IFA 2026 is now a wrap up, after demonstrating how new Matter hardware blends into more parts of the smart home, like soil sensors from Third Reality, Tuya’s Matter IP camera, and new hub platforms from UGREEN and Anker that combine Matter control with local storage and AI.
The new wave of exhibition from manufacturers starts to differentiate beyond basic Matter compatibility, whether through more distinctive industrial design, flexible sensor mounting, modular hardware or opening previously closed ecosystems to third-party devices.
We picked products and concepts below from the IFA show floor that stood out.
Third Reality Thread button and soil sensor
Third Reality brought an extensive Matter-over-Thread lineup, including a Smart Button and Smart Soil Moisture Sensor.
Similar to IKEA’s new remotes, Third Reality’s new Matter buttons come in several bright colors, making them as much a piece of home decor as a smart home device. They move away from the usual white smart home plastic while keeping Third Reality’s simple, recognizable shapes.
The soil sensor also extends the company’s existing plant-care lineup from Zigbee to native Matter over Thread. That means you won’t need a Matter bridge to use it with major smart home ecosystems.
The company also demonstrated its new Matter EU plug and motion sensors, upgraded from its existing Zigbee and Wi-Fi products.
SONOFF gets serious about Thread
SONOFF is finally pushing Thread deeper into its sensor lineup.
New motion and door/window sensors shown at IFA support Thread alongside Zigbee, giving users flexibility between Matter over Thread and SONOFF’s established Zigbee ecosystem.
The company also experimented with installation. Prototypes around the SenseGuard Presence Core 60G and SenseGuard Motion showed possibilities for new wall and recessed mounting kits, a similar approach to the Fusion Series designed for relays and wall panels.
Another Matter sensor prototype could give users a lower-cost option alongside IKEA’s increasingly affordable Matter lineup, particularly for presence sensing, a category IKEA has yet to enter.
SwitchBot S30 mini
SwitchBot showed the S30 mini, a major upgrade to its super compact K series that adds a proper roller mop and automatic water refill and drainage while keeping the robot at just 28 cm wide.
The K series stood out for squeezing a robot vacuum into a much smaller footprint, but its mopping system remained basic, relying on a disposable wet wipe. The S30 mini turns that compact design into a much more capable floor-cleaning robot with a full-width roller mop and an extendable RinseSync roller for reaching edges.
It also pairs with a compact dock and automatic water station, while adding 15,000 Pa suction, CarpetGuard rug detection, dual anti-tangle protection and AI-based collision avoidance.
Yeelight ambient smart lighting
Yeelight showed several new ambient lights where the industrial design is as interesting as the smart features.
The Candle Light uses a tall transparent cylinder with a slim textured control through the center, giving it the appearance of a modern lantern. The Smart Ambient Light S2 suspends a frosted cylindrical diffuser inside a clear outer shell, framed by a metallic-looking base and top with touch controls.
The much smaller Vega Night Light takes a low puck-shaped form with a translucent ring casting a soft halo around its edge.
They feel more like interior objects designed to stay visible than electronics built around an LED source.
Shelly opens its ecosystem with Matter
Shelly used IFA to make its ecosystem considerably more open.
Firmware 2.8.0 turns supported Wall Displays into both Matter controllers and Matter devices. They can add and control compatible third-party Matter products, while their own relay, dimmer and thermostat functions can be shared with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant.
ThreadLink pushes the same strategy further by giving eligible Gen4 hardware another path from Wi-Fi toward Thread.
Matter is becoming less of an extra protocol for Shelly and more of the layer connecting its ecosystem with everything else.
UGREEN HomeAgent and Anker MindBase
UGREEN and Anker both showed a more ambitious take on the Matter hub, combining smart home control with local computing, storage and AI.
UGREEN HomeAgent combines Matter device control with local automation, camera storage and its Uliya AI assistant, pushing the company’s NAS experience directly into the smart home.
Anker MindBase follows a similar direction. Its EasyOmni Link connects Anker products with hundreds of compatible Matter devices from other brands, while an onboard AI Core handles local agents. It also offers up to 48TB of expandable storage.
The two products point toward a different class of Matter controller: less like a simple protocol hub and more like a local home server combining automation, security, storage and AI.
Tuya brings Matter cameras to its hardware ecosystem
Tuya demonstrated a PT spotlight camera with dual lenses as part of its expanding full-stack Matter platform.
The significance goes beyond one camera. Tuya supplies hardware modules, software and development tools to a large number of manufacturers, so a ready-made Matter camera implementation could eventually appear across many brands, designs and price points.
With cameras only recently becoming part of Matter, Tuya could help move the category from a handful of early products into the broader mass market.
(Image: Matter Alpha/Connor Jewiss, IFA, Tuya/Huang, Third Reality, UGREEN, Anker, Shelly)
