The most exciting innovations at CES 2020 so far

There are many exciting trade shows happening all over the world each year – and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is a first. It is a massive trade show that gathers exhibitors from all over the globe, presenting their latest concepts and product lines to the world. Like in all previous years, this year’s show has had its share of wacky gadgets and brave products that we’ll probably see more of in the coming years. Let’s take a look at some of the most exciting and innovative products that have flooded the show’s floors this year.

For a decade, smartphones had their standard “slab” design – and it has been maxed out. Today, pretty much every smartphone looks the same, having a similar size, shape, screen-to-body ratio, and basic form. The only major differences between phones are the existence (or not) of the headphone jack, the position and size of the front camera (usually in a notch), and the number of cameras on the back.

Watching a video or checking out the odds at sites like BetWay now offer a very consistent experience across every smartphone today.

Well, now we have something new: foldable phones. These handsets with flexible screens offer users a much bigger screen while keeping the same basic form factor for when the handset is in their pockets. But the folding screens are not for smartphones alone – they slowly make it in other areas as well.

One of the more interesting gadgets to surface at the CES 2020 is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, a laptop with a foldable screen. The device has a large, crisp touchscreen, the form factor of a laptop (which, when completely unfolded, turns into a huge screen) and a bundled Bluetooth keyboard for traditionalists. And it also comes with a high price tag: $2499

A gaming hybrid concept

The Nintendo Switch is an impressive piece of gaming hardware – but when it comes to truly high-profile gaming, it is no match for the PC. Its shape and functionality have, in turn, proven to be great. And Dell, through its Alienware division, has decided it was time to fuse the design of the Switch with the power of the PC in the Alienware Concept UFO game console.

The Alienware Concept UFO is larger than the Switch but its screen is also bigger (it has an 8″ 1900×1200 screen built into its middle). Under its slim hood, though, there’s a full-blown Windows 10 PC with a 10th-generation Intel Core CPU, and it has access to Valve’s gaming marketplace Steam. While there is no word on its price and availability, it will probably be expensive if and when it is released.

Colour e-ink

As opposed to LCD and AMOLED displays, e-ink has a huge contrast and very low power consumption. Its main drawback was that it was monochrome. Was – because Chinese smartphone maker Hisense presented a smartphone with a colour e-ink display at this year’s CES.

There is still a lot of work to be done in this area. The colour e-ink display has a very slow refresh rate at this point (slower than the monochrome one) but the company is working toward creating a better version. The prototype of Hisense A5 was still a sensation at CES, even if not a very practical one. Hisense has announced that it will start mass-producing its colour e-ink displays later in the year – we may see a range of e-book readers with full-colour displays and (why not) a few smartphones, too, hit the shelves.

The most surprising announcement

Finally, let us mention the most surprising announcement at the 2020 edition of the CES: the Vision-S, Sony’s own electric car.

While it is little more than a concept at this point, the announcement has surprised everyone (especially those expecting to see a PlayStation 5 prototype). True to its nature, Sony has promised an incredible array of entertainment options for the car, including displays covering its entire dashboard, with access to the company’s massive entertainment library. Aside from that, it has a truly interesting feature: Sony’s camera tech added to a bunch of other sensors that would provide self-driving vehicles with new possibilities.