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Double vision smartphone innovations at IFA

Lauren Kate Rawlins
By Lauren Kate Rawlins, ITWeb digital and innovation contributor.
Johannesburg, 04 Sept 2017

Europe's biggest consumer technology show, IFA 2017, kicked off this weekend in Berlin. Hardware manufacturers often use IFA to introduce new smartphones to the market, and this year is no different.

Smartphone companies compete to bring out innovative features they hope will set their device apart in a sea of increasingly similar 'black mirrors'.

These are some of the handsets and accessories in the spotlight at this year's event.

The Hisense A2 PRO.
The Hisense A2 PRO.

The latest flagship device from Hisense, the A2 PRO, features two screens, one in the front and one in the back.

The front-facing 5.5-inch display is a full HD Super AMOLED, while the back 5.2-inch display is e-ink. The company says the back display is meant to be used for reading e-books or performing simple tasks that do not require a full-colour display.

Hisense says by using the secondary screen instead, less energy is used and therefore the battery life is significantly prolonged.

The company also unveiled the Hisense C30, aimed at people who spend a lot of time outdoors. The device is resistant to water, dust and shock. It can be submerged in water to depths of 1.5m for up to 30 minutes without any resultant damage.

The new Moto mod allows users to take 360-degree pictures.
The new Moto mod allows users to take 360-degree pictures.

Lenovo, through its subsidiary, Motorola Mobility, introduced the 360 Camera Moto Mod, as well as two new mobile devices: Moto x 4 and Moto z 2 Force Edition.

Last year, Motorola introduced a modular flagship device which allowed the smartphone to become something else, such as a speaker or mirrorless camera, by adding an attachment to it.

The 360 Camera Moto Mod, which is new to Europe, Middle East and Africa, snaps onto any Moto z device and turns it into a 360-degree camera. The camera can capture photos and video, which can then be viewed using a virtual reality headset, or by tilting a mobile device or manually dragging the image.

The mod also records immersive 3D audio which will follow the direction the user is viewing.

The Alcatel IDOL 5 and IDOL 5S.
The Alcatel IDOL 5 and IDOL 5S.

Alcatel unveiled the IDOL 5S and IDOL 5 smartphones. The handsets feature an instant action 'Now Key' which users can pre-set to launch specific apps, tasks or actions.

"IDOL 5S users can use the dedicated hard key to trigger an action or access to the app that you like most. IDOL 5 users simply tap the dedicated floating Now Key, positioned anywhere on their home screen, to trigger the actions they use the most. For example, they can customise the Now Key to start the camera app, call a contact, start a sound recording, compose an e-mail, and more, each with a single tap," Alcatel said in a statement.

Other smartphones unveiled at the show, and previously covered by ITWeb, include the LG V30 and Sony Xperia XZ1.

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