Aqara at IFA 2026: Next-Gen Smart Locks, Matter Lighting & AI Gesture Control
IFA in Berlin remains the premiere global stage for major consumer tech announcements, and smart home innovators consistently use the event to reveal their roadmaps for the coming year. Reporting directly from the show floor, the team at Smart Home Tested stopped by the bustling Aqara booth to get an exclusive first look at their latest hardware lineup.
Covering specialised door lock mechanisms designed for European and UK doors, an expansive new Matter-ready smart lighting collection, and an AI camera capable of controlling home automations via hand gestures, Aqara showcased an ambitious vision for connected living.
The Smart Lock Evolution: U250, U500 Series, and UK U600 was on show for the first time from Aqara at IFA
Guided by Aqara product specialist Kinsey, the showcase kicked off with a comprehensive expansion of Aqara's smart access portfolio, focusing on faster hardware, rechargeable convenience, and regional lock compatibility.
1. Aqara U250 Smart Lock
The flagship U250 delivers significant internal upgrades:
Brushless Motor Architecture: Upgraded to an ultra-quiet, faster, and more durable brushless motor system that smoothly drives the deadbolt without jarring mechanical noise.
Integrated Rechargeable Battery: Replaces disposable AA batteries with a high-capacity built-in cell rechargeable via USB Type-C, delivering over 6 months of endurance per charge.
Aliro & Digital Wallet Support: Fully supports the emerging Aliro smart lock communication standard alongside Apple Home Keys and Samsung Wallet digital keys—enabling rapid tap-to-unlock directly from a smartphone or smartwatch.
2. The U500 Specialised Form Factors
Aqara expanded its U500 platform into purpose-built variants:
Outdoor Gate Lock (IP65): Built with rugged weatherproofing to endure pouring rain and freezing temperatures, bringing phone-tap unlocking to exterior perimeter and garden gates.
Glass Door Lock: Designed specifically for frameless glass doors in commercial offices or modern homes. It clamps securely using high-strength 3M adhesive with no drilling required, while retaining an emergency physical key cylinder.
3. Aqara U600 for the UK & Ireland
Addressing a long-standing request from smart homeowners in the UK and Ireland, the U600 is specifically tailored for multi-point UPVC doors. Featuring a slim backplate that aligns with regional door furniture, it offers fingerprint scanning, PIN codes, hidden physical keyholes, USB-C emergency power, and Apple Home Key support.
Comprehensive Smart Lighting: Indoor, Outdoor & Matter-Ready
Moving into the lighting showroom with Aqara’s lighting specialist Any, the brand unveiled an overhaul of its architectural and decorative illumination portfolio—all designed to operate seamlessly across Matter fabrics like Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, and Home Assistant.
Key Additions to the Lighting Portfolio:
Permanent Outdoor Facade Lights: Weather-resistant architectural trim lighting designed to stay mounted year-round, shifting from warm ambient daily porch lighting to dynamic holiday and celebration scenes.
T2 Lighting Series:
Downlight T2: Recessed ceiling luminaires with customisable white ambiance and colour tuning.
LED Strip T2: Highly flexible accent lighting built for under-cabinet runs, shelving, and behind-TV bias backlighting.
LED Bulb T2 (E14 & E27): Compact form-factor smart bulbs designed with a noticeably smaller footprint than previous generations, making them fit neatly into tight decorative lampshades.
Multi-Zone Floor Lamp: A modern column lamp featuring individually addressable gradient colour zones that can display multi-hue blends (e.g., contrasting blue and pink tones) simultaneously.
AI Gesture Recognition: Aqara Camera G350
A major highlight of the lighting demonstration was the introduction of the Aqara G350 Matter Camera, which takes spatial automation far beyond standard motion triggers.
Equipped with an onboard neural engine for Hand Gesture Recognition, the G350 recognises distinct user hand signals:
An open palm ("High Five") can serve as an immediate trigger to launch whole-room illumination or enter a specific scene.
Swiping left or right in front of the lens allows users to cycle through active colour presets.
An "OK" sign can confirm a command or turn off background ambient strips.
This setup offers a touchless alternative to voice commands, making it ideal for adjusting settings when music is blaring or when you don't want to wake sleeping family members.
Physical Controls: The Cube T1 Pro & Scenario Automation
Tying the entire ecosystem together in Aqara's experiential demonstration room was the Cube T1 Pro. Rather than navigating smartphone apps or speaking voice commands, turning the cube onto different numbered faces instantly shifts room moods:
Focus & Reading Mode: Flips the room into clean, high-concentration cool white and blue hues.
Party & Holiday Scene: Floods the space with vibrant magenta and dynamic gradient patterns.
Leaving Home Master Switch: A single physical wall switch or gesture action triggers an automated shutdown sequence, powering down all downlights, floor lamps, and light strips as you head out the door.
Final Verdict
Aqara's IFA 2026 showcase highlights how the brand continues to remove the traditional barriers of smart home adoption. By introducing regional multipoint locks like the U600, eliminating disposable batteries in favor of USB-C charging, and implementing camera-based gesture recognition, Aqara is providing homeowners with flexible, local-first smart automation tools.
Watch the Full Show Floor Walkthrough
To see the sleek U600 UPVC lock up close, watch Kinsey demonstrate the brushless U250, and see Any trigger lighting scenes via hand gestures on the G350 camera, check out the full IFA 2026 booth tour on Smart Home Tested below:
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