If you follow tech news, you'll have seen plenty of CES headlines already. Companies are releasing a steady drip of information in a bid to generate interest ahead of a unique edition of the annual consumer tech trade show.

The main event doesn't get started until next week; everything kicks off on Monday morning. So, as the tech world prepares for virtual Vegas, what can you expect to see in the coming days?

What Has Happened at CES So Far?

CES fringe events such as Techfluence and Showstoppers have been running all week. As such, we've already seen several companies release new products and provide sneak previews of what to expect.

JBL has already announced upgrades to its JBL Charge Bluetooth speakers, as well as a host of new headphones and microphones. Acer has some flashy new gaming monitors, Jabra has brought in some new color schemes, and Sharp has unveiled Alexa-enabled smart microwaves. We also went into a Razer briefing—let's just say there's some big news to come on Monday.

Check out our complete CES 2021 coverage to keep up-to-date with all the news. We will be updating the articles as the event unfolds.

What to Expect at CES 2021

While the stories that have already broken are exciting, it's nothing compared to what we can look forward during the official days of the event.

Here are seven things to expect at CES 2021.

1. Pandemic Tech

The post-COVID world is sure to be a different one. Working culture, personal hygiene, and methods of education have changed forever.

Expect to see many of the exhibitors jumping on one of those themes. Everything from smart face masks to Kohler's touchless toilets will be on display. iHome has even managed to introduce an alarm clock that disinfects your phone.

Philips and P&G are both scheduled to release new products, while services such as always-on-call doctors and smart thermometers will also be demoed.

2. 5G

For the many mobile companies at CES 2021, the biggest news is the ongoing rollout of 5G networks around the world, along with the new possibilities that those networks will bring.

Indeed, the CES show kicks off with a keynote speech from Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg and closes with the official unveiling of Samsung's 5G-compatible Galaxy S21.

Vestberg's speech will discuss how 5G forms an essential component of the drive towards better telemedicine and tele-education in the 21st century, while Samsung's event will be the first time that the new handset has been seen in public.

You will hear a lot more on the topic of 5G at Mobile World Congress in Shanghai in February. At the time of writing, that event is still going ahead.

3. More Folding Gadgets

Last year's CES saw the debut of folding devices, but many of the devices we saw—such as Dell's Duet and Ori devices—were mere concept ideas. This year, folding devices promise to be much more mainstream.

Xiaomi reportedly has a new 360-degree screen in the works, Royole has already won a CES Innovation Award for its folding smartphone, the FlexPai 2, and we'd expect new releases from some of the other major hardware manufacturers as the week progresses.

While the tech world fawns over folding devices, the public at large appear to be slightly more skeptical. CES 2021 needs to be the year that the tech industry starts to allay some of those concerns.

4. Everyone Still Loves Big TVs

samsung ces 2019

While CES is perhaps no longer the television love-in that it was five years ago, the newest models from companies like LG, Sony, TCL, and Samsung still continue to amaze.

And while the virtual event means that will be no repeat of Samsung's "The Wall" that graced CES 2019, there is sure to be plenty to admire.

Samsung and LG will continue to lean into 8K screens, while we'd ideally like to see more 48-inch OLEDs and 32-inch premium screens become available. LG has also released the world's first eyesafe-certified TV, designed to reduce blue light emissions. Expect to see it unveiled during LG's presentation on Monday morning.

5. New Laptops From Major Manufacturers

CES is one of the hottest times of the year for new laptops. The 2021 edition has already given us a refreshed LG Gram laptop line (complete with Intel Tiger Lake CPUs) and a new Lenovo IdeaPad 5G. The IdeaPad has a 14-inch 1080p IPS display, 300 nits of brightness, and Dolby Audio.

Acer has been teasing new ROG and TUF gaming laptops (both will run Nvidia's new range of RTX 3000 series), and Dell's Latitude 7000 has gotten a redesign. Razer has new hardware out too, but it's still tightly under wraps.

6. Glitz and Glamour

The tech world's annual trip to Vegas is as much about celeb spotting as it is about the technology on show.

In the last few years, we've seen scheduled appearances from Pharrell Williams, Shaquille O'Neal, Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent, Dr. Phil, and many more.

This year, the virtual entertainment duties fall to iHeartMedia. Billie Eilish will do a live performance on Tuesday night after an interview between Ryan Seacrest and Dua Lipa.

7. Less Is More?

CES has been ballooning in size for the last few years. With the expanded Las Vegas Convention Center nearing completion, the trend was only set to continue throughout the 2020s.

The online nature of CES 2021 has forced a rethink. At this year's event, there are only 2,000 exhibitors, down from 4,400 at the last physical event in 2020. The hope is that a smaller number of exhibitors will reduce the noise and allow for more meaningful conversations to take place in breakout Zoom calls. The reality may be different; only time will tell.

Other keynote speeches to keep an eye out for include AMD on Tuesday, Microsoft on Wednesday, and the featured presentations from Hisense, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, and Philips on Monday.

Follow CES 2021

Make sure you stay tuned to CES content on the web and across our social channels throughout the next week. We will be publishing all the latest stories from virtual Vegas as they happen.