What to expect at CES 2020: 5G phones, 4K HDR TVs and HDMI 2.1, dual-screen laptops, gaming CPUs, smart home devices, game consoles, and more
CES will have a lot of little companies taking big swings — In 2020, this is what to expect in the world of consumer tech: the best stuff is going to get more powerful and more premium.
Context & Ripple Effects
This is one installment of The Verge's annual CES preview series, and the throughline is visible by comparing years: the CES 2019 slate bet on foldables, hole-punch displays, and early 5G, and the 2020 edition doubles down on exactly those bets maturing — 5G phones, dual-screen laptops, and 4K HDR TVs tied together by HDMI 2.1. The framing is premiumization: per the piece, the best stuff is getting more powerful and more expensive rather than cheaper.
First-order effects
- Device makers use the show floor to stake out their year: 5G handsets, HDMI 2.1 television sets, dual-screen laptops, gaming CPUs, and next-gen game consoles all debut against each other in the same week, forcing press and buyers to sort a full-year roadmap at once.
Second-order effects
- HDMI 2.1 turns TV launches into an ecosystem play — panel makers, console makers, and cable/accessory vendors now have to align on the same spec cycle, and whoever ships it first sets the compatibility benchmark rivals must match.
- Gaming CPU reveals landing alongside new console generations push PC-component vendors and console makers into a direct performance-marketing contest for the same buyers.
Third-order effects
- The preview series itself documents where this leads: by the [[a:832904|2023 edition the headline categories had shifted to driver assistance and Matter-compatible smart home gear]], and the 2025 edition centers on AI features and laptops built around Nvidia GPUs — spec-led premiumization giving way to AI-defined products. Meanwhile the physical mega-show proved fragile: CES went all-digital for January 2021, with roughly 1,900 exhibitors versus 4,500 in 2020, and trimmed days off subsequent conferences as a safety measure.
The trend: Consumer tech's annual showcase cycle is migrating from raw-spec premiumization (5G, 4K/HDMI 2.1, foldable screens) toward AI-integrated products, while the trade-show format that launched these cycles shrinks and digitizes.