CES isn't really a mobile show or there's always a smartphone or two that decides to break cover and avoid the barrage of similar devices at phone-centric shows like MWC. This year both Samsung and Oneplus had important phones to show off while the companies like Asus continue to push the boundaries of tablets and laptops. Let's take a closer look at the best mobile and tablet devices that CES 2022 had to offer.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Fan Edition:
Samsung's latest flagship without frills is launching at $100 less than the original galaxy S21 and that's meant a few corners had to be cut. That said you still get the same five-nanometer processors, the same 120Hz refresh rate on a slightly larger screen no less, and a similar triple camera system. The S21 FE has a larger battery too, its style is a little bit more restrained, however with no shiny camera module to catch the eye. The biggest difference compared to last year's S21 is probably the camera layout and it's a mixed bag. The FE's ultrawide lens has a slightly wider field of view at 123 degrees, while the FE's telephoto camera uses a smaller 8-megapixel sensor compared to the S21's 64-megapixel telephoto. The fan edition also has a higher resolution selfie camera with 32 megapixels if that's important to you. The only issue for Samsung is it's launching a cheaper flagship device presumably only a few months before it reveals its 2022 flagship.
Oneplus 10 Pro:
Talking about flagships then there's Oneplus, it wanted to reveal the Oneplus 10 pro at CES but due to covid concerns withdrew its in-person plans but it did, however, reveal most if not all of the details on its new smartphone. The 10 pros will feature a similar camera layout to the Oneplus 9 pro with 48 & 50-megapixel sensors alongside an additional 8-megapixel telephoto. The company is building up hype around its Hasselblad collaboration, promising a new raw plus format which sounds at least similar to apple's pro raw format, this should combine the computational photography skills we're used to on our smartphones with the data-rich editing capabilities of raw files. All three cameras use a new Hasselblad pro mode to capture 12-bit raw files. This assistance from Hasselblad also includes it's color know how the cameras will be able to capture 10-bit color for less color banding and smoother shading. Oneplus mentioned it is the first phone to launch with Qualcomm's 8th Gen latest processor but we saw realme launch its flagship GT2 with the same processor a few days back. It also comes with faster 50-watt wireless charging, if you have a wireless charger capable of that. It's set to launch on Jan 11th in china but as of this time, the pricing is still TBC.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold:
For once a trade show, the tablets were arguably more interesting than the phones. It was pretty rare to see a by-the-numbers slate. Let's start with Asus zenbook 17 fold. It's a 17 inch OLED tablet that can be folded in half and even disguise itself as a 12.5-inch laptop with a Bluetooth keyboard resting on the lower half of the screen. The fold might seem familiar to a few of you as Asus first revealed this form factor as project peacock, a developmental prototype back in 2018 and now it's ready for prime time folded out the 17.3-inch display has a 4X3 aspect ratio, QHD resolution of 2560 by 1920 and up to 90Hz refresh rate. Running windows 11 you'll be able to use it half folded propped up or simply as a pretty big tablet. No word on pricing but the company expects to launch the device in May.
Asus Flow Z13 ROG:
Republic Of Gamers is offering an entirely different tablet proposition one aimed at mobile PC gaming. The flow Z13 tablet is an evolution of the flow X13 but it looks an awful lot like a Microsoft surface. It has new Intel's new 12th generation processors and will support up to Nvidia's RTX 3050Ti. It can even connect to Asus mobile external GPU which supports AMD's Radeon RMX and Nvidia's mobile RTX 30 series, useful if you really want this to be a true gaming PC. It is expected later this year.
Overall it's good to see these devices at CES as they usually appear in MWC. But this year CES has a lot more cool stuff ranging from VR to many EV cars!!!