IFA 2018 preview: What to expect from Huawei, Sony, BlackBerry, LG, and HTC

Here’s a roundup of everything you need to know about IFA 2018, which is being held in Berlin between August 31 and September 5.

IFA 2018: What to expect from Huawei

Huawei has scheduled an event on August 31 and based on leaks the company could announce a Kirin 980, the company’s latest mobile processor. The Kirin 980 will be a big deal – after all, the chipset will be the first one to be mass produced with the 7nm FinFET technology. Apple’s upcoming A12 mobile processor is also said to be manufactured with the same 7nm process.

Read more: Huawei to launch Kirin 980 processor with Cambrian NPU at IFA 2018: Report

Rumoured to be manufactured by TSMC, early leaks suggest the possibility of a custom GPU and a separate Neural Processing Unit (NPU) from Cambricon Technologies. If reports have anything to go by, Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 989 chipset will power the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro, which many believe will launch in the second week of October in London. The company’s Mate 20 series will be targeted towards the iPhone X 2018 lineup, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Xiaomi Mi Mix 3.

What is one half without the other? The future of technology is coming. Join us live from IFA on 31.08.18 at 2PM CEST. #HuaweiIFA2018 #ExperienceSmarter pic.twitter.com/m4xTOToFpT

— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) August 28, 2018

Beyond its Kirin 980 chipset, the world’s second-biggest smartphone maker will reportedly launch two new gradient colour variants of the P20 Pro, which has got critical acclaim for its triple-camera sensor.

BlackBerry Key 2 LE will likely to debut at IFA Berlin 2018 (image of BlackBerry Key 2 for representation)

IFA 2018: What to expect from Sony

The Xperia brand may have lost the value in the past years, but the Japanese company has no plans to get out of the smartphone business anytime soon. In an effort to compete with the likes of iPhone X 2018 and Galaxy Note 9, Sony is apparently launching the Xperia XZ3 at this year’s IFA. When it comes to leaks, Sony Xperia XZ3 is expected to feature a 5.7-inch FHD+ display, a Snapdragon 845 processor, 6GB RAM, 128GB of internal storage, and a 3240mAh battery. On the back, we are still expecting it to have a single camera.

Seeing is believing. #SonyIFA pic.twitter.com/zTw54dWzKr

— Sony Xperia (@sonyxperia) August 28, 2018

IFA 2018: What to expect from LG

LG is another major company that is rumoured to launch a flagship smartphone in Berlin. The word on the street is that the South Korean company could announce the V40 smartphone, featuring a triple-camera setup on the back and dual shooters on front. This makes LG V40 the first smartphone in the world to feature five cameras on board. We do not know its specifications nor the price, but the launch is slated to happen soon. LG recently launched the G7 Go and G7 Fit in the market.

IFA 2018: What to expect from BlackBerry

BlackBerry is reportedly gearing up to launch a trimmed down version of BlackBerry Key2 at IFA called the Key2 LE. The company previously put out a 10-second teaser video on Twitter giving a glimpse of its new smartphone. The teaser video does not reveal any details, except for the rear panel of Key2 LE with BlackBerry branding at the centre.

Also read: BlackBerry Key2 LE could debut at IFA 2018, hints official teaser

Earlier reports have suggested that the BlackBerry Key2 LE will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, coupled with 4GB RAM and 32GB/64GB storage. The device will apparently sport a design similar to that of BlackBerry Key2.

Almost time for a new introduction. #IFA18 pic.twitter.com/9KPX5GrgvY

— BlackBerry Mobile (@BBMobile) August 24, 2018

As per a report in Android Police, BlackBerry Key2 LE won’t have trackpad functionality inbuilt on the keyboard as the Key2 and KeyOne. The phone is said to house dual camera setup at the back comprising of a 13MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor. It is expected to carry a slightly smaller 3,000mAh battery.

IFA 2018: What to expect from HTC

HTC U12 Life is expected to be unveiled on August 30 at IFA. A teaser image posted by the company on Twitter has the captions, “Something new for U”, hinting at a stripped down version of U12 Plus smartphone and the successor to U11 Life that was launched last year.

Beauty and power meet on August 30th 2018. pic.twitter.com/pOVKlEzSGY

— HTC (@htc) August 23, 2018

As per reports, HTC U12 Life will feature a 6-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a notch of on top. The phone could be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. It will have dual rear cameras, though lens configuration is unclear at this point.