Best of CES 2020

By David Onjili

CES 2020 took place between Jan 7 and Jan 20, 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, Las Vegas, Nevada in the USA.  This annual technology conference for the consumer electronics industry is the launching point for more than 20,000 new tech products each year – even though some large tech companies like Apple, Microsoft and Amazon have given it a wide berth recently; it also remains the single largest trade show in the United States.

Interestingly, and in a clear shift from last year’s event which was characterised by more tangible products, this year’s event predominantly featured concept products, meaning a high percentage of the products on display will not be able to be purchased by tech lovers or even used in the next or coming year(s). It was also a clear indicator that tech companies have envisioned that the future will belong to foldable devices.  

TCL and Samsung release vertical television screens.

This is inspired by the immense uptake of streaming and fact that a majority of consumers prefer to stream from their phones. Both TCL and Samsung released television sets that rotate to a vertical orientation. It is chiefly designed to seize the attention of millennials who watch videos on social media in a vertical set up i.e. their phones. The purpose is to have social media lovers watch Instagram stories, Tik Tok videos and even Snapchat, camera roll from their phones onto a relatively bigger screen.

The TCL vertical TV launches first in its home country, China, and comes in both 43-inch and 55-inch models. The Samsung model, christened Samsung Sero TV, can switch from landscape mode to portrait. It also debuted in Korea, and manufacturer Samsung deliberates that this is an idea worth pushing both in the west and worldwide this year and not just remaining a concept.

The Samsung Sero TV comes with a non-removable stand that has an in-built 60-watt speaker. The stand provides enough vertical clearance to prevent the TV from hitting the ground when flipped to portrait mode.

Samsung Galaxy phone owners can tap onto their devices and immediately start screen mirroring against the Sero.

Sony Vision-S concepts car

Yes, you heard it right. Sony, Japan’s tech giant has ‘ventured’ into the electronic car making business. They surprised tech enthusiasts by unveiling an electric car named the Vision-S prototype.

Interestingly, all this was just to get the media’s attention to its other products at CES at least going by some of the reviews on CES 2020. Sony has no plan to build the car or get into the car business; it was simply a publicity stunt. More importantly, the concept car was to highlight the company’s tech advancement.

The Vision-S brags several sensors including ToF and CMOS cameras. These are for facial recognition and provide the capacity to recognise the owner and even select passengers. The Vision-S boasts electric motors that allows it to accelerate from (0-60) mph in 4.8 seconds and has a top speed of 149mph. It weighs 2,350kgs, is all wheel drive and has
space for 4 seats.

The feature is premised on foldable devices

Motorola is back with its much anticipated Razr cell phone. A unique and vertically foldable smartphone unlike many foldable devices that fold horizontally, tech lovers and reviews had positive comments about it as it is one of the few foldable gadgets that allows one to use one hand.

Dell also brought forth the Ori concept, a laptop with a foldable display. Despite this amazing product, Dell made no commitments on its availability in the market.

The ThinkPad X1 Fold by Lenovo is another foldable laptop on display. Unlike the Or concept by Dell, the ThinkPad X1 Fold will be in the market by late 2020 and will retail at around $2500.