Technology

There are many factors to consider when buying a computer: performance, battery life, portability, screen quality, and ports, to name a few. If the FIFA World Cup logo is one of those critical features for you, you'll be happy to know that Lenovo is slapping it on several ThinkPad and ThinkBook laptops.

All-in-one desktop PCs are not incredibly popular outside of Apple's iMac lineup, but there are still people who don't want a separate desktop box. Lenovo just announced a new one at CES 2026 with a twist: it has a nearly square display.

Lenovo is showing off many new laptops at CES 2026, including the Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition aimed at creative work. Besides the usual high-end hardware, the laptop has something you don't see every day: a Wacom drawing tablet hiding in the touchpad.

The handheld gaming PC market is still split between Windows 11 and Valve's SteamOS, and if you prefer the latter software experience, Lenovo has revealed a new Legion Go handheld at CES 2026. It has the same operating system as the Steam Deck, but with a higher-performing Ryzen processor and larger 8.8-inch OLED screen.

Lenovo's voice-controlled twisting laptop is officially hitting the market later this year, and Mashable got to go hands-on with it at CES 2026. The PC giant still has one kink to iron out before it lands in consumers' hands this summer, but overall the device is a fun and constructive twist on the 2-in-1 form factor.

Announced Tuesday, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist is a unique hybrid business PC with a swiveling 14-inch touchscreen that rotates on a motorized hinge. The user can open, close, and reposition its lid manually or by saying "Hey Tiko" followed by a voice command. If necessary, you can switch it between clamshell and tablet modes without lifting a finger. The screen can turn 90 degrees to the right and a full 180 degrees to the left.

Do the twist. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Auto Twist has some other fun tricks up its sleeve. Its 10MP webcam can follow your face, and if you scoot too far to one side of the frame, the device will automatically adjust the position of its display to make sure it's always facing you. This seems perfect for presentations.

Additionally, the Auto Twist's webcam supports an AI-powered "Desk View" feature that lets it look around and analyze objects near it. A Lenovo rep had it sniff out a spec card that was sitting next to it; the device's lid swiveled around so that the camera could find and scan its contents. It also clocked the dimensions and price point of the spiral-bound notebook I was holding while standing in front of it. (Six-by-eight inches, $5 to $10, college-ruled.)

Hey chat. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Booting up the Auto Twist's "Companion Mode" puts a pair of eyes on its screen that reminded me of a minimalist Nick Jr. "Face." When you chat with it, the screen's position moves as it "thinks" and "emotes." Necessary? No. Cute? Kinda!

I ran into one snag whenever I manually rotated the Auto Twist's screen back up from tablet mode, which would cause its picture to get stuck upside-down. A Lenovo rep was able to re-orient it in the settings menu, but I'm hoping a fix is coming pre-release.

Left: Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable Right: Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Auto Twist initially debuted as a prototype at the IFA trade show in September 2024. Lenovo says the market-ready version has a faster, quieter, smoother, and more durable hinge with a refined electromotor design. It also got upgraded with a nicer 2.8K OLED display.

The Auto Twist is powered by an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor with integrated Intel Graphics, up to 32GB of memory, and up to 2TB of storage. Its OLED screen has a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness. Its Dolby Atmos speakers rotate with the screen so that they're always front-facing, ensuring clear audio quality.

Super sleek. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Auto Twist hasn't been rated for battery life, but Lenovo notes in a press release that its 75Wh battery "provides long-lasting productivity."

The device is equipped with a decent mix of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack. It measures 0.63 to 0.94 inches thin, and it starts at 3.09 pounds. It comes in a Luna Gray finish, and it's set for release in June with a base cost of $1,649.

You know you twist so fine. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Auto Twist marks Lenovo's third crack at a laptop with a twisting display after 2012's ThinkPad Twist and 2023's ThinkPad Plus Twist. The latter was quirkier in that it had an second e-ink touchscreen on the back of its lid, though neither older device supported voice commands, giving the Auto Twist an edge from an accessibility standpoint.

The Auto Twist isn't to be confused with Lenovo's ThinkBook VertiFlex Concept from IFA 2025, which had a screen that rotated from landscape to portrait mode similar to a Samsung Sero TV. Lenovo's communications manager Jeff Witt told me via email that it's still just a concept — for now. "Give us some time," he said.

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.

For the past couple of years, tech companies have been pushing to make a wearable AI companion that actually breaks into the mainstream. Whether that company ends up being Motorola remains to be seen, but the smartphone maker is clearly angling for a shot. At CES 2026, Motorola debuted a new wearable AI proof of concept for guests and press during its Lenovo World Tour event.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026: JBL's new open earbuds lineup gives listeners 5 unique options

I had the chance to see the device in action a few days earlier at a private media preview, where company spokespeople were careful to stress that this is very much a proof-of-concept device. What they showed us works largely as you’d expect this category of hardware to function right now. Powered by Motorola’s new AI assistant, Qira, the wearable can identify and explain objects in front of you, summarize information, and even navigate to events by launching apps on a paired phone.

Credit: Motorola

The device itself is small and minimalist, resembling a chunky pendant more than a traditional gadget. It’s encased in a glossy, pearl-like shell with softly rounded edges and hangs from a thin necklace chain. A subtle Motorola logo sits near the center, while a small camera lens and sensor array are positioned at one end. Aside from a narrow speaker slit and tiny pinhole microphones, there are no visible buttons or displays.

In practice, it teeters on the edge of being an agentic AI. Rather than just spitting out directions, the device actually opened Google Maps on the demo phone and entered the destination on its own. Some of the demos, however, felt redundant — including one where a spokesperson held up an event flyer, and the device more or less repeated the text verbatim, with only minimal added context about the speakers.

Still, Motorola may have an opening here. The bar for minimalist, wearable AI remains unsurprisingly low. Humane’s AI Pin flamed out almost immediately, criticized for its limited usefulness and high price. The Friend necklace followed, drawing immediate backlash for allegedly borrowing its design from someone else.

Motorola was clear that this wearable is still a long way from any commercial release.

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.

One of the coolest parts of CES is getting to preview the future of technology. LG’s iRobot-like helper robot and Sony’s XYN headset are two such examples from last year's event. Those are rather large and ambitious tech projects, but Lenovo is tackling a different sort of problem with its Self-Charging Kit Concept, which consists of a solar-powered mouse and keyboard that can charge themselves without natural sunlight

Lenovo says this technology provides "one of the industry's first true no-charging" experiences.

Credit: Lenovo

The tech uses what Lenovo calls “next-level light-harvesting technology,” which charges the mouse and keyboard using indoor light as low as 50 lux. For reference, most grocery stores are somewhere between 200 and 500 lux, so 50 lux would be equivalent to an overcast day, give or take.

These days, virtually every device comes with a throwaway USB-C charging cable, and we love the idea of having a truly wireless gadget with no charging required. Based on product images, it appears that the charging panel is right above the arrow keys on the keyboard and integrated into the mouse’s entire top side. 

Lenovo was a little vague in terms of other features, but based on the concept images, there are three Bluetooth buttons, indicating that the kit will be able to connect to multiple devices with the push of a button, and an eco mode button that will likely reduce functionality to help the battery last longer.

Credit: Lenovo

Lenovo gets points for having such a neat concept, especially one that can charge in such low light. This concept already exists in some products, such as this Logitech solar-powered keyboard, which can hold its charge for up to three months in total darkness. However, Logitech’s documentation says that keyboard needs at least 100 lux to charge, so Lenovo’s concept not only has a cleaner design, but also works in much dimmer lighting. 

Since this is a concept product, there is no release date or price tag. For comparison’s sake, Logitech’s previous solar model sells for $300 when not on sale.

Lenovo has debuted a ton of new concept products and AI laptops for CES 2026, and Mashable got the chance to spend some hands-on time with the products. Check our CES 2026 hub for the latest news and updates as Mashable reports live from the biggest show in tech.

Smart glasses are a major trend this year at CES 2026, and though TCL has been in the space for a while, its RayNeo glasses haven't made as many waves as competitors like Meta Ray-Ban and Xreal. That could be about to change. At CES, the brand announced the upcoming launch of the TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro, which boasts an HDR-capable Micro-OLED display and a very competitive price tag.

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

The TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro will officially launch on Jan. 25 for $299, significantly less than similar augmented reality smart glasses. Not only that, but TCL says the Air 4 Pro is the world’s first HDR10-enabled AR glasses.

The Air 4 Pro operates like other AR glasses, and they have to be tethered to a connected smartphone or laptop via USB-C. They project a virtual screen in the surrounding environment, letting you bring an extra screen with you wherever you go.

The TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro will be released Jan. 25. Credit: TCL Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable

I got the chance to demo the glasses ahead of their official launch, and the display was surprisingly crisp, bright, and colorful. I've been testing the Xreal One Pro AR glasses for a few months now, and the difference in the display quality was immediately noticeable. While the Xreal display can be a bit dim, the new RayNeo AR glasses were almost too bright.

In addition to the impressive Micro-OLED display, the glasses feature Bang & Olufsen speakers and AI 3D video conversion, though I wasn't able to test these capabilities during the demo.

The TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses have an impressive specs list as well:

• Display: SeeYa 0.6-inch Micro-OLED display

• Processor: Vision 4000 processor

• Brightness: Up to 1,200 nits

• Color accuracy: 98% DCI-P3

• Refresh rate: 60 to 120 Hz

• Weight: 76 grams

In addition to the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, TCL also showed off its RayNeo X3 Pro Project eSIM, a new concept pair of AR glasses with a built-in eSim. TCL says the RayNeo X3 Pro Project eSIM glasses are another world-first, and they have embedded eSIM (4G) connectivity that would let them operate untethered from a smartphone or laptop. Of course, those would likely be very expensive, as the just-launched standard RayNeo X3 Pro without an eSIM is priced at $1,299.

That said, untethered AR glasses have obvious benefits. They also look a lot cooler than some other alternatives, which I think is self-evident in my photos from the demo.

Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable

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.

TL;DR: Invest easier and more confidently with a lifetime subscription to Sterling Stock Picker, now just $55.19 (reg. $486) with code STOCKS20.

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If you’ve avoided investing because the stock market seems overwhelming, it’s time to check out Sterling Stock Picker. This AI-powered, award-winning app simplifies the stock market so you can make confident choices without stress.

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You hear declarations every year about the long-told "year of the Linux desktop" arriving this year, having arrived years ago, or maybe not ever arriving. I think it's easier to predict, though, that inside the Linux world, 2026 is definitely KDE's year to take.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced at CES 2026 in Las Vegas this week that its new superchip platform, dubbed Vera Rubin, was on schedule and set to be released later this year.

The news was one of the key takeaways from the highly anticipated keynote from Huang. Nvidia is the dominant player powering the AI industry, so a new line of chips is obviously a big deal. Here are four things to know as we await Vera Rubin's drop later this year.

1. There are 6 new chips across the Rubin platform

Nvidia introduced six chips on the so-called Rubin platform, one of which is the so-called Vera Rubin superchip that combines one Vera CPU and two Rubin GPUs in a processor.

"Rubin arrives at exactly the right moment, as AI computing demand for both training and inference is going through the roof," Huang said in a statement. "With our annual cadence of delivering a new generation of AI supercomputers — and extreme codesign across six new chips — Rubin takes a giant leap toward the next frontier of AI."

2. The new line of chips is aimed at big companies

Massive AI companies will look to package different parts of this new line of chips together to make massive supercomputers that power their products.

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

"These huge systems are what hyperscalers like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and social media giant Meta are spending billions of dollars to get their hands on," wrote Yahoo.

3. We're not exactly sure where production is on the Vera Rubin

Nvidia assured the public the chips were set to be released this year, but when, exactly, remains unclear.

"Typically, production for chips this advanced—which Nvidia is building with its longtime partner TSMC—starts at low volume while the chips go through testing and validation and ramps up at a later stage," wrote Wired.

There had been rumors of delays, so the announcement at CES seems aimed at quelling those fears.

4. The chips should make AI more efficient

Nvidia has promised the Vera Rubin superchips are powerful and more efficient, which should, in turn, make AI products relying on them more efficient. That's why major companies will likely be lining up to purchase the new line of products. Huang said the Rubin chips could generate tokens — the units used to measure output — ten times more efficiently.

We're still waiting to get all the details — and to see when the chips actually hit the market — but the announcement certainly was a major bit of AI news out of CES.

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.

Spotify's podcast settings hide a few options that can enhance how you listen. With switches for saving data, automatically downloading episodes, and more, they help to give Spotify some of the strengths of a traditional podcast app.

Small desktop PCs can often be a compromised experience compared to full-size desktops, but they don't have to be. MSI just revealed its new AI Edge desktop, and the Ryzen Max+ chipset under the hood should deliver excellent performance.

Toyota’s popularity in the U.S. has been steadily climbing, with recent years setting new sales records. Rising gas prices and shrinking demand for big engines that aren’t built for reliability are pushing buyers toward more efficient options, while Toyota’s investment in drivetrains keeps their cars competitively priced compared with rivals.

CES is all about wacky concepts, and Razer brought one of its own to the 2026 showcase.

The gaming accessory giant unveiled a concept gaming headset called Project Motoko that does more than just deliver audio and accommodate voice chat with friends. Much more, in fact. Motoko is actually a wireless AI wearable that's compatible with all the big AI systems like Gemini and OpenAI and does a lot of the same things that a pair of smart glasses could do. Just, you know, in the form of a headset instead of glasses.

SEE ALSO: 8 gadgets from CES 2026 that you can buy right now: Dell, Xreal, Soundcore, more

By that, I mean it can use first-person cameras positioned on the front of the device to recognize objects and text in real-time, with language translation and document scanning provided as examples by Razer.

It's also got multiple on-board microphones for recognizing voice commands for whichever AI assistant you feel like using. It really does seem, feature-wise, like it's got parity with any number of AI-powered smart glasses that are on the market today, but just in a different form factor.

Of course, the difference is that those glasses are actually on the market and Project Motoko is not. This is just a concept, with no release date or price at the moment.

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.

While many of us attempt to justify purchases as a means of saving money down the line, how often this plan comes to fruition is debatable. But one area where saving money is absolutely possible with the right gear is in the home, thanks to smart home gadgets that add safeguards, better awareness, and useful data you can use to make smarter decisions.

Neurable’s pitch at CES 2026 is bold: what if performance tracking didn’t just include your mouse, keyboard, or heart rate, but also included your thoughts?

That idea is now packed into a pair of chunky-but-surprisingly-comfortable gaming headphones, built in partnership with HP's HyperX brand. Inside the headset are EEG sensors designed to read brain signals in real-time, allowing Neurable’s software to track focus, cognitive load, and reaction speed while you play.

Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable

I tried Neurable’s neurotech headphones during a private demo with the team inside the Palazzo, away from the chaos of the show floor. The headset features thick earcups and fabric padding that are designed to conceal EEG sensors without resembling lab equipment.

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

It should be noted that Neurable didn’t start in gaming. Much of the company’s underlying tech was developed in academic settings and tested with the Department of Defense, including applications for monitoring brain health after blast exposure.

The headset supports live metrics for streamers and coaches, including focus, cognitive speed, and “brain battery,” a measure meant to indicate when you’re mentally fatigued and should probably take a break.

Before any "performance boost" happens, the system establishes a baseline. Sitting at a demo station, I watched a live graph respond to nothing more than my thoughts: focusing pushed the line upward, distraction pulled it back down. No calibration session, no gel caps, no wires running across my scalp — something CEO Ramses Alcaide emphasized as a major hurdle Neurable claims to have solved using AI-driven signal processing.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026: AMD says 'You ain't seen nothing yet' on AI

From there, the demo moved into Aimlabs, a familiar FPS training tool used by esports players to measure accuracy and reaction time. The goal is to hit as many targets as possible in a fixed time window. My first run went well, though not spectacularly, and was also hindered by the fact that my contact lenses kept sliding every time I focused too hard.

That baseline run mattered because it set the stage for PRIME.

PRIME is Neurable’s neurofeedback system, and it’s best described as a personalized meditation warm-up for your brain. Instead of asking you to "clear your mind" in the abstract, PRIME visualizes your focus and cognitive load in real time. As you relax and concentrate, dots on the screen slowly collapse into a single point — feedback that your brain is entering an optimal state.

Alicia Howell-Munson, the research scientist who developed PRIME, described it less as a relaxation exercise and more as cognitive tuning. The session lasted just over a minute for me. Others, I was told, can take anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes, depending on fatigue, stress, or how far off their baseline they are that day.

When it ended, I felt oddly alert. Not wired, but ready. The best comparison I can make is the feeling right after a good meditation session, except with a clearer sense of purpose. Unfortunately, my contacts were still drifting.

Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable

After PRIME, I retook the same Aimlabs test. Despite my eyes fighting me, the numbers improved. I hit more targets, and my reaction time dropped noticeably, from roughly 500 milliseconds down into the mid-450s.

That aligns with what Neurable claims to have observed in early testing. According to the company, everyday gamers and esports athletes using PRIME showed average reaction time improvements of around 40 milliseconds, along with gains in accuracy and target hits. In competitive contexts, those margins matter.

The feeling afterward was quite pleasant, all things considered. Everything on screen felt slightly slower, but I was reacting more quickly. Alcaide described it as "bullet time for your brain," which sounds corny until you experience it.

While still a proof of concept, the team has high expectations to have this headset on the market in the very near future.

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.

For most apps, the addition of AI tends to be considered unwanted bloat rather than a useful feature. But when properly implemented, it can be a lifesaver in some of the apps we use daily. Google is adding Gemini everywhere, and I don't love it—except in these four apps.

I spent many nights of sleep over a few months trying out earplugs and earbuds ranging from $50 to $349 to find the best of what's out on the market — and to see if getting earbuds just for sleep is actually worth it.

As a note, we generally no longer recommend the Ozlo Sleepbuds as their price point isn't on par with the features offered by their competitors. At their full price point, I'd say to skip them. However, if you're especially intrigued by their design (and have no qualms with the lack of ANC), grabbing them for $299 instead of their usual $349 is the absolute most we'd recommend paying for these earbuds to get true value.

SEE ALSO: Dodow review: A simple sleep gadget that's best for back sleepers The best earbuds for sleeping

Below, I pulled three of the best sleep earbuds on the market. Between the overall best, upgrade, and earplug picks, there's a wide range of price points, but as with any product, the most expensive of the bunch isn't necessarily the best overall. With that in mind, I highlighted where each earbud excelled, whether that be in comfort, noise cancellation, or ease of use, to help you pick the best sleep earbud possible.

UPDATE: Aug. 18, 2025, 9:45 a.m. EDT As of April 2024, the Ozlo Sleepbuds increased in price from $299 to $349 on Ozlo's website and Amazon in the United States due to tariffs. While we initially scaled back our recommendation to only grabbing them on sale, since testing the Soundcore Sleep A30s, which offer similar feature sets for far less, we no longer recommend the Ozlo Sleepbuds as one of our top pick sleep earbuds.

How are sleep earbuds different than normal earbuds?

A confession: I used to wear AirPods nearly every night to sleep. More accurately, I used to wear a single AirPod so I could actually sleep on my side.

After testing earbuds designed for sleeping, I can tell you that everyday earbuds don't match up to the sleep earbud experience. For starters, standard earbuds aren't designed to be worn while you're lying on your side, so they often stick out of your ears and put hard plastic in contact with your ear. Not to mention, earbuds typically cap out at six to seven hours of battery life per charge, so if you're getting at least eight hours of sleep, you run the risk of interrupting it with the sound of your earbuds powering off.

Sleep earbuds, like the Soundcore A20 ones pictured in the middle, have a much thinner profile than traditional earbuds. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Sleep earbuds, on the other hand, can offer white noise options, better battery life, and significantly more comfort (that actually allows you to wear more than one earbud at a time). The pairs I tested came without microphones and with touch controls that worked but were less sensitive than traditional earbuds, so you can lie on your side without activating them. When I initially tested options for this guide, there weren't really any with active noise cancellation, but that has since changed thanks to the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds. Still, you'd be surprised at how well passive noise cancellation, a good fit, and white noise work.

SEE ALSO: The 7 best earbuds to buy in 2025 from Bose, Sony, and more Is it safe to wear earbuds to sleep every night?

First and foremost, it's important to consider that sleep earbuds aren't the only way to approach nighttime noises that might be keeping you up.

I consulted Dr. Ashley Kita, an otolaryngologist and assistant professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at UCLA, to discuss any risks associated with wearing earbuds all night. While she didn't warn against using earbuds, she suggested that if what's keeping you up is a partner's snoring, you start looking for solutions there.

SEE ALSO: Loop earplugs are actually worth it — here's how to choose the right pair

"If you're doing all of this to avoid a partner who is snoring, sometimes gently encouraging that person to investigate why they're snoring is kind of an important consideration," Kita said. "Because we find that obstructive sleep apnea is really underdiagnosed, and snoring, for some people, is the only sign of it."

If, however, what's keeping you up is less in your control, then you do want to be aware of three main aspects of using earbuds all night: proper hygiene, safe noise levels, and your ear comfort.

Proper hygiene

When I started testing these earbuds, I realized I was now wearing earbuds uninterrupted for longer than I typically would in the course of a day, even as someone who tests headphones for a living. When I asked Dr. Kita how that wear time might raise someone's risk for infection, she drew a comparison to the wear time of hearing aids:

"Many individuals wear hearing aids for longer hours during the day than they sleep at night," she said. And yet, folks who wear hearing aids don't often have ear infections, though long wear times may increase their risk.

SEE ALSO: How to set up Hearing Aid mode on your AirPods

With the long wear times, Kita said the main concern she could anticipate was wax buildup since the natural path for wax to exit the ear canal would be blocked. However, she said it's not necessarily a cause for concern, as wax can typically exit the ear canal at other points during the day when you're not wearing earbuds (or blocking your ear canal in any other way).

As for any heightened infection risk, Kita shared that it can increase when there's greater wax buildup that can then trap bacteria. She recommended cleaning the buds with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton pad after each use, if possible. (One of the brands we tested, Ozlo, recommends a weekly cleaning.) With all that said, someone's risk for infection really comes down to personal susceptibility — some people are more prone to ear infections than others. If you fall into that category, being more proactive about cleaning your earbuds is a good practice.

Noise levels

Noise-induced hearing loss is the second most common type of hearing loss (behind age-related hearing loss), so it's important to be aware of the level of noise you expose yourself to. Kita pointed me in the direction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) chart for how long people can be exposed to certain decibel levels safely.

In its FAQ, Ozlo also cites OSHA's recommendation, as well as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's recommendations, which top out at 90 decibels and 85 decibels for eight hours, respectively. We reached out to a rep from Soundcore to see if its earbuds have specific upper decibel limits, and will update this guide when we hear back. In general, though, Kita said the less noise, the better, recommending that you always try to use the lowest volume possible.

SEE ALSO: Video game industry makes it easier to find accessible games for disabled players

"While I don't necessarily love the idea of extra noise when you're not even conscious to appreciate it, if it's the thing that's keeping you asleep or letting you sleep, it just comes in this category of risks and benefits," Kita said. "Just make sure that it's quiet enough, then it really isn't that much different than using a white noise machine on your nightstand."

Comfort

Earbuds fitting comfortably is important for you to be able to fall asleep, but also for your ear health.

"Everyone's ear canal is shaped differently," Kita said. "And so something that might be really comfortable for your ears might really cause my ears to ache."

In other words, giving yourself earbuds-induced earaches every night can actually impact your ear health. If one of the below recommendations really isn't sitting right, even with adjustments to the ear tip sizes, don't be afraid to return them.

Other sleep earbuds we tested

At the end of the initial testing period, the one product that didn't make the cut was the 1More Sleeping Earbuds Z30, which, at $89.99, were the least expensive earbuds I tested. While significantly cheaper than the earbuds that did make the cut, their battery life, app features, and fit didn't quite match up to the other options on my list. However, if you're looking for very barebones low-profile earbuds (and don't mind hearing them die in the early hours of the morning), these aren't a bad option under $100.

1More Sleeping Earbuds Z30 $59.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon

In keeping up with my value criteria, I decided to ultimately pull the Ozlo Sleepbuds as our best upgrade pick. After their price jumped up from $299 to $349 — far outpricing our existing picks (and most premium standard ANC earbuds, for that matter) — I determined their features didn't justify their price tag. The addition of sleep tracking (which is in the works) or ANC would make these earbuds much more competitive. On that note, the newly-released Soundcore Sleep A30 took their spot, as the only sleep earbuds with ANC on the market at the time of writing.

Ozlo Sleepbuds $274 at Amazon
$349 Save $75   Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Ozlo

Next up in our testing pipeline is the Sleep A30 Special earbuds from Soundcore, announced at CES 2026. The model is an upgrade to one of our existing picks, the Sleep A30 earbuds, with improved battery life and a lower price point at $199.

Acer had a ton to show off at CES 2026.

The Taiwanese tech giant blew out the show with a slew of announcements, ranging from enterprise hardware to routers and beyond. It's honestly too much to fit in one place, so here are the coolest Acer announcements from CES that you absolutely need to know about.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026 live updates: See the latest news, surprises, and strange tech from LG, Samsung, Lego, and new startups New ultra-thin laptops Look at that touchpad. Credit: Acer

Acer refreshed its Swift line of thin laptops with five new models. For starters, there's the new Acer Swift 16 AI (yes, they all have "AI" in the name now), which Acer is positioning as the choice for digital creators. It has what Acer calls "the world's largest haptic touchpad" which offers stylus support for sketching and other similar activities. To ensure that whatever you're creating looks as good as possible, it comes with a 16-inch 3K OLED touch display, too.

Beyond that, there are two new Acer Swift Edge AI laptops in 14-inch and 16-inch variants. The smaller of the two measures in at just 13.95mm of thickness and weighs less than 1kg, making it perfect for business professionals who need something lightweight, according to Acer. These come with Intel Core Ultra 9 processors and up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage, to go along with 3K OLED displays with 120Hz refresh rates.

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Lastly, the Acer Swift Go 14 AI and 16 AI models seem to be sort of middle ground options for people who don't want to go too far in the creative or business directions. They offer 2K or 3K displays with up to Intel Core Ultra X9 processors, up to 32GB RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. Of course, all of these machines come equipped with AI capabilities thanks to Microsoft Copilot, hence the "AI" in their names. Acer has not shared price information on any of these devices yet.

Powerful gaming laptops Premium performance. Credit: Acer

Acer also showed off a few new gaming laptops, starting with the Predator Helios Neo 16S AI. Catchy name! Anyway, the Predator Helios laptop is the top-of-the-line model with an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 2TB of storage. It's also got a big 16-inch OLED display with HDR support to make your games look as fresh as possible.

After that, there's the new Nitro V 16 AI laptop, which has an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and the same 5070 GPU as the previously mentioned model. You "only" get up to 32GB of RAM on this one, but you can still get up to 2TB of storage. There's also a smaller Nitro V 16S AI model with a thinner chassis and similar specs, but as a more "accessible" price point that Acer didn't see fit to share in the press release.

Four decadent new monitors (and a projector) Curvy. Credit: Acer

For your display needs, Acer also introduced three new gaming monitors, a creator-focused monitor, and a new projector. The first of the three gaming monitors is the $799.99 Predator XB273U F6, which has a 2560x1440 resolution and a blistering fast 500Hz refresh rate that can actually go all the way up to 1000Hz if you feel like lowering the resolution to 720p. The $1,199.99 Predator X34 F3, meanwhile, has a relatively more modest 360Hz refresh rate to go along with a 3440x1440 resolution and a curved QD-OLED panel.

Finally on the gaming side, there's the $799.99 Nitro XV270X P monitor with 5K resolution at a staggering 27-inches of size. This one's refresh rate "only" goes up to 330Hz, but still, it's a beast of a monitor. It's joined by the even more beastly ProDesigner PE320QX display. That one is a 31.5-inch behemoth with support for 6016x3384 resolution at 60Hz and peak brightness that goes all the way up to 600 nits. This one is definitely intended for pro-level creators and it shows.

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Just for laughs, there's also a new 4K RGB laser projector called the Vero HL1820. It has a 1080p/240Hz mode for gaming purposes, but it'll also work great for cinema lovers, too. Unfortunately, this one is only slated for release in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for now, according to the press release.

And an electric scooter? That thing looks awesome. Credit: Acer

Last but certainly not least is the new Predator ES Storm Pro e-scooter, sadly only slated for release in Europe at this time.

Acer describes the ES Storm Pro as being best for "high-performance city riding," so it's definitely intended for urban commuters. It's a folding scooter with a 500W rear hub motor and up to 1200W of peak output and several different riding modes for different scenarios. It can travel up to 60km on a charge and even has convenient built-in holders for smart tags, so it won't get lost. I kind of want one, honestly.

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.