Super-slim iPhones and stair-climbing robots, is tech getting exciting again?

I’ve been a tech journalist for over a decade, and in that time I’ve reviewed more phones, tablets, smartwatches and earbuds than I can count. It’s been fun, but if I’m honest, the last few years have felt like a lull. Phones were getting minor spec bumps. Smarthome tech was getting cheaper. Battery life improved a little each year. Useful, sure, but hardly thrilling.

As someone who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, my bar for “exciting tech” is probably a little skewed. I was raised on Spy Kids, Pierce Brosnan’s gadget-loaded James Bond, and even Robin Williams bouncing around in Flubber. Back then, tech felt whacky, unpredictable, and sometimes gloriously pointless. Tiny mobile phones and the Motorola Razr flip were status symbols. The gadgets we wanted weren’t just practical, they were fun.

So when something like Apple’s new iPhone Air lands – a super-slim, titanium-clad iPhone that is the spiritual successor to the Razr – I can’t help but get excited again. Yes, you can get better specs elsewhere for less money, but that misses the point. The iPhone Air feels sexy, and sexy tech is something I’ve missed.

That same feeling hit me last week at IFA in Berlin. Normally, IFA isn’t a show I look forward to. Messe Berlin on press days is like navigating an unfinished labyrinth, and since Covid, the launches haven’t been much to write home about. But this year? Different story. The buzz was back. In fact, it was one of the first times in years where we genuinely struggled to narrow our “best in show” list down to just ten products.

Walking the halls, I saw tech that made me grin, shake my head, and pull out my phone to film. There were robot vacuums with stair-climbing abilities – a problem even the Daleks couldn’t solve. There were washing machines with not one, not two, but three drums. Massive 100-inch TVs loomed in almost every hall, while outside, LiDAR-guided lawnmowers plotted perfect paths like they’d just borrowed navigation software from a self-driving car.

And then there was the humanoid robot. No cables, no handler steering it from behind – just a robot strolling through the show floor like it belonged there. It was enough to make me stop in my tracks. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was living in the future.

The difference, I think, is ambition. For years, companies have played it safe, polishing the edges of existing products. That’s sensible, but not always inspiring. This year’s launches felt riskier. Sometimes, even a little silly. And honestly, that’s what makes them fun.

Of course, not every gadget will stick. Stair-climbing robot vacs could prove too expensive or unreliable for most people. But I’d rather see companies try, fail, and try again than keep handing us safe, predictable iterations. Because when tech is daring, even the failures are entertaining.

And it’s not just IFA. Apple slimming its iPhones down to razor-thin proportions reminds me of when mobiles were fashion accessories as much as they were tools. Folding phones and flip phones are back in style. Wearables are exploring new forms again, such as rings, glasses, and even smart pins.

Maybe it’s just nostalgia talking, but tech feels exciting again. Not because it’s more powerful or efficient (though it often is), but because it’s once again surprising me.

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