The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) continues to be one of the biggest technology shows in the world. CES 2018 is sure to deliver. This Las Vegas event kicks off and runs January 9th – January 12th. These will be four days jam packed with some of the biggest tech announcements and demonstrations available to the industry. Companies like Sony, Samsung, LG, Google, and more will be hosted on keynote stages and in booths to showcase all the must-see tech of 2018. So, what are we predicting to be some of the most popular technologies this year?
Phones
While companies do like to host their own standalone product launches for a bigger bang, debuting software and devices at CES 2018 also offers a giant stage for tech companies. We predict that Sony will be revealing several new phones, including the Xperia XA2. These devices will be a design change for the Sony smartphones we see currently. For Samsung? We may be seeing Samsung’s rumored foldable smartphone, the Galaxy X, debuted at CES 2018. They will definitely be showcasing their Samsung Galaxy A8 –the more affordable version of the Galaxy S8. We may also get an early look at the Samsung Galaxy S9. LG is rumored to launch the LG G7 to rival the Galaxy S9.
TVs
TVs have been huge at Consumer Electronics Shows of the past. With talk of 8K TVs in the future, 4K TVs are still the current standard. This year at CES 2018 we can expect to see more TVs equipped with HDR10, Dolby Vision, and the gradual adoption of HDR10+ and Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) HDR formats on top of that. We’ve heard rumors that Samsung may be showing off a giant 150 inch TV at the CES. This TV would feature MicroLED tech. We expect Sony to follow suite as in recent years when they have revealed their latest range of Bravia TVs. This next line is rumored to feature OLED screens.
We expect LG to turn a few heads in the TV department as they did last year by unveiling perhaps the thinnest OLED TV ever at CES 2017. This year we expect LG to bring an 88-inch 8K OLED TV to the show. With a screen that has a resolution of 7,680 x 4,320 pixels, it’s sure to catch attention.
Virtual Assistants
From voice assistants to home audio to smartphone assistants to smart home technology, virtual assistants are the next big thing. We can expect to see a huge explosion in smart speakers featuring voice assistants.
Voice assistants are the biggest things in home audio now […] Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant were once only found on the Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers, but over the last year, third parties like JBL, Sonos, and Ultimate Ears have introduced their own smart speakers with these voice assistants. That’s a trend you can expect to see continue and expand in 2018. […] Last year was all about Alexa. That should still be true this year, with many companies adding voice control capabilities to their products. […] The Internet of Things is still the wild west of tech, so you can also expect a fair number of expensive-but-impractical robots, dubious appliances, and futuristic concept homes that are as inspirational as they are terrifying.
Auto
We predict a large revealing of automotive technology at CES 2018. Fisker is set to reveal its newest electric car, Emotion, at this year’s show. It has a range of over 400 miles, which may give Tesla a run for its money. Lyft is expected to drive attendees of the event around in a self-driving car. Nissan has a new “brain-to-vehicle” technology that it plans to reveal. The idea is to read drivers’ brain waves to complete safety maneuvers as they are anticipated. Hyundai and Volkswagon are both partnering with Aurora with the goal to have Level 4 self driving cars on the market by 2021.
AR over VR
Virtual reality is still relevant. We do have three commercial headsets on the market that are well established. Augmented reality has a new sense of integrated purpose in the industry. CES 2018 should be a destination for all things AR. This kind of technology has already exploded recently in trends like Pokémon Go, Apple’s new ARKit framework, and the general rise of computer vision on smartphones that we use for our selfies. We expect AR to show up in a big way to reveal the capability of augmented reality beyond the smartphone.
What are you expecting to see at the year’s CES? What technology has been most impressive to you in the last year? What do you think will hold the most attention? Comment below!
