It is that time of the year when all the Tech companies come up with their latest innovations and take the human race further into a technologically smart future. Consumer Electronics Show 2017 (5 Jan to 8 Jan 2017) was no exception as brands showcased ultra-thin televisions, flexible laptops, voice controlled smart homes and even guarding robots. Technical intelligence peaked yet again and, not quite surprisingly, smartphones and tablets also came to the forefront.

Samsung, Asus, Xiaomi, Huawei, TCL – all the global brands took the stage to reveal their next generations smartphones and tablets with a host of new technologies. Qualcomm refused to stay behind took to Twitter way before CES 2017 to spread the news of its brand new and premium functioning processor. In between the rush of artificial intelligence and virtual realities, here are top 5 smartphone technologies that saw light at CES 2017 that is sure to steal the show. Hold on to your seats and read on.

  1. Snapdragon 835 with 10 nm footprint

And it’s official. Qualcomm has successfully used the 10 nm FinFET technology of Samsung to develop a processor that is “a thousand times smaller than one strand of hair.” What this means is that phones with the 835 will now have more space for a bigger battery, a better camera and a host of new sensors.

And why not? Qualcomm promises an improved performance of all the existing smartphone features. “We employed nanomaterials. This means that all work will now be done by 100 nm molecules and atoms which have greater efficiency than its larger counterparts.” Snapdragon 835 increases its area efficiency by almost 30% combined with 27% of performance improvement and a massive 40% reduction in power consumption.

Galaxy S8 and Xiaomi Mi 6 may be the first few fortunate phones to house this 10 nm processor, according to latest leaks. The wait will have to be until April 2017 before you can catch a glimpse of this action-packed Snapdragon.

  1. The next Tango device after Lenovo

Asus revealed its ZenFone AR with Tango and Daydream installed. What this means is another level of virtual reality. Tango combines the smartphone’s gyroscope and motion sensors to record a 3D image of your surroundings. It incorporates machine vision technology with access to the phone’s camera to allow a host of virtual reality features.

With Tango and AR combined, smartphones can now be used to:

  • Create a map of the indoor
  • Place any object from any remote location.
  • Identify any place without the use of GPS.

Google says that this helps the visually impaired to get audio feedbacks of their surroundings. Till date, apart from Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, Tango came in dedicated devices to serve this specific purpose. CES 2017 marked the beginning of Tango being available in smartphones now.

  1. Virtual Reality from the big names

The sheer craze of these devices is pushing VR firms to improve on their existing models and bring out new ones. Microsoft showcased its OEM sets and Oculus Rift made a mark as well. Other names like HTC Vive and PlayStation VR also hunted for the center stage in this virtual reality category.

Qualcomm had already announced its own VRs going by the name of Power Rangers and partnered with Lionsgate for this venture. CES 2017 saw its inception with long lines for firsthand experience.

With phones constantly increasing its display and performance, VRs are definitely the next gen technology. Take Asus ZenFone AR for instance. The Taiwanese firm declared an 8 GB RAM in its latest phone. When combined with Snapdragon, VR experience is bound to reach new levels.

  1. New hardware and better batteries

Blackberry phones at CES 2017 sported TCL’s hardware technology and ZenFone AR now has vapor cooling system to keep its processors performing. This sums up what the show displayed when it came down to smartphone and tablet hardware.

Asus also came up with another phone – named ZenFone 3 Zoom and sporting 5000 mAh battery. This combines USB 2.0 Type-C port along with fast charging, everything showing mobile firm’s zeal to make their phones more power consumption friendly.

Where CES 2017 missed out was on wearables. Almost nothing new from the big names like Samsung, however, few smaller ones and startups displayed their own exciting innovations.

 

That was how CES 2017 faired in the smartphone and tablet department. Where other sectors came up with groundbreaking innovations, mobile technology took decent steps towards the future. CES Asia in due in June, expect more phones to bring out Tango and Snapdragon 835, better performance and light-weight gadgets. It won’t be a surprise if foldable screens also make a debut. That was the Las Vegas chapter summarized. Now the wait is for Asia.