IFA Berlin 2024: AI Takes Center Stage in Consumer Electronics

IFA Berlin at 100: Tech highlights from this year's electronics fair

Lighter, faster, more practical: IFA Berlin's hundreds of exhibitors showed off their latest innovations in electronics for consumers and pros alike. Over the century since it was established, IFA Berlin has tried to stay at the cutting edge of the latest technologies. This year's edition of the giant electronics trade show was no exception: from IoT gadgets to practical kit for the kitchen. Starting as a radio exhibition - the Internationale Funkaustellung, or IFA, the event now showcases electronics of every kind, including smartphones. Among the stands in the sprawling Berlin Messe was HONOR, showing off its smart devices and AI-driven hardware to the tech-curious, including Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner. Among the highlights on display were the HONOR Magic V3, a sleek foldable smartphone, the super-thin laptop HONOR MagicBook Art 14, the cutting-edge digital canvas HONOR MagicPad 2, and the HONOR Watch 5 health tracker. The secret to the design of HONOR's hardware? "Innovative materials including titanium - an aerospace-grade alloy". And then there's artificial intelligence (AI). "AI is fundamentally reshaping our industry, enriching and creating new experiences that improve creativity and productivity for consumers all around the world, every day," said George Zhao, CEO of HONOR. "Our role as a smart device provider gives us incredible access to consumers. Combined with our expertise in devices, it allows us to create personal, intuitive, and more secure AI experiences," he added. "Through all our new flagship devices, we hope to deliver human-centric AI experiences that consumers will find truly magical". SharkNinja showed off its home appliances including kitchen equipment and self-driving vacuum cleaners. There's the Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker, Woodfire Electric BBQ you connect with an app, Foodi Max Pro Health Grill, ice cream makers, juicers, and blenders. Backed by a YouTube channel full of cooking tutorials. The Ninja Double-Stack two-drawer Air Fryer is the latest addition, says Emmanuel Benoit, SharkNinja's Senior Marketing Director for France and Benelux. "It's one of our biggest innovations for 2024. In the Double-Stack - you have two drawers where you can cook your proteins and your veg at the same time separately," said Benoit. "And with 30 per cent less space on your countertop, it's developed specifically for Europe. As we know, we have smaller kitchens than in other parts of the world". Energy-saving is also on the minds of SharkNinja's R&D team. "It's a huge topic for European consumers," Benoit added. "Ninja fryers save up to 75 per cent of electricity versus traditional ovens, due to more-compact areas to be warmed up".

AI-Powered Home: IFA Berlin Electronics Show

Getting AI on your side in the kitchen is a key highlight at the IFA Berlin electronics show, now in its 100th year. Innovations showcased at IFA included tech that helps you run your home with greater comfort and efficiency. At Haier, it's all about connecting your appliances, heating and cooling with a vast amount of data through artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. "This is the hundredth year of IFA. It's actually the 40th year of Haier. So we're a pretty new company, 40 years, relatively new," says Neil Tunstall, CEO of Haier Europe. "Through those 40 years, we've grown from a regional provincial company into the biggest company in the world in home appliances with this idea of zero distance: no distance between us and the consumer. And if you think about it, what is going to accelerate that is the IoT," says Tunstall. That's why Haier is investing "huge amounts" in tech, he says. That goes for all their brands at IFA - including Candy and Hoover. Haier's Extended Smart Home Ecosystem links up the Group's appliances, services and accessories. "So whether you look at our new washing machines that have this fantastic airflow technology that allows you to put fresh air into the product so that if you forget to pick out you're washing just for a few hours, you don't want to get musty with our product. It will blow fresh air into the product, which will keep it fresh all the time," Tunstall says. Bosch featured its AI-assisted oven, with a camera inside that detects what kind of food is inside, then offers options on how to set the way to cook it. "The newest Bosch innovation in our Series 8 oven - food recognition," says Benjamin Bruckschwaiger, Bosch Product Trainer, demonstrating how it works. "It's the easiest way to get to the right setting. Just put your dish inside, close the door. Food recognition is running." The camera and tech inside determine it's broccoli, with a choice of how to cook it. "Just press on Start and everything is done." Then there's TCL's newest addition to its TV line: Next Frame TV. "It's a TV that is designed especially to fit in people's home, with a matte screen and super slim bezel that you can put on the wall or on a stand," says Frédéric Langin Chief Commercial Officer at TCL Europe. "People actually today, they want bigger TVs and they want the best technology, the best premium technology at the most affordable price," Langin says. TCL has also boosted energy efficiency among its home appliances. "If you should look at washing machines or refrigerators. We have just launched products with A+++ certification," says Langin. "So globally, we are reducing power consumption.

100 Years of IFA: Samsung's AI Holds the Key to the Future

Internationale Funkausstellung Berline (IFA) -- Europe's largest consumer electronics trade show held annually in Berlin, Germany -- is celebrating its 100 anniversary this year. Launched in 1924 as a radio exhibition, IFA has transformed over a century into a stunning display of cutting-edge technology that shares a special bond with Samsung Electronics. Home appliances and electronics have followed this evolution. What were once large, bulky machines have since become highly advanced, integrated devices and essential companions in daily life. In the midst of this change, Samsung has positioned itself to lead the next 100 years of innovation by seamlessly connecting mobile devices, TVs and home appliances through SmartThings -- while offering enhanced control over devices through upgrades in Bixby, the company's voice assistant which can now better understand complex commands based on natural language. IFA 2024 kicks off on September 6 under the slogan "Innovation for All." Before its grand opening, Samsung Newsroom looked back at IFA's century-long journey of innovation and Samsung's legacy of technological breakthroughs. In its early days, IFA served as a platform for the German government to showcase emerging radio technology in the 1920s. Albert Einstein even delivered the opening speech in 1930. This marked the beginning of a series of breakthroughs including the introduction of the world's first car radio in 1932 and the first color TV in 1937. World War II halted IFA for several years in the 1940s, but technological progress continued. In 1971, the show was renamed Internationale Funkausstellung to become the IFA consumers know today. The evolution of home appliances has been equally remarkable. Refrigerators and washing machines are no longer simple mechanical devices designed to reduce household labor. Innovations in compressors and motors -- along with advancements in electronic components, smart features and connectivity -- have turned these devices into sophisticated, high-tech tools for modern living. Samsung first started exhibiting at IFA in 1991, showcasing monitors, PCs and more at a modest 43-square-meter booth during the trade show's expansion beyond radio and television to include digital media devices. Twelve years later in 2003, the company upgraded its booth to a significantly larger 3,600-square-meter one in the prime location of Hall 20. Since 2014, Samsung has exclusively occupied CityCube Berlin and is ready to impress visitors once again with its 6,000-square-meter booth this year. Samsung's presence at IFA has continually increased as the company introduced groundbreaking technologies across home appliances, TVs and mobile devices. In 2006, the tech giant showcased the Bordeaux TV, which established Samsung as the global TV market leader. In 2011, the company introduced the industry's first smart TV and the Galaxy Note -- the latter of which heralded the "phablet era" by blurring the line between smartphones and tablets. Samsung unveiled the world's first curved UHD TV and the company's first smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, at IFA 2013. Three years later in 2016, the launch of the Family Hub refrigerator with a large touchscreen marked the transition of home appliances into advanced Internet of Things (IoT) devices. In 2014, Samsung had recognized the potential for connected experiences to revolutionize consumers' lives and acquired SmartThings just a month before IFA 2014. Today, SmartThings has since grown over a decade into a massive, global ecosystem of more than 340 partners and 350 million users. At IFA 2018, Samsung highlighted AI as a key focus, signaling that "connected living" would become a major trend in the electronics industry. The company proceeded to introduce 15 AI-powered appliances at IFA 2023, ushering in the AI era of home appliances. Last year, Samsung also introduced Samsung Food -- an AI-powered food and recipe platform that connects home appliances, TVs and mobile devices to deliver a personalized cooking experience tailored to each household and individual. Samsung's journey with IFA is now headed toward innovations in device control through more advanced voice commands. Basic machines designed to store food and wash clothes 100 years ago are now evolving into intelligent companions that communicate with users verbally and handle complex household tasks with ease. This transformation will be showcased at Samsung's booth in CityCube Berlin at Messe Berlin during IFA 2024 from September 6-10.