By Nicole Galang, Marketing Specialist, BDSmktg

With a new year upon us, it is an exciting time to look forward to all the innovations that will be coming in 2018! The first peek of the technological landscape for the upcoming year can usually be first spotted during the world’s biggest electronics tradeshow, CES. The 51^st Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will take place in Las Vegas, NV from January 9 – 12 and will feature a plethora of innovative technology, improvements on existing ones, and talks of what is to come. As our sales and client service teams hit the floor at this year’s show, we have compiled a list of trends to keep an eye out for at CES 2018!

The Smart Home Gets Smarter

The Internet-of-Things has been abuzz the past few years, and with the rise of voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant, the process of integrating connected devices is even simpler. A 2017 study conducted by the NPD shows that 48% of Amazon Echo owners and 57% of Google Home owners bought their first home automation product after owning a voice-activated speaker. Expect to see an uptick in voice-controlled smart home gadgets, such as new updates to LG’s C by GE smart lighting line-up that includes a new Wi-Fi connected ceiling fixture that has its own microphone and speaker. We’ll also see ConnectSense’s new smart in-wall socket that you can control via an app, built-in touch controls, or voice controls from a third party device, like Alexa or Google Home.

Also, expect to still see security products as the driver for smart-home adoption. The convenience of smart home security in replacement of traditional security systems has been on the rise and is showing no signs of slowing down. IoTaBeam will be launching its proprietary StarDust offering, which has a series low-compute and low-power IoT sensors and devices in its lineup. Ring will also be showcasing a variety of connected home security devices, with its Ring Video Doorbell 2 that features a camera and a 1080 HD video feed you can view on your smartphone, as one of its most notable devices.

Technology in HD

Televisions have always been a staple source of constant innovation for CES throughout the show’s history, and last year was no exception. During CES 2017, televisions made a big splash with innovations, such as the first wallpaper TV introduced by LG. LG will be aiming to continue its train of continuous innovation this year with the world’s first 88-inch 8K OLED display. This new TV will replace LG’s previous largest OLED display that clocked in at 77-inches to make its newest release the largest OLED display on the planet. Samsung is looking to rival LG in its quest for the highest quality display, however the brand is looking towards a new technology called Micro LED to contend with LG’s OLED displays.

Voice assistants are also looking to make an entrance into televisions with new products such as the Amazon Fire TV Edition that allows you to control the TV with commands such as “Alexa, turn on the TV” or “Alexa, watch ‘Breaking Bad’” with no remote required! Other brands are slowly integrating voice assistants into their units as well, including up and coming TV brand Roku, who recently announced that they will be creating their own voice assistant that will be included in the company’s streaming devices and smart TVs this fall. Sony and Vizio will be introducing a similar feature in collaboration with Google Home speakers.

Driving into The Future

From Faraday Future revealing its rival to the Tesla, to the Toyota’s Concept-I car highlighting what our 2030 technology might look like, electric cars definitely stole the spotlight at last year’s CES. Automakers’ presence at CES has evolved from one or two brands on the show floor to today’s major showcase of companies that are propelling transportation into the future. Expect more concept cars that will give us a preview of the automotive future, most notably the Snap concept car from Rinspeed, whose modular approach to the car is a possible game changer for the industry. New entrants into the electric car market will be making their debut during CES 2018, including Chinese company Byton, who will be launching a global line of electric cars, and Genovation, who plans to show off a Corvette that has been modified to be the fastest street-legal electric car in the world. Traditional automakers like Nissan, BMW, Kia, Mercedes Benz, Toyota, and Ford will also be at CES in full force to showcase its newest concepts and technology.

The Smartest of the Smartphones

With facial recognition, wireless charging, and 4K HD video recording, is it possible for smartphones at CES 2018 to be even more innovative? Several brands will be launching their new flagship phones during this year’s CES, including Sony with the unveiling of its newest Xperia phone that will be touting 6GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS storage. Finnish start-up HMD Global is looking to debut a new wave of Nokia Android smartphones to follow-up their release of the Nokia 6 during last year’s CES. Samsung will be showing off its Galaxy mid-rangers that have front facing 16 and 8 MP cameras for the ultimate selfie, but there are also rumors of the S9 being revealed at CES after renders of Samsung’s newest flagship were leaked online. Other smartphone brands such as LG, ASUS, Huawei, and Google will be featuring either improvements to their current products or new accessories to go with their newest phones.

Be sure to watch out for all the new technology that CES 2018 will be bringing this year. Will you be there experiencing the tradeshow first hand? Drop us a note to connect with one of our BDSers in Las Vegas and we’ll see you there!