Bovoce: August 2023

CES may rule the roost in the States, but over in Europe, it’s IFA that serves as the year’s biggest tech trade show. It means we’re likely to see plenty of product announcements, as well as showcases that’ll cast a light on where consumer tech is now and where it’s heading in the next 12 months.

This year, IFA opens its doors to the public on September 1st and runs through the weekend to September 5th. But much like CES, many companies like to make their big announcements in the days leading up to the show’s public opening. If September and October (Techtember and Techtober, if you will) are the year’s two big months for tech announcements, then IFA is their starting gun.

The Verge will be covering IFA 2023 live from Berlin, taking a firsthand look at all of the biggest launches, and you can follow along with all our coverage below. In recent years, IFA has acquired a reputation as being a big smart home trade show. Last year, it took place on the eve of Matter’s launch and was filled with companies making big promises about their support for the fledgling standard. So, alongside announcements from LG, Samsung, and Honor, expect plenty of robot vacuum cleaners, security cameras, and smart lights, as well as difficult questions about if and when Matter is going to let them effortlessly work together.

The TV neatly folded down into its suitcase.
Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge

LG’s StanbyME Go, its bizarre $999.99 27-inch suitcase TV announced for the US earlier this month, is on show in Berlin at a corner of its booth at IFA 2023.

We had a poke around the demo model being displayed on the show floor, and couldn’t find any of the games that are apparently optimized for its touchscreen. But we were able to get acquainted with its robust articulating design. The TV can be swiveled from portrait into landscape, and set at any angle from straight upwards to straight forwards.

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If 5G is a banana, what is 6G?

“It has the potential to change the world,” said Samsung at the IFA event in Berlin, without any shame.

Now where have we heard this before? Prepare the HYPErdrive!

Oh, Samsung.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
I love the smell of IFA in the morning.

The sun’s shining, the IFA flags are fluttering, and the announcements are in full swing. We’ve got a packed day ahead of us in Berlin, but here are some highlights of the biggest stories so far:

JBL has announced new speakers that offer simultaneous access to Alexa and Google Assistant, Philips Hue has announced new smart lights and security cameras, and Sennheiser has a new soundbar.

Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge
The Eve Play is AirPlay 2-ready.
Image: Eve

Eve announced it’s releasing a $149.95 AirPlay 2 receiver called the Eve Play — its first audio device — on November 14th. Though a little pricey, the receiver looks aimed at audiophiles: it’s got optical, coaxial, and RCA audio outputs, 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, a built-in DAC, and an ethernet port.

Eve says you can adjust latency between speakers automatically or manually using the Eve app’s Audio Sync feature if you’re finding multiroom audio isn’t perfectly synchronized. Users will need an iPhone or iPad to use it, as well as a home network to connect it to either via Wi-Fi or ethernet.

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Do the Smart Thing in the kitchen.

We’re at Samsung’s IFA 2023 press conference in Berlin, where the tech giant isn’t launching a humongous new TV... but a new app.

Samsung Food is a souped-up recipe app powered by generative AI that integrates with SmartThings and Samsung’s appliances to try and fill the gap between the idea of the smart, connected kitchen and well, the way we actually cook.

We’ve got a deeper dive coming soon.

Samsung’s smart home platform SmartThings takes center stage at the IFA 2023 press conference.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Jlab’s $39.99 Jbuds Mini are the smallest yet.

“The smallest true wireless earbud of any major headphone brand,” according to JLab, and comfortable enough to wear while sleeping. They feature Bluetooth multipoint for quick swaps between your computer and phone, with 5.5 hours of continuous playtime, or 20 hours after recharging from the case. They’re sweat-proof, and also offer a pass-through audio feature to better hear your surroundings. They only lack ANC.
The JBL Authentics 200, the smallest of the three speakers.

JBL is very proud of its new Authentics speaker range. It’s proud of the retro-inspired design, which harks back to its L-100 speakers from the 1970s. It’s proud of the sound quality (obviously) and the range of streaming services and technologies they support. But the only thing I had on my mind when I got to try one of the speakers out for myself was its ability to run Google Assistant and Alexa at the same time, and listen for each wake word simultaneously.

This isn’t the first time that the two popular voice assistants have been available on the same speaker, nor is it the first time any two voice assistants have been available simultaneously. Sonos already sells speakers that have both Google Assistant and Alexa built-in, but only one can be active at a time — you can’t have them both listening and responding to commands. Alexa can also coexist for simultaneous use with Sonos’s own Voice Control service, but not with Google Assistant.

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Anker MagGo Power Bank (10,000mAh, 15W)
Image: Anker

Anker’s newest batch of mobile power accessories includes new Qi2-equipped MagGo magnetic chargers, stations, and power banks, as well as new Nano USB-C chargers ready for any future iPhone 15 owners who might be tearing out old Lightning-equipped setups to go with their new phones and AirPods. Rumors suggest Qi2 support will be enabled with the launch of the iPhone 15 lineup, possibly enabling 15W charge speeds without Apple’s MagSafe certification.

However, Apple hasn’t confirmed its plans on that front just yet, and we’ll find out soon if other manufacturers will update their devices for Qi2 or support the spec on new phones launching later this year, like the Pixel 8 series.

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Philips Hue’s new wired indoor/outdoor security camera comes in black or white and can work as a motion sensor for Hue’s smart lighting and its new Hue Secure security system.

Philips Hue is moving into the smart home security space with the launch of Philips Hue Secure, a DIY security system that leverages new cameras and new sensors that work alongside Philips Hue’s smart lighting system to scare off potential burglars. When the system is triggered by a sensor, you can activate any compatible Hue lights to flash red or white and/or sound an alarm through the camera.

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The Philips Hue Bridge.
Image: Philips Hue

Things are looking brighter for smart home owners. After months of delays and uncertainty, the Philips Hue Bridge is finally being updated to support the new smart home standard Matter. A software update will roll out in September, letting users connect their Hue systems with other Matter devices and apps. This means that every existing Philips Hue product will now work with Matter, all the way back to their original bulbs launched in 2012.

The news was announced by Signify, which makes Philips Hue, during the IFA tech show in Berlin, along with a bevy of other updates, including the rollout of the Hue line’s first smart security cameras and a handful of new lights.

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The outer ring can create a gradient — or serve as a notification light.
Image: Aqara

Aqara is adding a bunch of new products to its smart home lineup today, one of which includes a Matter-enabled ceiling light with a pretty unique perk. With a diameter of 50cm (~19.7 inches), Aqara’s Ceiling Light T1M features a range of 16 million different colors, along with an independently addressable RGB ring on the outside.

While you can use the ring to create a gradient lighting effect, Aqara notes that it can also serve as a status indicator when linked to other smart home products. That means you can program the outer light to show a specific color when one of your other smart devices detects an issue, such as a leak or an open door.

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You’ll find no upward-firing full-range drivers on the Soundbar Mini.
Image: Sennheiser

Sennheiser’s new Ambeo Soundbar Mini is the German audio brand’s third and most affordable soundbar. At $799 (€799 / £699), it’s still an expensive AV accessory, but in the context of the company’s original $2,499.95 Ambeo Soundbar Max and $1,499.95 Ambeo Soundbar Plus, the Mini’s asking price almost looks almost entry-level in comparison (almost).

The Ambeo Soundbar Mini maintains many of the core specs of Sennheiser’s previous soundbars. It still supports a range of 3D surround sound formats like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 360 Reality Audio, and MPEG-H, it can still be paired with an utterly excessive four Sennheiser Ambeo Subs, and it still supports a full array of streaming options like Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, Chromecast built-in, and AirPlay 2.

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For just $1,699.95, you could have a glowing Dolby Atmos party speaker.

JBL announced a new wireless party speaker today as part of a host of new products, like new earbuds and new smart speakers, debuting at IFA.

The company says the PartyBox Ultimate self-tunes, has Wi-Fi 6 and LE Audio-ready Bluetooth connectivity and supports the company’s multi-speaker connection feature. Oh, and RGB lights. It has those too.
The Q8 Max is one of two new robot vacuums from Roborock. It features dual roller brushes, obstacle avoidance, and smart mapping features.
Image: Roborock

Robot vacuum manufacturer Roborock announced three new vacuum products at IFA 2023, the global tech show taking place in Berlin this week: the Q5 Pro robot vac; the Q8 Max robot vac; and the Dyad Pro Combo wet / dry stick vacuum. The new lidar-powered robot vacuums add more than double the suction power of previous models, a new and more advanced DuoRoller brush system, and more app features for a lower price. The Dyad Pro is a multifunctional upright vacuum that can convert to a stick vacuum.

Part of the company’s more affordable Q line, the Q5 Pro costs $429.99 standalone or $699.99 for the Q5 Pro Plus with an auto-empty charging dock. The Q8 Max costs $599.99 standalone or $819.99 for the Q8 Max Plus. Both are slated to go on sale in October.

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The Soundgear Sense are designed to keep you aware of your surroundings.
Image: JBL

JBL’s Soundgear Sense is a new pair of true wireless earbuds with an open design that’s meant to allow you to “hear the world around you while enjoying every beat of your favorite tracks.” JBL is announcing the earbuds alongside new Live 770NC and 670NC headphones and a new party speaker called the PartyBox Ultimate.

JBL is making the announcements during Berlin’s IFA trade show this week, where the company is also demonstrating its new Authentics-branded smart speakers, which offer simultaneous access to Alexa and Google Assistant — an industry first. The Authentics speakers and PartyBox Ultimate are coming to both the US and Europe, but the earbuds and headphones won’t release in the US until next year.

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The JBL Authentics 500 is one of three new speakers from Harman that will house Google’s Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa simultaneously.
Image: JBL

The latest retro-style smart speakers from JBL are the first to house Google’s and Amazon’s voice assistants in one place for simultaneous use — something Sonos was never able to achieve.

Announced at the IFA tech show in Berlin this week, Harman’s new JBL Authentics 200 ($329.99), Authentics 500 ($699.99), and the portable Authentics 300 ($429.99) speakers come with both Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant on board. And for the first time on any smart speaker, you can invoke either assistant at any time. This means you can ask Alexa to play your “Sounds of the ’80s” playlist and then your roommate can ask Google to stop it.

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Samsung’s smart appliances will work in LG’s ThinQ app.
Image: Samsung

The smart home is all about interoperability these days. First came Matter, making Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung play nice, and now large appliance manufacturers LG, Samsung, GE, and Vestel are going all kumbaya.

Today, at the IFA tech show in Berlin, LG and Samsung announced that before the end of 2024, their respective smart home apps will be able to control each other's appliances and TVs. So, LG’s ThinQ app can tell you when you left the door open on your Samsung Family Hub smart fridge, and Samsung’s SmartThings app can set your LG washer to delicate mode. You should also be able to control each company’s TV’s with their competitors’ apps.

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Confusingly, the 4G-only phone seems nicer than the 5G version.
Image: TCL

Is your phone screen just too darn bright and uncomfortable to look at? Do you long for the comforting matte-like finish of a page of paper as you swipe through Tinder? No? Well, TCL went and made a couple of phones to try and remedy these problems anyway. The NXTPAPER 40 and 40 5G include screens with a matte-textured finish that emphasize eye comfort with reduced blue light output, which TCL says gives them a paper-like look and feel. If nothing else, they’re a refreshing departure from the stream of unremarkable budget Android phones the brand has been putting out over the last few years.

Confusingly, the 4G-only NXTPAPER 40 includes a few more high-end touches compared to the 5G version. The NXTPAPER 40 5G uses a newer MediaTek Dimensity 6020 chipset, while the 4G-only model includes a lower-caliber Helio G88 chipset. But outside of that, the NXTPAPER 40 offers more amenities like a bigger 6.78-inch 1080p screen, 8GB of RAM, and 33W wired fast charging. It’s also compatible with an optional T-pen stylus; the 5G version isn’t. The NXTPAPER 5G has a 6.6-inch 720p screen, 6GB of RAM, and slower 15W charging. There’s good news, though: they both have a 3.5mm headphone jack.

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Image: Dolby

Dolby Atmos is about to get a whole lot more adaptable. Today, Dolby is announcing Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which it describes as “a new feature that seamlessly pairs together a TV’s sound system with accessory wireless speakers to deliver a more extensive and immersive Dolby Atmos sound experience.” Since it factors your TV speakers into the equation, FlexConnect doesn’t necessarily require a soundbar at the center of everything. TCL will become the first TV manufacturer to offer FlexConnect with its upcoming 2024 TV lineup, and it also plans to release a line of wireless speakers optimized to support the feature.

Dolby says that FlexConnect “intelligently optimizes the sound for any room layout and speaker setup, offering the freedom to place one or more wireless speakers anywhere in a room without having to worry about whether they are placed perfectly.” There’s no long setup required; Dolby will use the TV’s built-in microphones to locate and calibrate each wireless speaker in the room.

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But has it?
Photo by Fabian Sommer / Picture Alliance via Getty Images

A year ago at Berlin’s IFA tech trade show (think European CES), Verge reporter Jon Porter witnessed a Google Nest Hub control an Apple HomeKit smart plug. This “lightbulb moment for the smart home” was the first public demonstration of Matter. The new smart home standard is designed to fix the biggest issue facing tech in our homes: interoperability, and witnessing two fierce competitors in the space working together was exciting. Twelve months later, on the eve of IFA 2023, we’re still waiting for that lightbulb to turn on across the industry.

The smart home remains fragmented. Despite being developed by the biggest names in the industry — Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung, and more — Matter has yet to deliver on its main promise. You still can’t just buy a smart light bulb, screw it in, and have it work with every other smart light you have (no matter who made it) and with any ecosystem you want.

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The SwitchBot S10, the company’s first robot vacuum for the US market, brings with it some unique features.
Image: SwitchBot

Smart home robotics company SwitchBot — of robot finger fame — has come up with another ingenious solution for automating boring chores in your home. This one is a sizable leap toward a Rosie the Robot vision of a fully autonomous robot house cleaner, though without the personality. The SwitchBot S10 is a new robot vacuum and mop that autonomously drains and refills its dirty and clean water tanks using a battery-powered water station that hooks directly into your plumbing.

Combined with an auto-empty charging dock that dries the mop, the S10 is the most fully automated floor cleaner I’ve seen. You won’t need to refill its mopping tank, deal with emptying dirty water post-clean, or mess with its mops. The only dirty work you need to do is empty its dust bag after about 70 days (according to the company). Otherwise, it should trundle around your home, mopping and sweeping until the cows come home.

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