IT General

Paramount+ has been in a fantastic groove for series that are great to binge over a weekend (or a few weekdays)—perfect if you want to be hooked quickly and just keep going.

We use Excel every day, but we rarely appreciate the sheer scale of its dominance. Excel isn't just a spreadsheet—it's a global phenomenon that has survived every major shift in tech history. Here's why this familiar, 40-year-old green icon still sits on our task bars today.

Sir Idris Elba may have been on Late Night to promote Season 2 of Apple TV show Hijack, but that didn't mean he was going to miss a key Premier League game.

The actor came out holding an iPad as he sat down opposite Seth Meyers, explaining that even though he was excited to be there, Arsenal were also 70 minutes into their crucial clash against Liverpool.

Meyers positioned the iPad on the desk so they could both watch, but soon the host was back to asking his pesky questions.

Elba's response? "Are you going to, um, talk the whole time?"

Spotify's ICE recruitment ads no longer run on the platform, following months of backlash and boycotts.

Confirmed to Variety and verified by Mashable, Spotify is not running any more advertisements encouraging Americans to sign up as deportation agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The news comes in the wake of the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

"There are currently no ICE ads running on Spotify," a Spotify spokesperson told Mashable. "The advertisements mentioned were part of a U.S. government recruitment campaign that ran across all major media and platforms."

"The campaign ended on most platforms and channels, including Spotify, at the end of last year."

SEE ALSO: Jimmy Kimmel ridicules Trump response to ICE shooting: 'How stupid do you think we are?'

Since Oct. 2025, many Spotify users have boycotted the app for hosting these ICE recruitment ads — as well as for CEO Daniel Ek's investment in military AI defense company Helsing.

Spotify has been one tech platform among many — Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook — reportedly offered large financial incentives to run ICE ads, as part of the agency's $100 million marketing recruitment strategy. Variety's report notes that Spotify's ICE ads "were played between songs for users on the ad-supported free plan, offered $50,000 in signing bonuses."

UPDATE: Jan. 9, 2026, 3:58 p.m. Added statement from Spotify including clarification on the campaign ending last year.

If Windows is your operating system of choice, you probably know about a few keyboard shortcuts that include the Windows key. The fact of the matter is that the Windows key is probably the most useful key on the entire keyboard.

Xreal, the augmented reality brand behind some of the leading smart glasses, is dealing with a lot of new competition at CES 2026. Smart glasses have been a big draw among the throngs of attendees on CES' packed convention floor this year, and I’ve probably tried on 12 different smart glasses since arriving in Las Vegas. Earlier at the event, I was impressed by the TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro (especially by its price).

So, how does Xreal respond to a more crowded playing field? By bringing out the big guns.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026 live updates: See the latest news, surprises, and strange tech from LG, Samsung, Lego, and new startups

Xreal debuted two new pairs of AR glasses for CES 2026: the Xreal 1S and the ROG Xreal R1 AR gaming glasses. The Xreal 1S offers some critical upgrades over its predecessor, not to mention a price drop to $449. Meanwhile, the company claims its upcoming ROG Xreal R1 AR gaming glasses are the world’s first-ever micro-LED smart glasses with a 240 Hz refresh rate (even the Apple Vision Pro can't do that). You can buy the Xreal 1S now, but the new ROG glasses won’t arrive until later this year, and likely with a hefty price tag.

On top of that, Xreal has a new innovation on display at CES — instant 3D conversion. Xreal calls it Real 3D, and it's available now on both the 1S and existing Xreal One Pro glasses as a free over-the-air update. This setting instantly transforms your display, photos, videos, games, and entertainment content from 2D to 3D, and it’s a damn neat trick. 

I’ve always been transparent about the fact that I’m extremely skeptical of smart glasses, especially if they have onboard cameras. Xreal smart glasses were the first to make me say, “Okay, I get it. That’s actually really cool.” The company’s spatial computing glasses project a huge screen into the environment around you, which mirrors your smartphone, tablet, or laptop display. So, if you’re working in a coffee shop or on an airplane, that means you can instantly see a massive screen floating in the air in front of you, while built-in Bose speakers provide audio.

I tried the ROG Xreal R1 AR gaming glasses at CES Credit: Mashable composite: Xreal / Asus ROG; Timothy Werth / Mashable

I got to try the unreleased R1 glasses during a demo at CES, tethered to the new ROG Xbox Ally X gaming handheld. This included using them to play Elden Ring while they were connected to a gaming PC. The results blew me away. As I'm fond of saying, they made me feel like I'm living in the future. They provided one of those rare "holy shit" moments, which is exactly what I'm looking for at CES.

The R1 display is mighty impressive, and the refresh rate was equally so. As previously mentioned, even the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro maxes out at 120 Hz, and while watching some movies on the Vision Pro, I didn’t feel like it was consistently achieving that rate. That wasn’t the case with the R1. The graphics were impressive, with strong color and clarity that compared to the nearby display. They aren't overly heavy on your face either, though I didn’t get to wear them for very long.

Playing 'Elden Ring' with the new R1 gaming glasses. Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable

Unlike Xreal’s other glasses, the R1 don't just tether directly to your device. They also plug into an included dock, which sits on your desk and allows you to connect to multiple types of devices. This would make the R1 slightly less mobile; however, the dock is fairly compact, and you can always plug in directly to a gaming handheld.

Here’s what gamers will get with the R1:

• Display: 240Hz 1080p micro-OLED panels

• Resolution: 1920 x 1080

• Display size: 171-inch display from 4 meters away

• Field of view: 57 degrees

• Weight: 91 grams

• Sound by Bose

• Electrochromic lenses

• Includes the ROG Control Dock

• Connectivity: PCs, consoles, handhelds, Android, and iOS via USB-C

The Real 3D conversion feature works instantly

With Apple’s Vision Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy XR, users can transform their photos and videos into 3D content. This spatialization has been a big selling point with these futuristic headsets. However, this process always takes a few seconds, and it can be hit or miss.

However, Xreal’s 3D conversion feature is unlike anything I’ve tried before. With this setting turned on, every part of your virtual display is instantly transformed from 2D to 3D. The app icons on my iPhone display popped off the screen. Desktop backgrounds suddenly became three-dimensional. It even works on video content. I pulled up some recent 4K videos I shot during a Gwen Stefani performance at The Sphere, and the Xreal One Pro instantly turned them into surprisingly realistic 3D videos.

I don't love the marketing image for the Real 3D feature, which doesn't quite capture what the experience is like. It's a lot trippier — in a good way.

The Real 3D effect is cooler than this image, I promise. Credit: Xreal

These types of 3D conversions are never perfect, but I was impressed by how realistically it rendered 3D content — and how quickly. Real 3D can be activated with the push of a button, and the effect is instantaneous, as far as I could tell. Per Xreal, "it's all powered natively by the X1 spatial computing chip."

Even cooler is that this feature is available for free to existing Xreal glasses. It's available as an over-the-air software update, and I’m excited to keep playing around with it at home. (Head to the Xreal website to access the update.)

The Real 3D feature is very impressive. Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable The Xreal eye attachment (pictured here) also enables recording and gesture control. Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable

Likewise, when CES is over, I’m excited to try the new Xreal 1S glasses and pit them against newcomers from TCL and other brands. Xreal may not have the lowest prices, but that isn't the goal.

During my demo, an Xreal representative told me they’re not trying to compete on price, but on quality. And based on the brand’s CES offerings, they’re still several steps ahead of the competition.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

I had used Windows since its XP days, and most of my life I stuck with it. Occasionally, I would dual-boot with a Linux distribution, but I always went back to Windows. About three years ago, I deleted Windows off my work computer and permanently switched to Linux. Here's how that decision slowly reshaped my tech habits.

SAVE OVER $30: As of Jan. 9, the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE are on sale for $68.99 at Amazon. This is $31 off their list price of $99.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Buds FE $68.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $31   Get Deal

Amazon is offering a sweet deal on the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE for a limited time, dropping their price to $68.99. For those who have been hoping to pick up some new earbuds to take into the new year, but don't want to splash out on anything too expensive, these are worth a look.

Usually the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE are listed for $99.99, so this deal saves you $31 overall. Both colors are discounted as well, though the white pair cost just a cent more than the graphite pair, coming to $69. Keep in mind they're both marked as limited-time deals, so act fast to scoop up your favorite while the deal is still live.

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We very much enjoyed the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE. Our review from writer RJ Andersen said, "The sound quality from the Galaxy Buds FE is unmatched for earbuds at this price range. Even Apple users should consider buying them, though they do pair nicer with Android devices." Alongside great sound quality, they even feature Active Noise Cancellation, so you can stay focused on what you're listening to without surrounding sounds interrupting.

On top of that, they offer a battery life of up to six hours on a charge or up to 21 hours with the case when you have ANC on. If they sound like what you've been looking for, now is the time to make a move on the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE.

Looking for more earbud options? Our breakdown of the best earbuds highlights some of our top picks we think are worth investing in.

The late night hosts have all responded to the Trump administration's reaction to ICE fatally shooting Renee Good on Wednesday, with Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng condemning them for painting the 37-year-old mother as a "domestic terrorist" despite the video evidence.

In the Late Night video above, Seth Meyers weighs in too, finishing his "A Closer Look" segment with a sober address to camera.

"A 37-year-old mother in a Honda Pilot was shot dead on a residential street and they're calling her a terrorist," says Meyers. "The same people who called those who stormed the federal building 'heroes', the same people who supported pardoning those who beat Capitol police officers while ignoring their orders to stop, are telling us that a woman shot dead in her own car in her own community is a domestic terrorist. And when they do that, they're also telling us who they are. And it is our job to never forget what they've told us."

TL;DR: The Silent Hill 2 remake is now only $27.39 at Amazon. That's 45% off its original list price at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Konami 'Silent Hill 2' (PS5) $27.39 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $22.60 Get Deal

With Silent Hill f one of the best games of 2025, the long-running horror franchise has been enjoying a renaissance following the success of the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake on PS5 — one of the best games of 2024. 

If you’ve been saving yourself to jump back in, you can now try the latter for a new low price. As of Jan. 9, the Silent Hill 2 remake is now available for only $27.39 on Amazon, thanks to a 45% price cut from its original $49.99 listing. Confirmed when checking price tracker camelcamelcamel, this is the lowest the Bloober Team-developed remake has been sold for on the store.

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This low sticker price definitely doesn’t mean you’re getting a poor game in return. In addition to being one of the finest releases of its year, getting a high score in our own Silent Hill 2 review at Mashable, this best-selling hit has received acclaim and awards recognition across the board.

For instance, alongside receiving six nominations at The Game Awards, it even won ‘Best Remake’ at the New York Game Awards. If you’ve got Silent Hill f burning up your 2025 backlog, the Silent Hill 2 remake is the perfect warmup. 

If you’re also keen to upgrade your PS5’s setup, you can get the Samsung Odyssey G8 QD-OLED gaming monitor for its lowest price yet at Woot. For those who are after a PlayStation 5 display that’s a bit bigger, the 50-inch Roku Smart TV is over $50 off at Amazon, part of a limited-time deal. 

The weekend's almost here, so whatcha gonna watch? If you're like me, it'll be something on Netflix you can make your way through in a weekend, or even into next week.

CES 2026 has been full of big announcements — advances in the chips that power AI, major product launches, and more — but the Vegas tech convention is also known as a haven for weird tech.

We here at Mashable are lovers of weird tech and odd gadgets, and, thankfully, CES 2026 has not disappointed thus far. We've got folks on the ground in Vegas scoping out everything odd on the showroom floor — here are six of the weirdest and most fun things we've seen.

Check out the full list of Best of CES 2026 finalists, as selected by CNET Group, here.

Teeth music

Ever wondered how your music...tastes? Well, you can now find out...kind of. The Lollipop Star is a device that plays music through your teeth. The company sells $9 lollipops that use bone conduction to play music into your inner ear, while you also get a sugar fix.

For less than a ten-spot, you can buy your favorite song and have a little novelty treat. Not a bad deal.

Credit: Lava Brand Brain-sensing headphones

Neurable showed off headphones at CES that measure how fast you think. The idea is that gamers, especially, could track their reaction times and thought processes. Using this data, the company has developed a system that should help you focus better. Mashable's Chance Townsend tested it out and found it pretty cool.

"The feeling afterward was quite pleasant, all things considered," Townsend wrote. "Everything on screen felt slightly slower, but I was reacting more quickly."

Credit: Mashable / Chance Townsend Headphones that twist into speakers

In a bit of old-school gadgetry, new audio brand TDM debuted headphones that can twist into a speaker at CES 2026. It's a neat idea — go from private listening to sharing with one physical movement.

Credit: TDM A vibrating chef's knife

Mashable's Haley Henschel tested Seattle Ultrasonics' C-200 UltraSonic Chef's Knife, which vibrates as you use it to make cutting easier. Though the vibrations are nearly indetectable to the naked eye, the movement helps slice more easily.

Wrote Henschel:

"I had no trouble getting it to cut paper-thin pieces of tomato with a light touch. Seattle Ultrasonics' rep likened it to riding a bike versus pedaling an e-bike in that it makes your experience more effortless."

The $399 knife could prove useful for many home chefs, especially those with disabilities or physical limitations.

Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable Panda companion bots

In a bit of strange-but-sweet tech, Mind With Heart Robotics showed off its AI-powered panda An'An. The idea is the fuzzy little guy will be an interactive companion for elderly folks with cognitive decline or kids working on social skills.

Credit: Mind With Heart Robotics The AI soulmate Credit: Mashable / Chance Townsend

Chinese company Lepro displayed its Ami device at CES 2026, a desktop OLED screen that houses an AI "soulmate" to keep you company. And that is not sat...at all.

The company pitched the Ami as a companion that would be empathetic and connect with its users on a deper level. Giving an AI companion a physical form is certainly an interesting choice.

Wrote Mashable's Chance Townsend:

"Most AI companions today live where everything else already lives: your phone, your browser, your notifications. They blur into the same infinite scroll that's already exhausting us. Lepro Ami, by contrast, asks for a dedicated spot on your desk. It doesn’t follow you everywhere. You have to choose to keep it around."

The OLED smart purse Credit: Mashable / Chance Townsend

Would you spend $9K on this smart purse? Created by Richard Peuty, Infinity appears to be a regular high-end handbag, but this statement piece has an OLED display directly embedded in the leather. And while the Kickstarter tiers start at around $800, the top-end Atelier Edition surpasses $9,000. It's a device described by Mashable's Chance Townsend as "one of the show’s more delightfully unnecessary ideas."

CES is always good for some truly wonderful and strange tech — thankfully, 2026 delivered in both regards.

Want to see more of the best in weird tech at CES 2026? The finalists for the Best of CES 2026 awards have been announced. See the nominees and learn when the winners will be announced.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

I used to dread sharing my screen during meetings because my Excel spreadsheets were a mess of raw data. I'd spend forever hiding columns and zooming in, only to have to undo it all later. Then I found custom views—a "save state" that toggles between layouts in just two clicks.

SAVE $30: As of Jan. 9, the Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS, 40mm) has dropped to $219 at Amazon. This deal saves you $30 on list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch $219 at Amazon
$249 Save $30   Get Deal

Our favorite smartwatch for most people, the Apple Watch SE 3, has dropped to $219 at Amazon. If you're an Apple user and a smartwatch has been on your radar for the year ahead, this is a deal well worth checking out.

Overall, this discount saves you $30 on the Apple Watch SE 3's usual price of $249. What's even better is you can have your pick of a couple of different color options at this price as well: the starlight aluminum case with a starlight sport band or the midnight aluminum case with a midnight sport band. No matter which one catches your eye, this is a sweet offer to jump on.

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The Apple Watch SE 3 is a great pick for those who aren't looking to have any over-the-top features in their smartwatch, which is why we've chosen it as the best smartwatch for most people. Mashable's Timothy Beck Werth notes that, "You get 98 percent of what you need from an Apple Watch or fitness tracker, and at a much better price."

Some of the features included on the Apple Watch SE 3 are an activity tracker, heart rate monitor, a daily sleep score, temperature sensing, and safety features like Fall Detection, Crash Detection, and Emergency SOS. It even boasts an always-on display, so you can check out the watch face at any point without raising your wrist.

Deals like this may not stick around for long, so act fast to save on the Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS, 40mm) at Amazon. Alternatively, if you'd rather splash out on a fancier model, you can also save on an Apple Watch Series 11 right now.

Posting content on OnlyFans is far from easy money, as several creators told Mashable last year, and the average creator only raked in around $1,300 in 2023. That being said, there are high earners on the platform — like Tiffany Wisconsin, who only started shooting adult content five years ago. 

Wisconsin (who goes by either Tiffany Wisconsin or Wisconsin Tiffany) typically earns upwards of $100,000 per month on OnlyFans (and supplied a screenshot of her November 2025 earnings to Mashable as proof). Wisconsin spoke to Mashable about what it takes to earn this much, including seeking help and staying consistent.

SEE ALSO: Former OnlyFans CEO's next app is coming — and it allows topless pics Upselling on OnlyFans

Wisconsin started posting solo bikini photos on OnlyFans in 2021, and in 2023 began shooting explicit content (meaning, having sex with other people on camera — and Wisconsin sometimes has sex with multiple people for a video, called a "gang bang"). But even though Wisconsin films hardcore porn, she believes that shooting solo content can produce a lot of cash. 

"I think it's all up to how you're selling your content, because you could do solo stuff," she said in an interview with Mashable. "As long as you know how to sell it, if you can upsell."

Wisconsin creates personalized content for an upcharge, which can involve degrading her fans, sexting, and sending spicy Snapchats. "I do a lot of upselling, and that will make a huge difference."

The importance of social media

OnlyFans famously lacks a search function, though, resulting in a lack of discoverability on the platform. So Wisconsin, like many adult content creators, posts on mainstream social media platforms to promote herself.

"Rage bait seems to work the best for me," Wisconsin said, referring to content designed to elicit anger. While not everyone is into it, she finds that it performs well. "I figured out what makes people react, and then it gets subscribers."

Sometimes she doesn't like doing rage bait, because people believe that's how she really is — but it's just for views, and it generates money for her. An example is a caption on an Instagram Reel where Wisconsin wrote that a man went broke because of her, and he put her in will. 

"I just made it up," she said, "and I got so many views and so many subscribers," she said, and even got into a porn niche: financial domination, when customers get aroused by the idea of Wisconsin taking all their money.

SEE ALSO: A beginner's guide to understanding Dom/sub dynamics

"I didn't even intentionally do that," she said, but she decided to keep doing it. "I was like, 'Well, these guys are gonna give me money. I might as well just keep doing that then.'"

Social media also gave way to her main niche: older men (her bios declare that she has "granddaddy issues"). She fell into the category after posting a TikTok about older men to see the reaction. It gained a huge number of views. Men were nice to her and started buying her things. 

"I was like, 'Wow, I like this.' I'm gonna just keep marketing towards older men," she said. "It just comes so easy to me now, because people know I'm the girl that films with older men."

"Even when I was doing solo content, I was marketing towards older men," Wisconsin continued. "So a majority of my subscribers are older men."

She posts daily on multiple social media accounts (Instagram, X, TikTok, and others), but she doesn't actively monitor them throughout the day.

"I used to do that a long time ago, being like, 'Oh, is it going to get views or not?' But now, I don't do that, and when I don't do that, [the video] always seems to get views," she said.

SEE ALSO: The best sexting apps for discreet NSFW chats

And asked whether she's ever been shadowbanned (or deprioritized or hidden on mainstream social platforms, which those platforms typically deny), Wisconsin said, "A lot of times, if people are shadowbanned, it's not that they're shadowbanned, it's because they're not posting content that the internet wants to push out." 

Wisconsin always stays up to date on algorithm changes, and that makes a difference, she said. 

Creators who believe they're shadowbanned might not understand their content isn't interesting, Wisconsin said. "I've done the same thing where I thought it was, and then today…I look back, and…it's not like, 'Oh my gosh… I want to watch this again.'"

Tiffany Wisconsin's top OnlyFans tips

Treat OnlyFans like a business, Wisconsin said. 

She's been working with an assistant for about a year, who handles her bookings, checks emails, and the like. "I really do think it's important to have extra help," she said. Other adult content creators Mashable has spoken to about what making porn requires (besides naked bodies) also said they rely on other people, like social media managers.

To earn a substantial income on OnlyFans, Wisconsin advises being consistent, having a plan, and not undervaluing yourself.

"A lot of girls undervalue themselves," she said. "They don't charge enough for their content."

"If you think about going to the store and you see something that's not as much, and then you're wondering, like, 'why is it not as much? It must not be as good,'" she explained. 

Women may think that if they charge less, more people will buy their content, but Wisconsin said it actually might turn them away because they'll wonder why it's not priced higher.

Even if you don't make six figures a month, you might be able to break above the yearly $1,300 average.

Stephen Colbert opened his monologue with a far more somber tone than usual, addressing ICE's fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good that took place in Minneapolis on Wednesday — and the Trump administration's reaction to it.

"By now we've all seen the video," says Colbert. "In it, as reported by the New York Times, Good 'appears to be turning away from a federal officer', and, as reported by the Washington Post, 'the agent was able to move out of the way and fire at least two of the three shots from the side of the vehicle as it veered past him.' It sure looks like a federal agent gunned down an American citizen without cause in front of witnesses on a city street. But the administration is telling you that you didn't see that. They're saying you saw him respond to an act of domestic terrorism. They're telling you to believe them and not your eyes."

Colbert goes on to say that this should be an alarm bell for the entire country, regardless of whether you live in a red or blue state.

"If we let this go on, regardless of who your state voted for, one day you'll have unaccountable, armed government agents acting with impunity in your town," says the host. "So peacefully, and non-violently, let your leaders know you don't want that."

Elsewhere, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng have also reacted to the shooting.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Phantasmal Flames Booster Bundle is now 16% off at Amazon, dropping to $55.47 from $65.80.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokemon Company Pokémon TCG Phantasmal Flames Booster Bundle $55.47 at Amazon
$65.80 Save $10.33 Get Deal

The Pokémon TCG market may be unpredictable, but Amazon pricing occasionally lands in a place that actually seems a bit more budget-friendly. As of Jan. 9, the Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution Phantasmal Flames Booster Bundle is $10 off at Amazon, dropping the price to $55.47 from its typical listing of $65.80.

This 16% price cut isn’t dramatic, but it’s a noticeable dip for a sealed Pokémon trading card product that has stayed in steady demand since release. The Booster Bundle format is especially popular with collectors who want more than a couple of loose packs, but aren’t ready to spring for a full booster box. 

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This discounted price is still a little higher than its market value of $42.94, but shipping costs on TCGplayer make Amazon the top choice right now.

Each Phantasmal Flames Booster Bundle includes six booster packs from the Mega Evolution set’s Phantasmal Flames expansion. Inside every pack, you’ll find 10 game cards, one Basic Energy, and a Pokémon TCG Live code card, giving both physical collectors and digital players something to work with. The expansion itself leans heavily into Mega Evolution, featuring standout Pokémon like Mega Charizard X ex, Mega Gengar ex, Mega Heracross ex, and Mega Lopunny ex.

If you feel like springing for even more Pokémon TCG booster packs, the Phantasmal Flames Booster Box is still on sale. For Mega Evolution collections, both the Mega Lucario and Mega Gardevoir Elite Trainer Box are discounted right now at Amazon.

The Consumer Electronics Show brought us a fresh crop of new laptops this week, and I was on the ground in Las Vegas getting to know them all. (Final step count: 69,142.)

Naturally, new processors were on the docket. This year's batch of Windows PCs will be powered by updated AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm chips that promise better AI performance, better integrated graphics performance, and multi-day battery life. Good stuff, but pretty standard next-gen fare.

SEE ALSO: Best of CES 2026 awards announced: See all the winners and nominees

What's more interesting is the kinds of laptops these chips will be powering. It seems like every PC maker is pushing its consumer and commercial models to be thinner and lighter than ever before, upping the number of MacBook Air dupes on the market. I think everyone saw how much attention the 2.18-pound Asus Zenbook A14 got at last year's CES and wanted a piece of the pie.

Modularity was another trend I noticed among enterprise machines at CES 2026. Dell, HP, and Lenovo are making it easier for you (or your IT department) to bust open your PC for easy repairs or replacements. None of them have taken it to the level of right-to-repair champ Framework just yet — Lenovo gets close — but it's heartening to see mainstream manufacturers take this more seriously.

Finally, Asus and Lenovo are continuing to explore and refine screen innovations that they introduced in years past. The former revisited its two dual-screen laptops, while Lenovo further dabbled in rollable displays and actualized a twisting one. They're the sorts of new-fangled form factors that make CES so exciting year after year.

Featured Video For You The best laptops we saw at CES 2026

I can't help but wonder what happens when CES attendees and tech enthusiasts all leave Vegas and get back to reality. An AI-induced RAM famine is expected to make laptops get more expensive in the coming months. That's probably why Acer and Asus have yet to reveal any prices for their lineups, and why Lenovo and HP are only providing "estimated" or "expected" costs. There's a good chance their numbers will climb before launch.

Let's take a look at my top laptops of CES 2026 before the comedown hits. Spoiler: Lenovo and Asus had banner weeks at tech's biggest showcase.

Best laptop overall: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

What a mouthful, huh? Don't let the convoluted name throw you off: Lenovo's latest business laptop has a brand-new "Space Frame" internal design, which puts components on both sides of its motherboard for simpler DIY fixes. You can swap out its keyboard, speakers, fans, battery, and USB ports if something conks out. Big-name PC makers have historically spurned such extensive modularity (and Lenovo is the biggest name in PCs), so this one earns our Best of CES gold medal in the laptop category. Hopefully it'll be a trendsetter. It's set for release in Q1 at an estimated starting price of $1,999.

Best ultraportable: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

At 2.15 pounds, the Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition is officially the lightest laptop I've ever held — yet it doesn't feel fragile or cheap. It's equipped with a beautiful 2.8K 120Hz "POLED" (flexible Plastic OLED) display and maxes out with a high-end Intel Core Ultra X9 Series 3 chip. Lenovo has it pegged at a starting price of $1,499.99 with a Q2 release timeframe.

Best dual-screen laptop: Asus Zenbook Duo Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The dazzling dual-screen Zenbook Duo has a slimmer "hideaway" hinge, brighter and smoother 3K OLED displays, and lighter Ceraluminum chassis. That doesn't seem like an inspired update on paper, but when you look at the laptop next to its predecessor in person, its sleekness is truly striking. Asus also reworked the ROG Zephyrus Duo, its gaming-forward counterpart, but it's mainly playing catchup.

Best sequel: Asus Zenbook A16 Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Asus' new Zenbook A16 is the supersized version of the Zenbook A14, our ultralight Best of CES winner last year. It's impressively feathery for a 16-incher, weighing in at 2.65 pounds, or nearly an ounce lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air. Big fan of its 3K 120Hz OLED touchscreen, too. It'll be the first laptop to launch with Qualcomm's new top-tier Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip.

Read more about the new Asus Zenbook A16.

Best gimmick: Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist View this post on Instagram

Lenovo's twisting business laptop has made the jump from concept to reality. The top half of it swivels between laptop and tablet modes on a motorized hinge, and you can control its position using voice commands. Additionally, its 10MP webcam has a face-tracking feature that automatically repositions its lid so it's always facing you. I can see it becoming an office regular: It's perfect for presentations. Look for it in June with an estimated starting price of $1,649.

Read more about the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist.

Best redemption arc: Dell XPS 14 and 16 Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

In a dramatic plot twist, Dell resurrected its popular XPS laptop line a year after killing it off as part of a confusing rebrand. Not only that, but the company fixed some of the series' most controversial features along the way. The new XPS 14 and XPS 16 have lighter, thinner designs with physical function rows, subtly outlined touchpads, and modular USB-C ports. This whole ordeal never needed to happen, but in the end, Dell gave the people what they wanted and then some. (It's me, I'm the people.) Select configurations of the 2026 XPS 14 and XPS 16 are now available starting at $2,049.99 and $2,199.99, respectively, with cheaper variants launching next month.

Read more about Dell's XPS revival.

Most intriguing MacBook rival: Asus ExpertBook Ultra Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

This 14-inch enterprise laptop wasn't on my radar initially, but after seeing it in Asus' showroom, I can't wait to get my hands on it for testing. The Asus ExpertBook Ultra is thinner and lighter than a MacBook Air, weighing as little 2.18 pounds and measuring 13.9 millimeters thin. (It's the thinnest laptop I saw at CES.) Yet it's also reminiscent of a MacBook Pro. It'll pair a powerful Intel Core Ultra X9 Series 3 processor with an "ExpertCool Pro" thermal solution, which an Asus rep described to me as a wind tunnel-like design with quiet, oversized fans. It has a 3K tandem OLED touchscreen with an anti-glare finish that comes standard; MacBook Pros might get OLED this year or next, and their nano-texture display upgrade costs extra. What's the catch? And maybe relatedly, how much will Asus charge for this thing?

Honorable mention: Lenovo's rollable concept laptops View this post on Instagram

Lenovo loves experimenting with unconventional designs that incorporate bendy OLED panels, and this week it showcased two new laptops with OLED screens that roll up and out. The ThinkPad Rollable XD is an enterprise model with an extendable double-sided display, while the Legion Pro Rollable is a gaming laptop whose display grows wider. They're only concepts right now, but don't lose hope that they'll hit shelves eventually. Lenovo sent a fully realized rollable laptop to market last summer, more than two years after it debuted as a prototype.

Read more about Lenovo's rollable concept laptops.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

SAVE $250: As of Jan. 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is on sale for $549 at Amazon. That's a 31% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Ultra 2 $549 at Amazon
$799 Save $250   Get Deal

If your Christmas tree was missing an Apple Watch-shaped gift this year, now’s your chance to treat yourself; the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is on sale at Amazon. And it's not just on sale, it's reduced to its lowest-ever price. As of Jan. 9, this smartwatch is down to $549 from $799, a pretty impressive saving of $250.

As a fitness tracker, the Ultra 2 really excels. Tough enough for running, cycling, hiking, swimming, and diving. For winter mornings or late night activities, the Always-On Retina display and dual-frequency GPS will both keep you guided. You'll also get offline maps, Compass Waypoints, and Backtrack to navigate efficiently.

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It also has advanced metrics which you can read in the Workout app. Heart rate zones, custom workouts, training load, and running efficiency all help you train better and smarter. The stats stretch beyond fitness and also monitor health, with ECG and Blood Oxygen monitoring, sleep tracking, irregular heart rhythm notifications all included. And on top of all this, it boasts an extra long battery life, giving you 36 hours for normal use and 72 hours in Low Power Mode.

Get this Apple Watch deal at Amazon now.

SAVE $50: As of Jan. 9, the Kindle Colorsoft Kids (16GB) is discounted to $219.99 at Amazon. This is 19% off its usual price of $269.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kindle Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Kids (16GB) $219.99 at Amazon
$269.99 Save $50   Get Deal

Though the holidays have passed, Amazon still has some deals lingering around for shoppers to enjoy. Among them are discounts on their e-readers, including the Kindle Colorsoft Kids (16GB). If you've had one in mind to get for your child so they can start the new year with new reads, now is the time to grab it.

The Kindle Colorsoft Kids has dropped from its list price of $269.99 to $219.99, allowing you to save $50. Keep in mind it's currently listed as a limited-time deal,, so you'll want to be quick to score it at this price before it's gone for good.

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Thanks to the Colorsoft display, the Kindle Colorsoft Kids can make comics and colorful art from books really pop. It also has an excellent battery life that can last up to eight weeks, so there's plenty of time to cruise through books before plugging it in for a recharge. It's even waterproof, so it can handle future trips to the pool or beach as the warmer weather comes around.

As a bonus, it even comes with 12 months of Amazon Kids+, which is a subscription designed for kids between the ages of 3 to 12. With it, they'll gain unlimited access to a vast library of books. Once the 12 months is up, the subscription will be auto-renewed every month starting at $5.99 per month, but it can be cancelled at any point if you're not interested.

In our overall review of the Kindle Colorsoft, Mashable's Samantha Mangino noted that, while the regular Kindle Colorsoft may not be worth it for the average reader, the "color display is a huge boon for kids who want to experience their favorite books in color." If it's caught your eye, now's the time to make a move on the Kindle Colorsoft Kids.