CES 2024 invaded the tech world this week like some kind of mega-robot, arms made from smart showers and telescopes, a body from a transparent OLED TV, neural ear buds, and (of course) an artificially intelligent brain. There was a lot to see.
We've rounded up our favorites from the Las Vegas show in a separate Top 20 Devices from CES 2024 article, although you'll also find some below, but there's been other news this week as well.
So if you need to catch up quickly, read on for your weekly digest, from our brains to your screen to your brain like magic.
5. The OnePlus 12R came into view
The eyes of the smartphone world may be focused on Samsung Unpacked next week, but there's another big launch hot on its heels.
OnePlus will globally launch the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R on January 23, and while we already know everything about the former (it was revealed in China last year), the latter remains a mystery.
Or at least that's how it was until this week, when a couple of leaks gave us some additional details about its specs, including the fact that it could have 100W charging, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and a triple-lens camera with a main 50MP. sensor. Given that we already knew it would come with a variable refresh rate display and a massive 5500mAh battery, it appears to be well equipped; however, it is said to start at just $499 (around £390 / AU$750). If true, this could be the affordable rival to OnePlus' Samsung Galaxy S24.
4. The Mandalorian earned a film sequel
We loved Disney's Star Wars show The Mandalorian since arriving in 2020, but the adventures of Din Djarin and Grogu/Baby Yoda were feared to end once Season 3 ended last year. Well, we were wrong, because the couple is getting their own Mandalorian spin-off movie.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will enter full production later in 2024, with Jon Favreau directing and executive producing, although we still have no idea when it might hit theaters. But what we do know is that it will be the first in a series of new Star Wars films that are already in development at Lucasfilm.
Rumors suggest season 4 of The Mandalorian It's also in active development ahead of a future Disney Plus launch, so it looks like the Star Wars story will continue for a few more years.
3. Samsung Galaxy S24 kept leaking
We're just a few days away from the big reveal of the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, but frankly, we're not sure there's much left to learn about the flagship phones.
Just this week we saw a massive leak of each of the specs for each Samsung Galaxy S24 model, learned the key features of all three S24 phones in a separate leak, and heard rumors of a potentially crucial S24 display update. And they all follow weeks of teasers about the trio, which also includes the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra, as well as the base model.
In short, we don't expect many surprises at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 next week. But that doesn't mean we're not excited anyway. From what we think we know, the S24 Ultra in particular will be another excellent phone, although not particularly well hidden before its launch.
2. Apple Vision Pro has a release date and its first video announcement
Apple does not participate in CES – of course Not so, so he did what he usually does in these circumstances and decided to publish his own big news story. Hello everyone! Here! It's me, Apple! Look at meeeee…
To be fair to Apple, the story was quite big: the Cupertino giant announced that the Apple Vision Pro will officially go on sale in February and that pre-orders will begin soon.
It also released the first Vision Pro video announcement, in which we learned several other details about the mixed reality headset, including details about the accessories that will ship. And that marketing spend may be necessary, because with a price starting at $3,499 (which converts to around £2,755 / AU$5,225), the Vision Pro is hardly going to be an impulse buy.
Then again, having spent some hands-on time with the Vision Pro when it was revealed at WWDC 2023 and checking out what 3D space videos will look like before Christmas, we also suspect those of you with deep pockets will be queuing up. Give it a try.
1. We went to CES and we loved it
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, as the saying goes, but that's clearly not true when it comes to CES. And neither should it be, because there were simply so many interesting things on display that we simply had to tell the world about them.
You'll want to check out our CES 2024 Top 20 Devices awards page for the full story, or follow us on TikTok where we have dozens of videos from the CES show floor, but let's look at some ICYMI highlights right here. …
Further? Okay, so we listened to Dolby Atmos music in a Mercedes-Benz, raved about Celestron's AI-enhanced smart telescope, raved about the MSI Claw, and decided that 'Neurals' headphones are the next big thing for audio.
Oh, and we also coveted the Ottobot Brew beer-dispensing robot, gawked at Helix's personal vertical take-off and landing plane, tried on the Evie Smart ring, and nearly exposed ourselves in Kohler's new smart shower, although less talked about of the latest. One better.
In short, we saw everything we could and you can read about our favorites below.
