CES 2026 live: Wild tech, weird gadgets, and the laptops everyone's talking about

[ad_1] 1 min in the past , By bchacos

'I am not useless but' says Dell XPS

Final yr, Dell introduced it was dropping its iconic XPS, Latitude, and Inspiron manufacturers in favor of iPad-esque names like Dell (no extras or superlatives), Dell Professional, and Dell Professional Max. We (and everyone else) stated that was silly. As a result of it was silly. At CES 2026, Dell admitted its folly… a minimum of a bit. Whereas the trio of core names nonetheless exists, the Dell XPS is again child!

Hit the hyperlink for full particulars on the delightfully identifiable Dell XPS 14 and 16, powered by Intel’s new Core Extremely Collection 3 “Panther Lake” processors. — Brad Chacos

9 minutes in the past , By bchacos

Samsung's Galaxy E book 6 has Panther Lake and lasts for DAYS

I’m sorry WHAT?! With a “tuned” model of Intel’s new “Panther Lake” Core Extremely Collection 3 processors inside, Samsung claims its new Galaxy E book 6 can obtain as much as 40 hours of battery life.

O.

M.

G.

Hit the hyperlink for all of the juicy particulars — together with a take a look at the thermal cooling expertise beneath the hood of this beautiful new laptop computer. — Brad Chacos

17 minutes in the past , By bchacos

Asus reveals off the tech contained in the tech at CES

Asus’ CES sales space all the time has quite a lot of enjoyable, geeky demonstrations of the expertise inside their merchandise, and 2026 isn't any exception. Right here’s a peek on the ultra-slim motherboard inside considered one of its Zenbook laptops!

And right here’s a take a look at the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM, a brand new high-end gaming monitor that makes use of LG’s recent RGB stripe pixel Tandem WOLED show (teased earlier within the weblog!) to enhance textual content readability — a infamous concern with OLED screens. I used to be capable of summon the right-click context menu so you possibly can see that sure, the expertise certainly improves fringing textual content in comparison with rivals. (I delved deeper into this concern in my Corsair Xeneon Flex evaluation a pair years again).

Lastly, Asus additionally had ridonkulously large mock-ups of the hot-swappable switches present in its ROG HE mechanical keyboard platform. I attempted mashing them however alas, no springy motion for these demo models.

I obtained much more footage of cool tech on the sales space, however I’m unsure how a lot of it's high secret, so keep tuned for extra behind-the-scenes glimpses sooner or later. — Brad Chacos

2 hours in the past , By mcrider

MSI Professional Max, gaming energy for grown-ups

Michael Crider / Foundry

MSI’s new Professional Max collection goals to present you choices for highly effective {hardware}, with out the gamer aesthetics. All-white PC elements, pre-built desktops, and screens have superior specs with sufficient energy for gaming, however with a glance that’s a bit of extra button-down. That 27-inch monitor is a 4K OLED with 120Hz of refresh, and the bigger desktop will be configured with an RTX 5070 Ti. — Michael Crider

Michael Crider / Foundry

3 hours in the past , By mcrider

CES 2026: Some meeting required

CES doesn’t formally begin till tomorrow, however we’ve been operating everywhere in the Vegas strip for the final two days masking tech that couldn’t wait. As typically occurs, some last-minute preparation has spilled over into the pre-show occasions. Strolling by way of the Venetian assembly rooms doesn’t really require a tough hat…however perhaps it ought to. — Michael Crider

Michael Crider / Foundry

4 hours in the past , By bchacos

MSI's RTX 5090 Lightning Z is the primary 1000W GPU

Throughout a press occasion at present, MSI revealed the GeForce RTX 5090 LIGHTNING Z — bringing again the legendary model to push GPUs to insane new ranges. How insane? Properly, an OC (overclocked) Mode pushes the ability limits to a whopping 800 watts, and an Excessive Mode jacks that as much as an completely ludicrous 1000W. Madness. No client GPU has ever pushed this degree of energy.

Seeing as how normal 5090s are going for near $4,000 on the streets today, anticipate this restricted 1,300-unit run, overclocking-focused beast to price greater than your first beater automotive did when it hits the road…someday. MSI’s tagged this with a “constructed to be good” slogan to match the insane 1000W output, in spite of everything. Keep tuned for a deeper article on the location quickly! — Brad Chacos

4 hours in the past , By bchacos

LG's 5K2K OLED gaming panel made me drool on myself

Round these components I’m generally known as the monitor man. I’m a fiend for quick, lovely, farm-to-table gaming pixels — and at CES 2026, LG is pushing OLED gaming monitor panels to pleasant new frontiers.

I’ll have a full write-up later after I’m capable of finding a spot to crash, however I needed to whet your whistle with this — the world’s first-ever 39-inch 5K2K gaming OLED panel. Sure, “5K2K” as in “waaaaaaaaay greater than 4K.”

This humble iPhone pic doesn’t do the panel justice — it’s gobsmackingly beautiful in actual life. I used to be drooling! Keep tuned for a full article later, the place I’ll additionally dive into LG’s new Tandem WOLED expertise, the world’s first OLED panel with a 240Hz RGB stripe pixel construction to enhance textual content readability (a typical gripe with OLEDs), a 720Hz 1440p OLED, and extra. Search for this new 5K2K panel to land in screens from a wide range of producers someday in Q2. — Brad Chacos

6 hours in the past , By mhachman

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Plus pushes AI PCs extra mainstream

Qualcomm simply introduced the Snapdragon X2 Plus, a 10-core model of the Snapdragon X2 Elite processor it launched this fall. It’s a fast tweak to the processor structure that has had middling success within the PC house.

The argument remains to be the identical: ship higher efficiency for decrease battery life. The competitors for the Plus is the Intel Core Extremely 7 256H. Up to now, we’re not listening to something by way of prospects, nonetheless.

I actually suppose that Qualcomm and Snapdragon deserve a seat on the laptop computer desk, however Intel’s Core Extremely collection simply doesn’t enable a lot respiration room for the Snapdragon: The battery life and efficiency are stellar.

I additionally noticed a number of notebooks constructed across the Snapdragon X2 Elite, the inspiration for the X2 Plus that Qualcomm launched this previous fall: the Asus VivoBook S16, ZenBook A14 and A16, plus the HP Omnibook Extremely and EliteBook X — and an Asus all-in-one. — Mark Hachman

6 hours in the past , By bchacos

Stress-free Iron Man hugs

Bodyfriend makes wild full-body therapeutic massage chairs. I didn’t have an opportunity to strive the 733 mannequin on show myself, however hey, when you have like $10,000 burning a gap in your pocket and wish some snuggles from Iron Man, this appeared fairly cool. I want I had the chance to climb in but it surely was in sizzling demand! — Brad Chacos

6 hours in the past , By bchacos

Provec's killer shades bought me on 'solid-state electrochromic sun shades'

I’m each an out of doors aficionado in addition to a diehard “cool shades” man. I actually, actually like what Povec Optics is doing with their new C1 Sun shades.

The C1 might appear like another pair of sports activities shades, however they’re not: Povec calls these “the world’s first solid-state electrochromic sun shades.” I’m not going to attempt to Google what all meaning relating to sun shades, or the declare’s validity.

However I can let you know this stuff are rad. There’s a touchstrip on the aspect of the body. Transfer your finger in direction of the again of your head and the tinting transitions to darker hues; transfer it in direction of the entrance, and issues brighten up, all damned close to instantaneously. You possibly can see the impact within the photographs above and beneath — these had been the identical pair of demo glasses. They’d be a godsend whereas I’m mountaineering by way of the New Hampshire woods, biking across the neighborhood, or zooming my automotive across the topsy-turvy White Mountains.

Since these clearly goal energetic sorts, they’re each very light-weight and boast IP65 water resistance, and a single cost (by way of USB-C) can last as long as 28 days at 4 hours per day.

Provec’s C1 isn’t low-cost at $249, however that’s not an excessive amount of greater than a pleasant high-end pair of shades will set you again anyway. I’m going to hound Provec for a evaluation pattern as soon as I’m out of Vegas so I can let you recognize if the practicality is as tantalizing because the promise. —Brad Chacos

21 hours in the past , By bchacos

I hugged an owl and I preferred it

Yo an enormous owl and I wrapped our arms round one another… for an excellent trigger!

It’s not solely expertise firms manning cubicles at CES Unveiled. The US Forest Service and the Nationwide Waste and Recycling Basis are right here, handing out stickers, pamphlets, and free owl hugs to unfold the phrase: Don’t overlook to show your batteries in.

You possibly can’t simply chuck your batteries within the trash, though you do. (C’mon, you recognize you do.) And as a dude whose residence burned down just a few years again, I’m all about avoiding random blazes. Right here’s what the group’s Battery Security Now web site says:

“Battery fires are occurring extra typically. They’ve destroyed properties, burned down rubbish vehicles and recycling facilities, and—tragically—taken lives. When a facility goes up in flames, trash and recycling providers will be shut down for weeks and even months. The excellent news? Battery fires are simple to forestall.”

Bear in mind youngsters: Solely YOU can forestall battery fires. And in case you play your playing cards proper, you’ll even get a hug from an owl sporting garments. (What occurs in Vegas stays in Vegas proper?) — Brad Chacos

21 hours in the past , By mcrider

This robotic will not be Wall-E

Michael Crider / Foundry

That is, most decidedly, not Wall-E. It’s a small tank-like robotic with movable, expressive eyes, that's completely not, in any manner, the Disney-owned mental property, Wall-E. The W1 robotic from Zeroth can allegedly carry as much as 50 kilograms because it follows you round, presumably someplace with out stairs. I used to be not capable of finding data on worth or launch date, or whether or not any legal professionals had me within the crosshairs only for this factor.

22 hours in the past , By mhachman

A monitor that fixes dyslexia? The Lili Display says sure

Mark Hachman / Foundry

Lili is right here at CES 2026, claiming that its Lili Display is the primary laptop monitor particularly designed for laptop customers with dyslexia.

It’s a 27-inch, 1440p display with a refresh fee of 75 Hz. The important thing to assuaging dyslexia, in line with Lili, is a user-configurable flicker, which the monitor produces together with a user-specified brightness setting. The Lili Display will ship in January for $649.

A Reddit thread on the associated Lili Lamp linked to this somewhat irate weblog publish (https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=35144). It appears fairly skeptical of the primary expertise with out naming Lili straight. Mainly, it’s an fascinating product however deserves the complete scrutiny of hands-on testing. -Mark Hachman

22 hours in the past , By bchacos

Dephy Sidekick: Like Deus Ex, however with out implants

You gotta love the wild stuff at CES Unveiled. Like kinda-sorta-bionic ankles!

The Dephy Sidekick straps onto your legs and claims to supply a lift to your strolling effectivity, easing the pressure in your overused calves. Dubbed the world’s first ankle wearable, Dephy says the Sidekick “is light-weight, intuitive, and designed that will help you transfer farther, quicker, and with much less effort.” And it kinda makes you appear like Robocop from the knee down!

Fortuitously, Lifehacker’s Beth Skwarecki (who writes superior health and well being articles) had a pair strapped on after I visited the sales space, so you possibly can see the way it appears IRL. They’re chonky, however just like the Cyber Fidget, in a great way — kinda like gunslinger holsters to your calves.

It’s laborious to get a bead on how properly the Sidekick sidekicks with out attempting them out ourselves, however turning into a cyborg cross-country runner doesn’t come low-cost. Despite the fact that Dephy explicitly states that is way of life machine, “not a medical machine,” the Starter Pack prices a cool $4,500. The rep I spoke to steered it might present quite a lot of aid to individuals with strolling pains and troubles. I counsel staying tuned for opinions, as a result of if the Sidekick pulls off what it claims (and one other rep identified that Dephy is a part of Nike’s Venture Amplify), enhancing your high quality of life might very properly be well worth the money. -Brad Chacos

22 hours in the past , By bchacos

The Cyber Fidget is tailored for grown up nerds

I’m tooling round CES Unveiled, the place you’ll discover row after row of distributors hawking their wares and displaying off rad product demos. Only a few of those have something to do with PCs — however you’ll all the time discover some deeply fascinating devices to poke and prod.

Working example: The Cyber Fidget.

I used to be lured in by the killer ’80s retro vibes, however discovered myself ensnared by the sheer number of buttons to poke and packages to strive. You possibly can even make your personal wallpaper in a browser by connecting the Cyber Fidget to a pc! It’s satisfyingly chunky, and grown up nerds (like yours really) can tinker with the code on this pet too.

The Cyber Fidget web site describes it as “A pocket-sized, machined-aluminum gadget you possibly can fidget with and program. Wi-Fi + Bluetooth, OLED show, LEDs, speaker, mic, slider, buttons, and micro‑SD — constructed on ESP32.” Which means it’s “open and hackable.” Woo!

I’m pondering “Signal me up!” as I learn that, particularly after holding it in my very own two palms. If you happen to’re pondering the identical, you’ll be capable of again the Cyber Fidget on Kickstarter quickly. -Brad Chacos

jphillips

Ozlo Sleepbuds: The night-time earbuds you’ve been dreaming of

Why wait to fulfill with a producer in particular person in the event that they’ll ship you their {hardware} two weeks earlier than the present? Ozlo provided to ship me their Sleepbuds prematurely of our CES assembly, and OMFG, these slumber-time earbuds are spectacular.

The Ozlo Sleepbuds might appear like common earbuds, however they’re so low-profile, they’re comfy sufficient to put on all evening as a aspect sleeper. The thought is to stream a “masking” sound (suppose white noise) to drown out way more disruptive seems like loud night breathing or metropolis ruckus.

Jon Phillips/Foundry

I scoffed earlier than attempting them, however they carry out as promised throughout a latest San Francisco rain-and-wind storm that was battering my home windows and skylights. Slept like a child. On my aspect. As I all the time do.

You can even stream your favourite content material (podcasts, music, no matter) and the Sleepbuds’ sensors will detect whenever you’ve fallen asleep, after which swap to your masking sound. The {hardware} doesn't use energetic noise cancellation, however I discovered it’s so good at noise suppression, I needed to decrease the amount to listen to my canine’s “I must exit!” whimpers. You should purchase them now, on-sale, for $274. — Jon Phillips

1 day in the past , By bchacos

White Castle²

On the Vegas strip, White Citadel is actually a White Citadel. Again to tech shortly however 🤯 — Brad Chacos

1 day in the past , By bchacos

Jensen welcomes the crowds to Las Vegas

CES 2026 hasn’t kicked off but, however the indicators are in every single place — actually. Not gonna lie, seeing a 100 foot-tall digital show of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang smiling benevolently down on the crowds from a huge techno-pedestal, in entrance of high-end Discussion board Retailers devoted to former Roman emperor Julius Caesar, feels a bit on the nostril.

Don’t be stunned if AI is the most important theme of the present but once more, and Huang actually is the kingmaker in that discipline. Search for Nvidia’s livestream keynote to go reside at 1p.m. Pacific Time on January 5. –Brad Chacos