CES 2020: Inside the best booths
From a ‘wave’ of 200 TVs to air taxis, mini cities and cool Instagrammable trick shots, CES booths are an experience in themselves. Here’s the best. PHOTOS + VIDEO
Technology
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IF you want to take a step into the future, look no further than the mega booths at CES Las Vegas.
It’s like ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ with each tech giant battling each other to capture consumer attention with the wildest, most outrageous displays.
And while Samsung and LG’s booths makes them undoubtedly comparable to the richest neighbour in the street (‘Samsung City’ is massive and futuristic) some of the other top players have also upped their game with quirky, immersive and super cool experiences.
Here’s our picks of the best booths at CES 2020:
LG:
LG has one of the most captivating entrances with 200, 55-inch OLED TVs creating a ‘wave’ of stunning vision – a completely immersive experience and oh so Instagrammable.
But once inside LG’s mega booth, the tech giant’s new range of appliances and smart home products has you considering splashing out a (likely) gazzilion dollars to refit your entire home.
There’s the super crisp high-quality 8K TVs, there’s the InstaView refrigerators that with just a tap on the front screen reveals what’s inside the fridge without opening the door and then there’s the ‘crafted ice’ – a functionality that creates spherical slow-melting ice balls that take 18 to 30 hours just to freeze three balls.
LG has intelligent washing machines that are so clever it’ll identify when something isn’t right and advise if you need to call for repairs plus demos of ‘the car of the future’ which incorporates all the home comforts like Netflix streaming, fridge and even a dry cleaning closet to keep business shirts crisp during transit.
The booth also features a restaurant run by robots, touchscreen ‘style lab’ which maps body type to an avatar who then models clothing options plus an in-built vertical farm fridge which grows leafy vegetables in the kitchen.
LG’s ‘smart door’ – which uses face and hand print recognition to unlock also had booth visitors lining up to try it out.
The door also has an in-built refrigerated compartment where grocery deliveries can be left.
NIKON:
Over at Nikon, stunningly dressed models wander between tables of high-end cameras on display as a speaker takes an audience through her experiences photographing wild animals and how she got the perfect shot.
But the show-stopper is an interactive photo studio where visitors jump into one of three sets for a quirky Instagrammable photo op.
In one, the photo makes it look like the person is doing handstands and acrobatics in a living room (in reality, the person is laying on the ground amidst upsidedown furniture).
In another, a super-slow video captures people glamourously bursting through a colourful curtain wall and in the third, people appear to be lifting heavy weights.
The photos are taken by professional Nikon staff and sent direct to the user’s email, ready for that Insta-upload in seconds.
SAMSUNG:
It is hard to refer to Samsung’s display as a ‘booth’ because that doesn’t do it justice.
Samsung has mapped out its own city with trademark sky-high Samsung entry gates opening into a living street complete with street sign posts.
To the right is the 8K TVs and mega The Wall MicroLED display – if you hate crowds, this ain’t the place for you.
Entering the Samsung booth is like battling the crush of people just as Myer opens for the Boxing Day sales.
At some points it is impossible to go the opposite direction against the tide of people.
The tech giant’s vision for our future lives is evident, in the kitchen is one of its thousands of customizable fridges and Bot Chef – the robotic arm which helps prepare food.
While across the ‘road’ is its 5G display with rows of Galaxy phones set up to show the speed difference between 4 and 5G.
Then there’s the augmented reality fitness area and demonstrations about how ‘Ballie’ the robotic rolling ball bestie (revealed at Samsung’s keynote this week) works.
But by far the coolest part of the exhibit is its ‘5G vehicle to everything’ display.
Sitting in a driverless vehicle, it gives an immersive insight into what life will be like commuting through a connected smart city.
In one scenario, a school bus adapts its speed when rain starts bucketing down, then re-routes when street sensors alert it to an accident ahead.
The school bus then sends a notification to a student waiting a few blocks away of its changed route, advising of a new pick-up spot a little further down the road.
The student walks to the location, the bus slows as it senses it approaching the student.
It all happens seamlessly in real time – no delays, no phone calls, no fuss. #TheFuture
HYUNDAI:
Hyundai went from car manufacturer to standout booth in the vehicle area this year, revealing its concept Uber air taxi.
The chopper is unmissable in the middle of the booth and with a 240km/h cruising speed and 100km range, it is easy to see why commuters are excited by the prospect.
GOOGLE:
After a flooding disaster in 2018 during a Vegas downpour (ie: 12mm of rain) Google’s marquee was forced to close.
This year, they’ve turned their display into a very solid building, promising ‘next level selfies’.
Inside is a ‘Google playground’ complete with a slide into a ballpit – with the moment captured as a GIF … so Instagrammable.
DELTA:
Delta makes a splash at this year’s CES with a ‘parallel reality experience’ that had keen punters lining up for up to 20 minutes for a go.
The concept is basically that what people can see on a screen outside of the room is completely different to what those inside the room can see.
Delta’s vision: Imagine you’re waiting at the airport and you only see screens that have your travel information, tailored to your preferences’.
Originally published as CES 2020: Inside the best booths