Afotimber
Tony Ware
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Under the spidery lattice of Berlin’s Funkturm radio tower, the IFA 2025 consumer electronics expo spills through every lair and level of the Messe grounds. These century-old show floors began as broadcasting industry exhibition halls and never stopped mutating. I have a diagram to guide me, but it might as well be a Zelda minimap leading me through this boss fight masquerading as a building. It’s a series of architecture you operate: escalators are levers, skybridges, secret passages; many different doors, literal puzzle switches unlocking the next gear reveal. I’m speedrunning the dungeon, tumbling from appliance wing to audio chambers to see “Innovation For All” so I can share some of my favorite adrenaline-soaked seconds from the show, held Sept. 5-9.
When it comes to the home of the future, there was plenty to see. The ECOVACS DEEBOT X11 OMNICYCLONE robot vacuum/mop showed off its ability to avoid obstacles while it navigates edges, quick-charge as it self-empties, take advantage of its Tineco-inherited cyclone suction, scrub grease effectively, and surmount 4cm thresholds gracefully. [We’ll have a review in the future.]
Elsewhere, Dreame and Eufy showed off actual stair-climbing systems, which scoop up their respective robot vacuums in a chassis to move freely between floors. NexLawn, a Dream sub-sub-brand, showed off the Master X robot lawnmower with a robotic arm for removing sticks, debris, fallen fruit, balls, etc. (similar to the sock-collecting appendage on Roborock’s Saros Z70 robovac).
While the robot is doing your chores, you can sit back and enjoy a movie. The Valerion VisionMaster Max showcased impressive black levels and contrast for a show floor demo. The 3500 lumen image with 50000:1 Dynamic IRIS contrast is so accurate and alluring that the Brad Pitt impersonator wandering the booth in the F1 fire suit was only slightly distracting. [We’ll have a review in the future.]
Meanwhile, the XGIMI Horizon 20 Max wants to be the 4K choice for gamers day or night with its 5700 ISO lumens, 1ms input lag, 240Hz refresh rate, and VRR support. The X-Master Red Ring Lens with Lens Shift and RGB triple-laser array developed in-house helps keep the cost a reasonable (by flagship lifestyle projector standards) $2,999. [We’ll have a review in the future.] Got a dedicated home cinema or corporate boardroom? XGIMI’s first commercial CI-focused projector, the Titan, brings the company’s platform to event spaces and home theater enthusiasts.
If you’re still a fan of “traditional” TVs, Samsung and Hisense showcased final versions of their RGB Micro/Mini LED beasts. These 100+ inch panels pop in a way that is hard to capture. Setting the Hisense apart is its support for the new Dolby Vision 2 engine, which promises a new era of HDR where dynamic metadata allows creators and embedded TV sensors to dictate and adjust motion handling, contrast, saturation, and more based on content and room ambiance. And it offered perceivable improvements even on [specially equipped] entry-level demo TVs. As to how it will map to real-world environments, that picture will become, well, clearer in the future as capable models hit the market.
Want to take the current Dolby Vision/Atmos experience outdoors? The Anker Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro 4K wraps a 3500 lumen triple-laser 4K projector and 7.1.4 surround sound system in a party speaker-like body, complete with wheels and a telescopic handle. There are detachable satellite speakers but particularly impressive is the “floating” subwoofer suspended within in a way that prevents vibrations from impacting visuals.
While you’re out there, get in some rally play with the Acemate, which won unofficial whisper campaign of the show. “Have you seen the tennis robot?!?” was overheard many times. First, this rally companion fires a shot over the net. Then two 4K cameras and an AI chip track the ball and the Acemate responds, rushing to catch your return, then firing off another shot. Plus, there’s a companion coaching app.
Or beautify the backyard and beyond with the GOVEE Permanent Outdoor Lights Prism triple-color illumination with smooth gradients. They can generate 16 million colors and will stand up to extreme temperatures, so you can change the vibe for every holiday regardless of the time of year.
Speaking of smart-home lights, Philips Hue introed a new Hue Bridge Pro that supports more bulbs and uses algorithms and AI to turn groups of them into motion sensors by detecting disruptions in the radio frequency signal between devices. That information is then used to trigger connected accessories.
Me, I’m more of an audio guy, and there was plenty of that, as well. We’ve already covered the introduction of Baseus’s budget-friendly Sound by Bose Inspire line of Bluetooth headphones and earbuds. Along those lines, EarFun showed off the new flagship $99 Air Pro 4+ earbuds with a dual-driver Bluetooth 6.0 platform, which we will test later as yet another affordable, recommendable ANC option. Speaking of dual-driver systems, the $299 Status Pro X takes this concept upscale with a dynamic driver for lows paired with dual Knowles balanced armatures for upper-mids and highs. Particularly notable is a Knowles Preferred preset that boosts the energy without throwing things completely akimbo—perfect for someone with mild upper frequencies loss. And the ANC is just as effective at reducing what you don’t want to compete with clarity. [We’ll have some write-ups in the future.]
And, on the more active not active noise cancellation side of the spectrum, beyerdynamic revealed the AMIRON 200 open-ear ear-hook true wireless earbuds and AMIRON ZERO open-ear clip earbuds, among other products that put the brand’s focus on precise sound into portables. On-ear headphones with ANC? You don’t see those every day. Now let’s turn to even more atypical form factors.
The JLab Open wireless headphones offer a dual-driver configuration in a $99 open-ear, open-back design for delivering deep bass but maintaining situation awareness. Waveguides focus the sound directly into your ear for maximum impact and minimal leakage, while optional grilles give these a slightly more standard aesthetic. And the response is surprisingly rich, even on a crowded show floor, thanks to its 35mm + 12mm coaxial drivers setup.
On the speaker side (and size) of things, Swedish brand Audio Pro already produces impressively punchy, connectivity-rich smart speakers with clean Scandinavian minimalist looks. The new Audio Pro W-generation is a retuning of current hardware designs that builds in (and on) the WiiM platform, enhancing direct music service access and optimizing whole-home system setup/room correction. [We’re already big fans of this ecosystem, currently messing with the WiiM Ultra and WiiM Sub, so check back for more multiroom audio coverage.]
Finally, being someone only a year away from turning 50, I have time for nostalgia, even at a future-tech show. Probably too much time. After all, how much time do I have left?!? Setting existential dread aside, I’d like to spend some more of that time with the $499 We Are Rewind GB-001 boombox. It combines a cassette deck and Bluetooth 5.4 speaker capabilities in a neo-retro design, complete with VU meters, a folding handle, and a mic/instrument input, but with spatial 104W stereo sound and a rechargeable battery (I am not nostalgic for D batteries). And overhearing one company founder, who is French, describe the poetic beauty of tape degradation as a fire that burns with different warmth and light but always bright added that special je ne sais pas quoi while experiencing it. [We’ll have a write-up in the future.]
… one more thing (don’t you miss when those were actually thrilling). Rokid Glasses pack a lot of AI and augmented reality into a 49g Wayfarer-style frame, including a 12MP camera and dual-eye monochrome Micro-LED waveguide displays. I tested the voice-tracking scrolling teleprompter and real-time translation functions and could envision the real-world possibilities. If only I had time to take them out and see if object recognition could figure out what was up with the drunk bear raising the roof.
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