IFA 2025: my highlights from Europe's biggest tech event

IFA 2025 was something special for me, because this year I got to appear as a brand ambassador. For a tech fan, that’s a dream come true. I even sat on stage at Gamestar twice. The show featured robots that play chess, take over housework, or climb stairs, AI glasses, new fitness equipment, and small companies you don’t know that still bring along the thinnest smartphone in the world.

The video is marked as an advertisement. Through the stressful trade show days with appointments in Berlin, Microsoft Copilot accompanied me as an assistant: in preparation, in following up on conversations, and with the social media post.

Samsung: less typing, more talking

At IFA, Samsung has its own little show within the show. The motto is AI and less typing, more talking. The integration of Samsung’s AI into smart TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, smartphones, and tablets is already well advanced. In the future, you’ll be able to ask your TV which actor is currently on screen and what else they’ve been in. Samsung also showed the new Galaxy S25 FE and the Galaxy Tab S11. There will be a review of both on the channel.

Speediance Gym Monster 2

Ad: The Gym Monster 2 is a complete gym for at home, without classic weights that you would have to store.

• The pulling force comes from an electric resistance motor.
• Two cable pulls can be fixed in eleven positions.
• With handles, a barbell, and cuffs, many strength exercises from the gym are possible.
• A tiltable, high-resolution 21.5-inch display is used to set the weight (maximum 100 kg) and to select training modes and entire training programs.
• The Family Plus version includes a rowing machine for cardio.
• A small remote control sets the mode and weight without touching the display.
• The device folds up to save space, and the training mat is folded up.

An Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch can be paired. The built-in personal trainer then gives recommendations, based on health data such as sleep tracking, on how intensively you should train. I hope to test the device at home myself soon.

TCL: TV, audio, and smart home

Ad: TCL showed new products in three areas. The new flagship TVs are premium Mini LED TVs. TCL makes its panels itself and is a leader in Mini LED technology. That results in extreme brightness and strong contrast.

I thought the new Play Cube was great, a compact, lightweight mini projector whose picture adjusts itself instantly. Two personal highlights were the glasses: one variant shows notifications on a small display and navigates with Google Maps, another is for watching movies and videos or gaming and is controlled by remote, with a controller that can be connected.

On top of that comes the new NXTPAPER 60 Ultra: a 7.2-inch, surprisingly light smartphone with 5,200 mAh that turns into an eye-friendly e-reader with a slider. The super matte display is also pleasant in normal use. After the announcement, the device sold out on Amazon immediately. I’m hoping for a test unit.

Anker Solix: power station and solar bank

• Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2: The portable power station has the shortest charging time ever and holds a Guinness World Record for it. The 1 kWh battery is charged from 0 to 100% in just 44 minutes. It offers 2,000 watts of output power and 600 watts of maximum solar input.
• Anker Solix Solarbank multi-system with Power Dock: With it, 80% self-sufficiency in electricity is possible in a home. Up to four solar banks can be connected to the Power Dock, as can an electric car, including bidirectional charging. Because of the relatively low price, such a system can pay for itself after four years.

Robot vacuums and robotics

One highlight was the stair climber from eufy. It picks up the actual robot vacuum and climbs the stairs up and down with tracks and a support arm so that the robot can continue vacuuming on the next floor. It is expected to be available in Germany in 2026 as well. I also saw the Roborock washing machine that houses a robot vacuum, and humanoid robots several times: a robot that cooks or does laundry, one that plays chess or checkers, and a small robot dog. These are still concepts, but I’m curious how quickly this develops.

The thinnest smartphone in the world

The small manufacturer Tecno showed the thinnest smartphone in the world at 5.95 mm. Anyone who has followed my channel for a while knows how much I love thin and light smartphones. Here, too, I’m hoping for a test unit.

Verdict

Five days of IFA with 16,000 to 20,000 steps a day. Besides the technical novelties, IFA remains a place where people with the same interests exchange ideas. I’ll definitely be there again next year.