IFA 2024

Samsung’s entry into the Microsoft Copilot Plus AI PCs was the weirdly throttled (and pricey) Galaxy Book4 Edge, but here’s a new 15-incher with Qualcomm’s budget 8-core chip, plus a Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360 backflipper with Intel’s Lunar Lake.

The Zenbook S 14, Vivobook S 14, Vivobook 14/16 Flip, and ExpertBook P5 each have the new Core Ultra 7 and cost between $1,000 and $1,500. You can pre-order the Zenbook today from Asus; the Zenbook and Vivobook should go live at Best Buy in the next couple days. The Expertbook and Vivobook Flips are coming later this year.

Technically, panel manufacturers showed 600Hz screens years ago, but I believe Acer’s the first to actually announce one with the Nitro XV240 F6! It’s coming early 2025 for $600.

The 15-inch Vivobook S 15 Windows laptop will come with an eight-core Snapdragon X Plus, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 2880 x 1620 display with a 120Hz refresh rate — all for $900 at Best Buy, available today.

The Claw was an embarrassment, and MSI quickly announced successors with Intel’s new Lunar Lake instead. But though MSI originally said the “MSI Claw 8 AI Plus” should arrive September, it’s now telling ComputerBase it won’t launch till CES in January.

First announced at IFA last year, Switchbot’s new humidifier uses cold evaporation and a 4.5-liter tank that you’ll never have to refill yourself — if you own the Switchbot S10 robot vacuum. The latter can automatically bring water to the humidifier when it’s running low.

*While streaming Netflix at 1080p with an FHD+ screen at just 150 nits of brightness.

The company’s Hue Secure security cameras sync with its smart lighting to flash red lights throughout your home if there’s a breach and sound a siren. But I don’t think they can lock down the bridge.

“This would have been the coolest gadget ever if it was released in 1995,” says Jon. 27 inches, 1080p, three-hour battery. $999, shipping mid-October or maybe possibly September.

European tech manufacturers know how to make good-looking cameras.

TCL has equipped its latest smartphones with its NXTPAPER display technology, which is designed to reduce eye strain. Fundamentally they’re still backlit LCD panels, but they’re LCD panels that emit less blue light, and have an anti-glare coating and a matte-textured finish. Here’s how the display looks on the NXTPAPER 40 5G, whose 90Hz display can get as bright as 500 nits.

Yeelight’s seriously fun Cube Smart Lamp (from $76) got a new feature this week. Announced at IFA 2023, the modular lighting system can now show real-time fan counts from your YouTube and Twitch live streams.