Events

Huawei Mate S: The Frankenphone

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Huawei’s biggest announcement at IFA 2015 is the Huawei Mate S – a 5.5-inch smartphone headlined by… wait for it… Force Touch.

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Yes, the same Force Touch first seen on the Apple Watch which has also made its way to the MacBook and is rumored to appear on the Cupertino company’s next iPhone. In case you need a reminder, Force Touch is a feature that allows you to feel a sensation despite the display being just a flat surface. Varying levels of pressure prompts a different command. One should note though that Force Touch on the Mate S will only come with its 128GB variant.

Flip the phone over and you’d think you’re looking at an HTC One M9, except there’s a Huawei logo on the lower part. In a recent video on GadgetMatch we talked about a ‘Frankenphone’, and Mate S could very well be it seeing as how it took the best out of other phones and tried to make them all work together.

huawei-watch

Huawei also joins the wearables battle with the Huawei Watch. A luxurious-looking smartwatch that runs Android Wear OS. Like the Gear S2, it also sports a round design and actually looks like a traditional watch.

It starts at $349 (P16,325) but the classier looking gold-model will burn your pocket at $799 (P37,374). Yikes!

Something it has going for is that it will work with both Android and iOS devices. It comes with a wireless fast-charging dock that should get you to about 80 percent battery life in 45 minutes. Note though that the Huawei Watch doesn’t have NFC and lacks GPS tracking. If those aren’t deal breakers for you then lookout for the watch as it becomes available on September 17.

[irp posts=”1342″ name=”Huawei’s MateBook is a PC that looks and feels like a tablet”]

IFA 2026

LG’s AI Home vision comes to life at IFA 2026 with innovative showcase

For a smarter, more connected experience

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LG Electronics went all-out at IFA 2026, showcasing various offerings across different portfolios to highlight its AI Home vision of a smarter and more connected experience.

LG presented the next evolution of this AI Home vision, with focus on bringing together AI-powered appliances for a connected experience.

Visitors at IFA 2026 were able to explore LG’s immersive AI Home spaces, spanning living, kitchen, and rest zones.

For its 2026 LG AI TV lineup, the company highlighted its new α11 AI Processor Gen3, the most powerful AI TV engine yet.

This drives LG’s refined picture quality-enhancing technologies. This processor brings advanced picture quality enhancements to LG’s ultra-large Micro RGB evo TVs.

The processor features faster, more precise video processing with a 5.6-fold improvement in NPU performance, plus improvements in CPU and GPU capabilities.

The 2026 AI TV lineup also incorporates a number of user-centric AI features, including Voice ID, A Chatbot, and AI Concierge.

Immersive media entertainment offerings featured the LG OLED evo AI. But at the center of the Media Entertainment Zone is the Wallpaper OLED TV with True Wireless called the LG OLED W6.

LG is also expanding its gaming monitor offerings with the world’s first UltraGear monitor supporting both FHD resolution and a 1,000Hz refresh rate.

AI Home vision

At the heart of the AI Home vision is the newly-introduced ThinQ Claw. This new text chat-based AI agent experience further enriches and expands the company’s AI Home offering.

ThinQ Claw interprets updates shared by the user within the context of their personal life. This enables the agent to recommend or help initiate appropriate actions aligned with personal preferences.

All interactions are protected by the LG Shield security framework which helps protect connected appliances, services, and customer data.

Moreover, the AI Home Zone highlighted Homey, a smart home platform developed by Athom, which LG acquired in 2024.

Homey allows users to manage diverse products from different manufacturers and service providers in one place.

Innovation in tune with you

Speaking of AI Home, LG showcased actual offerings to help visitors visualize the connected ecosystem better.

At the booth entrance is the LG AI Orchestra which unfolds a 16-meter by 4-meter kinetic LED installation, where LG CLOiD serves as conductor of a connected ecosystem.

In the AI Home Zone, there’s the LG ThinQ ON AI home hub and LG ThinQ platform, alongside the expanded Fit & Max Solution.

The Energy Leadership Zone also put the spotlight on LG’s high-efficiency core technologies for its appliances.

There’s the Dual Inverter Heat Pump and inverter compressor solutions. The exhibit included a washing machine that uses up to 70% less energy.

High-efficiency refrigerators, dryers, and dishwashers designed to deliver strong performance while using fewer energy resources were also displayed.

LG SIGNATURE, Fit & Max lines

At LG’s more premium experience area, the LG SIGNATURE refrigerator was the center of attention.

This refrigerator brings LLM-based conversational AI to premium kitchens, offering a look at the expanding role of AI appliances as part of LG’s AI Home vision.

A 6.8-inch LCD display also supports LG’s AI-powered cooling management.

Another next-generation LG SIGNATURE offering is the Downdraft Hood kitchen hood, which captures smoke and odors directly at the cooking surface.

Optimized airflow and motor control then support effective extraction with quiet operation.

Other refrigerators include the LG Fit & Max French-door refrigerator with a Zero Clearance design.

This features Dual FRESHConverter+ for optimized food preservation, with independently controlled compartments that can be set to different preset temperature modes.

Also under the Fit & Max portfolio is the Fit & Max dishwasher which combines a seamless built-in design with a 1-Hour Wash & Dry cycle for efficient everyday use.

It uses QuadWash Pro for micro-bubbles to help detergent penetrate food residue. Hybrid Air Dry, meanwhile, improves air circulation to shorten drying time.

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IFA 2026

Xiaomi makes IFA debut, showcasing ‘Human x Car x Home’ ecosystem

Xiaomi continues to invest in AI for everyday experiences

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Xiaomi officially made its debut at IFA 2026 in Berlin, Germany with over 3,300 square meters of exhibition space.

The company brought together more than 380 products, forward-looking technologies, and real-world demonstrations.

The exhibition was organized around three major areas: AI Tomorrow, AI Today, and “Human x Car x Home”. Together, these areas took visitors from future-facing concepts to intelligent experiences that are readily available.

The entire showcase also demonstrates how AI can coordinate devices and services across different environments to create more intuitive everyday life experiences.

AI Tomorrow, for instance, explores the future of intelligent mobility through Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo. This highlighted new possibilities at the intersection of automotive design, performance technology, and digital experiences.

AI Today, meanwhile, showcased the Xiaomi SU7 Max and home environments. These included the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and study areas. The section demonstrated how AI can coordinate personal devices, cars, and smart home products around everyday scenarios.

Moreover, Xiaomi’s “Human x Car x Home” portfolio brings together more than 380 products across seven categories:

  • cooking and food storage
  • home cleaning
  • air management
  • audiovisual entertainment
  • safety and security
  • personal devices
  • smart mobility

The smart ecosystem is a user-centered intelligent ecosystem that connects such products. They use AI and Xiaomi HyperOS to enable devices and services to work together across the entire ecosystem.

Mijia expands in Europe

At IFA 2026, Xiaomi also announced the large-scale expansion of its smart home brand, Mijia, in Europe.

The brand brings together human-centric intelligence, proven quality, and essential design to create smart home experiences that feel more natural, intuitive, and dependable.

Mijia currently covers over 2,000 products across more than 130 product categories, all connected through a shared ecosystem.

Advancing AI, investing in long-term R&D

As AI continues to evolve, Xiaomi believes AI should go beyond just answering questions on the screen and understand real-world context better.

The aforementioned ecosystem provides an important foundation for this transition. By connecting multiple devices around the same user, the ecosystem provides a foundation for AI to understand context across different scenarios and coordinate multiple devices to complete tasks.

This core concept was showcased in detail at IFA through real-world scenarios involving simple tasks.

Furthermore, Xiaomi is investing more than EUR 24 billion for global R&D from 2026 to 2030, recognizing the importance of the European market.

This investment spans AI, OS, in-house semiconductor capabilities, smart vehicles, robotics, and smart manufacturing.

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IFA 2026

TCL showcases expanding AI technologies at IFA 2026

For a more connected living environment

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TCL showcased its expanding lineup of AI technologies at IFA 2026. These offerings span the home entertainment, mobile devices, smart appliances, and connected living solutions areas.

TCL also showcased its TCL NXTHOME vision of bringing smart displays, home appliances, and intelligent design into a complete living environment.

Included in the showcase is the flagship TCL X11L SQD-Mini LED TV. This TV is powered by a Super Mini LED Backlight, Super QLED layer, and the WHVA 2.0 Ultra Panel. It is also paired with Audio by Bang & Olufsen.

Alongside this is the TCL X3A OLED+ Gaming Monitor which brings high-contrast and dual-mode ultra-high refresh rates to gaming.

For audio, there’s the TCL Q95K Soundbar which creates a more immersive environment with an 11.1.4-channel audio.

Onto smaller screens, TCL presented the TCL P80 Series smartphone for the first time. This series is headlined by the TCL P80 Ultra, which combines a 50MP 3x periscope telephoto camera, 1.5K display, and a slim, lightweight design for everyday use.

Devices under the series feature TCL’s NXTPAPER technology. It is also used on the TCL TAB A1 Plus NXTPAPER, which brings a paper-like viewing experience to a 12.2-inch display.

When it comes to smart appliances, TCL also brought the TCL FreshIN 3.0 Ultra air conditioner for a closer look.

This AC delivers efficient performance, Smart Voice Control, and real-time air-quality monitoring.

There’s also the TCL AI SuperDrum Laundry Tower P9 Ultra which uses Generative AI Wash to sense load size, fabric type, and dirt level before automatically adjusting water temperature, detergent dosage, and cycle time. This makes the wash session more optimal.

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