What to expect at IFA 2019, Europe’s enormous tech show - Digital Trends

Tomorrow, the world’s leading manufacturers will take to the stage at IFA 2019 in Berlin, Germany, to showcase their latest innovations. Here’s what you need to know about this year’s show, including when it’s set to start, how long it will run for, where it’s held, the schedule, and all the devices we’re expecting to see unveiled by the likes of LG, Sony, Samsung, and more.

First off, the Internationale Funkausstellung — otherwise known as IFA — is an annual public trade show at the Messe Berlin, where brands come together to show off everything from refrigerators and microwaves to smartphones and tablets. Seriously, whether you’re into voice-controlled washing machines or 120-inch 8K TVs, there’s something for everyone at IFA.

IFA 2019 will run from September 6 through September 11, with most of the big announcements — such as the revamped Samsung Galaxy Fold — scheduled to take place at invite-only events on September 4 and 5. While we don’t know what each company has up its sleeve, we do have a pretty good idea of what to expect thanks to the wonder that is the rumor mill.

IFA 2019 schedule

September 4

~~Acer — 10:30am CEST / 4:30am EDT / 12:30am PST~~
Asus — 1:00pm CEST / 7:00am EDT / 3:00am PST
Amazon — 7:00pm CEST / 1:00pm EDT / 9:00am PST

September 5

LG — 10:00am CEST / 4:00am EDT / 12:00am PST
Samsung — 11:00am CEST / 5:00am EDT / 1:00am PST
Philips — 12:00pm CEST / 6:00am EDT / 2:00am PST
Sony — 1:00pm CEST / 7:00am EDT / 3:00am PST
TCL — 2:30pm CEST / 8:30am EDT / 4:30am PST
Toshiba — 4:00pm CEST / 10:00am EDT / 6:00am PST
Sharp — 4:00pm CEST / 10:00am EDT / 6:00am PST

September 6

LG Mobile — 10:00am CEST / 4:00am EDT / 12:00am PST
Huawei — 10:30am CEST / 4:30am EDT / 12:30am PST

Acer at IFA 2019

Acer was the first manufacturer to take to the stage in Berlin ahead of IFA 2019 and it didn’t disappoint, announcing a revised Predator Triton 500 gaming laptop with a ludicrous 300Hz refresh rate, a new ConceptD line of devices, including the Microsoft Surface Studio-esque RTX Studio ConceptD 9 Pro, refreshed models of the Swift 3 and Swift 5, and more.

Asus at IFA 2019

Asus has refreshed its ZenBook models at IFA for as long as we can remember, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case at IFA 2019; the firm announced a new line of ZenBook models in May, alongside the Zenfone 6. As such, it’s unclear what the manufacturer is hiding behind the curtain, but we’re betting on a new ROG gaming machine or something similar.

BMW at IFA 2019

BMW is long said to be showcasing an autonomous vehicle with 5G baked in at IFA 2019. Unfortunately, little is known about the car and when it will be unveiled, but it wouldn’t be the first time a car was showcased at IFA — Mercedes showcased the remodelled interior it debuted in the new A-Class at IFA 2018. So we’ll have to wait and see what the automaker has to offer.

LG at IFA 2019

LG was out in full force at CES 2019, introducing a 77-inch 8K OLED 4K TV, so we’re expecting a more subtle appearance at IFA 2019. The bulk of the rumors we’ve heard to date hint at a smartphone-centric showcase, including at least one new Dual Screen handset and two mid-range devices. We should also see some brand new 4K Ultra HD Cinebeam projectors.

Huawei at IFA 2019

Nobody really knows what Huawei will do at IFA 2019 now that it has started sending out invitations to an event it’s holding in Munich on September 19, where it will announce the Huawei Mate 30 and Huawei Mate 30 Pro, but one thing is for certain: It will still have a huge presence at IFA. Some have said it will launch the Kirin 990, while others think we could see a 5G TV (or both).

OnePlus at IFA 2019

While OnePlus doesn’t have an event scheduled for IFA 2019, there has been some chatter claiming the much-anticipated OnePlus TV will be showcased behind closed doors at the conference. If that’s the case, you can bet your bottom dollar that a leaked picture here and a titbit there will surface soon thereafter, as the dark underbelly of the industry look to make a quick buck.

Panasonic at IFA 2019

A frequent sponsor of IFA, Panasonic has one of the largest presences at the show, and we can’t see that changing anytime soon. Typically, it uses IFA as a platform to showcase a stunning new television that never quite makes its way to the United States. But that doesn’t mean we can’t stare in awe, right? On the bright side, TCL should have something neat in store for us.

Samsung at IFA 2019

Having unveiled a 98-inch 8K TV at CES 2019 in January, the Galaxy Note 10 in August, and the Galaxy S11 slated for February 2020, Samsung likely doesn’t have much left for IFA 2019. That said, we’ve heard from some of our trusted sources that it will use the gathering as an excuse to show off the revised Galaxy Fold (dubbed Galaxy Fold 2.0) to the masses in attendance.

Sonos at IFA 2019

If Sonos were a ship, the number of leaks it has had would have sunk it. To that end, we don’t have to wonder what the audio titan is bringing to IFA 2019 — we already know. It’s a Bluetooth speaker with AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, and USB Type-C. It also has Auto Trueplay, can be connected to other Sonos hardware, and comes with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to boot.

Sharp at IFA 2019

There’s no need to speculate: Sharp has confirmed that it will be announcing a huge 120-inch 8K TV at IFA 2019. Granted, it’s not the largest 8K TV in the world (that would be Samsung’s 292-inch The Wall Luxury), but it is the most sizeable LCD TV thus far. The manufacturer also added that the television incorporates 5G … to draw more detail from artwork. Useful, huh?

Sony at IFA 2019

Sony is about as unpredictable as can be when it comes to IFA, having used the show to announce everything from headphones to smartphones in the past. At IFA 2019, we should see a new phone — presumed to be the Xperia 2 — a new 4K TV, and maybe even a new version of the 1000X headphone (the WH-1000XM3 was launched at IFA 2018). Again, we’ll have to wait and see.

TCL at IFA 2019

TCL is betting big on IFA, it seems. According to various tipsters, the Chinese manufacturer is preparing to showcase a slew of new tech at the event, including a foldable smartphone and a mini-LED TV. One also added that the company will premier a new wearable device that brings a 100-inch cinematic viewing experience to a device the size of a pair of Ray-Bans.

What else to expect at IFA 2019

Above is just a small selection of the manufacturers that will be at IFA 2019 in — Lenovo, Philips, Sennheiser, Qualcomm, and Yamaha all have events of their own scheduled to showcase their latest innovations, as do a number of other brands, and Digital Trends will be on the ground reporting live, so bookmark this page to stay up to date with all the latest IFA 2019 news.