The latest news from the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA 2025) in Germany highlights the growing dominance of Chinese home appliance and consumer electronics brands at this globally influential trade fair. With the theme “Smart Living · Sustainable Future,” IFA 2025 focuses on cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and green technology. Notably, massive advertisements from Chinese giants like Haier, Hisense, TCL, and Midea have replaced those of former prominent players like Samsung, LG, and Sony in the central exhibition halls. After years of development, Chinese home appliance companies have now become the main protagonists and a critical force at IFA.
According to the latest news, nearly 700 Chinese companies are participating in IFA 2025, with major Chinese home appliance brands showcasing their newest technologies and products. Against the backdrop of rising U.S. tariffs, the European market has undoubtedly become a crucial battleground for Chinese companies expanding overseas.
AI Redefines Home Appliance Competitiveness
Chinese home appliance manufacturers have been among the most proactive in driving intelligence and AI-enabled innovations. Today’s AI is no longer limited to single-function gimmicks but has evolved into practical solutions that address real pain points and enhance user experiences. Hisense made a global debut at IFA with its new RGB-Mini LED TV model, the U7S Pro. Equipped with an upgraded “dual-chip” combination, the U7S Pro inherits the core advantages of RGB-Mini LED technology, including ultra-high color accuracy, brightness, wide viewing angles, and low energy consumption. The new product, available in 75/85/100-inch sizes, is set to enter mass production by the end of September. Hisense’s RGB-Mini LED technology, powered by its self-developed Hi-View AI Picture Quality Chip H7 and advanced algorithms, unlocks the full potential of hardware performance, achieving up to 100% BT.2020 wide color gamut and 100% color purity with low blue light eye protection. Hisense is the first and only brand globally to mass-produce RGB-Mini LED TVs, and the launch of the U7 series further accelerates the industrialization of RGB-Mini LED technology, making it accessible to a broader audience. With more TV brands adopting RGB-Mini LED, the global display industry is officially entering the RGB-Mini LED era.
At this year’s IFA, TCL focused on health, comfort, and future smart product technologies, demonstrating the upgrade of Chinese consumer electronics toward intelligence and premiumization. In the areas of sleep and dietary health, TCL Industries showcased a range of star products, including the TCL Little Blue Wing C7 fresh air conditioner, which features an industry-first variable sleep temperature curve and millimeter-wave radar sensing technology to monitor sleep stages and body movements. Combined with AI genetic algorithms, it aims to improve deep sleep duration. In the field of AI innovation, TCL’s subsidiary, Thunderbird Innovation, attracted significant attention with its latest AI/AR glasses, including the world’s smallest mass-producible full-color MicroLED waveguide AR glasses, the Thunderbird X3 Pro and Thunderbird Air 3s. Meanwhile, at TCL’s AiMe Winter Olympics-inspired ski park, visitors could immerse themselves in the world’s first detachable AI companion robot, AiMe, experiencing the warmth of technology.
Beyond home appliance companies, IFA has seen an increasing trend of brand diversification in recent years. According to the latest news, brands like Lenovo and DJI are also making appearances at the event. Lenovo unveiled its latest AI innovation portfolio, including new AI concept devices, high-performance PCs, smart tablets, immersive gaming devices, and Motorola smartphones, embodying its vision of “Smarter AI for All” and accelerating the integration of generative AI and hybrid AI into daily work, creativity, and entertainment.
Globalization Advance: Europe Becomes Key Market for Chinese Companies
The European market is widely recognized as a global hub for premium brands. Especially amid uncertainties in the U.S. market due to high tariffs, Europe has become a focal point for Chinese home appliance companies expanding overseas with high-end products. To capture the European market, Chinese home appliance giants have implemented a series of strategies. High-profile sports marketing has become a key tool for players like Hisense and TCL to expand their presence in Europe. Hisense officially announced its sponsorship of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking its third World Cup sponsorship after the 2018 Russia World Cup and the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Fang Xueyu, Vice President of Hisense Group, stated that each World Cup drives a new display technology revolution, and the 2026 event will accelerate the widespread adoption of RGB-Mini LED technology. In February of this year, TCL signed an agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to become a Global Partner of the Olympics (TOP Program), making it the first Chinese display giant to join the ranks of top Olympic sponsors. This move aims to enhance TCL’s global brand image through the Olympic platform.
TCL has been deeply entrenched in the European market for over 20 years. Among its global markets, Europe stands out where TCL’s product strength and brand influence rank among the top. In the first half of 2025, TCL TV global shipments reached 13.46 million units, ranking second globally and first among Chinese brands. Retail sales ranked in the top two in France and Poland, and in the top three in Sweden and Spain. TCL’s mid-to-high-end products have gained popularity in Europe, with Mini LED TV shipments surging 91% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, and air conditioner sales growing 31.7% year-on-year.
It is worth noting that the Berlin IFA exhibition first began in 1924, the same year as the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France. At the intersection of these two centennial international events, TCL “brought the Winter Olympics to IFA,” blending technology and Olympic spirit to convey brand warmth to the European and global markets.
Lenovo has adopted a multi-brand strategy to better cover local markets worldwide. Ouyang Jun, Senior Vice President of Lenovo Group and General Manager of the IDG Consumer Business Unit, stated in an interview at IFA that Lenovo operates different brands across various business areas, including Medion in Germany, and NEC and Fujitsu in Japan. These acquired brands complement Lenovo’s core brand and enhance its local market coverage.
Additionally, major home appliance players like Haier, Skyworth, and Changhong, as well as cleaning appliance companies such as Ecovacs, Dreame, MOVA, Narwal, and Roborock, and consumer electronics brands like DJI and Insta360, have all participated in the exhibition with heavyweight products.
