CES 2020: Everything we expect to see at the world’s biggest tech event

It no longer goes by its Consumer Electronics Show monicker, but CES is still the place to see the latest and greatest tech companies have to offer, whether that’s a 5G phone, a transparent Ultra-HD TV, a personal drone that can fly you around or something completely unexpected like a robot dog.

That said, while this year’s show won’t be too different from shows past, it will have a greater focus on travel and tourism, data analytics and improving customer experiences. Yes, you’ll still see dozens of new TVs, speakers, headphones, laptops and phones, but you’ll also see a lot of conversations happening about digital health and the commoditization of personal data, too. The takeaway here is that CES will offer something new and interesting for every type of tech lover, whether you’re deep into enterprise, stuck into future trends or just keen to see what comes next.

Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about the show, including the CES 2020 dates, how to get tickets and our predictions for some of the gadgets we’ll most likely see inside the Las Vegas Convention Center.

When is CES 2020?

This is kind of confusing but, if you’re going by the official dates, CES 2020 runs from Tuesday, January 7 through Friday, January 10, 2020.

That said, however, journalists will pour into the city a few days before that to cover the news conferences that kick off on Sunday, January 5 at 12 pm PST and continue through Monday and Tuesday. It’s during that time we’ll hear from Sony, Samsung, LG and several other electronics makers as they introduce us to new products at their on-stage keynotes.

Traditionally, the biggest of these keynotes happen on Monday as that’s when LG, Samsung and Sony all hold their events, but you’ll begin to hear about CES starting on Sunday night as news begins to trickle out of the conference.

How do you get tickets for CES 2020?

Registration for CES 2020 is available now on the CES 2020 website. Early Bird tickets are available for just $100 if you just want access to the show floor from January 7 - 10 and the keynotes, though that price will shoot up to $300 starting on December 18, 2019.

If you want a bit more than the basic pass, you can buy the CES 2020 Starter Conference Pass that includes a curated list of events around the show’s biggest trends for $700 or the Deluxe Conference Pass that includes 14+ partner sessions for $1,400.

Journalists, analysts, influencers and bloggers are admitted into CES for free, but they will have to register before the event through the CES website and offer proof of their credentials.

How big is CES and where does it take place?

CES is massive and takes over the vast majority of the Las Vegas Strip and the surrounding streets. In fact, in terms of square footage, there’s 2.75 million net square feet of exhibit space between the Las Vegas Convention Center, The Sands, Mandalay Bay and The Venetian, nearly all of which plays host to the convention and its exhibitors.

Fun fact: There are around 160,000 hotel rooms in Vegas and around 180,000 attendees each year. As you’d expect given those numbers, hotels fill up fast and the roads leading to the convention center get pretty crowded that week. Thankfully, the CTA (the company that puts on the show) offers free shuttles to almost all of the major hotels on the strip from the Convention Center, and has buses running to and from the Sands between 9 and 6 pm.

All that said, be prepared to walk. The convention center itself is massive and so is The Sands. Walking either can easily take between one and two hours, and you’ll easily rack up three to four miles on your pedometer along the way.

Which companies are attending CES 2020?

Pretty much every major tech company will be there, minus Apple. (You can find a complete list on the CES 2020 website.)

Confirmed exhibitors include Amazon, Canon, Facebook, Intel, LG, Lenovo, Microsoft, MSI, Nikon, Samsung, Sony and many, many more.

Now, admittedly, not everyone is there to show off new products. A fair majority of companies are there for business, while others are there to collect feedback and have a presence, rather than debut something new. That said, there will still be hundreds of new products making their debut this year in nearly every category.

CES 2020 trends and company-specific predictions

In a meeting with TechRadar, the CTA outlined a number of trends that would take center stage at this year’s show. The list included transportation and tourism (Delta Airlines have a keynote this year for the first time in the show’s history), data analytics and privacy, digital health, the global race for 5G, the consumerization of AI and, of course, 8K displays.

These are rather dense, multifaceted topics and while they’re massively important, they aren’t the kinds of things you’ll see on the show floor. If you want hard product news, that will come from many of the same suspects as last year, all of whom are listed below.

AMD at CES 2020

We're fully expecting AMD to come out with a line of high-end GPUs next year - maybe even as early as CES 2020. In past years, AMD has taken to the stage on Monday to deliver a keynote, and could potentially do the same this year. Last year AMD showed off its first ever 7-nanometer GPU, the Radeon VII, at CES 2019, so expect big things this year.

LG at CES 2020

Like Samsung, LG’s plans are easy to predict - it’s probably going to show off a new series of OLED TVs, plus give an updated release date for last year’s rollable OLED. Speaking of far-flung TVs we can't afford, CES 2020 will probably be the place LG officially debuts its transparent OLED prototype that it was showing behind closed doors at last year's show... though it will likely only be for businesses at first.

LG also uses CES to debut its new line of appliances including smart washers and dryers and nifty household gadgets like air purifiers and robot vacuums. Last year we saw a home brewing system and a smart cupboard that steams your clothes. Featuring a mirrored door with integrated display, automatically moving hangers, and a smart steaming system, it was a wildly different product than we were expecting to see at a tech trade show.

CES is also the time LG debuts its mid-range mobile phones. Last year we saw the LG V40 ThinQ, while back in 2017 LG brought the Stylus 3. Don't expect any flagship phones at this year's event,but it's Android phone fans should expect something.

Nvidia at CES 2020

After a half-dozen leaks, the next Nvidia Shield is all but guaranteed to make an appearance at CES this year. We don’t have any confirmed information at this point, but we suspect that the new micro-console will be able to connect to Stadia, Google’s upcoming game-streaming service, and potentially have Apple TV support.

Last year Nvidia revealed its GeForce RTX Mobility graphics cards at CES 2019, alongside the RTX 2080 and other cards for gaming laptops. Will CES 2020 bring more of the same? We’ll just have to wait to find out.

Samsung at CES 2020

CES is always a big show for Samsung. It’s the place the company picks to roll out its latest QLED TVs, concept screens and monstrous custom-installs. Last year, the company debuted a new 219-inch TV called The Wall and gave us an updated look at its Tizen operating system that included Apple TV. This year, our money is on new QLED TVs with zero bezel - a rumor that has recently been corroborated by a patent filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office.

On the computing side of things, Samsung debuted the Notebook Flash and Notebook 9 Pro, and could offer updates on those this year.

Samsung has also been doing a lot more with its monitors and solid-state drive categories, so be sure to keep an eye out for those at the show, too.

Sony at CES 2020

Sony didn’t have a ton of new products to show off last year, but did bring its new Master Series Z9G TV to the show and debuted its new 360 Reality Audio format. We’ll likely see more of the latter this year as well as a few new TVs in the 950, 850, Z- and A-Series lineups plus some new 2.1 soundbars with Dolby Atmos.

Outside of the AV space, Sony will probably tease some PS5 news ahead of its official debut and talk up its gaming peripherals like the PlayStation VR. A full debut of the new console seems unlikely, especially considering the rough history Sony consoles have with CES, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it at least gets a mention during Sony’s Monday evening keynote.