IFA 2023 is here, and we're seeing some really cool products being unveiled, including a few smartphones. From Honor to Sony, from foldable to rollable, IFA has it all. We've seen some fantastic designs and impressive features, so we're excited to showcase your next favorite phone.
Honor Magic V2
Honor's brand new V2 is the company's newest take on foldable phones. It's slim, measuring only 9.9mm when folded and 4.7mm when unfolded; it's lightweight at only 231 grams, and it's powerful.
The smartphone comes with a massive 5,000mAh battery necessary to keep that much screen alive throughout the day, and a titanium hinge that seeks to ensure your phone will last for years. The Magic V2 also features an impressive screen with a 2500nit peak brightness level, so you can actually see things even in bright sunlight.
Honor V Purse
In our Honor release forecast, it was slated that the company was going to unveil two new phones at IFA 2023—but no one saw the V Purse coming. As the name suggests, this phone mimics a handbag design, featuring an always-on display. There are other design elements involved, including a chain and a pearl handle.
It's a brave choice to bring such a concept to the IFA stage, seeking to meld together fashion and technology. The V Purse is intended, as the name suggests, to be carried as a purse. Look a bit closer and the form reveals a foldable phone that's 9mm thick when closed, making it, in fact, slimmer than the Magic V2—the world's thinnest foldable smartphone on the market.
Keep in mind, however, that this is a concept phone, so you won't be able to buy one. At least for now. But you can check out our photos of this intriguing design in our coverage of Honor's V Purse, the phone you can wear.
Fairphone 5
Another cool phone we saw showcased at IFA 2023 is the Fairphone 5. This is the latest eco-friendly smartphone to be unveiled, a modular and repairable handset that we know many people will appreciate.
The company has promised software support for up to eight years, which means you can actually make the most out of this phone, replacing parts that no longer work or are outdated, and continuously updating the OS for security purposes. It's a dream combination if you ask us. You can already order the Fairphone 5 if you live in Europe.
Tecno Phantom Ultimate
Another phone unveiled at IFA 2023 is the fabulous Tecno Phantom Ultimate. The reason this model is fabulous is because it's a rolling phone.
This new concept phone from Tecno looks sleek, with a portion of the screen unveiled. It also comes in at just 9.93mm thick. You have to press a button to roll out the 7.11-inch screen, something that takes about 1.2 to 1.3 seconds. Unlike other models that roll upwards, the Tecno model extends outward, which adds a point of difference between it and its competitors.
Once more, this is a concept phone, so you won't be able to buy it just yet. However, we spoke to Tecno at IFA 2023, and took a good look around its booth, as you can see below.
Tecno Pova 5 Pro
The Tecno Pova 5 Pro also made an appearance at IFA 2023. With a massive, super smooth screen measuring 6.78 inches, the Pova 5 Pro stands out. The back, in particular, features what Tecno calls a "3D mecha design with turbo stripes," which includes an LED light strip that will flash in one of nine colors, depending on your choice of settings.
Under the hood, the Pova 5 Pro hides a 5,000mAh battery, so you can enjoy your phone for a whole day. The 50MP AI camera is also a feature that is worth mentioning if you're looking to produce crisp pictures. Overall, it's a phone with a nice feel that we're eager to try out in the future.
Sony Xperia 5 V
Sony also joined the IFA party by unveiling the latest Xperia 5 V. With a 6.1-inch OLED display and 120Hz refresh rate, the Xperia 5 V runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor with 8GB of RAM. The phone only has 128GB of storage space, but you can add a microSD card to extend the capacity.
With this model, Sony is targeting creators. The device features a Video Creator app that will allow users to create and edit videos in a few steps by picking clips from the media library.
The new Xperia 5V is available in blue, black, and white and will become available for purchase at the end of September 2023 for €999 (US$1079)
TCL 40 NXTPAPER
Coming from TCL, the new 40 NXTPAPER smartphone line has us excited about a new type of device that is easier on the eyes. These are the first Android smartphones in the world featuring NXTPAPER technology, offering a full-color, paper-like visual experience. Basically, if you like reading books on an e-ink device, you're going to love these new smartphones.
The TCL 40 NXTPAPER smartphones have a reflection-free display with anti-glare functionality and a fingerprint-resistant finish. The device comes with an integrated sensor to automatically adjust display brightness and color temperature, so you'll have elevated eye comfort throughout the day.
The first smartphone in the new line, the TCL 40 NXTPAPER, has a 6.78" FHD+ NXTPAPER display, a 32MP selfie camera, and a 50MP triple rear camera system. It's also pretty thin at just 7.89mm and features 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space. This phone is going on sale in Europe in September 2023 for €199 (US$214) and globally later in 2023.
The second smartphone to be released is the TCL 40 NXTPAPER 5G, which adds 5G capabilities to the mix. Measuring 6.6" with a HD+ NXTPAPER display, 6GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage space, this phone is a great option for those looking to work on the go. This model features a 50MP primary camera and an 8MP front camera. You'll be able to purchase this model for €249 ($268) in Europe in October 2023 and globally by the end of 2023. The price will go slightly up if you add a T-pen stylus to your order.
TCL 2K Concept
Something else we saw at IFA was a cool concept from TCL, namely a brand-new screen. With up to 68.7 billion colors, this new 2K WQHD LTPS OLED narrow border display is rather impressive. The company also boasts that its screens are the first to achieve PWM dimming of up to 1920Hz, something that reduces the sensitivity of daily use to light. With an impressive 2K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, as well as 1400nit brightness, this is a screen we want to see used in more phones.
At the moment, this is just a concept, so it's not available to buy, but we're eager to see how it will be put to use in the future.
An Impressive Collection of Phones at IFA 2023
We saw a ton of cool products on display at IFA 2023, from impressive new robovacs to new power stations, tiny earbuds to cute robots, and much more besides. The new smartphones introduced in Berlin look great and add some new features to what we're all used to seeing. In other words, the evolution of the smartphone is continuing!