16 August 2014

New smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and gadgets to expect at IFA 2014: What will Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC, Motorola and Nokia launch?

Smartphones and tablet to expect at IFA 2014

IFA is one of the top trade shows on the tech calendar and here is where we look at what smartphone, tablets and other gadgets to expect from the big names like Samsung, Sony, Motorola, LG and more. See alsoThe best smartphones you can buy in 2014.

Kicking off at the beginning of September, IFA is a perfect time for tech companies to show off the products which will go on sale in time for the holiday season in the hope their gadget will be the must have for Christmas.

All sorts of new products will be announced including TVs, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and more. We've rounded up the best and most interesting ones which are tipped to appear at IFA 2014 but be aware that all the information is based on rumours so may not turn out to be correct.

We'll add to this article over the coming weeks leading up to IFA 2014.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 release date, price and specs

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

One of the most rumoured smartphones of the year is the Galaxy Note 4 - partly because it hasn't been announced yet while others are now on sale, such as the LG G3. Samsung traditionally refreshes its Galaxy Note range at IFA by way of its Unpacked event.

This year looks to be no different and we should see the Galaxy Note 4 unveiled on 3 September at Samsung's Unpacked 2014 Episode 2 event. To whet your appetite, the Galaxy Note 4 is tipped to be the first 4K smartphone and a retina scanner.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 release date, price and specs.

Samsung Gear Solo

Although the Samsung Gear Live is now available, an Android Wear powered wearable, Samsung is thought to be launching another smartwatch in the form of the Gear Solo. It's expected that the Solo will still run Android Wear but its key aspect will be a SIM-card slot meaning it will be able to function fully without needing to be connected to a smartphone or tablet over Bluetooth.

Sony Xperia Z3

Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact

Sony seems to be launching new flagship phone regularly now. The Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z2 were only months apart and the Xperia Z3 (D6653) is tipped to be unveiled at this year's IFA show. It will also be accompanied by a Z3 Compact – even though we haven't seen an Xperia Z2 Compact yet.

Despite the Quad HD screen of the LG G3 and rumours of the 4K Galaxy Note 4, the Xperia Z3 is rumoured to stick with a Full HD screen. It's also supposedly going to keep the same 20.7Mp camera and a Snapdragon 801 processor, albeit a new improved version.

See also: Sony Xperia Z3 release date, price and specs: First pictures leak.

Sony SmartWatch 3

Wearable tech continues to boom and will no doubt feature heavily at IFA 2014. Sony was one of the first to launch a smartwatch and has released two versions. The SmartWatch 2 was launch almost a year ago and so it's unsurprising that the SmartWatch 3 is rumoured to be making an appearance in Berlin this September.

What is a surprise is that the device is said to not run Android Wear. It will instead run its own OS which is very different from that of the SmartWatch 2. Other details include a higher resolution screen and built-in Wi-Fi.

LG G3 Stylus

LG G3 Stylus and Prime

The LG G3 is the best smartphone you can buy and the firm has recently announced the LG G3 S (Beat) as a sort of mini version. It seems that more editions are on their way too, with LG accidentally showing off the LG G3 Stylus in a video (see the screenshot above) which will be a rival to the Galaxy Note 4. There's also whispers about a G3 Prime which will have a similar spec to the Korea-only G3 Cat 6.

Read more: LG G3 Prime and G3 Stylus smartphones pegged for IFA 2014 launch.

LG G Flex 2

Curved screen smartphones haven't exactly taken off but following on from the LG G Flex, it's rumoured that LG will announced a follow-up at IFA. It will be called the G Flex 2 and also have a curved screen but little else is known.

Moto X+1

Motorola Moto X+1 (X2)

Motorola's Moto X and Moto G smartphones have been popular and the firm said at MWC that a follow-up to the former would arrive late summer. It didn't turn up in time for Google I/O so in our minds, the firm is likely to take the wraps off the smartphone in Berlin at IFA. It's unclear whether it will be called the Moto X+1 or the Moto X2.

Rumoured specs include a 5in or larger screen with a Full HD resolution, up to 64GB of storage (rare these days) and a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor. Motorola could bundle the Moto X2 with the upcoming Moto 360 Android Wear smartphone.

See also: Motorola Moto X+1 (X2) release date, price and specs.

Motorola September launch invite IFA

Motorola Moto G2

With its invitation that has been sent out (above), it looks like Motorola will announce a new version of the popular Moto G budget smartphone. It's dubbed the Moto G2 for obvious reasons and looks like it will launch alongside the X+1, Moto 360 and some sort of Bluetooth headset.

The launch event will take place on 4 September but the odd thing is that it will be in Chicago.

Microsoft IFA 2014 Lumia

Nokia Lumia 730 and Lumia 830

Microsoft won't be shunning IFA and has scheduled a press conference for 4 September in Berlin with the tag line "ready for more?" including a camera lens ad the 'o' (above). Having recently announced and launched the Lumia 630, 635, 930 and 530, it's expected that Microsoft will reveal at least one more smartphone, if not two. The possible devices are the Nokia Lumia 730 - codenamed 'superman' - and the Lumia 830.

Samsung Gear VR

Samsung Gear VR

You've probably heard of the Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus, well Gear VR is supposedly Samsung's answer. It's a virtual reality headset (hence the VR in the name) which developers are already testing, according to rumours and Samsung is hurriedly working order to launch the product at IFA.

It will apparently work only with high-end Samsung devices. The virtual reality effect is possible through head-tracking using the docked smartphone's acceleromter, gyroscope and processing power. The Gear VR has an OLED display and runs the Tizen OS.

See: Samsung Gear VR release date, price and specs.

nVidia Project Shield tablet

Nvidia Shield Tablet

This one was up in the air or IFA but nVdia has now officially announced the Shield Tablet so find out more about it here.

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