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The 5 coolest phones I saw at IFA 2026 – including a new foldable
There are many amazing devices at IFA 2026, but these five phones were the perfect combination of practical and fun design.
This year’s IFA show was filled with rollable laptops, weird robots and a particularly expensive Dyson toothbrush. However, being primarily a phone reporter, I was on the hunt for unorthodox smartphones –- particularly ones you can’t just get anywhere.
I stumbled across a new passport-size foldable, a zero-bezel phone, and one with a built-in action camera, among others. Here are the five coolest phones I saw at IFA 2026.
The Xiaomi 18 Fold is a Galaxy Z Fold 8-like passport-sized folding phone. Interestingly, it doesn’t have a Qualcomm or MediaTek processor, but an in-house XRing O3 chip; the first time Xiaomi is using its own processor on a flagship phone.
As for comparisons, the Xiaomi 18 Fold looks shorter than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8. On the back, it also has three cameras instead of than two. The text on the camera bar suggests a focal range of 17mm-80mm, meaning it could have support for ~3.5x optical zoom. We’ll need to wait for the September 7 launch for its full specs, but the less boxy design, rounded edges, and that burgundy color are already my favorite.
Tecno announced its Next-Gen Bezelless Concept Phone at IFA, and ss the name suggests, its display goes all the way to the edge, with no bezels. In my brief hands-on time, I used it to jump between apps, run the camera, and browse the web, and it felt very immersive. I was worried about the phone registering false touches from my palm, but it didn’t.
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Tecno says this is only a concept phone and isn’t being mass-manufactured just yet. However, I wish we see at least one phone have a bezel-less screen next year. It looks futuristic, and I hope Tecno brings the design to more phones.
It also has a flowery 3D effect on the rear panel that looks gorgeous, and you don’t have to wear any sort of glasses to experience the effect. It was one of the most subtle but surprising things I’ve seen at IFA.
Motorola didn’t have a dedicated IFA booth, but the company announced its Swarovski edition Razr 2026 at the show. It has a quilted back in Pantone meteorite (black) color with Swarovski crystals embedded on top. These include 35 hand-positioned crystals and an additional 32-facet crystal on the hinge.