The best CES 2022 highlights and favourites | Latest innovations in consumer electronics

by W. Andrew Powell
CES 2022 highlights

From cars and phones, to computers, home appliances, and more, CES 2022 had a lot of announcements about what’s coming next, and what could be around the corner for consumer electronics.

While the pandemic may have limited crowds, there was no shortage of incredible tech to talk about, and I’ve picked a few of my favourites from BMW, Lenovo, Samsung, Autel, Mad Catz, OnePlus, TCL, and Asus.

BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink

MW iX Flow

Innovation comes in all shapes and sizes this year, and on the larger side of the spectrum it’s hard to top BMW’s impressive use of colour changing technology for their iX Flow car concept.

The car’s E Ink technology gives the driver control to change microcapsules that make up the exterior of the car to white, black, or grey. To really get a sense of what this technology can do, you need to watch the full video from BMW.

The concept is geared towards the next level of customization in cars, and while it’s hard to say how long it could be before drivers can buy a car like this, it’s an exciting idea.

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3

Lenovo has always been one of my favourite laptop makers, and I love the innovations we’ve seen from them over the years. This may be my favourite product to date though.

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 features a big 17.3″ screen with 3K resolution, plus a built-in 8″ touchscreen on the right side of the keyboard.

It’s the ultimate pairing for the artists and creators who need to upgrade their multitasking abilities, and the added display can be used as a quick-launch space for programs, or with the added stylus it’s ideal for digital artists. You can even use the screen for jotting down notes with the White Board function.

Pricing will start at $1,399 US. Lenovo also announced a number of other new editions of their ThinkPad and Yoga laptops, as well as new peripherals.

Samsung The Freestyle

Digital projectors feel a bit boring, with a vibe that’s usually more appropriate for an office, over something fun and interesting. The Freestyle projector from Samsung is going to make the idea a lot more exciting, with features that make the device very interesting.

With built-in 360 degree sound and a smart TV experience, the projector can create a 30 to 100″ screen almost anywhere, and you can use any Galaxy phone as a remote control.

The Freestyle also has a socket adapter, so it can be plugged into a regular light socket, and there’s an available battery base for an on-the-go option. The projector is $899 US or $1,149 in Canada.

Samsung also announced a number of other interesting new products and initiatives, including eco-focused changes, as well as the epic Samsung Odyssey Ark curved monitor, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, and the latest edition of their Eco Remote that now recharges from sunlight, and with Wi-Fi signal harvesting.

Autel EVO Nano and EVO Lite

Autel EVO Lite

Autel is one of the main drone competitors on the market today, and their new EVO Nano and EVO Lite drones offer a compelling alternative for drone enthusiasts or newcomers hoping to get in the air.

The EVO Nano series, at 249 grams, doesn’t require a licence to fly in Canada, and it’s packed with great features. That includes a 1/1.28″ 50 MP CMOS sensor on the EVO Nano+ that captures up to 4K resolution, with an RYYB color filter array, smart tracking, obstacle avoidance, flying speeds up to 15m/s, and up to 28 minutes of flying time.

Autel’s new EVO Lite series offers a 1″ CMOS sensor, capturing up to 6K/30FPS video, 50MP images, and flight range up to 7.4 miles and up to 40 minutes. Pricing starts at $649 US for the Nano series, and $1,249 US for EVO Lite.

Mad Catz S.U.R.F. RGB mouse pad

Mad Catz has an impressive lineup of gaming devices, including their newly announced S.T.R.I.K.E. 6 gaming keyboard, P.I.L.O.T. gaming headset, G.Y.R.A. gaming chair, and C.A.T. 9 game controller. My favourite new product though is the S.U.R.F. RGB mouse pad.

The large mouse pad is made for gamers, with a soft, precision-enhancing fabric and an RGB border that can display 16.8 million colours, with seven lighting effects.

As RGB displays have taken over more unique spaces in the home, this is one that’s going to brighten up the gaming space, and it’s perfect alongside one of the brand’s keyboards and mice.

Hisense 8K ULED and Laser TVs

Hisense announced their new premium U9H line of Mini LED TVs at CES, with the 85U9H 8K TV featuring a proprietary 8K PQ process chipset, and a photo-quality 8K Mini-LED cinematic experience. The new TV includes 4000 backlit zones and 3000nit brightness with a 120HZ refresh rate.

The brand also announced their 8K TriChroma Laser TV that projects 100+ inches, with native 8K colour formatting, low power, 120 Hz, and AI-powered scene-by-scene optimization.

For some homes, a laser TV offers an ideal alternative to traditional TVs that take up a lot of space, but otherwise the latest 8K ULED TV is a great sign that many homes are going to be making the upgrade to 8K.

OnePlus 10 Pro with Hasselblad camera

OnePlus and Hasselblad created a unique camera experience with the OnePlus 9, and for the 10 Pro they’re going a step further with the second generation of Pro camera mode that can capture 10-bit colour for more natural colours.

The new phone will also feature a 150 degree ultra-wide camera, Movie Mode, 80W SuperVOOC Flash charging, and the 10 Pro will offer a 6.7 inch QHD+ display with a 120 Hz refresh rate.

OnePlus will have more details on the 10 Pro launch tomorrow, and it will launch in North America later in 2022.

TCL Book 14 Go

Since TCL launched their lineup of phones, I’ve been a big fan of the overall experience that they pack into a light, very affordable phone, and next up they’re moving into the laptop market.

The 14.1″ laptop features Windows 11 running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip with 12 hours of battery life, and 4G LTE connectivity. The laptop will retail for $349 US.

TCL also announced NXTWEAR Air smart glasses, new premium Mini LED TVs with 144Hz refresh rate and 1,000 local dimming zones, and their new TCL 30 XE 5G and 30 V 5G smartphones.

Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED

Asus announced their first 17.3″ foldable OLED system, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, and it’s gorgeous with a 4:3 display ratio, and a 2.5K touchscreen that folds down to create two 12.5″ displays.

The beauty of the new Zenbook is the overall design, that looks stylish, sleek, and powerful.

Featuring Thunderbolt 4, NanoEdge Dolby Vision, and a detachable ASUS ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard, the laptop is packed with smart features.

Other major CES highlights

There were so many things announced at CES that it’s hard to cover them all, but here are a few more highlights you should check out from the big show:

Join our list

Subscribe to our mailing list and get weekly updates on our latest contests, interviews, and reviews.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

You may also like

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Accept Read More