BERLIN–IFA celebrated its 100th birthday this year, and while the annual European tradeshow has long been a reliable source of innovative new tech for your abode, this year felt more jam-packed with promising smart home devices than ever. IFA exhibitors often showcase appliances and smart home tech that might not ever make it to the US, but the features in those foreign gadgets paint a picture of possibilities for our future. To that end, some of the entries here aren’t ready for the overseas markets; they’re just concepts, but they each offer bold ideas to make your home that much smarter. In no particular order, these are our favorite smart home finds from the show this year.Siemens iQ 700
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
A built-in oven with a built-in camera, the Siemens iQ 700 recognizes over 80 different dishes and will start cooking automatically on ideal settings. Toss in your frozen pizza, then just hit start and the oven will take care of the rest. Siemens has shown off the concept before, but this model recognizes more foods than past iterations and can optionally steam your food if you’re trying to get an extra crispy crust on your bread. While we’ve seen similar concepts in countertop kitchen appliances, Siemens is among the first to bring it to a full-size model. Bosch, owned by the same parent company, showed an oven with similar capabilities at the show. Neither model had concrete pricing or a release date for the US. Bosch Microplastic Filter
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
Bosch showed off a filter meant to specifically target microplastics that can be retrofitted to the company’s existing washing machines. It purportedly eliminates 97% of the pollutants from the machine’s wastewater to help make your appliance more environmentally friendly. Bosch has not announced a price or US release date for the Microplastic Filter.Bosch Indego ST 500
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
Bosch ended its press conference by showing off a robot lawn mower that can automatically plan ideal times to cut your grass based on the weather. The Indego ST 500 can also adapt based on the size and shape of your lawn and can resume where it left off if inclement weather interrupts its process. While a robot lawn mower with AI-enabled planning sounds cool, it again might not come to the US any time soon. Miele W2 and T2 Nova Editions
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
A few years ago, Miele discontinued drum ribs in its washing machines and replaced them with honeycomb drums for gentler agitation. The W2 washer goes a step further with bigger queen cells to create what Miele calls a massage effect for your clothes. The washer can also automatically detect the amount of water and energy needed for your exact amount of clothing, so you waste less when washing a small load. According to Miele, the T2 dryer can spin and work quickly enough to dry wool without matting or shrinkage. Watch for this trend of gentle care to make its way to the US soon, even if these exact models don’t. Reolink Altas PT Ultra
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
Our favorite home security camera from the show, the Reolink Altas PT Ultra offers a unique combination of features. It’s powered by a battery and can record footage continuously. Other battery-powered models only record motion-based events to save battery life, but the Altas PT Ultra’s 20,000mAh capacity can power through eight days while continuously recording for 12 hours each day, according to Reolink. The robust cam also pans 350 degrees, tilts 90 degrees, offers local storage, and can differentiate people and vehicles with its alerts. Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
Reolink isn’t the only camera maker with cool tricks at IFA. The Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro uses AI to see color at night. Lots of security cameras use IR sensors or shine a spotlight on motion to see in the dark. Aqara’s camera is smart enough to add color to the image itself, so you can look at a well-lit feed, even if the area is pitch black. It also uses AI for motion detection to determine the type of alert and will support the Matter smart home protocol for wide interoperability.Roborock QRevo Curv
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
Robot vacuums were everywhere at IFA, so you might be surprised that I’m actually showing restraint in only including four on this list. The Roborock QRevo Curv tops the list with a feature shared by a few of them: the ability to lift itself over large thresholds. While not explicitly designed to climb stairs, it can lift each side wheel and its front caster separately to clear obstacles. That means it can easily traverse single floors even if large thresholds or single steps separate parts of it. The mobility of the vacuum wouldn’t mean much if the Curv couldn’t clean, but it sets a new bar with 18,500Pa of suction power. It also boasts mopping capabilities, an anti-tangle brush roll, and a highly capable base station to keep itself tidy. Roborock hasn’t announced a US price or release date yet. Dreame Concept Robot Vacuum
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
While Roborock gets credit for putting its climbing feature in a robot ready for release, Dreame brough similar innovation to the show. Though still just a concept, Dreame showed off an active demo of its own climbing robot, and it looked to scale higher than Roborock’s QRevo Curv, though both are specced to reach over the same 1.5-inch threshold. Dreame’s concept robot also had a unique trick where it could lower its periscope to fit under furniture, and a brush roll designed to eliminate tangles as well.
Recommended by Our Editors
Shark Power Detect 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
The last robot on this list with extra lift, the Shark Power Detect 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop serves a different function with its extra height capabilities. Instead of lifting up on its wheels to clear thresholds, it lifts up its entire back half to ensure its wet mopping pad stays clear of carpet while it vacuums. If the feature works as intended, it could make the Shark Power Detect 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop one of the most competent hybrids out there at keeping your carpet dry. It can also automatically drop off its mop pads at the base station when it doesn’t need them. Its base station keeps it clean between runs, and the robot systematically navigates your floors with both vision navigation and LiDAR. The Shark Power Detect 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop with NeverTouch Pro Base is expected to arrive in the US in the near future for $999.99.Switchbot K10+ Pro Combo
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
The Switchbot K10+ Pro Combo is more than just a robot vacuum. It combines a stick vacuum and a robot vacuum into a single base station like the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo. For added convenience, you can store the fully extended stick in the base, which supports automatic dustbin emptying for both the robot and the handheld. Like the Ecovacs Combo, it charges both while they’re in the base station as well, and while the Ecovacs Combo looks more compact, the Switchbot Combo features the petite K10+ Pro robot vacuum to nimbly fit between your furniture as it cleans. Available for preorder now, the $799.99 Switchbot K10+ Pro Combo is expected to ship by the end of November. The Wireless Power Consortium’s Ki Concept
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
You may never be able to buy the Ki concept from the Wireless Power Consortium, it sure is nifty. It’s essentially power built into your countertops. Like Qi charging for your phone, Ki can send that power to compatible electronics without wires. In practice, this could lead to a wireless kitchen, as your toaster, your blender, your tea kettle, and anything else needing power on your countertop can get the energy needed without being plugged in. A working model of the concept was on display at IFA, though its final form will likely be aimed more at contractors than the general public.At the show, it turned on a blender and a tea kettle, and it helped the kettle boil water, but the countertop stayed cool to the touch while doing so. For safety, the small appliances shut off instantly when moved more than an inch or two away from the power source. Still, watching a blender work without being plugged in felt a bit like a magic trick, and this Ki concept could lead to regularly accessible kitchen magic in the future.
5 Cool Devices You Have to See From IFA 2024
See More of the Best From IFA 2024
Get Our Best Stories!
Sign up for What’s New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
About Andrew Gebhart
Senior Analyst, Smart Home and Wearables
I’m PCMag’s senior analyst covering smart home and wearable devices. I’ve been writing about tech professionally for nearly a decade and have been obsessing about it for much longer than that. Prior to joining PCMag, I made educational videos for an electronics store called Abt Electronics in Illinois, and before that I spent eight years covering the smart home market for CNET. I foster many flavors of nerdom in my personal life. I’m an avid board gamer and video gamer. I love fantasy football, which I view as a combination of role-playing games and sports. Plus, I can talk to you about craft beer for hours and am on a personal quest to have a flight of beer at each microbrewery in my home city of Chicago.
Read Andrew’s full bio
Read the latest from Andrew Gebhart
