On the 4th (local time), the entrance to LG Electronics' exhibition hall at Messe Berlin in Berlin, Germany. A giant 16-meter-wide, 4-meter-tall screen opened onto a crimson-lit concert hall. When the phrase "The performance will begin shortly" disappeared, the massive display split into several pieces and moved upward. As if a stage curtain were lifting, the screen opened to reveal the humanoid "LG CLOiD," dressed in a black tuxedo and bow tie.
CLOiD raised both arms and became a conductor. Around it, not only refrigerators and washing machines but also TVs, laptops, and air conditioners from LG Electronics took their places like orchestra players. At large appliance shows, the booth entrance is usually where an ultra-large TV or display draws visitors in and showcases a company's technology at a glance. This year, the "face" of LG Electronics' exhibition was different. The biggest screen became a stage for a robot's entrance, and the humanoid took the prime spot in front.
In Berlin on this day, the "IFA 2026," Europe's largest home appliance and information technology (IT) exhibition, opened. LG Electronics organized its 3,745-square-meter (about 1,133-pyeong) exhibition space under the theme "Innovation in tune with you," unveiling about 150 key products.
LG Electronics named the entrance space "LG AI Orchestra." When CLOiD conducts home appliances, TVs, and HVAC products, each product's features are expressed through visuals, lighting, and music. It compresses the future of a "Zero Labor Home," where AI harmonizes scattered devices and services in the house to reduce household chores.
◇ A future drawn with a humanoid… deeper inside, the "AI home you'll use soon"
If CLOiD showed the home LG Electronics ultimately envisions, the inside of the hall presented a much nearer future. A living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom were built like a real home to show how the AI home hub "ThinQ ON" and the executable AI agent "ThinQ Claw" operate appliances by space.
ThinQ ON in the hall is a round device slightly larger than a palm. It looks like a speaker, but it is a hub that connects home appliances and Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the house. With ThinQ Claw onboard, it advances beyond conventional voice control. Using messengers like KakaoTalk or Telegram, users can control appliances remotely, and it also taps into information from other services such as web search and calendars.
For example, if a user out of the house sends the message "I'm headed back now," it calculates the current location and arrival time. Remembering that the air conditioner is usually set to 26 degrees, it first asks, "Shall I turn on the air conditioner at 26 degrees and run the air purifier in advance so it's comfortable when you arrive home in 50 minutes?" If the user approves, it operates the actual devices. If a multi-day trip is on the calendar, it also suggests turning off the TV and lights and activating an empty-home protection mode while the house is vacant. LG Electronics plans to begin beta testing of ThinQ Claw in Korea as early as this month and launch it within the year.
The role of extending the AI home beyond LG Electronics' products went to Athom, a Dutch smart home platform company acquired in 2024. Athom's "Homey" can connect and control more than 50,000 IoT devices, including appliances, lighting, and sensors. At this exhibition, LG Electronics used Homey as a home energy management system (HEMS) that ties together AI appliances, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), solar power, and energy storage systems (ESS). It is a way to manage on one screen where electricity in the home is generated and which devices consume it.
Expanding this into the business-to-business (B2B) realm is "ThinQ Pro." Building managers can check appliance operating status, energy flows, and failures without visiting each unit. This year, LG Electronics set aside 46% of its total booth area for meetings with clients. The aim appears to be linking AI home not only to consumer services but also to projects for builders, buildings, and office management.
◇ LG even made a hair dryer… new product lines draw attention
Deeper inside the hall, new products rarely seen in LG Electronics' existing lineup also stood out. The most striking was a hair dryer unveiled for the first time at this IFA. Having dealt with large appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines, as well as TVs, LG Electronics is expanding into a new category. Launch countries and timing have not yet been decided.
The hair dryer's sensors detect the distance between the device and hair, adjusting airflow volume, speed, and pressure. It keeps hair temperature at about 55 degrees to reduce heat damage while drying quickly. When set down, it automatically switches to standby, and it turns off if unused for five minutes. When connected with ThinQ, users can manage usage logs or download and use a pet mode.
In the kitchen, a steam-air oven was unveiled for the first time. Instead of a microwave function, it strengthens air-fry and steaming capabilities and reduces width by about 20% compared with existing lightwave ovens. A single-burner portable induction cooktop that can be placed on a table or countertop and plugged in without separate installation work was also exhibited. These products reflect Europe's residential environments, which are sensitive to tight spaces and energy use.
In the LG Signature space, a 30-inch wall oven was demonstrated that uses an internal AI camera to recognize ingredients and recommend suitable cooking methods and times. It was displayed alongside an induction range with an integrated hood that retracts below the cooktop when not cooking, presenting not just a single product but an entire kitchen as one solution.
◇ Tailored to the "600 mm" of European homes… preserving capacity even as space shrinks
Changes targeting the European market were clear in existing flagship products. LG Electronics expanded "Fit & Max," previously applied to refrigerators, to dishwashers and washers/dryers. It combines "Fit," meaning a perfect match for the space, with "Max," meaning maximizing capacity, performance, and efficiency.
The washer and dryer products on display were tailored to the European standard cabinet depth of 600 mm. The focus was on minimizing protrusion to the front while maximizing internal washing and drying capacity. Examples include the WashTower, which stacks a washer and dryer vertically, and the integrated washer-dryer WashCombo.
Refrigerators likewise reduced the problem of doors bumping into adjacent cabinetry when opened. A "zero clearance" structure was applied so they can be installed with only about a 4 mm gap from a wall or cabinet. The company said the focus was on lowering installation barriers so that even small kitchens can use large-capacity refrigerators.
Energy efficiency is also key to the European push. LG Electronics exhibited a washing machine that reduces energy use by 70% more than the standard for the top A energy grade, and dishwashers and refrigerators that each cut an additional 30% and 35%. Beyond top-efficiency models, the company expanded A-grade offerings in mid-price segments to broaden the application of high-efficiency technology.
◇ TVs ceded the entrance… inside, they showed what comes "after picture quality"
Although the symbolic spot at the booth entrance went to the humanoid, TVs did not lose their presence. Inside, OLED evo and Micro RGB TVs, gaming monitors, and StanbyME 2 Max filled a dedicated entertainment zone.
The exhibition did more than show brighter, sharper screens. A wallpaper-type TV that mounts flush to the wall, an art TV that presents content like a picture frame, and the mobile StanbyME 2 Max were placed together. The setup presents TVs not as a fixed screen in the center of the living room but as devices whose forms change with the space and how they are used.
Baek Sun-pil, managing director in charge of display customer experience (CX) at LG Electronics, said, "We showcased not only LG's picture-quality technologies such as OLED and Micro RGB, but also a variety of devices and platforms that customers can enjoy depending on their situations, including webOS, gaming monitors, and StanbyME 2," adding, "We focused on introducing entertainment solutions that enable a richer life."