BTTR Roundup #57: Incredible Freaking Appliances (or IFA for short)

This year has convinced me that IFA in Berlin has become the biggest, most notable consumer technology trade expo in the world. When I got started in this industry, CES was the be-all and end-all, but this week has shown that IFA has what it takes.

So many brands have announced impressive products this week. Not just concept products, either – things that you can buy right now, or that will hit shelves soon.

To be honest, it's been a little overwhelming the past couple of days. But in a good way – I've seen products and ideas that make me really excited to get in and write reviews.

It wasn't just IFA news, either. The case against Google's monopoly in Search had its remedies ruling in the US, and the report on the accuracy of age verification technology was released, showing just how broken the idea is behind the Australian Government's social media ban.

I'll cover those two stories for paid subscribers below – you should definitely sign up to help support this kind of coverage.

Until next week

–Nick

This week's new tech news

What a week! IFA has kicked off, so there's a mass of consumer product announcements that I can only dream of covering. Let's start with the news from Berlin:

• Samsung has a whole heap of announcements
  • The first is a pair of party speakers, complete with flashy lights, karaoke support, DJ mode and a port to plug in your electric guitar. We have to wait until 2026 to see them in Australia, though. [See the full story]
  • Remember the invite Samsung sent out last week? It was for the Galaxy S25 FE. Much less exciting than a tri-fold phone, isn't it? [Full details of the S25 FE here]
  • Samsung also unveiled its premium 2025 tablet at its Galaxy event, the Galaxy Tab S11 and S11 Ultra. They come with a newly designed S-Pen stylus, faster processor and thinner design. [See all the specs]
  • Samsung's Micro RGB TV is officially coming to Australia. At 115 inches, it's a big screen giant for only the wealthiest among us, using micro-scale RGB LED backlighting for incredible colour reproduction. Pricing and availability to come. [Samsung]
  • Samsung also has a new "Vision AI Companion" coming to eligible 2025 smart TVs "at a later date". I'm not sure how useful it will actually be – listed among the features are generative wallpaper (blech), AI Picture, Active Voice Amplifier Pro and AI Upscaling Pro, AI gaming mode and Copilot by Microsoft and Perplexity support. [Samsung]
• Acer has launched a whole new suite of computing products. Among them, you have a new Predator desktop, a new Nitro gaming laptop and gaming monitors, plus a CoPilot+ Travel laptop for the suits and Vero-branded projectors. [See all the details]
• Belkin has also gone big on its IFA announcements, with a range of power and in-ear audio products. While there's only a single Qi2 product in the announcement, it's still good to see Belkin leading the way on adoption of the faster wireless standard. [See the full IFA breakdown]
• Roborock's IFA announcements are for both inside and outside:
  • The company unveiled its first robot lawnmowers. I'm a sucker for a robot lawnmower, because mowing the lawn is such a tedious chore. There are three new models, but no info on when we might see them in Australia (or for how much) just yet. [Read more on Roborock's new mowers]
  • There's a new wet/dry vacuum, the F25 Ultra, which can use 150ºC steam to really clean your floors (just so long as your floor can handle that kind of temperature, I guess). At least it will kill 99.99% of bacteria.
• Ecovacs unveiled a few new robot vacuums:
  • The Deebot X11, which promises to charge enough during those times it's emptying the dustbin or refreshing the mop pads to effectively run non-stop. It has a version with a cyclonic dustbin (so no more bags!) and sticks with the roller mop found in the X8 Pro Omni. It's going to hit stores later this month: $2,999 for the OmniCyclone version and $2,699 for the Pro Omni.
  • The T80 Omni also brings the roller mop to the mid-range T series. It has 18,000 Pa of suction and hot water mop washing in the omni station. Launches September 30 for $2,299.

• Dyson went a little bit nuts this year, announcing 11 new products. Some of them are really, really cool, too. I went hands-on with them today, and will try to write up some impressions soon.
  • Leading the new announcements is the V16 Piston Animal. The motorhead has conical brush bars to avoid tangling long hair, the barrel has a lever you can use to compact the dust so you can clean some more, and the new attachments offer a quick release from the top of the extension rod, so you can change the attachment without bending over. There's also a version with the Submarine wet floor cleaner. Available now from $1,399.
  • If you prefer your wet/dry vacuum as a dedicated unit, the Clean+Wash hygiene doesn't use filters or pipes, instead trapping all the mess in the unit's head for easy cleaning. Launching next year and price TBC.
  • There's an updated V8 Cyclone for $649, which offers up to an hour of runtime and a hot-swappable battery. Available now.
  • An updated bladeless fan – the Cool CF1 – comes with app control, an integrated LCD and a quiet-running sleep mode for $399.
  • The Hot + Cool fan also got an update, with better app control, quieter running and a new sleep mode.
  • The new Dyson HushJet air purifier runs at just 24 dB in sleep mode, and by charging the HEPA filter of the unit to attract the dust particles, it extends the lifespan of the filter from one year to five years. Launching next year for an unknown price.
  • Finally, Dyson's first mopping robot vacuum, the Spot+Scrub Ai, has a cyclonic dustbin, a roller mop and smart navigation that can recognise over 200 objects. Launching next year, price TBC.
• Tineco's dropped a handful of new products, including new wet/dry floor cleaners and a new stick vacuum
  • The Floor One S9 Scientist promises streak-free cleaning that scrapes up water as you clean, so it's dried as you clean. It promises 75 minutes of cleaning, triple-sided edge cleaning and a 90º swivel design. It'll arrive later this year, price TBC.
  • Building on the S9 Artist Pro I just reviewed, the Floor One Station S9 Artist adds an integrated station component to replenish water and improve the FlashDry cleaning system.
  • The Pure One A90S combines 270 AW of suction with a cacophony of sensors for powerful cleaning. Arriving later in the year.
• Moving outside for a moment, EcoFlow has a pair of products to keep you company on your next camping trip:
  • The EcoFlow GLACIER Classic is a 3-in-1 cooler and freezer, offering up to 43 hours of off-grid cooling on a single charge, with the ability to charge via 6 different methods. Available now, pricing from $1,049
  • The EcoFlow WAVE 3 is a portable air conditioner and heater designed for campervans and cabins. It can raise or drop the temperature by 8-9ºC in as little as 15 minutes. Priced from $1,799, available now.
• Dreame might have just cracked the code for multi-storey cleaning:
  • It unveiled the Cyber X robot vacuum that can climb stairs up to 25 cm in height at 0.2 m/s using a dedicated system called QuadTrack, which functions like a mini elevator for the vacuum. No word on Australian release for this one, though.
  • The Cyber10 Ultra brings a robotic arm to the robovac, able to pick up objects as heavy as 500 grams. The arm can control different cleaning tools, including brushes and vacuum nozzles, to really clean gaps and crevices within 40cm of the vacuum. It should hit Australia in Q1 2026.
  • The Matrix10 Ultra will swap between different mops depending on the floor type. It'll use nylon-bristled scrubbing pads for grease in the kitchen, sponge water-locking pads for bathrooms, and thermal mop pads for other rooms. Launches on 26 September for a huge $3,499.
  • There's also a pair of cordless vacuums: the V20 Pro and V30, which have an "AI robotic arm" to help you get into the edges and corners of your home. These models also have two motor-driven scrapers built into the roller brush to help cut hair into fine strands to reduce tangles. Arriving mid-October.

Phew. I know I missed a lot there, but I have a deadline, damn it. It's time to move on...

Outside of IFA:

• Thermos has a new lineup of products in its Icon series. While I'm most eager for the food jars and travel mugs, there are plenty of products on offer designed to keep your food and drinks hot or cold, depending on your needs. [Read the full rundown of the products]
• LG has announced the details of its new StaqnbyME 2 portable smart screen. I love this idea – it has its own battery pack so you can watch or play anywhere around your home or office for four hours or so. And while it comes with a stand on wheels, you can stand it on a table or mount it to a wall, vertically or horizontally. $2,199 when it launches later in September. [Full details]
• Paramount is making a Call of Duty movie. I have no doubt it will be huge, but I don't think it's going to be good. Prove me wrong, Paramount. [Paramount]
• If you never got around to playing Assassin's Creed Mirage on your smartphone, then the new Discovery Tour App: Medieval Baghdad could be a great way to rekindle your interest. It's a free app for iOS and Android that lets you explore 9th-century Baghdad. You can explore it through augmented reality or by a gamified, narrative journey. Sounds cool. [Ubisoft]
• Xbox will be at PAX AUS in Melbourne in October, and visitors will be able to go hands-on with the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. [Instagram]
• Atlassian has picked up The Browser Company, which made both the Arc and Dia browsers. I couldn't get Arc to work when I tried to test it out, which seems on par with some features of Confluence (ooh, sick burn!). The deal was worth $935 million Australian, which seems like a lot for a company that had to let go of 150 staff a few weeks back by pre-recorded video. [Atlassian]
• Instagram now has an iPad app. Except if you compare it to what Instagram was originally designed for, it's not so much an Instagram app as a Reels app. It only took 15 years, too! [Instagram]

This week's reviews

Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro review: Cleaner than your average artwork

The Floor One S9 Artist Pro is the best Tineco cleaner I have tested by a long way, but cleaning the dirty water tank is still gross.

BTTR ReviewsNick Broughall

Motorola Moto RAZR 60 review: Not the upgrade you want it to be

Motorola’s RAZR 60 is a cheaper entry to the foldable world, but it lacks the performance you would expect from a $1,199 phone.

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This week's feature

The rise of refurbished: Touring the factory where old phones are made new again

On the quiet backstreets of Auburn, NSW, older mobile phones are given a comprehensive makeover before being sold on to new owners. Here’s what the process entails.

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New products at BTTR HQ this week

My house is currently slightly overrun by boxes. I need to write a lot of reviews in the next few weeks...

Sony WH-1000 XM6

My wife said the music in this TikTok sounded like I was "gettin' it on". I told her I was... with the Sony headphones.

Withings BeamO

BeamO me up, Scotty!