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In photos: The best and the rest of IFA 2018

By James Holloway
September 03, 2018
In photos: The best and the rest of IFA 2018
What we saw from the floor at IFA 2018
What we saw from the floor at IFA 2018
View 56 Images
"That's a garish looking watch," we thought when we first set eyes on Sony's Fes Watch U. That was before we realized the strap was an e-ink display, just like the watch's face. We called it an eye-opener in our wearables round-up, and it was certainly one of the stand-out devices at this year's IFA .
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"That's a garish looking watch," we thought when we first set eyes on Sony's Fes Watch U. That was before we realized the strap was an e-ink display, just like the watch's face. We called it an eye-opener in our   wearables round-up, and it was certainly one of the stand-out devices at this year's IFA .
The award for best light shades on display goes to… Soundmaster, as you'd expect from an audio company
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The award for best light shades on display goes to… Soundmaster, as you'd expect from an audio company
Sennheiser's newly revealed Momentum True Wireless speakers go head to head with Apple's AirPods at the premium end of the wireless in-ear headphones market – and they're a mighty offering. Read more about them in our hands on from the floor
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Sennheiser's newly revealed Momentum True Wireless speakers go head to head with Apple's AirPods at the premium end of the wireless in-ear headphones market – and they're a mighty offering. Read more about them in our  hands on from the floor
Panasonic put some of its old hardware on display, including the NV-8800 "Mac Lord" – the world's first VHS recorder from 1977
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Panasonic put some of its old hardware on display, including the NV-8800 "Mac Lord" – the world's first VHS recorder from 1977
Lenovo's new Yoga Book C930 was on show at IFA, which we thought might make a compelling device for those on the road. See more in our Lenovo's laptop announcements overview.
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Lenovo's new Yoga Book C930 was on show at IFA, which we thought might make a compelling device for those on the road. See more in our Lenovo's laptop announcements overview.
There were a number of 8K TVs on show this year. This 98-inch concept from Vestel was the biggest we saw, though it didn't seem to be showing 8K content. And disappointingly, despite several attempts, we couldn't catch anyone from Vestel who could tell us anything else about it
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There were a number of 8K TVs on show this year. This 98-inch concept from Vestel was the biggest we saw, though it didn't seem to be showing 8K content. And disappointingly, despite several attempts, we couldn't catch anyone from Vestel who could tell us anything else about it
Sharp also had an 8K screen on display
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Sharp also had an 8K screen on display
There's no escaping Fortnite at the moment – and certainly not at IFA
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There's no escaping Fortnite at the moment – and certainly not at IFA
These dancers made the most of Segway's Drift W1 e-Skates. Us less so. Read more in our ride on
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These dancers made the most of Segway's Drift W1 e-Skates. Us less so. Read more in our ride on
Back at Sony's booth, a number of waif-like models were on display, ostensibly for passers by to snap with Sony's testable range of DSLR cameras. A bit weird, to say the least
10/56
Back at Sony's booth, a number of waif-like models were on display, ostensibly for passers by to snap with Sony's testable range of DSLR cameras. A bit weird, to say the least
TechDen, designed to limit children's access to gadgets, was one of the more interesting novelties at IFA this year. See our write-up for more details
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TechDen, designed to limit children's access to gadgets, was one of the more interesting novelties at IFA this year. See our write-up for more details
This Jimu robot kit assumed a familiar guise…
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This Jimu robot kit assumed a familiar guise…
We were very impressed with both the sound quality and noise-cancelling capability of Sony's WH-1000XM3 headphones. Read more in our story
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We were very impressed with both the sound quality and noise-cancelling capability of Sony's WH-1000XM3 headphones. Read more in our story
Meanwhile, Ubtech's Alpha 1E bots put on a synchronized dance show
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Meanwhile, Ubtech's Alpha 1E bots put on a synchronized dance show
Robot vacuum cleaners where a theme at IFA once again. This was Neato's stand
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Robot vacuum cleaners where a theme at IFA once again. This was Neato's stand
The $1,500 Temi personal robot put on an impressive demo. See our account from the floor
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The $1,500 Temi personal robot put on an impressive demo. See our account from the floor
Despite their modest size, we were impressed by the sound put out by Libratone's Alexa-ready Zipp 2, pictured here alongside the Zipp Mini 2
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Despite their modest size, we were impressed by the sound put out by Libratone's Alexa-ready Zipp 2, pictured here alongside the Zipp Mini 2
We were able to get our hands on Sony's new XZ3 flagship phone
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We were able to get our hands on Sony's new XZ3 flagship phone
Unsurprisingly, Samsung's 8K QLED TV impressed in the flesh. Here's our report on Samsung's new offering
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Unsurprisingly, Samsung's 8K QLED TV impressed in the flesh. Here's our report on Samsung's new offering
At their press events, a number of the hardware giants had executives stand in front of giant screens with "5G" written on them, despite having nothing concrete to announce
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At their press events, a number of the hardware giants had executives stand in front of giant screens with "5G" written on them, despite having nothing concrete to announce
Polaroid's new analog instant camera pairs with a smart phone app – a comparatively modest device, but perhaps one of the most desirable on show. Here's our overview
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Polaroid's new analog instant camera pairs with a smart phone app – a comparatively modest device, but perhaps one of the most desirable on show. Here's our overview
Sony's aside, the bigger press events seemed to insist on intermittently dazzling their audiences with swirling spot lights, which was most unwelcome
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Sony's aside, the bigger press events seemed to insist on intermittently dazzling their audiences with swirling spot lights, which was most unwelcome
Acer's OJO 500 Windows Mixed Reality headset can look a little like a torture device from the inside, but it was one of the most interesting bits of tech on show this year
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Acer's OJO 500 Windows Mixed Reality headset can look a little like a torture device from the inside, but it was one of the most interesting bits of tech on show this year
And needless to say we leapt at the chance to go hands-on with Thronos, Acer's haptic gaming chair
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And needless to say we leapt at the chance to go hands-on with Thronos, Acer's haptic gaming chair
Acer got IFA off to a racing start with its host of announcements – the Predator Triton 900 gaming laptop among them
25/56
Acer got IFA off to a racing start with its host of announcements – the Predator Triton 900 gaming laptop among them
What we saw from the floor at IFA 2018
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What we saw from the floor at IFA 2018
LG perhaps stole the show so far as floor displays went, thanks to its walk-through OLED experience
27/56
LG perhaps stole the show so far as floor displays went, thanks to its walk-through OLED experience
Sharp Pininfarina’s hydrogen-fueled supercar was on hand to lend, er, Sharp's TVs a veneer of "premiumness and innovation"
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Sharp Pininfarina’s hydrogen-fueled supercar was on hand to lend, er, Sharp's TVs a veneer of "premiumness and innovation"
"That's a garish looking watch," we thought when we first set eyes on Sony's Fes Watch U. That was before we realized the strap was an e-ink display, just like the watch's face. We called it an eye-opener in our wearables round-up, and it was certainly one of the stand-out devices at this year's IFA .
29/56
"That's a garish looking watch," we thought when we first set eyes on Sony's Fes Watch U. That was before we realized the strap was an e-ink display, just like the watch's face. We called it an eye-opener in our   wearables round-up, and it was certainly one of the stand-out devices at this year's IFA .
The award for best light shades on display goes to… Soundmaster, as you'd expect from an audio company
30/56
The award for best light shades on display goes to… Soundmaster, as you'd expect from an audio company
Sennheiser's newly revealed Momentum True Wireless speakers go head to head with Apple's AirPods at the premium end of the wireless in-ear headphones market – and they're a mighty offering. Read more about them in our hands on from the floor
31/56
Sennheiser's newly revealed Momentum True Wireless speakers go head to head with Apple's AirPods at the premium end of the wireless in-ear headphones market – and they're a mighty offering. Read more about them in our  hands on from the floor
Panasonic put some of its old hardware on display, including the NV-8800 "Mac Lord" – the world's first VHS recorder from 1977
32/56
Panasonic put some of its old hardware on display, including the NV-8800 "Mac Lord" – the world's first VHS recorder from 1977
Lenovo's new Yoga Book C930 was on show at IFA, which we thought might make a compelling device for those on the road. See more in our Lenovo's laptop announcements overview.
33/56
Lenovo's new Yoga Book C930 was on show at IFA, which we thought might make a compelling device for those on the road. See more in our Lenovo's laptop announcements overview.
There were a number of 8K TVs on show this year. This 98-inch concept from Vestel was the biggest we saw, though it didn't seem to be showing 8K content. And disappointingly, despite several attempts, we couldn't catch anyone from Vestel who could tell us anything else about it
34/56
There were a number of 8K TVs on show this year. This 98-inch concept from Vestel was the biggest we saw, though it didn't seem to be showing 8K content. And disappointingly, despite several attempts, we couldn't catch anyone from Vestel who could tell us anything else about it
Sharp also had an 8K screen on display
35/56
Sharp also had an 8K screen on display
There's no escaping Fortnite at the moment – and certainly not at IFA
36/56
There's no escaping Fortnite at the moment – and certainly not at IFA
These dancers made the most of Segway's Drift W1 e-Skates. Us less so. Read more in our ride on
37/56
These dancers made the most of Segway's Drift W1 e-Skates. Us less so. Read more in our ride on
Back at Sony's booth, a number of waif-like models were on display, ostensibly for passers by to snap with Sony's testable range of DSLR cameras. A bit weird, to say the least
38/56
Back at Sony's booth, a number of waif-like models were on display, ostensibly for passers by to snap with Sony's testable range of DSLR cameras. A bit weird, to say the least
TechDen, designed to limit children's access to gadgets, was one of the more interesting novelties at IFA this year. See our write-up for more details
39/56
TechDen, designed to limit children's access to gadgets, was one of the more interesting novelties at IFA this year. See our write-up for more details
This Jimu robot kit assumed a familiar guise…
40/56
This Jimu robot kit assumed a familiar guise…
We were very impressed with both the sound quality and noise-cancelling capability of Sony's WH-1000XM3 headphones. Read more in our story
41/56
We were very impressed with both the sound quality and noise-cancelling capability of Sony's WH-1000XM3 headphones. Read more in our story
Meanwhile, Ubtech's Alpha 1E bots put on a synchronized dance show
42/56
Meanwhile, Ubtech's Alpha 1E bots put on a synchronized dance show
Robot vacuum cleaners where a theme at IFA once again. This was Neato's stand
43/56
Robot vacuum cleaners where a theme at IFA once again. This was Neato's stand
The $1,500 Temi personal robot put on an impressive demo. See our account from the floor
44/56
The $1,500 Temi personal robot put on an impressive demo. See our account from the floor
Despite their modest size, we were impressed by the sound put out by Libratone's Alexa-ready Zipp 2, pictured here alongside the Zipp Mini 2
45/56
Despite their modest size, we were impressed by the sound put out by Libratone's Alexa-ready Zipp 2, pictured here alongside the Zipp Mini 2
We were able to get our hands on Sony's new XZ3 flagship phone
46/56
We were able to get our hands on Sony's new XZ3 flagship phone
Unsurprisingly, Samsung's 8K QLED TV impressed in the flesh. Here's our report on Samsung's new offering
47/56
Unsurprisingly, Samsung's 8K QLED TV impressed in the flesh. Here's our report on Samsung's new offering
At their press events, a number of the hardware giants had executives stand in front of giant screens with "5G" written on them, despite having nothing concrete to announce
48/56
At their press events, a number of the hardware giants had executives stand in front of giant screens with "5G" written on them, despite having nothing concrete to announce
Polaroid's new analog instant camera pairs with a smart phone app – a comparatively modest device, but perhaps one of the most desirable on show. Here's our overview
49/56
Polaroid's new analog instant camera pairs with a smart phone app – a comparatively modest device, but perhaps one of the most desirable on show. Here's our overview
Sony's aside, the bigger press events seemed to insist on intermittently dazzling their audiences with swirling spot lights, which was most unwelcome
50/56
Sony's aside, the bigger press events seemed to insist on intermittently dazzling their audiences with swirling spot lights, which was most unwelcome
Acer's OJO 500 Windows Mixed Reality headset can look a little like a torture device from the inside, but it was one of the most interesting bits of tech on show this year
51/56
Acer's OJO 500 Windows Mixed Reality headset can look a little like a torture device from the inside, but it was one of the most interesting bits of tech on show this year
And needless to say we leapt at the chance to go hands-on with Thronos, Acer's haptic gaming chair
52/56
And needless to say we leapt at the chance to go hands-on with Thronos, Acer's haptic gaming chair
Acer got IFA off to a racing start with its host of announcements – the Predator Triton 900 gaming laptop among them
53/56
Acer got IFA off to a racing start with its host of announcements – the Predator Triton 900 gaming laptop among them
What we saw from the floor at IFA 2018
54/56
What we saw from the floor at IFA 2018
LG perhaps stole the show so far as floor displays went, thanks to its walk-through OLED experience
55/56
LG perhaps stole the show so far as floor displays went, thanks to its walk-through OLED experience
Sharp Pininfarina’s hydrogen-fueled supercar was on hand to lend, er, Sharp's TVs a veneer of "premiumness and innovation"
56/56
Sharp Pininfarina’s hydrogen-fueled supercar was on hand to lend, er, Sharp's TVs a veneer of "premiumness and innovation"
View gallery - 56 images

In the spare moments between near back-to-back press events we managed to grab a few snaps from the floor at IFA this year. Here's a photo round-up of the show, from the heavy hitters who most impressed like Sony and Acer to specialist tech firms and a few unknown outsiders. Robots, 8K displays, bleeding-edge audio gear and gaming hardware were very much the order of the day. Have a wander through our gallery to see what we saw.

View gallery - 56 images

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James Holloway
James writes about science and technology from his home in rural East Anglia. Whether it's the internet, nature, video games or AI, he pays particular heed to the flash points between culture, society and the planet.

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