IFA 2017 preview: What to expect from Europe’s largest tech show

IFA Berlin, Europe's largest technology trade show, is scheduled to take place between September 1 and September 6, 2017. Hundreds of tech companies will be present at the event, which, every year, is the venue for numerous products launches.

We're still a couple weeks away from IFA 2017 and only a few companies have shared specific details regarding exactly which devices will be revealed at the show. However, we can make some educated guesses based on what was announced last year and the latest rumors that are making the rounds right now.

In this post, we're taking a closer look at the devices companies like Samsung, Sony, HTC, LG, and others will show off at IFA in Berlin.

On a side note, those of you interested in attending the show can already purchase tickets online. One-day tickets are currently available for €40, while two-day tickets cost €58. These prices will rise to €49 and €72 if you buy them at the event. You can get them on IFA's website via the button above.

Samsung at IFA 2017

Early reports about the Galaxy Note 8 release date suggested Samsung would go back to Berlin to launch the new S Pen device. However, it turns out the Galaxy Note 8 will keep up with its predecessors and launch in August in New York instead.

Make no mistake, though. The new Note 8 will be one of the major attractions of IFA 2017, even if it actually launches a few days before the trade show opens its doors. For most people, IFA will be the first occasion to see the Note 8 in real life, and interest in the device will be sky-high. Following the disastrous recall of the Note 7, Samsung really needs to nail the new entry in the series.

Samsung won't announce the Note 8 at IFA, but the company's large stable of devices means that there probably will be something new to talk about. Leaks point to a new wearable, the Gear Fit 2 Pro, which will feature five atmosphere water resistance, offline music playback and more.

There was also talk of a Bixby-enabled pair of wireless earbuds, similar to Apple's Airpods. It would certainly make sense for this product to launch along the Gear Fit Pro 2, but Samsung may decide to unveil it along the Note 8 instead.

Another thing worth mentioning is a possible reveal of a Bixby-powered speaker that will go head to head with the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and others. We have heard a few rumors about the device recently, so we do know that it's coming. However, based on the fact that the development of the English version of Bixby is taking longer than expected, Samsung just might launch it at a later date, possibly even in 2018.

LG at IFA 2017

Last year, LG didn't announce any new smartphones at IFA. It looks like things might be quite different this year. The company will show off the LG V30 at the show in Berlin. LG will officially announce the device during an event taking place one day before IFA officially kicks off, on August 31.

This will be the first time that LG takes the wraps off a V series smartphone at Europe's largest consumer electronics trade show. Although both the V10 and V20 were announced in September (2015 and 2016), the former made its debut in New York, while the latter was revealed at a press event in San Francisco. So why the change? Well, for one, the V30 will actually be available in Europe, unlike the V10 and V20, so it makes sense to show it off in Germany.

The LG V30 is expected to be a high-end device that will go head to head with the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 and other phablets. It's expected to feature an OLED display, the latest Snapdragon 835 chipset, a dual-camera setup on the back, a new ESS Quad DAC, and will be available in three storage variants: 32, 64, and 128 GB.

Unlike its predecessor, the V30 won't have a removable battery, likely because it will be resistant to water and dust. It will reportedly be quite different than the V20 in terms of design and is expected to look a lot like the G6. To learn more about it, check out our LG V30 rumor roundup post.

Sony at IFA 2017

Sony is expected to reveal quite a few new smartphones in Berlin. The company has already announced that its press conference will take place on August 31, a day before IFA officially starts.

According to rumors out of China, Sony might take the wraps off a bezel-less smartphone. It is expected to feature a 6-inch LCD display with 18:9 aspect ratio, similar to what we've already seen on the LG G6. Despite the fact that Sony is known for making smartphones that have large bezels, the rumor just might be true. The reason for this is that display manufacturer JDI, a joint venture comprised of Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi has already started mass-producing a "Full Active" QHD display with thin bezels. The technology is already there, so it would make sense that Sony would be the first company to use it commercially.

In addition to the bezel-less smartphone, we have also heard rumors about three upcoming Sony devices called the Xperia X1, XZ1, and the XZ1 Compact. These just might be revealed at IFA as well, although this hasn't been confirmed yet.

The XZ1 will reportedly be a high-end smartphone with a 5.2-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, and 4 GB or RAM. The XZ1 Compact is expected to feature similar hardware but will sport a smaller display measuring 4.6-inches. The Xperia X1, on the other hand, is said to be a mid-range device that will come with a 5-inch Full HD display, the Snapdragon 660 chipset, and 4 GB of RAM.

Huawei at IFA 2017

Unfortunately, the rumor mill has been pretty dry when it comes to the devices that Huawei might reveal at IFA. At last year's show, the company took the wraps off the Nova and Nova Plus. Their successors — Nova 2 and Nova 2 Plus — have already been announced in May, but they aren't available in Western markets yet. It's therefore quite possible that the company will officially launch the two devices in Europe at IFA.

We probably won't see any high-end smartphones announced by Huawei in Berlin, as the flagship P10 series was revealed in February, while the upcoming Mate 10 phablet is due to make its debut a couple of months after IFA, just like its predecessor.

HTC at IFA 2017

Back in February, HTC announced that it only plans to release six or seven smartphones this year. These will either be mid-range or high-end devices, as the company doesn't plan on launching any entry-level smartphones — the competition is too fierce and the profit margins are too thin to justify the effort.

Three of HTC's 2017 phones have already been revealed — U11, U Play, and U Ultra — which means we're expecting to see three or four more by the time 2017 comes to an end. A few of them (probably not all) just might be shown off at IFA in Berlin.

As of now, we only have a couple of details about one of the upcoming devices, the HTC U11 Life, also known as the Ocean Life. According to LlabTooFeR, it will feature a 5.2-inch display with Full HD resolution and will be powered by the Snapdragon 660 chipset. The smartphone will be equipped with two 16 MP cameras (front and rear), pack a 2,600 mAh battery, and run Android 7.1.1 Nougat with HTC's Sense 9.0 on top.

Read: Exclusive: HTC 'Ocean Life' will launch as HTC U11 Life later this year

If the Ocean Life sees the light of day before September, HTC will likely announce one of the other smartphones it has in the pipeline. The company has unveiled quite a few new devices at IFA over the last few years, and we think that this trend will continue in 2017. Last year, for example, it showed off the One A9s.

Lenovo at IFA 2017

Lenovo is the second company that has announced the date of its IFA press conference. Just like Sony, and possibly also LG, the company will reveal new devices on August 31, a day before Europe's largest tech show officially opens its doors.

As of now, there's no word on which Lenovo products will see the light of day. But based on last year, we can expect to see quite a few of them. At IFA 2016, the company unveiled the K6 series of smartphones, the Moto Z Play, the Yoga Book ultrabook, as well as a convertible touchscreen laptop called the Yoga 910.

This year, Lenovo just might announce the successors to the K6 series along with new convertible laptops and ultrabooks. However, we probably won't see any Moto smartphones at the event. The Moto Z Play successor has already been announced in June, the Moto Z2 and Z2 Force are both already official, and the Moto X4 is due on August 24.

Final thoughts

In addition to the ones mentioned above, we'll obviously see a lot of other tech companies at IFA in Berlin as well. Among these are Acer, Asus, ZTE, and Alcatel, just to name a few. All of them are expected to announce a bunch of new products, but as we're still a few months away from IFA, there's no word on what exactly can we expect to see.

Don't worry. As soon as we hear more, we'll update this post to keep you up to speed with the smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets that might be unveiled. Meanwhile, let us know which of the devices mentioned in this post are you most excited about.

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