CES 2018, America's biggest mobile trade show, takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, from Sun 7 to Fri 12 Jan, 2018.

These are 3 hot smartphone trends you should expect to see there.

1. AI SMARTPHONE WARS: The rush to be the worldwide mobile AI leader is heating up. However, the problem is, almost every major player now has an AI story and there is very little to tell them apart! From Google Assistant to Apple Siri and Huawei Kirin, they all do broadly the same thing. Read our views on AI phones here.

2. BITCOIN PHONES: The lure of putting a "bank in your pocket" and having better blockchain security for mobile wallets or payments is one that excites the mobile industry for 2018. Expect to see several announcements related to Bitcoin, Ripple and alike at the show. We wrote about Bitcoin several months ago and can be viewed here.

3. 5G HYPE: The hype around 5G today is reaching fever pitch. But we expect some uncertainty and doubt to creep into the market next year, as to whether many of the promised timelines for phones, chips and services can actually be met. Read our views on 5G phones here.

Our smartphone research analysts will be at the event. Contact us here if you would like to meet.