While the pandemic continues to rage around the world, thankfully this year's CES WorldWide Consumer Electronics Show was successfully held offline. Although a considerable number of technology companies are absent from offline exhibitions, which also makes this year's exhibition less "cool" concept products to be exposed, but this year's major exhibitors still show a lot of new technologies on the annual global stage.
This year's CES Consumer Electronics Show can be roughly divided into 5 categories for release and exhibition: chips, cars, screens, smart homes and robots, let's take a look at what interesting "big cakes" they have drawn.
▍ Razer modular all-in-one computer desk
The concept products launched by Razer at this year's CES are basically very cool. The first is a new upgrade to the Razer mask: the Razer Zephyr Pro mask.
The concept masks introduced by Razer last year were indeed mass-produced, but compared with the prototype products shown at CES 2021, the lack of speakers still led to some inconveniences in use. This year's upgrade finally makes up for this feature, and Razer announced that it will be in mass production sometime in 2022, priced at $199.99, including a Zephyr Pro mask and a 99-day N95 filter starter pack.
The Razer Zephyr Pro mask is just an appetizer, and the most eye-catching thing is Razer's new Sophia concept esports table.
Razer's Sophia concept gaming table adopts a modular design, and users can customize the various functional modules on the desktop according to their own needs. It contains 13 replaceable modules, including a temperature display, a touchscreen for launching applications, a dedicated display for IM chat and display calendars, a tablet with a stylus, a mixing module, a Qi wireless charging module, a cup heater, a CPU and GPU parameter display, a replaceable magnetic enclosure, a 65- or 77-inch display... Of course, there is also the RGB Marquee (RGB YES!) that is also indispensable to Razer. ）。
Modular design has always been a technologist's nightmare in the engineering world, but there's no denying that it's really a dream desk for geek users as well as users of customized products. But when I think about the possibility of mass production, I'll start with the $199.99 Razer Mask Pro.
▍ Dell XPS 13 Plus
Dell's XPS series is a star product in the notebook field. At CES 2022, Dell showcased a more aggressive XPS 13 Plus laptop.
In addition to the iconic ultra-high screen ratio screen, the XPS 13 Plus is highlighted by the Touch Bar-shaped function key area and the all-in-one trackpad. Coupled with the newly designed capacitive keyboard, the entire C-side has a seamless sense of neatness.
The XPS 13 Plus also features an oversized glass-inch seamless trackpad that provides borderless haptic feedback like the MacBook Pro's trackpad. Of course, Dell also changed the function keys to a button that uses LED lights, which is hard not to think of the Touch Bar of "Heaven", although Dell has strenuously denied that it is a touch bar. In terms of keyboards, the new capacitive keyboard has a key range of only 1mm, so it can be achieved that the entire C-plane is an almost flat plane. At the same time, Dell also hid 2 speakers under the keyboard, enhancing the unity.
In terms of configuration, the Dell XPS 13 Plus has a 13.4-inch display with a choice of 1920×1200 and 3840×2400 screen resolution configurations. The CPU uses a 12th generation Intel CPU, the highest optional 2TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD for storage, and two full-speed Thunderbolt 4 interfaces.
Even more exciting, Dell announced that this product will be available in the spring of 2022, and it will be priced at $1199.99.
▍BMW e-ink car paint
When it comes to concept products, the car dealership has always had a lot of amazing ideas. At CES 2022, BMW showed us a new paint process using e-ink screen technology and applied it to the concept BMW iX Flow. Technically, BMW's new car paint technology is exactly the same as the Kindle electronic ink screen that you often use to cover the bubble noodles. The difference is that BMW is probably the first manufacturer to cover the surface of non-flat objects with such a large area of electronic ink screen technology. Under this technology, the surface of the car can be switched in three colors of white, gray and black, so that the owner can experience the "technology is based on color change" at any time.
BMW's reason for choosing to use electronic ink screen technology as a car paint is also very simple. They believe that the white body can reflect more sunlight in the strong direct sunlight in the summer, so that the temperature in the car will not rise rapidly; and in the cold winter environment, the black body can absorb heat as much as possible to ensure that the temperature in the car is as comfortable as possible. Whether it can play the role of BMW publicity is not mentioned for the time being, but BMW said that in the case of a limited number of adjustable colors, the electronic ink screen paint will still have a certain impact on the overall mileage of the electric vehicle.
▍ Sony's new concept car
Sony brought two very surprising news on the stage of CES 2022: the PlayStation VR2 and the Sony Vision-S SUV.
The PlayStation VR2 is a fully upgraded VR device. It includes a new generation of VR headsets as well as a new VR control controller. The most significant upgrade naturally counts the display effect. PS VR2 provides 4K HDR display effect, monocular display resolution of 2000×2040, support 90Hz/120Hz screen refresh rate, 110 degree field of view, also support eye movement tracking, headset and controller motion tracking, can effectively enhance the sensory experience. In addition, the new controller supports haptic feedback.
In terms of the starting game, Sony chose Horizon: Call of the Mountains. I believe that we will soon see the arrival of PS VR2 and related games in 2022.
In terms of automobiles, Sony officially announced that it will establish Sony Mobility in the spring of 2022 to accelerate the pace of mass production of electric vehicles. In the promotional film, Sony envisions a scene where the future car and life are perfectly combined. Driving Sony's SUV, rushing to the sunset with Sony's camera, and then pulling out Sony's mobile phone... Well, let's go back to Sony's electric car.
According to the currently public intelligence, the shape of the Sony Vision-S SUV is very similar in design language to the Vision S 01 shown earlier. Sony's new SUV has a circumference of 4895× 1930×1650 mm, and a wheelbase of 3030 mm with a maximum 7-seat layout. In terms of performance, it adopts a dual-motor four-wheel drive configuration, with a single motor output of 200kW and a maximum speed of 180 km/h.
As sony's highly anticipated electric vehicle product, the Vision-SUV is equipped with 40 different sensors and is currently undergoing L2 level assisted driving tests in Europe, and higher level of assisted driving functions can be pushed through OTAs in the future. However, the specific listing plan, Sony did not announce at the exhibition.
▍ The strongest CPU in Intel history
After being ridiculed for "squeezing toothpaste" for many years, and after AMD and Apple's M series chips quickly overtook, Intel finally made full efforts at the CES 2022 show, announcing the launch of Intel's strongest 12th-generation Alder Lake processor in History: Core i9-12900KS. According to intel's information released at the press conference, the new generation of Core i9-12900KS turbo after the single core performance will be able to reach 5.5GHz, multi-core can reach 5.2GHz. In the Hitman 3 game demonstrated at the press conference, the CPU's multi-core performance can be maintained at 5GHz.
It should be noted that Intel has not announced the energy performance of the processor, and what kind of temperature control strategy is used to maintain such high performance; in addition, Tom's Hardware points out that KS is the suffix of Intel Special Edition processors. At the press conference, Gregory Bryant, executive vice president of Intel, also said that the chip will be delivered to OEMs in the near future, which means that the CPU will not be sold separately, and consumers must buy the whole machine sold by the OEM to experience this "strongest processor in history".
In addition to "the strongest ever", Intel also released a number of 12th generation Intel Core processors at the conference, including 8 H series CPUs, 6 P series CPU products focusing on thin and light costs, Arc GPU, and also updated the third generation EVO series products.
It is worth noting that Intel has previously acquired Screenovate, a multi-device collaboration technology company, and now finally announced that it will bring Screenovate technology to the EVO platform in the 2022 holiday. At the press conference, Intel showed off the ability to turn an Android tablet into a second screen for an EVO computer on Windows, while also interacting seamlessly, similar to the onboarding features of Mac and iPad. Intel is also actively cooperating with Apple, showing us how Screenovate technology connects Intel computers and iPhones, seeing the sending of iMessage in real time on the computer, and I believe that in the future, Intel's computers are also likely to achieve the mirroring operation function of the iPhone on the computer.
▍TCL smart glasses
Smart glasses are not a new concept. In recent years, we have seen huawei, FaceBook and Snapchat gradually add microphones, speakers, cameras, sensors and other hardware to glasses, giving glasses more intelligent features. At CES 2022, TCL showcased two smart glasses, VR and AR, respectively, giving us a glimpse into the next generation of smart experiences.
TCL NXTWEAR AIR is an spectacle-style display. Its shape is very close to ordinary sunglasses, even if you carry it out, there will be no embarrassing experience of "social death". In terms of weight, it is only 75g, but it is equipped with two 1080P resolution Micro OLED screens, allowing the wearer to experience the display of the 140-inch screen at a distance of about 4 meters.
The lenses and monitors are magnetically linked, and the temple is equipped with stereo speakers, and the data cable on the temple can be connected to a mobile phone, computer or tablet for viewing video content. TCL said the device will go on sale in the first quarter of 2022, but has not yet announced the region and price of the sale.
Another product is TCL LEINIAO AR. The biggest feature is that TCL uses the full-color MicroLED+ optical waveguide technology to enable the wearer to have a better AR experience. According to TCL at the press conference, the lenses of this AR glasses have achieved a balance in terms of mass production and dispersion performance, and can also support notification display, smart home control, photography, multi-screen linkage, navigation and other functions in the future. At present, there is no mass production information for this AR glasses.
▍ CyberPower ventilator
CyberPower showcased a sci-fi "ventilator case" at this year's CES 2022. Its front bezel consists of multiple golden triangular parts that together make up 18 mechanical vents. The chassis reads the internal chassis temperature every 5 seconds through a built-in sensor and dynamically switches on and off vents based on temperature changes, providing more refined chassis heat dissipation.
CyberPower's "ventilator" is very similar to the design concept of Bahar Tower. The dynamic switch vent makes the chassis feel as if it has been brought to life. CyberPower's Mam Hoang said the chassis finally realized the concept after more than six months of solution exploration. The product will go on sale in the third quarter of 2022 and is expected to sell for $250.
▍HDMI 2.1a
At this year's CES 2022, the HDMI Licensing Administrator officially upgraded the HDMI 2.1 standard to HDMI 2.1a. The most important feature of the new specification is the addition of SBTM (Source-Based Tone Mapping). SBTM is a new feature for HDR. When the set-top box, TV stick, computer and other devices output HDR content to the display, the content source will automatically adjust and optimize the tone according to the display (display), and the task of HDR tone adjustment will be transferred from the display to the content source, reducing the pressure of the display tone adjustment, and the user no longer needs to manually calibrate the HDR tone of the display, and then unify the display effect of the HDR content on different monitors.
According to the HDMI Forum, the HDMI2.1a standard and SBTM functionality can be supported by upstream vendors through OTAs, indicating that this is an optionally supported standard and feature. At present, the HDMI2.1a standard has replaced HDMI2.1, and theoretically the HDMI ports of all new devices, even without updating the standard specifications and SBTM capabilities, can be called HDMI2.1a. Less rigorously, the HDMI forum will be HDMI2.1 renamed, almost all manufacturers, in the future, can say that they are HDMI2.1a standard interface.
However, if the SBTM feature is not supported through OTA, HDR content still needs to be corrected for tone on different monitors. If consumers want to know if manufacturers actually support HDMI2.1a and SBTM features, the HDMI Forum's recommendation is to let manufacturers label marketing materials and packaging. This practice has also led to criticism of the HDMI forum by many media.
▍Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 Release 2
Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E have been introduced for quite some time, and the new standard has indeed brought a lot of improvements in the performance of network transmission. At CES 2022, the Wi-Fi Alliance once again updated a new version of the Wi-Fi 6 standard with the introduction of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 Release 2. The big changes to the new standard are that the name has become longer and more complex, which has improved upstream performance and enhanced Wi-Fi power management capabilities.
Uplink multi-user support has been further optimized under the new standard. The new Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 Release 2 can significantly enhance the network performance of uplink multi-user scenarios such as video conferencing and document uploading, while better reducing network latency. This will be more conducive to the current cloud service and online service more mature environment.
Enhancements to Wi-Fi power management are new features optimized for enterprise and IoT devices. The new standard incorporates low-power and sleep mode enhancements that bring broadcast target wake-up time (TWT), extended sleep time and dynamic multi-user space multiplexing power consumption (SMPS), extended endurance of IoT devices or reduced power requirements. This will be more beneficial for companies with more smart home devices, or IoT companies.
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 Release 2 features will be compatible with all Wi-Fi bands including 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz. At the same time, upstream manufacturers such as Qualcomm, Intel, MediaTek and Infineon will support and launch related products in the future.
▍ Easter eggs: Samsung Meta Universe exhibition
While the global pandemic is still raging, it is still risky and difficult to feel the lively atmosphere of CES 2022 Consumer Electronics Show. Witty Samsung, along with the potentially forgotten Zepito, brings you the opportunity to visit CES 2022 in the metaverse.
On the first day of CES 2022 on January 5, Samsung announced that it has partnered with Zepito to launch an online shopping experience. Users can enter the Samsung My House platform in Zepito's metaverse world and experience 18 Samsung products in the void. You can also decorate your own meta-universe house and experience a large number of Samsung products.
▍ Conclusion
CES 2022 is showcasing a number of amazing new products. Due to space limitations, only some of the key new products will be introduced here. This year's NEW CES products can be roughly divided into five categories: chips, cars, screens, smart homes and robots. In the two categories of chips and screens, the big-name manufacturers are "rolling" to a new height, allowing us to understand the trend of technological development in the next year in advance. Although the epidemic problem has not been completely solved, the recovery of CES offline exhibitions has also brought us more confidence to some extent.
Author: Luo Haoran Hoyin
Editor-in-charge: Guangling Stop
Caption image from consumer technology association