The hunt for the next big innovation of 2019 begins here! CES 2019 (Consumer Electronics Show) that takes place every year in Las Vegas is set to play host to geeks, nerds, bloggers and tech giants from all over the world in a 3-day event from 8 to 11 January, that’s going to showcase some upcoming tech.
This year it’s going to be more about voice-assistant enabled devices bundled with a wave of 8K and 5G-compatible TVs, smartphones and tablets and more. CES attracts almost 180,000 people from 155 countries, as well as 6,500 media, who visit 4,500 exhibitors (except Apple Inc).
So, here’s a look at what all you can expect from CES 2019.
Want It? Voice It
CES 2019 is expected to be a very loud event considering there are expected to be a lot of voice-assistant enabled gizmos. Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant will be seen migrating to new avatars mostly in refrigerators, TVs, audio systems and more.
There are currently over 20,000 smart devices compatible with Amazon Alexa, and subsequently over 10,000 gizmos that work with Google Assistant. That number is bound to swell this year.
It is said that the voice-assistant trend could also permeate from smart lights at homes, to the wearable segment to soundbars and even cars.
So, could we see an Alexa enabled coffee maker this year? Could be.
Big TVs in Big Demand
People even haven’t recovered from the hangover of 4K and CES 2019 is already ready to showcase 8K technology!
Television makers like Sony, LG, Samsung, Toshiba, and Sharp are expected to showcase their 8K displays at the gala event this year.
LG couldn’t wait for the event to kick-off and pre-announced what the company is claiming to be the world’s first OLED 8K display. An 8K display will come with a resolution of 7,680 x 4,320 pixels and you can bet that it’s going to produce jaw dropping results.
I really don’t understand the point of introducing 8K when there isn’t even content available. Seems to me it’s going to take another four to five years, before one realises that such astonishing technology is inconsequential.
CES 2019 Fold’ Em
We have already seen previews and prototypes of foldable smartphones and even televisions but it seems 2019 is going to be the year when this technology sees the light of day.
Samsung recently showcased its foldable smartphone and it looks like many other companies may follow suit at CES 2019. LG seems to be the closest in terms of introducing a gizmo with a foldable TV screen.
There were rumours that a Chinese tech company, Royole will showcase something called a FlexPai, which is rumoured to be a 7.8-inch folding phone. Or it could also be a Xiaomi.
There are still lots of ifs and buts that cloud the certainty of the above, but I have a very strong feeling 2019 is going to about phones that you can fold and put into your pockets.
The Future of Driving
There is still an air of uncertainty of what the future of driving is going to be like, but it’s likely there are going to be less people behind the wheel and more cars with cameras.
CES 2019 has managed to take the spotlight away from the Detroit Motor Show that happens in a few months from now. The motor show will be shifted to a later date post 2020. This year’s CES will have eleven major car manufacturers compared to nine that were in Las Vegas last year.
Expect a lot of focus on self-driving technology and there might be a few who will venture into voice assistants for cars. No news on how the two-wheeler setup is going to be at the event.
5G is the Future
It’s inevitable and it’s the future. 5G is going to come out soon and many companies like Samsung, Nokia, Huawei and even Ericsson have already tested the technology.
The faster cellular network technology will be capable of delivering speeds up to 10 gigabits per second. This will help connect not only phones, but also cars and smart home devices.
The event is bound to shed more light on the implementation of the tech in the coming months and how different chip makers and wireless carriers will play a part in making the technology more accessible.
Stay tuned to the The Quint for all the updates and news from CES 2019.
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