Tech's Biggest Event is Getting a Shake Up as CES Goes All Virtual

This year, CES has made the bold decision to go all virtual, replacing its 2.9 million square feet of exhibition space with an all digital event. This change means that brands like LG and Procter & Gamble are creating virtual booths online instead of the flashy physical exhibits they've seen in the past. Panasonic is hosting a virtual concert by Cold War Kids, and instead of packed keynotes, big press conferences are streaming online.

The shift to a digital-only event has also meant that some companies are skipping CES altogether this year. Google, which built its own theme park ride at CES in 2019, won't be attending the show. The CTA, which runs CES, says it's expecting about a thousand virtual exhibitors less than a quarter of what they saw last year. However, the brands that do choose to participate are expected to try and make a splash.

One of the most anticipated events at CES this year is Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event, happening on Thursday. The details are still under wraps, but expectations include the launch of three new Galaxy S21 phones with better cameras and possibly even an integrated S-Pen. This marks one of the first times we've seen Samsung focusing on its flagship phone series, which is likely to be a major focus for the company's 2021 product lineup.

The year's big phone news was expected to happen at Mobile World Congress, but MWC has been postponed due to the pandemic. As a result, CES may see more phone news than usual, with brands like Verizon hosting kickoff keynote speeches and 5G being a major theme for the show.

When it comes to TVs, this year's event is always a big deal. Without being able to see those dazzling displays and razor-thin screens in person, the wow factor isn't going to be the same as usual. However, three of the top five brands will still be at CES: Samsung, TCL, and LG. The other two, Vizio and High Sense, are sitting out this year, but there's still plenty to see.

LG is launching a range of mini LED TVs known as QNED, which promises to bring better picture quality than traditional OLED displays. There may also be new OLED TVs on show, particularly from LG Display, which is showcasing its transparent OLED technology for commercial applications. Samsung has also unveiled a range of new micro LED TVs, including a massive 110-inch model with a staggering price tag of $156,000.

If that's not enough to get your wallet out, you might be interested in LG's bespoke refrigerator range, featuring modular designs available in pastel pink and blue. Meanwhile, LG is upgrading its Insta-View refrigerator with a door that opens via voice command and a water dispenser that sanitizes your water with UV light.

Health tech is expected to play a big role at CES this year, with products promising to sterilize, sanitize, and purify. Wearables will also be on show, offering insights into your inner health through readings like heart rate, blood pressure, and sleep patterns. However, it's essential to note that not all of these health-related products have been FDA-approved, so consumers should exercise caution when considering new gadgets.

Finally, CES is notorious for its weird and wonderful gadgets, and this year promises to be no exception. Whether it's a Lamborghini massage chair, a wearable camera for your baby, or even a flying taxi, you can bet that CNET will be on hand to cover the most surprising and innovative products of the show.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enbig screen tvs health tech sexy appliances and no las vegas this year tech's biggest event is getting a shake up as ces goes all virtual here are all the big trends and big changes you can expect from ces 2021 normally at this time of the year the entire tech world is touching down in las vegas for a big week of news strange gadgets and lots of walking around a giant show floor but this year the pandemic means that ces 2.9 million square feet of exhibition space are being replaced by an all digital event brands like lg and procter gamble are creating virtual booths online instead of the flashy physical exhibits we've seen in the past panasonic is hosting a virtual concert by cold war kids and instead of packed keynotes all the big press conferences are streaming online now we saw this trend in 2020 apple and samsung both held big launches last year with online only events and hopefully it'll mean fewer things going wrong excuse me i'm sorry i'm sorry okay ladies and gentlemen let's thank michael b for joining us that was awkward but going digital only also means that some companies are skipping ces all together this year google which built its own theme park ride at ces in 2019 won't be at the show in fact the cta which runs ces says it's expecting about a thousand virtual exhibitors less than a quarter of what we saw last year still you can expect the brands that do show up to definitely try and make a splash including one of the most hotly anticipated events of ces samsung's galaxy unpacked event which is happening on thursday now details are still under wraps but we're expecting to see the launch of three new galaxy s21 phones with better cameras and maybe even an integrated s-pen like we've seen on the note we'd expect the year's big phone news to happen at mobile world congress which normally happens in march but with mwc pushed back this year we may see more phone news at ces for example verizon is hosting the kickoff keynote speech for the show and we're expecting 5g to be a big theme now let's talk tvs this is always a big topic at ces but let's not lie without being able to see those dazzling displays and razor thin screens in person the wow factor isn't going to be the same this year and while three of the top five brands will be at ces samsung tcl and lg the other two vizio and high sense are sitting this year out but there'll still be things to see we're expecting bigger screens potentially new 8k tvs and plenty of talk around technologies like mini led and micro led lg is launching a range of mini led tvs known as qned and we're probably going to expect shiny new oleds from lg tv as well lg display is also showing off a transparent oled for commercial applications samsung has also unveiled a range of new micro led tvs including a 110 inch model with a 156 000 price tag as well as new q-led models and an updated version of its frame tv which is designed to look like an artwork on your wall if 150 000 is a little outside your price range don't worry you can also expect more affordable tvs to be unveiled too now ces is normally a show for high-tech gadgets but it's also a show for high-tech appliances samsung is launching its new bespoke refrigerator range with a modular design available in pastel pink and blue and lg is upgrading its insta-view refrigerator with a door that opens via voice command and a water dispenser that sanitizes your water with uv light yes even tech is getting a pandemic upgrade this year speaking of which health tech is going to be a big trend at this year's show products that promise to sterilize sanitize and purify as well as wearables that give you a more complete picture of your inner health with readings on things like heart health blood pressure and sleep but watch out with any of these health care products there's a big difference between products that make health claims and then products that have actually been fda approved and the final trend to watch at ces this year weird and wonderful gadgets whether it's a lamborghini massage chair a wearable camera for your baby or a flying taxi ces always serves up a few surprises and we hope that this year brings some of the same no matter what happens cnet will be covering the whole show from start to finish we'll be streaming live covering all the news as it happens starting off from press day on monday january 11th at 7 30 a.m eastern time bright and early we may not be in vegas but we'll still have a bit of that vegas sparkle for everything you need to know about ces stay tuned to cnetbig screen tvs health tech sexy appliances and no las vegas this year tech's biggest event is getting a shake up as ces goes all virtual here are all the big trends and big changes you can expect from ces 2021 normally at this time of the year the entire tech world is touching down in las vegas for a big week of news strange gadgets and lots of walking around a giant show floor but this year the pandemic means that ces 2.9 million square feet of exhibition space are being replaced by an all digital event brands like lg and procter gamble are creating virtual booths online instead of the flashy physical exhibits we've seen in the past panasonic is hosting a virtual concert by cold war kids and instead of packed keynotes all the big press conferences are streaming online now we saw this trend in 2020 apple and samsung both held big launches last year with online only events and hopefully it'll mean fewer things going wrong excuse me i'm sorry i'm sorry okay ladies and gentlemen let's thank michael b for joining us that was awkward but going digital only also means that some companies are skipping ces all together this year google which built its own theme park ride at ces in 2019 won't be at the show in fact the cta which runs ces says it's expecting about a thousand virtual exhibitors less than a quarter of what we saw last year still you can expect the brands that do show up to definitely try and make a splash including one of the most hotly anticipated events of ces samsung's galaxy unpacked event which is happening on thursday now details are still under wraps but we're expecting to see the launch of three new galaxy s21 phones with better cameras and maybe even an integrated s-pen like we've seen on the note we'd expect the year's big phone news to happen at mobile world congress which normally happens in march but with mwc pushed back this year we may see more phone news at ces for example verizon is hosting the kickoff keynote speech for the show and we're expecting 5g to be a big theme now let's talk tvs this is always a big topic at ces but let's not lie without being able to see those dazzling displays and razor thin screens in person the wow factor isn't going to be the same this year and while three of the top five brands will be at ces samsung tcl and lg the other two vizio and high sense are sitting this year out but there'll still be things to see we're expecting bigger screens potentially new 8k tvs and plenty of talk around technologies like mini led and micro led lg is launching a range of mini led tvs known as qned and we're probably going to expect shiny new oleds from lg tv as well lg display is also showing off a transparent oled for commercial applications samsung has also unveiled a range of new micro led tvs including a 110 inch model with a 156 000 price tag as well as new q-led models and an updated version of its frame tv which is designed to look like an artwork on your wall if 150 000 is a little outside your price range don't worry you can also expect more affordable tvs to be unveiled too now ces is normally a show for high-tech gadgets but it's also a show for high-tech appliances samsung is launching its new bespoke refrigerator range with a modular design available in pastel pink and blue and lg is upgrading its insta-view refrigerator with a door that opens via voice command and a water dispenser that sanitizes your water with uv light yes even tech is getting a pandemic upgrade this year speaking of which health tech is going to be a big trend at this year's show products that promise to sterilize sanitize and purify as well as wearables that give you a more complete picture of your inner health with readings on things like heart health blood pressure and sleep but watch out with any of these health care products there's a big difference between products that make health claims and then products that have actually been fda approved and the final trend to watch at ces this year weird and wonderful gadgets whether it's a lamborghini massage chair a wearable camera for your baby or a flying taxi ces always serves up a few surprises and we hope that this year brings some of the same no matter what happens cnet will be covering the whole show from start to finish we'll be streaming live covering all the news as it happens starting off from press day on monday january 11th at 7 30 a.m eastern time bright and early we may not be in vegas but we'll still have a bit of that vegas sparkle for everything you need to know about ces stay tuned to cnet\n"