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ZTE's Axon 7 Mini smartphone won't wow you, but it's cheap
ZTE's Axon 7 was a surprisingly good phone, which proved that the Chinese company is capable of delivering on its "affordable premium" promise. In order to capitalize on that success, ZTE is offering a cheaper, more petite version. The Axon 7 Mini will arrive stateside in October, and while US pricing hasn't been announced, it will retail in Europe for 299 euros. That's about $330, which is $70 less than the original, as well as the OnePlus 3 and Alcatel Idol 4S.
Samsung brings quantum dots to its curved gaming monitors
Samsung has announced a trio of high-end curved gaming monitors that brings its quantum dot technology to the masses. There are two devices, the CFG70, which is available in 24-and-27-inch sizes, as well as a super premium CF791 that packs a 34-inch, 3,440 x 1,400 display. The devices promise to create more immersive gaming experiences that look as good as they possibly could, although we couldn't tell that from the demo. Unfortunately, a leisurely game of FIFA Soccer is the worst way to show off a monitor that's really designed for fast-paced games like first-person shooters
Tado's new thermostat listens to Siri and Alexa
Tado is no doubt celebrating today after its thermostat was selected above all others for O2's new subscription-based smart home offering. That's by no means the only Tado news from this year's IFA, though, as the company today announced its third-generation smart thermostat. Pretty much nothing has changed from a hardware standpoint, with the main improvements being support for both Apple's HomeKit and Amazon's Echo platforms, allowing you to control your heating by talking to Siri or Alexa, respectively. IFTTT integration remains part of the feature set, and the new generation is also said to have improved energy efficiency algorithms.
We're live from IFA 2016 in Berlin!
Like every year, we are back in Berlin for Europe's biggest tech trade show, IFA. This year, as we previewed recently, expect to see many new devices from some of the usual suspects: Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, Sony and more. We've already checked out a number of fresh laptops, smartphones and wearables at the event, but that's only the beginning since the show floor doesn't open until Friday. Stay tuned, because there will be plenty of announcements to digest over the next few days. And you never know what kind of weird gadget we might find. We're live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
The Xperia XZ is the 2016 flagship phone Sony should've made first
Let's not mince words: Sony's smartphone might be on the upswing, but the company still needs a hit. With any luck, the new, unlocked Xperia XZ can change all of that. It runs with the same Snapdragon 820 and 3GB of RAM as the earlier Xperia X Performance, but Sony squeezed that horsepower into a new beautiful new body and added a few tricks for good measure.
Sony's mid-range Xperia X gets a smaller spin-off
The new Xperia XZ might be the flagship phone Sony loyalists have been waiting for, but Sony still hasn't given up on making small smartphones. That's where the Xperia X Compact comes in: It's more enticing a package than you might think, given the company's recent batch of love-em-or-hate-em devices, and it's set to land the United States on Sept. 25.
Huawei's MediaPad M3 features an 8.4-inch high-res display
Huawei didn't make the trip to IFA with just a couple of new smartphones in hand, but a new slate too. Following the company's overly ambitious attempt at a Surface-like device in the MateBook, we're back to more standard tablet fare with the MediaPad M3 announced today. As the name suggests, the hardware is particularly geared towards media consumption, boasting an 8.4-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 display, Harman Kardon-certified stereo speakers and high-resolution audio support.
Huawei returns to the mid-range with the Nova and Nova Plus
By its own admission, Huawei has been concentrating on releasing the best smartphones it possibly can so far this year -- first, with the big-screened Mate 8 and more recently the flagship P9 (and variants). That's why, at this year's IFA, Huawei is turning its attention to the slightly more affordable end of the smartphone spectrum, today announcing the new mid-range Nova and Nova Plus handsets.
HTC One A9s dons a familiar metallic design and cheaper tag
Last year we were left impressed with HTC's premium mid-range One A9 smartphone: It was a good-looking phone with great build quality and great battery life, plus it was one of the first to ship with Android Marshmallow. It was apparently so "well received" that HTC decided to release a follow-up model. The new and supposedly more affordable One A9s features a near-identical metallic design plus the same fingerprint sensor on the front, with the main aesthetic changes being the earpiece is now shorter, the proximity sensor is in the middle and the front HTC logo is gone. Eagle-eyed folks will notice that the old 5-inch 1080p AMOLED display is now just a 720p Super LCD, so it better be a noticeable price drop.
Libratone's Q Adapt headphones offer adjustable noise cancellation
One of the most prevalent rumors about the new iPhone(s) is that Apple will get rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack. Unfortunately, the options for Lightning-equipped wired headphones are still limited, but Libratone has a new model that fits that description. The company is getting into mobile audio after releasing a number of speakers, but the Q Adapt headphone line's key feature is actually the ability to adjust noise cancellation based on your environment. For example, you might want to turn it down when you're walking in a busy city when you need to hear the cues from traffic.
TomTom's new fitness tracker can analyze your body composition
Today at IFA 2016, TomTom revealed a trio of new wearables, including its first fitness tracker. Unlike other similar devices, the new TomTom Touch has one feature that particularly stands out: it can analyze your body composition. That's something you typically only see on smart scales, so it's interesting to see TomTom bring this over to a fitness tracker. Not only does the Touch show you body fat and muscle percentage, but it also monitors your heart rate continuously, as well as count your calories and steps. Pictured above, the sleek wearable will hit stores in October for $130/£130.
Sphero's Force Band, battle-worn BB-8 arrive on September 30th
Sphero is ready to start selling Force Bands -- wristwatch-like devices that will give you a way to control its BB-8 droids with a wave of the hand -- and they sure look much better than the toy-like demo unit we tested at CES. Besides being able to control the BB-8 and Sphero's other Bluetooth robots with hand gestures, the device also issues voice prompts letting you know if there are Holocrons (images of Star Wars characters) in the environment that you can collect à la Pokémon Go. They can make light saber sounds, as well, if want to reenact Rey's and Kylo Ren's duel in your living room.
HP Pavilion Wave PC looks like it's wearing a B&O speaker
Is that a speaker? Or a router? Those are questions my colleague actually asked me when I showed him my photos of the HP Pavilion Wave. He was wrong on both counts, but it's easy to see why he was confused. The Pavilion Wave is a 10-inch tall desktop that will be available September 23rd at a starting price of $550, and from my brief experience with a preview version, it'll be a beautiful, adequate addition to a modern house.
HP's Elite Slice is a modular PC that actually looks good
I think HP's completely sick of making traditional-looking desktops and is out to make them look like anything but. In addition to a PC that looks like it was shoved inside a Bang & Olufsen speaker, the computer maker also released the Elite Slice modular desktop. And it looks like a cross between Discman, a router, and a set top box. Despite that weird combination, I actually really like the Elite Slice -- not just for its looks, but also for what it does.
Bosch and Drop team up on smarter kitchen tech
Many appliance makers are forming partnerships to drag their lineups into the smart home era, but Bosch's alliance may be something special. It's teaming up with Drop (of smart scale fame) to add intelligence to kitchen devices. The two are starting modestly: if you have a Series 8 oven with Home Connect support, you can already use Drop to control the appliance as well as monitor the temperature and time. However, the companies have grander things in store.
Nubia's 'bezel-less' Z11 smartphone launches worldwide
You probably still don't know a lot about the Nubia smartphone brand if you live outside of China, but the company is bent on changing that: it's launching its latest flagship, the Z11, worldwide. The phone touts a "bezel-less" design with a 81 percent screen-to-body ratio, which both gives it a seamless effect and makes its 5.5-inch, 1080p display easier to manage in your hand. Nubia is definitely playing up the looks -- it's offering a posh black gold version (above) on top of more pedestrian gray and silver variants.
Lenovo's two new tablets include a lower-cost Surface Pro rival
Lenovo's hoopla at IFA may be focusing on its creative-minded Yoga Book, but there are two new bread-and-butter tablets that are worth your attention, too. The 12.2-inch Miix 510 is a Surface Pro-alike for people who want a reasonably speedy 2-in-1 Windows tablet, but aren't willing to pay a premium. It sports a lower-resolution display than the Miix 700 (1,920 x 1,200) and is both heavier (1.9 pounds without the keyboard attached) and thicker (0.39 inches), but it promises to be more powerful. You can have up to a 6th-generation Core i7 processor inside rather than a Core M, and up to a 1TB SSD -- if it weren't for the maximum 8GB of RAM and 7.5 hours of battery life, the new Miix could easily go toe-to-toe with Microsoft's current flagship slate. There's even optional LTE data, which has been sorely missing on the Surface Pro line.
Lenovo's Yoga Book is part tablet, part sketch pad
Let's face it: Tablets are on the brink of death, and it's difficult to get excited about a new slate these days. And even though tablet-laptop hybrids are taking off, that market is cornered by Surfaces and iPad Pros. So I wasn't prepared to be as thrilled as I was by Lenovo's latest offering. The Yoga Book, based on my experience with a preview unit, is not merely a mimicry of Microsoft's Surface Book; it has impressively innovative features and a well-thought-out interface that make it a solid hybrid in its own right.
Motorola's new Moto Z Play is cheaper, but not compromised
Well, that was fast. It's been just over a month since the Moto Z and Moto Z Force landed in the US and Motorola has already cooked up another phone to go with them. The new Moto Z Play is the last and least expensive member of the Moto Z Family, and you'll be able to nab one for yourself in the US starting on September 8. Sounds all well and good, but here's the big question: How does Motorola's modular vision scale down to more modest smartphones? Pretty well, actually.
Hasselblad reveals a MotoMod that replaces your Moto Z's camera
Remember the days before the Moto Z launched, when a mysterious camera MotoMod was leaked along with a handful of other snap-on accessories? Remember when the Z and Z Force launched, and that camera was nowhere in sight? Well, the wait is (almost) over. Motorola just revealed the fruit of its close collaboration with Hasselblad today -- the $250/£200 True Zoom -- and it's set to launch on September 15th.
