Computex 2018: what to expect

Computex 2018 is rapidly approaching, with the year’s biggest computing show kicking off in Taipei, Taiwan from June 5 until June 9. The biggest names in computing will be there, including AMD, Intel, Nvidia and Asus, and of course we’ll also be there, reporting on the latest news from the show floor.

We’ll also be bringing you hands-on reviews of the top technology that’s on show, including cutting-edge laptops, stunning monitors and more peripherals than you can shake a joystick at.

As we’re getting ever closer to the start of the event we’re picking up more clues over what we can expect to see, from leaks and announcements to our own educated guesses, so read on to find out what you can expect from Computex 2018.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? A huge global technology show that focuses on computing
• When is it? June 5 – June 9
• What's on show? The very latest laptops, PCs, monitors, peripherals and more

What to expect at Computex 2018

Here’s everything we know so far about what is likely to be shown at Computex 2018 by the biggest brands in the world.

Acer

Acer always has a big presence at Computex, and not just because it takes place in its home town of Taipei. At Computex 2017, Acer impressed us with a new line of Acer Spin laptops, and this year we expect to see some more innovative laptops that push the boundaries of the form factor.

So, a closer look at the recently-announced updated Nitro 5 gaming laptop with the latest 8th generation Intel Core i7 and Core i7+ processors and Nvidia 1050 Ti would be nice.

The slimline all-in-one Aspire S24 PC may also be there, and we’d like to see more innovations when it comes to Acer’s 2-in-1 laptops and Chromebooks.

AMD

AMD has been on a roll of late, with its Ryzen processors continuing to produce very strong sales, and its Ryzen 2nd Generation processors, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 2600X and the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X getting rave reviews, so we’re expecting a victorious showing from the hardware maker at this year’s show.

So, we can expect to hear about what’s next for AMD’s Ryzen processors, and maybe even see some laptops that have the second generation installed. Even more likely, we may see the announcement of Ryzen Threadripper 2nd Generation at the show.

We’ll also get some news about AMD’s Radeon graphics cards as well, which have also been doing pretty well of late.

Asus

Asus is always a very popular draw at Computex, and we don’t expect it to be any different this year. Asus has a lot of fingers in a lot of pies, so expect new gaming laptops, as well as components and peripherals to boot.

Asus was also early to hype up its Computex 2018 appearance by releasing a video that appears to tease the announcement of a new ZenBook laptop. Asus’ range of ZenBooks are gorgeously designed and slimline ultrabooks, so we’re really looking forward to seeing what it has in store.

The video, which features Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, is titled ‘Unleash your creative power’, so we’re convinced this will be a laptop that comes with enough processing and graphical chops for image and video editing. It could very well be a Kaby Lake-G powered Ultrabook going by everything we know.

We may also get a glimpse of the recently-announced ZenPhone Max Pro (M1) smartphone as well.

Intel

Last year Intel took to the stage at Computex to talk about its amazingly-powerful Core i9 processors, and we expect the chipmaker to go large this year as well.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) looks like it could be a major theme at Computex 2018, and Intel will be heavily invested, so we could see some announcements around that.

We also expect to see a number of laptops showcased by Intel with its latest chips inside, including the H-series Intel Core CPUs. On the desktop front, rumors of new chipsets suggest we might see the announcement or even launch of Canon Lake and Kaby Lake-X processors.

Nvidia

Nvidia is another huge company that will be at Computex 2018, and will also have a lot to say about AI.

We’re likely to also see some new laptops showing off Nvidia’s mobile graphics cards, and also hear about how Nvidia’s components are powering the next generation of virtual reality games and experiences.

Also, following on from GTC 2018, Nvidia’s GPU Technology Conference, we’ll hear more about the company’s work on self-driving cars, smart cities, healthcare and high performance computing. Hopefully, we may also see Nvidia’s new GPUs for this year, the GeForce GTX 11 series, which will be powered by its Volta technology.

Microsoft

Microsoft is also a reliable presence at Computex, and with the ever-evolving Windows 10 we may get a chance to see what’s coming up for the operating system.

Last year Microsoft went into detail about its collaboration with Qualcomm, which saw the creation of Windows on Snapdragon laptops, that offer mobile-phone like battery lives and features. Could we see another innovative collaboration this year?

We may also see some new headsets for its Mixed Reality platform as well. Let’s just hope that Microsoft’s repeatedly-delayed Redstone 4 update is released by then.

• Here’s everything that happened at last year’s Computex

April 26, 2018 at 10:15PM
Matt Hanson