All the brand new tech that caught our eye in Las Vegas

Over 4,000 exhibitors flocked to Las Vegas, Nevada this week to showcase their wares at CES 2026. The Engadget workforce, as traditional, was out in full drive protecting the present. The week started with press conferences from large corporations on the present, largely stuffed with AI buzzwords, obscure guarantees and fairly little in the way in which of onerous information.

Multiple firm even determined to forgo saying issues throughout their conferences to make method for extra AI chatter, solely to publish press releases later quietly admitting that, sure, truly, they did make some client know-how. It is acceptable, I suppose, that as we’re starting to really feel the knock-on price results of the AI trade’s insatiable urge for food for compute assets — increased utility payments and gadget costs — corporations would quite use their flashy conferences to strengthen AI’s supposedly must-have attributes quite than truly inform the general public about their new merchandise.

We’re certainly not AI luddites at Engadget, nevertheless it’s honest to say that our workforce is extra excited by tangible merchandise that enrich our lives than iterative enhancements to massive language fashions. So, away from all the bombast of NVIDIA’s marathon keynote and Lenovo’s one way or the other concurrently gaudy and boring Sphere present, it has been a pleasure to judge the group of bizarre new devices, home equipment, toys and robots vying for our consideration.

Over the course of a number of days of exhaustive dialogue and impassioned pitching, our CES workforce has whittled down the a whole bunch of merchandise we noticed to select our favorites. Beginning with an preliminary shortlist of round 50 candidates throughout a various vary of product classes, we finally landed on 15 winners and our singular greatest in present.

Should you’ve been with us all week, keep tuned for lots extra to come back — regardless of publishing virtually 200 articles from the present already, there’s nonetheless lots we now have to inform you about. For now, although, listed here are our winners, every launched by the editor most accustomed to it. — Aaron Souppouris, Editor-in-chief

Finest robotic: Switchbot Onero H1

We noticed lots of robots exhibiting off intriguing and helpful capabilities at CES 2026. Whereas lots of robots impressed us, there have been fewer corporations prepared to commit to really making them out there. However Switchbot’s Onero H1, which we watched decide up garments and cargo a washer, is a helper robotic the corporate intends to promote this yr.

The demo we noticed was restricted, however Switchbot claims it might assist with an array of family chores (even when it’d do them extra slowly than a human). It is also form of cute. The corporate hasn’t mentioned how a lot Onero will price, although it guarantees the droid will likely be lower than $10,000. An almost five-figure price ticket remains to be out of attain for many, nevertheless it no less than offers us hope we’ll see it someplace outdoors of the CES showfloor. — Karissa Bell, Senior reporter

Finest accessibility tech: WheelMove

WheelMove presents a easy improve for guide wheelchairs that might make it a lot simpler for the rider to navigate tough surfaces like grass and uneven grime paths. The add-on is affixed to the entrance bars of the wheelchair and might raise the small caster wheels off the bottom, along with offering energy help with 5 velocity choices. It is moveable, has an honest vary of about 15 miles — with the choice to swap out its battery on the go — and will give wheelchair customers better entry to areas that may in any other case be tough to maneuver about in. It could actually additionally preserve the wheelchair from dashing up when an individual is touring on a downward slope.

This feels very very like a product that can truly see the sunshine of day, and could possibly be genuinely useful. It builds upon an current class of wheelchair equipment to deal with an actual problem in a method that does not overcomplicate issues, and would work with the wheelchairs individuals already use. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend editor

Finest TV: LG Wallpaper TV (OLED Evo W6)

I’ve seen loads of TVs at CES this yr, however few stopped me in my tracks like LG’s OLED Evo W6. It’s the resurrection of the corporate’s “Wallpaper TV,” however this time it’s even thinner (concerning the depth of a pencil), and it’s now not tied to a soundbar. It additionally makes use of LG’s wi-fi management field to cut back cabling — the one wire you could conceal is the one for energy.

And better of all, the OLED Evo W6 options LG’s newest OLED know-how, which guarantees to be about 20 p.c brighter than earlier generations. Video demos regarded completely gorgeous, with all the great distinction and black ranges we’ve come to like from OLED. Nevertheless it’s additionally a murals when it’s turned off, one which virtually disappears when considered from an angle. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior reporter

Finest AI {hardware}: Delicate Voicebuds

Delicate’s Voicebuds are earbuds with a twist: They characteristic an AI mannequin that’s educated to transcribe your voice precisely in very noisy environments, or when it is beneath a whisper in quiet areas. We’ve seen this stuff in motion on the bustling CES present ground, the place they managed to transcribe a number of sentences amid the chaos. The one downsides is that the Voicebuds require web entry to make use of the perfect transcription fashions, and you could subscribe to the Delicate app to make use of it. With out the app, it depends on a smaller native mannequin for transcription.

Whereas we nonetheless have to put the Voicebuds by their paces, they’re intriguing as a result of we haven’t seen many genuinely helpful AI {hardware} merchandise. Plus, it’s been some time since we’ve seen a tiny startup ship {hardware} attempting to tackle the likes of Apple. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior reporter

Finest good residence: IKEA Matter-compatible good residence

The very best good residence units I noticed at CES had nothing to do with AI or robots. It appears each different firm, from Bosch to LG to Samsung, had one or each of the buzzy applied sciences baked into their new good residence choices. However IKEA got here to its first CES with a easy lineup of fundamental, Matter-enabled good plugs, sensors, lamps and remotes at screamingly good costs. Operate paired with accessible pricing is form of what IKEA is understood for, so the lineup didn’t precisely shock me as a lot as make me recognize that somebody is lastly simplifying and democratizing good residence stuff.

There are 21 Matter-compatible units in all. They embrace a $6 good bulb, an $8 good plug, a $6 good distant and a slew of residence sensors. A barely pricier ($15) globe bulb appears very beautiful. Lastly, there’s a wise bulb you’d truly wish to have a look at — one which doesn’t price $50. One other standout is the BILREA distant management. Not solely is it an intuitive controller for IKEA’s good units and new good lamps, it additionally has a magnetic mount so that you don’t lose the factor. Matter units require a hub to perform. Right here, you may both go for IKEA’s personal DIRIGERA or use a Matter hub you already personal. The brand new lineup ought to land at IKEA’s web site and shops someday in January. — Amy Skorheim, Senior reporter

Finest residence theater: Samsung HW-QS90H

Many corporations declare their soundbars have sufficient bass that you just don’t want a separate subwoofer. These guarantees not often pan out, even when the corporate devises new know-how to unravel the issue. With the HW-QS90H, Samsung is pledging to do the identical with its Quad Bass woofer system. These woofers transfer in two instructions, producing much more low-end tone than most soundbars are able to on their very own. What’s extra, Samsung included its Convertible Match Design tech that debuted final yr, so you may lay this speaker flat or mount it on a wall and the built-in sensors will routinely modify the motive force output accordingly. So, if you happen to’ve longed for deep bass on a soundbar with out a big or ugly sub within the nook, it’s possible you’ll lastly get your want later this yr. — Billy Steele, Deputy editor

Finest audio: Shokz OpenFit Professional

In the case of open match earbuds, corporations that declare to supply energetic noise cancellation (ANC) often don’t ship; It’s tough to successfully block exterior sound when your ears aren’t fully sealed off. Shokz is among the few that has cracked the code with its OpenFit Professional. The over-the-ear hook design permits the earbuds to take a seat outdoors of your ear for a transparent line to your environment. While you want a bit extra quiet, the corporate’s noise discount tech does nicely to silence average sounds in a restaurant, workplace and extra. It’s critically spectacular how a lot noise discount you’ll get right here, and the truth that nothing is caught in your ear canals makes them very snug to put on. Plus, Shokz improved general sound high quality with new drivers, and tacked on Dolby Atmos for good measure. — Billy Steele, Deputy editor

Finest outside tech: Tone Outdoor T1

Outside device corporations have more and more proven up at CES, particularly those that supply a spread of battery-powered gear. Tone Outdoor isn’t your traditional energy device outfit although; it’s a spin-off of the aerospace engineering firm Whisper Aero. By means of its improvement of quieter electrical airplane engines, Whisper Aero realized its know-how had different makes use of. Enter the T1 leaf blower.

The T1 is considerably quieter than most handheld fuel fashions, clocking in at simply 52 decibels of peak noise on common. It’s additionally extra highly effective than most of them with 880 CFM of airflow quantity. The T1 can run longer too, and an upcoming backpack will prolong run time for a number of hours. However a very powerful development right here is just not annoying your neighbors — or your self — when it’s time to do some yard work. — Billy Steele, Deputy editor

Finest toy: Lego Good Play

Lego is continually evolving, however not often does it make as massive a transfer because it did with Good Play. The system is designed to take customary Lego units and make them extra interactive due to a tech-packed Good Brick. These bricks have a tiny chip the dimensions of a Lego stud that permits issues like movement, shade and proximity sensing. In addition they have a tiny speaker that additional helps carry Lego builds to life.

The Good Brick is usually a clean slate, however pairing it with Lego’s Good Tags and Good Minifigures is what permits these new play situations. Unsurprisingly, Lego launched the Good Play system alongside Star Wars units that make these new immersive parts extra apparent. An X-Wing piloted by Luke Skywalker can get right into a dogfight with Darth Vader’s TIE fighter, and you may hear the engines roar to life, the characters exclaim as they arrive beneath hearth and the spaceship explodes if it will get hit too many instances. And Good Play requires no setup, which means that the know-how packed into the Good Brick fades away and lets youngsters (and children at coronary heart) get right down to the enterprise of taking part in. You needn’t know the way it works — it simply does. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy editor

Finest PC or laptop computer: Dell XPS 14 + 16

In a method, this award is for Dell’s newest flagship laptops but in addition the corporate itself. Final yr, Dell confirmed up with a new naming scheme for all of its {hardware} that included changing the enduring XPS line with the phrase “Premium.” And regardless of our objections, the corporate adopted by with the rebrand. However now at CES 2026, not solely has Dell admitted its mistake, it’s righting wrongs with two new members of the XPS household which are precisely what we needed all alongside.

On the XPS 14 and XPS 16, we’re getting model new chassis that includes the most recent chips from Intel, attractive tandem OLED shows and precision engineering that embodies all the things we beloved about XPS laptops from earlier years. Dell additionally streamlined its designs with the bigger XPS 16 dropping a complete pound in comparison with the earlier era. The corporate even addressed plenty of our earlier critiques by switching from capacitive contact controls again to a traditional row of perform keys and reverting to segmented touchpads as an alternative of seamless glass ones that made it onerous to maintain monitor of your cursor.

However maybe the perfect half is that Dell isn’t stopping right here, as a result of the corporate additionally teased a brand new model of its legendary XPS 13 slated for later this yr, the thinnest and lightest member of the household but. There are additionally placeholders for 2 extra XPS fashions slated to reach within the not too distant future. — Sam Rutherford, Senior reporter

Finest well being tech: Eyebot imaginative and prescient check sales space

Wouldn’t or not it’s good if getting an up to date eyeglasses prescription wasn’t as prolonged a course of as it’s proper now? Eyebot’s new kiosk is designed to automate the method of visiting a physician’s workplace to 3 minutes rocking as much as a machine. It makes use of a mixture of analog and digital wizardry to determine what you could see correctly very quickly in any respect. Even higher is that the prescriptions should be signed off by a licensed eye physician, so you may nonetheless depend on a level {of professional} rigor. We like Eyebot as a result of it proved itself in our exams: its temporary examination matched my professionally accomplished prescription from final yr. However its capability to make efficient eye care accessible and reasonably priced in a method that it isn’t at current is much more compelling than the tech itself. — Daniel Cooper, Senior reporter

Finest gaming tech: ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo is massive, bizarre and probably awkward to arrange. However actually, what sort of gamer doesn’t need extra screens? Even if you happen to can’t use its second show in the course of a firefight, extra actual property means further room for Discord, construct guides or anything you may want. Moreover, ASUS included not one however two sensible OLED panels with as much as 1,100 nits of brightness and shade accuracy so good you received’t have an issue enhancing pictures or movies. You additionally get a ton of ports, and with help for as much as an NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPU, the ROG Zephyrus Duo has greater than sufficient efficiency to deal with something you may throw at it. — Sam Rutherford, Senior reporter

Finest cell tech: Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold

Samsung may need introduced the most recent iteration of its foldable smartphones in Korea, however CES was the primary probability for many people to see the Galaxy Z TriFold in particular person. It’s a 10-inch Android pill hidden inside a 6.5-inch smartphone type issue.

The soar from the almost-square display screen ratio of Samsung’s previous foldables to roughly 4:3 is a serious enchancment. This can be a gadget that I may fortunately watch total films on. There’s extra horizontal area to learn, extra room to sort and extra brilliant, vivid AMOLED all the things. Unfurling the perimeters is extremely satisfying and, maybe as a result of it’s thicker, it has a reassuring heft, too. The remainder of the spec sheet displays one other modern Galaxy cellphone with a 200-megapixel essential digital camera and the most important battery but in a Samsung foldable.

It’ll doubtless be costly although. Samsung hasn’t confirmed pricing within the US, however based mostly on its launch price in Korea, it could possibly be round $2,500. — Mat Smith, UK bureau chief

Most promising idea: Lenovo Legion Professional Rollable

Idea units are onerous to guage as a result of even those with a ton of potential is perhaps too tough to make or too area of interest to carry to market. However with the Legion Professional Rollable idea, Lenovo created one thing with a easy but highly effective premise: A gaming laptop computer with a display screen that will get wider on the contact of a button.

To make the Legion Professional Rollable, Lenovo took a daily Legion Professional 7i after which swapped its customary 16-inch show for a versatile one that may increase all the way in which as much as 23.8 inches — with a bonus cease in between. This implies you could have the choice to select from 16:10, 21:9 and even 24:9 relying on the scenario, which seems like an unimaginable strategy to improve racing video games, flight sims and anything that may make the most of further large facet ratios. Granted, when its display screen is absolutely deployed, it does look a bit ungainly. However of all of the ideas we noticed this yr at CES, the Legion Professional Rollable is the one we hope survives to change into a correct retail product sometime. — Sam Rutherford, Senior reporter

Finest rising know-how: IXI autofocus lenses

IXI’s autofocusing glasses have been a late addition to our discussions, however we have been impressed by what could possibly be a big development in spectacle know-how — one thing that’s been largely static because the Fifties. IXI’s glasses characteristic a sublime, distinctive, cameraless eye-tracking system that makes use of ultra-low-power LEDs and photodiodes to exactly monitor the consumer’s eye motion and focus convergence. This information drives a liquid crystal lens layer, enabling a spotlight change between close to and much distances in roughly 0.2 seconds. Focus your gaze elsewhere, and your glasses return to their regular prescription. Consider them as a high-tech tackle the usually thick and clunky multifocal lenses we’re at present caught with.

IXI is now finalizing the manufacturing course of, growing manufacturing and gaining the mandatory medical certification to promote its glasses, nevertheless it has already struck offers with lens producers in Europe. The corporate has a busy yr forward because it turns its know-how right into a client product. — Mat Smith, UK bureau chief

Finest in present: Lego Good Play

There’s maybe no place higher than CES to focus on how shortly trade tendencies die. Over time the present has been a driver of cornerstone applied sciences just like the VCR, DVD, flatscreen TVs, PDAs and extra. Some tendencies stick, some do not.

Lego may virtually be seen because the antithesis of the everyday CES product: The corporate’s core idea of inventive play has remained in place all through its lengthy historical past, boosted by a gradual and ongoing evolution of block varieties and model tie-ins.

Introduced at its first-ever CES press convention, Good Play represents a considerate integration of know-how to the traditional toy. A tiny chip the dimensions of a single Lego stud permits the corporate’s Good Bricks to sense what’s round them, opening up new methods to play. The system will debut with a trio of Star Wars units, however we’re certain Lego has plans for a variety of licensed and unlicensed choices.

Our workforce immediately fell in love with Good Play, and Deputy editor Nathan Ingraham had the chance to each construct some units and speak with among the individuals behind the know-how. Amid parental anxieties about screentime, it is refreshing that Good Play would not require an app or a display screen to get began. Youngsters can simply get constructing. — Aaron Souppouris, Editor-in-chief