The CES show in Las Vegas has closed its doors and the first trends for next year are already emerging. As is often the case, manufacturers took advantage of the American meeting to present the products that will grace 2023 and one fact seems certain: the laptop must become more beautiful, more efficient and, above all, adequate.
We are thus witnessing an even greater segmentation of a market, marked by the lags of the pandemic, which has generated a rapid re-equipment of consumers at all prices, but also by the shortage of components that has slowed down this growth.
“We no longer have to prove that the PC is important”
Because now, the powerful PC is no longer the latest. Or it should be for creativity, play or development, depending on the needs of each one. “Since the pandemic, we no longer have to prove that the PC is important,” summarizes Tiffany Huang, Acer’s global director of operations, at Tech&Co. “Everyone needs a PC at home to work more efficiently. We are a long way from 2019 where the PC had to fight the smartphone or tablet to prove it was still useful. Now everyone wants a PC for what they have to do”.
“We noticed a slowdown in the sector that had taken off in 2020-21. We are in a phase of decline,” adds the head of the Taiwanese manufacturer, who points out, however, that a new consumer profile has appeared. “Users now want a device that can be used during the day for work and the rest of the time for entertainment,” he says.
“A segmentation appears between an input range that is growing strongly for devices under 400 euros, and the very high one – over 1,200 euros – with customers looking for high added value” For manufacturers, the challenge now is to satisfy these two ends
Even the most affordable machines are no longer satisfied with low-end components: Intel has even announced the arrival of low-cost, low-power N processors, which are faster than in the past. It must be said that Chromebooks, these laptops that run Google’s simplistic Chrome OS, are competitive with low prices.
bigger screens
But you also have to innovate to attract new customers with computers that stand out, all-in-one like the Aspire S, very clearly inspired by Apple’s iMac, or a Swift Edge, an ultra-light and powerful 16-inch portable PC.
At Asus, the trend for 2023 is also to expand screen diagonals to 16 inches and to generalize OLED, whether in the Vivobook or Zenbook range. And that tends to be the same guideline for PCs as it is for displays from all manufacturers.
We find in external screens in 27 and 45 inches Acer Predator, Asus ROG and LG Gaming (same dimensions, but with the possibility of mechanically curving the screen), but also Samsung with the Odyssey Neog G9 Oled. This one comes in at 49 inches and you can’t go wrong.
Because, under the same name as Odyssey Neo G9, the South Korean also has a rather bulky 57-inch curved screen, but sumptuous with its strong colors and contrasts.
Specialist and pioneer of mini LED (a greatly improved LCD panel, close to OLED) in TV, TCL has also opted for this option in gaming screens to offer a very good quality flat screen at a more affordable price than OLED.
Samsung does the same with its Odyssey Neo G7 with an image refresh rate of 144 Hz. In addition to a very nice screen, it has the Samsung Hub that allows you to have Netflix, myCanal, Prime Video… or even game applications in the cloud. such as the Xbox game pass or Nvidia GeForce Now to play directly by connecting a simple controller.
The premium also so that the design stands out
Focusing instead on originality, Lenovo introduced its ThinkBook Plus Twist. On the battery side, it has a main 13.3-inch OLED touchscreen. On the front, there’s a 12-inch e-ink touchscreen that’s front-illuminated, like a reading light. This will be used to draw, read or take notes using the compatible stylus, in a way that consumes less power, while the classic screen will be perfect for streaming or gaming in addition to classic productivity.
Very inspired, the Chinese manufacturer has also drawn a Yoga Book 9i, a 13-inch dual-screen OLED laptop. They can even be used continuously for a larger surface, in particular displaying two apps simultaneously. Its fineness and lightness (1.38 kg) also argue in its favor. But this comes at a cost: 2,300 euros (available in July 2023).
Note that the Yoga Book 9i can be used in different ways, with a keyboard placed on the second screen or separately to work with two separate screens, folded in on themselves or not.
At the same time, manufacturers continue their search for finesse. LG has announced a new series of models for its LG Gram range, with a commitment to design and power, with screens from 14 to 17 inches. This is particularly the case with the LG Gram Ultraslim which displays 998g on the scale for a 15.6-inch, 1.1cm-thick OLED display when closed. Little more than a smartphone.
And 3D also becomes an asset to highlight. Asus has presented a completely crazy computer. ProArt StudioBook 3D OLED allows you to view 3D elements without headphones or glasses on a PC equipped with two gaze-following cameras. This allows you to look at an object and manipulate it through 360°. Ideal for creatives and artists.
Source: BFM TV
