Before “techtember” and “techtober” hit, we have one big tech show to get through: IFA 2026.
Gizmodo’s Kyle Barr and Wes Davis are returning to Berlin to check out the “Innovation For All” consumer tech show and live blogging the biggest announcements. You can think of IFA like a smaller version of CES 2026, with more of an emphasis on the smart home, lifestyle tech, and home entertainment. There are also usually a few interesting laptops, phones, and PCs worth seeing with our own eyes. This year, expect to see AI in everything, even devices that have no need for it.
And just like last year, we’ll be handing out “Best of IFA” awards to the most innovative products.
The rest of the Gizmodo Consumer Tech team will be supporting those two remotely here in this live blog. IFA 2026’s official dates are Sept. 4 through Sept. 8, but as always, companies will be announcing products early to get ahead of the noise. Stay up to date on everything IFA 2026-related by bookmarking this page!
10:48 amExoskeletons Will Swarm IFA
© Hypershell
Nobody’s promising to make you into Iron Man, at least not yet, but there are several companies planning to debut new leg exoskeletons at IFA, all promising to make you somewhat better at climbing stairs. First up, we have Hypershell, which is planning to announce a new “Hypershell Halo” exoskeleton. Previous leg armatures like the Hypershell X Ultra S only attached to the thigh, but the new Halo has extra bands that go below the knee. This new model adds “four powered hip-and-knee joints” that may actually help you if you have some lower leg issues. Every since I started writing about these exoskeletons, people have asked me if they’ll help you hike with bad knees. Here’s hoping these ones may actually make a difference. Hypershell is supposed to share more Sept. 3. —Kyle Barr
10:28 amWhat is LG ThinQing?
© LG
Just when you were growing tired of everything becoming an agentic “Claw,” LG is proposing it shove even more AI into all your smart home tech. The Korean tech giant described its “ThinkQ Claw” as agentic chatbot designed to comprehend the daily context you feed it, then use all that data as a means to automate certain actions, like getting your ovens prepared for incoming guests or enable your air conditioner or air purifier settings before you get home from work. How this differs from LG’s previous smart home concepts is a little more vague. However, LG says its building off its previous acquisition of AI startup Homey in 2024. If this year’s showcase is as cringe-y as it has been at previous IFAs, we’re in for even more Leave it to Beaver hilarity. —Kyle Barr
9:49 amWhat’s In My Pack: IFA 2026 Edition
© Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Damn, I can’t believe I’m already gearing up for another one of these. The dread of trying to navigate the labyrinthine halls of the Messe Berlin convention center is ready to make me choke on a curry wurst. With that in mind, I need to carry a few extra gadgets to keep me going. So I’m keeping it classic with a MacBook Pro, better to help me when editing pictures from my Ricoh GRIIIX and newfangled GoPro Mission 1 ILS that I’m in the middle of testing. I have one of the action camera maker’s Media Mod with its attached mic alongside the company’s other Wireless Mic System.
Hopefully, that camera and all its accoutrements doesn’t weigh me down. For extra juice on the go, I have a 10,000mAh Genki Energy Pack and an Anker Nano Power Bank. I have my 2TB Crucial portable SSD and my Lenovo travel dock to keep me company. And for my in-flight entertainment, there’s my Switch 2 now packing Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2 that will finally give me the chance to play Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. I’ve also been jonesing to read Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Word for World is Forest. —Kyle Barr