CES 2021: What to expect at the all-digital trade show
Update, Jan. 7, 2021 (05:35 ET): We’ve updated our CES 2021 hub with more information on participating companies. Read on for a list of all of the major companies participating this year.
Original article: Nov. 17, 2020 (1 a.m. ET): CES 2021 promises to be a little different from previous events. Thanks to the demons awakened in 2020, the Las Vegas-based fair will be completely virtual. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) promises this will be a “one-of-a-kind experience” and continues to ensure that attendees have “a front row seat” for the 2021 technology teasing. “This highly personalized experience brings a global event to the comfort and security of your home or office,” added CTA in a press release.
It is currently unclear how a digital CES will develop. For us this means some changes. It won’t have any effect Android AuthorityCommitment to as many relevant products as possible. However, it will give us the opportunity to do something different than usual. We will have fewer opportunities to pick up new products because we won’t be there in person. However, you can still expect company interviews, detailed coverage of the latest equipment, and more. In the meantime, here are some things you should know before the event.
CES 2021: Important Information
- When is CES 2021? CES 2021 will officially take place from Monday 11 January to Thursday 14 January 2021. Despite the digital-only nature of this year’s event, many companies are likely to have major product releases starting in January 2020.
- Where will CES 2021 take place? CES traditionally takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada, mainly at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Separate events, keynotes and product launches will take place in different locations in Las Vegas. There will be no physical exhibition space or venue in 2021.
- Is CES 2021 open to the public? The physical exhibition space and events at CES are not public and are reserved for members of the technology industry only. However, it is unclear if this will change in the 2021 digital-only edition.
CES 2021: Participating Companies
The CTA opened attendee registration for CES 2021 on December 3rd, and we’ve seen a steady stream of companies announcing their plans for the virtual show. Check out all the major participating companies below.
Impressive LED signage from North Las Vegas
Amazfit
Recognition: Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
The Amazfit line of trackers and smartwatches have built a reputation for delivering great things for the wallet, and we can expect more of them at CES 2021.
Huami has a Teaser video At least one new Amazfit smartwatch will be offered at the event. However, GSMArena reports that we will see more GTS 2 and GTR 2 products at CES. Presumably this means that the recently announced GTS 2e and GTR 2e watches are intended for global audiences only.
Wearable brand Zepp, affiliated with Amazfit, has also confirmed that it will host an event at CES 2021 starting January 12th at 12 noon CET.
AMD
Graphics and CPU giant AMD has confirmed that it will be present at virtual CES 2021. President and CEO Lisa Su will deliver a keynote address on January 12, 2021 at 11 a.m. ET.
“During the keynote, Dr. Su will highlight AMD’s portfolio of high-performance computing and graphics solutions and outline the company’s innovative vision for the future of research, education, work, entertainment and gaming,” wrote AMD on its website.
We suspect the company has more Ryzen goodness in store, so let’s hope laptops find some love in that regard. Also, don’t count out new GPU advertisements.
Asus
Taiwan’s Asus has announced a press conference for January 13th at 12:00 PM ET. Hint that it will unveil products related to its Duo-branded line of computers. We expect a laptop or two with a secondary touchscreen, as is the case with other Asus Duo devices.
The company’s ROG brand will also be represented at CES 2021, confirming an event on January 12th at 1:00 p.m. ET. In particular, the brand can expect “the next generation of ROG devices and laptops” to be introduced. It is also posted a teaser this points to a ROG X13 device.
Dell
The US PC already unveiled a number of merchandise ahead of the actual CES, namely the latest Latitude laptops. Dell also announced a range of monitors as well as some new Optiplex desktop computers.
We also expect the Alienware division to come out with a bang as CES 2020 goes on. Last year, Alienware announced multiple gaming monitors, a keyboard, and the M15 gaming laptop. However, we would argue that the most interesting announcement was the Alienware UFO concept, which is essentially a PC with a Nintendo Switch-like form factor.
In other words, we expect more gaming monitors, laptops, and peripherals. Wouldn’t it be cool if we had pricing and availability on the Alienware UFO concept? I wouldn’t rely on it given the concept, but it’s a fascinating device nonetheless.
Intel
Veteran chip maker Intel will hold a number of conferences at CES 2021, both of which begin on Monday, January 12th. The first conference, scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET, will focus on autonomous driving and Intel’s Mobileye subsidiary.
The second conference begins at 4:00 pm ET and will focus on Intel advancements in “Process Technology, Packaging and Architecture” for the benefit of consumers and businesses. That sounds a lot like the company is moving to a new manufacturing process.
LG
LG confirmed that a virtual conference will take place on January 11, 2021 at 8 a.m.CET. The company’s theme is “Life Is On – Make Yourself @ Home” and will appear to focus on innovation in a post-pandemic life, according to the US government Korean herald. A fireside chat with CTO Park Il-pyung will take place on January 12, 2021, which will focus on innovations in various areas. Finally, the company will open a virtual product experience hall for visitors, which will be open until February 15th.
The Korean company announced that it will be showing its first QNED MiniLED TV at CES. This is an 86-inch, 8K model with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. It also shows designer devices that will blend in with your home environment, such as: B. Refrigerators, microwaves, dishwashers, water purifiers and more. In addition, LG has already announced its new Gram laptops (see above) ahead of the actual CES.
Nvidia
The graphics kingpin Nvidia made technical headlines with its RTX 30 series GPUs at the end of last year and ensured a massive increase in graphics performance compared to the first generation RTX cards. It doesn’t stop there, however, as the company did announced the Geforce RTX: Game On event for January 12 at 12 p.m. ET.
“Take part when we introduce the latest innovations in the areas of games and graphics,” says a line about the event on the Nvidia website. We anticipate the company will showcase the mobile versions of its RTX 30 series GPUs.
Razor
Recognition: Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
The gaming giant Razer is no stranger to the CES and fortunately also throws its weight behind the virtual CES 2021 conference. The company will stream its event on January 12, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Last year, Razer announced the Kishi gaming controller, 5G router, Tomahawk gaming desktop and an e-racing simulator concept. However, there is no word about specific products to expect this year. However, the Razer Twitter account is written down that it will offer “innovative product presentations, exclusive content, a special guest appearance and more”.
Samsung
One of the earlier names for announcing CES plans was Samsung, which reportedly announced a virtual conference on January 11, 2021 at 9 a.m. ET. This was later confirmed by the company itself along with the theme “Better normal for everyone”.
If the company’s First Look 2021 preview event is not over yet, we expect Samsung to report on televisions, new display technologies and smart home goodies. Otherwise, Samsung is saving the launch of the Galaxy S21 series for January 14th.
Samsung presented its cheaper, but still fantastic, Galaxy Chromebook 2 at the show. You can read all about it here.
Sony
The seasoned tech colossus is always an integral part of CES, and it will also be represented at CES 2021. Sony’s main conference will take place on January 11th at 5:00 p.m. (CET). The company only says that it will “showcase its innovations” at this event.
However, this isn’t the only Sony conference expected as an announcement related to Bravia TV will be held on January 7th at 1:00 p.m. ET. Those who are in the market for a high-end TV experience should check this out.
TCL
The Chinese company is no stranger to CES and will also appear at digital CES 2021. So what can we expect?
For starters, TCL says it will show “Next Generation Mini-LED and Future Display Technologies” on Jan. 11, 2021 at 11 a.m. ET. The company says it will reveal smart home devices too, and if it was something like CES 2020 we’d expect phones too.
TCL will stream a North American product spotlight on January 12 at 1:00 p.m. ET, while a global product spotlight will be streamed on January 13 at 7:30 am ET.
That’s all we know about CES right now. Make sure you bookmark this hub and check for updated information regularly. Find out about the best events of the past year here, as well as our summary of all the events announced at the fair.
