After last year’s decidedly small-scale (and cut waaaay back at the last minute) CES, we’re hoping that 2023 is a return to form for the most important tech conference of the year. This year’s lineup of exhibitors appears to be larger than 2022 at first glance, so we remain hopeful.
Here’s 8 of the companies that we’ve added to our CES itinerary so far.
1 – Microsoft
Formerly a CES mainstay, Microsoft hasn’t headline the CES opening keynote since 2012, but that is far from meaning that they are absent. Since Ballmer’s departure, I have been closely following the humbling “re-birth” of Microsoft as an agile tech company. While no flagship launches are expected, we look forward to seeing the latest developments in Windows 11, and maybe an XBox game or two.
2 – Sony
Japan’s largest tech company is always guaranteed to have a big showing at CES. We expect to see the usual lineup of new TVs, digital cameras, audio players, and high-end headphones. Will Sony pull out a surprise like announcing a mid-cycle “thin” variant of the PS5? It’s possible, though not especially likely. We’ll be sure to stop by Sony’s booth regardless.
3 – Qualcomm
While Qualcomm has already announced its next iteration of their flagship product, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, what we haven’t seen is specific devices that use this cutting-edge ARM processor. Qualcomm has slowly but surely been closing the performance gap with Apple’s A series processors over the years, and we’re excited to see what the cutting edge outside of Apple’s domain looks like.
4 – AMD
Always the underdog, but never the second-fiddle, AMD is the company that just can’t quit. After the price shock and slow eroding of loyalty from NVidia’s camp after the latest 4000 series announcement, we’re excited to see just how much market-share AMD can claim from the GPU realm. AMD’s CPU offerings haven’t been a slouch either.
We’re always happy to see healthy competition, and AMD is a huge driver of PC innovation.
5 – Indy Autonomous Challenge
Taking place a few miles from the main CES venue at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Indy Autonomous Challenge is now in its second year. At Galactigeek, we are a bunch of big kids at heart, so we’re excited to check out this high-tech race that fell off our agenda last year. Computers racing each-other in super-fast cars, what more could we ask for on a cool, Las Vegas afternoon?
6 – Samsung
Do I even have to explain how huge Samsung is to the tech industry? They practically carry the entire South Korean economy on their shoulders with mobile products, display technology, and every manner of home appliances.
We’re especially excited to see the next generation of QD-OLED display technology, which has the potential to become the best of both worlds between the contrast of OLED and the peak brightness of LCD tech.
7 – CARIAD
We always like to throw one or two formerly unknown companies onto our itinerary. CARIAD is an off-shoot of Volkswagen that specializes in automotive software apparently. Automotive software is one of those platforms that seems to be perpetually stuck in the past (with Tesla being the notable exception).
We’re interested to see what innovations in autonomous driving, dashboard entertainment, etc. CARIAD has to offer.
8 – Lenovo
Fun fact, I am currently typing this article on a Lenovo Laptop. Formerly IBM’s PC division, Lenovo makes some of the most reliable, underrated computers and laptops on the market. While we’re definitely excited to see a bunch of laptops, foldables, and maybe some small form-factor PCs, we’re really holding out for what Motorola, yes Motorola has in store.
Lenovo acquired Motorola from Google several years ago (does anyone remember how Google owned Motorola for a hot second?) and has been steadily churning out a series of practical, if not exciting phones. Rumor has it that Lenovo is gearing up to announce a “ThinkPhone” as an offshoot of their ThinkPad lineup. We’re excited to see if this will be the beginning of the resurgence of the Motorola that we used to know and love.
