As the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show draws to a close, it is time to look back at a few of the devices, gadgets and innovations that garnered the most buzz on its show floor. With more than 4,400 companies having exhibitions, 307 of which were in the 2018 Fortune Global 500, this year’s show has already proven to be larger than ever before.
As you can imagine, it is almost impossible to narrow down all that tech into any kind of definitive best of list. But here are a few of the best gadgets and innovations, in no particular order, that we feel have the most potential for changing the technology landscape in the years to come.
Foldable Displays
Foldable displays appear to be all the rage in the technology world right now, and we’ve seen quite a few emerge out of the CES show floor this past week, from laptops, to phones, and even tablets. One particular standout was the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, a 13.3-inch Windows 10 laptop that also functions as a tablet. It comes with both a magnetic keyboard and stylus, allowing users to enjoy the best of both worlds.
Alienware Concept UFO
The Nintendo Switch might be the fastest-selling video game console of the current generation, but it is still a bit odd that it has taken this long before we saw another company try to replicate its hybrid console design. That company is Alienware, and what makes its Concept UFO gaming device remarkable is the fact that it is a full-fledged PC running Windows 10. It is still in the protoype stages though, but we can expect to hear more about the device in the months to come.
Withings Scanwatch
Smartwatches and fitness trackers are not exactly devices you would call cutting-edge in this day and age. But what sets the Withings Scanwatch apart from other fitness wearables is its ability to help detect sleep apnea, a sleeping disorder that can prove fatal if left untreated. It does this by continually monitoring your sleep patterns while you sleep, using its inbuilt sensors, and alerting you if it discovers any anomalies that are common with people suffering from the disorder.
Samsung Neon
Unveiled during the Samsung keynote event, Project Neon is the company’s attempt at creating an artificial intelligence that would be indistinguishable from a human companion. While still in the early stages of development, the AI is expected to have the ability to learn from past interactions with users, which would in turn improve its ability to take part in more seamless and context-aware conversations. Potential applications for the product include everything from entertainment, to hospitality, and even customer service.
Sony Vision-S
The Sony Vision-S might only be a concept car in its present form, but as a “vision” of the future of electric cars, it is truly impressive. Its interior is fitted with a large panoramic display on its dashboard, which is fed with information from the vehicle’s 33 internal and external sensors. It also boasts a sleek overall design, 5G connectivity, driver and passenger monitoring and assistive driving capabilities, making it the ideal vision for the electric car of the future.
Uber Flying Taxi
Speaking of the future, if there was one thing that the science fiction of old had taught us, it was that we would have flying cars by 2020. Sadly, that reality turned out to not be the case, a fact that hasn’t stopped the guys at Uber from pushing forward with their promise to bring the world’s first air taxi station to life by 2023. A concept that was first unveiled in 2016, Hyundai revealed that it had patterned with the ride-sharing company, bringing their prototype flying taxi to the CES show floor.
5G Devices
With the ongoing move to 5G, it was only natural that we would be getting a host of devices that would leverage the next generation of mobile connectivity. But of all the devices on display, the TCL 10 5G appears to be the one that might bring the feature to a mass market, with an expected price point of sub $500. The company promised exact details would be revealed when the device is officially announced next month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
Robots
Like recent years, there was no shortage of robots on display during this year’s CES, from the Tombot Jennine, a realistic-looking robot dog for dog lovers, to the MarsCat autonomous robot for cat people. But of all the bots that were seen on the show floor, the most impressive was the Samsung Ballie, a small, round robot that can follow its user around as well as take voice commands, making it an ideal companion for tech enthusiasts with smart homes.
And there you have it, tech lovers, just some of the very best tech from CES 2020. The future is looking very bright indeed for consumer electronics and technology in general. Are you looking forward to owning or interacting with any of our CES picks anytime soon? Let us know in the comments section below.