On September 4, 2026, IFA 2026—the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (Berlin International Consumer Electronics Show)—officially opened in Berlin, Germany. As one of the world’s top three consumer electronics trade shows, this year’s IFA theme is “The Future is Now.” With over 1,900 exhibitors from 49 countries and regions, the event is expected to attract approximately 220,000 visitors from more than 140 countries. LeiTech (ID: LeiTech) has deployed its “LeiTech IFA26 Reporting Team” to Berlin for on-site, multi-dimensional, and first-hand coverage of IFA 2026.

While even the official IFA organizers are emphasizing Physical AI,AI has naturally become an omnipresent and pivotal element at this year’s show—with audio standing out as a particularly noteworthy highlight. As the LeiTech exhibition scouting team arrived at the subway station near the Berlin International Congress Centre, they were immediately greeted by an outdoor advertisement for PLAUD, a leading AI voice-recording brand, promoting its AI recording card. This year,the integration of AI with audio hardware has clearly emerged as a core subcategory within AI hardware—and AI audio devices showcased at IFA 2026 demonstrated remarkable diversity:some are dedicated voice recorders; others are true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds equipped with AI capabilities.

(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team, on-site)

AI Audio Hardware Emerges as a Core Category Within AI Hardware

The number of AI audio hardware products at this year’s IFA is substantial—but brands have adopted distinct strategic entry points: some aim to redefine the form factor of recording devices; others focus on niche application scenarios; and still others leverage proprietary chips.

1. Plaud: Transforming the AI Voice Recorder into an Ear-Worn Device

Plaud is among the earliest beneficiaries in the AI voice recorder segment. Its Note series gained traction internationally, while the NotePin—designed as a clip-on device that attaches seamlessly to shirt collars—proved especially popular.

This year, Plaud’s IFA booth spotlighted not its traditional recorder, but the newly launched Plaud One earbuds—defined as “AI Meeting Notes Earbuds.” Designed for all-day wear, they capture meetings and conversations, transcribe speech to text in real time, and then leverage AI to draft emails and presentation outlines.

(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team, on-site)

According to official information, the product sold out within one day following its U.S. pre-order launch at the end of August. Furthermore, Plaud plans to roll out over-the-air (OTA) updates to deliver enhanced AI functionality.

A key feature of these earbuds is their built-in eSIM, significantly boosting their independence. During use, they can directly access cloud-based AI capabilities via cellular networks—or instantly retrieve information—reducing reliance on smartphones compared to conventional AI earbuds.

2. Timekettle: Embedding Real-Time Interpretation into Calls and Video Playback

Timekettle—a longtime partner and pioneer in AI translation earbuds—launched its W4 Plus at IFA, an upgraded iteration of the W4 model with positioning closer to its premium Pro series. The W4 series’ hallmark function is real-time simultaneous interpretation: the W4 Plus supports online translation across 52 languages and offline translation for 13 languages. Its enhancements lie in broader scenario coverage—extending real-time translation beyond face-to-face conversations to phone calls and foreign-language video playback, all without requiring users to pull out their smartphones.

(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team, on-site)

Hardware-wise, its voice pickup system has been refined, and its AI features upgraded: post-conversation summaries generate notes in real time; call recordings are automatically transcribed and organized; and industry-specific terminology databases ensure greater accuracy in professional contexts.

Priced at $299 for the base model, full AI functionality requires a subscription at $14.99 per month. The product went on sale September 6 via the official website and Amazon—enabling attendees who fall in love with it at the show to place orders immediately.

3. Boya: Three Distinctively Designed AI Recording Devices

Boya unveiled three AI-powered recording devices at IFA. The Neo—featuring a square, colorful body—is a newly launched product targeting students and journalists, supporting transcription in over 140 languages.

(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team, on-site)

The ultra-compact Nano resembles a simple black-and-white cube, complete with an adjustable strap enabling wrist or neck wear. Because it operates independently of smartphones, it omits bone-conduction uplink microphones in favor of a multi-microphone array optimized for ambient sound capture—making it ideal for on-the-go usage. Its wrist-worn mode proves especially convenient during lectures or interviews where hands remain occupied.

(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team, on-site)

The Air adopts a slim, rectangular card-like design—slip easily into any pocket. Charging differs across models: both the Neo and Nano support direct USB-C charging, whereas the Air uses magnetic charging. Additionally, the Neo integrates built-in magnets allowing it to attach directly to the back of smartphones—eliminating the need for extra magnetic cases required by certain other recording cards.

(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team, on-site)

These three products differ markedly in form factor—each reflecting thoughtful industrial design tailored to specific user scenarios. Regardless of your recording needs, there’s a device perfectly suited to you.

4. Viaim: Bringing the Conference Room to Your Earbuds and Speakers

Viaim is the international-facing brand of Future Intelligence, whose underlying technology—used in iFLYTEK’s conference earbuds—is better known domestically. At IFA, Viaim introduced two new products.One is a pop-out-style conference recording earbud—an innovative solution addressing a common pain point: earbuds must be easy to store when idle yet instantly deployable during impromptu meetings. The pop-out mechanism satisfies both requirements simultaneously.

(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team, on-site)

The second is a speaker specifically engineered for video conferencing, featuring an integrated camera usable as the primary video feed. Combined with four omnidirectional microphones and high-power speakers, it enables instant meeting initiation—and post-meeting transcription via companion PC software.

(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team, on-site)

5. iFLYTEK: The World’s Thinnest E-Ink Tablet—Optimized for Meetings and Note-Taking

iFLYTEK brought its AINOTE 2 Cicada E-Ink Tablet to Berlin—the thinnest e-ink tablet globally—designed to bring meeting note-taking and speech-to-text transcription onto e-ink displays. It supports offline real-time transcription: placed on a desk during meetings, spoken content converts instantly to text. Paired with a stylus, users can annotate, highlight, and edit transcripts directly—and AI further organizes meeting content into actionable to-do items.

(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team, on-site)

Compared to smartphone recording apps, its e-ink display eliminates distracting notifications and reduces eye strain during extended viewing; versus traditional voice recorders, it adds a functional screen for both viewing and handwriting—allowing immediate annotation and organization post-transcription.

This tablet has already launched in China and now makes its international debut in Berlin—giving overseas users their first hands-on experience. iFLYTEK’s product philosophy is clear: the value of AI audio extends far beyond earbuds and recorders—it can embed itself as a capability wherever “listening and note-taking” are needed.

6. Anker: Proprietary THUS Chip Powers AI Earbuds That Listen and Take Notes Simultaneously

Anker’s newly launched AeroClip 2 Pro is an open-ear clip-on earbud highlighting AI note-taking—capturing key points in real time as users listen. Its core enabler is Anker’s proprietary THUS chip, delivering sufficient on-device compute power to run AI functions locally—without relying on smartphones.

(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team, on-site)

On-device processing offers a subtle yet critical advantage: voice data never leaves the device, ensuring privacy and faster response times. The ear-clip design ensures comfort for extended wear—ideal for commuting, office work, or exercise—expanding AI note-taking beyond conference rooms into daily life.

Open-ear earbuds traditionally struggle with environmental noise interference during calls. To address this, the AeroClip 2 Pro incorporates a dedicated noise-cancellation call mode—because accurate voice capture is the foundational prerequisite for effective AI note-taking. Without clean audio input, subsequent AI processing becomes meaningless. Anker also revealed that the THUS chip will soon be integrated across additional audio products—including over-ear headphones and TWS earbuds. In AI audio, competition is rapidly shifting toward chips and computational performance.

Voice Recording Has Become a Key Entry Point for AI Hardware

The AI voice recording hardware showcased at IFA 2026 targets diverse scenarios and emphasizes distinct selling points—but their strongest commonality is clear: voice is emerging as a new primary interface for AI hardware.

To a large extent, AI vendors developing audio hardware rely on mature edge-AI technologies. Devices like earbuds and voice recorders inherently align with voice-centric use cases. Prior to the maturation of large language models, transcription and translation were their sole AI features—and results often remained underwhelming.

Today, even lightweight models with modest parameter counts and moderate computational demands can reliably handle tasks such as speech-to-text transcription and translation. As on-device models and specialized chips continue advancing, AI can now effectively manage higher-order functions—including summarizing and distilling recorded content, and integrating seamlessly with productivity workflows—dramatically expanding the practical applications of AI audio hardware.

For example, once fully AI-enabled, earbuds may represent the most accessible and cost-effective category of AI hardware—drawing intense competition from numerous entrants. We believe the market trajectory for such devices will initially target office professionals before gradually penetrating mainstream consumer markets.

Interestingly, Chinese manufacturers again serve as the dominant force in the AI audio hardware sector—actively expanding globally through brands including Plaud, Boya, Timekettle, Viaim, iFLYTEK, and Anker.

For everyday consumers, these innovations will likely manifest in tangible ways—for instance, eliminating the need for manual note-taking during meetings, as AI handles summarization and highlights automatically. The user-experience improvements enabled by technological progress are strikingly evident here—embodying IFA’s core ethos.

From September 4–8, the world’s largest home appliance and consumer electronics exhibition—IFA 2026—is held in Berlin.

As the “premier new media outlet for IFA coverage”—globally recognized for its authoritative AI-focused reporting—LeiTech has dispatched its largest and highest-caliber exhibition reporting team to Berlin this year. Deploying a “2+N” model (two live hosts + multiple on-site editors + multiple backend editors), LeiTech delivers comprehensive, immersive, and first-hand coverage of IFA 2026—focusing on AI Agent integration with appliances and hardware, robot technologies converging with home environments, emerging trends in human-vehicle-home digital lifestyles, and Chinese brands’ global stage presence.

The LeiTech IFA 2026 Reporting Team is actively covering the event on-site in Berlin—stay tuned!