CES 2023 – What to expect from this major tech event?
After a 2022 edition marked by the Omicron variant and cancellations, CES is well and truly back in physical form in Las Vegas. An edition that should offer its share of good things.
The Consumer Electronic Show will return from January 5, 2023 (from the 3rd for the press) for its first major physical edition since 2020. For 6 days, the high mass of technology will allow us to discover all the new things in terms of changes in a large number of sectors. But what will these new things be? Which manufacturers are there? Between televisions, cars, speakers and other laptops, we take a quick tour of what we’ve come to expect from the world’s biggest tech show.
A sin of denial
For those who don’t know what CES is, it’s important to remember the basics. The show has been around since 1967 and is organized by the Consumer Technology Association. Here the main technological innovations and trends for the coming months are presented at the beginning of each year.
Drones, the VCR or the DVD were all presented for the first time in the aisles of the show. That’s why it’s an understatement to say that CES is THE tech show par excellence. Even now, because that could change.
This 2023 edition is the first “normal” edition since the health crisis began. This follows the 2022 edition marked by the Omicron variant of the disease, prompting many key players to cancel their visit. Admittedly, health policies continue to be established by the organization, but nothing is mandatory. This year, according to the organizers, there will be 3,000 exhibitors in the various halls of the huge Las Vegas Convention Center. The Consumer Technology Association hopes to attract more than 100,000 visitors this year. By comparison, 2020 had 4,500 exhibitors for around 117,000 visitors.
A visible loss of speed of the show, driven on the one hand by the last controversial edition, but also and above all by the increase of events within the brand. Indeed, the advent of live streaming platforms and then the Covid era have shown that a physical event of this style, costly and restrictive, is no longer necessary as in the past. The positive point of a show like CES, however, is the possibility to (de)present its innovations live and on site.
Even if they are for the majority, giants like Meta, Google or Qualcomm ended up creating their own event. Their presence at the show will therefore be lighter, such as Qualcomm that will come to show its development in chips dedicated to autonomous cars, or Nvidia that can present its RTX 4070. So we should not wait for surprising announcements from them, because it has already been done or will be done at their dedicated event next year.
PCs and OLED monitors, QD-OLED TVs, programmatic connected objects
The actors present will however have to reassure the public as well as professionals about the state of the sector, after a very sad year 2022. And, like every year, there will be good people. We can mention Bosch, Nvidia, Canon, Microsoft, LG, Panasonic, Sony, Razer, TCL, Google, Mercedes Benz, General Motors, Stellantis or even Siemens. Not to mention 200 French Tech start-ups, coming to represent France. Conferences are also planned during the show.
If there’s one thing you shouldn’t expect, however, it’s the presence of major smartphone brands. They have almost completely abandoned CES to focus on the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which will take place at the end of February. On the other hand, we should see the Motorola ThinkPhone, the smartphone designed according to Lenovo’s famous ThinkPad computers.
Moreover, Lenovo should showcase a lot of products, including a lot of laptops, if recent leaks are to be believed. This segment should be well promoted by various manufacturers, who often take the opportunity to present their new products. OLED laptops are slowly starting to arrive, maybe we can expect to see new ones?
On the subject of OLED, moreover, the display method should be the star of PC monitors, especially dedicated to gaming. 2022 really saw the arrival of OLED in external monitors, for example the Alienware A3423DW or the Odyssey G8 from Samsung. Many brands should present new 240 Hz OLED monitors. Very high refresh rate, which is notoriously difficult to get for screens of this type. Asus, Corsair or LG should show us their babies.
TVs will also be in the limelight this year. CES in Las Vegas is always the place to show the latest technologies in terms of panels. Expect to see bigger and more powerful QD-OLED screens. It is even said that Samsung should show its 196 cm (77 inch) QD-OLED TV.
The unique Matter protocol launched at the end of last year, connected objects for the home will be specifically examined during this edition. We obviously expect manufacturers to make new things and household appliances compatible with this protocol, which greatly facilitates the installation and control of such appliances. Connected objects should also be particularly present in the health, sports and smart city sectors.
Finally, every year, more and more automotive brands come to show off their developments, turning their side of the convention center into a true auto show. Electronics in cars have changed a lot in recent years and many interesting things are being developed, especially in autonomous driving and electric vehicles.
The main conferences to follow
As we said, CES in Las Vegas opens to the public on January 5. But the event begins today, Tuesday January 3, with press days. This time, the brands present organize conferences to present their products, which can be followed online. Here is a selection of conferences to see, with their schedules in French.
- Nvidia – Tuesday, January 3 at 5 pm
- Watch tech trends – Wednesday, January 4 at 1 am
- LG Electronics – Wednesday, January 4 at 5 pm
- Panasonic – Wednesday January 4 at 7 pm
- TCL – Wednesday, January 4 at 10 pm
- Samsung – Wednesday, January 4 at 11 pm
- Sony – Thursday, January 5 at 2 am
