Just when we thought we could catch our breath between last week’s mammoth Garmin Fenix 8 drop and next week’s Apple annual September event, it’s time for IFA 2024.
Though not recently a hub for major wearable announcements, it’s still typical to see the odd new product at the Berlin tech expo – and brands like Samsung, Honor, and Huawei continue to hold a presence in and around the Messe.
We’ll be on the ground later this week reporting on everything new, but, for now, we’ll preview what we could see launched by the industry’s biggest names. But, in full disclosure, the swathe of recent launches – not to mention a dearth of leaks – means new releases don’t look too likely.
Still, to properly assess the IFA 2024 wearables landscape, let’s summarize what the usual suspects have been up to over the last few months – and what’s leaked out ahead of the expo.
Withings
After debuting the ScanWatch 2 and ScanWatch Light at last year’s show, we’re hopeful Withings has an update to share this time, too.
It’s been a quiet year for the French company on the hardware front, after all. The ScanWatch Nova arrived last December, and the BeamO was a great addition to CES in January, but there’s been nothing since.
The brand’s smart scales are all pretty new, so we’re not expecting an upgrade there, but a new smartwatch would be a great surprise.
Amazfit (Zepp Health)
It’s been another stellar year of releases for Zepp Health’s Amazfit brand, and things could be about to get better at IFA, with the brand teasing the fact it’ll have some presence in Berlin this week.
Nothing specific has been mentioned concerning new releases, but we have spotted plenty of leaks relating to a T-Rex 3 over the last few months, including one last week on Singapore retailer Shopee that accidentally showed off the image below.
Could IFA be used as the platform for the official announcement? Time will tell.
Garmin
It feels like the days of major Garmin releases at IFA are behind us, with the brand seemingly set to be a no-show at the event in 2024 (like last year).
Yet, it may still piggyback onto the event with an update to one of its more secondary lines.
The Instinct 3 has popped up in certification database leaks over the last few months, and we may even see a mid-cycle upgrade to the Venu 3 or the Vivomove hybrid smartwatch series (remember that?).
Fitbit
Like Withings, Fitbit has had a very tame 2024 – only launching the revamped Ace LTE smartwatch for kids while parent company Google delivered its third-gen Pixel Watch.
We know that there will be no more Fitbit smartwatches, and it’s probably too early for an update to the Charge 6, but the Fitbit Luxe (released in April 2021) and Fitbit Inspire 3 (released in September 2022) are both prime candidates for a refresh.
Again, it’s unlikely IFA is the place that happens, but we live in hope.
Huawei
Credible rumors and database leaks point to a new Huawei Watch GT series arriving in September, and the company itself has suggested TruSense-powered devices will arrive this month. Yet, it remains unclear when exactly this will be.
Both the Watch GT 5 and Watch GT 5 Pro are slated to arrive, and we expect both will harness the updated tracking platform to offer improved accuracy and new features.
It could be IFA, but this would be surprising given the brand’s history at the show.
Honor
Pre-show rumors suggest Honor will be preoccupied with smartphone business at IFA 2024, but we’re still hoping that an update to last year’s Watch 4 will be tacked on.
We think it’s unlikely, given the lack of leaks, recent releases (Honor Band 9; Honor Watch GS 4), and activity in the company’s native China (where devices usually arrive first), but IFA is for dreaming.
