenovo also offers a USB-C port, the company’s own active pen support, and an optional 3D camera for capturing images.

Lenovo is even offering an LTE version of the Miix 520 before Microsoft has managed to ship its own Surface Pro with LTE. Like Microsoft’s Surface Pro, the Miix 520 includes a detachable keyboard, and an adjustable kickstand. Lenovo is using its watchband hinge that the company typically uses on its Yoga line of convertible laptops. If you use Cortana, Microsoft’s digital assistant, with your voice then the Miix 520 also has far-field microphones that can pick up your requests up to four meters away.

After a short hiatus, Motorola is bringing back the venerable Moto X. The new, fourth-generation Moto X, or Moto X4, is no longer the company’s flagship phone (that honor is reserved for the Moto Z2 lineup), but fills out the midrange in Motorola’s lineup. Highlight features of the Moto X4 include a new dual-camera setup and support for hands-free control of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. The X4 will be available in Europe starting in September for €399. It is expected to hit the US later this fall.

Despite the Moto X4’s midrange ambitions, it has a metal and glass design with Gorilla Glass 4 and a contoured back. It is IP68 water and dust resistant, which is better than the Z2 lineup’s “splashproof” rating. It does not include support for the Moto Mods modular accessory platform, however, as that is only compatible with the Z phones.

Microsoft’s virtual assistant Cortana has been in Windows 10 laptops for a couple of years now, usually accessible via the search box on the Windows desktop and, in some cases, via a dedicated physical button. Lenovo is taking that a step further by turning its top-of-the-line Yoga laptop into what is, essentially, a home assistant.

The new Lenovo Yoga 920, announced today at the IFA trade show in Berlin, has far-field microphones so users can talk to the laptop from more than a dozen feet away and Cortana will respond — even if the laptop is closed. This means you can shout at your laptop to take notes or set calendar appointments even if you’re not at the laptop. If last year’s big Windows push at IFA was all about pen support, this year might be the year of voice control; the newly-announced Yoga 720 laptop, a smaller model, also has this capability.

Sony's thinking of all the neighborhood DJs with its newest, massive speaker, the MHC-V90W. It's one of the most extra speakers I've seen. It includes lighting effects that synchronize to the beat, and it supports Chromecast, meaning you can control it through the Google Assistant. This seems like the strangest use for Google Assistant, or at least I never thought of the Assistant being used to control massive party speakers, but I suppose DJs can benefit from voice controls, too.

The V90W syncs with up to 10 other speakers over Wi-Fi, so if one 5.6-foot speaker isn't enough, you can get a true party chain together. The speaker features four tweeters, four mid-range speakers, and two woofers. Of course, it includes built-in wheels, so you bring it to your neighbor's barbecue or to your local block party. It'll cost $1,299 when it's released in October.

Technics has announced it is reissuing its classic SP-10 as the Reference Class SP-10R, a model that parent company Panasonic is calling the brand’s “most premium analog, direct-drive turntable to date.”

Panasonic displayed the SP-10R prototype at IFA 2017 in Berlin, and its high-end features see it falling in line with the brand’s turn toward audiophiles in recent years. At first glance, the turntable is simply beautiful to look at, with a weighty 7KG platter for stable rotation made of brass, aluminum, and rubber. It has a separately housed power supply that’s a departure from most turntables’ all-in-one design, meant to minimize hum and vibration. It also features an updated model of the coreless direct drive Technics has featured in other models (like the SL-1200G), which eliminates a rotation irregularity called “cogging” that can occur with traditional direct drive motors.

DJI announced today at the IFA trade show that it’s updating the Mavic Pro drone with a new version called the Platinum. The refreshed quadcopter addresses two of the only notable shortcomings with last year's Mavic Pro: flight time and noise. The Mavic Pro Platinum now has a flight time of 30 minutes, and it's also 60 percent quieter than its predecessor, according to DJI. You can pre-order it today for $1,099 and it will ship in September.

To pull this off in the same small, foldable form factor that the Mavic is known for, DJI used better electronic speed controllers and “freshly designed propellers,” the company says. Those new props can also be used on the current Mavic Pro.

Sphero's back to making Star Wars toys. To mark the upcoming release of The Last Jedi, the company is introducing a BB-8 counterpart: BB-9E, a dark droid from the new movie. It works in the same way Sphero's BB-8 toy does; users can drive BB-9E around, watch Star Wars movies with it (the droid doesn't have a gender yet), and have it patrol an area.

The company's also introducing another new droid today, although you're likely more familiar with him: R2-D2. The company tells me that while R2-D2 toys and figurines have existed for decades, Sphero has strived to make its own as realistic as possible. That effort shows in how R2 can go from two legs to three and recreate his original sounds and moves, like a total body shake and fall. The lights on both R2 and BB-9E also recreate the movies and are a new feature for Sphero. The new toys also include a special tray through which owners can practice driving them around and explore an AR experience that shows off new ships from the movies.

Samsung announced its design-oriented Frame TV less than a year ago, and already, the company is releasing a new, smaller model. A 43-inch version will join the 55-inch and 65-inch models that are already on sale. Samsung made the announcement at the IFA tech conference in Berlin this week, but didn't specify a timeline or pricing.

Existing models of the 4K HDR TV come with four HDMI ports, three USB ports, and supports all of the standard Samsung smart TV features. But what makes the Frame TV unique is the idea that it doubles as an art display. When it's not playing actual TV content, it cycles through photos and paintings, which come from partnerships with LUMAS, Saatchi Art, Sedition, and the Prado. Users can purchase additional pieces through the Art Store or display some for free from Samsung's collection. They can also put up their own work.

The RX0 is Sony’s latest competitor to GoPro action cameras. It’s a cute little box that promises to do big things — shooting video and stills on its own, or as part of a rig of multiple cameras. The device has a 1-inch, 15.3 megapixel CMOS image sensor, with a wide 24mm Zeiss lens fixed at F4. That sensor is bigger than any sensor available on current GoPro models.

The camera also features a shutter speed of up to 1/32000 and a burst mode of up to 16fps. It’s also got a screen on the back so you can check your shots.

Wireless earbuds are the future, if you believe Apple or Bragi. Today at IFA in Germany, Sony is experimenting with the future with its own truly wireless earbuds. I personally own the AirPods and I think they make you look stupid, so I naturally had to compare the two immediately. Dubbed WF-1000X, the earbuds should last around 3 hours per charge, which is less than Apple’s 5 hours which is usually a pretty accurate estimate.

Sony’s charging case, which is a lot bigger than Apple’s, will only provide an additional two charges (that’s 9 hours total vs. 24 hours with the AirPods). These obvious differences aside, Sony’s wireless earbuds also include noise cancellation, which is a great feature if you’re commuting or in a noisy environment. I tried out Sony’s earbuds and they fit comfortably enough, but feel like they’re sticking straight out of your ears like a Bluetooth headset.

Sony is today announcing the new Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact smartphones, which replace the XZ and X Compact released a year ago. The main updates to the new phones are Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor and refined designs, which, in the case of the XZ1, include a full metal frame. In addition, the XZ1 pair will be among the first phones to launch with Android 8.0 Oreo already installed.

In addition, both phones have Sony’s Motion Eye camera system that first debuted in the XZ Premium earlier this year. It has a 19-megapixel sensor with Predictive Capture that will take an image a few seconds before you actually hit the shutter button to cut down on missed moments. In addition, the camera can record super slow motion 720p video at 960fps in addition to 4K video at standard speeds. But while it offers Sony’s SteadyShot electronic stabilization for video, it lacks optical image stabilization for stills. The XZ1 has a 13-megapixel front-facing camera, while the XZ1 Compact has a super-wide-angle 8-megapixel front camera.

Sony has headphones for everyone. Seriously, they have neckbuds, earbuds, and over-the-ear headphones. The company is debuting three new models in the 1000X family at IFA in Berlin today to follow up on the success and positive reception of its noise-canceling 1000X headphones. It's introducing the similarly named wireless WF-1000X, the behind-the-neck WI-1000X, and the WH-1000XM2 headphones. All of these models feature noise cancellation, but that's most appealing to me on the wireless WF-1000X, which are basically Sony’s take on AirPods and “truly wireless” earpods.

The earbuds get around three hours of battery life, according to Sony, although their charging case can hold an additional two charges, meaning you'll have nine hours of use. A full charge takes an hour and a half with the case relying on a Micro USB for charging. While Apple's AirPods can be tracked, Sony says that isn't the case with its product. You'll have to buy a whole new set or case if you lose them. The earbuds each have a button, one to enable ambient sound and the other to take phone calls.

Sony's new connected speaker, the LF-S50G, looks a lot like Apple’s HomePod. It works like a HomePod, too, except it relies on Google Assistant and not Siri. Sony compares its product to the Google Home and says it stands out in the home speaker market because of its sound quality, which make sense for Sony to say.

The device features a full-range speaker for vocal and treble notes, a subwoofer for bass, and an omnidirectional two-stage diffuser to spread sound across the room. It can pair over Bluetooth, NFC, or Wi-Fi, and supports multi-room audio controls. It's also splash-proof and is available in white or black.

Logitech’s MX Master mouse has long been considered one of the best options out there for creative and professional users. And now the company is finally making a keyboard that meets the standard set by the MX series of mice — the Craft keyboard.

The standout feature of the Craft is the “creative input dial,” a large silver knob in the top left corner of the keyboard. It’s sort of like a smaller Surface Dial, minus the part where you have to own a Surface device. Logitech has built integrations for seven apps — Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, and InDesign; and Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel (although the Office integrations are only available on Windows for now). There are also some generic functions, like volume control or forward / back on pages that can be manually applied to any application (assuming it supports that input).

B&O Play is getting into the crowded market of truly wireless earbuds. Announced today at IFA, the Beoplay E8 earbuds will be available in October and cost $299 — twice the price of Apple’s AirPods.

That’s a lot for wireless earbuds these days, but B&O Play is apparently banking on its reputation for quality in design and sound to sway buyers. The small, black buds look sleek enough, are lined with aluminum, and come in a leather case. They’re splash and dust resistant, too, which is nice. The companion app for the E8 earbuds also lets users tweak and customize sound profiles.