Best CES 2026 Gadgets Worth Actually Buying

So you've scrolled through the CES announcements. You've seen the robots that can fold laundry. You've watched videos of concept cars that'll never leave the booth. And now you're wondering: what actually matters?

That's where we come in.

CES is this incredible spectacle of innovation, but it's also a graveyard of vaporware. Every year, thousands of products get announced with great fanfare, impressive demo videos, and promises of world-changing functionality. Most of them die quietly before they ever reach stores. Some never even make it past the prototype stage.

But buried in that chaos? There are real products. Products that have actually been engineered, refined, and scheduled for real-world release. Products that address actual problems people face in their daily lives. Products that won't require you to mortgage your house or learn a new operating system.

This guide focuses on exactly those products. We're not interested in the hype machine or the marketing narratives. We're interested in gadgets that check three critical boxes: they'll actually ship, they'll actually work, and they might actually be worth your money. That last part is crucial. Just because something is novel doesn't mean it deserves shelf space in your home.

Over the next few sections, we'll walk through the most compelling gadgets from CES 2026 that clear these bars. We've tested what we could, analyzed specifications, looked at release schedules, and considered real-world use cases. Some of these will seem obvious. Others might surprise you. A few will probably frustrate you because you'll realize they're exactly what you didn't know you needed.

Let's dive in.

TL; DR

• Clicks Power Keyboard: Dual-mode keyboard works with phones, tablets, and TVs, offering practical versatility for under $200
• Lego Smart Brick: Simple, elegant solution adds automation to existing Lego sets without requiring a complete overhaul
• Ikea Kallsup Speaker: Affordable networked speakers at just $10 each enable a distributed audio system throughout your home
• Lenovo Legion Go 2: Steam-based handheld gaming console positioned as serious competition to Nintendo Switch
• Shokz Open Fit Pro: Open-ear design with surprisingly effective noise cancellation solves the "awareness vs. audio quality" problem

The Ikea Kallsup is significantly more affordable at $10 compared to other entry-level smart speakers, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious consumers. Estimated data for Walmart and Sonos.

The Clicks Power Keyboard: Finally, A Keyboard That Actually Does Multiple Things Well

Keyboards are having a moment. Not the ones built into your laptop, but the external ones. Mechanical keyboards have become hobby items. Split ergonomic keyboards have become lifestyle purchases. And specialist keyboards with all those programmable keys have become productivity theater.

Clicks, the company behind the smartphone keyboard add-on, just released something different. The Power Keyboard isn't just designed to attach to your phone, though it can. It's a full Bluetooth keyboard that switches seamlessly between your smartphone, tablet, smart TV, and basically anything else with Bluetooth connectivity.

Here's what makes this actually useful: most of us have multiple devices we use every day. Your phone is obviously always with you. But you probably also have an iPad, a streaming-connected TV, maybe a laptop. Until now, your keyboard options were binary. You either got something pocketable that worked fine with your phone but was cramped for other tasks, or you got something substantial that made mobile use awkward.

The Power Keyboard splits the difference. It's substantial enough to be comfortable for extended typing sessions. It's portable enough to actually move between rooms. And the switching between devices is immediate. You don't have to unpair and repair constantly. Just tap a button, and the keyboard connects to whatever device you want.

The design is clean without being sterile. Clicks hasn't fallen into the trap of making everything matte black and angular. The keyboard has personality without being childish. The keyfeel is solid but not aggressively mechanical. If you've used Clicks' phone keyboard before, you know what to expect, and it's good.

The price sits around $199, which isn't cheap, but it's reasonable for something this versatile. The real question is whether you'll actually use it. If you're someone who regularly types on multiple devices, this solves a genuine problem. If you're the type who just taps out messages on your phone and never looks back, you don't need this.

Clicks has been smart about distribution, making units available through major electronics retailers rather than only through their own site. That means you can actually see it, touch it, and type on it before committing money. Do that. Seriously.

One small caveat: battery life is decent but not exceptional. You're looking at about two weeks per charge with moderate use. That's fine for a portable keyboard, but it's not the "charge it monthly" story some competing products tell. If you're the type who forgets to charge things, you'll eventually get frustrated.

The Power Keyboard works with practically any Bluetooth-capable device, so it'll continue being useful even as your device ecosystem evolves. That's the kind of future-proofing that matters.

Estimated ratings show Valve leading with a 9, followed by Lenovo and Nintendo at 8, highlighting the competitive landscape of handheld gaming platforms. Estimated data.

The Lego Smart Brick: The Simplest Smart Home Idea Actually Works

Lego had a problem. Smart building blocks have been attempted before. The company tried entire smart systems before. And every time, the idea collided with reality: Lego's appeal is simplicity. You have bricks, you build things. Adding complexity kills the magic.

So instead of solving the wrong problem, Lego solved a different one.

The Smart Brick is not a complete reimagining of the Lego system. It's not even a new building set. It's a small, battery-powered module that connects to existing Lego sets and adds motorization and light control. You build your classic Lego creation exactly the way you always have. Then you add the Smart Brick, connect it via Bluetooth, and suddenly your creation can move and light up on command.

The use cases are obvious for anyone who's spent hours building elaborate structures: animate a Lego castle's gates, make a Ferris wheel actually spin, light up a cityscape. But what's genuinely clever is how Lego approached the software. Rather than requiring you to learn a programming interface, the Smart Brick works with a surprisingly intuitive app. You're not writing code. You're just creating rules that feel natural: "When I shake my phone, make the lights flash."

This is a masterclass in restraint. Lego could have pushed toward full programmability. Instead, they created something that enhances play without adding friction. Kids can immediately understand what this is and how to use it. Adults who've spent years buying Lego sets can suddenly bring those sets to life in ways they never could before.

The battery situation is the only real friction point. Yes, you have to charge a Lego brick. This is genuinely weird. It goes against everything Lego represents: timeless, eternal, requires nothing but imagination. The Smart Brick requires a USB-C cable and occasional attention. If you're the type who charges things regularly, it's not a problem. If you're the type who owns seventeen half-dead remotes and doesn't know where the charger is, you'll eventually abandon this.

Lego has priced this aggressively. The base Smart Brick module comes in around $50, which feels fair for the novelty and capability. You don't need multiple modules for complex creations. One brick can control multiple motors and lights through clever connection points. So you're not looking at a situation where you need to buy five of these to get anything interesting.

The real question is whether Lego will support this long-term. Will the app continue working? Will new features roll out? Will they keep the Bluetooth protocol stable? Lego's track record here is actually good. The company maintains software compatibility for older products far longer than most manufacturers. So this probably isn't something that'll be bricked (pun intended) in three years when Lego moves on to the next thing.

For parents, this is genuinely interesting. It extends the appeal of Lego to kids who might otherwise have moved on to screens. It gives building a layer of interactivity that feels magical without being gimmicky. For adult collectors, it's a way to reimagine beloved sets from their childhood.

The Ikea Kallsup Speaker: The Affordable Audio System You Actually Want

Ikea has been quietly building one of the best smart home portfolios out there. Not because Ikea is some audio company. Not because they're at the cutting edge of anything. But because they understand something fundamental: most people don't want audiophile-grade equipment. They want things that work, look decent, and don't cost a fortune.

The Kallsup is a small, cube-shaped speaker. You can place it anywhere. You can network multiple units together for whole-home audio. And each one costs ten dollars.

Let that price sink in. Ten dollars.

For comparison, the cheapest smart speaker from Amazon is

Obviously, these aren't going to deliver studio-quality sound. They're tiny. Physics wins. But the sound quality is actually respectable for the size and price. The treble doesn't screech. The bass doesn't disappear. And when you're playing music throughout multiple rooms, perfect audio in each room matters less than consistent, pleasant audio everywhere.

The design is where Ikea really shines. The Kallsup comes in multiple colors. You can have a white cube in the bedroom, a wood-colored one in the living room, a colorful one in the kitchen. They look intentional rather than like tech that got shoved onto shelves. This matters more than audiophiles want to admit. A beautiful speaker people actually want to display in their homes is better than a perfect-sounding speaker that lives hidden in a cabinet.

Wifi connectivity is straightforward. They work with Alexa and Google Home, so you're not locked into any specific ecosystem. You can mix these speakers with your existing smart home setup. Want to combine one Kallsup with some other brand's speakers? That's usually possible because of broad ecosystem compatibility.

The real opportunity here is whole-home audio without the whole-home audio price tag. Instead of investing

One consideration: Ikea's smart home ecosystem has improved dramatically, but support still can't match Amazon or Google. If you need bleeding-edge features or extensive customization, look elsewhere. If you just want speakers that work, sound good, and fit your decor, the Kallsup is genuinely hard to beat.

The expansion roadmap matters here too. Ikea has already committed to expanding this product line with complementary devices. So this isn't a one-off speaker. It's the foundation for a broader system that'll evolve over time.

The Soundcore Space A40 offers approximately 80% of the Shokz experience at about 50% of the price, with strong performance in battery life and connectivity. Estimated data.

The Lenovo Legion Go 2: Steam Gaming Actually Works on Handhelds Now

Handheld gaming consoles have fragmented into several competing visions. Nintendo focuses on game library and portability. Sony abandoned the space entirely. And the various PC handheld makers (Valve, Asus, Lenovo, MSI) are all betting that gamers want high-end gaming in pocket-sized form factors.

Lenovo's Legion Go 2 sits at an interesting crossroads. It's expensive, powerful, and running Steam OS rather than Windows. That last part is the crucial difference from the original Legion Go.

Here's the thing about Windows handhelds: they work, but they're awkward. Windows was designed for mice, keyboards, and large displays. Forcing it onto a 7-inch screen with touch controls feels forced. Games that assume keyboard and mouse inputs need remapping. Software updates arrive without warning and tank your battery. It's technically functional but practically frustrating.

Steam OS solves most of these problems. It's built ground-up for handheld gaming. The interface assumes controller input. The software is optimized for battery life. And Valve spent years ironing out the wrinkles. Everything just works in a way Windows handhelds still struggle with.

Lenovo's hardware is solid. The screen is bright and responsive. The controls are well-placed. The overall build quality feels premium without being fragile. If you've used previous Legion handhelds, you know what to expect. If you're new to the category, prepare for a device that feels like a portable console rather than a shrunk-down computer.

The library question is always worth asking with Steam OS devices: can you play what you want? The answer is increasingly yes. Most major games work. Some older titles have quirks. A few remain incompatible. But Steam Deck's enormous installed base meant developers had to take this platform seriously. By the time Legion Go 2 ships in June, Steam compatibility will be even broader.

The price is aggressive. Expect to pay $700-800 depending on storage configuration. That's serious money for a handheld. But it's also significantly cheaper than buying a full gaming laptop for portable play. And if you're someone who already owns hundreds of games through Steam, the value proposition suddenly becomes much more compelling.

The real competition here will be fascinating to watch. Valve's Steam Deck 2 will likely ship within a year. Other manufacturers have competing handhelds in development. The market will probably consolidate around a few platforms. Lenovo is betting they have the right combination of hardware quality, software experience, and pricing to capture a meaningful slice of this market.

For gamers specifically: this is worth considering. If you want high-end games in a portable form factor and don't care about Nintendo's exclusive library, the Legion Go 2 probably deserves to be on your shortlist. Just understand what you're getting: a powerful PC in a handheld form factor, not a replacement for a Switch.

The Pila Energy Home Battery: Finally, A Pretty Power Backup

Power outages are getting worse in many parts of the world. Longer duration, more frequent, increasingly unpredictable. People are quietly becoming interested in backup power. Not the paranoid doomsday prepper version. The reasonable "I don't want to lose food in the fridge or Wi Fi connectivity" version.

Home batteries address this. They sit in your house, charged by solar or your grid, and when power drops, they keep essentials running. The problem is they're usually ugly. Massive boxes that look industrial and belong in a basement, not anywhere you'll actually see them.

Pila Energy took a different approach.

The Pila looks like a designer storage unit. Clean lines, attractive finish, comes in colors that don't clash with actual home decor. You could plausibly put this in your living room and not feel like you've surrendered aesthetic control to your power backup system.

Capacity varies depending on which model you choose. The entry-level Pila can run your essential devices for hours. The larger models can sustain your whole house through a moderate outage. Pricing starts around $3,000 for basic systems and climbs significantly for whole-house solutions. That's not cheap, but it's become more affordable than it was just a few years ago.

Here's the actual math: if you're in an area with frequent outages, this probably pays for itself in avoided damage and replaced food within five years. If you're in a stable grid area and mostly want peace of mind, it's more of a luxury purchase.

The integration story matters. Pila works with most solar providers and major home automation systems. So if you're already thinking about solar, adding battery backup becomes a natural expansion. And future-proofing is built in: as battery technology improves, you'll be able to upgrade components without replacing the whole system.

One real consideration: installation requires an electrician. This isn't a plug-and-play device. You need professional setup, which adds cost and complexity. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's worth factoring into your decision-making process.

The environmental angle is real too. A home battery reduces your grid demand during peak hours and can actually earn you money in some markets through demand response programs. So it's not purely an emergency device. It's potentially a system that reduces your electricity costs over time.

Estimated data shows the entry-level Pila model runs essentials for 4 hours at

The Corsair Galleon 100 SD: When Your Keyboard Becomes Your Control Center

Mechanical keyboards have become tribal. People have strong opinions about switch types, keycap materials, and whether RGB lighting is actually cool or just the gaming equivalent of a spoiler wing on a Civic.

The Corsair Galleon 100 SD doesn't care about your mechanical keyboard politics. It's a full mechanical keyboard with a fully programmable Stream Deck integration built directly into the top row.

Let that sink in. This isn't a keyboard with media keys. This isn't a keyboard next to a Stream Deck. This is literally a Stream Deck built into a keyboard.

For anyone who's used a Stream Deck, you understand the appeal. That hardware trigger interface is so much better than reaching for a mouse. Want to cut to a camera angle? Press a button. Trigger a sound effect? Press a button. Switch scenes? Button. It's immediate, it's tactile, it's satisfying.

Stream Decks are usually separate devices you have to find space for. The Corsair approach integrates that functionality directly into the tool most keyboard warriors already use constantly. If you're a streamer, podcaster, or content creator of any kind, this is a legitimate game-changer.

The keyboard itself is solid. Corsair makes good mechanical switches. The overall build quality feels substantial. The keycaps are quality double-shot, which means the legends won't wear off in two years. It's not the quietest keyboard ever made, but it's not aggressively loud either.

Pricing is what you'd expect for a premium keyboard with integrated hardware: around $250-300 depending on configuration. That's expensive, but reasonable for something this specialized and well-built.

The real question is whether you need this. If you're a casual user who just types documents, you don't. If you're creating content professionally and spending eight hours a day at a keyboard, this probably makes your workflow materially better.

Customization is extensive. You're not limited to whatever Corsair pre-programmed. Every button can be mapped to whatever you want. Want those buttons to control your smart home? Possible. Want them to trigger macros? Possible. Want them to be literally anything else? Also possible.

The ecosystem question matters: this is Windows and Mac compatible, works with the major streaming platforms, and plays well with professional software. So it's not locked into any specific workflow. If you change jobs or switch platforms later, the keyboard moves with you.

The Shokz Open Fit Pro: Open-Ear Audio That Actually Works

Headphone design involves tradeoffs. Sealed designs give you powerful audio and noise isolation, but they get hot, they feel isolating, and you can't hear your surroundings. Open designs let sound escape, let ambient noise in, but let you stay aware of your environment.

Shokz has built a business on open-ear audio, and the Open Fit Pro represents their latest iteration.

Here's what makes these interesting: they actually offer noise cancellation now. Not the complete isolation you get from proper closed-back headphones, but genuine reduction of environmental noise. This sounds contradictory at first—how can an open-ear design offer noise cancellation? The answer is sophisticated software that identifies noise patterns and cancels them while letting you hear your music and the people around you.

The result is genuinely weird but actually useful. You can walk around your neighborhood without noise cancellation feeling like sensory deprivation. You can take calls without cupping the earbuds. You maintain environmental awareness. But you also get significantly better audio than pure open-ear passive designs.

Fit is always the crucial question with earbuds. Shokz's design wraps around the ear rather than inserting into the canal. This means they stay secure without earplugs feeling like you've shoved something into your ears. If you've ever found traditional earbuds uncomfortable, this is worth trying. The design distributes pressure across a larger surface area.

Battery life is solid. You're looking at about eight hours per charge, with the case providing multiple refills. That's not revolutionary, but it's competitive with what everything else offers.

Wireless connectivity is straightforward. They connect to your phone immediately and switch between devices with minimal fuss. They work with both Apple and Android ecosystems without any weird compatibility issues.

The price sits around $200, which is reasonable for the technology and the build quality. Shokz hasn't taken shortcuts here. The materials feel premium. The case is well-designed. The overall package feels like a real product, not a budget alternative.

The real breakthrough here is addressing a genuine gap in the market. Before this, you basically chose between sealed earbuds (isolating but uncomfortable) or open designs (comfortable but useless for audio quality). The Open Fit Pro splits that difference in a way that actually works.

The Corsair Galleon 100 SD excels in programmable keys and build quality, making it ideal for content creators. Estimated data based on product review.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold: The Phone You Didn't Know You Wanted

Foldable phones have a philosophy problem. The entire concept rests on the assumption that there's a useful "in between" size. Bigger than a phone, smaller than a tablet. The Samsung Z Flip targets this by turning a phone into a compact closed device. The Samsung Z Fold targets it by turning a phone into a small tablet.

The Galaxy Z Trifold does something different. It's a phone that unfolds into a massive display. We're talking significantly larger than any tablet most people own.

This is where the philosophy breaks down in an interesting way. A phone you can fit in your pocket is a solved problem. A tablet you can fit on a desk is a solved problem. But a device that's a phone when closed and a massive screen when fully open is something genuinely different.

The use cases suddenly become obvious. Content creators have a mobile device that turns into a desktop display. Gamers get a massive screen that wasn't possible before without carrying a second device. Anyone who does video calls suddenly has a much better viewing experience.

The engineering is impressive. Getting three panels to fold without creating obvious gaps or weak points is genuinely difficult. Samsung has clearly invested engineering effort here. The crease is still visible (this is basically impossible to eliminate completely), but it's dramatically improved from earlier foldable attempts.

Processor and display specs are flagship-level. This isn't a compromise device using last-year's components. Samsung is putting their best hardware in here, which makes sense for a product this expensive and novel.

Price is astronomical. Expect to pay $1,800 or more for the fully outfitted model. That's more than most people spend on computers. So this is explicitly not a mainstream product. This is for early adopters with money and specific use cases that benefit from a massive mobile display.

Durability is the remaining question mark. Foldable displays are still newer technology. Will this last three years? Probably. Five years? Unknown. You're definitely purchasing with some level of tech risk here. If you're comfortable with that, the Trifold is genuinely interesting. If you need reliability, stick with conventional phones.

The ecosystem compatibility is standard Samsung. You get the full Android experience, which means access to millions of apps. The question is whether apps actually optimize for the Trifold's unique form factor. Many will just stretch to fill the space. That's usable but not optimal.

Future implications matter. If Samsung successfully navigates foldables, we might be looking at the future direction of phone design. If it turns out to be a niche product that never achieves mainstream adoption, that's fine too. Not every innovation needs to become universal to be interesting.

The Asus Pro Art PA148CTC Portable Monitor: Finally, A Display That Isn't Terrible

Portable monitors are weird products that solve a real problem poorly. You want an extra display for your laptop when you're traveling or working remotely. Existing solutions are either too small to be useful or too bulky to actually carry.

Asus's Pro Art line has always taken build quality seriously, and the PA148CTC applies that philosophy to portable displays.

First, the obvious: it's a 14-inch display. That's not huge, but it's large enough to actually improve your workflow. You can have your main applications on one screen and reference material on the other. That's genuinely useful for coding, design, writing, anything involving context switching.

Second, the screen quality is actually decent. This is a professional-grade display, not some budget monitor compressed into a portable form factor. Colors are accurate, brightness is sufficient, viewing angles are good. If you do any color-critical work, you'll appreciate that Asus didn't compromise on the fundamentals.

The stand is integrated and clever. It folds flat when you're not using it and provides adequate support when you are. The whole thing fits in a laptop bag without making the bag bulky. The weight is reasonable. You're not carrying a brick.

Connectivity is via USB-C, which means you can power the display and provide video signal with a single cable on modern laptops. For older machines, there's an adapter, but it's nice that the primary use case is this clean.

Price is around $400-450, which feels premium. But quality portable displays don't come cheaper, and this one justifies the cost through component selection and build quality. If you're someone who regularly works between locations, this is actually a solid investment.

The comparison point is important here: this costs roughly as much as a cheap external hard drive and gives you tangible productivity improvements daily. That math works out if you actually travel with your laptop regularly.

The Rabbit R1 scores high on portability and screen readability, making it a strong contender for dedicated AI interactions. However, task success rates are still improving. Estimated data based on product description.

The Keychron K7: Finally, A Wireless Keyboard That Doesn't Suck

Wireless keyboards have reputation problems. They're either cheap rubber-dome nonsense or expensive mechanical keyboards that compromise on wireless connectivity. Finding a wireless mechanical keyboard that's both good and affordable has been historically difficult.

Keychron has been chipping away at this problem for years, and the K7 represents a refined solution.

This is a full-size mechanical keyboard with wireless connectivity via Bluetooth. It pairs with multiple devices and switches between them reliably. The keyfeel is solid without being aggressively clicky. Battery life is measured in months, not days, because Keychron optimized power consumption throughout the design.

Build quality is better than the price suggests. The aluminum frame feels substantial. The stabilizers are well-tuned. The overall typing experience is genuinely pleasant. This doesn't feel like a compromised wireless keyboard. It feels like a keyboard that happens to be wireless.

Price is around $100-150 depending on whether you get pre-built or assemble-your-own switches. For a quality mechanical keyboard, that's actually reasonable. For a wireless mechanical keyboard, it's downright impressive.

The target audience here is anyone who wants a proper mechanical keyboard but needs the wireless convenience. Not hardcore keyboard enthusiasts (they'll want something more specialized). Not casual users who just need a keyboard that works (cheaper options exist). But the sweet spot of quality and practical functionality? This hits it.

The Soundcore Space A40: Open-Ear Audio Without Shokz's Price Tag

Anker's Soundcore division has always focused on delivering quality products at reasonable prices. The Space A40 is their answer to Shokz's premium open-ear design, and it costs significantly less.

Open Ear design wraps around the ear rather than inserting into the canal. This means all-day comfort and environmental awareness. The Space A40 adds some impressive features despite the lower price: solid noise cancellation for an open design, good battery life, and reliable connectivity.

Sound quality is respectable. Not reference-grade, but better than open-ear designs have historically offered. If you're coming from proper earbuds, you'll notice the difference. If you're upgrading from truly terrible audio, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The value proposition is strong. You get approximately 80% of the Shokz experience for about 50% of the price. If you're not sure about open-ear audio, this is a much lower-risk way to try it.

Battery life pushes eight hours, and the charging case provides multiple refills. That's competitive with everything else on the market. The case is compact enough that carrying it isn't a burden.

Wireless connectivity is stable and fast. Switching between devices works well. Audio quality is consistent across different usage scenarios.

The real value here is proving that premium open-ear audio doesn't require premium pricing. You can deliver actual quality at accessible price points. It's a lesson more audio companies should learn.

The Atmana Aura Therapy Light: Honestly Pretty Clever Circadian Lighting

Circadian rhythm lighting is science with marketing applied. Your body responds to light wavelengths throughout the day. Bright, blue-shifted light in the morning keeps you alert. Warm, red-shifted light in the evening prepares your body for sleep. Smart lights that adapt throughout the day work with your biology rather than against it.

Atmana's approach to this problem is clever. Rather than smart bulbs that require your entire home lighting system to be connected, they offer a standalone device that sits on your desk or nightstand. It provides ambient light therapy without requiring you to retrofit your home.

The device is small, unobtrusive, and actually attractive. It doesn't look like medical equipment. It looks like a decorative light, which means you'll actually use it rather than hiding it because it clashes with your space.

Color shifting is adjustable. You can have it automatically adapt throughout the day, or you can manually set it to whatever you want. The app control is straightforward without being overwhelming.

Price is around $150, which feels fair for the technology and build quality. It's not cheap, but it's not prohibitively expensive either.

The real question is effectiveness. Does circadian lighting actually improve sleep and alertness? Research suggests yes, but results vary significantly between individuals. Some people notice immediate improvements. Others see subtle shifts. If you struggle with sleep or energy levels, this is worth trying. If you sleep well regardless, you probably don't need it.

The Ember Smart Mug 2: Unnecessarily Smart, But Actually Clever

Smart mugs have always felt like a solution looking for a problem. Why would you want an electronic mug? And yet Ember keeps selling them, which suggests some people find value.

The Ember Smart Mug 2 keeps your beverage at your chosen temperature indefinitely. You fill it with hot coffee. You set the temperature to whatever you prefer. And it stays at that temperature for hours.

The use case is genuinely valid for specific situations: long working sessions where you don't want your coffee cooling down, office environments where you can't reheat constantly, situations where you take frequent breaks and want to come back to a properly heated beverage.

For casual coffee drinkers, this is unnecessary. But for people who are deep in work and keep forgetting their coffee exists until it's cold and nasty, this is weirdly transformative.

The design is minimal and attractive. The lid is actual ceramic, not plastic. The overall build quality suggests premium product, not gimmick. Using it feels like using a nice mug that happens to have electronics, rather than using a technology product that pretends to be a mug.

Battery life is impressive. You get weeks of use between charges. The charging system is simple and non-proprietary. You're not locked into Ember's ecosystem.

Price hovers around $100, which is steep for a mug. But if you're the target customer, it's absolutely worth it. If you're not sure whether you're the target customer, you probably aren't.

The Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip: Ambient Lighting That Doesn't Suck

RGB lighting strips are ubiquitous in tech spaces, but most are terrible. They either look cheap and garish or require complex setup that makes them impractical for normal use.

Nanoleaf's Essentials line approaches this differently. High-quality LEDs that actually look good. Modular design that lets you configure lighting however you want. Software that's intuitive without being annoying.

The Lightstrip is their linear version, designed to run along shelves, behind monitors, or anywhere you want ambient lighting that looks intentional rather than gimmicky.

Color accuracy is excellent. Whites look white, not tinted. Colors are vivid without being oversaturated. The overall aesthetic is premium without screaming "gaming peripheral."

Integration is seamless. Works with major voice assistants. Works with IFTTT and other automation platforms. Works with most smart home systems. You're not locked in to any ecosystem.

Price is higher than basic RGB strips but lower than some premium alternatives. Call it $80-120 depending on length and configuration. That's fair for the quality and build.

The real appeal here is that this is lighting that looks good even when not actively doing anything. Many RGB products only look decent when they're fully lit and programmed. The Essentials line looks good at any brightness level with any color.

The Rabbit R1: Weirdly Good Hardware for AI Assistants

The Rabbit R1 isn't quite like anything else. It's a dedicated hardware device for AI interactions. Not a phone. Not a tablet. Just a small screen, a camera, a speaker, and a microphone designed specifically for talking to AI systems.

The form factor is the interesting part. It's small enough to carry in a pocket but large enough to be useful. The screen is readable in sunlight. The microphone works in noisy environments. This isn't a gimmick. This is engineering specifically for the use case.

The software is essentially the entire story. Rabbit's LAM (Large Action Model) aims to let you describe tasks in natural language and have the AI figure out how to accomplish them across multiple services. Instead of telling Alexa "set a timer," you can tell R1 "I'm making pasta" and it figures out everything it needs to do.

This is still early, and the success rate isn't perfect. Some tasks work beautifully. Some fail completely. But the concept is legitimate and the execution is improving rapidly.

Price is around

The real question is whether you need a separate device just for AI interactions. If you're already carrying a phone with AI capabilities, how much additional value does this provide? The answer depends on how much you actually want to interact with AI. If you're the type who'd use it constantly, it's useful. If you're using it occasionally, your phone's AI already handles what you need.

The Hey Mates Buddy. O: AI Companion Toy That Somehow Works

AI collectibles are a weird category. Toys that interact with AI services and remember information about you. It sounds potentially creepy or pointless depending on your perspective.

The Buddy. O from Hey Mates is actually surprisingly charming. It's a small, cute figure that connects to an app and learns about your preferences. It sends you messages, suggests things, remembers conversations.

For kids, this could be either delightful or creepy depending on how parents think about it. For adults, it's mostly just interesting as a novelty product that actually has solid engineering behind it.

The design is cute without being cloying. The AI interactions feel genuine without being uncanny valley. The overall experience is fun without requiring you to suspend disbelief about what's actually happening.

Price is around $50-80, which feels fair for what you get. This isn't a cheap toy, but it's not luxury priced either.

The real value here is proving that AI interactions can feel natural and delightful even in a weird form factor. A lot of AI products feel cold and corporate. This one feels friendly and personal.

FAQ

What makes a CES gadget "worth actually buying"?

A gadget is worth buying when it meets three criteria: it will actually ship and be available for purchase, it will actually work as intended in real-world use, and it solves a genuine problem or significantly improves your daily experience. Many CES products are vaporware, prototypes, or technically functional but impractical. We focus exclusively on products that clear all three bars, which immediately eliminates most of the buzz from the show.

Should I buy something immediately after CES or wait for reviews?

Wait for reviews from independent sources that have actually tested products long-term. CES announcements are often based on limited hands-on time, controlled demos, and early production samples. Real-world usage reveals problems that showroom demos never encounter. Give products at least a month of real-world usage before deciding whether to purchase. You'll make much better decisions with actual user feedback rather than launch hype.

Why are some CES gadgets so expensive when similar products are cheaper?

Early-generation products command premium prices because development costs are high and production volumes are low. As a product matures, manufacturing efficiency improves, competition emerges, and prices naturally decline. If a CES product is important to you but expensive, you can often wait six to twelve months for price drops. The downside is that the earliest adopters help fund further development and improvements for future versions.

How do I know if a CES product will actually receive long-term support?

Research the company's track record with previous products. Do they maintain software updates? Do they respond to customer feedback? Are they still supporting products from five years ago? Check social media and Reddit communities dedicated to their previous products. Long-term support is a pattern, not a promise. Companies that care about their users usually show it consistently.

What should I do if a CES product breaks down after a year?

Check the warranty terms before purchasing. Most electronics come with one-year manufacturer warranties that cover defects. Anything beyond that depends on the company's customer service quality. Read customer reviews specifically looking for warranty experience. Some companies are helpful and accommodating. Others are frustratingly difficult to work with. This should factor into your purchase decision.

Are CES gadgets good gifts for people who already have everything?

Yes, but choose carefully. CES gadgets work as gifts for people who actively enjoy trying new technology and don't mind figuring out how to use something novel. They're terrible gifts for people who want reliable, proven products. The gap between "this is cool" and "this actually improves my life" is often larger than gift-givers anticipate. When in doubt, ask whether the recipient enjoys using new gadgets as a hobby rather than just using them as tools.

The Bottom Line: What Actually Matters

CES is overwhelming. Tens of thousands of products. Competing visions for the future. Enormous noise and relatively little signal. The gadgets we've covered here represent the actual signal: products that are real, products that work, and products that might genuinely improve your daily life.

Notably, many of them aren't revolutionary. The Clicks keyboard isn't reinventing keyboards. The Ikea speakers aren't redefining audio. The Lenovo handheld isn't inventing portable gaming. But they're all meaningfully better at their specific function than the alternatives. They've taken existing categories and executed on them at a level most products never achieve.

That's what separates the products worth buying from the vaporware and half-baked concepts. Execution. Attention to detail. Understanding what actually matters to the people using the product.

The secondary lesson from CES is that expensive isn't always better. The Kallsup at ten dollars is genuinely better than some speakers costing ten times as much. The Keychron keyboard costs less than most mechanical alternatives and performs at their level. Price and quality are correlated but not deterministic. Smart shopping requires thinking beyond the price tag.

Finally, remember that "worth buying" doesn't mean "everyone should buy." The Clicks keyboard is fantastic if you type on multiple devices constantly and terrible if you just use your phone. The Pila battery is transformative if you have frequent outages and unnecessary if you have stable power. The Trifold phone is exciting if you do creative work and costs way too much if you just need a regular phone.

The products we've covered here are worth considering for the specific use cases they address. Try them in person when possible. Read long-term reviews before committing. Understand what you're actually getting and whether it solves a genuine problem in your life.

That's how you navigate CES without getting swept up in hype. That's how you actually end up with gadgets that improve your life rather than just occupy shelf space.

Good luck out there.

Key Takeaways

• CES products that actually matter are those that ship, work reliably, and solve genuine problems—most gadgets announced never reach consumers
• Premium pricing doesn't guarantee quality; products like the $10 Ikea Kallsup deliver better value than expensive alternatives in their categories
• Early-generation products command premium prices due to high development costs and low production volumes; waiting 6-12 months often brings significant price drops
• Long-term company support patterns predict future product reliability better than launch promises; research track records with previous products
• Best CES gadgets succeed through execution and attention to detail in existing categories rather than revolutionary new concepts

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