Key Technology Highlights and Trends from CES 2023

Rennes, France – January 2023

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opened its doors on the 5th of January and takes place at the start of each year in Las Vegas. It’s a great place to see the latest gadgets,

must-see products and wacky innovations that could become the future of tech.

Once again, the event was both available for virtual and physical visitors. According to the organisers, the number of visitors reached 115,000 which is good to see that attendance is growing after the Covid -19 pandemic. The last show prior to the pandemic in 2020 managed 171,000 attendees.

What are the key new and some now so new trends in CES this year:

Smartphone contortionist screens are foldable and bendy

This year at CES we have seen the screen taking the central point with many manufacturers trying to gain a unique competitive advantage with the screen technology. Foldable and slidable concepts that we have seen in previous years also made an appearance, but the trend seems to be the flexible screens.

Samsung has managed to get a lot of attention with their flex hybrid screen which folds and slides. As these were presented by Samsung display unit and Samsung Electronics it may be some time until we see them in the shops. For more information on Samsung flex displays please click here.

Credit Image: Samsung

Satellite Communications

In 2022 Apple has introduced a new feature for the iPhone 14 the Emergency SOS which allows the device to connect to satellites to send emergency texts. Qualcomm announced at the start of 2023 the Snapdragon Satellite which will allow devices to connect and send satellite messages when there is no cellular signal coverage available.

Credit Image: Qualcomm

Qualcomm according to their press release has partnered with Iridium which already has a communications satellite array in low orbit and allows weather-resilient L-band spectrum for uplink and downlink. Any Android device with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip will be able to send two-way messages using satellites. This means that next-generation devices launched in selected regions initially from the second half of 2023 will have this feature enabled. Their presentation showed that in order for this to work the device should be pointed at the sky and they have promised global pole-to-pole coverage.

For more information on Snapdragon Satellite, please visit the Snapdragon Connect page.

5G Progress

In all previous years, 5G was the central point of CES but in 2023 it was a low-key affair and did not appear as a major topic in the panels. Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg highlighted the 5G topic in both his keynotes in 2019 and 2021 explaining 5G will enable new use cases from driverless cars to remote surgeries.

AT&T and T-Mobile delivered similar keynotes in previous events. In 2023 5G did not feature hardly at all. Most devices now do support 5G and there is scattered coverage by most operators in Europe, the US and Asia but the most innovative and transformative aspects of 5G are still under work and not available yet. The technology that will enable all the promised use cases has not moved to the next level yet. The talk on 6G has already started and we are expecting to see 6G taking the central stage very soon.

Meet us at MWC 2023

CES does tend to set the theme for key technology events in 2023. Our next event is the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. SmartViser will be showcasing its innovative products on test automation for device and network testing. Our stand is 5B41-1 in Hall 5 within the French Tech Pavilion.

If you are planning to attend, book a meeting with us or please contact us for further information about our Test Automation Solution viSer.

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Susie Siouti is the Chief Commercial Officer for SmartViser helping organisations in the Telecommunications industry offer superior end-user quality of experience and service with the introduction of innovative test automation products. Susie has 20 years of experience in the Telecoms industry and in that time has led teams across the world mainly in Testing and Compliance. Holding an MBA from Henley Business School brings a diverse set of skills and expertise, including business acumen, strategic thinking, financial management, sales and marketing expertise, leadership, and innovation.

Susie joined SmartViser in 2016, is part of the internal steering committee, responsible for developing and implementing the company's commercial strategy and encouraging a customer-centric culture. The main mission is to help organizations to create value by offering better quality products and services by improving operational efficiency and innovation.