What to expect at IFA 2024: New Intel laptops, the thinnest foldable phone and a flying car

IFA 2024 is just around the corner, and this looks set to be one of the bigger editions of Berlin’s big consumer tech bash — including an AI laptop landslide, a breakthrough in kitchen tech and even a flying car. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised given it's the 100-year anniversary of the convention!

There are many other innovations to look out for, such as new TVs, headphones and wearables. We’ll be sure to check all of these out, but if I had to pick five key things I’m most excited about witnessing, these would fit the bill.

Lunar Lake aims for the moon

Several of the key announcements are basically set in stone by this point, and one that is for certain is the launch of Intel Core Ultra 200 series chips — codenamed Lunar Lake. The second gen AI CPUs will bring Intel in line with Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC standards.

Unveiled at Computex 2024 and subsequently leaked up the wazoo, Lunar Lake will feature 14 different chip options. These will range from those that pack more efficiency cores and slower speeds for better battery life (look for a T at the end of those names) to the absolute speed demons that can run at up to 5.4GHz (look for a K or KF).

And true to the Copilot+ lineage, the NPUs on board will offer up to 48 Trillion Operations Per Second (TOPs) of AI performance. That’s a big jump from the 11.5 TOPs found in the current Intel Core Ultra chips.

For IFA, we’re going to get an answer to one key question — what new laptops will use these chipsets? Currently, the likes of Samsung, Acer and MSI are confirmed to be in Berlin, but expect more to come out of the woodwork as we get closer to Intel’s livestream on Tuesday, September 3 at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 5 p.m. BST.

But wait! Qualcomm is waiting in the wings with a rumored release of a new top-of-the-line Snapdragon X Elite chip and a mid-range X Plus. With the company hosting its own live stream on Wednesday, September 4 at 7 a.m. ET / 4 a.m. PT / noon BST you won’t have to wait long to see whether Arm outdoes x86 once again.

A shockingly skinny foldable

The news is already out there, but we’re going to get the official launch of Honor’s Magic V3 — officially the thinnest foldable phone you will be able to buy at just 0.36 inches. That’s so much slimmer than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and even the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold !

And the Magic V3 doesn’t even skimp on the specs to get there, as it features a 6.43-inch cover display and a fold-out 8-inch panel. Camera-wise, you’re getting five snappers, and the 5,150mAh battery is made using silicon carbon to fit more capacity into its slim aluminum frame with steel hinge.

So on paper, Honor seems well on the way to cracking the case on making a foldable phone as thin as your typical slab. We can’t wait to try it in person.

The wireless kitchen

If there is one thing IFA is known for, it’s the constant innovations in smart home tech. Whether it’s stylish lighting from the likes of Nanoleaf and Govee, or nifty new home appliances and robot vacuums from companies like Samsung and Electrolux, we’re expecting to see a whole host of new tech in this category.

But what I’m most excited about is in the kitchen, and it may sound a little boring when I say it's a specification coming from the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). But let me explain.

The WPC has been talking a big game about the Ki Cordless Kitchen standard for a while now — basically taking a similar approach to its Qi 2 phone charging standard, but turning an entire kitchen countertop into a surface that can power any appliance on top of it without a cable.

As someone who’s used to the chaos of cables behind your slow cooker, air fryer and toaster oven in the corner will know how big this could be. And we will be able to demo it at the big launch in Berlin.

AI in everything

CES 2024 was about AI, Computex 2024 was about AI, and I have no doubt that AI will play a big part in this year’s IFA festivities too. We already know some key AI-related announcements — Lunar Lake laptops that pack the NPU for all your AI capabilities, and Honor’s latest phone, tablet and notebook coming with AI at heart.

But what else are we expecting to see at IFAi? Well, building on what I mentioned above, it’s going to be around how AI can enrich the home. For example, LG will bring a slew of new AI-infused appliances (named "Affectionate Intelligence," which I’ll be honest, kinda scares me). Expect many more appliances getting even smarter in Berlin.

A flying car!?

Remember when flying cars were a thing of science fiction? Well, Alef Aeronautics looks set to show one off that may enter production at the end of 2025. Named the Alef Model A, CEO Jim Dukhovny is going to give a keynote speech all about the innovations at play here to make this two-seater actually fly.

Now before you get too excited, unfortunately we can’t actually drive (...or fly) it. Only a stationary model will be present — very much on the ground. However, footage of the car in action will be shown (much to the excitement of the roughly 2,900 people who preordered). This could be the future of transportation, and we’re keen to find out more!

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