Sony’s CES 2018 press conference has just finished and we’ve got a whole load of big announcements. 

Sony’s 2017 CES press conference was dominated by its entry into the OLED TV market, but what has it got in store for 2018?

What Sony announced at CES 2018

New OLED TVs – Sony A8F

What’s new with Sony’s OLEDs this year? Well, the most obvious change is the screen orientation. The Sony A8F‘s – we’d say it’ll likely get a different name for the UK release – screen is now vertical on a regular stand, which will please those who didn’t fancy the A1’s five-degree lean.

The clever Acoustic Surface technology, which vibrates the screen to create sound, remains a key feature and the Sony A8 OLED will use last year’s excellent 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme. Android TV makes a return too, meaning there’s Google Assistant onboard too.

More mid-range Xperia smartphones

We haven’t seen a new flagship smartphone from Sony at CES, expect to see this at MWC, instead it unveiled a bunch of new mid-range options. These include the Xperia L2, Xperia XA2 plus Xperia XA2 Ultra. The biggest update here is that they’ll finally ship with a working fingerprint scanner in the States.

Previous Sony Xperia devices in the USA have had a fingerprint scanner, but it has been completely disabled and unavailable to the user so this is a big step-forward.

The Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra features a 5.2-inch and 6-inch Full HD screen, respectively along with with a Snapdragon 630 processor, instead of MediaTek Helio chipsets like their predecessors, and 4GB of RAM at the lowest configuration.

The Xperia L2 sits between the Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra in terms of size, but it’s the budget option of the trio. There’s the same 5.5-inch 720p display as its predecessor, the Xperia L1, though it now has 3GB RAM and 32GB storage plus an 8MP front camera.

All three will be available sometime in February with prices yet to be confirmed.

Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra

Plenty of new wireless headphones

Sony has unveiled truly wireless, splash-proof headphones for fitness enthusiasts that also include active noise cancelling. These will retail for $180/£190 in May.

Also launching are wireless WF-SP600N sports headphones that are wireless, but not truly wireless, in the sense that they’re connected by a neckband design. These will be a little cheaper at $140/£150 in June.

Sony’s premium MDR-1A headphones had a lot to like for audiophiles. Well, fans will be pleased to hear there’s an updated model on the horizon in the form of the MDR-1AM2. Naturally, they’re high-resolution compatible, supporting up to 100kHz frequencies, and driven by a new 40mm HD driver.

Sony MDR-1AM2

There’s a Fibonacci-patterned grill that not only sounds cool but provides ultra-high frequency functionality. You have the option of either a 4.4mm balanced connection or a more standard 3.5mm connection for greater compatibility. Sony says the MDR-1AM2 has a sound signature similar to the MDR-Z1R for fans of the Signature Series headphones.

The MDR-1AM2 will release in April for £230. Sony is also releasing a seriously audiophile-oriented MUC-S12SB1 Kimber Cable, which Sony promises will deliver even better audio quality. This, however will set you back an eye-watering £180 but will be compatible with other headphones.

4K Blu-Ray players and Dolby Atmos soundbars

Sony unveiled the world’s first 3.1 channel Dolby Atmos soundbar during its CES conference, which means you can get the immersive Atmos sound without the need for wall-mounted speakers.

The HT-ZF9 soundbar supports 4K and HDR pass-through, high-res audio formats, plus S-Force Pro Front Surround technology which should improves the front surround sound field. Sony says you don’t need to be watching Atmos content to make full use of this soundbar, as a button on the remote will add virtual height to 2 channel stereo content.

The HT-ZF9 model will be priced at approximately £600 and be available from spring 2018.

Another living-room accessory launched by Sony was a new UHD Blu-Ray player (UBP-X700) that supports Dolby Vision HDR along with HDR 10.

What do you think of Sony’s CES presence? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.