IFA 2012 starts in a few weeks and all the manufacturers are gearing up to present their new autumn product line-ups. Here is what we have heard so far and what you should expect. We also expect to see a few surprises at IFA 2012.

Samsung
Samsung unveiled their 55” OLED-TV at CES 2012 in January but details were sparse. At IFA 2012 we expect Samsung to launch their OLED-TV and reveal pricing and shipping details. All Samsung’s latest features are expected to be there; Smart TV, 3D, dual-core processor and built-in camera.

Samsung is also preparing to launch a 75-inch ES9000 LED model in the USA and South Korea. We expect this TV to officially debut in Europa at IFA 2012.


Samsung presents the 75-inch ES9000 Smart TV

You might also have heard that Samsung intends to launch a successor to their weird-not-quite-phone-not-quite-tablet Note device at IFA 2012. Rumors say that the screen size will increase and that it might utilize Samsung’s new flexible YOUM OLED panels. However, the Note 2 is not expected to actually be flexible but the flexible display is thinner than traditional display panels.

Sony
We expect Sony to highlight their entire TV line-up at IFA and once again show how it plans to integrate other devices such as the PlayStation and portable game consoles into an ecosystem. This has not worked out for Sony so far but we expect Sony to keep pushing. We might hear Sony talk about their recent acquisition of Gaikai and the cloud gaming perspectives – but we think Sony will wait.


We heard a crazy rumor that Sony will release their Crystal LED TV at IFA – don’t believe it

We have also heard some rumors about a new 9 series TV from Sony. We are not sure exactly what to expect or believe but the 9 series definitely needs an update. The current 9 series is from the 2011 line-up so Sony could be preparing a new HX950/HX953/HX955 for IFA 2012. But Sony might also wait until CES 2013 in January. We do not expect to see a real product based on Sony’s Crystal LED technology but we are pretty sure that the prototype will be there.

We should expect to see Sony’s Google TV devices launch at IFA.

Lastly, we could hear more about Sony and Panasonic’s OLED partnership. We do not expect to see finished products - but maybe some prototypes?

LG
Just like Samsung, LG unveiled their 55” OLED-TV at CES 2012 in Las Vegas. At IFA 2012 we expect LG to launch the OLED-TV and announce pricing and launch details. LG’s OLED-TV will be called 55LM970V and 55LM975V, the EISA Awards announcement confirmed. We could be talking about two variants; one with a fixed base and another one with a wall-mounting solution. Expect to see Smart TV and Cinema 3D in there as well.


LG plans to launch their OLED-TV at IFA 2012

We also expect LG to bring their 84” 4K 3DTV and maybe even start selling it in Europe and USA? Maybe not but we hope so. Besides that we expect LG to continue their Cinema 3D and Smart TV strategies and LG might add some new Smart TV apps or features.

Hmm, what else? Probably some smartphones. We don’t care – unless they have cool new Smart TV integration or a new exciting display technology.

Panasonic
Panasonic is still very much focused on their TV business and seem to be switching their focus to LED models instead of their much acclaimed plasma TVs. At IFA 2012 we expect Panasonic to showcase the entire line-up but we do not expect to see a lot of new TVs from the Japanese company.


Panasonic will continue to promote their new LED models at IFA

Some people claim that Panasonic will start bundling Titanic on 3D Blu-ray with their 3D products instead of Avatar but we have not been able to confirm that ourselves. The 3D wave seems to be dying down a little so we do not know if Panasonic will use 3D as the main theme at IFA.

And just like Sony; Panasonic might start talking about their OLED partnership.

Philips
Ohh Philips, once a Dutch TV maker; today owned by Hong Kong-based TPV Technology. What will change? Not much to our knowledge. Philips will continue to promote their TV strategy in 2012 and probably also in 2013. But after 2013 we could see some changes.


Philips’ new 9 series TV will debut at IFA 2012

We know that Philips will unveil their new 9 series TV at IFA 2012. Why? Because FlatpanelsHD was the first major site to leak all the details. We also know that Philips will announce new DesignLine models.

We have not been able to confirm is Philips also plans to launch a new Cinema TV in the extra wide 21:9 movie format but it is surely due for an update. If no new Cinema 21:9 model is announced we might see Philips discontinuing the concept next year.

What else? Probably some health care products and audio products.

Sharp
Last year we saw Sharp’s jaw-droppingly impressive 8K TV at IFA. We expect Sharp to bring it to IFA 2012 again – maybe even in a larger size class.


Sharps 85” 8Kx4K TV is jaw-droppingly impressive – we hope to see it again at IFA 2012 – and again in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016…

Besides that we expect Sharp to exhibit their first European 90-inch TV. Sharp’s 90-inch TV launched in USA earlier this year so there is a good chance that this is true. We might also see Sharp’s first 4K TV – or at least a final-stage prototype. Sharp has been talking for 4K for some time now and they are amongst the few TV manufacturers who can produce large-size, high-resolution TVs.

And maybe Sharp will even bring their impressive IGZO-based, flexible OLED panels? That would be awesome – but don’t hold your breath.

Other cool things
Expect to see a ton of irrelevant tablets from pretty much all electronics manufacturers. Toshiba could be releasing a new improved glasses-free 3DTV – or maybe a cheaper variant. Ultrabooks *cough*Macbook Air clones*cough* everywhere. As for Microsoft, we expect them to be pretty low-key but all the Windows 8 machines will bring the software company into focus. Could Microsoft also be bringing their Surface tablet to IFA? Maybe.

We also hope to see some new design concepts from Loewe. Loewe is also planning to bring their new Connect ID TV and the new Individual TV.

IFA 2012 starts August 31 and ends September 5. FlatpanelsHD will provide full coverage so check back later in August or subscribe to our newsletter, RSS or twitter to get daily updates from the IFA 2012 show.