At the beginning of the year, the tech calendar kicked off in Las Vegas, with the hybrid CES 2022 expo showcasing some of the latest consumer electronics, concept vehicles and innovative solutions that will fill our lives in the coming months.
Now that the dust has settled on the event, we have rounded up some of the most noteworthy announcements from CES 2022, which include: a colour changing car, autonomous tractor, gimmicky router and a number of gaming notebooks and smart TVs.
So, here is what caught our attention from Las Vegas and online last week.
BMW iX Flow
We start this off with the car featured in our header image – the BMW iX Flow, which makes use of e-ink technology to allow the vehicle to change colour. It is an interesting application of the technology, which has normally been reserved for e-book readers in the past, but now gives BMW a car that would make any spy movie proud.
It will still be some time before this technology makes its way to the general public, so enjoy this video of it in action below, along with the Bavarian carmaker’s other innovative CES 2022 solutions.
Samsung Freestyle
Next is a portable personal projector in the form of the Samsung Freestyle. This is not an entirely new concept, with Sony debuting a similar projector as part of its suite of IoT-focused products a few years back, but nothing tangible came from it.
Hopefully then, the Freestyle will find a market, with it capable of throwing up projections up to 100 inches (2.5 metres) in size, essentially allowing to stream any content provided there is a power point and flat surface.
Our only issue, is that it’s powered by Bixby, which is not our favourite digital assistant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lnY8oqVh3A
TP-Link Archer AXE200 Omni
Now for that gimmicky router we mentioned earlier – the TP-Link Archer AXE200 Omni.
The gimmick in question here are the four antenna arms of the router, which not only fold and unfold when powered up or down, but also swivel and rotate looking for the best connectivity within the environment the router is set up.
Is this tech overkill for what should be a rather straightforward piece of hardware? Absolutely, but we expect a few competitors, as well as TP-Link itself, to feature this gimmick in future for tri-band WiFi 6E routers that claim to end dead zones.
PlayStation VR2
In August last year, details of Sony’s next generation VR gaming system surfaced online, but remained unconfirmed. CES 2022 changed that, however, with the PlayStation VR2 (PSVR2) being announced by the company.
Sadly no images or visuals of any kind accompanied the announcement, but we do know one of the premier titles made with it in mind is the Horizon Call of the Mountain.
In terms of specifications, we do know that the PSVR2 features an OLED display, serves up 4K HDR visuals and has a 110-degree field of view and up to 120Hz refresh rates. There’s a bevy of new sensors and eye tracking to enhance the gaming experience.
For now though, no official release date has been mentioned.
Samsung NEO QLED 2022
It would not be CES without some TVs and the ones we’re highlighting here come from Samsung. The company’s 2022 lineup of Neo QLED TVs scooped several awards in Vegas, mainly for colour reproduction and the ease it places on eyes.
Samsung has also embraced the world of NFTs for this new TV lineup, with a platform to purchase and showcase NFTs being added to the mix. We remain on the fence for this technology trend, but Samsung throwing its weight behind it does add a level of legitimacy.
For now though, it is unknown when these new 8K smart TVs will land in SA, with them likely expected in the latter half of 2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEcbs6cpbZY
Acer Swift X notebooks
Now we’re looking at the notebooks, starting with the latest Swift X models from Acer, which come in both 14″ and 16″ iterations.
While most will be drawn to these devices for their svelte design, it is the internals that are of immediate interest to us, with it featuring Intel Arc graphics paired with the 12th Gen Intel Core processors, specifically on the 16″ model.
No word on local availability and pricing just yet, but that should change in the coming months and hopefully we can get one in for review to see how the platform has improved (or not) in the past year.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z
The next notebook we are highlighting is aimed at the business crowd in the form of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z. Ever since Lenovo took over the name, it has been widening the breadth of ThinkPad offerings, and the Z is the latest.
There are two Z models here, the Z13 and Z16, which denote the screen sizes available.
Sustainability is the big selling point here, with both models featuring a number of recycled materials, with the packaging also environmentally conscious. While sustainability is fundamental here, Lenovo has also turned to AMD to handle the CPU and GPU configurations, so expect these notebooks to be workhorses too.
Like many of the announcements from CES 2022, local details are yet to be confirmed.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED
Rounding up the notebooks that piqued our interest from CES 2022 is the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. While there was plenty of gaming hardware on show from Asus’ ROG division, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is immediately more eye catching due to its design.
We have already seen Lenovo venture down this path with a similar device of its own last year, so it will be interesting to see if consumers are willing to try the 17 Fold OLED, which will no doubt command a pretty penny.
This as the 17.3″ flexible OLED display likely took a lot of time and money to engineer, not to mention that the notebook still sports some high end Intel components.
Whether we this land in SA in 2022, still remains to be seen, but it is one we’re keen to check out in person if it does.
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX Concept
Now for another car, this time from the other big luxury German carmaker, Mercedes-Benz. Their Vision EQXX Concept may not be able to change colour, but this concept car looks like something out of Final Fantasy XV.
Apart from its dramatic visuals, the real purpose of this concept car is to showcase what Mercedes-Benz’s idea of what electric vehicles (EVs) can accomplish.
To that end, the EQXX is said to muster more than 1 000 kilometres from a single fully charged battery. This is far more than current production EVs can deliver, with the Mercedes-Benz EQS leading all others at 680 kilometres.
As such, this German carmaker looks to be leading the way in terms of what its electrified vehicles are capable of. Like BMW’s CES 2022 unveiling, the EQXX remains a concept car for now.
John Deere Fully Autonomous R8 Tractor
We finish our roundup with another vehicle, although this one is far less futuristic looking. That said, the John Deere Fully Autonomous R8 Tractor might e the most innovative thing on four wheels at the moment.
The farming equipment specialist is truly embracing technology, noting that it utilities six pairs of stereo cameras and a GPS guidance system in order to till farms. John Deere has big plans for it too, with the 18 000-plus kilogram tractor being worked on to autonomously assist with planting and spraying of crops too.
With agritech booming of late, John Deere wants to be on par with many of the startups cropping up in the industry.
