What's up in the world of tech: Top 5 trends in 2019

Read on to discover this year's must-have technologies and products.

The electronics industry is ever evolving with the birth of technologies. Keeping your electronics business up to date and trendy is a breeze when you know the hottest industry developments and products that have the biggest potential to upscale your buyer base.

Here are top 5 technologies and innovations predicted to be big in 2019:

1. 5G devices are in – 5G has finally arrived in the US and soon in other countries. 5G promises faster connectivity for smartphones, wireless cameras, drones, cars, dongles and more devices. Speed is up to 10Gbps with low latency. While consumers might not notice all product launches, market research providers such as Analysys Mason Research expect a fast-growing pool of products. Finding devices to prepare for the 5G boom is easy because suppliers are already rolling out 5G dongles, routers and phones as early as now.

2. "Invisible" TVs – Whether roll-up, picture frame-like or auto-dimming, TVs that blend with walls are already ready to be introduced to the market by big brands such as Samsung and LG. Key to the trends are microLEDs and OLEDs which have high brightness and can be made flexible, respectively. According to IHS Markit in a report by The Straits Times, the microLED displays segment is growing and is predicted to ship about 223 million units. The OLED market, meanwhile, will deliver 3.4 million units worldwide this year, up by nearly a million units as compared to 2018 shipments.

3. Smarter AI and IoT– Artificial intelligence will again take center stage in electronics shows and "run the world", according to Digital Trends. Expect it to shine once more in the form of voice assistants or intelligent robots. Smart assistants and robots that can sense feelings and respond accordingly, voice AI in China that rival the popular Alexa and Google, and connected smart home devices have been improving over the past years.

4. Folding phones – Think new smartphones are all the same and getting boring? Not anymore, they're about to get exciting again thanks to the folding screen. Much like TVs, mobile phones are turning flexible. Many brands have announced interesting prototypes that unfold into tablets and wrap around the wrist, and frontrunner Samsung's folding phone is already touching the market by next month. Many see the trend so promising in attracting smartphone buyers so be first in line to check out if your folding phone and tablet manufacturer is developing their own cool device.

5. 8K resolution – 8K UHD or 7680x4320p resolution is four times than that of 4K, and like 4K took its sweet time before becoming mainstream. This year, though, 8K monitors and TVs are expected to roll out for real. Samsung is already selling an 8K TV for the high-end market while Sony and LG are reportedly launching 8K TV sets in CES 2019. While there are very few suppliers offering 8K media accessories and displays right now, expect more to follow suit in the coming months.