CES 2018 is now in full flow, with the world’s leading tech manufacturers descending on Las Vegas, Nevada to showcase their latest products and innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Here’s everything you need to know about CES 2018, including all the latest news, live updates, and highlights.

Whether you need to know the CES 2018 dates, press conference times, or what the likes of LG, Samsung, Nvidia, Panasonic and Sony are up to, it’s all here in one handy place. Shall we get started?

CES 2018 Live: Latest news, highlights and updates from Las Vegas

CES always produces at least one sleeper hit, and this year Chinese startup Byton is in pole position to take home the honours. Following a handful of teaser images released prior to the show, the new Byton electric car has now been officially unveiled – and it’s a feast for the eyes, whether you’re an electric car enthusiast or just a plain ol’ petrolhead – it hits the crucial 0-60 mark in roughly five seconds, which isn’t quite a track-worthy spec, but is impressive nonetheless. The company is striving to improve its self-driving capabilities, too, ahead of an expected consumer launch in 2019.

One of the first big names out of the gate at this year’s CES was Panasonic. It has unveiled its highly anticipated follow-up to last year’s excellent Panasonic EZ1000 OLED TVs – and our Home Technology Editor, Ced Yuen, reckons the Japanese firm’s new FZ950 and FZ800 sets are the “closest thing to Hollywood in your home.”

Keeping with all things TV, Samsung made a bold start to CES 2018, revealing its plan of attack to conquer OLED in 2018. It consists of three parts: significant upgrades to in the existing QLED range in the short term, the introduction of 8K Micro Full Array TVs later in the year, and finally its first Micro LED offering in late-2018 or early-2019. Read our full guide to Samsung’s QLED vs OLED battle plan to learn more.

Also off to a flyer at this year’s show is Nvidia, who announced that it will start producing mammoth 65-inch Big Format Gaming Displays, or BFGDs for short. These will feature 4K resolution and HDR support, as well as G-Sync compatibility. Manufacturing partners announced at the show include HP, Acer and Asus. There’s no word on pricing or availability yet, but we’re hoping to learn more as the week progresses. That’s not all the company revealed, either, so check out our Nvidia CES press conference roundup for all the latest news.

On the computing front, Acer is one of the first companies to make waves this year, launching an upgraded version of its sleek Swift 7 Ultrabook. The Acer Swift 7 (2018) is now your new ‘world’s thinnest laptop’, and packs built-in 4G LTE connectivity to boot. Pricing will comfortably clear the £1000 mark when it becomes available later in the year, making it an immediate rival to the equally new 2018 Dell XPS 13.

That’s not all computing buffs have to be excited about, either, as Intel has finally lifted the lid on its first batch of CPUs to feature AMD Vega graphics. The new chips are designed to bring improved gaming to a number of this year’s ultra-portable laptops, with Intel’s AMD Vega chips set to be available in Core i5 and Core i7 variants. One of the first machines to break cover? The updated HP Spectre x360 (2018), which was also unveiled at the show.

Not wanting to be left behind, Asus had a significant announcement of its own, unveiling a new small form factor PC, the Mac mini-like Chromebox 3. As the name suggests, it’ll come running Chrome OS, while support for both dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and gigabit LAN mean that 4K video streaming should be a breeze.

Elsewhere, LG has made another big pre-show announcement, revealing that one of its OLED efforts this year will be a 65-inch rollable Ultra HD TV. That’s right. If you’ve got deep enough pockets, there’s going to be a telly you can roll up like a newspaper. You can read more about that here; or, alternatively, check out our full guide to LG’s 2018 OLED TVs.

On the mobile front, Sony Sony’s new 2018 Xperia phones has launched its first Xperia phones of 2018 in the form of the Xperia L2, Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra. The mid-range trio see the Japanese tech giant finally unlock its fingerprint scanning tech for the US market, as well as boosting the processor to a Snapdragon 630 and upping the camera spec. In addition, the firm has revealed an update to last year’s excellent A1 OLED – the Sony AF8 OLED.

Chip maker Qualcomm used its CES soap box this year to dive head first into the car world, announcing that the automotive version of its well-known Snapdragon platform – unsurprisingly known as the Snapdragon Automotive Platform – will feature in the 2018 Honda Accord and future Jaguar Land Rover vehicles. Among other things, Qualcomm will be helping to power in-car info and entertainment, as well as 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity. Here’s the full story, or check out full roundup of the Qualcomm CES press conference for more.

Alternatively, keep scrolling for key details like the CES 2018 dates and press conference times, plus a look at some of the other big announcements we’re expecting this week.

CES 2018 Dates: When is CES 2018 this January?

The dates of CES 2018 are January 9-12, with media-only events also scheduled for January 7 and January 8.

But don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll be able stroll into voluminous halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center to take a look around – CES is a trade show, meaning you’ll need to have an industry affiliation to be in attendance.

Most of the interesting announcements, however, will take place before those dates – and we’ll be reporting live from the show floor to keep you in the loop.

So, to recap: CES will kick off in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 9. It will end on January 12. There will be media briefings on January 7 and January 8. And your go-to source for all the latest information should be Trusted Reviews (follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date).

But what else might be announced, you ask? Let’s find out.

CES 2018 News and Highlights: What’s happening at CES 2018?

Here’s what we’ve been expecting to see from various big brands at CES 2018 – the show is now underway, with most major announcements happening this Monday and Tuesday (January 8-9), so fiction is turning into fact as we speak.

Our regularly updating live CES 2018 news section, above, has all the latest updates and reveals – and we’ll be continuing to evolve our coverage as more official details of the new products become available. However, for background purposes, here’s how we placed our bets.

Google at CES 2018

Even though it’s yet to send out invitations to an event, Google has revealed that it will be at CES 2018. The firm has booked a large booth in the centre of the venue and eight hospitality suites at the Aria Resort and Casino – but we don’t know what it’s planning to show off.

Some believe that Big G will use the gathering as a chance to showcase its Made by Google hardware, which consists of the Daydream View, Google Home, Google Home Mini and, of course, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, while others are speculating that a new PixelBook will also be on display. Android Auto is also expected to feature heavily.

Dell at CES 2018

Dell has been fairly quiet about its CES plans this year, but we got a big taste of what’s to expect in Vegas on January 4, when the company revealed its new XPS 13 (2018) laptop.

The refreshed XPS 13 will come available in a number of different configurations as usual, but the key talking point is that it will now pack Intel 8th-gen Core i series chips, as well as being offered with a the option of a 4K screen – just like big sibling the XPS 15.

It’s also enjoying a number of external tweaks, coming thinner and lighter than ever before in a snazzy new Rose Gold finish. This is almost certainly going to be the laptop of CES 2018 so watch this space.

Lenovo at CES 2018

Chinese technology giant Lenovo has penciled in an event for January 9 at 11:00 PT (07:00 GMT). It’s unclear what exactly the company is planning to unveil, but we’d bet our bottom dollar its the firm’s much-rumoured standalone Daydream VR headset, as hinted by Google’s VP of Augmented Reality.

Lenovo has also announced an upgraded ThinkPad range of business laptops prior to this year’s CES.

LG at CES 2018

Here’s a date for your diary: LG is holding a press conference on January 8 at 08:00 PT (16:00 GMT), where it’s expected to take the wraps off a new series of high-resolution OLED 4K TVs – the B8, C8, G8 and W8 ranges are this year’s update – in addition to a number of new budget-friendly and mid-range smartphones, plus its new ThinQ range of Google Assistant-ready TVs.

In particular, watch out for the firm’s new 88-inch ‘8K’ TV, which is thought to be the largest OLED set ever made, as well as a new ‘5K’ ultra-wide monitor sure to have gamers and productivity geeks drooling.

Related: LG OLED55B7V

Panasonic at CES 2018

Like the other ‘big four’ TV manufacturers – that’s LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony – Panasonic’s CES is likely to revolve around new home entertainment products and, specifically, its latest OLED TVs.

New soundbars and Blu-ray players could also feature, while the firm also recently announced a tomato-picking autonomous robot.

Could it have a similar surprise in store for us out in Vegas?

Samsung at CES 2018

Surprise, surprise. Samsung is intending to host an event at the Consumer Electronics Show. Leaks, rumours, and confirmed announcements suggest that it will reveal a mammoth 150-inch Micro LED TV – and successors to its existing range of mid-to-high-end QLED TVs, which some like to think of as ‘OLED killers’. The firm’s new flagship soundbar will also be revealed, so there’s plenty on offer for AV buffs.

Over the course of the past few weeks, a number of reports have surfaced claiming that the firm will tease its upcoming flagship smartphone(s) of 2018, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, as well as the elusive foldable Galaxy X at CES 2018. By ‘tease’, expect a short Galaxy S9 trailer at the end of Samsung’s presser, where we’ll likely see a rough outline of the new flagship, hear plenty of hyperbolic language, and if we’re really lucky, get an actual release date.

A safer bet is that Samsung will use CES to reveal 2018 upgrades for some of its mid-range phones, specifically its A-series handsets.

And who knows? We could even see a new smartwatch – or two.

Sony at CES 2018

In typical fashion, Sony is throwing a get-together on January 8 at 17:00 PT (01:00 GMT on January 9) to highlight new consumer-grade products; a number of Bravia OLED TVs and 4K HDR projectors are tipped to headline the invite-only conference.

Related: Sony VPL-HW45ES

Moreover, we think Sony could be preparing to announce the much-anticipated all-screen Xperia XZ Premium 2, in a bid to win over potential Galaxy S9 customers before Samsung takes to the stage to unveil the handset later in the year. However, we’d peg the release of this device to more likely be during MWC which takes place in February.

Apple at CES 2018

Just kidding…

Apple doesn’t play ball with any of the major tech shows, opting instead to hold its own launch events in California, though you’re likely to see plenty of third-party Apple accessory makers hawking their latest wares in Vegas.

CES 2018: Press conference schedule

Here’s a list of all the other major manufacturers timetabled to hold a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show:

Bosch – January 8 at 08:00 PT (16:00 GMT)
Hisense – January 8 at 11:00 PT (19:00 GMT)
Huawei – January 9 at 14:00 PT (22:00 GMT)
Intel – January 8 at 18:30 PT (02:30 GMT)
Monster – January 8 at 09:00 PT (17:00 GMT)
Nvidia – January 7 at 20:00 PT (04:00 GMT)
Panasonic – January 8 at 10:00 PT (18:00 GMT)
Qualcomm – January 8 at 15:00 PT (23:00 GMT)
Tinder (yes, really…) – January 8 at 11:00 PT (19:00 GMT)
Toyota – January 8 at 09:00 PT (17:00 GMT)

Dolby, Fisker, Ford, HP, HTC, and Nikon are expected to hold press conferences at some point, though we’re waiting on specific dates. We’ll be sure to update this post as soon as have more details – check back early and often!

What’s the best thing you’ve seen come out of CES 2018 so far? Be sure to let us know over on Facebook or Twitter @TrustedReviews.