A Look at the New Matter Smart Home Products Announced at IFA Berlin 2024

IFA Berlin 2024 closed on September 10 2024, showcasing a wealth of new tech, much of which you can expect to see in shops over the coming months. Along with the usual audio gear, mobile phones, and laptops, IFA Berlin 2024 was the launchpad for a collection of new smart home technology, much of which has been built with support for Matter.

Let’s take a look at what new devices you can expect to bring into your Matter smart home over the next 12 months.

What Is IFA Berlin 2024?

First though, a quick overview of IFA Berlin 2024. IFA is an abbreviation of “Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin” (International radio exhibition, Berlin) and the event has been running since 1924, when it started as an old world industrial exhibition (what we now call a trade expo). It takes place in the Messe Berlin exhibition center, in the German capitcal

Aside from a gap between 1939 and 1950, the IFA Berlin event was held bi-annually until 2005 when it went to an annual cycle. The biggest technology show in Europe, IFA is a great place for manufacturers and their PR teams to showcase new products ahead of launch – often in time for the Christmas market.

IFA 2024’s Matter Smart Home Announcements

By our reckoning over 25 new products with Matter support were announced at IFA 2024. We’ve listed them below, grouped by manufacturer.

Tado

The Tado X range has been announced for a full UK and EU roll out at IFA, following previous limited availability across Europe since May 2024. Tado X is a smart energy brand, which is promoted as a means to save money on heating bills, thanks to connected thermostats and sensors.

Several individual devices are available individually and as kits:

• Wireless Smart Thermostat X Starter Kit

• Wired Smart Thermostat X Starter Kit

• Smart Radiator Thermostat X Starter Kit

• Smart Radiator Thermostat X

• Smart Radiator Thermostat X Quattro Pack

• Wireless Temperature Sensor X

• Heat Pump Optimizer X

• Bridge X

• Wired Smart Thermostat X

Our guide to the new Tado X range explores the devices in more detail.

Switchbot

Smarthome switch and robovac maker SwitchBot has unveiled a collection of new Matter compatible devices at IFA Berlin 2024. These are a roller shade system and air quality monitors.

• SwitchBot Roller Shade

• SwitchBot Meter Pro

• SwitchBot Meter Pro (CO2 Monitor)

The roller shade is SwitchBot’s largest device to date. The air quality monitors require a SwitchBot Hub 2 or a SwitchBot Hub Mini Matter Enabled to access outdoor temperatures and humidity.

Flic

Flic has announced the Flic Twist, an unusual device is designed to control anything from light brightness to audio volume and motorized blinds. It ships with a hub, which is also compatible with Flic Buttons, and has backward compatibility with previous Flic devices back to 2015.

Aqara

One of the most prolific manufacturers of Matter tech, Aqara has added to its range of smart home products at IFA Berlin 2024 with five new releases:

• Garage Door Controller T2 Kit

• Light Switch H2 EU

• Dimmer Switch H2 EU

• Shutter Switch H2 EU

• LED Bulb T2: This range of bulbs includes the E26, E27, and GU10 bulbs

We’ve recently reviewed the Aqara FP1E Presence Sensor and the Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2, and were pretty impressed.

UTEC

Samsung SmartThings partner UTEC announced a new Matter home security device, the Ultraloq Bolt Fingerprint Matter. This has been unveiled alongside a range of other security devices that don’t have Matter integration.

The smart lock has an AI self-learning fingerprint algorithm with 99.8% accuracy and 0.3 seconds unlock speed.

LG

Popular consumer technology giant LG has announced the LG ThinQ ON AI, a Matter hub with “Affectionate Intelligence.” It uses a generative AI that has been configured to provide more natural responses to requests and instructions.

Govee

The vibrant LED lighting company has announced two Matter-compatible colored lighting systems.

• Govee Strip Light 2 Pro

• Govee COB Strip Light Pro

These are both available to order now, and can be viewed in the accompanying video. Further products are slated for release before Christmas, including some seasonal illuminations.

Nanoleaf

Having struggled with Thread (see below), Nanoleaf has conceived its own alternative, a proprietary protocol called Litewave. This is one of several protocols (including Thread) used in the Sense+ Smart Wireless Switch, a long-anticipated product. This affords Matter control over Nanoleaf’s smart lighting setups.

Bosch/Siemens

German giant Bosch is behind two Matter kitchen products announced at IFA Berlin 2024.

The Smart Kitchen Dock is a dock for mobile devices and has Alexa built in. Compatible with iOS 15+ and Android 11 +, the device is conceived as a device for providing recipes and entertainment in the kitchen. While already available, the device was confirmed at IFA as receiving an upgrade to Matter Bridge status.

Meanwhile, the XXL freezer, launched in 2023, is set for a Matter upgrade in 2025.

Thread 1.4 Update Announced

Finally, perhaps the most significant announcement at IFA Berlin 2024 was the details of Thread 1.4. This is a long-awaited update that includes various revisions and fixes. Our full analysis of the Thread 1.4 specification explores this in more depth.

The Smart Home Matters More and More

With what seems to be the biggest collection of announcements of new tech with Matter support, it’s clear that the interoperable smart home platform is finally gaining momentum. No doubt this has been helped with the announcement of Matter 1.3 earlier this year, and future specification updates will no doubt have a similar impact.

But there is a wider implication here. By introducing simplicity into the smart home space, Matter doesn’t only ensure everyone can use their hubs and smart speakers to greater effect. It also provides a solid foundation for the smart home marketplace to expand, and build towards the interconnected, interoperable, fully compatible smart home that we’ve dreamed of for decades.