Two words own CES 2019: 5G and foldables. The future is bendy and fast, at least on the show floor. Qualcomm pairs the Snapdragon 855 with its X50 modem to make 5G phones a real thing for the year ahead, and the first foldable phones, like Royole’s FlexPai, turn up to prove the form factor is coming whether the software is ready or not.
The TV that rolls away
LG steals the spectacle with the Signature OLED R, a television whose screen rolls down into its own base when you are done watching. It is the kind of party trick that has no business working and somehow does. It is expensive and impractical and I want one anyway.
The trend for the year ahead
5G goes from slogan to shipping, and the foldable era is about to begin. Expect a messy, exciting year of first-generation bendable phones and the first real 5G networks switching on.
Foldables are clearly the future and just as clearly not ready, which is the most CES thing imaginable. The 855 and X50 combo is the quieter, more important story. That is the silicon that actually makes 5G phones happen this year.
Part of 20 Years of CES Through My Lens, my year-by-year diary of the show.