The best things I saw at IFA 2026

Smartphones, concept PCs and new challengers were on display.

By Mat Smith
Dyson's new air purifier being demonstrated at a launch event. Mat Smith for Engadget
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IFA 2026 is a wrap and we saw more smartphones, more concept PCs and countless new challengers launching new tech and gadgets. IFA historically offers a place for wildcard ideas and big swings, while also giving companies a chance to turn their CES or MWC concepts into tangible consumer products.

A few trends bubbled up throughout the event this year. One was an ever-growing subcategory of cameras that take a middle route between dedicated professional cameras and smartphone shooters. Think DJI's hugely popular Osmo Pocket series, but with different ideas, like smartphones with removable cameras. There were even more 360-degree video cameras and gimbal cameras that can double up as an action cam. Are these rivals taking a chance to strike while GoPro figures out its future?

Elsewhere, Lenovo and Dell announced solid-looking, entry-level laptops meant to face off against the MacBook Neo, which has also inspired countless third-party peripheral stalls with new zesty colorways of mice, keyboards, chargers and more. Apple's influence on consumer tech can't be underestimated.

Lenovo's Project Swan concept

Lenovo's Project Swan concept at IFA 2026. Mat Smith for Engadget

My colleague Sam went in depth on Lenovo's Project Swan concept, and his write-up made me want to see it for myself. Expanding screens on laptop prototypes aren't new for the company, but in this form factor it's all getting pretty close to future laptops we might be able to buy. It's an ultrabook-styled device this time around, at under 18mm thick and weighing only 3.5 pounds. That's not far off froms standard 14-inch laptops. However, the display can stretch to 17 inches for more workspace and (hopefully) a multitasking productivity boost. 

It makes more sense than the vertically expanding notebooks we've seen before. Jaw-dropping prototypes often appear at shows like IFA, but Lenovo has a track record for eventually packaging cutting-edge display technology into retail models.

Lenovo IdeaPad Vibe

Lenovo's IdeaPad Vibe in orange and yellow. Mat Smith for Engadget

Lenovo's $700 IdeaPad Vibe is at the other end of the laptop spectrum. An entry-level, competitively priced laptop that's unashamedly chasing that MacBook Neo high. The colors? All gorgeous. The grey option? A contractual obligation for a laptop range. It's easy to daydream during countless tech briefings, launches and press conferences, but the Vibe pulled me back into the room. Unlike the MacBook Neo, the Vibe offers much more customization, including a choice between a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor or AMD's Ryzen AI 400 chips. Surprisingly, ports abound: four USB ports (two Type-A and two Type-C), a microSD card reader and an HDMI connector. Perfect for connecting all the colorful matching accessories. A desirable, cheap laptop in 2026 is a tech trend I'm very much into.

Hohem EyePic gimbal camera

Hohem's EyePic gimbal camera, shown with camera attached and detached. Mat Smith for Engadget

Hohem, best known for gimbal accessories, is making its first standalone camera, the EyePic. It's not just an Osmo Pocket clone, though. It has a clever twist: the camera fully detaches. While the EyePic works as a solid 4K/60 fps gimbal camera, you can also pop the waterproof camera module off to wear on a lanyard or magnetically stick to a metal pole, all while previewing your shot on the handle's touchscreen from up to 30 feet away. Rotating the 2.5-inch display physically switches it to native vertical video without any cropping. 

The prototype I handled at IFA was still a little glitchy, but if Hohem manages to undercut DJI's pricing by its early 2027 launch, it could be a really smart, versatile setup for solo video. Judging from the assembled media and creators at tech shows and launches this year, the hunger for gimbal cameras has never been stronger.

Dyson CameraJet toothbrush

Dyson's new toothbrush, the CameraJet. Mat Smith for Engadget

Technically, Dyson revealed its high-tech toothbrush in Pairs the week before IFA. Still, it was the first time the wider press got to handle the CameraJet, even if we weren't allowed to actually use it (Shared brushes? At a trade event?!). At IFA, Dyson was showcasing the technology with a bunch of demos. It mostly focused on the targeted water flossing, the most innovative part of what will be one of the most premium toothbrushes available to buy. Listen: It's on this list because I want to try it properly now. Honorable mention goes to the company's new giant, sandworm-shaped air purifier.

Anker Nano Universal Charger

Anker Nano Universal Charger, showing it's charging an iPhone. Mat Smith for Engadget

Anker crammed everything I need into a travel charger, and it can charge my laptop and Switch too. The Nano Universal Charger isn't the first of its kind, even from Anker, but it is now substantially more powerful. The most appealing part is that the charger includes built-in US, UK, and EU plugs that slide in and out. There's no need for lock-on plug adapters you will inevitably lose somewhere between home and East Asia. Compared to its predecessor, it also delivers much higher wattage, topping out at 100W for a single device.

As you might expect from Anker's premium charger family, it includes a display to monitor voltage and temperatures. It'll also detect many devices and optimize charging when it can. The Universal charger can also charge up to four devices simultaneously through three USB-C ports and one USB-A port.

Belkin's Compact Magnetic Ring Stand

Belkin's new Magnetic stand, mounted on a surface. Mat Smith for Engadget

Belkin, like Anker, had no shortage of new chargers, including semi-solid-state chargers, but I was most interested in its new MagSafe stand. The Compact Magnetic Ring Stand combines a MagSafe mount with two articulating hinges and a suction mount that can attach to a lot of — if not all — surfaces, using a suction cup and dial to strengthen the air pressure. It won't work on rough surfaces and it will apparently struggle with some laminate surfaces, as a spokesperson told me that they have to be suitably thick to maintain surface tension. 

I own a lot of MagSafe stands, tripods, mounts and the rest, and Belkin's spin on it is a good one. The rubberized mount has a little tab to lift the ring stand off surfaces once you've unlocked it, and it also rotates with a delightful clicky noise so you can use it at almost any angle. It should work best with mirrors, glass and metal surfaces — and hopefully the suction is powerful enough.

Everything else from IFA 2026

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