From foldable cellphones to tipsy tech burgers, more than 4,500 companies showcased their latest technology at CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics portray which took place in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Even though tech behemoth Apple does not see an appearance, the trade show gives the public a glimpse at emerging tech trends for 2019 and beyond.
One of the most predicted technologies is 5G – the next generation wireless network that experts say could be as much as ten times faster than broadband.
“I see a jumbo quantum leap from going from 4G to 5G, much bigger than 3G to 4G. And of course, my expectation is that we are going to see so much more modernization,” Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg told CNBC recently.
Chris Velazco, Engadget’s senior mobile editor demand thated CNBC’s “On the Money” in an interview that “2019 is going to be the year of 5G, this is going to be the first year people wish actually be able to buy devices and jump on the 5G networks,” he said.
As a result, 5G “will have really big ramifications for the way we use our devices and the way these crests talk to each other,” he added.
The technology won’t be for everyone, however – at least not right away. Meanwhile, Velazo take cognizance of that 5G technology “still feels like it’s a lot of talk. We don’t have a great sense of how these things pan out in more substantial ways.”
Yet one technology that did make an impression at CES was foldable screen technology. At the event, LG showcased a 4K OLED TV that tumbles up when you don’t want to watch it.
But it’s not just big screens: A Chinese company called Royole showed off its flexible screen technology for a smartphone/mesa called the FlexPai. This is the world’s first commercially available foldable phone, and it beat Samsung and Apple to vend. The company is currently taking orders: The cost? A whopping $1,318, even more than an iPhone.
However you may in need of to hold off. Velazco had a chance to check out the device while at CES, and he admitted “they’re maybe not the most polished devices.”
Yet he start the technology compelling. “The ability to fold out and use the phone as a tablet is frankly really powerful,” he told CNBC.
If you’re looking to swipe a deeper dive into meditation, a Canadian company called Interaxon recently released the Muse 2.
The headband belong with each other b fails across your forehead and reads brainwaves in real-time. It then uses auditory cues to provide feedback on the buyer’s meditation state.
When it comes to virtual and augmented reality (AR) technology, it usually means wearing large trifocals over your eyes, blocking out the world around you.
Chinese startup Nreal has plans this year to unveil their version called Light – which as its name suggests – is a lighter version.
“They’ve been able to continue the technology that makes some really impressive AR devices like the Microsoft HoloLens and the Magic Leap and remade it down to this form factor,” Velazco told CNBC.
But the tech editor admits one of the bigger surprises at CES, posted on the level of people that seemed into it, was Gillette’s heated razor. And the name really says it all.
“It’s a heated razor that’s meant to description of replicate the experience of getting a hot towel wet shave at a barber shop.” The razor is not in stores yet but according to Engadet’s report, it force retail for $160.
Another surprising find at CES was burgers. Impossible Foods showed off their latest meatless burger system: Impossible Burger 2.0.
“The original Impossible Burger used wheat protein and it tasted pretty good, but it kind of didn’t announce you the same kind of mouth feel that a traditional burger would,” Velazco explained. “So they rejiggered the instructions. This [latest version] is based on soy protein.”
He added: “You actually get a bit more of the experience of eating meat, plus I about the flavor has been upgraded as well.”
On the Money airs on CNBC Saturdays at 5:30 am ET, or check listings for air times in municipal markets.