This year at CES, if there is something common in all the TVs being launched is, huge and 8K. Yes, we saw TVs from Samsung and LG recently and popular TV manufacturer Sony has also boarded the same train! And if this year’s offering is something like the prototype we saw last year, it should be a masterpiece! So, this time at CES 2019, the company has put forward the Z9G, Sony’s first 8K TV that seems really really huge!
The first thing that takes away the show is definitely the resolution. 8K is a lot of it and so much in a small size would be wasted. So, the company has brought to the table a very huge one that is sized at 85 and 98 inches. Apart from these, Sony also has hinted that this year’s models are updated with the latest image processors and X- Reality PRO technology to be optimized especially for 8K content. This ensures that all the content looks as good as possible, regardless of their native resolution.
These products have been launched under Sony’s Master series and also feature Netflix Calibrated Mode and IMAX Enhanced.
But last year, Sony had introduced the OLED Acoustic Surface Audio technology that made the screen act as the speaker too. Unfortunately, that technology is not supported by LCD panels, so the Z9G has four front-facing speakers, two at the front and two along the bottom. Sony claims that these speakers have the same effect as MicroLED speakers.
Meanwhile, Sony’s OLED TV series also got a refresh this year. This includes the Master series A9G coming in sizes such as 55,65 and 77 inches. The OLED panel has an upgraded speaker tech as well, known to us as Acoustic Surface Audio+ that features two actuators and two subwoofers.
Both the A9G and Z9G have features such as Andriod TV, and compatibility with Google Home as well as Amazon Echo smart speakers.
Dell has had quite a presence in this year’s CES 2019. It’s safe to say they have successfully impressed everyone with their new Alienware and Inspiron gaming lineup. What could make it better? The new Dell XPS 13 2019 with an all-new frost anodized exterior color option.
The new XPS 13 comes with an HD webcam just above that 13-inch panel with support for up to 4k resolutions. That webcam is 2.25mm in size, which allows the laptop to still maintain it’s Infinity Edge display. It weighs just 1.3kgs and packs a 52Whr battery which Dell claims should last 21 hours (under certain usage patterns).
The laptop comes with Gore Insulation Technology which provides a better thermal conductivity as opposed to air in a thin, flexible format. It basically keeps the XPS 13 cooler than it’s predecessors. As for ports, it gets two ThunderBolt 3 ports, one display port, an SD-card reader, a USB Type-C and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
“We’re driving innovation and delivering devices and experiences to make work and play more fluid and enjoyable”
– Dell
The processor department doesn’t exactly see an upgrade either. We are yet to see Intel launch it’s 9th gen mobile processors. For now, the 8th Gen processors are paired with 4GB to 16GB of 2133MHz RAM and 128GB to 2TB of fast storage. A few improvements include Dolby Vision support for HDR videos, optional fingerprint reader, and an adjusted hinge for easier one hand usage.
Dell XPS 13 2019 Price, Specs and Availability
So, do you think Dell has “finally perfected the product”? We certainly think so. The new Dell XPS 13 will be available from February with prices starting at $899.99. Majority of it should ship through Dell.com but seems like Microsoft store will also be selling it in limited quantities.
With all the gaming laptop launches in CES, did you really expect Razer to not join the party? The then gaming peripheral manufacturer debuted its first laptop, the Razer Edge gaming tablet computer back in CES 2013. The highlight announcement was the Razer Raptor, a new gaming monitor, alongside an incremental upgrade over it’s existing Razer Blade 15. Spoiler Alert!! it gets the new RTX enhancements.
Razer Raptor Gaming Monitor
Razer just took the wraps off an all-new eSports oriented gaming monitor, the Razer Raptor. It’s a 27-inch IPS panel with a 4mn response rate. Whatever the specs may show, it’s cable management system is definitely the highlight here. The monitor shows five cables running across it’s back in the most perfect way, at least the renders appear that way.
The 4mn response rate can be reduced to a perfect 1ms with motion blur reduction. The Raptor is, however not a 4k monitor but sports a humble 2560×1440 resolution (WQHD) display. It can reach a maximum refresh rate of up to 144Hz and supports up to 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Maximum brightness reaches up to 420-nits which is probably more than enough for indoor usage. The Raptor also supports HDR contents.
Sadly, if you just bought the new Turing graphics processors, this monitor only supports AMD’s free sync technology. You could look at Nvidia’s new Adaptive sync technology for a fix. Which you might give there is really no other monitor quite like this one. I mean it has a seriously thin 2.3mm bezels on all three side, except for the relatively thick bezels at the bottom.
It gets the Chroma-enabled base so you can sync all your Razer peripherals like mouse, keyboard headset or mousepad’s lighting with your monitor. The cable management you see in the picture above shows green lines running across it’s back. If you were wondering what they are, it’s the HDMI, Display Port, a USB port and finally the power port.
An actual over the top feature is the panel’s 90-degrees upwards tilt so you don’t need to turn your monitor while hooking up a cable. The base is just a big piece of aluminum providing the panel a firm stance. The Razer Raptor is priced at $699 and will be in 2019 but an exact date hasn’t been revealed yet.
Razer Blade 15 Advanced
Razer announced a refresh to last year’s Blade 15 with an RTX GPU overhaul. The rejuvenation includes new display technologies, one of which featured an experimental OLED panel. A backup display showed off an FHD@240Hz panel. Sadly other components remain the same, which means it gets a Core i7-8750H, 16GB RAM and 512GB of SSD. Pricing for the new Razer Blade 15 Advanced starts at $2,299 for the base model while sales will begin January 29th.
While Samsung surprised everyone with the powerful Samsung Notebook Odyessy at this year’s CES, the company does not seem to be taking a stop even now as it recently released the Notebook 9 pro, Notebook 9 Pen and Notebook Flash that seem to be good news for content creators and students. These laptops are about design as much as for performance too.
Samsung Notebook 9 Pro Overview:
Last year’s Notebook 9 and Notebook Pen felt more like a $400 Chromebook, but this year, we got the premium laptop feel back again! This year’s Notebook Pro has sharp edges, tighter corner radii, thinner bezels, larger shallower keys and is made of Aluminium, that makes it feel way more premium.
On the performance front, you get an 8th Gen Intel i7-8565U processor, 256GB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage. We have seen the Spen as one of the key elements in Samsung’s smartphone lineups but this is the first time the company is bringing it to a laptop with the Notebook 9 Pro and 9 Pro Pen. In order to be able to use the S- pen, the company is pushing hard on its Windows ink platform. And the S- Pen we are talking about now, is compatible with Windows Ink and also offers Air command
Samsung’s S Pen is compatible with Windows Ink and also offers Air Command, a quick access menu for drawing and editing that Note fans will recognize.
Samsung Notebook 9 Pro Specifications:
360-degree Touchscreen Display (1,920×1080)
Built-in S Pen with 4,000 pressures levels
Windows Home OS
Intel Core i7-7500U Processor
13.3-inch model ( with 8GB DDR4 RAM) and 15-inch model ( with 16GB DDR4 RAM)
256GB SSD
Supports fast charging via USB-C port
Samsung Notebook Flash Overview:
On the other hand, the Samsung Notebook Flash looks retro but comes with very modern features. It has a typewriter keyboard and at 13.3- inches, it has an FHD display with Anti-glare screen. It comes with multiple port options, including one USB 2.0, one USB3.0, two USB type-C. The laptop is incorporated with Gigabit- Wifi Technology that aids faster Web streaming and surfing.
Also, there is a fingerprint sensor in the laptop too for instant log-in options.
Dell is going all out with their thin and light Alienware offerings. The two laptops dubbed Alienware m15 and m17 are based on Dell’s “Epic” design language. With structural components made up of magnesium alloy and copper. The Alienware m15 isn’t something new, more of a refresh with the inclusion of an RTX graphics card. The Alienware 17, on the other hand, is a pretty impressive laptop, basically a larger m15, but it is pretty fresh.
Alienware m17
The Alienware m17 is a 17-inch laptop that weighs just 6 pounds or 2.7kgs. They do claim it to be the world’s thinnest and lightest 17-inch gaming laptop, but that statement isn’t really accurate anymore. The laptop has a thickness of just 0.91inch while manages to fit in a 90Wh battery, i9 8950HK and RTX 2080 Max Q GPU. You get to choose from a 1440p panel at 120Hz, a UHD 60Hz one, and an FHD@60Hz, probably exclusive to the RTX 2060.
You get to choose from three different GPUs, the best one being Nvidia’s RTX 2080. The other GPU options are RTX 2060 or the RTX 2070 Max Q. There are two RAM slots that can be configured to a maximum of 32GB of 2666MHz DDR4 memory. The feature list includes an FHD webcam with dual array microphones, Gigabit LAN, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5 and stereo speakers. You get two storage drives which include an M.2 NVMe SSD.
The FHD panel here delivers up to 300 nits of brightness with 72% of the sRGB color coverage. The UHD panel can do 400 nits with a 100% sRGB colors covered. The laptop gets RGB lighting across six zones. For cooling, it gets Alienware’s brand new CryoTech 2.0. Color options include Epic Silver and Nebula Red. The laptop will be available from January 21st with prices starting at $1,650.
Alienware m15
The new Alienware m15 is just a refresh over its older model. New graphics card, cooling technology, and a claimed 17-hour battery life are the new upgrades on the newbie. This laptop is configurable with either an RTX 2060, RTX 2070 Max-Q or an RTX 2080 Max-Q. Processor choices include a Core i5-8300H, a Core i7-8750H or the Core i9-8950HK. Pricing starts at $1,580 while the availability is scheduled to start from January 21st, same as the Alienware m17.
CES 2019 is not only about innovations and new stuff. It also means seeing a lot of old tech getting refreshed. Similar seems to be the case with HP. They’re not really introducing anything new like others are. But they’re actually upgrading their existing tech to make it better. Here’s what HP is up to in CES 2019.
HP Omen 15 with RTX graphics
The HP Omen laptops are pretty well-known when it comes to mid-range gaming laptops. And the Omen Laptop series has been updated quite a few times, which is obvious. And now, at CES 2019, the HP Omen 15 Laptops get the new RTX-series graphics.
The HP Omen 15 has pretty similar features otherwise to last years. It has a 15.6″ 1080 display with 144Hz refresh rate. The laptop is still powered by the 8th-gen Intel i7-8750H CPU which was refreshed last year, with 16 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, and 1 TB HDD. The only difference is that it now includes NVidia RTX 2070 Max-Q graphics, which is a considerable upgrade over the existing GTX 1070 graphics.
And talking about the upgrades, HP is apparently upgrading the display too. While 144 Hz seems plentiful, it will actually address some demands and release the HP Omen 15 with a 240 Hz display later in mid-year. The pricing on that is not disclosed yet, but the one showcased at CES starts at $1369 and will be available starting February.
HP Spectre x360 15 with AMOLED display
The HP Spectre x360 15 convertible is one of the company’s most well-received laptops. And as good as it is, it’s now getting better with an upgraded AMOLED display! OLED screens on laptops are not a new concept by any means as the HP Spectre x360 13 had one back in 2016, but this is the first 15″ laptop with an AMOLED panel.
But there are no changes in any of the other hardware components. The laptop will be the same HP Spectre x360 we’ve been seeing with all the regular configurations i.e. it will come equipped with the 8th-gen Intel i7 processor, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB of PCIe SSD storage. The only new addition, is as aforementioned, a new AMOLED display.
The new addition is not a very big deal, but it does come with a lot of benefits. It will provide users with bright picture quality (400 nits) and good color accuracy (100% on the DCI-P3 color gamut), wide horizontal viewing angles, deeper blacks and faster response times (up to 1 ms). The display will also support HDR, but it is not clear as to HDR10 or Dolby Vision. Also unspecified is the resolution of the display, and the price of the laptop. But we can expect a slightly more increase in price than last years, I guess.
HP Omen Obelisk Desktop beefed up
HP’s fully customizable gaming tower, the HP Omen Obelisk Desktop, with its starting price around $1000 was very appealing last year. And now, at CES 2019, the pre-built gaming machine gets a lot of upgrades, and can cost very well over $2200! But for that price, the desktop will be more powerful than ever before – with 9th-gen Intel Coffee-Lake processors, and top of the line RTX graphics!
There will be two options to choose from for the users, an Obelisk 1010 or 1020. The Obelisk 1010 will come with a 9th-gen Intel i9-9700K processor and an NVidia RTX 2080 graphics card. As for the latter, it will have the Intel i9-9900K CPU and the most powerful NVidia RTX 2080 Ti. Both the models can feature up to 64 GB HyperX DDR4 RAM, and up to 512 GB dual M.2 SSD with Raid 0 Array support.
It also supports DTS Headphone X technology and 5.1 Surround Sound for better immersive audio quality. The Obelisk desktop also has an updated 750W Platinum PSU Dedicated Omen BIOS for optimal settings and Omen Command Center Software with CPU Overclocking Support. With these upgrades, the HP Omen Obelisk will have a starting price of $2249, but this is actually cheaper than the likes of Acer Predator Triton 900!
HP Omen X Emperium 65 Gaming Monitor
This is not an upgrade from HP, this is something entirely new. And it is as scary as it is exciting! The name it itself packs quite a lot of weight, and it is something that HP teased a year ago. The HP Omen X Emperium 65 Gaming Monitor is HP’s first NVidia BFGD (Big Format Gaming Display) display for gaming. And it looks promising enough to provide one of the most immersive gaming experiences ever.
While there are many other such large displays, particularly TVs that play 4K (now even 8K), this one is built with gamers in mind. This gaming monitor is basically a 65″ screen with 4K resolution, 95% DCI-P3 color accuracy, a 144 Hz refresh rate, and NVidia’s G-Sync. And being a BFGD, it has a full-size DisplayPort port that can push out higher frame rates along with 4K and HDR; as opposed to present screens with HDMI 2.0 that support HDR and 4K but cannot play content higher than 60 fps.
The monitor features HDR 10 support, with an acclaimed peak brightness of 1000 nits brightness, and a standard 750 nits, and full array local dimming. Another exciting feature is it’s soundbar – with 3 stereo amps at 120 watts and motion-activated port lighting. With that, when you play games on it, you might feel as if you’ve dropped into a real battle arena.
The display also comes with a built-in NVidia Shield set-top box, so, you’ll have Android TV and Chromecast support as well. So, basically, a 4K TV if you’re not gaming in it. And that should be a feature, as this costs a scary $5000! We are yet to see it in action, but maybe we will soon find out.
So, that’s some of the major highlights from HP this CES 2019. The most exciting for me is the HP Obelisk desktop. Which is your favorite one?
Since the beginning of smartwatches, we have kinda expected a lot from them. We expect them to be able to do a lot, but also be simple enough to use. But we are not quite there yet. And the Samsung Galaxy Watchis the perfect example of such. It is simple-ish, packs a lot of features, and tries to do a lot of things…yet, falls behind our expectations.
Samsung changed the naming convention for its smartwatches. The Gear S-series is now simply the Samsung Galaxy Watch, and with its improvements over the Gear S3 Frontier, the change of the name is also not very surprising.
Compatibility: Android 5.0 or higher & RAM 1.5GB above, iPhone 5 and above with iOS 9.0 or above
Design
As far as the design goes, the Samsung Galaxy Watch is quite elegant. It really looks like a wrist watch! And by that’s actually saying a lot.
In a world where smartwatches tend to look like a smartphone on your wrist (I’m talking about none other than the Apple Watch), its round shape with the subtly placed buttons on the side looks good. But in terms of looks, it is not that different from the last year’s Gear S3 or Gear Sport. This watch too has the same rotating bezel – which is also a clever way to navigate through the watch. This is pretty clever – your finger won’t block the small screen while scrolling about. And it is something so simple, yet, no one else thought of it.
There is a choice between two models – a 46 mm model and a 42 mm model. The 46 mm model has a greater advantage over the smaller one. It comes with a larger battery, that claims 4-day of battery life, and a slightly larger screen at 1.3″. However, all the other things are the same.
The one we got our hands on is the smaller model, and that weighs only about 49 grams. The 20 mm rubber strap is also very comfortable and you’ll have no problem keeping the watch on for 24 hours a day. The watch has just the right amount of heft to it with its stainless steel case, and if you look closely at the details, you will appreciate the design. Also, the buttons on the side, are not intrusive at all. The placement makes it not so prone to accidental presses when you bend your wrist.
However, there are not many eye-catching things in the design. With very similar design to the Gear S3, it also looks like any other watch. And that’s where the Apple Watch played well – though it looks like a micro-smartphone, it looks different!
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is also IP68 Water Resistant for 50 meters. And this time, it’s not only regular water resistatn. It’s designed to be swim-proof, even with salt-water and chlorine resistance. So, you don’t have to worry while taking it for a swim.
Display
There is not much to talk about on the display front, though. The 42 mm model has a 1.2” display with a 360 x 360 resolution. The 46mm model has a 1.3″, and that is a very negligible difference. It is easy to miss while measuring even.
The Super AMOLED panel is great, and that’s one of the best things about Samsung’s smartwatches. Yes, it is a small screen and the type of display may not even be that big od an issue. But AMOLED gives you deeper blacks, and with so many watch faces having a dark interface, that is somewhat of a big deal in this one. The brightness of the watch is aso commendable. It is quite visible at all times – in the sunlight, indoors, or wherever, thanks to its Adaptive Brightness feature.
You also have the Always-on display option, but that can chug your battery like water. So, unless you’re okay with charging it every night, you should keep it off.
In addition, the screen has military grade protection with Gorilla Glass DX+ on it. Samsung claims it’s uncrackable…and, I believe them. This watch was abused a lot, and took hits while playing football, yet, there was not even a scratch on it. And for other companies that do not understand this, they should now. Watches tend to be abused a lot in our daily lives. So, some kind of protection is mandatory.
Battery
Many smartwatches tend to struggle in the battery department. But the Samsung Galaxy Watch stays on the safe side with this one. The larger 46 mm watch has a good 472 mAh battery, and that claims 4 days of battery life. And it might last a good amount of over three days with heavy usage.
But for our smaller model, that is not the case. For a very less difference in size, the difference in the battery is huge. The 42 mm unit has a small 270 mAh battery – almost half the size. And while Samsung claims 3 days of battery life, that is not so. For me, the battery lasted only slightly over 2 days. And that, too, on regular usage only – when I had the always-on display setting off.
If you keep it on, the battery life is very poor. And for a battery that size, charging time is considerably long. It takes close to 2 hours to fully charge with its charging dock.
Also, if your phone has a small battery size, that’s something else you need to worry about. Since the watch is connected to your phone via bluetooth at all times, your phone’s battery will drain a lot faster too.
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Watch runs on Tizen OS – Samsung’s own OS for its smartwatches. And that’s for the best. The rotating bezel for navigation is Tizen’s own little neat feature. You can also use your watch with non-Samsung devices and iPhones, by just downloading the Galaxy Wear app, but some apps are limited to Samsung Experience OS. And iOS support is very limited on iPhones. So, the best experience is when you’re connected to the S-series flagships or Note-series.
Samsung galaxy watch galaxy wear app
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Info
Watch Faces
Settings
Spec wise, there’s the 1.15 GHz Exynos 9115 dual-core processor with 768 MB of RAM, and I guess that keeps the watch zippy as it is. The watch does not demand too much, so, that much is enough. However, if you get the LTE version, you get 1.5 GB of RAM on it.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Watch Faces
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Tizen OS also gives you a lot of watch faces to choose from – and as much as that can be overwhelming, all those alternatives with options to customize your own is very welcome. You can change the watch faces from your watch itself or even through the Galaxy Wear app on your phone.
Feature wise, there are a lot of things packed into the watch, whether you use it or not. the watch functions as your health monitor, notifications manager, music player, etc.
Samsung Galaxy Watch
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Music Player
Notification
You can get all your phone’s notifications on your watch. But of course, there are limitations. It won’t show any images sent to you, for which you have to check your phone. Also, if you want to reply to a message, you have to type letter by letter, that too, using gestures, and that is time-consuming. It is easier to just get your phone and reply back.
The watch also allows you to make calls via a Bluetooth connection to your phone. But if you have more than 1 SIM on it, and you have not set a default, you will have to again, choose on your phone. That kind of defeats the purpose. And if you carry your phone at all times with you, calling is not a very useful feature. But even so, the call quality is okay, though.
The most comprehensive of all is the health monitor feature. It tracks your sleep, breath, heart rate, stress, etc. The sleep tracker is quite accurate too. And it has an expanded 39 exercise trackers, which goes from basic walking to various gym workouts like bench press and deadlifts. Some of them are accurate, while others are not. 6 of them, which are the most basic ones, are automatically detected.
For instance, the walking and running tracker was super accurate. It counts the number of steps walked down to the last step and doesn’t miss even the casual two-three steps to the bed or sofa either. And it shows you how much calories you’ve burnt too. If you are doing arm curls or crunches, it keeps track of them very well. But for some exercises, like push-ups or leg-workouts, it counts the time rather than the number of reps. Of course, it has to do with the watch being on your hand. The gyro-sensor can sense the movement of the watch on your hand for some exercises, while not so much on others.
And while I’m at it, there were some instances when the watch wrongly tracked my movements. I was riding my motorbike, but the watch recorded it as if I was cycling.
The watch is awoken by your hand movement. If you keep the always-on display off, you need to bring the watch close to your face with a swift movement to wake it to see the time. Subtle movements won’t register, like if you’re typing on your computer, and you move it slightly, it won’t wake up. And that can be annoying at times.
These issues were present on the Gear S3 too, and it’s still here. The Galaxy Watch has a lot of improvements, but not on this department it seems. So, that’s something Samsung really needs to figure out.
In the health department, there are also options to manually log in your coffee, water or meal intakes, but I don’t think anyone does that. Maybe some who are really trying to get in shape or are health conscious. And that too is easy to forget to log into every time, so your calories consumption measurement will come out inaccurate most of the time. So, that is something I rarely use.
Talking of other things I don’t use, it has Bixby voice assistant as well. While I don’t even prefer Bixby on my phone, here, it seems to work less accurately than on your phone. Also, I think a voice assistant on a smartwatch is not that helpful. But if they had to put in one, they should have gone with Google Assistant.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch also supports Spotify, which seems region specific. But if you want to listen to music normally, you have to transfer your music files from your phone to the watch, with the help of the app. There’s 4 GB of storage space inside to store some pictures and music. Also, the audio quality is good enough for a watch. Now, listening to music on your watch is not something you’ll do often, but it is kinda fun while doing some small chores like cleaning your room, or things like that.
Conclusion
To sum up, there comes a question what is this watch really about? It tries to do a lot of things, but many would not even use half of it. The regular 42 mm costs $329, and it is pretty close to that in Nepal too. And I feel like the watch does justify the cost, but the usage does not.
The design is great, the display is great, some functions are very useful. But, like I said, it does things, most of us won’t even use. The comprehensive health and fitness features are great, but there are fitness bands for cheaper that can get the job done. As for other things, we use our phones anyway.
So, it is clear that this watch is not for everyone. In fact, it is not for most people. But if you want a fancy smartwatch with a lot of features, then, go for it. It can save you from having to glance at your phone every now and then too. And if you’re a very health conscious person, this is a great option that can do things many fitness bands can’t.
But if Samsung could have made a less fancy smartwatch with basic features for the lesser price, that would be actually better. Like J-series of the Watch for $100 or so, that would be more interesting.
For now, the Samsung Galaxy Watch feels more like a luxury, not a necessity. So, this is a watch that’s really smart, but right now…it’s ahead of its time.
Pros:
Classy and Elegant design
Solid stainless steel construction
IP68 Water Resistance and Gorilla Glass DX+ protection
At this year’s CES the focus of TV manufacturers like Samsung and LG seems to be the screen. Yesterday, we saw a prototype of a75- inch modular 4K Samsung TVmade with micro LEDs. It’s apparently known as The wall TV. And today things just got more interesting with Samsung and LG releasing 8K TVs! Well, if you think that is interesting, wait until I drop the bomb! Those TVs support iTunes and Apple’s AirPlay 2, Boom!
Samsung Electronics has formally unveiled its 2019 series of TVs at CES. The 85-inch OLED TV was just not it that Samsung unveiled another 8K TV sized at 98 inches. Not just the two sizes, the 8K models will be available in 62, 65, 82 and 85 inches for purchase soon after the pre-bookings are over.
Software-wise, those Samsung TVs will feature a Universal Guide with “improved” AI capabilities, along with the latest version of Bixby and support for Alexa and Google Assistant voice controls with extended support for iTunes and Airplay 2. This is the first time Samsung has borrowed Airplay with Apple.
However, seems like Samsung isn’t the only one doing this. Other major players in the sector are also onboard. LGs new lineups of 8K TVs will also feature iTunes and Airplay too. So, anyone using an iPhone will be able to stream their desired content from phone to TV. In addition, LG says that its TVs will support Apple’s HomeKit system too, so they can be controlled with home routines.
The 8K TV that LG is rolling out is called Z9, will have α9 Gen 2 processor with improved AI capabilities that will help enhance picture quality by adjusting the brightness and mapping colors in accordance to ambient conditions that will be measured by the light sensors in the TVs.
Along with 8k TV sets, LG has also confirmed that the company’s groundbreaking rollable TVs are going for sale this year and will be very expensive. It’s been a year that we saw a prototype in 2018 and this year finally the company’s flagship4k rollable OLED TVwill be out in the market for purchase. This year’s to come rollable TV by LG will have a refined base station and added 100- watt Dolby Atmos speaker for powerful built-in audio.
MSI hasn’t quite disappointed us yet when it comes to gaming laptops. Their try at the ultrabook market with their prestige series has been quite overwhelming. The problem is we never really associate MSI with ultrabooks or anything that isn’t gaming. But here we are, MSI has launched three new laptops in CES 2019, only two of which are gaming laptops. We also got a new Desktop PC and a CPU case, which we will get into later.
MSI GS75 Stealth
This is a thin and light offering from MSI but with an RTX 2080 (Max-Q) GPU in a 0.75-inch thick aluminum alloy body. To go with the RTX 2080 MSI is hoping that the 8th Gen i7 processor should do the work. We are expecting it to not come with the 8750H but a more beefed up 8850H CPU, but for the time being, we do not know. A 144Hz 17.3-inch display delightfully wraps everything up in a sweet little package.
This just goes to show that powerful gaming laptops don’t need to be thick and bulky. According to MSI “the GS series breaks the stereotype of bulky and heavy gaming laptops, offering an exceptional and portable gaming experience.” They are also planning a refresh to their GS65 laptops with the latest gen processors and GPUs in a 4.19-pound body. This said laptop will follow a traditional 15.6″ display.
MSI has also improved on the thermal solutions for the GS75 Stealth with it’s Cooler Boost Trinity+ fans. This new cooling interpretation is supposedly a lot more efficient. We also do not have any information on the RAM sizes, but we do know this small laptop can fit up to three NVMe SSDs. Unfortunately, MSI hasn’t disclosed the pricing, or availability for the world’s first 17″ thin and light laptop with an RTX 2080 inside.
MSI GE75 Raider
The MSI GE75 Raider might not be as thin and light, but it does come with per-key customizable RGB lighting keyboard. Sure the specs seem great with the RTX 2080 GPU and latest gen i7 processor, but we are getting a lot more styling point with this one. The laptop comes with a reflective diamond cut trim and a red anodized finish. The design patterns have been solely crafted to entice the enthusiasts.
Back to the spec sheet, this also comes with a 17″ panel with fairly thin display bezels. It also gets a really nice set of audio output with Dynaudio. The cooling department also sees improvements, with MSI’s Cooler Boost 5 technology which gets two dedicated fans and seven copper heat pipes. Sadly, we have no information on the laptop’s pricing, configurable specs, and availability.
MSI PS63 Modern
Finally, we have come to a not so powerful laptop, the MSI PS63 modern. It doesn’t share a really any design queues with its siblings above, but it does hold up its own in terms of thickness, and battery life. Firstly, it comes with an Intel Core i7 processor, a GTX 1050 GPU and a 15.6″ display. It’s fairly thin at 0.63-inches, and weights just 1.6Kgs. It also gets a fingerprint reader and a claimed 16-hour battery life with Quick Charge 3.0 support.
MSI’s other product announcements
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Gaming PC casing
Gaming PC
Other than laptops, MSI also showed us a gaming desktop, the MSI Trident X. This desktop gets Intel’s 9th Gen K series processors and RTX graphics cards, although MSI didn’t specify any. There is also a compact version to continue on their Infinite series compact desktops, dubbed the MSI Infinite S Gaming. They also showed us their new innovative Silent Storm Liquid Cooling System.
Finally, the last product from MSI was the MSI Gungnir 100 PC casing. It’s a gaming PC casing that MSI describes was “inspired by the sharp look and feel of ‘Gungnir’, the legendary spear wielded by the Norse god Odin”. Other than that, we can expect MSI to come up with an MSI version of the just-released RTX 2060.
There are just so many companies jousting to showcase their latest and the best at CES 2019. And even if you are totally crazy about tech, things are too much to handle! With companies like ASUS having shown their hands, Acer has some on its sleeves as well. This CES, Acer has three new laptops up its sleeve.
Acer Predator Triton 900
While Acer did tease this beast back at IFA 2018, the fully functional model is only now up for the show. And this is the combination of Beauty and the Beast both, to say the least. And to call it only a laptop seems undermining, too. It features the impressively engineered “Ezel Aero Hinge” that lets you have four usage modes. You can flip it over to make an entertainment-only system, slap it down for tablet only mode, a stand mode for efficient working, and the usual notebook mode.
But that is only the aesthetics part of it. In terms of hardware, the laptop packs an immersive 17″ 4K IPS display with NVidia’s G-Sync technology. It is powered by the 8th-gen Intel i7-8750H processor with RTX 2080 graphics. It packs 32 GB of RAM and PCIe SSD storage options in a Raid 0 Array. That is a lot of power to handle, and to support it, the laptop features 4th Gen AeroBlade cooling with CoolBoost technology.
With all that it packs, it is not surprising that it is almost 2.4 cm thick, and that it costs a whopping $4000! It will be available for purchase around March. Designs like this, and that of the ASUS ROG Mothership, are great refreshing views from the usual laptops, and we expect to see more by the time CES 2019 is over.
Acer Predator Triton 500
With all that it offers, the Acer Triton 900 is a very compelling piece of a laptop. But of course, $4000 is a lot of bucks to shell out. So, should you want a great gaming laptop from the Triton range, but don’t want to spend as much, there is the new Acer Predator Triton 500.
This is nowhere close to the Beauty and the Beast combo of the Triton 900, aesthetics wise. But this more affordable option packs a lot of the same hardware inside a conventional notebook chassis.
The Predator Triton 500 features a 15.6″ 1080 display with 144 Hz refresh rate and 3 milliseconds of response time. It, too, is powered by the latest 8th-gen Intel i7-8750H processor with the latest RTX 2080 graphics too. Only, you get the slightly less powerful RTX 2080 Max-Q on this one. But you also have a RTX 2060 configuration available. Besides that, you get PCI SSDs in Raid 0 array too, and can have up to 32 GB RAM.
At $1800, this is a much affordable deal for those who want a portable gaming machine. But of course, if you’re looking for something that stands out, this is not something that will.
Acer Swift 7 2019
Acer’s Swift 7 was a hihgly portable notebook when it came out, too, but now, they’ve made it even smaller. In fact, so much so, that it is a laptop with second most-thinnest bezels with a 92% screen real estate. The first position, of course, went to the ASUS Zenbook S13, with a screen real estate of 97%. But this one, is lighter weighing under 1 kg!
But such a slim chassis comes with some compromises. To maintain the small size, there are no cooling mechanisms inside. And so, the only option to manage thermals is to integrate a very power-efficient Intel Y-Core CPUs. And this leads to sacrificing quite the power. You get an Intel i7-8500Y CPU inside, combined with 16 GB RAM, and up to 512 GB storage. That makes it suitable only for the road warriors, not for those doing heavy workloads. For an asking price of $1700, the configuration seems not so worth it.
Besides, that. the display is a 1080 IPS panel with 100% sRGB color gamut and ample 300 nits of brightness. And with an extremely conservative design, there’s nothing eye-catching or compelling feature about this. Which is why, even thouh this is pretty slim and sleek, it doesn’t get enough attention.
So, that is what is new from Acer this year at CES 2019. If there are any other new releases, we’ll surely let you know.
The HP Omen 15 has pretty similar features otherwise to last years. It has a 15.6″ 1080 display with 144Hz refresh rate. The laptop is still powered by the 8th-gen Intel i7-8750H CPU which was refreshed last year, with 16 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, and 1 TB HDD. The only difference is that it now includes NVidia RTX 2070 Max-Q graphics, which is a considerable upgrade over the existing GTX 1070 graphics.
But there are no changes in any of the other hardware components. The laptop will be the same HP Spectre x360 we’ve been seeing with all the regular configurations i.e. it will come equipped with the 8th-gen Intel i7 processor, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB of PCIe SSD storage. The only new addition, is as aforementioned, a new AMOLED display.
There will be two options to choose from for the users, an Obelisk 1010 or 1020. The Obelisk 1010 will come with a 9th-gen Intel i9-9700K processor and an NVidia RTX 2080 graphics card. As for the latter, it will have the Intel i9-9900K CPU and the most powerful NVidia RTX 2080 Ti. Both the models can feature up to 64 GB HyperX DDR4 RAM, and up to 512 GB dual M.2 SSD with Raid 0 Array support.
While there are many other such large displays, particularly TVs that play 4K (now even 8K), this one is built with gamers in mind. This gaming monitor is basically a 65″ screen with 4K resolution, 95% DCI-P3 color accuracy, a 144 Hz refresh rate, and NVidia’s G-Sync. And being a BFGD, it has a full-size DisplayPort port that can push out higher frame rates along with 4K and HDR; as opposed to present screens with HDMI 2.0 that support HDR and 4K but cannot play content higher than 60 fps.
