IFA 2026 opens in Berlin with smartphones and wearables taking centre stage

IFA 2026 officially opens today, September 4, turning Berlin into the centre of the mobile hardware industry through September 8. Smartphones remain only one part of the show, but this year's opening days already feature major announcements and demonstrations from Xiaomi, Motorola, Huawei, Samsung, TCL and a growing collection of wearable and accessory brands.

Xiaomi is showing its 18 Fold and enormous Human x Car x Home ecosystem, Motorola is returning to premium Wear OS hardware, Huawei has expanded its smartwatch range and Samsung is using AI-powered interoperability as the theme connecting Galaxy phones to televisions and appliances. Wearables are particularly prominent, with smart rings, smart glasses, headphones and fitness watches increasingly competing for the same personal-data ecosystem that smartphones once dominated alone.

IFA matters because it provides a counterweight to single-company launch events. Visitors can compare products from dozens of manufacturers in the same environment, making differences in design and usability immediately visible. September's mobile hardware cycle is now fully underway.