IFA Berlin 2016 Announcements with Lenovo, Samsung, and Motorola with Release Dates and Prices

Sep 01, 2016 11:32 AM EDT

One of the biggest events in technology happens in Europe at this time, and it is IFA 2016 in Berlin.  The actual event happens on September 2nd through the 7th, but there has been a lot of great technology that has already been unveiled.  This is what is known about the latest IFA Berlin 2016 with announcements from companies like Lenovo, Samsung, and Motorola. 

Lenovo

Lenovo unveiled their Yoga Book, and it is a very different kind of tablet.  According to The Verge, not only does it have a very familiar-looking "watchband" hinge, but it has a touch-sensitive surface powered by Wacom.  It allows the user to swap out the stylus with an ink cartridge in order to take notes on real paper, and then they will show up in the book digitally. 

This Yoga Book comes in two models, and both of them will be available in October.  They both have the same specs with a 10.1 inch 1920 x 1200 display, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of storage.  There will be one that runs Android Marshmallow for $499, and another that runs Windows 10 for $549. 

In addition to this new Yoga Book, there is the Yoga 910, and it has a 13.9-inch 4K touchscreen display, or full HD available.  It also has a 7th generation Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16 GB of RAM, up to 1 TB of SSD storage and Intel HD graphics.  This device will have its release date in October at $1,299. 

Also available is the Yoga Tab 3 Plus, which has a large 10.2-inch display with 2K resolution and four front-facing JBL speakers, according to BGR.  It also has a unique kickstand and can prop the screen up and can be used to be hung on the wall.  The Yoga Tab 3 Plus will have its release date in October for a price of $299.99. 

Lastly, there is the Miix 510, which can be very easily compared to the Microsoft Surface.  It's a tablet with an integrated kickstand, and has a detachable keyboard cover.  It will show up with a release date in October for about $599.99. 

Samsung

I'm sure that we can we could have seen that coming, but Samsung has a new smartwatch with the Gear S3.  According to CNET, it uses Gear S2's bezel-based design, using the bezel spin to change watch faces and choose apps.  It runs the Tizen-based OS, and works with Android phones (no word about iOS compatibility). 

The size has gone up to 46 mm, and part of that is the increase in battery, as the 380 mAh battery can now last 4 days.  It has Samsung Pay and it can be used as a phone in and of itself.  So far, there is no word on a price or release date. 

Motorola

The Moto Z Play is not like the Moto Z and the Moto Z Force, and it is a mid end offering and not a flagship, according to XDA Developers.  The Z Play has a 5.5 FHD Super AMOLED display with the fingerprint sensor, 16MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, and more.  The back of the devices has that 16-pin for the MotoMods.  There will also be the Hasselblad True Zoom Mod that is available for $299 or $249 with Verizon. 

The phone will have its release date in September with Verizon having the initial exclusivity period again, and then will be available from Motorola for $449.