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Snappy, flashy, mini: Meet the phones of IFA 2016

Europe's big tech show sets the stage for new phones we'll see this fall. We introduce you to the latest crop of handsets.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
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1 of 28 Josh Miller/CNET

Meet the phones of IFA 2016

Each year, a giant Berlin tech show known as IFA becomes center stage for some of the important phones we'll see this fall.

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2 of 28 Sarah Tew/CNET

Motorola Moto Z Play

The Motorola Moto Z Play is a more midrange version of the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, the latter sold only with US carrier Verizon.

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3 of 28 Sarah Tew/CNET

Motorola Moto Z Play

With scaled-back specs comes a lower price than the other Moto Z phones.

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4 of 28 Sarah Tew/CNET

Hasselblad True Zoom Mod

But the Moto Mods work just the same, like the Hassleblad True Zoom camera accessory here.

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5 of 28 Sarah Tew/CNET

Hasselblad True Zoom Mod

With a real 10x zoom lens, this attachment makes the Moto Z feel like an actual point-and-shoot camera.

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6 of 28 Sarah Tew/CNET

Hasselblad True Zoom Mod

Like other Mods, the brand new Hasselblad True Zoom snaps on through magnets.

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7 of 28 Sarah Tew/CNET

Hasselblad True Zoom Mod

You can see the connector here.

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8 of 28 Sarah Tew/CNET

Hasselblad True Zoom Mod

In addition to the zoom lens, this add-on can shoot RAW photos with the new Moto Z Play and other Z phones.

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9 of 28 Josh Miller/CNET

Sony Xperia XZ and X Compact

Sony's Xperia XZ and X Compact offer big and little versions of a handset with a 23-megapixel camera.

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10 of 28 Josh Miller/CNET

Sony Xperia XZ and X Compact

The larger XZ, left, has a 5.2-inch screen, compared to the X Compact's tiny 4.6-inch display.

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11 of 28 Josh Miller/CNET

Sony Xperia XZ

The XZ has the higher-end specs of the two, and the higher price.

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12 of 28 Josh Miller

Sony Xperia XZ

Both phones share manual camera settings, filters and add-on apps that you can easily access from the native camera (pictured).

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13 of 28 Josh Miller/CNET

Sony Xperia X Compact

The shrunken Compact is downright cute.

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14 of 28 Josh Miller/CNET

Sony Xperia X Compact

A small screen makes the phone easy to pocket...

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15 of 28 Josh Miller/CNET

Sony Xperia X Compact

...but the smaller screen requires more precise taps.

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16 of 28 Josh Miller/CNET

Sony Xperia X Compact

Both new Xperia phones have USB-C charger ports and fingerprint readers -- but the latter won't work in the US. :(

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17 of 28 James Martin/CNET

ZTE Axon 7 Mini

Can you tell the difference between the ZTE Axon 7 Mini, introduced at IFA, and last spring's ZTE Axon 7?

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18 of 28 James Martin/CNET

ZTE Axon 7 Mini

The Mini's screen is a tad smaller (5.2-inch versus 5.5), but it's mostly the specs that make the scaled-back Axon 7 Mini its own phone.

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19 of 28 James Martin/CNET

ZTE Axon 7 Mini

Stepped-down rear camera specs, storage, RAM, battery capacity and processor all contribute to the Axon 7 Mini's lesser price.

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20 of 28 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Huawei Nova Plus

Huawei's Nova and Nova Plus are pretty fanciful names for the two new phones.

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21 of 28 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Huawei Nova Plus

They both have fingerprint readers on the back.

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22 of 28 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Huawei Nova and Nova Plus

The smaller Nova, left, has a 5-inch screen compared to the Plus' 5.5-inch display.

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23 of 28 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Huawei Nova

While they both share an 8-megapixel selfie-shooter, the Nova Plus has the larger, 16-megapixel camera compared to the Nova's 12-megapixel shooter.

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24 of 28 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Alcatel Shine Lite

There are two lights in the budget-focused Alcatel Shine Lite -- the dual-tone flash on the back and the much less common camera flash on the front.

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25 of 28 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Alcatel Shine Lite

You won't find loud colors here. The 5-inch Shine Lite comes in three neutrals: gold, black and white. It sells globally in September.

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26 of 28 Acer

Acer Liquid Z6 and Z6 Plus

Both inexpensive phones, the Acer Liquid Z6 and Z6 Plus have (respectively) 5 and 5.5-inch screens. The higher-end Plus falls into the midrange category, while the Z6 is purely entry-level.

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27 of 28 CNET
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28 of 28 HTC

HTC One A9s

HTC's iPhone-clone is a midrange redux of last year's more budget phone for fall. With more updated specs, of course.

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