Acer also released a slew of laptops, desktops, and monitors, but the DualPlay concept laptop with a pop-out controller jumped out at me. Slotted into the Predator laptop with magnets, the controller acts as a trackpad when it’s baked into the laptop, but you can pop it out and use it as a controller for gaming, and even split it into two like a Switch Joy-Con. The DualPlay also has a pair of 5-watt speakers that can pop out on each side to better annoy everyone around you. Again, this is a concept, so it’s unclear when or if we will ever see something like this in a real product.
HMD’s Fusion Is a Modular Phone
Photograph: HMD
HMD is on a roll. It released the first Qi2 Android smartphone several weeks ago (though we had some issues with the implementation), and more recently, it unveiled the Barbie Phone. Now, it’s time to get funky with the HMD Fusion. Teased back at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, this $299 Android smartphone wants to bring back the modular smartphone concept popular around 2016 (remember Moto Mods and Google’s Project Ara?). It might actually work this time because Apple’s MagSafe system has normalized sticking magnetic things to the back of a handset. HMD has also open-sourced its tech, so anyone can create “outfits,” as HMD likes to call them. There are smart pins at the base of the phone, so unlike MagSafe accessories, these outfits can transmit data with the phone wirelessly and even draw power from the Fusion’s battery.
To start, HMD is making a handful of these outfits. There’s a gaming controller outfit that adds controls to the sides of the phone, turning it into a gaming handheld of sorts. Some mods are simple, like the one that adds wireless charging support, while others are more complex, like the Rugged outfit. This makes the Fusion more durable with an IP68 water resistance rating and even adds an SOS and push-to-talk button. There’s an outfit that adds a flash not unlike a ring light, and you can swivel it to face the front of the phone so you’re well-lit while capturing selfies. HMD showed off some outfits made by fans too, including a projector, an E Ink back panel, and a solar panel that folds out the back of the phone to recharge it. The company isn’t bringing these to market but wants to help people create and sell their own outfits.
The Fusion otherwise seems like a solid $299 smartphone, with a 108-megapixel primary camera, a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, and a 5,000-mAh battery. It will get two Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates, and several components on this phone are user-repairable. You can just remove the screws to get into the internals, and parts will be sold at iFixit for seven years. Opening up the phone won’t even break the warranty. The Fusion will be sold in the US during the fourth quarter of the year (sometime between October and December). —Julian Chokkattu
Honor’s Folding Phone Is Super Thin
There were a few devices on show from Honor at IFA, but the headliner was the impressive Honor Magic V3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), the thinnest folding phone yet, with some interesting AI features you can read about in our review. At just 9.2 mm folded, it makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 feel chunky. It’s a shame it’s not sold in the US.
Honor also launched the MagicPad2, a 12.3-inch OLED Android tablet with a smart pencil and a snap-on keyboard for a laptop vibe and productivity-focused AI features, like voice-to-text, and formula and handwriting recognition. The Honor MagicBook Art 14 and Honor Watch 5 round out the new lineup. (Honor hosted WIRED at its media event at IFA and paid for a portion of our reporter’s travel expenses.)
Deepfake Detector
Photograph: Simon Hill
As deepfakes continue to evolve, the myriad ways they may potentially threaten us are growing rapidly. Scammers are already using deepfake technology to impersonate real people during video calls, so the ability to detect them is crucial. A part of Honor’s dive into AI includes a new deepfake detection system the company demonstrated at IFA. Running in real time on an Honor laptop, the detector was able to scan a video call and determine the likelihood of tampering. It’s a prototype, but it will likely roll out to Honor devices as a software update when it’s ready for prime time.
Tado Wants to Integrate Home Energy
Heating specialist Tado wants to be a one-stop shop for home energy management. I reviewed Tado’s Smart Thermostat V3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) a while back, and the company has since launched its X range, which includes a heat pump optimizer and radiator thermostats with rechargeable batteries with Matter support. It announced a new wireless smart thermostat for the X range at IFA, which is set to launch in the UK in November.
Tado also showed off some interesting new app features designed to help folks with solar panels take full advantage of the power they generate. Tado’s new solar forecasts help ensure that solar is channeled into your heat pump or EV charger, and the app can drill into real-time usage, though home batteries seem like an obvious missing piece in the home energy puzzle.
Intel Launches Lunar Lake Processors
It’s tricky to get excited about Intel’s Core Ultra 200V laptop CPUs until you consider its promises of faster frame rates and longer battery life. Intel says Lunar Lake chips will beat Qualcomm and AMD on several fronts including gaming and AI performance in the thin and light laptop class. The overhaul has a strong focus on power efficiency, so your laptop battery might be the biggest winner. (A general trend we’ve been seeing on Copilot+ PCs.)
They also have Wi-Fi 7 baked in, along with Bluetooth 5.4 and at least two speedy Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. New versions of the Dell XPS 13 and Asus Zenbook S 14 featuring the chips are imminent and many more will follow. These are some of the first “Copilot+ PCs” capable of running specific AI tasks not powered by a Qualcomm chipset.
Aqara Announces a New Smart Home Range
Photograph: Aqara
There was a raft of interesting announcements from smart home brand Aqara at IFA, including the Valve Controller T1, capable of automatically shutting off water or gas in your home in response to leak detection. Aqara also revealed a Garage Door Controller T2 Kit, capable of controlling two garage doors and adding support for geofencing, voice assistants, and automation through Matter-enabled platforms. The releases kept coming with a new Smoke Detector, several smart switches, the new LED Bulb T2, and tighter integration with Matter, Home Assistant, and Tesla. Aqara’s unique Voice Mate H1 is a battery-powered device for voice controls that only wakes when you pick it up to maximize privacy.