11 of the best things we saw at IFA 2017

Another year, another IFA. Europe's biggest technology show is a chance for brands, big and small, to show off their latest innovations and give us all an idea of the next tech trends.

And from what we've seen this year, it's OLED TV and voice-controlled smart speakers all the way. But there was plenty more.

From giant TVs to turntables to even a glass, transparent display (no, really), here's our pick of the most exciting things we saw at IFA 2017.

Want to see more new products? You can check out our Instagram feed, plus this gallery of all the new smart speakers launched at IFA.

MORE: IFA 2018 news and highlights

MORE: IFA 2017 - news, highlights, best new products

Technics SP-10R turntable

A virtually naked Technics SP-10R #IFA2017 pic.twitter.com/nj6kKitSbc

LG V30 smartphone with MQA

The LG V30 claims a lot of firsts: the first globally available smartphone with MQA compatibility, the first to have a 'FullVision' OLED display, and the first to feature a glass lens with F1.6 aperture for its dual cameras.

The 6in 2880 x 1440 OLED screen looks gorgeous, but we're more interested in the sound quality - the V30 packs a 32-bit Advanced Hi-Fi Quad DAC that's been tuned by B&O engineers, so we're hoping for a sound quality that's head and shoulders above its rivals, which based on the LG G5 with Hi-Fi Plus DAC, is certainly possible.

MORE: LG V30 is first phone with MQA audio and OLED 'FullVision' display

Panasonic, Sony and LG 77in OLED TVs

Could 77 be the new 65? We already knew the larger screen size was in the works back at CES 2017, but this is the first time we've seen the 77in OLED screens from Panasonic, Sony and LG in person.

And they're huge. And expensive.

The Sony 77in A1 will cost £20,000, while the LG 77in W7 will set you back £25,000. No price for the Panasonic 77in EZ1002 yet (pictured above), but we reckon it'll be in the £20k ballpark. Not for everyone, by any stretch.

MORE: Panasonic unveils SC-GA10 smart speaker, huge 4K OLED TV and more

Philips flagship 65in OLED 9 series and 8602 quantum dot TV

But it wasn't just big versions of existing OLED ranges to whet our 4K TV appetite.

Philips spent IFA 2017 unveiling two new TV ranges: a brand new OLED flagship, the 65in OLED 9 series, and its first quantum dot 4K LCD TV, the 8000 series.

The new TVs not only feature three-sided Ambilight, HDR and a better picture processing engine, they're also UHD Premium certified.

They even come with their own sound systems: the 65in 8602 TV has a 'floating' soundbar, while the 65in OLED flagship comes with a meatier 60W soundbase.

MORE: Philips 65POS9603 hands-on review

B&O BeoVision Eclipse 4K OLED

Bang & Olufsen's BeoVision Eclipse 4K OLED telly on a motorised stand #IFA2017 pic.twitter.com/oPyzZ9MdhJ

Sony LF-S50G smart speaker with Google Assistant

Sony's first smart speaker has Google Assistant voice control built-in, and bears more than a passing resemblance to the upcoming Siri-enabled Apple HomePod.

It's not a sexy name, but the Sony LF-S50G has us excited: wi-fi, Bluetooth, gesture controls, splash-proof cover in two colours (black, white) and, this being Sony, a particular attention to ensuring its 360-degree sound performs better than the current crop of smart speakers.

This little Sony costs just £200, and is due out in November - we can't wait to try it out.

The Panasonic SC-GA10, Onkyo G3, and JBL Links 10, 20 and 300 are just some of the other smart speakers with Google Assistant that we spotted at IFA.

MORE: Sony's new Google Assistant smart speaker costs £200

MORE: Sony LF-S50G hands-on review

Harman Kardon Allure smart speaker with Alexa

Not keen on Google's AI? How about a snazzy-looking Alexa-powered speaker then? Harman Kardon's Allure may look like a food processor, but it has 360-degree ambient lighting (that reacts to voice commands and changes with the music!) to complement its 360-degree sound.

It features Bluetooth streaming, will cost £250, and... that's about all we know for now.

Other Amazon Alexa-assisted smart speakers we saw at IFA include the Pioneer Elite F4, Libratone Zipp, Onkyo P3, Medion P61110, Kitsound Voice One and Phorus PS10.

MORE: Harman Kardon Allure is an Alexa-powered smart speaker

MORE: Here are all the many, many smart speakers on show at IFA 2017

Sony NW-Z300 Walkman

Another IFA, another Sony Walkman launch. But instead of the flashy gold number we saw last year, this year Sony has gone for a Walkman that's made of aluminium, glass and serious sound credentials.

The £600 NW-ZX300 can play high-resolution audio files (up to 32-bit/384kHz and 11.2MHz DSD files), has MQA support, can be used as a DAC, and sports 64GB of internal storage (expandable using its microSD slot).

In our brief hands-on with the Walkman at Sony's stand, we thought it pretty impressive. We look forward to getting stuck into a full review.

MORE: Sony launches £600 NW-ZX300 Walkman

MORE: Sony NW-ZX300 hands-on review

Dali Callisto speakers

There was thankfully some new hi-fi on show at IFA. We spotted Dali's new Callisto hi-res multi-room system, complete with the new Callisto 1 standmounters and Callisto 6 floorstanding stereo speakers.

The active speakers feature Dali's signature 16.5 wood fibre cones, a hybrid tweeter consisting of a 29mm soft-dome and ribbon tweeters, and are powered by dual channel 300W class D amplifiers.

The speakers connect wirelessly to a Sound Hub, which features Bluetooth, optical, coaxial, analogue and USB inputs. You can stream 24-bit/96kHz audio over wi-fi, and the system uses Lenbrook's BluOS multi-room app and platform. Still no word on pricing, but we're keen to test the system out.

MORE: Dali Callisto hi-res multi-room system to debut at IFA

Sharp 8K TV and roll up LCD screen

4K? Pfff. That's so 2017. Sharp is making a gigantic step by declaring its first consumer-ready 8K - that's right, 8K - TV will go on sale in Japan and China in March 2018.

The 70in screen will feature a resolution that's 16 times that of Full HD. It's a good thing the company has its own 8K satellite broadcast receiver, then.

In other crazy display news, Sharp also showed off a 60in roll-up LCD TV (pictured). Because why not? LG has been bending and rolling up OLED screens for a couple of years now, so why shouldn't LCD join in on the fun?

MORE: 8K - everything you need to know

Panasonic's transparent 4K OLED TV with "intelligent glass"

A prototype of Panasonic's transparent 4K OLED TV. #IFA2017 pic.twitter.com/2jEC02U552

Kashfia Kabir
Hi-Fi and Audio Editor

Kashfia is the Hi-Fi and Audio Editor of What Hi-Fi? and first joined the brand over 10 years ago. During her time in the consumer tech industry, she has reviewed hundreds of products (including speakers, amplifiers and headphones), been to countless trade shows across the world and fallen in love with hi-fi kit much bigger than her. In her spare time, Kash can be found tending to an ever-growing houseplant collection and hanging out with her cat Jolene.