CES 2021 went fully virtual for the first time in the show’s 54-year history — a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic that had shut down in-person events worldwide. Held January 11–14 as a digital-only experience, the show lost its famous kinetic show-floor energy but delivered a surprisingly coherent slate of announcements across the usual categories.
Samsung unveiled its Neo QLED Mini LED TV technology, promising dramatically improved contrast and brightness through thousands of tiny backlight zones. LG doubled down on OLED with its evo panel technology and teased the LG Rollable phone — a device with a motorized screen that extended sideways. The phone was never officially released, making the tease one of CES history’s most tantalizing unreleased products.
Qualcomm used CES 2021 to detail the Snapdragon 888, the flagship mobile platform for 2021 — the last chip before the brand refresh to the 8-series naming. GM’s Mary Barra appeared virtually to outline the company’s EV ambition, including the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Hummer EV. And Samsung teased what would become the Galaxy S21 series — its first Unpacked event of the year was just two weeks away.
Virtual CES worked better than many expected — but it confirmed what everyone suspected: the physical show floor, the conversations in corridors, and the serendipitous demos are irreplaceable. ces.tech