Right before all of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo craziness, I was lucky enough to attend my first IFA in Berlin. For those unaware, IFA is the CES of Europe. There are thousands of brands and companies, ranging from tiny start-ups to giant juggernauts. They all have one goal: to show off what they have been creating to the 100,000s of visitors that attend. I saw everything from flying cars to mini robots to 200-inch transparent displays, and while all of those products are awesome for a quick demo and to show off, I was not there for them. I wanted to see the tech that is actually about to come out, not the tech that maybe one day will see the light of day. So here are my favorite products from IFA, with a bit of an Apple twist, of course!
I have been, and still am, a huge Lexar SSD user. They make reliable, fast, and compact SSDs that I use in my workflow daily. I currently use their SL500 and their magnetic SSDwith my iPhone 18 Pro Max. They are versatile and work in my Apple ecosystem because they have the speed to support that ProRes Raw footage. But their newest announcement, the Lexar Muse, blew me away. I am a huge fan of thin tech, so when I saw that this SSD is just 3.8mm at its thickest point, I was all over this.
- Just 3.8mm at its thickest point, tapering to 1mm at the edges
- Up to 1,050 MB/s read and 1,000 MB/s write
- 512GB and 1TB
- Proprietary PogoPin connection with a SnapLink Magnetic Cable
- Supports direct external Apple ProRes 4K recording at up to 120 fps on compatible iPhones
The main thing I was curious about was how you can fit a USB-C port on such a small device. The answer is: you can’t. So what they created was a pogo pin connection. You just slap the SSD to the rear of your iPhone with the Magsafe accessory, and it comes with a USB-C to pogo pin cable. It’s sized perfectly to be long enough to not be in the way and reach the back of the Lexar Muse. I thought this was a genius use case.
As of now, given how thin it is and the current storage crisis, Lexar will be offering these in 512 MB and 1 TB sizes, with higher capacities in the future. It is set to release in October of 2026!
Now this one is more of a guilty pleasure than anything else. I recently took my 5-year-old to her first movie theater experience, and we went to see the new Toy Story 5. If you have yet to see it, the main villain in the movie is an iPad-like tablet called LilyPad that eventually turns good and becomes an ally of all the main characters. So when I saw the actual LilyPad character at the Belkin booth, I had to stop by. Turns out that this is part of a much bigger collaboration that brings all the characters to a bunch of Apple-friendly accessories. But the show stopper here is the LilyPad case because it turns your iPad into that character.
- Officially licensed Disney Pixar Toy Story 5 Lilypad character design
- Compatbile with iPad 10th generation (10.9-inch) and iPad 11th generation (11-inch A16)
- Shock-absorbing EVA foam construction with rounded edges and 4-foot drop protection
- Integrated handle with an easy-grip texture designed for smaller hands
- Built-in kickstand
- Exclusive and licensed Lilypad wallpapers included
But as I mentioned, this is an entire collection. Belkin has also made a Toy Story iPhone case, a MagSafe power bank, and a larger power bank that resembles one of the toys from the movie. I think these were tastefully done, as they still provide plenty of functionality and look fun for any Toy Story fan. All of these products are available today and range from $35 to $55, with the LilyPad being $49.
I am a huge fan of Wokyis products. They have found a way to bring a nostalgic look and feel to products that bring modern functionality. I recently reviewed their G5 and G7 docks for the Mac mini and the Mac Studio. But those are built to physically be attached to the Mac. So what Wokyis did was bring all that function and nostalgia to a standalone dock that works with any computer. You get all the pro-level ports you needed and a display as well!
- Built-in 5-inch HD IPS display with a 1280 × 720 resolution
- Four dedicated shortcut keys and a rotary control knob for frequently used functions
- Built-in M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure for additional storage
- Four USB-A ports, one USB-C data port, SD and microSD 4.0 card readers, HDMI input, and a 3.5mm headphone jack with up to 10Gbps speeds
- Supports up to 65W pass-through charging for compatible laptops
As I mentioned, I love products with a bit of character. I want my accessories to be conversation starters, making people wonder and say, “What is that?” That is exactly what Wokyis products do, and the i5 Docking Station is no different. It brings some awesome personality at a time when most docks are completely sterile.
Thei5 Docking Station is available on Amazon today for $153. If you need a new docking station that adds a bit of fun and tactility without sacrificing function, this is a good one to grab.
iPhone cases
You can just imagine the thousands, if not millions, of different iPhone case brands that were at IFA. From every shape, material, size, and function, there is a case for any type of person. The thing about cases is that they are completely subjective. There is no real good or bad, or right or wrong. You either like it or you don’t. But there are two cases I wanted to highlight because they are different from some of the others I have seen.
First is the Xtrem Inno cases. I reviewed their first gen last year and loved it because I had never seen another case do this. The Xtrem Inno case has a Color E ink display that allows you to change what it shows on the rear of the case to anything you want.
- Circular, customizable rear display with four-color reproduction and a resolution of 212 PPI
- The display requires no separate charging and retains its image without continuously consuming power
- Supports MagSafe wireless charging and magnetic accessories
On the surface, it looks like a nicely designed case, but when you pair it with their app, you can send an imagething is that since it uses NFC and E-ink, that means no batteries, Bluetooth, or wired connections are needed. The phone uses a tiny bit of power to send the image persistent power
The case is available today on Amazon for $75 and comes in a ton of new colors. If you need a fun new case, this is the way to go.
Last year, Moft introduced a new ultra-thin case for the iPhone 17 lineup. The base itself was great for anyone who wanted a super-slim, minimal case. They ended up bringing it back for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, but the interesting part is the material they went with, more than anything else. At a time when sustainability is high on the agenda, Moft decided to use a new coffee-based bio-leather for this case, and it’s awesome. The best part is that it gives off a bit of a coffee aroma. So this is the case for all my coffee lovers out there! Outside of that, you get all the trimmings you want out of a rthin case.
- Built-in magnets for MagSafe
- Weighs just 28g and is ultra-thin
- Reinforced TPU corners provide basic drop protection, while the open-sided frame design preserves the natural feel of the iPhone
- Available in a Coffee Brown and Sapphire Blue color combination
Again, the innovation here is the choice of material. I had never heard of or seen this choice of using coffee grounds to create a sort of bio-leather. They are also using this material for their famous moft wallet stand. They are all available on Amazon today for $49.
Final thoughts
Again, there was a ton, and I mean a ton of things that came from IFA that I am excited about. I was able to see things like ultra-fast supercars, the Xiaomi iPhone Duo clone before it was announced, and so much more. But these were just a few of the things that caught my eye and made sense to me in our Apple-focused world.
Did you happen to catch any of the IFA excitement? What were some of the products that caught your eye?
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