The 10 Biggest Product Rumors Heading Into CES 2018

New Rumored Products at CES

With CES 2018 under a month away, rumors are swirling around about the newest hot products that will be launched at the big show.

Among the rumored launches are a new ARM-powered Windows 10 device from Lenovo, new and improved virtual reality headsets for the consumer market, and an array of new products and devices from Samsung.

Here are the 10 biggest product rumors heading into CES 2018.

Lenovo ARM-Powered Windows 10 Device

ARM-based processors, which enable cellular connections and long battery life, are now linking up with Windows 10 for the first time thanks to a partnership between Microsoft and Qualcomm. HP Inc. and Asus just announced the first Windows 10 ARM devices, which use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor and run Windows 10 S. Microsoft has announced that Lenovo will be following soon with a Windows 10 ARM device of its own. That points to a likely launch of the device at CES 2018, where Lenovo is expected to have a major presence. Specifics on Lenovo's first ARM-powered Windows 10 device have yet to emerge, but a good bet is that it could be a 2-in-1 -- an area where Lenovo is active with its popular Yoga line.

Huawei Partnerships With U.S. Carriers

In many parts of the globe, Chinese vendor Huawei is increasingly becoming a more significant player in the smartphone market. In the U.S., not so much -- in part due to a lack of deals with major U.S. carriers for the company. Reports from earlier this year suggested that Huawei was close to landing a partnership with AT&T, however. And now, rumors suggest that the announcement of an AT&T deal for Huawei may be coming at CES 2018. In fact, some reports now indicate that Huawei may be close to inking an agreement with Verizon, too, which could also end up getting announced at CES.

Additionally, rumors suggest Huawei may use CES 2018 -- where Huawei CEO Richard Yu is giving a keynote -- to announce the debut of its Mate 10 smartphone line in the U.S.

Daydream Headsets From Lenovo And Huawei

One trend at CES 2018 could be the debut of new headsets running Google's virtual-reality platform, Daydream. Lenovo and Huawei are both rumored to be launching Daydream headsets at CES. Lenovo's headset is expected to be a standalone unit, meaning that it won't need an Android smartphone to power it. There are a few clues that the Lenovo Daydream headset is, in fact, coming at CES, including a recent tweet from a Google VP saying that he has been using a pre-release version of the headset and that there will be "more soon" about it. Lenovo has also sent out an invite to its CES event that contains the phrases "reality has never been so exhilarating" and "see and experience the world in new ways."

Huawei, meanwhile, is another vendor that has been public about its plans to release a Daydream headset. Rumors that the headset is coming at CES 2018 have been fueled by a recent filing with the Federal Communications Commission for a Huawei "virtual reality handle," which appears to confirm the existence of a Huawei VR headset that will work with a controller.

Huawei MediaPad M5

In terms of notable tablet releases at CES 2018, reports suggest that Huawei may be planning to come out with a successor to the MediaPad M3, which is rumored to be named the MediaPad M5. We enjoyed using the MediaPad M3 (pictured) -- an 8.4-inch Android tablet that competes with the iPad Mini -- at the CRN Test Center earlier this year, so we're looking forward to seeing an update to the tablet. Rumors suggest that the MediaPad M5 will keep the 8.4-inch display, and will have 2,560 x 1,600 display resolution, a Kirin 960 processor, and Android 8.0 (Oreo) as its operating system. Other specs, along with pricing, have yet to surface.

Samsung Galaxy S9 And LG G7

A few weeks back, rumors had circulated suggesting that CES 2018 might be featuring some bigger smartphone releases than usual. The Samsung Galaxy S9 (the successor to the S8 (pictured)) and the LG G7 (the successor to the G6) were rumored to be ready for unveiling at the Las Vegas show in January. Samsung has mostly quashed the rumors, however, with the company issuing a statement calling it "unlikely" that the Galaxy S9 will debut at CES. (That does not rule out the possibility of an S9 teaser video during Samsung's press event, of course.) With the Galaxy S9 less likely to arrive at CES, the rationale for LG to debut the G7 as a competitive move against Samsung largely goes away -- suggesting that the G7 rumors may not pan out, either. The G7 could instead be coming in late February in connection with Mobile World Congress, which is traditionally where LG updates its G series.

Samsung Galaxy X – A New Foldable Phone?

On top of other reports of the Samsung Galaxy S9, rumors are swirling that Samsung will reveal a new foldable phone called the Galaxy X during CES. Rumors suggest that the phone will have two screens and a strip connecting them, so that they can fold on top of each other. The reports began after Samsung filed a patent for a phone with a wraparound screen that goes around the back of the phone.

Google "Manhattan" Device

For the first time, Google will have a large booth at CES this year, triggering speculation about whether the company will make any hardware announcements. One report suggests that Google will unveil a competitor to the Amazon Echo Show smart speaker, codenamed "Manhattan." This device, which will reportedly be able to connect to smart home devices, will have a 7-inch display and support for Google's services, including YouTube, Photos, and streaming video services, according to rumors.

Nvidia To Focus On Autonomous Vehicle Tech

Nvidia, which will have a press event at CES, is expected to showcase new technology relating to self-driving cars. At CES 2017, the company announced car-related technologies like mobile processor Tegra and AI car computer technology DrivePX. At this year's CES, the company is rumored to delve deeper into autonomous vehicles with artificial intelligence-related technology for self-driving cars.

Samsung Micro-LED TV Technology

Samsung is rumored to showcase micro-LED based televisions at this year's CES. This technology targets the premium TV market will enable top of the line TVs that are 150 inches. Samsung reportedly is using its 4K resolution cinema LED for the micro-LED TV, and the model is aimed at the home theater market.

HTC Vive 2

HTC may debut its next-generation Vive headset at CES. According to rumors, this new headset could include an array of improvements, including 4K displays, which will help sharpen the virtual reality detail. Also, the HTC Vive 2 will reportedly have a built-in wireless transmitter, so users will not have to worry about getting tangled up in wires.