IFA 2025: Our 3 takeaways from the world's largest consumer electronics fair

Berlin and September mean one thing for us: IFA – where the world’s biggest tech and smart home names show off what’s next.

We went, we explored (while showcasing at our own frient stand), and we came back buzzing from all the many impressions and new smart home inspiration.

In case you missed out on all the fun and new things from Berlin, we have gathered 3 key takeaways from this year’s IFA:

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1. AI that actually helps you

A clear theme at IFA this year was how AI is moving from being just a feature to being the quiet helper in the background that will actually make your life easier.

Instead of just being a shiny new feature in products, AI is finally being implemented to predict what we want in our daily lives based on our behavior and preferences – like adjusting the lights, heating, or syncing the blinds with the weather.

This is a great trend towards a more proactive smart home that can act on its own and not just by tapping on a smartphone. Definitely an interesting peek into the future of smart home.

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2. The pre-made smart homes are here

One of the most exciting showcases at IFA 2025 was Samsung and SmartThing’s Smart Modular Home exhibition – ready-made buildings filled with pre-installed devices that work seamlessly from day one.

Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics, Park Chan-woo, explained the smart modular home concept as the house becoming one big piece of electronics: “The smart modular home solution will allow you to purchase your home like an electronic device.”

But what’s even cooler? The exhibition homes had frient devices installed!

More specifically, the frient Entry Sensor Pro to detect opening and closing of doors and windows and the Intelligent Smoke Alarm to detect and alert you about smoke in the home.

However, you don’t need to buy a whole new modular house to get these frients. They can of course be bought individually and integrate easily with Samsung’s SmartThings and many other hubs using Zigbee like Homey and Home Assistant.

PS. Did you know that frient is now officially certified as part of the Works with Home Assistant program?

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3. Smart homes prioritizing energy efficiency and sustainability

Energy efficiency and sustainability were front and center at this year’s IFA – and not just as a checkbox but as a design priority for manufacturers.

From smart thermostats that automatically lower your heating while you are away, to appliances that save water and power and reports on upcoming maintenance, we were happy to see that many new innovations prioritize being clever with resources.

At frient, we are all aboard this train with devices that let you remote control, monitor, and automate your energy consumption like the Smart Plug Mini 2, Smart Cable 2, Smart DIN Relay, and the Electricity Meter Interface 2 for LED and P1 meters.

IFA 2025 was packed with new ideas and smart home inspiration that reminded us why we love what we do.

A big thanks to everyone who came by to explore new smart home possibilities and talk friently home automation with us!