There’s no place quite like Vegas during CES: The crowds are buzzing with excitement while walking from booth to booth, the city seems to embrace (or at least tolerate) the influx of technophiles and the show floor is packed to the brim with great gadgets that are bound to change the way we live, work and play for years to come.
To help highlight the products that stole our hearts this week – and our wallets sometime down the road – we’ve put together a list of the best tech at CES, listed below in alphabetical order.
While there are certainly tons more great gadgets to be found here on the 2.75 million square feet of exhibit space, this is the tech that our editors adored and our readers (that’s you guys) cared the most about.
Without further ado, here are the winners of TechRadar's 2019 CES Awards!
Asus ROG Mothership GZ700
This is one of the most interesting takes on the desktop replacement gaming laptop that we've ever seen. Essentially a gaming laptop and desktop combined, this beast can kick out its stand, detach its keyboard and work as an all-in-one gaming PC as well. Asus has taken the term "desktop replacement" in an incredibly interesting direction that we can't wait to see pan out.
Creative SXFI Air
In a few short years, headphone holography will be the biggest thing in audio. Dolby’s working on it. Audeze has dabbled in it. And Creative, well, has already taken it to the next level. The Creative’s SXFI Air can replicate the soundstage of a full surround system in a pair of over-ear headphones that cost under $ 200 (£150, AU$ 275). It’s a bold step for the future of audio, and we got to see it for the first time at CES.
HDMI 2.1
It’s hard to count on one hand all of the 8K TVs at CES 2019. Samsung, Sony, TCL, LG and a half-dozen others all showed up to Vegas with Ultra-HD screens, but without HDMI 2.1, 8K would be dead in the water. The latest iteration of the display standard allows for the transmission of 8K60 – and 4K120 – video, plus Variable Refresh Rate and Auto Low Latency Mode. No HDMI 2.1, no future for 8K TVs.
Honor View 20
While we're still waiting for the 'official' launch of the Honor View 20, we finally got a chance to go hands on with it at CES 2019 and it was well-worth the wait. The combination of the world's first 48MP camera, the wider-screen display with punch-hole camera and visually arresting back make it a strong phone that could upset the flagship order this year.
HTC Vive Cosmos
While we're still left with a few questions about this headset, the Vive Cosmos promises to bring the best parts of HTC's VR experience in a more portable, distilled way and brings us that little bit closer to the tipping point where virtual reality is affordable and attractive to all.
Huawei MateBook 13
The next anti-MacBook Air is here, and it has managed to one-up not only Apple's latest model but a bevy of other competitors in style, substance and value. What's most notable about this laptop is that it brings full-power mobile Intel processors to a form factor that's dominated by lower-power Intel chips. This is bound to be a laptop to beat in 2019, and the absolute best we've seen from the show.
Lenovo Smart Clock
Google Assistant is coming to your nightstand in a screen-equipped smart speaker. Its 6W speaker plays music and the 4-inch display shows the time and alarms. When you wake up to shut off the alarm, it automatically gives a daily rundown: weather, estimated commute time, and appointments overview, and the news. The Lenovo Smart Clock the 21st century version of a bedroom alarm clock.
LG 8K OLED (OLED88Z9)
The LG 8K OLED (OLED88Z9) is peak CES. It’s two future-facing technologies merged together to create a product that is both revolutionary in its engineering and awe-inspiring to behold… which makes it all the more unfortunate that LG has yet to confirm pricing. You can bet your already outdated 4K Blu-ray collection that it’s going to cost way more than many of us will be able to dream of affording, but it’s as cutting-edge of a TV as we’re going to see in 2019.
LG Signature Series OLED TV R (OLED65R9)
At one time, seeing a TV appear out of thin air would’ve been something straight out of a magic act. But LG’s new rollable Signature Series OLED TV R isn’t magic – it’s engineering and display technology risen to the nth degree. While some other 2019 TVs can do 8K and sit flush on the wall, only the 65R9 harnesses OLED’s natural flexibility to roll up on itself when you’re done watching it. Star Trek eat your heart out.
Panasonic GZ2000 4K OLED TV
Just like the Las Vegas strip itself, the TVs of CES 2019 have been all about the glitz. Whether its 8K resolutions of rollable displays, the 'wow' factor may have been upped, but there's a sense that it's been a game of all-surface, no-feeling spec chasing and headline baiting. The Panasonic GZ2000 4K OLED on the other hand is a pure movie lover's dream – there's no gimmick here, just a commitment to the highest possible picture quality.
Panasonic S1R Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera
While it wasn't here in the flesh and instead enjoyed a shout out in Panasonic's keynote, we're really excited for Panasonic's first go at a full-frame mirrorless camera. The brand has always been a pathfinder in the field of video but was held back by its smaller micro-four thirds, well that all changes as the S1R features a camera sensor that four times bigger to capture 4K 60P video.
Royole FlexPai Foldable Phone
The Royole FlexPai is seriously cool and it's one of the hottest products at CES 2019. Its flexible, folding 7.8-inch display allows you to go from tablet to phone and back again with a simple bend of the screen. It's may not be perfect – the software is slow and buggy – but it's the innovation in the screen technology that has us truly excited. The future of smartphones starts here.
Withings Move ECG
Apple may have had the pleasure of debuting an ECG monitor on a smartwatch, but Withings is the company that's bringing the tech to the masses in an affordable device that works with both iPhone and Android. The Withings Move ECG is also a good looking hybrid watch that features step and sleep tracking, so this may be the watch with hidden tech features you crave in 2019.
- Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.