Instead of just imagining the future, we’re actually living in it — and IFA 2026 is where that will be made abundantly clear. From home robots you’ll be able to buy sooner than expected to smarter home tech infused with AI, plus plenty of powerful phones and laptops, this year’s show is packed with innovation.
Unlike other tech events where we’re dazzled with concepts that might never see the light of day, IFA falls right ahead of the holiday shopping rush. While a few devices won’t launch until next year, most of the hardware on display in Berlin will hit store shelves much sooner.
From our experience covering CES 2026, MWC 2026, Computex 2026, and Gamescom 2026, AI will certainly be everywhere at IFA. But as the tech has matured, instead of being shoehorned into every device, we expect to see far more practical use cases — with a strong focus on privacy and on-device processing over empty hype.
Following its 100-year anniversary, IFA just keeps getting bigger, and we expect nothing less than a show for the books. Here are our predictions for what the Tom’s Guide team is most excited to see before we head off to Berlin next week. Stay tuned, as we’ll be sharing our on-the-ground impressions and hands-on experiences with everything from massive TVs to robot vacuums and more.
More computing than ever before
So storytime — at CES 2026 this year, I got the chance to grab lunch with IFA representatives, including the CEO Leif Lindner. It was a chance to pick my brain on what kinds of things I’d like to see to make this year’s expo a true blockbuster.
And my answer (explained in a long-winded way because I’m a bit of a chatterbox) was one thing: more computing stuff. Now, I can’t say for sure whether it was me who made the difference, but IFA 2026 is looking set to be the biggest in the show’s 102-year history for this category.
AMD’s own Jack Hyunh is making the opening keynote, laptop makers will be there in full force ahead of a couple of massive upcoming launches, as well as some of our other favorite companies in peripherals, smart glasses and many other components.
It’s going to be a busy show for me and my corner of Tom’s Guide, so stick around and watch the fireworks!
Jason England, Managing Editor of Core Tech
Bigger and brighter TVS
IFA is a big show for TVs — it’s an opportunity for Europe to see what’s new and exciting in the world of visual displays. To that end, expect to see a lot of the same screens we saw at CES like Samsung’s Micro-RGB TVs, LG’s OLEDs, TCL’s SQD-Mini-LEDs and Hisense’s more affordable take on RGB technology.
If you’re heading to the event, keep an eye out for the Samsung S95H OLED and LG C6 OLED. These two TVs both got Tom’s Guide’s coveted five-star Best-in-Class awards, and they’re truly worth the trip to see in-person.
New to the Messe Berlin show floor this year is the large Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi. It’s likely that the brand will be bringing its TV S Mini LEDs that are already on sale in the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Germany, but it could pull out all the stops and announce a new model to mark its debut at IFA.
Nick Pino, Managing Editor TV and AV
A more intuitive approach to AI
Over the past few years, we’ve seen brands rush to add AI to their products — for better or worse. Now though, those rushed implementations simply won’t cut it anymore. Instead, at IFA 2026 and going forward, companies will need to be far more intentional when integrating AI into smart home devices like robot vacuums and washing machines. Sure, AI will still be present, but it will operate quietly in the background with a much stronger focus on keeping your data safe by running locally.
This shift is already underway in computing, where brands like Asus, Lenovo, and others have moved their focus toward local AI workloads. Now that almost every CPU includes a dedicated NPU, handling AI-powered tasks locally has become routine. While many users in the West still rely primarily on cloud-based chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude, local AI models have already established a strong foothold elsewhere — as I saw firsthand in Taiwan at Computex 2026 earlier this summer.
Another major evolution in AI comes down to autonomous agents. Instead of prompting a chatbot and waiting for a response, these AI agents work independently in the background — and on more powerful laptops and mini PCs, they often operate locally, too. We expect to hear a whole lot more about AI agents at IFA 2026, especially as Nvidia’s new RTX Spark-powered laptops prepare to launch this fall. Even with these broader platform shifts, however, I guarantee we’ll still see plenty of quirky AI-powered gadgets for note-taking and capturing key moments from our daily lives — likely more than we could ever hope to test ourselves.
Anthony Spadafora, Managing Editor Security and Home Office
Retro sound is so back
There’s so much good sound stuff happening at IFA this year, I don’t know where to start. Both budget underdogs and big-name icons are exhibiting new, old, and new stuff that is… old?
Let’s start with the retro-is-so-back in 2026 cohort. Of course, French brand We Are Rewind is going to be around, so hopefully we’ll see some more of those supremely stylish cassette players and boomboxes — maybe the Duran Duran disco-ball tape player will make an appearance. I’m also keeping my eye on Marshall and Status Audio for some snazzy products with that retro vibe.
It’s not just a throwback party, though. I’ll also be checking out some of my favorite budget brands, including JLab, EarFun, and Edifier. All three make some of the best affordable earbuds, headphones, and speakers on the market, so I’ll be putting their latest products to the test.
Finally, the big names: Sony and Bose are both going to be at IFA this year, and while they haven’t announced their plans, I’m really hoping to see some home theater innovations. Bose released the Ultra soundbar earlier this year to much fanfare — so I’d expect to see the iconic brand ride that wave.
Erin Bashford, Senior Writer Reviews
Screen-free trackers and turbocharged mobility
2026 has already been an exciting year for wearable tech. We got shiny-new, screen-free trackers from Fitbit and Garmin, Google debuted a first-of-its-kind on-wrist breathing emergency detection feature, and Oura launched the stunningly slim flagship Oura Ring 5. But the best may be yet to come.
Wearable technology is of course a hallmark of IFA. But unlike massive global shows, including CES, the major players in the health tech space don’t completely overshadow the smaller ones. Put another way, IFA is the perfect opportunity to discover start-ups and/or brands that have launched in Europe but not yet in the U.S.
For example, while U.S. brand Oura may not be attending IFA, plenty of other smaller non-U.S. smart ring brands are, including RingConn, Circular, Luna Ring, Dreame, and Ultrahuman. Better yet, rumors and leaks suggest all of the above might launch new products at the show. Hands-on demos to follow!
I’m also expecting a new crop of battery-powered, consumer-friendly exoskeletons. Each year, brands like Hypershell and Ascentiz manage to slim down the footprint of their flagship models while somehow increasing range and power. With both brands in attendance, along with several new-to-me exoskeleton companies, awkward show floor demos are all but guaranteed.
Speaking of e-power, other brands on my radar include Segway and (surprisingly) Volkswagen, both of which are rumored to be dropping cool, new mobility devices. Finally, I’m going to be on the lookout for any wacky examples of wearable tech beyond smart rings and wrist-based trackers. One intriguing example is the iKairos, a modular AI wearable pendant designed for logging your surroundings and thoughts throughout the day.
Dan Bracaglia, Senior Writer Fitness & Wearables
Smarter homes and labor-free living
Although every area of IFA is replete with innovation and wonder, home appliances are really the heartbeat of the show. Last year, I played with some great stuff — ionic hairdryers, coffee machines so secretive I was shooed away from the display, a 4K projector for yard movie marathons — so I’m sure this year will be equally as impressive.
Unfortunately, Samsung isn’t going to be as present as previous years; however, there will be some new washing machines. As the proud owner (and lover) of a Samsung AI washing machine, I’m desperate to see how the Korean brand is going to improve upon something I already think is perfect. I spend enough time cleaning as it is, so an AI washing machine is the appliance of my dreams.
Speaking of cleaning, I’m also heading to Roborock’s opening keynote to find out what’s next for the robot vacuum world. With the U.S. ban looming, I’m curious to see how companies will navigate this — as smoothly as a Roborock with LiDAR? One can hope.
