We’re two days into CES 2021 and the announcements continue to roll in. The January trade show was forced to move online this year but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s been short of exciting tech news. Trusted Reviews has created this guide to keep you up to date on all the latest news and launches at the event. Below you’ll find all the key announcements so far, along with everything else we expect to see before the week is up.
The most obvious change to CES this year is the move to a digital-only format. Rather than crowding into the Las Vegas Convention Center, this year all the major companies will make their announcements online to comply with ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced the change in setting last July when it first became clear that the event would likely be affected by the pandemic into the New Year.
Of course, the CTA weren’t the first group to take their launches online this year. Countless companies have taken to livestreams and Zoom calls to announce their latest and greatest products this year, so it would make sense for the hundreds of product announcements taking place at CES this month to follow similar guidance.
To its credit, the CTA is taking the move to an all-digital event in its stride.
“For CES, the pandemic gives us an opportunity to reimagine how we use our platform to bring our community together in a meaningful way, and enable our exhibitors to meet their customers and to reach new audiences”, said CTA President and CEO Gary Shapiro in a tweet back in July.
The CTA has even revealed that it hopes to combine the best of physical and the best of digital in 2022, making this January somewhat of a learning experience for the organisation.
Scroll down to discover all the latest news from the 2021 trade show, including which products have been unveiled, which we’re anticipating and where you can catch the announcements from home.
CES 2021 date – when will the event take place?
CES 2021 will take place as a digital-only event from Monday January 11 to Thursday January 14 2021. That means the event has already kicked off.
Read on to discover what we’ve heard so far and when you can catch the remaining announcements.
AMD at CES 2021
AMD teamed up with Acer to release a budget-friendly Chromebook this CES. The Chromebook Spin 514 – which was unveiled on Thursday – is the first Acer Chromebook to pack an AMD Ryzen mobile processor and AMD Radeon graphics.
AMD is expected to announce more updates next week.
The company revealed three Big Navi desktop graphics cards in 2020, the Radeon RX 6800, the RX 6900 and the RX 6900 XT.
This year, we’re expecting AMD to give gaming laptops a performance boost by launching mobile versions. One of the perks of taking the new GPUs mobile is that it would bring 4K to AMD-powered gaming laptops, allowing AMD to better compete with Nvidia.
We think there’s a chance we’ll see Big Navi go mobile at CES 2021. Check out our guide on what we expect from AMD in 2021 for more rumoured releases.
AMD’s keynote will take place on January 12 between 4pm and 5pm.
HP at CES 2021
HP launched an array of new laptops and monitors at CES 2021, along with the company’s first pair of true wireless earbuds.
New laptops and 2-in-1s include the HP Envy 14, the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 and Elite Dragonfly Max, the HP Elite Folio, the HP EliteBook 840 G8 Aero, while the latest updates to the company’s monitor range include the HP M-Series FHD monitors and the HP E24 G4 and E27u G4 USB-C monitors.
The new devices are packed with new collaboration and productivity features designed to support users as they continue to work from home. These include portable designs, security features and cameras and mics that are optimised for conference calls.
HP also launched its first pair of true wireless earbuds, the Elite Wireless Earbuds, this week. The earbuds are designed to support professionals and feature noise cancellation, customisable sound presets and the ability to switch between devices seamlessly.
Intel at CES 2021
Intel’s CES press conference marked the launch of a series of new processors that ranged from mobile and desktop offerings to gaming and business options.
One surprise reveal was the 11th Gen Intel Core H35 series. Intel claims that the processors offer the fastest single threaded laptop performance available, despite being designed for ultra-portable gaming laptops.
Next up was the 11th Gen Intel Core vPro processors. These chips are actually designed for business laptops and feature Intel’s Hardware Shield built-in to guard your device from malware. Another security feature is the industry’s first silicon-enabled AI threat detection to prevent ransomware and crypto-mining attacks.
Intel also announced the new Rocket Lake desktop processors, and gave us a sneak peak at Alder Lake which is scheduled to launch later this year.
JBL at CES 2021
JBL revealed a host of new products ahead of the event on Thursday.
Updates to the company’s headphone lines included an expansion to its Live series with the Live 440NC, Live 660NC and the Live Pro+ and the introduction of the new Tour series, offering over-ears and true wireless earbuds to professionals.
JBL also unveiled the latest update to its Charge portable speaker line and the Bar 5.0 MultiBeam soundbar that brings virtual Dolby Atmos audio into your living room.
Lenovo at CES 2021
Lenovo made its CES announcements on Thursday and there are loads of new products to get excited about. The list included processor and GPU updates to the IdeaPad line, a 5G laptop to tackle home Wi-Fi troubles, an all-in-one desktop with a rotating display and a concept laptop that brings the best of the Nintendo Switch to PC gaming.
The company also launched an OLED version of its 14-inch Yoga Slim 7i Pro laptop this week. The 2.8K 90Hz OLED panel will offer a more vibrant and contrasted display option for anyone not sold on the current LCD model.
Lenovo is expected to unveil more devices during the event next week. We hope to see more gaming-oriented Legion series, in particular, as this has been absent from the announcements so far.
You can find all of the new products so far in further detail in our guide to Lenovo at CES.
LG at CES 2021
LG announced updates to its OLED, QNED Mini LED and NanoCell TV ranges at CES 2021. The QNED Mini line, which was announced at the end of December, is available in sizes up to 86-inches and in 4K and 8K variants.
Additions to the OLED line include the Z1, G1 and C1, confirming predictions that LG would be refreshing its product names by moving back to “1” for 2021.
The new OLED and QNED, along with two models in the NanoCell series’, will also see an update to the newest α9 Gen 4 AI processor.
The company showcased its Transparent OLED TVs at the all-digital event earlier this week. The company has applied the new displays to a handful of everyday objects, including a sushi bar, a train window and even a smart bed, to give us a peak at the “upgraded lifestyle of the future”.
LG has also announced an update to Intel’s 11th Gen Core processors for the lightweight Gram line of laptops. The five new laptops will include 17-inch, 16-inch and 14-inch sizes, with the latter two also available as 2-in-1 devices.
In mobile news, LG gave us all a sneak peak at the LG Rollable – a concept smartphone with an expandable display. The tech looks to be a smaller version of what we’ve seen LG present on TV’s as previous CES, in this case allowing users to go from using a phone to a tablet-sized device in seconds.
Nvidia at CES 2021
Nvidia will take the stage at CES 2021 to host an event titled ‘GeForce RTX: Game on’.
One of the biggest announcements we expect to see from the company at CES this year is a mobile variant of the RTX 30-Series GPUs. This could include portable versions of the RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 for laptops.
There’re also rumours of new hardware that incorporate the next-gen GPUs, so those in need of a new gaming laptop may want to tune into the announcement to see if this rings true.
You can find a more detailed overview of what we expect from Nvidia this week, as well as a breakdown of all the products announced after the event, in our full guide to Nvidia CES 2021.
‘GeForce RTX: Game on’ will take place on January 12 at 5pm. You can catch the livestream on Nvidia’s website.
Panasonic at CES 2021
Panasonic announced the JZ2000 OLED TV on Friday morning. The flagship display is available in 55-inch and 65-inch variants and is powered by the new HCX Pro AI processor. Along with its new AI skills, the TV boasts improved gaming performance, HDR support and spacious Dolby Atmos sound.
The company also unveiled a Final Fantasy XIV edition of its Panasonic Soundslayer gaming speaker. We previously offered the soundbar four out of five in our review, so the addition of Final Fantasy decals is sure to tempt some players.
Samsung at CES 2021
Samsung offered us a sneak peak at its 2021 line of TVs this week. The new range includes a flagship 8K model, Neo QLED 4K models and plenty of other new tech. You can read more about what Samsung has in store in our full guide to the range.
The company also revealed the world’s first QLED Chromebook on Thursday. The bold new Galaxy Chromebook 2 brings the high-end TV tech to a 13.3-inch touchscreen, allowing users to stream content on the display for just $549.
As far as home appliances go, our home technology editor David Ludlow actually sat down with the company this week to discuss the Bespoke Refrigerator range coming to the UK. You can read more about the customisable appliances in our interview.
Of course, it wouldn’t be CES without a few robots – and Samsung definitely delivered with its Bot Handy announcement.
The robotic housekeeper uses AI to help out with daily chores around the house. Tasks the Bot Handy can handle include setting the table, unpacking groceries and even pouring you a beer at the end of the day.
You can read more about the Bot Handy and Samsung’s other robot helpers in our guide.
So, what else do we hope to see from the company this week?
Just the other week, Samsung announced its first MicroLED TV marketed to consumers.
The 110-inch, near bezel-less display uses micrometre-sized LED lights to eliminate the need for a backlight or colour filters. Instead, the display is self-illuminating, producing light and colour from its own pixel structures that cover 100% of the DCI and Adobe RGB colour gamut, allowing the TV to deliver “lifelike colours and accurate brightness”.
However, there’s one major catch – the display is only available in Korea.
The good news is that the tech is slated to be coming to the rest of the world in early 2021, making CES the perfect time for Samsung to introduce the innovative new display to the US and European markets. Just don’t expect to be able to afford it right away – Korean site Pulse has reported that the TV will cost a whopping 170 million won (that’s around £114,000…).
Skagen at CES 2021
Fossil-owned smartwatch brand Skagen announced the new Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR at CES today.
The smartwatch features an e-ink display, allowing it to remain in an always-on state and stretching its battery to up to 14 days on a single charge.
The stylish smartwatch is available in two sizes and includes physical dials to show the time above the smart display. While more of a smartwatch than a fitness band, this wearable is also capable of tracking your workouts and heart rate and has a water resistance rating of up to 3ATM.
Sony at CES 2021
CES is the first major trade show to follow November’s PS5 launch, meaning we were looking forward to seeing Sony release some TVs that integrate better with the console – and we weren’t disappointed.
Sony launched a range of new OLED and LCD displays designed to support the next-gen console this week. These include sets with 4K support at 120fps, variable refresh rates, auto low latency modes and eARC.
In the world of audio, Sony has unveiled its first speakers capable of supporting the 360 Reality Audio format – the SRS-RA5000 and the SRS-RA3000.
Sony’s press conference with take place on January 11 at 10pm so make sure to tune in there to hear other announcements.
TCL at CES 2021
Last year, TCL took to the stage at CES to launch the latest generation of its Mini-LED TVs and we’re hoping to see more of them at CES 2021.
TCL’s Mini-LED TVs are designed to combine the brightness of LCD and the contrast of OLED at a low cost. Powered by the company’s Quantum Contrast technology, the displays harness the power of thousands of individual Mini-LEDs to provide “unrivalled contrast and brilliant clarity”.
We got to share our hands on experience with the 8-Series Mini-LED 8K TV last CES, and we can’t wait to possibly hear more about Mini-LED in 2021.