The IFA fair ranks among the chief showcases of modern consumer technology, and each autumn it summons reporters, publishers, and the wide community of enthusiasts to Berlin. There, the newest designs are set out in their full variety. The participants range from unknown ventures seeking recognition to the dominant corporations of the trade, yet all stand side by side to display their work – be it experimental machinery, ambitious prototypes, or goods already fit for the shelves.
At this year’s gathering, the range of curiosities was broad. A lawn mower could serve as a companion to a household pet, mechanical figures batted a ball as if in sport, and notebooks revealed screens that turned on real hinges. Over it all hung the steady presence of artificial intelligence, now inescapable in the field. We passed through these halls and set down the most memorable devices. What follows is a brief record of the marvels seen at IFA 2025.
1. Plaud AI Voice Recorders: Smarter Note-Taking for Work, Study, and Travel
To sit through the long course of a meeting or a lecture is often wearisome. The notes taken in haste are seldom neat, and more often than not they leave out the very points one most needed to recall. If such lapses are familiar to you, whether in the office or the classroom, the makers of the Plaud Note Pro, Note, and NotePin have prepared their answer.
These tools are designed for ease of carriage. The Plaud Note and its Pro version are as thin as a card, small enough to slip into a wallet or the lining of a phone case. The NotePin, by contrast, resembles a light microphone. It can be fixed to the collar, strung on a cord, or worn about the wrist, and so it suits the traveller who wishes to move unencumbered. With them one may record a conference, an interview, a lesson, or a private reflection. The Note and Note Pro can even capture the words spoken on a telephone call when set against the back of the handset in a magnetic sleeve. At that point the Plaud application assumes control, drawing on its intelligence to make use of what has been gathered.
The device does more than preserve a voice on tape. Its companion application, driven by artificial intelligence, at once renders speech into text, arranges it into concise notes, and lists the tasks that must follow. It is not only for officials confined to endless conferences. Writers may set down sudden thoughts, students may turn a lecture into a guide for revision, and travellers may secure their memories as they move. The Plaud Note and the NotePin are both competent machines, but the greater powers are found in the Plaud Note Pro. This version carries stronger microphones for clearer sound and a small AMOLED screen that shows essential details without delay.
Its most striking tool is called “press to highlight.” By touching a button, the user signals the machine which words matter most, and the intelligence within responds at once. It is simple, useful, and brings man and machine into closer step. The result is that the act of keeping and ordering information becomes less burdensome in nearly every trade. The Plaud Note and NotePin are already on sale, while the Note Pro may be secured in advance. In October the company will release the third version of its application, which promises further changes: it will let the user set images or written notes beside the sound itself, and the system will gather the whole into a clear and ordered record.
2. Ulefone Xever 7: A Durable Smartphone Built for Adventure
Most smartphones are fashioned from glass, with bodies pared thin and screens that stretch from edge to edge. They are handsome to look at, but their strength is doubtful. The older breed of rugged machines, once made to endure rough use, has nearly vanished. It is this forgotten type that Ulefone now seeks to restore with its RugOne brand and the first of its kind, the Xever 7. Though light in the hand and narrow in build, the device is meant for the open air. Its chief virtue is a battery that can be removed and replaced. For the traveller or the walker who dreads the fading charge, such a feature is of great value. It also makes the machine more sustainable, answering the new demands of European law. To go further still, the makers have included a spare battery in the box.
The battery itself is not meagre: with a store of 5,500mAh it can last a full day and beyond. And with the second cell carried, one need not fret about power when far from an outlet. Yet endurance does not end with the charge alone. The Xever 7 has been built to resist water and dust, carrying IP69K and IP68 ratings, and it has been tested against falls under military standard 810H. To this is added support for eSIM, giving the owner more freedom when moving between countries or keeping several numbers at once.
To aid the user when light is scarce, the Xever 7 is fitted with a 64-megapixel night-vision lens. The Xever 7 Pro advances further still, carrying within it a FLIR 3.5 thermal camera. With such a tool one may trace the loss of heat at a camp, watch animals in the dark, or employ it in the course of work. The Xever 7 is also the first of its class to hold optical image stabilisation in its main 50-megapixel sensor. This ensures sharper pictures and steadier films, even when conditions are rough and the hand cannot be kept still.
The device is not without other strengths. Its screen measures 6.67 inches, built on AMOLED with a refresh rate of 120Hz. Memory stands at 12GB, and storage at 512GB, ample for most tasks. All this is enclosed in a frame designed to endure, yet fashioned with a care that avoids the heavy, awkward shapes common to rugged devices. It is made to protect, but without the burden of bulk.
3. SwitchBot Acemate: A Next-Gen Tennis Robot That Plays Like a Human
The next device on display is among the most striking shown at IFA in recent years. For those who play tennis, the Acemate Tennis Robot by SwitchBot demands attention. At first sight it resembles the common ball launcher, but it is more than that: it is the first device built to return your strokes in the manner of a real opponent. Ordinary machines do no more than send balls at fixed speed and height, without change or thought. This one reads your shot, moves to meet it, and drives the ball back with a precision that feels uncannily human.
The Acemate is fitted with two 4K cameras and relies on advanced intelligence to reach accuracy within a centimetre. Its response time is as quick as 0.15 seconds, so the exchange with it approaches the feel of a true rally. Within it are several modes of training. It can raise the ball’s pace to 113 kilometres an hour, alter the spin, and strike to twenty distinct areas of the court. Whether you wish to repeat the cross-court forehand, sharpen your volleys, or play out the shape of a match, the Acemate can be set to match your purpose.
The makers have given thought not only to skill but to use in practice. The Acemate moves with you across the court of its own accord, so there is no need to push or drag it. It can hold as many as eighty balls, and with its wide net to gather returns, the tiresome pauses to pick up scattered balls are largely avoided. Its battery of 6,700mAh is strong enough to power three hours of play, ample for a full day’s exercise. Nor is it confined to one surface: it works as well on clay and grass as it does on hard courts.
Beyond this, the built-in intelligence records every stroke. It measures speed, spin, and placement, then gives the player an immediate report through an application. One can see heat maps and even film of each rally. Thus it can serve in many roles: a partner to rally with, a coach that studies your game, or a machine for drilling serves and ground strokes. In short, the Acemate is reshaping the very idea of solitary tennis practice.
4. Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra: The race for the thinnest device isn’t just for smartphones
Samsung has unveiled its newest tablets at IFA 2025. Where once there were three models, the middle tier has been cut away, leaving only the compact Galaxy Tab S11 and the vast but remarkably thin Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. Thin indeed, for the Ultra measures but 5.1 millimetres, yet carries a 14.6-inch AMOLED display of record size. Within it runs the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chip, joined by 12 or 16 gigabytes of memory and as much as a terabyte of storage, which can be enlarged further by microSD. To power it all is a battery of 11,600mAh, enough to keep the machine alive for several days at a time.
The smaller Tab S11 holds a 10.9-inch screen and an 8,400mAh cell, but in all else it mirrors its larger sibling, offering the same strength in a tighter frame. Samsung’s aim to supplant the laptop continues, with new keyboards, an improved though Bluetooth-less S Pen, and a revised DeX system. The latter now allows four separate desktops, and windows can be shifted from one screen to another in a multi-display setup. The software, too, has been enlarged with Galaxy AI, which aids in writing, sketching, and turning speech into text. A floating overlay lets these tools pass freely between screens. Both machines are on sale at once, the S11 beginning at $799.99 and the Ultra at $1,199.99.
5. DJI Mic 3: Professional Wireless Audio Recording Made Simple
For those seeking to strengthen their sound equipment for larger film work, the DJI Mic 3 offers perhaps the simplest path. It marks a clear advance over its forebear. The new system can link with as many as four transmitters and eight receivers, a scale that suits the demands of multi-camera production. Its receivers reach a range of 300 metres and shift between 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands to hold off interference. Most useful of all to the editor is the addition of timecode, which keeps every recording in step.
The improvements extend further. A two-stage filter reduces noise and sharpens the voice even in harsh surroundings. Three voice modes are offered, and an adaptive gain control alters the level according to the strength of the input. For those who prefer to adjust later, there is 32-bit floating audio, leaving gain to be set in post. Despite these powers, the Mic 3 is nearly half the size of the old model and weighs but 16 grams. The batteries last longer too: up to ten hours for each receiver, with the case adding another eighteen. In short, for a portable set of microphones fit for complex shoots, the DJI Mic 3 stands out as the tool to choose.
6. Timekettle W4 Earbuds: Real-Time AI Translation in Your Ear
Timekettle has long pursued the idea of effortless speech across borders, and with the W4 AI Interpreter Earbuds it moves closer to that aim. These are the first of their kind to join bone-voiceprint sensors with translation guided by artificial intelligence that reads context as well as words. By bone conduction the buds take up the vibrations of the voice itself, cutting out the common trouble of noise from outside. Thus they can catch the speaker clearly, even in a crowded or unsettled place.
They are not common earphones, but tools shaped for translation. Their accuracy reaches 98 percent, and the delay is so slight, two-tenths of a second, that speech flows almost without break. There is none of the wooden pause or stop-start rhythm often found in older devices. Instead, the talk moves with a natural ease, as if a private interpreter were speaking into your ear.
The W4 Earbuds also meet one of the chief failings of machine translation: words alike in sound but not in sense. With the aid of a large language model on Babel OS 2.0, the device reads the setting and knows the difference between “their,” “there,” and “they’re,” or between “to” and “two.” One may even hand an earbud to another speaker, and the pair can hold a two-way exchange. The buds change from hearing to speaking on their own, so the dialogue runs as it would in life, not in stilted turns. With support for 42 tongues and 95 accents, the system covers nearly all the globe.
The charge allows for ten hours of translation, or eighteen of music when the case is used. In time there will be new features as well, such as voice cloning, which will give replies a tone closer to one’s own. Priced at $349, the Timekettle W4 stands as a fitting tool for the traveller, or for anyone who must speak across the barriers of language.
7. XGIMI Horizon 20 Max: Portable Home Theater
A sound system for the home is now seen as essential by many. Yet for those who wish to enjoy it in every room, and even outside, the cost soon mounts. Suppose, then, there were a single device to take the place of television, speakers, and streaming box, and light enough to be carried from place to place. Such is the promise of the XGIMI Horizon 20 Max.
What sets the Horizon 20 Max apart is its range of use. The lens may shift 120 percent vertically and 45 percent sideways, with an optical zoom of 1.5:1, so it can be set up with little trouble. At just eleven pounds, compact and with a gimbal stand built in, it can be lifted easily from one room to another, or set in the garden for an evening show. Google TV is included, giving direct access to services like Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube wherever it is placed. The Harman Kardon speakers inside supply the sound, so there is no need for extra gear. It is in truth a complete system for entertainment, and all contained in one portable frame.
The picture, above all, is what matters in a projector, and here the Horizon 20 Max does not fall short. With a brightness of 5,700 ISO lumens it can be viewed with ease even in full daylight. Its triple-laser system of red, green, and blue yields colours of high accuracy, and it carries support for Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced, HDR10+, and Filmmaker Mode.
For the player of games it offers equal appeal. With input lag below a millisecond, it is the first projector made for the home to include both VRR and ALLM, giving smooth play without tearing. Much of the work is handled on its own. Voice commands are taken by Google Assistant, while Intelligent Screen Adaptation 5.0 sees to focus, angle, and even the shade of the wall. Connections are not lacking either, with HDMI eARC and a full set of ports for external gear. Whether for films with the family, sport with friends, or long nights of play, the Horizon 20 Max is ready for all. It can be ordered now, with early buyers promised special offers and gifts at launch.
8. Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Flagship Features without the Flagship Price
At IFA 2025 Samsung also showed the newest member of its S25 line, the Galaxy S25 FE. As with earlier models in this branch, it borrows much from the flagship range while being sold at a lower price. In some respects it even surpasses the base Galaxy S25, the model it most directly rivals.
The difference begins with the display. Many favour the smaller panel of the S25, but for those who want the same set of features in a larger frame – without paying the higher cost of the S25 Plus – the S25 FE provides the answer. Its screen measures 6.7 inches, with FHD+ resolution, and strikes a sound balance between cost and capability. The greater size allows room for a stronger battery, and the cameras remain close in quality. The flagship still leads in power, memory, and storage, and here the FE shows its mid-range place. Yet the FE has faster charging than the S25 itself, and comes at a much lower price. For buyers seeking a less costly phone with much of the same strength and the same software, the Galaxy S25 FE was built with them in mind.
9. TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra: A Premium Tablet with Eye-Friendly Display
TCL has long been a fixture at gatherings such as CES, MWC, and IFA, where it displays its televisions, smart home gear, and an array of smaller devices. Yet for those who follow Android, the chief interest lies in its phones and tablets. At IFA 2025 the company introduced the NXTPAPER 60 Ultra. Known chiefly for its low-cost models, TCL has stepped outside its usual ground here, building a device with higher grade parts. It carries the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 chip, 12GB of memory, up to 512GB of storage, and a triple camera system led by a 50-megapixel lens. Power is supplied by a 5,200mAh cell, enough for a full day or more.
But it is not the raw numbers that mark the NXTPAPER 60 Ultra. The centrepiece is its screen, built on the new NXTPAPER 4.0 system, which continues the brand’s push to lessen strain on the eyes. Two comfort modes are offered. One, guided by AI, adjusts the picture according to the task – be it reading, writing, or watching. The other hands full control to the user, allowing direct change of colour, brightness, and contrast. The NXTPAPER Key also returns, giving quick shift between colour and a monochrome “Max Ink” mode. Added to this are a host of protections: a natural light display, blue-light filtering, anti-glare coating, zero flicker, and dim-light settings. For the first time, the line also supports a stylus, broadening its use still further.
10. Lenovo ThinkBook VertiFlex: A Rotating-Screen Laptop Concept
At fairs such as IFA we have often seen novel forms of the laptop: machines with twin screens, with folding hinges, or with displays that unroll to greater length. One name is most often tied to these experiments – Lenovo. And at IFA 2025 the company has returned with yet another design, a computer whose screen may be turned upright by ninety degrees. For those who favour portrait monitors, this device will feel familiar.
The ThinkBook VertiFlex, as it is called, holds a 14-inch display fixed on a central pivot, so that the panel may swing between the usual landscape shape and a tall, narrow portrait form. Anyone who has worked with such a screen knows its uses: reading, writing, coding, or adding to a set of multiple monitors. Lenovo’s intent is to place that same advantage within a single laptop.
For now it remains a concept only. No word has been given on whether the turn is motorised or manual, nor on the panel type or even the body’s material. Yet Lenovo is not a firm to display such devices without thought of the market. As with earlier concepts, one suspects this too may one day find its way to buyers. And, like the rest, it is a striking thing to see.
Final Words
We do not necessarily require a laptop which turns like a lost owl, or a projector which has less weight than a few textbooks, but it’s maybe exactly what we want? The most useful devices are those that address issues that we were unaware of having – or just make us feel good about the fact that human ingenuity will not accept good enough. The halls of Berlin were a reminder to us that the best thing that technology can do is not only to make life easier, but to make it wonderfully weird.
FAQs
Q1: Can Timekettle earbuds really eliminate language barriers?
They are virtually babel fish to your ears with 98 % accuracy and a delay of 0.2 seconds.
Q2: Is the XGIMI projector really portable entertainment?
It weighs 11 pounds, which is less than most toddlers and is likely to be more cooperative. Ideal movie-night anywhere on the assumption that you can locate a white wall and decent neighbors.
Q3: What makes TCL’s NXTPAPER phone special?
It is supposed to help ease the eye pressure as you scroll social media. Finally, technology that recognizes our unhealthy obsession with screens and allows it to be more comfortable.
