IFA 2026 preview: Wearables to expect at Europe’s largest tech show

IFA 2026 gets underway in Berlin on September 4, and once again wearable tech will only make up a small part of a very large show. Quite a few familiar names are missing this year, but Xiaomi, Samsung, Withings, RingConn and Ultrahuman are confirmed, while we expect Zepp Health to hold another separate launch event alongside the big tech gathering.

IFA runs until September 8 at Messe Berlin, with more than 1,900 brands expected across the wider consumer electronics show. For wearable tech, though, the exhibitor list tells a more interesting story than the overall numbers.

Quite a few big names are missing

Garmin will once again skip IFA, despite the company having plenty going on with its wearable range. Apple is absent as usual, Fitbit will not be there and Huawei doesn’t appear on the list. Polar will also not be there. However – Spiros Andreou, the company’s Head of Global Industry & Technology Partnerships, is speaking at IFA on September 4 in a connected-health/wellness session.

Whoop is another notable omission this time around. That is a change from IFA 2025, when Whoop had a proper stand displaying Whoop 5.0, Whoop MG and its newer apparel range.

This continues a trend we have been seeing for several years. Big wearable launches are increasingly happening at standalone events, where manufacturers do not have to fight thousands of televisions, laptops, washing machines and robot vacuums for attention.

That does not make IFA irrelevant for wearables. It just means you need to know where to look. IFA itself says IFA Next this year will put more emphasis on smart glasses, AI wearables and wearable/ring interfaces. 

Zepp Health could steal the headlines again

Zepp Health will not have a stand inside Messe Berlin, but we expect the company to follow the same approach as recent years and hold a separate event on the opening day of IFA.

It did exactly that last year. The Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro launched in Berlin on the opening day of IFA and ended up being one of the biggest wearable announcements associated with the show.

This year we have a pretty good idea of where at least some of the attention could go. The Amazfit T-Rex Dual Solar has now appeared in several regulatory databases, including filings in Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, the Eurasian Economic Union and most recently the FCC.

An early September reveal looks very plausible. It is not confirmed for IFA week, but the timing would certainly fit with Zepp Health’s usual Berlin launch schedule.

Zepp Health has previously indicated that next-generation Helio hardware is coming in the second half of 2026. Now we did se the Helio Strap Pro launch a month ago, but this space is still worth watching.

Xiaomi might have the most to show

Xiaomi is one of the more interesting names this year. The company has an official IFA 2026 presence, and unlike several of the traditional wearable brands, it has a fairly broad line-up it can bring to Berlin.

The obvious device to watch is the Xiaomi Smart Band 11. It has already moved through regulatory approval in China, Taiwan and the UAE, with filings pointing to both standard and NFC versions.

Earlier Smart Band 11 leaks point to a 1.78-inch AMOLED display, HRV monitoring and a broader sensor package. None of those leaked specifications should be treated as final yet, but the growing pile of certifications suggests the device is getting close.

The Xiaomi Watch S5 should also be on show. The Watch S5 is already available internationally, so IFA will be more about putting Xiaomi’s latest smartwatch in front of European visitors rather than announcing its arrival.

That leaves Smart Band 11 as the more interesting Xiaomi wildcard. If the timing lines up, Berlin would be a very natural place for Xiaomi to give its next fitness band a major European push.

Samsung will be there, but don’t expect another Unpacked

Samsung is confirmed for IFA again, although most of its 2026 wearable hardware has already been unveiled. The Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra2 arrived in July, so these should provide most of the wrist-based action in Berlin.

Watch9 brings a new processor and some useful battery improvements, particularly on the smaller model. Ultra2 goes further with an 800mAh battery, thinner body and a brighter display, making it the more substantial hardware update of the two.

The bigger question is the Galaxy Ring. Samsung still has not produced a second generation, and earlier regulatory activity around the 2026 watches arrived without any sign of Galaxy Ring 2.

That does not completely rule out a surprise, but there is very little evidence pointing towards new Samsung ring hardware for Berlin. For now, IFA looks more like a showcase for products Samsung has already launched.

Withings has a couple of things worth watching

Withings will be back at IFA, and there is no convincing evidence yet of a new ScanWatch generation. That makes another flagship smartwatch launch less obvious than it was in some previous years.

The company does have other hardware to show. Withings BodyScan 2 is now available in Europe and the US, giving Withings a substantial new health product to demonstrate on the IFA floor.

RingConn, Ultrahuman and Circular return

Smart rings should once again have a noticeable presence in Berlin. RingConn and Ultrahuman are both confirmed exhibitors, although neither company necessarily needs another new-generation ring right now.

RingConn Gen 3 only arrived this year, bringing vibration alerts, upgraded sensors, Vascular Trend and battery life of up to 14 days. IFA could be more about showing how those vibration features develop through software, particularly with RingConn planning additional alert functionality later this year.

Ultrahuman is in a similar position. Ring PRO launched earlier in 2026 with a larger battery, redesigned internals and a charging case, although shipments have taken longer than originally expected.

Circular is also back at IFA. But we are yet to learn whether they will be presenting a next generation device.

IFA also lists Luna Ring as a 2026 exhibitor. And the company has more than just the Ring Gen 2 now. It unveiled Luna Band at CES 2026, a screenless health tracker very much in the Whoop and Helio Strap category.

And there are other smart ring brands such as MYnextRING, Momax and eIoT. So smart rings should make an interesting showing.

What happened at IFA 2025

Last year’s show gives us a decent idea of what to expect. There were fewer major wearable launches than in IFA’s earlier years, but our IFA 2025 picture gallery still had plenty of hardware to cover.

IFA 2026 looks like it could follow a similar pattern. The traditional smartwatch giants are not exactly queueing up to attend, but Xiaomi, Withings, Samsung and the smart-ring brands give us enough to look at.