The TechRadar team is on the ground in Las Vegas at CES 2025 (and occasionally quite high off the ground at demo rooms at the top of Vegas hotels) to check out the new gadgets and tech developments announced at this year’s show.
CES always brings new innovations in basically every tech category, though it’s always especially big for TVs, smart home, health tech, and computing – and this year is no different. We’ve got major developments in screen tech, Nvidia‘s next-gen GPUs, robot vacuums that can pick up socks, and all kinds of cool tech in between.
CES also has a lot of more pie-in-the-sky announcement, but we’re all about the practical developments and gadgets you’ll actually be able to use soon here on TechRadar, so we’ve focused our awards on experience and products we could actually try at the show.
These are our favorite things we saw at the show, chosen by our writers and editors on the ground.
Best TV
Samsung S95F
The follow-up to our TV of the Year, the Samsung S95D, looks like another huge hit, thanks to a few key developments. First, it’ll be brighter than ever, and Samsung says it can hit 4,000 nits of brightness in a tiny HDR peak window (albeit briefly) or 2,000 nits of brightness sustainably in a more standard HDR peak window. Second, it comes with a new generation of Samsung’s Glare Free coating, which removes reflections better than any other option on the market while still preserving OLED‘s deep black tones and rich colors. It’s also available in an 83-inch size for the first time.
And in person, it’s stunning-looking TV – the way it handles reflections is clearly even better than last year’s model, especially under the cruel show lights, and the brightness and colors look stunning. We saw a lot of great TVs at CES and debated this award for a long time, but when the best TV on the planet gets even better, you’ve got to take notice.
TV innovation
Hisense 116UX RGB mini-LED TV
You are looking at the next big thing in TV technology. Normally, mini-LED TVs have a single color of LED in their backlight, with a color-filtering layer (of quantum dots, for example) converting that light into other colors. However, RGB backlights have full-color pixels, meaning that the light they provide is already in roughly the right color, so the color filtering layer in the pixels can be scaled back or removed. This means that the TVs appear brighter (because less energy is lost to the color-filtering process), and the color range is larger and more vibrant at the same time.
This technology was also announced by Samsung and TCL at CES, but those companies only showed off prototypes that aren’t the models they plan to launch first – Hisense showed the actual TV it plans to release later in 2025, which is why it gets the award. At 116 inches, it’s clearly going to be niche, but it does also pull double-duty as the largest mini-LED we saw at CES (by one inch, but still).
Most importantly, it looks incredible in person. The colors are so powerful and lush, they’re a clear step beyond current tech – but you’re still getting the deep black tones we’d expect from a high-end mini-LED, with no obvious blooming from our time with it. We can’t wait to see more TVs with this tech.
Read more: I saw Hisense’s RGB mini-LED TV, and this vividly colorful set is the future of TV
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Best projector
Hisense L9Q Laser TV
As a ‘laser TV’, this is basically an ultra-short throw projector that has TV capabilities such as Google TV streaming built-in, and comes with a matching ambient light rejection projector screen to provide brighter and bolder images. And with a brightness of 5,000 lumens to start with, at screen sizes from 100 inches to 150 inches ‘bright and bold’ is a great descriptor of this TV.
It really ramps up the image quality beyond the Hisense PX3-Pro, which we already rate as the best ultra short throw projector, and the improvement was obvious even on the CES show floor. The built-in 6.2.2-channel Dolby Atmos sound system is interesting as well, but it’s the image quality we’re most interested in, and this looks like the projector to beat in 2025.
Best AV Audio
Samsung QS700F
Samsung’s mid-range ‘convertible’ soundbar is not a new concept overall, though you don’t get many options like it that aren’t high-end. Basically, the soundbar can either sit flat on a surface like any regular soundbar, or it can be wall mounted, but you rotate it 90 degrees so it sits flat against the wall instead of jutting out from it. The speaker design inside is all geared around this – it has identical drivers on the left and right of the front, and the left and right on top – plus an angled central driver in the middle of this all. The idea is that it detects which way it’s angled, and changes which drivers are applying left and right surround channels and which are supplying Dolby Atmos height channels.
And it works! It sounds big, meaty and expansive with TV audio, and the compact, cube subwoofer helps to make sure it hits you with that bass punch when movies demand it. We were really impressed with the scale of its sound in action, and it didn’t seem compromised by its switchable design. It’ll definitely be one to look out for, especially since you can also add wireless rear speakers in Samsung’s new modular wireless speaker addition system.
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Best earbuds
Technics EAH-AZ100
You don’t actually have to take our opinion from the show floor here – we got early access to these way before the CES unveiling, and we’ve completed our full Technics EAH-AZ100 review, which is absolutely glowing. They sound fantastic, they offer 10 hours of battery life with ANC on, they’re crammed with excellent features, and all this comes at a pretty standard price for premium earbuds.
Perhaps the most interesting part is the Magnetic Fluid drivers, which literally use fluid with magnetic material in it as part of the driver, with an aluminum diaphragm to help precision and detail. This tech was used in Technics’ high-end wired earbuds, and now is available in earbuds that are a quarter of the price at around £259/$299. These are the successor to what we rated as the best earbuds you could buy last year, and they take things to a new level.
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Best turntable
Victrola Wave
Victrola regularly comes to CES with cool new wireless turntables, and we love the new Wave model because it pioneers using Bluetooth Auracast in a turntable – the first we’ve ever seen. Auracast is a way to send audio to a near-unlimited amount of speakers from a transmission device – so Auracast can act as an alternative to a multi-room system, beaming sound to lots of compatible Bluetooth speakers, or to lots of compatible headphones (or even both).
That’s on top of support for aptX Adaptive and aptX HD Bluetooth, meaning that you’re also covered if you want higher-quality wireless transmission. And, of course, there’s wired output with a switchable phono stage, leaving it flexible for future plans of what you’ll connect it to. And that’s why we’ve chosen it for this award – it’s got Victrola’s quality, geared up for as many connection options as you could need.
Read more: Victrola’s new turntable with Auracast and aptX might be the most future-proof deck on the planet
Best party speaker
LG xboom Stage 301
We confess, we were cynical about LG tying up with will.i.am for its new speakers – celebrity tech collaborations don’t usually have great results – but we were dead wrong there. The sound signature of LG’s new speakers is warm, fun and expressive – the whole range delivers impressively full bass while still leaving lots of room for convincing and layered mid-range, and clear treble that doesn’t feel lost in the mix.
This was all most impressive in the large LG xboom Stage 301 speaker, which is designed like a stage speaker, and can sit flat on a surface, or can be mounted on a tripod, or can be tilted back for elevated sound. It has connections for a mic or instrument, as well as streaming options for music. It sounded excellent as a party speaker, and depending on the price, we think LG is on to a winner here.
Read more: I heard LG’s new speakers made with will.i.am, and I kind of love them
Best desktop speakers
Kanto UKI
Kanto is on a roll, producing some of the best-value active stereo speakers you can get right now – and the Kanto UKI are another winner. They’re tiny, but aim to deliver excellent, balanced sound so you can really enjoy your music in a big stereo presentation.
They feature a USB-C for easy high-res connectivity to your laptop or PC, Bluetooth for streaming from your phone, and RCA for connecting a turntable or other wired audio options. And all for just $199 / £199 – they could be the audio bargain of the year.
Best laptop
Razer Blade 16
Any laptop boasting the Razer Blade 16’s specs – a 16-inch QHD+ 240Hz OLED display, up to an RTX 5090 with 24GB of GDDR7 VRAM, up to 64 LPDDR5X-8000 RAM, and the the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU – would be impressive, but Razer’s machine also delivers this power in a slim package that’s just 0.59-inches at its thinnest point.
Heat in a thin laptop could be an issue, but to keep the new Razer Blade cool the company has outfitted it with a new vapor chamber cooling system covering a large chunk of the motherboard, plus a dual-fan design and 0.05mm exhausts to keep components cool. It looks like a marvel of design and component selection, and is our most-anticipated laptop to review in full when we can.
Read more: Razer Blade 16 announced at CES 2025 with an Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU – but Intel has been dumped
Best GPU
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090
CES’ least-surprising announcement was nevertheless its most exciting for PC fans: the arrival of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090. Announced alongside the 5080, 5070, and 5070 Ti, the 5090 is the flagship model with monstrously impressive specs; we’re talking 92 billion transistors, next-gen Tensor Cores and Ray Tracing Cores, and more than double the AI processing speed of the 4090 – plus it boasts 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM.
These are specs that mean you can run native 4K games (no upscaling required) at the absolute highest settings, and this GPU is arguably a breakthrough 8K GPU. It’s launching on January 30 at $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$4,039 – a major investment, but it looks like quite the beast.
PC innovation
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable
Clamshell laptops are in a way a ‘solved’ design problem – with the folding mechanism aiding portability and helping to keep the display and keyboard fairly safe while it’s in your bag. But if you want a display with a more screen space in a small footprint, then laptops have been limiting, until now.
That’s thanks to this innovative Lenovo ThinkBook rollable, which expands the screen from a 14-inch landscape display to a 16.7-inch vertical display by rolling it out from the laptop’s main body. It was a concept a few years ago, but now it’s a full-on consumer product you’ll be able to buy. Selfishly, it’ll be great for working in the TechRadar CMS, since it’ll let us see more of each articles at once – more broadly, it could be great for anyone with big documents or multitasking needs. More space, less bulk – we love it.
Read more: Lenovo unveils world’s first rollable display laptop, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable, at CES 2025
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Best gaming handheld
Lenovo Legion Go S
The Lenovo Legion Go was a standout 2024 release, but like many other handhelds it was held back by one thing: Windows. That limitation has been removed from the Legion Go S however, as it’s the first non-Steam handheld to run Valve’s SteamOS, and as a result it’s one our favorite gadgets of CES.
Combine this software win with the Go S’ modern specs – such as 32GB of RAM, up to an AMD Radeon 780M (Z2 Go) GPU, either an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme or AMD Ryzen Z2 Go, plus a great screen – and you have a gaming handheld that really could finally steal the crown from the Steam Deck.
Read more: Lenovo’s new Legion Go S gaming handheld might finally be the one to take down the Steam Deck
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Best mobile accessory
Belkin Stage Powergrip
The best mobile accessories complement our phones by letting us get more out of them, and Belkin Stage PowerGrip does precisely that. Further, it exemplifies the idea of being fun and functional by packing a 10,000mAh battery inside a power pack that looks like a classic point-and-shoot camera.
It comes in several fun shades, including an especially cheerful yellow, and when magnetically attached to the back of the iPhone using MagSafe, it can even act as an ergonomic grip for taking photos, complete with a pairable shutter button. Beyond wireless charging, it has another USB-C port and a retractable cable all built right in. It’s one of the most fun mobile phone accessories we’ve seen in years.
Read more: This might be the coolest iPhone accessory at CES 2025, perfectly mixing tech and aesthetics
Phone innovation
TCL 60 XE
Have you ever wished your phone was easier on your eyes or that it could last for several days on a charge without giving up key functionality? That’s the TCL 60XE NXTpaper 5G Android phone, which at just $199 packs an extreme punch with a Full HD+ display that’s powered by NXTPaper technology.
This means that you can flip a switch to have it transform from punchy, vibrant colors to a matte paper-like option that shows grayscale quite well. It does the switch in just a few seconds, and provides a real solution in the phone for extending battery life, rather than needing to reach for an external power pack. On top of that, it means the phone doubles as an e-reader in a far more eye-friendly way.
Best of all, it’s still a full-featured Android smartphone with an affordable price and could be a record-setting weeks-long run time.
Read more: TCL’s ultra-affordable 60XE uses NXTpaper to potentially break all kinds of battery life records
Best AR glasses
Xreal One Pro
The Xreal One glasses only released a few months ago, but Xreal is back already with the One Pro AR specs for CES 2025. With 700 nits of brightness, 57-degree field of view, and Full HD visuals, the virtual display looks great – especially considering it’s in a sleek and light (87g) package.
What makes these specs more special however is their onboard X1 chip (also in the One), which unlocks native spatial computing processing powers, and the new modular Xreal Eye that adds a camera to the One and One Pro for taking pictures and (eventually) AI vision. It’s an extremely impressive experience, and is scheduled to launch in March at $599.
Best smartwatch
Garmin Instinct 3
Our CES 2025 best smartwatch is really two models, but we love the Instinct 3 line-up. One boasts a punchy AMOLED display and the other can last for weeks – seriously, it’ll keeeeep gooooiinnng – since it’s solar powered.
Both are ultra-rugged, tough smartwatches that are always ready for an adventure, or if you want elite-level metrics tracked whatever activity you’re accomplishing. We even took one for a spin at a bouldering wall earlier during the show. Pretty much all of the health-tracking features you could ask for are included here, including heart rate and sleep tracking.
Read more: The new Garmin Instinct 3 had me climbing a wall – in the best way possible
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Best smart ring
Circular Ring 2
Circular’s second-generation smart ring comes packed with exciting new health features such as its US Food & Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Atrial Fibrilation detection algorithm, an improved ECG sensor and, according to the brand, an eight-day battery life; a major upgrade from the first Ring’s two-day lifespan.
The ring has also innovated in an area that could quickly become an issue for the smart ring industry; sizing kits. Instead of shipping these out, Circular’s app can calculate your ring size, which is a very smart system and must surely become the norm. It’ll be available in gold, silver, rose gold and black, and is crafted from titanium.
Read more: Circular Ring 2 unveiled at CES – and it’s the end of plastic sizing kits for smart rings
Best health assistant
Withings Omnia
Withings’ new smart, AI-powered mirror can give you a health assessment, combining data from its own sensors with data from other Withings gadgets to give you a comprehensive rundown of your health and wellbeing. The mirror itself can measure your heart rate and blood pressure, while the connected base you stand upon measures weight, heart health, and metabolic health.
As well as, y’know, showing your reflection, the mirror acts as a screen which can show health stats and give you relevant feedback on them via an AI assistant. Obviously, it’s hard to discuss its effectiveness from seeing it on the show floor, but the potential is obvious, and it’s an extremely impressive piece of technology that brings together a lot of useful information.
Read more: The new Withings Omnia smart mirror promises to give you a full-screen scan of your health
Best workout tech
Amp Fitness Machine
The amp fitness machine is a perfect example of merging AI features with a well-crafted and innovatively designed piece of machinery. Amp is a very sleek looking adjustable cable-based strength-training machine that will live on a wall, with you completing various workouts directly in front. You’ll adjust the level of resistance on the front, using a circular screen control that gives us major Nest Thermostat vibes. The cable connects to an arm that you can move up and down on the machine, so you can work every muscle group.
While you’re completing strength workouts using the bands, the onboard AI will help to adjust the workouts to your level and what you’re hoping to get out of the exercise. Amp packages itself in a very sleek, modern look, but you shouldn’t underestimate what it is capable of, and it’s one that we look forward to spending more time with soon.
Read more: This AI-powered strength machine could be Peloton for gym rats, and it looks incredible
Best smart light
Govee Gaming Pixel Light
It might not be to everyone’s taste in terms of design or even utility, but Govee’s Gaming Pixel Light neatly applies AI to offer a fun, creative addition to your smart home. Using Govee’s app, you can instruct an AI chatbot to create any images you can imagine, layering up to 10 generated images upon each other.
Plus, it synchronizes with Govee’s DreamView technology, making it an excellent addition to any gaming setup. Simply plug it in, connect and play one of the 40 compatible games available at launch to enjoy fun, contextual light displays on your desktop or TV table. It brings together a bunch of cool ideas into something that meant to make you smile, and it works.
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♬ Retro Games – FASSounds
Best smart switch
Flic Duo
While the Flic Duo doesn’t drop entirely the conventional form of a light switch, it’s what makes it such an excellent smart switch. Not to mention, it strikes the right note with support for Matter, Apple Home, and Amazon Alexa out of the box, though you can also get plenty of control right from the app. As the name suggests, the Flic Duo is a smart switch with two buttons enabling you to set it control any number of things – starting a robot vacuum, turning on the lights, or even running a multi-step routine.
The included wall mount lets you keep the Flic Duo on the wall – pretty ideal for using it as a light switch – or you can pull it off to carry it around. Philips Hue has done this kind of thing before, but the Duo has tech so you can find it via the app if you misplace it, as well as offering far more levels of smart home control. The real kicker, though, is that it has sensors onboard that let you create custom gestures for controlling other things. It’s really the ultimate smart switch.
Read more: This smart-home control button might look like a simple wall switch, but it’s way more than that
Best smart beauty tech
Samsung micro-LED mirror
Samsung’s micro-LED mirror leverages the brand’s impressive display technology in a new form factor, analyzing four core skin markers (pores, pigmentation, tone and redness) to identify potential issues and suggest skincare products from one of Samsung’s skincare partners on the project.
We found that it correctly identified one of our writer’s known skin characteristics, and gave some good product advice, and that was just with the prototype on the show floor. Samsung’s used some innovative construction for the mirror/screen as well, making this an impressive technological feat in lots of ways.
Best smart cooking tech
Brisk It Zelos 450
Brisk-It has already impressed us with its AI grills – which let the grill and its AI (called Vera) perfectly cook meats for you – but a downside of previous models has been the price making them a little inaccessible for many folks. That’s changed at CES 2025 thanks to Brisk It’s new Zelos 450 electric wood pellet smoker, which is just $399 for 450 square inches of cooking space – substantially less expensive than the over $800 models we’ve seen previously.
It also boasts the updated Vera 2.0 model, which includes new image recognition features so it can generate recipes and cooking automations based on pictures not just written prompts to make it easier than ever to get AI cooking assistance.
Read more: Brisk It’s new wood pellet grill promises AI cooking at a more affordable price
Best robot vacuum
Roborock Saros Z70
It was tough competition among the robovacs this year, but ultimately Roborock’s Saros Z70 came out as the winner with its robotic, sock-collecting arm.
It’s a world-first, offering the ability to grab obstacles under roughly 300g and remove them from its path to maximize cleaning efficiency, and unlike many of the whacky and wild devices we see at the tech mega-show every year, it looks like it’s actually set to release and land in the homes of consumers before the year is out.
Best smart lock
Ultraloq Bolt Mission UWB + NFC
The new Ultraloq Bolt Mission takes the location-sensing aspect that makes smart locks so useful and adds a new level of precision and really puts the ‘smart’ into it. It’s the first smart lock to use the ultra-wideband (UWB) tech in iPhones, which iOS 18 recently gave apps and accessories access to. This technology is what’s used in Apple’s AirTags for exact location tracking.
The reason it’s useful here is that it enables the lock to automatically lock or unlock itself not just crudely based on whether you’re near the lock or not, but based on your movement and intention. It can tell when you’re walking or driving away from the door, so it should lock itself even though you’re nearby – or vice versa, unlocking itself as you approach. Except, it can also detect whether you’re inside the house or outside based on your direction, so it can avoid unlocking the door if you’re walking towards it from the inside, keeping you secure. It’s only a small change, and yet it massively increases the smarts and peace of mind of the smart lock, and we love that kind innovation.
Read more: This lock is about to unlock a major iOS 18 UWB feature
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