CES 2024 Day 1: The 10 product reveals that impressed us most
The biggest week in tech is here: the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). ZDNET has been both on the ground in Las Vegas and keeping a virtual eye on the latest products and concepts that debuted on the first day of the show.
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While much of what debuts at CES are conceptual products and devices like the hologram box we saw today or a multispectral camera for smartphones, many announcements include tech we can expect to buy and use in the coming months or year. It's what makes CES so exciting -- the promise of a high-tech future that will make our lives better and easier.
Today, we saw announcements from big names like Samsung, Phillips, and HP, as well as new and innovative brands with cool concepts. We still have a few days to go, but so far, these are the things that impressed us the most on CES Day 1.
1. Transparent TVs
The word of CES day 1 is "transparent," thanks to two new transparent TVs from Samsung and LG. Samsung's Transparent MicroLED demo showed more of a vision of the future than a consumer TV product we can expect in our homes anytime soon. Still, Samsung presented its Transparent MicroLED displays in various form factors at its CES First Look experience, demonstrating how the modularity aspect allows buyers to custom fit the transparent displays to their liking.
On the flip side, LG debuted its OLED T TV that displays images over a transparent OLED panel, creating a fish tank-like effect. Despite its "transparency," our ZDNET editors at CES described the contrast levels as what you've come to expect from LG's OLED panels.
2. Roborock's new Q Revo series
Roborock showed off its upcoming robot vacuums, including the Q Revo series. The Q Revo MaxV and Q Revo Pro are designed to deliver the same efficient cleaning performance as Roborock's flagship devices, but for a lower price. The two will include the new FlexiArm Design to help tackle edges and corners and will work alongside a 7000Pa suction to lift away all your home's dirt and debris.
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The Multifunctional Dock 2.0 takes care of most of the dirty work for you, with automatic emptying, refilling, drying, and washing. The Q Revo series stands out, though, because it uses a hot water re-wash and re-mop setting that Roborock says will sanitize your floors.
3. A mirror for your mental health
Baracoda's BMind Smart Mirror combines AI and natural language processing (NLP) to analyze the sentiment of whoever is looking into the mirror through expressions, gestures, and tones. It then adapts to your current mood and provides light therapy sessions, guided meditations, and self-affirmations with the goal of improving your mood and better managing your stress.
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In a live demo at CES, the mirror responded to our ZDNET editor saying they were having a bad day by using encouraging words and switched the lights to a calming blue color while displaying an image of nature.
4. Phillip's palm recognition smart lock
CES always has lots of smart home tech debuts, and this smart lock from Phillips caught our attention on day 1. Much like the palm recognition technology you see in Amazon One stores, Phillips is now the first to include the technology in a consumer smart lock. The touchless technology scans the individual vein pattern in a person's palm by simply holding their palm a few inches in front of the lock's scanner. Users can add up to 50 different Palm ID options.
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The smart lock uses Wi-Fi for connectivity, which means you don't have to buy a separate hub. Plus, it's also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
5. HP's AI-powered Spectre laptops
Of course, a key theme we expect to see throughout CES this year is artificial intelligence, and HP didn't let us down with the release of its new Spectre laptops powered by AI. HP calls its AI assistant Superpower, and it can be customized to learn information about the user to generate text that contains more personal context than that created with other AI chatbots like ChatGPT, for example.
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Described by the company as the "world's most adaptive laptop PCs with built-in AI technology," the Spectre x360 laptop PCs are triple engine machines with CPU, GPU, and NPU, which promises automatic performance optimization, with reduced fan noise and temperature based on open applications, the laptop's placement, and its battery status.
6. TCL's massive QD mini LED TV
At an event like CES, bigger is better, and the QM89 TV from TCL is about as big as you can get. We spotted the 115-inch QD mini LED TV at CES and were impressed by not only its size, but also its 20,000 local dimming zones, an anti-glare screen to make sure you're able to watch TV no matter the conditions, and a 2.1.2 channel speaker system with built-in Dolby Atmos speakers.
It also has a 120Hz QLED display panel (144 Hz with VRR) and an anti-glare screen coating. TCL's built-in AIPQ Ultra Processor powers those 20,000 dimming zones and uses AI for improved upscaling and color reproduction, making it super sharp and clear in its picture.
7. Sennheiser's earbuds that measure your heart rate
Sennheiser debuted three new earbuds at CES, but the one that caught our eye the most was the Sennheiser Momentum Sport. These earbuds are optimized for fitness thanks to their standout feature: a heart rate sensor and a body temperature sensor. Both sensors integrate with fitness trackers, apps, and subscriptions, like the Apple Watch and the Health app, Strava, and more, so you can seamlessly track your workouts and your fitness metrics.
8. New AI features to come to Samsung's SmartThings app
Samsung announced new updates and features to its SmartThings app during its press conference on day 1. The biggest of these features is Map View, a 3D layout of your home to make smart home devices easily accessible. The app will let anyone create a 3D map by uploading their home's floor plan or by simply sketching the floor plan on the app to create the layout.
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In addition, SmartThings Together can enable members of a household or pre-approved guests to securely control specific smart home devices of your choosing and create their own routines. Compatible Samsung TVs will also be able to work as a SmartThings Hub, and nearby Samsung smartphones will be instantly detected and used as a remote control for the "hub."
9. A robot window cleaner that defies gravity
Weird and unusual tech is the name of the game with CES, and this robot window cleaner is a great example of that. Piggybacking off of Ecovac's Winbot X that was launched in 2018, the Winbot W2 robot window cleaner attaches to windows like a robot vacuum for crystal clear windows without the elbow grease. It features three nozzles for a wide-angle spray that covers the cleaning area as it goes along, so that it doesn't drip onto your floors.
10. An IMAX-enhanced projector
IMAX isn't just for the theaters anymore, thanks to Xgimi's Horizon Max projector, the world's first IMAX Enhanced-certified long-throw smart projector. This projector has the infamous IMAX aspect ratio (1.44:1 or 1.9:1), higher brightness levels from HDR content, and clearer images to make your at-home movie nights that much better.
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For even more movie-theater quality, a proprietary optical engine equipped with MCL lasers -- which are commonly used in commercial movie theaters -- is also involved in this projector, which Xgimi says results in a truly cinematic viewing experience.