CES 2013 will feature new devices from AT&T, Huawei, Sony and more
We're just a few short days away from the Super Bowl of tech shows, as CES 2013 starts next week, and you can be sure that the Know Your Cell team will be there. CES 2013 covers nearly every aspect of consumer electronics (TVs, remote controlled cars, phones, etc.) but it is quickly becoming a mobile- and tablet-focused show. Let's take a look at what we expect to find.
AT&T lays out its year
AT&T will hold its Developer Summit in Las Vegas around CES 2013 and this should set the table for the company's year. Last year, we saw AT&T unveil its 4G LTE rollout plans and six Android 4G LTE phones. Expect a similar strong showing from the nation's second-largest carrier.
AT&T now has 4G LTE support in more than 119 markets and we've found this to be quite speedy. We had some concerns that it would slow down once millions of people hopped on, but even after the release of the super-popular iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3, AT&T's 4G LTE is still blazing fast. Look for its next-generation mobile data network to be announced in more markets, as it still has to catch up to the more than 400 markets being covered by Verizon.
The carrier will also likely show off some new smartphones and tablets but it's unclear what those will be. Don't be surprised to see one of the new Xperia phones as part of AT&T's 2013 lineup.
Sony outs new Xperia phones
Speaking of Xperia phones, we've already seen some leaks about what Sony may show off at CES 2013: the Xperia Z Yuga and Xperia ZL Odin. Don't let the weird codenames fool you, these look to be very powerful Android devices.
Both phones recently appeared on Sony website by accident and these handsets appear to be packing some major power. The Xperia Z or "Yuga," is expected to have a 5-inch, 1080p HD screen, Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, Wi-Fi, NFC and all the other goodies you'd want in a smartphone.
The Xperia XL also packs quite a punch but in a smaller form factor. You can look forward to similar specs as the Yuga but the XL appears to be a bit smaller and thinner.
Needless to say, we're very excited to get our hands on these new Sony superphones.
Huawei ups its game
Huawei is also expected to have a big showing at CES and by big, I mean we believe it will show off a "phablet" with a 6.1-inch screen.
The device will allegedly be called the Ascend Mate and it will sport that 6.1 inch, high-resolution display, 2GB of RAM, a 1.8GHz CPU, 13-megapixel camera and a 4,000mAh battery.
Huawei will also probably deliver the Ascend D2, which should launch with a five inch, 1080p HD dispaly, 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 13 megapixel camera and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. There's no word on whether these smartphones will be picked up by an American carrier, but these impressive devices will likely garner some support from those wanting the best hardware around.
More surprises
CES 2013 isn't just for product announcements, as it's also used as a showcase for technology that will be landing down the road. For example, Samsung Display is reportedly ready to show off a 5.5-inch, 720p HD screen that is flexible. We've seen prototypes for a few years now but it may soon be ready for prime time.
The tablet space will also be an interesting area of focus at CES 2013. We've seen numerous companies try to find a counter to the iPad (and now, the iPad mini) but most have struck out. The Amazon Kindle Fire and Nexus lineup seem to have gained some traction but the rest appear like also-rans.
I expect to see a boatload of new tablets running Windows 8 at CES. Many computer makers may have been hesitant to release Windows 8 tablets because of Microsoft's Surface, but the tablet market is real and Windows 8 probably represents the best tablet platform outside of iOS.
We'll be covering CES 2013 live from Las Vegas all next week, so please keep it locked on KnowYourCell.com. For up-to-the-second coverage, follow us on Twitter @knowyourcell and follow the editors on the ground: @marinperez @mdflores @clarehopping.