Marco Hanna and Beau HD teamed up during CES 2015 to bring you their personal best and worst from CES 2015. We've seen a few phones, lots of TVs, and some personal interest tech including wearables, transportation, and more!
Throughout the duration of five days at the CES 2015, there were a number of good and bad stuff made available to the public. Here are some of the ones that stood out from the selection:
Mobile Phones
The LG G Flex 2 is one of the best mobile devices spotted at CES 2015. The phone features a Snapdragon 810 opta-core processor with 2 quad-core processors and an option between the 2GB of RAM for 16GB internal memory and 3GB of RAM for the 32GB variant. Its back color options include a metallic red and metallic gray color. The red one is very glossy and flashy, kind of like a Droid Turbo in color.
In front, the G Flex 2 looks like the OnePlus One with its chrome bezel surrounding it. The curve on the phone doesn’t look as curved or as flexible as the original G Flex model. While it adds some comfortability of use, it doesn’t make too much of a difference compared to its predecessor.
Apart from the LG G Flex 2, there were a number of Chinese manufacturers that displayed their devices. One notable model is the ZTE Nubia Z7, which is equipped with a Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor with 3GB of RAM and a 2K QHD display.
Lenovo is also coming out with a good selection of mobile devices. With these Chinese manufacturers, it is interesting to see them make their way to the US considering they will be competing with other manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, and Apple. Coincidentally, Motorola announced that their Moto X Pro will soon be available in China. This will be an interesting move for the company, especially now that Lenovo has just been officially acquired by Motorola.
Where was Samsung? Samsung did not release any Samsung mobile device at this year’s CES.
TVs
Most of the TVs displayed at CES 2015 came with 4K display. While UHD TVs are still a relatively new concept, Samsung released its SUHD lineup; most likely adding the S to refer as Superior UHD quality. The lineup may be marketed as having more contrast ratio than OLED TV. While it looks good, it does not come close to OLED’s clarity. This is because OLED has the ability to turn off a pixel and turn it completely black, while SUHD still has to make use of a backlight.
While there were no 4K OLED TVs available, the OLED TVs displayed were amazing and as good as the 4K TVs available. The problem is, OLED is just too expensive for the market right now that it probably won’t be coming out any time soon.
At the last CES, there were just 1-2 8K display TVs available. This year gives way to a number of 8K display TVs from Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, and LG. The class leader, undoubtedly, is Samsung’s Glassless 3D 8K TV with about 110 inches. With its great technology, Samsung proves why their TVs are hard to beat by other manufacturers.
The Sharp 8K TV was an upscale version that made use of sub-pixel technology, taking 4K content and filling in the pixels.
Sony, meanwhile, just released the world’s thinnest UHD TV. Its thinnest point is only 4.9mm and could even be thinner than the iPhone 6. It is just as thin as the Oppo R5.
On the topic of very thin devices, the BLU Vivo Air was impressively thin. With its 5.1mm thin size, it fully suits its name as it felt like air. The phone will be available in the United States next week.
Cameras
At CES 2015, the new Sony 4K Handycam with built-in OIS was announced along with a couple of Panasonic’s new 4K camcorders. Each cost about $1000 or less. In addition to this, Sony showed off their $499 4K Action Cam, which they use to compete with the GoPro Hero 4 Black Edition.
For anyone looking for a phone with high quality camera specs, the Panasonic Lumix CM1 comes as highly recommended. With its 20.1MP camera, Lumix sensor and Lumix software, the device is capable of taking high quality images. It also comes with a 1-inch sensor and Venus engine image processor. Its Android side is powered by an 801 processor with 2GB of RAM.
It is important to note that for CES 2015, Canon did not make any camera again.
Tablets
The Dell Venue 8 7000 was one of the only tablets spotted at CES 2015. It has a near bezel-less display and features a fantastic design. The tablet comes with a 3D camera mounted on the back for refocusing images. You can take a picture with the tablet and measure distances accurately.
Other than the Dell Venue 8 7000, the other tablets spotted at CES 2015 have already been announced previously.
Laptops
There were definitely more laptops this year at CES. Among the most notable ones were ASUS’ thinnest and lightest notebook as well as the Dell XPS 13, which has a similar near bezel-less display and super thin size as the tablet.
Wearables
2015 promised to be the year of the wearables. Among the wearables spotted at CES 2015 was the Sony SmartWatch 3 Steel. Apart from its steel band, it had no other change. Its display component may easily be popped out and transferred to a different band. While it doesn’t have a heart rate sensor, it comes with a built-in GPS feature. Its impressive metal band feels better than the Moto 360. No price announced but rumor has it that it will cost around $299.
The LG G Watch R runs webOS with Audi. It looks like an interesting concept with a pretty intuitive system for webOS.
Hyundai’s Blue Link has also been integrated onto Android Wear. With this device, car owners can control their car functions such as turn it on/off and lock doors.
Cars
There were a lot of cars showcased at CES 2015. Among these were from BMW—i3, i8, M3, M4; Tesla Model X, and Jaguar F-Type. NVIDIA also showcased some impressive car tech at the event.
The ZBoard 2 was also spotted at CES 2015 and it showcased a lighter, bigger battery, and bigger range as its predecessor. Available with a Blue and Pearl version, the ZBoard 2 can now charge up to 17 miles in just 40 minutes. While it isn’t coming out until late summer, interested individuals may go to Indiegogo and buy the Blue ($1000) or Pearl ($1200).
CES 2015 was definitely a unique experience. But compared to previous years, it was disappointing to discover that there wasn’t as many products showcased. We’re looking forward to the next one.
