The "black technology" at CES2020 will once again subvert your imagination

Every year when CES begins, users around the world are very excited. Exhibiting companies all show off their coolest products of the year to participate in this "flowers compete for beauty" competition in the technology industry. Whenever I see all kinds of black technology, I hope they can enter the "ordinary people's homes" as soon as possible, and I can't help but comment on them.

CES 2020 is coming to an end. This year, many eye-catching products have made their debut. Let’s take stock of them.

5G mobile phones are ready to go

5G was the hottest topic in 2019, and it will remain the same in 2020. In 2019, after a "bloody battle" between operators and terminal manufacturers, the 5G infrastructure has been laid out, and 5G mobile phone manufacturers are waiting for the 5G replacement wave to hit. CES must not be without 5G mobile phones.

Coolpad Legacy 5G Smartphone

Parameters and performance: It uses a 6.53-inch FHD+ LCD water drop screen, is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G mobile platform, is equipped with 4GB of memory + 64GB of UFS 2.1 flash memory, has a 16-megapixel front camera, a 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel rear camera combination, a battery capacity of 4000mAh, and runs the Android 10 system. It is expected to be launched in the United States in the second quarter of 2020.

Price: Expected to be less than $400 (about RMB 2,800).

Comments: The performance is good, but the price is a bit high. I wonder if domestic users are willing to pay for it? Of course, this product is to be launched in the United States, and $400 may not be a big deal for the American people.

TCL 10 5G Smartphone

Parameters and performance: It is positioned as a mid-range 5G smartphone and is expected to use Qualcomm's entry-level 5G chipset, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC. The Snapdragon 765G supports SA and NSA dual-mode 5G and is the mainstream dual-mode chip in the current Qualcomm camp. Other parameters are unknown. It is expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2020.

Price: Less than $500 (about RMB 3,469).

Comment: Both use Snapdragon 765G, but I don’t know where TCL got the confidence to charge $100 more. Moreover, both will be launched in the second quarter of this year, and there is no obvious advantage in terms of performance and price ratio.

OnePlus Concept One

Introduction: The OnePlus Concept One, designed in collaboration with McLaren, uses a "hidden rear camera" that uses electrochromic technology to hide the rear camera module under the back cover of the phone, which only appears when in use. Performance parameters and price are unknown.

Comments: It looks high-end, but it is unclear whether it supports 5G. Also, when will it be launched? Although appearance is important, the mobile phone market is ever-changing. If it is launched late, the opportunity will be gone in a flash.

5G base stations have been laid out in large numbers in China. In order to adapt to this year's wave of phone replacement, many domestic manufacturers have already released 5G mobile phones as early as last year. It is understandable that there are only a few mobile phones unveiled at this year's CES.

Smart TV: 8K Comparison

In addition to mobile phones, the thing I am most interested in is TV. Although the TV at home is turned on monthly, I still hope that its clarity will be amazing every time I turn it on. So I paid attention to the clearest 8K TV at this CES.

Samsung borderless 8K TV Q950TSA

Performance: Equipped with Samsung's self-developed image processor, it supports a more accurate AI conversion algorithm, can intelligently enlarge 2K and 4K resolution content to 8K, has a screen-to-body ratio of up to 99% on the front and an ultra-thin body thickness of 15mm.

Comment: I really like the fact that it is ultra-thin, and can be hung on the wall to save space. However, the price is not attractive enough, because the previous generation of 65-inch 8K quantum dot TV is priced at 27,999 yuan, and the 85-inch is priced at 84,999 yuan. The high price is prohibitive, so you can just experience it in the exhibition hall first.

Sony 8K TV Z8H series

Performance: The Z8H series is equipped with the X1 Ultimate 8K HDR image processing chip specifically designed for 8K TVs. It uses the new "X-Motion Clarity" technology, which can clearly display fast-moving images while ensuring that the brightness of the image remains unchanged. It is also equipped with Sony's unique new "Frame Tweeter" technology, which allows the extremely slim and narrow frame to be transformed into a speaker through vibration, achieving "frame sound".

Comment: There is nothing wrong with these two technologies. They are both essential for building a home theater. But Sony would also like to ask them to make the prices more affordable.

SKYWORTH 8K TV Q91 series

Performance: Equipped with MediaTek S900, a SoC chip for 8K TVs, it supports 8K hardware decoding up to 60FPS, and has a quad-core A73 CPU with 8.5GB RAM and 128GB of storage space, which can process and analyze images more smoothly and quickly. The resolution of 8K is 7680*4320, which is 4 times the clarity of 4K, and the picture is so realistic that it seems to be within reach; equipped with a professional 8K AI image quality engine, it can intelligently improve the fluency and resolution of lower-resolution sources to 120FPS fluency and resolution closer to 8K, and with the cooperation of a specific APU computing unit, it supports AI optimization of 8K image quality with strong computing power, comprehensively improving the contrast, color and clarity of 8K images.

Comment: To put it simply, the resolution of 8K TV is very high, and even 4K content can be converted into 8K quality through AI technology.

In addition to the above three companies, TCL, LG, Changhong and Konka have all brought 8K TVs. I will not list them one by one. After all, only by experiencing 8K TV personally can you tell which one has better picture quality and sound.

Notebooks: If you can’t fold it, you’ll be embarrassed to show it off

At this year's CES, the biggest transformation was in laptops. Lenovo, Dell, and Intel all united to become foldable. If any company didn't have a foldable product, they would be embarrassed to show up. Is this to show the power of flexible screen technology?

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold

The ThinkPad X1 Fold is equipped with a 13.3-inch OLED display, developed in cooperation with LG Display, with a screen ratio of 4:3, a resolution of 2048*1536, runs Windows 10 Pro, and is priced at US$2,499.

Dell prototype notebook Concept Ori

Dell's Concept Ori is equipped with a 13.4-inch P-OLED flexible screen with fewer gesture operations. When folded, a virtual keyboard will appear on the screen below.

Horseshoe Bend Photo credit: the verge

Intel also brought a laptop concept - Horseshoe Bend, which has no keyboard and has screens on the B and C sides. When unfolded, it is a 17.3-inch OLED screen. The product is based on Intel's 10nm++ Tiger Lake processor, supports touch operation and is equipped with a Surface-style keyboard stand to make better use of the larger display.

Comment: It is predictable that in the future, laptops will be like mobile phones, with screens as the main body and keyboards gradually becoming virtual keyboards. But are foldable screens durable? I highly doubt it, after all, a laptop needs to be used for many years, and the replacement rate is much lower than that of a mobile phone.

Cars: Cars from sci-fi blockbusters come out

In science fiction movies, cars often subvert our imagination. Every year at CES, several concept cars are released, making the cars in science fiction movies come into reality ahead of time.

Mercedes-Benz concept car VISION AVTR

This Mercedes-Benz concept car has a cool appearance and a cabin that is very different from ordinary cabins. In terms of power, the car uses biodegradable graphene organic batteries as materials, which are completely free of rare earths and metals, and are 100% recyclable and environmentally friendly.

Comments: The exterior and interior are very cool, and sitting on it feels like walking into a science fiction movie.

Honda's Intelligent Driving Concept Car

Honda's concept car focuses on autonomous driving, and the steering wheel is its "integrated controller" for transitioning from semi-autonomous to fully autonomous driving. For example, tapping the steering wheel twice starts the car, pulling back slows down, and pushing forward accelerates. The steering wheel also provides 8 driving modes.

Comments: Honda's autonomous driving is very down-to-earth. After all, fully autonomous driving is not yet possible. It is just that it is still unclear how safe the fully autonomous driving mode is. Will it also have some accidents like Tesla?

BMW i3 Urban Suite Concept

If you only look at the last picture, it looks very much like a miniature hotel suite, with comfortable chairs with footstools, desks, and even desk lamps, making people feel warm and cozy. In fact, this is the interior cabin of the car that has been redesigned by BMW, which greatly improves the comfort of the interior space.

Comment: Making the driving space more comfortable will also be a competitive point in the future.

Sony's pure electric concept car Vision-S

Compared with ordinary cars, Sony's car seems nothing special in appearance, but it actually integrates a number of black technologies such as imaging and sensing, AI, communication and cloud technology. It is reported that the whole car will be embedded with 33 sensors including CMOS and ToF, equipped with an ultra-wide central control display to achieve 360-degree sound effects. It will also use two 200-kilowatt electric motors as the main power, with a maximum speed of 239 kilometers per hour.

Comment: This car has given sensor manufacturers business opportunities and also indicates that the sensor market has unlimited potential. The car’s speed is indeed fast enough, but I don’t know how long the battery life can last?

Multi-rotor UAM