The Best of IFA 2019

Best Phone

Ready for your first folding smartphone? While Samsung has made major improvements to the Galaxy Fold since it was initially released to disastrous results earlier this year, it's still a first-generation handset. The LG G8X ThinQ is actually LG's second folding phone for 2019, so the company has been able to work out many of the issues with its first attempt, the V50 Dual Screen. With flagship-quality hardware and a completely redesigned UI, the G8X has what it takes to compete with the top phones on the market. And the option to remove the second display when you don't need it makes it the most practical folding phone you'll find.—Steven Winkelman

Best Tablet

Fans of Android tablets will want to give the Yoga Smart Tab a look. With Google Assistant integration and an ambient mode that's triggered when the kickstand is open, it can easily do double duty as a smart display. And at $249, you can get it for less than the $329 entry-level iPad.—SW

Best Laptop

Asus surprised us with the ProArt StudioBook One, which could very well be the ultimate content-creation laptop. It uses 9th Generation Intel Core i9 processors and is the first laptop to feature Nvidia's new, top-end mobile GPU for content creators, the GeForce Quadro RTX 6000. The 4K display features a 120Hz refresh rate and claims some serious color-accuracy cred: According to Asus, it can show the entire Adobe RGB gamut with a delta-E rating of less than 1. That should be music to the ears of creators engaged in precision graphics work.

It's sure to be one of the most powerful non-gaming laptops on the market, and definitely the most powerful one at this year's show. Perhaps the only missing feature is a touchpad that doubles as a second screen, which is available in the other, less-powerful workstation that Asus announced, the new ProArt StudioBook Pro X.—Tom Brant

Best Gaming PC

While the Blade 15 is Razer's true flagship gaming laptop, the updates to the company's Blade Stealth ultraportable make the 13-incher a legitimately capable gaming machine. The big change? The midrange ($1,799) and top-end ($1,999) models come with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, not a barn-burner of a GPU, but enough to run big-budget titles at smooth frame rates. For a laptop of this size that's impressive, and it keeps the slim, premium build we've come to expect from Blade models. Add in Intel's latest (and still rarely seen) 10nm “Ice Lake” CPU, and we've got a potential portable-gaming winner on our hands.—Matthew Buzzi

Best Storage

Western Digital used IFA to unveil its redesigned My Passport drives—its mainstream-staple backup portable hard drives, now available in capacities to 5TB—but more interesting is its new line of external WD Black models. Black is the company's performance line, and the P50 Game Drive SSD addresses an emerging market: PC gamers short on drive space for today's huge installs, but used to SSD speeds for level loads and other in-game waiting periods. Those folks are increasingly seeing the 256GB or 512GB SSDs on their gaming laptops quickly eroded by 50GB install folders for single titles.

The WD Black P50 comes in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB flavors and supports the confusingly named USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, for peak transfer rates of 20GBps. Pricing and availability are to come on the P50, which also sports a nifty industrial/cargo-container look. The company also announced hard drive-based versions in both portable and desktop form factors, each in separate versions for PCs and the Xbox One.—John Burek

Best Display

Asus took aim at Apple this year with the introduction of its new ProArt PA32UCG professional monitor. Marketed at the creative set (but fast enough to appeal those who game at night, too), the ProArt features a bright 1600-nit, 32-inch panel with support for HDR content. But that's where the similarities between it and Apple's Pro Display XDR end. Where the Pro Display is 6K, the ProArt is 4K; but while the Pro Display tops out at a 60Hz refresh rate, the PA32UCG is able to achieve a maximum variable refresh of 120Hz. Other aspects are cutting-edge: a 10-bit IPS panel using mini-LED backlighting, support for HDR10, and the option for Thunderbolt 3 input.—Chris Stobing

Best PC Component

This year Nvidia unveiled its newest top-end rendering and workstation GPU for mobile, the Quadro RTX 6000, leaving more than a few folks wondering: Do I need a desktop to create, anymore? This new laptop version of the Quadro RTX 6000 is barely a step down from its discrete-card cousin, according to Nvidia's specs unveiled at IFA: The basic ones are the same outside of power draw (295 watts in the desktop version versus 250 watts in the mobile chip), and maximum TFLOPs (14.9 TFLOPS in mobile against 16.3 in desktop).

The chip will make its debut in a handful of Nvidia Studio laptops, among them the new Asus ProArt StudioBook One (also a Best of IFA winner), an absolute powerhouse of a machine that features the world's first laptop-based 4K 120Hz screen. Both the ProArt StudioBook One and the mobile Quadro RTX 6000 will be available in October of 2019, though no pricing has been released yet.—CS

Best Smartwatch

The Apple Watch might have a new competitor in the Garmin Venu. At $399.99, Garmin's high-end smartwatch features a stunning 1.2-inch AMOLED touch display that can last up to five days on a single charge. Its fitness features go far beyond the basics to track respiration, hydration, and sweat loss estimation. With a sleek design that comes in a variety of color combinations, it's a watch you'll actually want to wear every day, too.—Brenda Stolyar

Best Fitness Tracker

The Asus VivoWatch SP goes deeper than your average fitness tracker. Tucked into the sides of the case are two sensors that measure ECG and PPG with the touch of your finger. And, in addition to your heart rate, it also tracks autonomic nervous activity index, pulse O2 levels, and stress, and comes with GPS and an altimeter to track workouts and stats like speed, duration, distance and more. Even with all these sensors and features, it boasts an impressive 14 days' worth of battery life.—BS

Best Smart Home Device

With a cleaner, more modern design than last year's 8- and 10-inch models, the Lenovo Smart Display 7 is a smart display you'll actually want to show off in your house. Thanks to its reduced footprint, it's compact enough to place on the kitchen counter or nightstand without taking up too much space. But while it may be small, the Smart Display 7 packs a ton of functionality. Aside from streaming videos and music, Google Assistant integration makes it easy to get plenty done via voice commands like checking the weather, setting reminders, or controlling other smart home devices.—BS

Best Home Appliance

Imagine never having to go to the dry cleaner again. Samsung's AirDresser uses a Jet Air System and Air Hangers to sanitize and remove dust from your clothing. While this happens, a dust filter captures all the particles floating in the air to keep both your clothes and the dresser clean. It also comes with a deodorizing filter that removes odors and leaves your garments smelling fresh. After it's done cleaning, the AirDresser then dries them at a low temperature to reduce shrinkage. Its Crystal Mirror design also blends in nicely with other bedroom furniture.—BS

Best TV

When it comes to TVs, bigger is often seen as better. But for Samsung, which is gearing up to push 8K into the mainstream, sometimes smaller is what you need. That's the thinking behind its most recent 8K television, the 55-inch Q900. While it also comes in much larger models, the smaller, $3,500 version puts an 8K screen within reach of the same customers who might be thinking about picking up a high-end 4K model (like Samsung's excellent Q90).

While it's certainly not the most affordable television around, the Q900 has the potential to make 8K technology more readily available to more people, especially as Samsung is launching it in 50 countries across the world. For those that want to get into the game early, that makes it an appealing investment.—Adam Smith

Best Speaker

Sonos has finally introduced its first battery-powered, Bluetooth-compatible, portable speaker, the Move. The Move is more of a "take out on the back deck" speaker than a "take to the beach" speaker, at nearly a foot tall and several pounds. It's built for the elements, with an IP56 rating, which means it's safe from dust and splashes (but can't be completely submerged underwater), and Sonos says it's been extensively drop-tested to ensure ruggedness.

The Move is designed mostly to connect to Wi-Fi, and supports dozens of streaming music services, Apple AirPlay 2, and even has a far-field microphone array for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands. Of course, if you want to take it outside of your Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth lets you play music anywhere from your phone. Available on September 24, the Move is priced at $399.—AS