IFA Berlin 2013 Preview: 7 Hot Gadgets We Expect to See

This September, the biggest names in technology are getting set to descend on Berlin, Germany to show off their latest wares. From smartwatches and giant smartphones to tablets and Ultrabooks, IFA 2013 is shaping up to be one of the most jam packed tech events in recent memory. We’ll be live from the show floor in Berlin to bring you all of the latest news, previews and our hands-on impressions of your favorite new devices. So, to help wet your appetite for the big show, we’re running down the top seven gadgets we expect to see in Germany.

1. Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Samsung’s Galaxy Note II made its debut at last year’s IFA Berlin conference, and if current rumors are true, we’ll be seeing the Galaxy Note 3 at this year’s show. The Note 3 is expected to feature a larger 5.68-inch display and will reportedly include Samsung’s 1.8-GHz octa-core Exynos 5420 processor and an ARM Mail T628 GPU. It’ll also offer a 13-megapixel camera and come with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage.

2. Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch

Alongside the Galaxy Note 3, Samsung is also expected to announce the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. The watch will reportedly feature a dual-core processor and run on Google’s Android Jelly Bean OS. There are conflicting reports on the timepiece’s touch screen display with some suggesting it will measure 2.5 inches and others indicating it will be a smaller 1.67 inches. The watch could also feature a built-in camera, NFC and Bluetooth support and have on-board sensors for tracking workouts.

3. LG G Watch Smartwatch

Not to be outdone by Samsung, LG is also reportedly working on a smartwatch of its own, which could be called either the G Watch or G Band. Though details concerning LG’s watch are relatively hard to come by, we know that the watch would likely run on either Mozilla’s Firefox OS or Google’s Android OS. There’s still no word on a potential screen size or processor for the G Watch.

4. LG G Pad Tablet

LG may be preparing to make another jump into the tablet space with its rumored G Pad slate. The tablet is expected to feature an 8.3-inch 1920 x 1080 resolution display, quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. If the G Pad is real, it could be related to the LG tablet that passed through the FCC recently.

5. Nokia Bandit Phablet

When Nokia takes the stage at IFA 2013, it will reportedly unveil a new 6-inch phablet dubbed the Bandit. The handset is expected to come packing a 1080p display and a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. In addition to its big-screen display and powerful processor, the Bandit is rumored to include a 20-megapixel or higher rear camera. If true, the Bandit would launch with Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone update, which will reportedly include support for 1080p displays, as well as a few other enhancements.

6. Sony Honami Smartphone

 Sony may have a new smartphone up its sleeve just in time for IFA 2013. The rumored Honami smartphone is a 5-inch handset that will be able to capture video at a resolution of 4,000 x 2,000 pixels. Of course, to watch those 4K videos you’ll have to also purchase a 4K TV. Beyond it’s video capabilities, the Honami is said to include a 20-megapixel rear camera and 2.2-megapixel front shooter.

 7. Convertibles and Ultrabooks

In addition to smartphones, tablets and smartwatches, we’re expecting to see a host of convertibles and Ultrabooks from the likes of Lenovo, Toshiba, Sony and several other key device makers. We’ll be sure to bring you our hands-on impressions of all of these devices live from IFA 2013.

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Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch Has Camera and NFC

When you look at the current crop of smartwatches on the market today, they’re relatively basic in terms of functionality. The rumored Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch, on the other hand, looks like it’s going to get loaded with features that almost take it to smartphone territory… without the ability to make phone calls on its own, of course.

As far as we can tell, the Galaxy Gear will still be a smartwatch and not a watchphone, so it’ll still need to be paired with your smartphone via Bluetooth to really accomplish anything. However, some recent rumblings are saying that the Galaxy Gear will also have NFC for ease of pairing over Bluetooth 4.0 LE, as well as a camera that is built right into the watch strap. This way, you can take pictures without having to take out your phone. The 2.5-inch touchscreen will presumably act as your viewfinder.

But there’s more. Even though the Galaxy Gear can’t make calls on its own, it will reportedly have tiny speakers integrated into the watch clasp. If there’s a small microphone there too, this means you can live out your Inspector Gadget or James Bond fantasies and literally talk to your phone for that voice call. I don’t think you’d want to listen to your MP3 collection that way though. We’re also hearing there is an accelerometer on board, so Samsung has implement some gesture-based controls too.

Just as the Pebble has its own set of apps, Samsung will reportedly do the same for the Galaxy Gear, using their Samsung Apps store rather than going through Google Play. Pricing is still up in the air, but given how much they’re tossing in here, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it in at least the $300 neighborhood.

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