CES 2017: All the news, reviews and videos from the massive Las Vegas tech show
CES 2017 is officially underway! This year's gadget-thon is certainly living up to the Las Vegas expo’s reputation as the place to see what’s next in tech, showcasing innovations that will set the tone for the rest of the year.
The official CES 2017 dates are January 5 through January 8. Already we've seen exciting new phones, TVs, laptops, PCs, smartwatches, set-top boxes and even an AR hologram cube. We're continuing to roam the convention center halls, and will keep this article constantly updated as CES rolls on.
Read on for the latest news, hands-on reviews and videos straight from Sin City, and be sure to check out all the winners of TechRadar's 2017 CES Awards!
- Beyond 4K: Dolby executive indicates brightness is next TV tech battleground
- Hands on: BeoPlay M5 review
- 10 weird and wonderful gadgets from CES 2017
- Exclusive: Oculus co-founder reveals the future of VR at CES 2017
- Hands on: Aorus X9 review
- Huawei: smartwatches need more features to be popular
- Looking for the ultimate VR device? You’ve got a 30-year wait
- Intel’s tiny computer board makes upgrading smart devices dead easy
- Asus’ new 4K HDR monitor hits the bright spot
- Kodak PixPro Orbit360 4K makes 360-degree video a one-click affair
- Corsair’s flagship keyboard goes bonkers with a built-in light bar
- The Vapor is Misfit’s first real smartwatch – and it looks great
- Hands on: Casio WSD-F20 review
- Nvidia Shield 2017: release date, news and features
- This is ZTE Hawkeye, a crazy eye-tracking phone on Kickstarter
- Nvidia streaming service, GeForce Now, is getting a huge upgrade
- HTC Vive's next big accessory will let you track anything you want
- Sony embraces OLED once more with its HDR-infused Bravia TV range
- Sony's ultra pricey 4K projector may make you re-think buying a UHD TV
- Samsung and Under Armour team up to help you meet your fitness goals
- An iPhone 7 with a headphone jack is now just a case away
- Samsung's 15-inch Notebook 9 weighs less than most 13-inch laptops
- Samsung's new Chromebooks pack in rotating touchscreens and a stylus
- HDMI 2.1 embraces the 8K HDR-filled future of television
- Feel the burn: Fitbit now logs virtual reality workouts
- Samsung's first gaming laptops are gorgeous and upgradable
- Toyota's Concept-i is a driverless car that doesn't forget the driver
- MSI's GT83VR leads a huge gaming laptop refresh
- Hisense is making an 86-inch 4K TV and 100-inch laser projector this year
- Sharp announces 75-inch 4K flagship for the US market
- Hands on: BlackBerry 2017 review
- TCL introduces two new TV series to rival high-end competitors
- Casio pumps its new smartwatch full of Android Wear 2.0
- Hands on: Samsung Q9 OLED TV review
- Asus' latest smartphone offers up AR/VR smarts and 94MP photos
- Asus' tiny new PC is powerful enough for VR gaming
- From fridges to alarm clocks: how Amazon is winning the smart home war
- Panasonic GX850, FZ80 and lenses added to Lumix lineup
- Panasonic GH5: Full specs and release date confirmed
- Garmin Fenix 5 range launches with cues from Apple Watch
- Olly is an Alexa smart home assistant with personality
- Holo Cube is like Hellraiser's puzzle box for AR gaming
- Mirabook is a laptop which is powered by your smartphone
- Canon's smallest premium compact camera gets a huge imaging upgrade
- Comcast wants to turn your home into a digital domain
- Your work could pay you to exercise thanks to this new wearables program
- Google Home and Hyundai team up to make your drive a little smarter
- Roccat is promising zero lag in its new wireless gaming mouse
- Get more control over your connected home with the WeMo Dimmer Switch
- HyperX's latest gaming headset makes 7.1 surround sound affordable
- BlackBerry Press launching with keyboard and mysterious extras
- Lenovo takes on HTC Vive with affordable room-scale VR headset
- Lenovo Smart Assistant is like the Echo (but without the Amazon bit)
- Lenovo’s Miix 720 is a killer 2-in-1 gunning for the Surface Pro
- Ford is trialling electric car park spaces that wirelessly charge your vehicle
- Lenovo Legion Y720 to please gamers with a powerhouse of a 4K laptop
Head to the next page for all the pre-CES news, rumors and analysis!
On this page you'll find all the news and rumors that broke in the lead up to CES 2017, as well as a healthy dose of TechRadar's own crack analysis.
TV takes over
Looking into our crystal ball, we see televisions continuing to rule the roost at CES, with manufacturers vying to one-up each other with their latest big-screen innovations.
Already LG has announced its 2017 lineup of Super UHD TVs, 4K sets that offer Active HDR with Dolby Vision, new nano cell technology (a variation of quantum dot) and LG’s proprietary webOS Smart TV platform.
Not to be outdone, we anticipate Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and others taking their TVs to the next level. Samsung will likely talk up its SUHD screens and Sony should have something to say about Android TV and OLED, if the rumors are correct.
Panasonic is already out of the blocks at CES with a bevy of new UHD Blu-ray players to suit all pockets. The DMP-UB400, DMP-UB310 and DMP-UB300 Ultra HD Blu-ray players join the two other players Panasonic already has in the market (the UB900 and UB700), and offer up some great home entertainment smarts.
Expect the typical 4K TV reveals, though we undoubtedly will see displays pushing 8K and beyond. Of course, the latter are uber-unrealistic purchases for the average shopper, but they remain a tantalizing looks at where TV is headed.
What's more, CES is the time for outrageous concepts, so if it , or cooks you dinner, it might just show up in Vegas.
Beyond pixel count, the big TV talk at CES 2017 will likely surround High Dynamic Range (HDR), and particularly how the Dolby Vision format stacks up against HDR10. For more on that battle, check out our comprehensive HDR10 vs Dolby Vision comparison.
But why should you care about HDR? Netflix's manager of corporate communications, Yann Lafargue, put it like this to TechRadar: "HDR is a new standard for home entertainment. It's a big leap forward in colour, contrast, and brightness, as significant as the addition of surround sound, or the introduction of HD and 4K.
"It offers a new set of tools we can use to make bright and colourful scenes really pop, and at the same time, bring out more detail in dark scenes."
HDR tech is the most discussed TV feature these days, and we expect plenty of chatter around it and HDR content during CES.
Samsung is also set to unveil some enhancements to its smart TV line, namely three additional features that revolve around sports, music and a new "TV Plus" upgrade for the EPG guide.
While not a proper TV, several reports point to Nvidia unveiling Shield Android TV gear at CES. In fact, the GPU giant may even announce two new boxes.
The updated Shield TV 2 will stick with the Nvidia Shield Android TV name and feature an upgraded controller and remote, according to SlashGear. 4K content is also said to be a focus for Nvidia.
Android Police also chimed in with news in late December that Nvidia is actually planning two Android TV boxes for CES 2017, each of different sizes and sporting a redesigned controller. Seems like Nvidia is up to something, that's for sure.
- The best TVs you can buy right now
Phones at the show
CES isn't known for its phones - those are usually reserved for MWC in Barcelona a short time later - but that doesn't mean handsets won't make an appearance at CES 2017.
In fact, LG announced five new devices ahead of the show. They consist of four mid-range K Series handsets - the standout K10, photography-focused K8 and K4 and K3 - and the Stylus 3. Bringing back the stylus, this device has some impressive specs, and runs Android Nougat, as do the K10 and K8. Expect to learn more about the handsets, including possible pricing and release details, when CES 2017 gets underway.
BlackBerry looks set to launch a new phone at CES 2017, named the BlackBerry Press. Hot on the heels of the BlackBerry DTEK60, the phone has been leaked by Steve Cistulli, the North American president of TCT, the brand now behind BlackBerry phones.
The handset, which will feature a fan-favorite keyboard but also some "glimpses of the future" is just being teased in a short video at the moment, but the Press is very likely to be appearing at CES this year. Before Christmas, TCL said it would use CES to discuss how it plans to bring the BlackBerry legacy to "a new generation of smartphones". (Update: we may now have seen the handset in full, with leaked renders showing off the front and back of the device.)
An early November rumor points to Sony unveiling new Xperia phones at CES, including one that sports a 5.5-inch 4K display and 4GB of RAM. Could this be the long-awaited Xperia X2? We should find out during the firm's January 4 press conference at 5pm local time (1am GMT/12pm AEST), or perhaps even beforehand.
We saw the reveal of the at CES 2016, and with the Chinese firm and its sub-brand Honor looking to make a splash in the US, unveiling a new phone at the coming edition seems like a sure thing.
While the will almost certainly be an MWC 2017 reveal, there's a chance Samsung may reveal a foldable phone at CES. It's talked up its bendy screen tech at the show before, and with rumors pointing to the gadget giant launching on , CES seems like as good a time as any to let it out of the bag.
Finally, one US carrier look to be making the trip to Las Vegas. T-Mobile is teasing a January 5 announcement, revealing "What's Next" in its continued efforts to shake up the industry. CEO John Legere promises this is a big one, so stay tuned.
If the likes of LG, Sony and even BlackBerry/TCL join Huawei in launching a new smartphone, we expect the devices to follow the trend set by the - namely, waterproof and headphone jack-less.
To compete with the most popular flagships, these devices will need to come packing the latest features and at an attractive price. While the handsets may not be on the level of the Samsung Galaxy S8, they could be enough to tempt consumers to try something new.
Cars shift into gear
Followers of CES know the gathering has turned into something of a car show in recent years, and CES 2017 looks to be no different.
In fact, one car maker that made a splash at CES 2016 has already confirmed it's coming back to Las Vegas:
Electric car maker Faraday Future is following up an intriguing concept reveal at its inaugural CES with the unveiling of its first production car. The company said in an email this roadster "will be a premium electric vehicle that combines extreme technology, industry leading range, and holistic design."
Whatever this "extreme technology" is, we can't wait to see.
The young car maker has a lot to prove during its January 3 announcement, but it's not taking a back seat to amping up excitement. It's releasing a number of teasers in the lead up to its big CES reveal, and you can catch the latest one below:
Faraday will be far from alone when it comes to showing off innovations for the road. The likes of Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Volvo, Chevy, VW and Kia all had news to share at CES 2016, and we expect more from these car makers this year.
Add to that Nissan Motor Corporation head Carlos Ghosn will deliver a keynote and this just-released Honda teaser, and CES has motor oil spilled all over it.
The major movement in the car tech space is towards self-driving (), so it wouldn't surprise us for automotive attendees to announce advancements, concepts and release plans for the tech in their cars.
Heck, they may even take CES goers for a self-driving spin down the Strip, and in fact, Hyundai plans to do just that.
The car maker will take conference-goers for a spin in its Autonomous Ioniq, as well as show off developments in connectivity, autonomous driving, eco-friendly transportation, personal mobility and health care, making for a busy CES, indeed.
Delphi and Mobileye have also announced they'll conduct a 6.3-mile drive in challenging real-world conditions to show off the Centralized Sensing Localization and Planning (CSLP) automated driving system.
CSLP won't be ready for production until 2019, but it's described as "the first turnkey, fully integrated automated driving solution with an industry-leading perception system and computing platform." Las Vegas is a good proving ground for the tech, and we'll be on hand to tell you how it goes.
Elsewhere, Nissan is teasing an announcement about integrating Microsoft's voice assistant, Cortana, into its connected dashboards. The company took to Twitter to offer a glimpse of what it's planning to show off at its CES keynote, and dropped a heavy Cortana hint.
Volvo, meanwhile, plans to discuss news regarding artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicle advancements during its January 4 press conference. Smarter cars that take you where you want to go? Count us in.
Finally, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang is set to deliver a keynote, during which he'll "discuss the latest in artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, VR, and gaming." The chip giant is a big advocate for self-driving cars, recently announcing , so expect Huang to talk at length about the emerging technology.
- 5 hottest cars to look for in 2017
Viva virtual reality
Virtual reality is here. Don't believe us? Just check out our reviews of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. Go on, we'll wait.
Consumers may have VR headsets in hand, or will soon, but what's still lagging behind is content, and that's where we expect - or at least hope - the focus will be at this year's CES.
It's not just game makers we're talking about when it comes to content, but movie studios and streaming services need to step up their VR game, even expanding into new areas like comic books and visual novels. If they don't, it's going to be a rough year for the tech as consumers won't have a solid enough reason to buy a headset, as cool as they may look.
There's already good news on that front thanks to Qualcomm. The silicon king, in partnership with Lionsgate, has a Power Rangers VR experience planned for CES. This mighty morphin demo will showcase the power of the all-new Snapdragon 835 chipset, in turn giving us an idea of how the punch smartphones will pack in 2017.
We may also see some mobile and cheaper VR offerings make the trek to CES. Though pure conjecture, we wouldn't be surprised if new VR headsets from HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus and/or Acer are unveiled right alongside laptops, monitors and desktops.
We say this because in mid-October, Microsoft announced VR headsets were on the way from these very companies for the tantalizing starting price of $299 (about £245, AU$295).
Late 2016 reports out of Asia indicated HTC plans to take the wraps off the HTC Vive 2 during CES. The headset is said to be wireless, up the refresh rate from 120Hz to 90Hz and house two 4K displays. Whether we're in for an official announcement, behind-closed-doors viewings or nothing at all is unclear, but there's a chance we'll learn more about the next Vive headset come January. [Update: Whelp, so much for that. HTC confirmed to UploadVR that it won't reveal the HTC Vive 2 at CES this year. Oh well.]
CES is the perfect place to highlight new VR wares as the devices will get the benefit of the world's attention without their respective companies having to hold a big standalone launch event.
VR peripherals will be on show too, such as the 3dRudder Wireless – a foot controller that offers a new way to explore virtual worlds, and which seeks to address the issue of convincingly processing movement in VR games.
- The best VR headsets on the market
Drones, wearables, computing and more!
As for what else to expect at CES, drones made a big impression at the last version of the show, particularly in the form of the fixed-wing, auto-pilot Parrot Disco and the first drone big enough to carry a person. Drones in every shape and size are likely for CES 2017, so keep your eyes to the skies.
On the wearable front, players like Samsung and Fitbit could once again give us a reason to be excited about gadgets that straps to our wrists, but also look out for devices that go elsewhere on your body, like the Muse meditation headband we saw at CES 2016.
One wearable we know will be debuting at the 2017 show is the BodyTrak – a wireless, in-ear device that can monitor not only heart rate and fitness, but also core body temperature – allowing you to work out more effectively than ever.
Created by Inova Design in the UK, BodyTrak touts itself as the 'first and only in-ear body monitoring platform to accurately measure multiple vital signs'.
- 2016 was a bad year for wearables, but 2017 looks bright
Computing always comes on strong at CES, and one machine is already out of the bag. The just-announced Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 doesn't just slap a hinge on the Dell XPS 13: it's practically a new notebook that’s thinner and lighter, measuring 0.54-inches tall and weighing 2.7 pounds. It's touted as the smallest 2-in-1 on the market. Dell also touted its first HDR monitor, the Ultrathin 27-inch S2718D with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 as the world's thinnest.
Dell also on November 2 that it plans to unveil its vision for the future of desktops at CES, likely during its January 5 press conference, which promises to hold a few surprises.
The computing giant looks set to unveil the Smart Desk, a PC with a knobby peripheral, second screen and plenty of room to work on - literally. Smart Desk is already drawing comparisons to Microsoft's , so we'll see which one comes out on top early next year.
Also look for the likes of Lenovo, MSI, HP and other computer producers to share their latest wares, from ultra-light laptops to eye-piercing monitors to innovations designed around virtual reality.
LG is packing a number of monitors for CES, including a 4K, HDR-compatible screen with a blistering 3840 x 2160 pixel count. Typically reserved for TVs, HDR should deliver a crisp viewing experience on the 32-inch monitor.
The firm also has a floating speaker in its CES carry-on - let's just hope it doesn't fly away before the show. LG also unveiled upgrades to its Tone range of headphones heading into CES, including chopping off a few wires.
Symantec, meanwhile, has unveiled a new Wi-Fi router which puts a premium on security while still delivering on the performance front – and it looks pretty smart, or certainly unusual.
The Norton Core router is built from the ground up with the security of the connected home – and all the smart IoT gadgets therein – firmly in mind.
Staying with routers, Linksys has used CES 2017 to unveil a modular router setup that's designed to take the hassle out of covering larger homes with a Wi-Fi signal. Called Velop, the system uses identical vase-shaped 'nodes' that can be placed around the house in any order.
Audio will make sound waves as it always does, and we expect to see more companies come out with multi-room audio solutions similar to Sonos. More soundbars should pack Dolby Atmos, and we predict a bigger push for object-based audio systems, or systems that support either Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.
Samsung started the CES sound party early by announcing a new soundbar, speaker and Ultra HD Blu-ray player that carry its Ultra-high Quality Sound audio tech.
Lenovo, meanwhile, is getting in on the voice-controlled home assistant action, announcing its own voice-activated speaker, the Lenovo Smart Assistant.
Elsewhere in the connected home department, Belkin is announcing two new additions to its WeMo lineup. The WeMo Dimmer Switch will allow you to control your home’s lights without the need for a hub, and there's also a smaller version of WeMo’s Wi-Fi Smart Plug.
Stay tuned as we keep this page constantly updated with the latest CES news and rumors leading up to the show!
- Looking for more pre-show CES 2017 news? Check out the official site
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