Counterpoint Analysts are attending the CES Event 2018 in Las Vegas to meet companies and gain latest technological insights. Here is a look at the major updates from run upto CES 2018.

Samsung announced a 146-inch 4K modular TV-The Wall

Samsung announced modular TV with MicroLED technology, which produces high contrast color with true black color experience. This technology also reduces power consumption. The Wall is in the concept phase and will be ready for commercial launch by next spring. Modular technology will allow the customer to create display as per their needs. Modular concept so far used in big screen like billboards. With introduction in consumer tech segment, Samsung will likely to target high-end home decor and enterprise customers. Other major manufacturers like LG will likely follow the similar path to introduce modular TV in future. LG Display showed off 65-inch rollable OLED TV. Presence of flexible display technology in the technology event was evitable however, not many OEMs came up with suitable user cases so far. This product is also a prototype and we need to wait to see if the company introduce a commercial product in future.

Huawei is clearly positioning its Honor series across different price bands

While honor 7X will take forward the momentum provided by 6X in $sub 200 segment, Honor View 10, on the other hand, will take Honor brand closer to premium segment with an attractive value proposition not only for users but also for ecosystem players (Open AI). Honor is targeting the USA, Key European Countries and India to drive Honor shipments.

Google is making its presence felt in a big way

The company has a large stall set up with its devices lined up. The company has advertisements put up around the city saying "Hey, Google". This year CES will be the battleground for Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple with their AI assistants at the forefront.

We have already witnessed integration of these AI assistants in a number of consumer electronics and this year will witness more such OEM partnerships. Google needs to up its game this year to counter Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri by looking for higher adoption of its AI assistant in different OEM device with diverse use cases.

Nvidia announced collaboration with Uber, Volkswagen and Baidu for self-driving cars

While Uber will be using Nvidia's graphics chip for AI applications within its' cars, Volkswagen will use Nvidia's Drive IX software kit in upcoming concept Micro Van - I.D. Buzz. Further in China, Baidu and Nvidia will collaborate to create autonomous driving platform for China.

Nvidia specializes in graphics processing but it is exploring new technologies while focusing on AI and autonomous cars. Nvidia's Xavier is a complete SoC processor solution for autonomous cars.

Intel has launched 8th Gen processor series with custom third-party graphics from AMD

Intel has used Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge (EMIB) technology to have CPU and GPU in a single package. This has saved amount of silicon used, along with boosting the performance and improving power efficiency. It will enable thinner and sleek device which will help the OEM to design more powerful content creation or gaming PC's. It is a much-needed breakthrough as the new slimmer PC's were cutting on the high graphics to make devices more sleek and light weight. This collaboration has created new possibilities in PC segment. However, recent meltdown security fiasco created alarming signals for the chipset player to focus on security as a key aspect before marketing its products in future.

Sony unveiled three smartphones Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra and L2 in the US

Sony unveiled three smartphones Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra and L2, without disclosing the pricing. Sony is trying to position its camera capability even though it is late. The smartphones are embedded with industry standard features, but pricing will be the key differentiator for them.

Smart Cities will take the center stage

Last year, IoT dominated CES, with companies showing off the connected device and various prototype & concept of Consumer IoT. However, this Year apart from Consumer IoT and Smart Home devices, Smart Cities will take the center stage. The major discussion and announcement will be around

1. Smart Home Platforms: Unlocking Consumer Value
2. IoT Privacy and Security
3. IoT – Interoperability, partnerships, connected cars, controls, monitoring, energy, and smart appliances.
4. Smart Cities

This event will not only emphasize the role of connected devices but will also highlight the importance of synchronization between sensors embedded in IoT devices and between the various vertical elements in a smart home and smart cities.