A lot of products, concepts, and gadgets get announced at CES each year. But not all of them make their way to the consumer market.

CES 2018 had an interesting mix of products from electric vehicles & VR headsets to drones and TVs. Now that CES 2018 has come to a close, let’s take a look at some of the stuff that was announced.

Smart Displays with Google Assistant

The rivalry between Google and Amazon won’t come to an end anytime soon but Google is stepping up their game with their own take on the Amazon Echo Show, with something they’re calling Smart Displays.

These Smart Displays are essentially a Google Home device but with a screen. When you ask one of the devices a question like what’s the weather or how your commute is, it can visually show it to you, beyond just telling you. You can also watch YouTube videos, listen to music and make video calls with Google Duo.

What’s interesting is that Google isn’t making their own Smart Display like they did with the Google Home device but instead, they’ve teamed up with the likes of Lenovo, LG, Sony and JBL to create Smart Display devices.

Lenovo’s Smart Display has the Google Assistant & Chromecast built-in, a full HD touchscreen display, and a minimalist design. The device will come in two sizes; an 8-inch and a 10-inch and go for $199 USD and $249 USD respectively. The Lenovo Smart Display will ship in early summer. 

Update (7/31/2018): The Lenovo Smart Display is now available in the USA, if you live in Canada, click here to purchase from Wantboard.

LG’s Smart Display, called the ThinQ WK9 will have an 8-inch display, it has the Google Assistant & Chromecast and speakers that are tuned by Meridian Audio. No pricing or availability was announced but should release around the time of the Lenovo one.

JBL’s Smart Display is called the Link View, has an 8-inch display,  the Google Assistant, & Chromecast. It also has two 10W speakers and a passive radiator. No pricing was announced for the JBL Link View but it should be available in the summer.

Samsung QLED TV with 8K AI Technology

Just as 4K TVs are becoming more broadly available and affordable, Samsung is looking at what’s next for TV. They announced a new TV in their QLED lineup and it has something they’re calling 8K AI Technology.

The technology will upscale standard definition content to 8K using a proprietary algorithm, so you get the best picture quality possible. The screen resolution can be adjusted based on the picture quality characteristics of each scene on screen.

The Samsung QLED TV with 8K AI Technology will be available in the US and Korea in the second half of 2018. No pricing was announced.  

Lenovo Mirage Solo

The Lenovo Mirage Solo is the first Daydream standalone headset. That means you won’t need a phone to power it. It is running Google’s Daydream OS and is being powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB of RAM.

It has a 5.5-inch QHD display, has 64GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot, a 4,000 mAh battery and it charges over USB Type-C. The headset doesn’t require any other sensors since it’s using Google’s WorldSense technology that can track you in real time.

The Lenovo Mirage Solo headset will release in Q2 of this year for under $400 USD.

LG 2018 TV lineup

As our homes getting smarter, shouldn't our TVs as well? that’s where LG’s 2018 TVs comes in. It is running LG’s alpha 9 intelligent processor and their ThinQ AI.

The AI and processor help control the TV’s picture quality and super quick response times. LG is using their own proprietary algorithms that can dynamically adjust brightness, the contrast on a frame-by-frame basis. The TV has the Google Assistant built-in, so you’ll be able to use voice commands to control your TV and it is also compatible with Amazon Echo devices.

LG hasn’t announced pricing or availability for any of their 2018 TVs.

My Special Aflac Duck

The My Special Aflac Duck is a cuddly toy that can help comfort kids with cancer. The duck has five touch sensors in its cheeks, underneath the wings and back. Kids can cuddle up with the duck, and they’ll get a cuddle back or a quack response.

The duck will also come with a bag full of RFID tags that can allow kids to express how they’re feeling and then tap the tag to the duck and the toy will mimic the feeling. Aflac will be working with hospitals in the US to provide the duck to kids diagnosed with cancer, for free by the end of 2018. Aflac will start giving out the toy to kids at their cancer treatment center in Atlanta.

HTC Vive Pro

The Vive Pro is an upgraded version of HTC’s VR headset. It has dual OLED displays with a combined resolution of 2880 x 1600, which is a 78% increase over the original Vive headset.

The Vive Pro also has two cameras on the front that can also be used for mixed reality apps in the future.

The Vive Pro is aimed to provide VR enthusiasts a more premium and immersive experience. The headset also has built-in headphones with an amplifier. HTC hasn’t announced pricing or availability of the Vive Pro but it should come in higher than the current Vive headset.

Ryze Tello drone

The Tello is an upcoming drone from start-up Ryze Tech. The Tello uses the same technology that is found in DJI’s drones, the Intel Movidius Myriad 2 VPU.  It has an HD camera that can record in 720p and also take 360 videos with the EZ Shot function.

The Tello can also be programmed by kids to help them teach themselves how to code. Kids can program the Tello to do multiple tricks in a single command. You can get around 13 minutes of flight time

The Tello is slightly smaller than the DJI Spark but the Tello will retail for $99 USD and ship in March in North America but it’ll be available in China by the end of January.  

Asus Lyra Voice

At CES 2018, it seemed like Alexa was everywhere, everything from fridges to TVs and now even Wi-Fi routers with the Asus Lyra Voice. The router is an 802.11ac Wi-Fi system. It also has a built-in microphone and speakers along with Alexa. You can ask Alexa things like what’s the weather or control your smart home devices.

Asus hasn’t announced pricing or availability for the Lyra Voice router.

L’Oreal UV Sense

The L’Oreal UV Sense is a wearable sensor that can stick to your nail. It allows users to track how much sun their getting. The sensor connects to a companion app and it can detect how long you’ve been outside and whether you’re spending too much in the sun.

The sensor will come with replaceable adhesives, so you can wear it again or attach it to other items like your watch or sunglasses. The L’Oreal UV Sense will be available this summer for under $50.

Toyota e-Palette

The Toyota e-Palette is a fully-automated electric vehicle. Toyota says they’re designed to have different functions such as a ride-sharing vehicle, mobile office, office space, retail store, medical clinic, hotel rooms and more.

Toyota says they’re working with companies such as Amazon, Mazda, Pizza Hut and Uber for their e-Palette vehicles. They also said that they hope to debut the first e-Palette vehicles in time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

CES has shown that 2018 will be an exciting year for consumer electronics. If you want to keep up-to-date on the latest in tech, then subscribe to our newsletter.