CES 2017 is coming to a close, which means it’s time for us to reflect back on some of our favorite products of the show. There was all sorts of cool tech on display, from new computers for autonomous cars to high-flying drones, plenty of new Windows 10 laptops and smart home devices. Here’s a collection of our favorite gadgets that we ran into this year.
Samsung Chromebook Pro and Chromebook Plus
Samsung introduced the Samsung Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro during CES 2017, two products with an identical design but different processors. One will run on ARM chips while the other will operate on Intel Core m processors. We found both notebooks to be incredibly appealing, from their aluminum bodies to USB-C ports and fast-charging capabilities.
They both sport bright and sharp touchscreen displays and can be folded around for use as a tablet. There’s even support for a stylus, which tucks right into the side of the Chromebook when it’s not in use. Better yet, these are the first two Chromebooks that will launch with the Google Play Store installed by default, which means you’ll be able to run Android apps right out of the box.
LG OLED Wallpaper TV (Signature W7)
LG took the wraps off of a TV so thin that it’s nicknamed the “Wallpaper TV.” The Siganture W7 was introduced as the world’s thinnest and lightest 4K UHD OLED TV set at CES 2017. It’s damn gorgeous, too. LG wasn’t kidding when it said the TV is more of a window that’ll suck you right into the content that you’re viewing. It’s just 2.57mm thin (!) which means you can hang it right on a wall almost as if it was a tapestry. The components live in a box that’ll sit under the TV, well out of the way. Dolby Atmos Sound and support for four different HDR standards round out the impressive specs you won’t find anywhere else.
Razer’s Project Valerie
Razer Project Valerie was the shot of adrenaline in our veins that we needed at CES. It helped remind us that Windows 10 is very much alive, and PC gaming on-the-go can be a blast. The Project Valerie laptop features not one but three displasy for an incredibly immersive gaming experience. It’s still just a concept at this point, but it’s one that shows Razer is very serious about changing the entire dynamic of how we’ll play games in the future, all while leaving our clunky desktops behind at home. Be sure to learn more about it by reading our Project Valerie hands-on post.
Lenovo Home Assistant
Lenovo blew us away with a bit of a surprise during CES 2017. It had some amazing laptops, but we also loved its Home Assistant, a new take on the Amazon Echo. Basically, this is Lenovo’s version of the technology, complete with Amazon Alexa. There are two models available, including one that’s even cheaper than Amazon’s Echo, and another that packs first-class Harman Kardon speakers. If you haven’t been able to get an Echo from Amazon (they ran out of stock during the holidays) I’d hold off and pick one of these up when they launch in April.
LG Instaview Fridge with Alexa
I don’t usually get excited about refrigerators, but the LG InstaView Fridge is hard to ignore. It was introduced at CES and features all sorts of futuristic tech, like the ability to peak inside the fridge using built-in cameras, share a family calendar on the massive front-facing display, browse recipes, shop (and order!) groceries and so much more. Perhaps most compelling, however, is support for Amazon Alexa built right-in. Yep, you read that right. No need for a separate Amazon Echo in the kitchen. The fridge is now your Amazon Echo. Lg’s InstaView Fridge is Jetson’s-level stuff that is ushering us into the future.
Dell UP3218K display
It’s one thing to have an 8K TV, which already sounds futuristic given we’re all trying to adopt 4K in the first place, but it’s a different to have an 8K computer display. Dell showed off the latter during CES 2018, blowing us away in our demos. It’ll retail for $5,000 when it launches this spring, but that’s a small price to pay if you want to be the first person on your block with a computer monitor that has a resolution that’s 16x that of full HD. It’ll melt your eyeballs!
Huawei Mate 9 with Amazon Alexa
The Huawei Mate 9 isn’t new. Indeed, we’ve already reviewed it. What is new, however, is that Huawei is finally bringing it to the United States. Even cooler, it’ll have Amazon Alexa built right-in. We haven’t had a chance to test just how well this performs since it isn’t live yet, but this is huge news and marks Alexa’s debut as a first-party client in a smartphone. That’s enough to wow our socks off. It doesn’t hurt that the Huawei Mate 9 totally kicks butt with a badass processor, gobs of RAM, smart app management, a massive 4,000mAh battery, a beautiful (though 1080p) display and expandable storage. Look for it from Amazon, Best Buy, B&H and Newegg in just a few days.
ASUS ZenFone AR
The ASUS ZenFone AR might have been one of the most exciting phones to show its face at CES 2017. It’s going to support Google Daydream and Google Tango when it launches later this year, making it the first smartphone to support both technologies. It’s also only the second phone to sport Google Tango, following in the footsteps of Lenovo’s Phab 2 Pro. Look for a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED WQHD display, a Snapdragon 821 processor, and a 23-megapixel “TriCam” camera system on the first phone to really deploy two very serious AR and VR technologies in the same package.
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