“Here are some of the things you can look forward to at the IFA 2016”
Europe’s largest consumer electronics trade show, IFA is just around the corner and we expect quite some major announcements from big names and smaller brands alike. Every year the event is mostly dominated by stuff like TVs, tablets, laptops, and last year we saw a bunch of wearables being announced as well. The event begins September 2nd this year, and will be on till the 7th. However, as is the norm, bigger brands like Samsung and Sony are holding their press conferences and events prior to the official show. Read on take a look at some of the most interesting announcements which are expected.
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Samsung
The Korean tech giant already made a rather big unveiling only a month back by launching the Galaxy Note 7. However, that did not stop the company from planning to host an event on August 31st, and a press conference on September 1st.
A curiously designed press invite saying, “Talk about 3” from the company almost confirms the unveiling of the Samsung Gear S3, successor to the Gear S2 smartwatch, which in fact was revealed at IFA last year. The company might also launch new televisions designed to promote virtual reality and augmented reality based content consumption, thereby emphasising on its newly-launched Gear VR. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3, which will be an upgraded and more refined version of Tab S2 is also expected to be unveiled at the company’s event.
Sony
All set to host a press conference on September 1st, Sony is expected to reveal quite a number of gadgets at this year’s IFA. To start with, the Japanese company could expand its range of audio devices, launch the PlayStation VR, and add new cameras, and televisions to its portfolio as well. Since Sony is yet to jump on to the Ultra HD Blu-Ray player bandwagon, while players like Samsung already have, it won’t be a surprise to see one of those, either.
Other than that, Sony might add to the wearables launching at this year’s IFA by launching its Android Wear-powered SmartWatch 3, and the Xperia N neck wearable.
Lenovo / Motorola
The Chinese phonemaker launched quite a number of smartphones at last year’s IFA, including the Lenovo PHAB and PHAB Plus, Lenovo Vibe S1, Lenovo Vibe P1 and P1m, and a few other budget devices as well. We also saw a bunch of tablets and laptops.
The company could also unveil the latest edition of the Moto 360 smartwatch. A few new tablets could also be in tow.
LG
Hosting a separate event in San Francisco on September 6th where the company is expected to launch its next flagship, the LG V20, LG has left many wondering as to what it’s going to launch at its press conference at IFA this year. The highlight of the allegedly upcoming flagship from the company is the fact that it’s going to be the world’s first smartphone to sport 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC, and will offer crisp and clear audio output with compatible headphones.
But, as we mentioned earlier, the V20 launch is happening at a separate event, and rumours suggest that in Berlin, the company might launch its successor to the LG Flex 2. According to the leaks, the Flex 3 will sport the same curved body. However, now that the brand has stepped into the modular arena, the new Flex 3, and the V20 as well, could be modular smartphones like the LG G5.
Apart from that, new televisions and smart appliances are also expected to be showcased by the company in Berlin, this year.
ASUS
Asus’s press conference on August 31st, and a tweet saying, “The time for something incredible is now”, almost confirms the unveiling of the ASUS ZenWatch 3. The fact that the ZenWatch 2 debuted at IFA 2015 indicates that the company is indeed planning to launch the latest version of the wearable, which is expected to feature a round dial.
The company’s press website also confirms that it will be launching the ZenPad 3s 10. While the teaser video indicates metallic trims on the device, a tagline saying, “Cinematic Entertainment. Supercharged Performance”, and the presence of Intel on the site suggest that the ZenPad 3s 10 with be a powerful yet multimedia-centric tablet.
However, we can’t ignore the fact that ASUS teamed up with Intel for its ZenFone 2 lineup, and it leaves us wondering if the Chinese smartphonemaker is planning to introduce a few more ZenFones as well.
Huawei
Among the big lot of wearables that were showcased at IFA 2015, one was the Huawei Watch, a rather stylish, and feature-packed smartwatch. Considering that the designer of the smartwatch confirmed that there’s been work going on around a sequel, the Huawei Watch 2 is highly anticipated at IFA 2016.
Along with that, we saw the debut of the Huawei Mate S and G8 smartphones last year in Berlin. This year, the company has sent out press invites saying, “Defy Expectations”, and featuring a pretty suggestive graphic including a smartphone’s corners, and edges. It seems only fair to expect a new smartphone from the brand, and going by the tagline it seems that the new launch will be loaded in terms of specs and features. A recent leak says that the company is launching the Huawei Nova, and Nova Plus smartphones. Going by the meaning of the moniker, the Nova could be the device the company plans to defy expectation with. The leak also mentioned the 8” MediaPad M3, which if launched, will be the successor to the Mediapad M2, unveiled at CES earlier this year.
HTC
Eight months into 2016, the company has just launched its HTC 10 flagship in the market, which indicates that we might see something interesting at IFA. Rumours suggest that the company could unveil a new range of budget and mid-range smartphones.
Image credit: Venture Beat
While the HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle and Desire 10 Pro… the mid-rangers from the company that have been in talks recently, are expected to launch later in September, the HTC One A9s could be launched pre-IFA. The A9s is expected to be an upgraded variant of its predecessor with better specifications and a 5UP selfie shooter, as compared to A9’s 4UP one. HTC’s smartwatch has been in speculations for a very long time, and the company could finally launch the wearable at this event.The pre-IFA events kick off September 31st and most of these doubts and guesses would be clarified once and for all. We’ll be on our toes covering all the major news from the big tech show, so make sure you stay tuned for all the updates.
