Windows 10 Tablets, Smartphones Make an Impression at CES

This year’s CES was a showcase for new Windows-powered gear, as the show floor was sprinkled with an ever-expanding array of Windows 10 tablets and smartphones.

Offering a wealth of expansion and customization options, along with built-in 3D imaging and security features that businesses care about, it’s no wonder eWEEK‘s own Don Reisinger named the ThinkPad X1 Tablet “a standout at CES.”

Watch out, Microsoft. Samsung is gunning for Microsoft’s successful Surface Pro line of Windows tablets with a 12-inch device that is a mere 6.3mm thick (the new Surface Pro 4 is 8.45mm thick) and features a vibrant OLED screen.

Dell’s latest two-in-one Windows tablets for commercial customers are clad in sleek black enclosures, a welcome departure from the company’s stodgy business laptops of old. Besides an inoffensive design, the Latitude 12 7000 Series two-in-ones impress with two keyboard options, 4K displays and solid magnesium unibody construction.

The HP EliteBook Folio is billed as “the world’s thinnest and lightest business-class notebook,” and it certainly looks the part with a slim, MacBook-like all-aluminum body and an optional 4K display. With the help of four speakers and the audio engineers at Bang & Olufsen, the EliteBook Folio can pump out impressive sounds during deskside presentations, too.

Toshiba is targeting designers, digital artists and folks who prefer stylus-based input with a new 12-inch tablet that features digital inking tech from the pros at Wacom.

Compared with major PC brands such as Dell and HP, E Fun doesn’t have the same cachet. Nonetheless, budget buyers can now partake of the full Windows 10 experience—nothing too hardcore, mind you—with a line of two-in-ones that start at $149 when they go on sale in the second quarter of 2016.

For a while, it looked like Microsoft’s Lumia brand would stand alone in the company’s uphill battle to popularize Windows smartphones. Acer is joining the fight with a Windows 10 handset that doesn’t skimp on the premium-grade flourishes.

Add another ally to the Windows phone fight. The affordable OneTouch Fierce XL, a 5-inch smartphone from Alcatel, will be available at T-Mobile in the coming weeks.

Intel’s latest Compute Sticks are based on sixth-generation “Skylake” Intel Core m3 and Core m5 processors, providing enough grunt to turn any TV with HDMI inputs into an full-fledged Windows 10 computer.