The weirdest CES ever performed is now over. But no one today is going to notice booths in Las Vegas or tame hotel rooms worth $ 1,000 a night with all the cool gadgets they’ve been displaying all week. That’s because not much new technology was shown. Much of CES was a rerun of the previous weeks – and even months – of announcements. It made the all-digital affair even weirder! But there was still some cool stuff that left us for 2021 and some absolutely wild stuff that took turns making us laugh, cringe, and just scratch our heads at the dare.
We will only see more things as the year goes by. Numerous companies have been hinting at big news in the coming weeks, and with big competing shows like IFA and Computex likely to take place later in 2021, many companies can get their hands on their most useful consumer electronics show gadgets that people can attend in person.
The best gadgets from CES 2021
Lenovo X1 Titanium Yoga
While Lenovo hasn’t tried to reinvent the 2-in-1, combining an even slimmer design with a new titanium-coated chassis to create the thinnest ThinkPad ever, the new ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga just feels a bit more special. And as someone who appreciates a good multi-tasker, not only does the X1 Titanium Yoga have a convertible 360-degree chassis, it also comes with full stylus support for drawing and scribing, and updated specs, including 11th generation Intel chips. Thunderbolt 4. and a large 3: 2 display that’s perfect for all kinds of productivity. The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is simply a premium laptop beautifully crafted. – Sam Rutherford
All Wi-Fi 6E routers
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Last year, the Wi-Fi 6 standard promised to improve Wi-Fi speeds and performance on a busy network by using clever technical tricks to increase the bandwidth of each wireless channel, allowing more devices to work simultaneously with less interference between channels . But it was more of a plaster solution to an ever-growing problem. Wi-Fi 6E promises to future-proof Wi-Fi for a while by introducing a new 6 GHz band in the existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands of Wi-Fi. The 6 GHz band offers 59 separate non-overlapping channels so that multiple devices can operate at higher bandwidths simultaneously. (Think 8K smart TVs streaming 8K content.) The best part is that older older devices don’t have access to the 6GHz band, only newer devices (which should release later this year), which should ensure that the new tire doesn’t immediately get full traffic. – Andrew Liszewski
Mudra Apple Watch Band
The Mudra band is a strap for the Apple Watch that allows you to operate it with one hand. There are sensors that read electrochemical signals to interpret your various hand gestures. For example, you can tap with your index finger and thumb to reject a call, or close your thumb to skip a song. There is huge potential for this type of device, both in terms of accessibility and hands-free convenience. And it is not vaporware. The band costs $ 180 and is expected to ship in March. – Victoria Song
Asus ROG Flex X13
It is a 2-in-1 gaming laptop. Yes, a real 2-in-1 with 360 degree hinges. The included GPU could take a better punch (it’s just a GTX 1650), but the rest of the specs are pretty solid: a new AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS mobile processor, liquid metal instead of plain old thermal grease, and a choice between a 120 Hz or UltraHD 4K display covered with Corning Gorilla Glass. For anyone who wants the option of a better GPU, the Current X13 pairs with Asus’ XG Mobile, a compact eGPU that supports up to an RTX 3080. The price of the two together is expensive – $ 3,000 – but I hope Asus sells the Flow X13 separately or at least makes the XG Mobile available with other GPUs soon. – Joanna Nelius
Samsung custom made 4-door Flex
I know it might be weird to be so excited about a refrigerator just because it makes a new kind of ice cream, but innovation in the fridge space has been pretty sparse in recent years. Everything seemed to revolve around screens or windows in doors and that’s just not something most people need or want. Good ice is something anyone can appreciate, and while the Bespoke will likely be way too expensive for the average person, its ability to produce good or pebble ice means that this technology is finally coming to refrigerators. If this means that in four years a fridge can help me make a drink as satisfying as a Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper at Sonic, I’m all in. – Alex Cranz
TCL XL collection
For TV buyers looking for the largest screen possible with the smallest budget, I have good news: TCL will be big in 2021. The company’s new XL collection will be released three 85-inch display modelsincluding a 4K QLED powered by Roku TV, a 4 Series with Roku TV and an 8K QLED TV. Options! We don’t yet know how much TCL will be charged for two of those three, but we do know that the 4 Series (85R435) costs $ 1600, which is a ridiculously good deal for a screen this size (and if you can wait a while, that price will likely drop closer to the holidays). Everyone’s first monster screens this year, but TCL’s XL screens are likely to be hard to beat. – Catie Keck
The weirdest gadgets from CES 2021
Razer’s Project Brooklyn and Project Hazel
Weird doesn’t necessarily mean bad, and in the case of Razer’s two concept gadgets for CES 2021, Razer presents several methods for tackling some of the mundane issues that people may face this year. A hand Project Brooklyn represents the ultimate evolution of a gaming chair, and even with its over-the-top 60-inch rollable OLED display and RGB lighting it’s something practically any gamer would love to have at home. Meanwhile, Project Hazel is an innovative version of a standard reusable mask that provides the protection people need against airborne viruses, while addressing many of the problems people have with traditional fabric or paper face covers. Honestly, the important thing about keeping these concepts in foreign territory rather than jumping to our best list is that both are closer to fiction than anything you can actually buy. – Sam Rutherford
ColdSnap
Neat dominates the pod-based food space, while others like Juicero have done so spectacularly failed to make their way in. While the machines promise that the experience is all about convenience, there are some big trade-offs in the approach. Pods need to be manufactured and recycled, and the cost per pod usually means that if you don’t use the device multiple times a day, it’s just not worth it. The ColdSnap looks like a beast of a machine too, and looks like it would take up A LOT of space on your countertop for the convenience of soft serve ice cream in just 90 seconds. You can buy ice cream makers for less than $ 100 that last longer, but you can also use any of your own ingredients. – Andrew Liszewski
Panasonic nanoe hairdryer
The Panasonic nanoe hairdryer (EH-NA67-W) actually got its name from a feature where the hair dryer draws moisture from the air around it (which is presumably very humid after a bath or shower) and then blows up your locks with “tiny, moisture-rich particles” that Panasonic claims Being “1,000 times more moist-packed” than the charged ionic particles that other hair dryers use to achieve the same moisturizing effect, it also has a unique oscillating quick dry nozzle that moves back and forth quickly in an effort to dry hair faster and with less effort At $ 150, it falls somewhere between a cheap department store hairdryer and Dyson’s premium offering and it could be nice if that sounds really weird tech actually to work. – Andrew Liszewski
AMD and Nvidia’s Keynotes
Both AMD and Nvidia had great news about mobile devices at CES 2021, but new news doesn’t mean exciting news, and a huge shortage in GPU space meant that both companies seemed to have refrained from making the much bigger announcements fans expect. We will one day get the Radeon 6700 and the RTX 3070 Super, but not at CES. – Joanna Nelius
Harman Personal Audio headrest platform
Speakers built into the headrest of your car seat that come down to the music in you Ears is a really great idea, but I’m not sure it’s a practical idea per se. Speakers appear on either side of your head as a good way to damage your head in the event of an accident, and it will be absolutely annoying if you are driving with a friend and they abruptly activate their speakers. There’s also the way it kills the in-car sing-a-long that is practically required if you have two or more people in a car and someone is a kickass with the AUX cable. I don’t hate it Harman’s Personal Audio Headrest platform, but it sure is seems like a weird solution to a problem few people have. – Alex Cranz
Samsung Eco remote
I’m thrilled to see a TV maker move away from single-use AA or AAA batteries that are likely to end up in the trash. If you can believe Samsung, it is new Eco remote control—Which comes with all of its new 2021 QLED 4K and 8K TVs – can charge via light and through a USB-C port, and Samsung says the remote will last up to two years on a single charge. That’s not so bad if you’re buying a TV that you hope to have for the next 10 years or more. I’m cautiously optimistic about this remote, but I’d love to see it in action before I get too excited about the future of TV wands. It sure seems as a step in the right direction. – Catie Keck
Morari patch
It is a stain … plaster …that no man’s land zaps between the scrotum and anus to stop premature ejaculation. Do I really need to elaborate? – Victoria Song