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•TECHNOLOGY
Tech & Startup Desk
Photo: iRobot press release
Europe’s biggest consumer technology show has opened in Berlin with manufacturers displaying a new generation of experimental phones, robot cleaners, expandable laptops, and increasingly intelligent home devices.
IFA 2026 is running at Messe Berlin from September 4 to 8 under the theme “The future is now”, bringing together global technology companies and products spanning computing, entertainment, and the smart home.
Among the more unusual devices shown at the event is Tecno’s bezel-less concept phone, which wraps the edges of a 6.78-inch OLED display beneath its metal frame to almost eliminate the visible border around the screen. Lenovo, meanwhile, demonstrated its ThinkBook Project Swan, a 14-inch laptop whose flexible OLED display can expand horizontally to 17 inches.
Robot cleaning is also becoming more ambitious. iRobot unveiled the Roomba Duo concept, which combines a larger vacuum-and-mop machine with a smaller robot carried on top. The smaller unit can be deployed into areas that the main cleaner cannot reach, with both devices using a shared map of the home to coordinate their work.
Elsewhere, Oukitel showed a laptop with a solar panel built into its lid, while Anker introduced sleep earbuds capable of monitoring measurements including heart rate and sleep quality. Philips Hue demonstrated its Liane 360-degree rope lighting, designed to spread adjustable light in every direction rather than expose individual LEDs.
The show also reflects manufacturers’ continued experimentation with products that sit somewhere between familiar categories. Acer has revived the Packard Bell name for a new laptop and accessories, while its DualPlay Mini concept turns a handheld Windows gaming device into a miniature computer by repositioning its screen over a keyboard. TCL, meanwhile, is combining smartphone and e-reader ideas in its Nxtpaper P80 Ultra.
