From translucent TVs to indoor smokers, the Consumer Electronics Show never disappoints when it comes to cool new gear.
By
Stan Horaczek
,
Brandt Ranj
,
Amanda Reed
,
Tony Ware
|
Published Jan 13, 2024 9:00 AM EST
Stan Horaczek
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Every year, the tech world briefly gives up on its New Year’s resolutions and descends upon Las Vegas for a week of new gadgets, tech demos, 15,000 steps-on-average days, and multiple happy hours at night. It’s the Consumer Electronics Show, acres of tech demos spread out across the Convention Center and throughout the Strip. This year, we had PopSci staffers on the floor and watching from afar to single out the best, most innovative, and coolest products making their debut. Here’s our best of what’s next, some of which are favorites just hitting the market and some that won’t get to store shelves for months or even years.
A single device that offers multiple wellness insights: Withings BeamO
Tony Ware
For some of us, Kylie’s song-of-the-summer “Padam Padam” has been in our ears for months, so heartbeats have been on our minds. Withings’ newest BeamO multiscope combines a thermometer, electrocardiogram, oximeter, and stethoscope into one device to provide more info for yourself and your telehealth visit. BeamO takes its readings using different sensors. Photoplethysmography (PPG) and electrodes along its side give you blood oxygenation, heart rate, and ECG readings simultaneously, while a thermo sensor combined with an infrared beam allows for contactless temperature readings. A Piezoelectric disc captures chest or back acoustic sound waves for precise heart and lung measurements. Best of all, you get a check-up of your body temperature, heart, and lung health at the same time in under a minute. You can also track your temperature and heart rate over time by syncing the device with the Withings app. The BeamO will be available for $249.95 in June 2024 following FDA clearance for its ECG capability.
A fitness tracker, emphasis on the fit: Garmin HRM-Fit
Garmin
Garmin has made a heart rate monitor for women. Before you go “gendered thing is dumb,” hear us out: This device’s placement helps capture more accurate heart rate and training data and is made for comfort. It attaches to the bottom band of medium- and high-support sports bras and can be used while running, cycling, strength training, and in HIIT classes. Instead of rooting around under your shirt to adjust your heart-rate monitor, simply clip on and go, sending real-time data to compatible devices and running dynamics on a compatible Garmin smartwatch. It comes with one year of battery life and retails for $149.99.
Proof that it takes two to make a thing go right: ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid
Tony Ware
I’m on the laptop, I’m on the tablet, I’m on the combination laptop and tablet. It’s Lenovo’s new AI-powered, two-piece computer. Yes, you can physically separate the keyboard (which houses its own discrete Intel processor, graphics card, and ports) from its display and run them independently. Even more interesting is that in this configuration, the base runs Windows 11 while connected to your favorite monitor, while the slim 1.7-pound screen runs Android off a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip. When the two are connected, they’re a single Windows-based laptop with a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display, Intel Core Ultra processor, and more. This truly two-in-one device managed to stand out even debuted alongside such fun proof-of-concept ThinkBooks as one featuring an external e-ink display.
A secure door for the pets you adore: Pawport
Pawport
Pets are some of our most-loved family members. And we want to make them as happy all the time as they make us. That doesn’t man we can always be there to open the door for them, however, and they still haven’t grown thumbs. The other option to help them access the yard as they please/need is pet doors, but they’re impossible to keep secure—until now. Pawport announced its motorized pet door and app, with the former being ready to preorder. The door itself looks sleek and stylish and attaches to existing pet door frames. It also comes with a lightweight tag for your pet. The tag connects to the door and only opens when your pet is nearby. Pet parents can track their precious pooches, remotely manage doors, and set up access schedules for multiple pets through the Pawport app.
A projector with a wide range of theater-level specs: XGIMI HORIZON Max 4K projector
Tony Ware
Immersive experience enthusiasts XGIMI debuted what the brand calls its brightest display to date—3,100 lumens of brightness, to be exact. The HORIZON Max is practically a movie projector in your own home. It’s IMAX Enhanced certified, making it the first long-throw smart projector to meet IMAX quality standards. You get a 1.90:1 aspect ratio and DTS:X immersive sound at home. It also includes XGIMI’s new ISA (Intelligent Screen Adaption) 5.0 tech, which combines software and hardware to make utilizing your walls easier. A fully automated motorized gimbal locates the best projection position on the wall and remembers specific settings on certain walls, giving you more control and flexibility on what you want to project (T-800esque stand pictured above not included). The HORIZON Max also incorporates Dual Light 2.0, a new XGIMI system that integrates a Triple laser for a larger color range and a phosphor light to negate perfections created by the Triple laser. Movie nights have never looked better.
For when slow and low is the tempo: GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker
GE Profile
GE has seemingly done the impossible by making food smoking an indoor activity. Its Profile Smart Indoor Smoker allows you to get the same results as an outdoor smoker without tripping a smoke alarm. In fact, running it for three hours in a one-bedroom apartment felt akin to lighting a stick of incense. Our testing proved that this appliance wasn’t just smoke and mirrors, and what’s more, you can actually order the indoor smoker right now with delivery later this month. While this Smart Indoor Smoker runs on wood pellets, the smoke is turned into hot air, which circulates in the smoker’s chamber to impart a smokey flavor. The spent pellets are automatically dropped into a water bath, which prevents them from producing even more smoke. Plenty of products at CES are proof-of-concepts that go up in smoke before they get to market, but this is a unique cooking tool you can start using very soon.
Proof that it takes two to make it outta sight: ASUS Zenbook Duo (UX8406)
Tony Ware
The Zenbook Duo UX8406 is the latest laptop in ASUS’ double-screen laptop, and this generation has taken performance to a whole new level. Both displays are now OLED, support Dolby Vision HDR, and 120Hz refresh rate. A Bluetooth keyboard can be attached magnetically to the laptop but is not required as the bottom display can function as a touch-sensitive keypad. Independent spaces across both screens can be configured (place it as a tent to let the kids watch something on one side while you work on the other), and the laptop senses when you configure it vertically or horizontally and adjusts accordingly. ASUS says it’s using AI functionality built into Intel’s Core Ultra line of processors. You can spec the laptop with up to 32GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, 3K resolution displays, and the Intel Ultra 9 Processor 185H. Unlike most laptop makers, ASUS opted to pack as many ports as possible into its portable machine, including a USB-A port. While OLED screens are making their way into many of ASUS’ 2024 laptops all the way to portable, foldable displays, this dual-screen design of the Zenbook Duo UX8406 makes it one of the most innovative laptops from any manufacturer.
A connected lock offering more than face value (but it values that too): Lockly Visage
Lockly
Smart locks are nothing new, but Lockly’s Visage is an improvement in many ways over earlier generations of this technology. First, it’s significantly smaller (35% more compact internally, in fact) than Lockly’s other locks, and it supports both Matter—the interoperable smart home standard—and Apple’s HomeKit. In fact, iPhone and Apple Watch owners can unlock the Visage with their devices rather than a key, fingerprint, or passcode. In addition, the built-in WiFi connectivity will allow you to lock and unlock your door from anywhere in the world using Lockly’s app on iOS and Android. Thankfully, no additional hub is required to connect the Visage to your home network. The big addition you’re, well, looking at is facial recognition on approach for seamless entry (hence the product’s name). Lockly says the Visage will launch this summer.
A television you can see through: LG Signature OLED T Transparent 4K TV
Tony Ware
Designers often go to ridiculous lengths to try and hide TVs—anything to avoid the dreaded big, black rectangle in the middle of a carefully curated space. We assume those people are huge fans of LG’s new Signature OLED T 4K TV, which all but disappears when it’s turned off. The 77-inch TV offers high-end features you’d expect from an LG Signature series, including the fully wireless connectivity to which we awarded a Best of What’s New badge in 2023. The tech relies on MicroLEDs in order to work as a normal TV when it needs to, then go translucent at the press of a button. The panel has an always-on mode that can show art or other images without the bright backlight. Samsung showed off a similar technology based on its own MicroLED tech, so if you like clear TVs, this was a banner year for you.
A smartphone camera stand that follows you as you move: Belkin Auto Tracking Stand Pro
Belkin
Maybe you’re an aspiring creator who spends tons of time begging your friends to hold a camera while you film. Or maybe you just like to walk around your bedroom during FaceTime sessions. Belkin’s rotating phone mount syncs up with an iPhone (version 12 or later) and rotates up to 360 degrees to automatically keep you in view of the camera. It can even tilt up and down up to 90 degrees. It moves silently, so you won’t hear the motors whirring in your audio, and it syncs with Apple’s DockKit system for deep integration with iOS. The mount attaches via MagSafe, so it’s simple to snap your phone into the cradle and film for up to five hours, thanks to the device’s built-in rechargeable battery.
An AI-powered way to get up close and personal with the night sky: Celestron Origin Intelligent Home Observatory
Tony Ware
Don’t call it a telescope. Celestron calls the Origin “the first intelligent home observatory.” Like a typical telescope, you’ll find traditional glass optics occupying the Origin’s tube. Specifically, Celestron has equipped it with a high-end Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA) f/2.2 optical system, which provides a super-bright and wide field of view that’s excellent for astrophotography. Rather than a typical eye-piece, this system relies on a Sony CMOS imaging sensor backed by ample AI computing power to provide clear images of objects in space with very little learning curve. The Origin takes remote commands from a connected mobile app and automatically locates objects. You can set it up and schedule it to take images of an object at a specific time so you can look at celestial wonders from the comfort of your living room or wake up to a whole batch of NASA-worthy images it captured while you were asleep. That’s our kind of stargazing.
Binoculars that can identify wildlife using AI: Swarovski Optik AX Visio
Swarovski Optik
Was that a yellow-crested warbler or a San Jose duckling? Well, it was probably neither because we made up both species. If you want actual help identifying birds and other wildlife, Swarovski’s new $4,800 AI-powered binoculars can help. They feel almost like a regular pair of binos with 10x magnification and a 32mm objective lens diameter. A third set of optics running up the middle, however, contains a digital sensor that can capture images and videos of wildlife as you observe it. Connect the AX Visio to Swarovski’s app to share images or get more information about the animals in the frame. It’s like having a little birding expert in your pocket.
Proof that it’s hip to be square: Samsung Music Frame
Tony Ware
Samsung has taken its Frame smart TV concept and applied it to speakers with its new Music Frame, a customizable Bluetooth speaker disguised as a 12.9 x 12.9 picture frame. It features two built-in woofers, two tweeters, two mid-range drivers, intelligent audio processing, and can operate as a standalone stereo wireless speaker. The frame can also pair with Q-Symphony-compatible Samsung TVs and soundbars to expand virtual surround when placed to the left/right of the screen or provide true rear channels from the side/back. You can hang it on the wall or use its built-in stand to place it on a table. We have the company’s transducer development for thin flatscreens (much like the latest 8K flagships) to thank for the frame’s surprising bass whether mounted free or flush. Unlike other smart frames, however, it doesn’t include a display; you’ll have to provide your own printed photos.
A whole-home battery backup system: EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra
EcoFlow
We’re big fans of EcoFlow’s portable power stations and solar generators. Now, the company has created a backup battery that’s burly enough to bolster a whole house during a blackout. The numbers are impressive. It offers a 6kWh capacity with a 7200W output, which is enough to run a small home on its own. The stackable battery packs easily chain together in order to expand capacity to your specific needs. It can expand all the way up to 90kWh of storage, which will power a house for a month on a full charge. It connects to a home via EcoFlow’s new Smart Home Panel 2, which can seamlessly and automatically switch from mains to battery power during an outage or during peak hours when energy costs jump. The DELTA Pro Ultra offers 5.6kW of solar input to draw and store juice quickly, even when the grid isn’t available.
Earbuds to help get you in the zone and tell you which zone that is: Sennheiser MOMENTUM Sport
Tony Ware
Sennheiser plus Polar have their finger, no ear canal, on the pulse of fitness wearables. Sennheiser announced its MOMENTUM Sports earbuds, which use integrated biometric in-ear sensors to measure heartbeat and body temperature. The body is particularly concerned with keeping brain temperature regulated, so the ear is the best non-invasive place for measurements, and the sensors block light so readings are more accurate. As for the IP55 earbuds’ ergonomic shape, it comes from research by Sennheiser’s parent company, Sonova, which specializes in hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other medical audio products. But make no mistake: these earbuds still offer hi-fi Sennheiser sound (as do the simultaneously announced MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 audiophile earbuds), with an all-new 10mm transducer and an acoustic relief channel that minimizes noise, breathing, and other body-made noises. Finally, your huffing and puffing won’t wreck your gym jams. The MOMENTUM Sport’s photoplethysmography (PPG) data connects and integrates with many popular sports devices and apps, such as Apple Watch/Health, Garmin Watch/Connect, Strava, Peloton, and more. The earbuds will be available in April 2024 for $329.95.
Simple cooking through advanced features: Summit FS38X Smart Grill
Weber
Some purists may scoff at the idea of a large, full-color touchscreen on a grill. Those people are killjoys who have never had the pleasure of perfectly cooked burgers they didn’t have to babysit. Weber’s new Summit-series smart grill relies on the company’s SmartControl platform, which simplifies the grilling process. It allows the grill to take commands via the mobile app for pre-heating and scheduled cooking. It alerts you when the grill hits temperature, guides you through the cooking process with both direct and indirect heat, and lets you know when the food is done cooking. A clever gas management system carefully controls how much fuel goes to each burner during a cook so it can keep meticulous temperatures throughout the chamber, even if you’re the kind of nosey person who can’t keep the lid closed for more than five minutes.
A place to recharge your body and devices: Jackery Solar Generator for Rooftop Tent
Tony Ware
One of the themes of CES 2024 was the presence of smart robotic gadgets that can tackle tasks as disparate as window washing, lawn mowing, snow plowing, and even harvesting solar energy. So, while Jackery’s roving Mars Bot with its retractable solar wings caught our eye as we walked the floor, it was a more traditional overlanding accessory that really caught our attention: The Jackery Solar Generator for Rooftop Tent—a truck-mounted tent has its own 1000W solar array, which is connected to an included 1264Wh portable power station. A single button unpacks the tent, which is angled to catch as many of the sun’s rays as possible. Jackery says this system can power your gear and keep you off the grid for up to two weeks. The company says its power supply is made from an aluminum-magnesium alloy and carbon fiber, so it can survive in low temperatures (up to -43 degrees Fahrenheit) and be used in elevations up to 5,000 meters of altitude. The solar array can then be easily folded down to travel safely.
A remote cam with an absurd range: Adobe Edge Security Camera
Adobe Systems
Most wireless security camera signals only reach maybe 100 feet, typical of a WiFi connection. This camera from Adobe Systems (not the company that makes Photoshop) has a range of roughly 1.5 miles. That means it can go basically anywhere on a property and still capture and transmit a clean, high-quality signal. The shell offers an IP67 toughness rating so that it can survive outdoors. Plus, the 6,000 mAh battery inside is good for almost an entire year before it needs recharging (depending on circumstances, of course). Even with all that toughness, it still offers smart features like object and face recognition in an effort to send you notifications with as much info as possible. That also means fewer false alarms every time a raccoon and his buddies go strutting by.
A TV that’s a bright purchase for those with sun-soaked rooms: Hisense 110UX
Hisense
Hisense continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible with the mini-LED 110UX, its latest 110-inch 4K screen. Its main attraction is 10,000 nits and 40,000 backlight zones, which allow it to control the brightness of sections of its QLED-Quantum Dot screen and minimize backlight bleed to the point that black levels will be nearly indistinguishable compared to an OLED. Similarly, the 110UX covers 95% of the BT.2020 color palette, resulting in vivid but accurate color representation, especially when viewing HDR content. The company touts this ULED X TV’s processor, which it says uses AI to automatically calibrate its contrast and color depth on a per-scene basis. Hisense also focused on the TV’s audio system by offering a native 4.2.2 speaker arrangement inside the TV itself, along with Dolby Atmos Flex Connect support. If nothing else, Hisense’s 110UX continues to push the LED TV market forward and proves OLED isn’t the only screen technology worth paying attention to.
A personal assistant to use your smartphone for you: Rabbit R1
Rabbit
This isn’t a phone. It’s a $199 AI-powered device that’s basically designed to use your phone for you. The idea behind the Rabbit R1 isn’t easy to grasp. It’s a piece of hardware with machine-learning capabilities that acts as a conduit between you and your phone. It doesn’t run apps, but rather, it works with apps that live on your phone itself. You ask the Rabbit R1 to perform a task, and then it navigates the necessary apps on your phone to do so without requiring you to actually futz with your smart device. It learns your most common tasks and streamlines your everyday processes in an effort to make you more efficient and keep your phone out of your hand. The device is already a runaway hit–the company says it sold more than 10,000 of the devices via pre-order on the very first day, then another run of 10,000 on top of that. We’re not fully sold yet—lots of the functionality seems like it could ironically exist within a smartphone app. But it’s a very compelling piece of hardware, and we’re looking forward to seeing where it lands in the gadget landscape.
The first thing we’d buy if we won the lottery: Sonus faber Suprema + McIntosh MC2.1KW Monoblock Power Amplifier
Tony Ware
Sure, CES is full of flying taxis and cars that drive sideways and robots, robots, AI, robots … but we’re still years and years off from the Jetsons (and should be worried we’re closer and closer to SkyNet). Sometimes, instead of concentrating just on what’s next, we like to concentrate on leaning back and just being present. So, if we wanted to make a statement purchase right now, it would be Sonus faber’s Suprema loudspeaker system powered by McIntosh’s MC2.1KW Monoblock Power Amplifiers—$1 million and hundreds of pounds of rapture you can see above. Both multi-component suites celebrate each company’s respective anniversary: McIntosh’s 75th and Sonus Faber’s 40th. And, together, they created a wild audiophile EDM festival to showcase the four 15-inch woofers’ ability to push air down to 16Hz. (Inside the room, the 2.2 system hit 96 dB of pristinely clean, U4IA-inducing extension, per an Apple Watch Ultra). They’re packed with more tech than we can run down here, but all you need to know is that, based on just one listening session drawing only 200 of the available 2,000 watts of power, you could put on Wagner to Metallica to “Who Let the Dogs Out,” and we’d be so into it we wouldn’t even care when the Terminators kicked in the door.
It’s not a DJ controller, but it will let you dial in a hot mix: Impulse Induction Cooktop
Impulse
Impulse has gone all out with its $5,499 induction cooktop, which it says delivers “premium performance” to match its cost. The four-burner 30-inch cooktop fits in most standard countertops and works on a 120V outlet or a low-current 240V circuit, so it doesn’t require electrical upgrades. It features four temperature adjustment knobs, while a gigantic screen in the middle of the cooktop shows each burner’s current temperature and energy usage. Each burner tops out at 10kW, which Impulse says is enough power to boil a liter of water in 40 seconds. Most notably, this cooktop works by charging an internal battery while it’s plugged into your wall and running the burners on that to reduce the strain on the grid during peak energy usage times. So you can cook healthy meals while being healthier for the planet. Reservations are available now and require a $249 deposit, and Impulse says the cooktop may qualify for federal rebates and credits by the time it ships in Q4 of this year.
Earbuds with less weight and more clarity: xMEMS silicon-based microspeakers
Tony Ware
If there’s one thing CES is about, it’s 180,000 people (+/- 10,000) giving or getting an earful about what’s supposedly the latest and greatest technology, whether they like it or not. But getting an actual earful of “micro-electrical mechanical systems” was far more pleasant than it sounds. These solid-state drivers flex minutely but rapidly to create sound pressure, allowing earbuds to shed the weight and space requirements of voice coil-driven mechanisms. However, the xMEMS setups currently on the market (by Creative Labs and Noble Audio, among others) currently use a hybrid setup with a dynamic driver for low end output purposes. A prototype showcased in the developers’ suite, though, showed the potential of the next ultrasonic generation of MEMS drivers, with the current design’s lighting-fast transients and midrange clarity but fleshier (30x-40x) bass that’s impactful yet controlled. This full-range “Cypress” speaker is a development that could greatly benefit ANC wireless earbuds in the future.
A hairdryer that saves energy and your hair: L’Oreal Airlight Pro
L’Oreal
L’Oreal has come for Dyson and Shark with its new AirLight Pro. Conventional hair dryers rely on air flowing over thermal coils to turn damp tresses into smooth locks. This creates a hairy situation: That heat can damage your hair over time unless you’re using a really good heat protectant. L’Oreal’s AirLight Pro takes a page from Dyson and uses a high-speed motor for faster hair drying while adding infrared tech to the mix. This dries water on the hair surface and prevents internal moisture loss in the strand. All this tech combined dries hair faster and uses 31% less energy. We plan to untangle the experience in a future feature.
An audio all-in-one offering one for all: FiiO R9
FiiO
And now we come to the most CES of all the products on this list: a gadget made of gadgets. The FiiO R9 is the perfect desktop centerpiece for the modern “music-first” audiophile, the voracious consumer of high-resolution digital sounds. A Snapdragon 660 chip running a 6-inch HD screen on a custom build of Android 10 (soon to be upgraded to 12), it’s a smartphone without the phone but one that bypasses Android SRC restrictions to allow all streaming services—and you can load any/all apps—to avoid downsampling. Got files? Need streamlined access to your sources? Play them off MicroSD, through USB-C, via HDMI ARC, with OPTICAL/COAX, or broadcast over WiFi (Roon Ready) or Bluetooth 5.0 (AAC/SBC/aptX/aptX HD/LDAC/LHDC). No matter what, the balanced ES9038PRO DAC*2 can handle it and then feed it to the THX AAA 788+ amp to draw on 7300mW per channel at 32 ohms, with five levels of gain—enough adjustable output to drive basically any headphone/IEM. And, on top of all that, it’s shiny. And it’s available soon for $1,499. Just for fun, use the R9’s outputs to record an actual mixtape from all these converging channels and pick up the upcoming FiiO CP13 cassette player for that extra dose of retro cool.
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