IFA 2020 is happening differently this year, just like pretty much every other tech event on the calendar, but it is still happening – and here we're going to take you through the big name tech firms and the brand new gadgets you can expect to see at the event.
IFA (it stands for Internationale Funkausstellung or international radio show) is Europe's answer to CES, held every year in Berlin so that the tech manufacturers of the world can show off their wares – and so that we can get a sneak preview at what the next 12 months in consumer gadgets is going to look like.
The IFA 2019 show was a packed one, as usual: we saw new phones from Nokia, new TVs from LG, laptops from Razer and Asus, the first portable speaker from Sonos, smartwatches from Garmin and Fitbit, and much more besides.
This time around, the pandemic sweeping the world means that far fewer people will be attending IFA – only a select group of invited journalists and industry representatives are going to be on the ground, whereas IFA is normally open to the general public too. But the decreased visitor numbers, in terms of trade, media and the public, may mean that some brands may decide that it's not worth the risk in bringing their biggest releases to the show this year.
In some ways that's better for those of us who won't be travelling to Berlin, because more of the event will be streamed over the web and available to view from anywhere. If you want to tune in, we'll explain how you can do that below.
However, even if the format of IFA 2020 is going to be different to the norm, our in-depth coverage of it won't be – we'll bring you all the gadget news and product announcements as they happen, right here, in the first week of September.
IFA 2020: what you need to know
- What is IFA? Europe's biggest technology showcase, held in September every year in Berlin, and attended by most of the major players in the industry.
- When is IFA 2020? This year's event is still going ahead in the German capital, though portions of it have moved to an online format: the key dates are September 3-5.
- Which brands are exhibiting? Just about all of the key tech companies will be involved in some way or another, with Apple being the one significant exception – Apple prefers to hold its own events and stick to its own schedule.
IFA 2020: Samsung
Technically, Samsung isn't attending IFA 2020 – but it is running an online event at the same time as IFA, so it's just about the same thing. The event is going to be called Unstoppable, and it's happening at 10am CET (9am BST / 3am EST) on September 2 (the day before IFA starts, which is typically the day for press events).
What Samsung is going to show off isn't clear, but it has mentioned mobile, TV and home appliances (though not all of them will necessarily be new). Considering how many gadgets Samsung is unveiling in August, the products that get unveiled at IFA may well be more to do with the smart home and accessory markets, and we'd say some new QLED TVs are very likely.
IFA 2020: LG
LG always has a big presence at IFA, and IFA 2020 looks to be continuing that trend – we know that LG CTO Park Il-pyung is going to be delivering a keynote presentation during the event, so you can expect to hear plenty about current LG products as well as what might be in store for the future.
No word yet on what new hardware, if any, might be revealed: the LG Velvet (which is effectively the LG G9) has already broken cover, so it won't be that. The IFA press materials suggest Park will be discussing "the recently rising importance of the home due to increased home office situations and online education", so make of that what you will.
IFA 2020: TCL
TCL is well-known for its affordable TVs, and it recently made the jump into smartphones as well, so we're looking forward to seeing what it has in store for IFA 2020. As well as running down its current range of electronics, TCL might well unveil some television technology that's brand new for 2020.
Just look at last year's show for evidence – the Chinese company debuted not one but two 8K TVs at IFA 2019, so it's almost certain that we'll see more of the same this time around. In other words, don't put any money down for a new television set until you've seen what TCL has to show off at IFA 2020.
IFA 2020: Huawei
Huawei's issues with the US and its companies continue to rumble on, but it's certainly committed to IFA 2020, describing it as an "excellent platform" for promoting "products and strategies" – so expect more in the way of products and strategies at IFA 2020, which could be anything from phones to a vision for the future of 5G.
Huawei has a wide range of electronics in its portfolio, from laptops to tablets to phones, and so we could see almost anything at IFA 2020. Last year we saw a new phone and a new mobile chipset from Huawei at IFA, and while we're not exactly sure what's coming this time around, it'll be worth looking out for.
IFA 2020: Honor
With Huawei comes its more affordable sub-brand Honor, whose theme this year is 'Expand Your Smart Life.' Expect Honor to debut a lineup of wearables, tablets, and computers.
In other words, don't anticipate any smartphone news, which isn't surprising, given the company just unveiled the affordable Honor 9X Lite and Honor 20e, and released the Honor 9A. While the latest handsets have been locked out of the Google Play store due to the Huawei-US difficulties, Honor is still rolling out the rest of its lineup worldwide, with its MagicBook 15 just reaching India. We're curious what Honor will show off next.
IFA 2020: Realme
Realme has said it will definitely be at IFA 2020 in its new form, the company's first appearance at IFA, and it has gone on record saying that a big announcement is on the way – no doubt a smartphone of some description, though we're not quite sure which one (the Realme launch schedule can be difficult to keep track of).
The Realme X3 Pro might be the phone that gets unveiled, a follow-up to the two X3 phones that we've already seen, but at this point it's largely speculation. If you're in the market for a new smartphone, then Realme is one of the names to keep an eye on during the IFA 2020 event.
IFA 2020: Qualcomm
The opening keynote for IFA 2020 is going to be from Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon. While Qualcomm won't necessarily have anything new to show off on top of what it's already unveiled this year, you can expect plenty of talk about 5G, artificial intelligence and where the industry might be headed next.
We're not sure yet what format the opening keynote will take, or where you'll need to go on the web to tune in to be able to watch it, but it'll be early on in the IFA 2020 event – probably on Thursday September 3.
IFA 2020: what else to expect
Plenty more tech companies will be taking part in IFA 2020, covering phones, wearables, home appliances, smart home kit, laptops, TVs, tablets and much more besides. They are usually a few surprises each year too, so we're going to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.
From the biggest names in technology to startups that are just getting off the ground, IFA 2020 promises to be another packed hardware showcase – even if it's mostly happening online rather than in real life. Keep checking back to stay in touch with all the news and product launches coming out of IFA 2020.
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