Travel Tech Trends for 2019

What the latest gadgets of today will look like tomorrow.

1. Tablet

NOW: Apple’s new iPad Pro (from $1229) has lost the home button and is now all-screen so it’s ideal for work or play. It can be used as a tablet or a laptop whether you’re binging content on a flight or working on a presentation.

NEXT: Users of future tablets will be able to roll up their device like a piece of paper and put it in their pocket. This means you will be able to carry around a large screen without being weighed down.

2. e-Reader

NOW: Kindle Paperwhite (from $199) is now thinner, lighter and now also waterproof so you can read your favourite books at the beach or by the pool.

NEXT: The next e-reader will still have paper-like screens but will also introduce colour and the ability to write on the screen. Form factors will also change with perhaps a foldable device.

3. Camera

NOW: Sony HX99 High Zoom Travel Camera ($749) has the world's smallest body for a camera with a zoom range from 24mm to 720mm super telephoto, plus many of the features you’d find on a larger DSLR camera.

NEXT: There will still be a healthy market for dedicated digital cameras but they will be infused with artificial intelligence to take better photographs as well as the ability to capture images, which can be enjoyed with VR headsets.

4. Smartphone

NOW: Huawei Mate 20 Pro ($1599) is packed with world-first technologies including an in-screen fingerprint reader, a triple Leica camera and ability to wirelessly charge other devices.

NEXT: The next big trend will be a foldable smartphone, which will have a regular screen on the front and unfold to reveal a larger tablet-size screen on the inside to enjoy your content and multitask.

5. Headphones

NOW: Plantronics BackBeat GO410 Noise Cancelling Earphones ($199.99) can be used wirelessly on public transport or with a cable on an aircraft and block the ambient sound.

NEXT: Noise-cancelling technology will become smarter to allow sound to come through based on your location and movement. So it can detect when you’re running and know you need to hear the traffic around you.

6. Smartwatch

NOW: Samsung Galaxy Watch (From $549) has the smarts of a wearable device and an eSIM which means you can answer your calls, messages and use apps even when overseas without your smart phone in sight.

NEXT: Smartwatches will become even more wearable – and more invisible. They will still provide data and health information through a wearable sensor or earbud with data displayed onto a smart contact lens or glasses.

7. Bluetooth Speaker

NOW: UE Boom ($229.95) is a go-anywhere Bluetooth waterproof speaker made of premium materials and is tough enough to enjoy anywhere. The high-quality 360-degree audio can be the life of your party.

NEXT: There will be a dramatic increase in sound quality with audio technology that creates a larger sound in a smaller device as well as the ability to place sound virtually anywhere in the room.

8. Powerbank

NOW: Laser 20,000mAh Power Bank ($129.95) includes both USB 2.0 and USB-C so it’s got enough juice to charge several devices at once, including laptops, tablets, smartphone and e-readers.

NEXT: Soon charging your device metres away from a power point will become a reality – think of it as power wi-fi but it’s not just connecting your device but charging it too.

9. Laptop

NOW: Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (from $1,499) is a powerhouse with a 13.5-inch Pixel Sense touchscreen and the latest Intel 8th Generation Quad Core processor under the hood that makes it 85 per cent faster than the previous model.

NEXT: The laptop computer of the future will be smaller than a smartphone but will project a keyboard for easy typing on the go and also beam the display onto a nearby wall or ceiling. And when you’re done – you can carry it in your pocket.

10. Fitness Tracker

NOW: Fitbit Charge 3 ($229.95) has an improved design and provides information about our movement, heart rate and sleep quality. And now it is water-resistant so you can take it for a swim.

NEXT: Fitness trackers will get smaller and discreet but they will have new abilities like detecting blood glucose levels, sleep apnoea, irregular heart rates and checking blood pressure.