I attended my first IFA trade show in Berlin last week, and between countless helpings of currywurst, I found myself genuinely floored by all the cool new wearable tech on display.
From smarter smart rings with onboard NFC for mobile payments to AI-powered pendants that serve as a "second memory," IFA proved to be a treasure trove for gadget lovers like myself. With that in mind, these are the five most incredible pieces of wearable tech I demoed at IFA 2026.
1. Luna Band
I first saw an early version of the Luna Band at CES 2026 in January, long before the arrival of the Garmin Cirqa and Fitbit Air, two of the most capable (mostly) subscription-free alternatives to the popular screenless Whoop 5.0 fitness tracker.
Boasting similar features and specs to the competition, the new Luna Band splits the difference, price-wise, between the Cirqa ($199) and Air ($99), with a cost of $149.
However, one notable advantage the Luna Band has over the competition is a completely subscription-free approach to wellness. While Google (Fitbit) and Garmin make you pony up extra cash for deeper insights and AI-generated personalized recommendations, Luna does not.
In fact, custom-tailored AI-generated workout and health recommendations are a major selling point of the Luna Band. And rather than being overly focused on a cascade of metrics and charts, the companion Luna app is more geared toward digestible, actionable text-based advice based on your holistic trends and personal goals.
Stay tuned for a full review of the Luna Band, along with head-to-head comparisons versus the competition.
2. Circular Ring 3
The launch of the Circular Ring 3 was easily the biggest surprise of IFA, at least when it comes to wearable tech. The Circular Ring 2 was a mighty fine alternative to the latest Oura Ring 5, aka the best smart ring on the market, but when I reviewed it, a buggy app held back the overall user experience.
Since then, Circular completely overhauled and relaunched the companion app, and more notably, debuted not one but two new smart rings: the Circular Ring 3 Pro and Circular Ring 3 Slim.
Unlike Oura, these smart rings are subscription-free. They also support some unique features, most notably onboard NFC, giving you the power to pay for things with the touch of a finger. They also support haptic feedback for alerts and alarms.
The Ring Pro 3 additionally supports a promising new blood pressure trends feature that I look forward to testing when the wearable ships this winter.
3. Moto Watch Ultra
The Moto Watch Ultra was another pleasant IFA surprise announcement. Motorola's first-ever LTE-capable smartwatch, the Moto Watch Ultra is a direct competitor to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Google Pixel Watch 5, two of the best smartwatches for Android in 2026.
The thing is, the Moto Watch Ultra is priced lower than both of the above, while offering similar features. It runs Google's bug-free and user-friendly Wear OS, and for health and fitness tracking, Motorola partnered with the trusted Finnish smartwatch brand Polar.
A lovely-looking brushed stainless steel case additionally gives the Moto Watch Ultra a more premium look than the competition. Available starting on September 10, the Moto Watch Ultra starts at $349 via Motorola and Amazon.
4. Odyss N1
No, it's not a shark tooth necklace; the Odyss N1 is a small, metal pendant sporting an onboard camera and motion sensor designed to automatically log everything you eat. Still just a concept, the Odyss N1 was unknown to me prior to IFA, but when I spotted the brand's booth in the depths of the Berlin Messe, I was instantly drawn in.
In 2026, the best fitness trackers and smartwatches may be able to automatically log sleep, workouts, and stress, but they drop the ball when it comes to recording food intake without user input. This is where the Odyss N1 comes in. Designed to work alongside other fitness wearables, the N1 takes a few weeks to calibrate and learn your eating habits.
During that time, users are encouraged to manually edit any inaccuracies to help train the AI-powered detection algorithm. Afterwards, the Odyss N1 should be able to log everything you munch on and sip with a solid degree of accuracy. Of course, the one downside of the Odyss N1 is you pretty much need to wear it all the time to make the most of it.
No word on a shipping date.
5. iKarios
Last but not least, we have the iKairos, a peculiar circular-shaped pendant with an animated set of cartoonish eyes. But what purpose does this admittedly cute little wearable, which doubles as a tabletop companion when placed in its charging dock, serve?
The folks behind iKairos say that it's designed to be a "second memory," with an onboard microphone for recording notes, reminders, events, and more. It also has a built-in camera that's deployed by sliding the back half of the iKairos downward.
When active, the camera is meant to capture your most important memories; however, the output isn't a lovely photo slideshow or video reel. Instead, the iKairos translates your precious moments into weird, AI-generated images.
Still just a concept, there's a good chance that the iKairos will ultimately evolve into something more than a goofy-faced eavesdropper. And similar to the Odyss N1, we don't have any indication of when or even if the iKairos will be available to the public.
Of these five new tech wearables, which one are you most excited about? Let me know in the poll below.
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More from Tom's Guide
- I just went hands-on with the new Circular Ring 3 — and it beats the Oura Ring 5 in 3 big ways
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- Exclusive: Garmin Cirqa PM says ‘it just felt like we had all of the pieces in place’ to launch a screen-free fitness tracker
