It’s my favorite time of the year: IFA 2025. The world’s largest tech show (yes, larger than CES!) brings the eyes of the world to the giant exhibition halls of Messe Berlin, and with more than 200,000 visitors expected, every tech company is vying for a piece of the action.
I’ve been on the IFA 2025 floor for the past few days, drinking in the tech and walking miles to do so. There is always a phenomenal amount of new tech to check out, but I’ve narrowed it down—this is the best new tech at IFA 2025.
Great sound and best-in-class battery life—what’s not to love?
Baesus made a real statement at IFA 2025, launching a trio of new audio products that have caught the imagination of the thousands of tech enthusiasts here.
Of the three, the Baseus Inspire XH1 is the jewel in the crown. The company collaborated with Bose to create a new sound profile for the XH1s, and the collaboration has really hit home where it counts. The XH1 headphones sound great, and while they’re a little on the bass-heavy side, this can be easily managed in the companion app EQ settings.
I’ve also found the XH1s really comfortable. The plush ear cushions fit snuggly around my ears and create a good seal without crushing them to death. In that, they also don’t turn my ears into a sweaty mess, which really is one of my least favorite feelings when wearing headphones.
ANC is another strong point for the Inspire XH1s. With five different levels of ANC to choose from, you can tailor the level of noise cancellation to whatever noise you want to block out. They did a great job blocking out the constant drone of the plane on my flight to Berlin, and that’s one of the sterner tests for ANC headphones.
Then there is the outstanding battery life. I’ve been using these headphones for hours each day since leaving my house two days ago (with ANC), and I’ve still not had to reach for the charger. Baseus claims a 100-hour battery life (dropping to 65 hours with ANC), and I’m confident this figure is accurate.
And the cherry on the cake? You get all of this for a mere $150, which is what makes these some of the best headphones you can currently buy.
A wonderfully lightweight, minimalist smartphone
The DuRoBo Krono is a 6.13-inch e-paper device carving out a space somewhere between an e-reader and a phone. It runs Android 13, powered by an octa-core processor with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The display is an E Ink Carta 1200 panel at 824 × 1648 pixels, with an adjustable front light for both warm and cool tones.
On paper, it reads like a compact e-reader that can double as a distraction-free productivity device. That’s exactly the point. Rather than another e-reader, DuRoBo is pitching Krono as a focus hub.
Spec-wise, it mirrors the Onyx Boox Palma 2 almost identically. Same screen, same RAM and storage, same Android OS. But where Boox looks and feels like an engineer’s utility device, Krono’s design is more inspired. The back features a cylindrical spine that houses both a rotating dial and breathing LEDs.
The dial is the most inspired touch. If you’ve ever used Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatches with their rotating bezels, you’ll get the point: a physical anchor makes the device feel tangible and tactile.
Battery life should also impress. With the same 3,950 mAh cell as the Palma 2, and paired with the low-power E Ink screen, you’re looking at weeks of use on a charge instead of days. If you’re sick of nightly charging like I am, that’s a pretty big deal.
Now, if you want to get in nice and early, you can join DuRoBo’s Kickstarter. I wouldn’t normally push anyone to a Kickstarter for the obvious reasons, but having talked to the DuRoBo team at IFA 2025, it’s clear that the Krono is coming to market whether this succeeds or not. It’s just a handy way to get your hands on it before anyone else if you’re that way inclined.
An absolute unit, but can it justify the price?
Lenovo is launching the Legion Go 2, its second-generation Windows-based gaming handheld, following the success of its first version. The Legion Go 2 features the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor and up to 32GB 8000 MHz memory. It’s a significant performance improvement over the first generation, especially considering the changes to the display.
Lenovo has opted for a smaller resolution display for the Legion Go 2. Instead of the QHD+ 2560 x 1600 IPS panel in the first Legion Go, the second generation gets a WUXGA 1920 x 1200 144Hz OLED display with variable refresh rate support. While the resolution is smaller than before, at this screen size, I’d rather have OLED capabilities, as you won’t really be able to tell the difference on the 8.8-inch touchscreen.
The storage has also been doubled since the previous generation, with the new model coming with up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 storage and a microSD slot with support for an additional 2TB. The battery capacity has also nearly doubled to a 4-cell 74 Wh battery in the second generation.
Other changes include a redesign of the TrueStrike controllers for a smoother and ergonomic feel. You get hall effect joysticks, three customizable buttons, and a fingerprint reader built into the power button.
My only real concern is the price. With the Legion Go 2 set to cost just under $1,100, it’s an expensive piece of kit. Has the modern gaming handheld market already priced itself out of reach for most people? It’s hard to say, but clearly, Lenovo doesn’t think so, and I’m keen to see how this behemoth performs.
7
EarFun Air Pro 4+
Hi-res audio under 100 bucks? Yes please
The EarFun Air Pro 4+ claims to be the world’s first Hi-Res, dual-driver, hybrid ANC earbuds under $100. Those words might not mean a lot to you, but these earbuds pack a surprising amount of features for their price tag.
You get Bluetooth 6.0 support with codecs including aptX Lossless, aptX LDAC, Auracast, LC3, SBC, and AAC. The sound is delivered through 10mm hybrid drivers (with a balanced armature) in each earbud. There’s also Hi-Res certification, Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound support, and the accompanying app has custom EQ support to tune the sound to your liking.
Battery life is also pretty decent on the Air Pro 4+. EarFun claims up to 12 hours of battery life on the earbuds with the ANC off, and up to eight hours with ANC enabled. That’s a total of 54 hours and 36 hours with the charging case with ANC off and on, respectively. Actual battery life can vary by volume level and audio content, but these are respectable numbers regardless.
Speaking of ANC, you get adaptive hybrid ANC up to 50 dB. There’s also the usual crop of premium earbuds features, including multipoint connection, support for Google Fast Pair, in-ear detection, and an IP55 water and dust resistance rating.
6
Acer Swift Air 16
A 16-inch laptop has no right to be this lightweight
I’m rarely blown away by new laptop tech, but the Acer Swift Air 16 has done it. This full-sized 16-inch laptop weighs under 1kg, which is less than a 13-inch MacBook Air, and looks pretty good while doing so.
The Swift Air 16’s frame is manufactured from an ultra-lightweight magnesium-aluminum alloy, so it’s plenty sturdy, but when you pick it up, it feels astonishingly light. The thickness of 15.9mm is also impressive, and gives the Swift Air 16 a really unique feel. I mean, where else can you see something like this?
It comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen AI 300-series chip, which is very competent, though you’re not going to be using this laptop for gaming (well, maybe a touch of light gaming, but don’t expect to be playing the latest Call of Duty).
My only real concern with the Swift Air 16 is the battery size. Despite its size, it only has a 50Wh battery, which in 2025 is criminally small. I get that Acer may have compromised here, but I’d be a little wary of this for that reason. Still, we’ll know more once the Swift Air 16 begins shipping and the real testing gets underway.
Step into the future of wireless charging
UGREEN is no stranger to charging accessories, and its latest MagFlow Qi2 power bank feels like a preview of where wireless charging is headed. Rated at 10,000 mAh, it’s among the first to adopt the Qi2.2 standard, which pushes wireless charging speeds up to 25W, nearly twice as fast as its predecessor (15W). There’s a catch, though: you’ll need iOS 26 to unlock those speeds, at least on iPhones.
In testing, the results lined up with expectations. Wireless charging added about 20% in 25 minutes, while wired charging managed the same boost in just 20 minutes. UGREEN claims 50% in half an hour, but real-world use was closer to 35–40%, which still makes it noticeably faster than older power banks.
The bank itself is on the chunky side, roughly the thickness of two phones stacked, but that capacity allows for flexibility. You can wirelessly charge a Qi2-compatible iPhone or accessory, plug into the USB-C port for up to 30W wired charging, or use the built-in cable that doubles as a lanyard. All three can even run at once, making it a handy travel companion for people juggling multiple devices.
A small display on the side shows battery percentage and charging status, though it doesn’t yet display live wattage. At $90, it’s not the slimmest or cheapest option, but as one of the first Qi2 power banks on the market, it’s a sign of faster, more versatile wireless charging to come.
Note-taking has never been so easy… or compact
The Plaud AI Note Pro takes everything compelling about the original Plaud Note and cranks up the capabilities significantly. At just 2.79mm thick and 30g, this credit card-sized AI recorder now packs four precision MEMS microphones instead of two, doubling its audio pickup range to 16.4 feet. That’s perfect for larger conference rooms where you’re not sitting right next to the speaker.
The standout upgrade is the 0.95-inch AMOLED display, which provides visual confirmation of what’s happening. No more wondering if you’re actually recording or if the battery died mid-meeting. The screen shows recording status, battery level, and even waveforms, solving the anxiety that plagued the original’s simple LED indicator.
As a dedicated standalone AI device, the Note Pro operates independently from your phone, preserving battery life and removing the distraction of notifications during critical meetings. Smart dual-mode detection automatically switches between phone calls and in-person meetings, eliminating the manual toggle that occasionally caused missed recordings on the first-gen device. A new press-to-highlight feature enables you to mark important moments in real-time, which should significantly improve the AI summary accuracy and also help you locate specific moments much faster.
Battery life stretches to 50 hours in endurance mode, and the companion app now supports multimodal input. You can add text notes and photos to provide richer context for transcription and summaries.
At $179, it’s only $20 more than the original Plaud Note, making this a worthwhile upgrade. For anyone who found the original compelling but wanted more polish and reliability, the Note Pro delivers exactly that.
3
Tecno Spark Slim
A bafflingly lightweight and slimline smartphone
I first saw the Tecno Slim concept at MWC 2025, where I gave it an award for innovation in smartphone tech. And now, five months later, the Tecno Slim is a fully-fledged smartphone, ready for the world to marvel at its wonderful design.
Measuring just 5.95mm thick, the 5G Tecno Pova Slim is a really phenomenal bit of engineering. Tecno hasn’t held back elsewhere on this smartphone to make the concept work. It packs a really decent 5160mAh battery, complete with 45W charging, that uses lithium-cobalt oxide. It allowed Tecno to compact the battery to just 4.04mm thickness, allowing other components to fit around it.
Tecno has also developed an ultra-slim vapor chamber cooling system to help stop the Slim from overheating (with all the components crammed into such a small space, overheating is a major concern).
The rear case uses ultra-thin aerospace-grade fiberglass, which, according to Tecno, is “0.19mm thinner than standard composite plates, yet delivers 300% greater strength and 200% greater toughness.” On the front, it uses Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, and also comes with a decent IP64 water and dust resistance rating.
Also—and this is one of my favorite features—the Mood Light feature is super fun, and brings a little pair of eyes to the rear lighting panel that surrounds the camera housing.
It’s a great piece of engineering from Tecno.
2
Anker Soundcore Work AI Recorder
Never miss a note in a meeting again
Anker is a long-trusted name for phone chargers, cables, headphones, and more, but this year the company is expanding into something new: a voice-recording tool for in-person meetings. The Soundcore Work looks like it’s roughly the size of a Tile tracker, and is designed to record everything during a discussion so you can review the transcription, along with an AI-generated summary, later. Currently, the AI summary uses GPT 4.1, but this will be upgraded to GPT 5 at a later date.
Everything about the device seems simple and lightweight. Pressing the button once starts recording; it’s also lockable, so you won’t accidentally disable it during a session. As you record, you can double-tap to mark an important moment, which will presumably be highlighted in the notes later.
Battery life shouldn’t be a factor, with the company quoting 10-day standby time, between 8 and 32 hours of recording time, and 2 hours of usage from just 10 minutes of charging. It’s also compatible with Apple’s Find My, so you can track the device with your iPhone if you lose it. If you’re concerned about privacy, Anker promises that while audio is temporarily processed by AI through cloud services, all data is deleted once it’s moved to your device.
Anker lists the device’s price plus “basic services” at $99.99, with a $15.99/month fee “for more” thereafter. Perhaps transcription will be free, but AI summaries will require a subscription?
As someone who appreciates the AI notetaking features in video calling tools, I’m curious to see how this fares. If I did more in-person meetings, I’d appreciate something like this so I can be fully present in the discussion and not worry about taking notes. The included necklace chain means you can wear it like you would a necklace, so you don’t have to carry around a clunky microphone or look weird doing so.
It feels like this is a coming-of-age for Chromebooks
The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is one of those laptops designed to make life easier without feeling overly complicated. It’s powered by Mediatek’s new Kompanio Ultra 910 processor with about 50 TOPS of built-in AI muscle, plus an Arm Immortalis-G925 GPU to keep creative tasks like editing or rendering from dragging. Acer is also bragging about 17 hours of battery life, which is the kind of number that would make me want to test how long I can actually go without the charger.
The 14-inch touchscreen is available in WQXGA+ (2800×1800) or WUXGA (1920×1200), both of which are covered in Gorilla Glass with an anti-fingerprint coating. It supports USI 2.0 styluses, and ChromeOS now has handy gesture-based edits like scribble to delete and circle to move, which sound like little touches you’d quickly get addicted to. The hinge flips into laptop, tablet, tent, or display mode, and it’s MIL-STD 810H rated (military-grade durability), so you don’t have to baby it.
Connectivity is future-proof with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and dual USB-C ports. For calls, there’s a webcam option up to 5MP with AI tricks like lighting fixes, background blur, and noise cancellation, plus a physical shutter for when you want it off for real. I also like the smaller touches like upward-firing DTS-tuned speakers, a touchpad made from recycled ocean plastic, and even a full year of Google AI Pro with 2TB of cloud storage included.
