Nine phones launched at IFA 2018. Most dropped before the show even started.
The Highlights
LG G7 One — Potentially the best Android One phone on the market. LG’s flagship hardware (Quad DAC, MIL-SPEC durability) with stock Android instead of their polarizing skin. The G7 Fit, meanwhile, ships with an ancient Snapdragon 821—LG clearly bought surplus chips at a discount.
Sony Xperia XZ3 — Sony’s first OLED smartphone, using Bravia TV tech. Beautiful display. Fingerprint sensor still awkwardly low on the back.
ZTE Axon 9 Pro — ZTE’s first major launch after the US trade ban lifted. Frame interpolation tech, RGB ambient sensor. But the Axon 7’s hardware failures linger in memory.
BlackBerry KEY2 LE — The “Lite Edition” drops to plastic and removes capacitive keyboard scrolling. At $399, more realistic pricing—but it loses the executive feel that justified the original.
The Deeper Story
Kirin 980 stole the technical spotlight. First 7nm mobile chip, first Cortex-A76 implementation, and a “Big-Middle-Little” architecture that might eventually power Windows-on-ARM laptops.
Motorola’s identity crisis continues under Lenovo. The Motorola One feels less like Moto and more like generic Lenovo hardware with a familiar logo.
HTC U12 Life looks like the original Pixel (which HTC built). Not Android One though—and HTC’s update track record doesn’t inspire confidence.
The full episode is on YouTube.