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On Wednesday, SAG-AFTRA announced the nominations for the 32nd Annual Actor Awards (formerly known as the SAG Awards), and there are two frontrunners: One Battle After Another and Sinners.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best movies of 2025, and where to stream them

Fresh off its Critics Choice Award win for Best Picture, One Battle After Another picked up a record-breaking seven nominations, including nods for Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Teyana Taylor, as well as nominations for the entire cast and the stunt ensemble. Following closely on its heels is Sinners, which earned five nominations, for Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Wunmi Mosaku, the entire cast, and the stunt ensemble.

One Battle After Another and Sinners have been the two frontrunners going into the 2026 awards season, and with both films' considerable Actor Awards nominations, that race shows no signs of letting up. Other contenders on the film side include Frankenstein, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme. On the TV side, The Studio leads with five nominations, while The White Lotus and Adolescence each picked up four.

Read on for the full list of nominations for the 2026 Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA.

Film nominationsOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Jesse Plemons, Bugonia

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue

Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another

Emma Stone, Bugonia

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Miles Caton, Sinners

Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

Paul Mescal, Hamnet

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Odessa A’Zion, Marty Supreme

Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good

Amy Madigan, Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

F1

Frankenstein

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

One Battle After Another

Sinners

TV nominationsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

The Diplomat

Landman

The Pitt

Severance

The White Lotus

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary

The Bear

Hacks

Only Murders in the Building

The Studio

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown, Paradise

Billy Crudup, The Morning Show

Walton Goggins, The White Lotus

Gary Oldman, Slow Horses

Noah Wyle, The Pitt

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Britt Lower, Severance

Parker Posey, The White Lotus

Keri Russell, The Diplomat

Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus

Aimee Lou Wood, The White Lotus

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Ike Barinholtz, The Studio

Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This

Ted Danson, A Man on the Inside

Seth Rogen, The Studio

Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Kathryn Hahn, The Studio

Catherine O’Hara, The Studio

Jenna Ortega, Wednesday

Jean Smart, Hacks

Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series

Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit

Owen Cooper, Adolescence

Stephen Graham, Adolescence

Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series

Claire Danes, The Beast in Me

Erin Doherty, Adolescence

Sarah Snook, All Her Fault

Christine Tremarco, Adolescence

Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

Andor

Landman

The Last of Us

Squid Game

Stranger Things

The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA stream live on Netflix on March 1 at 8 p.m. ET.

I test new robot vacuums on a regular basis and compare them to the top performers from previous months, with all my evaluations taking place in my own home on various rugs, tile, and hardwood floors. As I test each robot vacuum and tweak its settings for optimal performance, I keep notes on its overall suction power and scrubbing efficacy (if it's a robot vacuum and mop combo), pet hair pickup, the convenience of its automatic emptying and self-washing mopping pads, accuracy of smart mapping and small obstacle avoidance, and the overall user experience. But the final boss here is cost efficiency — I'll be the first one to point out when a cheap robot vacuum actually works well for the price, or when a high-end robot vacuum is actually worth the splurge or not.

SEE ALSO: Your Roomba will still work despite iRobot's bankruptcy filing, but don't rule out unplanned obsolescence

Recent changes to this guide

December 2025: I added a disclaimer to the pick for best Roomba value in light of iRobot's bankruptcy news.

October 2025: I added the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller as the best robot vacuum right now and shifted the Roborock Saros 10R (previously named the best robot vacuum right now) to the option for best corner cleaning.

July 2025: I removed the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 robot vacuum from this guide. While it was a solid budget mopping robot vacuum for its first year or so on the market, it's now a little bit too basic compared to other newer budget robot vacuums.

Other robot vacuums I've tested recently

I tested several other top robot vacuums in the past that didn't make the most recent cut for this list. Some, like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, Roborock Qrevo Master, Narwal Freo X Ultra, and various versions of the Roomba j7 were my top recommendations at one point, but have since been overshadowed by newer, more powerful models that are a better bang for your buck.

I've also tested some 2025 robot vacuum releases that were OK, but ultimately aren't a top pick for me. The Dreame X50 Ultra grabbed attention during its CES 2025 debut for its ability to "climb," though the fine print is that it can't scale thresholds taller than 6 millimeters (about 2.36 inches). A slew of new Dreame robot vacuums are slated to come out in fall 2025, among them a model with improved climbing abilities and a model whose self-empty dock can hold three sets of mopping pads. I'll be getting my hands on these as soon as possible and updating my top picks for this list accordingly.

New robot vacuums announced at CES 2026

Several top robot vacuum brands unveiled new flagship models at CES in early January. These include the Roborock Saros 20 Sonic and Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete, and the Narwal Flow 2. I will be testing these at home as soon as possible and will update this guide accordingly once all are officially available for purchase.

Even as automakers push toward electrification, there’s still plenty of value to be found in well-executed hybrid cars, and one Japanese model stands out as one of 2026’s smartest buys. It combines quick, responsive performance with impressive fuel efficiency, making it an ideal choice for drivers who want both excitement and everyday savings without paying a premium price.

LG and SwitchBot can promise chores-doing robots all they want, but robot vacuums are still the most practical way to automate a household task by far. A handful of promising new robot vacuums have been announced at CES 2026 so far, and they're not trying too hard to be fancy like they were in 2025. The emphasis is on more vigorous cleaning power and more flawless navigation around the home — the factors that actually determine whether a robot vacuum can be more reliable than a manual vacuum.

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

Below, I'm breaking down the most important vacuum news out of CES as of Jan. 7, from the best robot vacuums announced to intel about upcoming cordless vacuum innovations. Feel free to scroll leisurely or use the table of contents to drop down to a specific brand.

Roborock Credit: Roborock Credit: Roborock

Roborock didn't try to right the wrongs of the Saros Z70's wonky mechanical crane arm from last year. Instead, the brand focused on improving the other already-great 2025 Saros robot vacuums with the new Saros 20 and Saros 20 Sonic. Roborock also introduced the Qrevo Curv Flow 2, its first roller mop robot vacuum.

The "sonic" difference between the Saros 20 and Saros 20 Sonic has to do with the mopping mechanism. The Saros 20 Sonic takes a risk by stepping away from spinning mopping pads and going back to Roborock's VibraRise flat mopping pad system, but with a much-needed twist: sonic scrubbing along edges.

The vibrating mopping pad of the Saros 20 Sonic physically extends out past the round part of the vacuum, cleaning as close as zero millimeters against baseboards or furniture legs. That level of precise edge scrubbing is much of the reason that the Roborock Saros 10R was my favorite robot vacuum for most of 2025. If the Saros 20 Sonic's extendable sonic mop is just as meticulous as the Saros 10R's hinged spinning mopping pad, it's an automatic contender for best robot vacuum mop combo of 2026.

SEE ALSO: As an anxious cat mom, I love my robot vacuum with a livestream camera

The Roborock Saros 20 offers the same wicked 35,000 Pa suction power that the Sonic model does, but mops with dual rotating pads instead. Both vacuums automatically adjust their chassis height based on floor type in order to administer optimal airflow for debris pickup, including a special Deep Carpet Cleaning mode for plush carpets up to 1.2 inches thick. Based on the release prices of last year's models, I could see the Saros 20 costing the same $1,599.99 as the Saros 10 and 10R, and the Saros 20 Sonic costing $1,699.99 or $1,799.99.

The Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow also claims pro corner cleaner with a roller mop that automatically pops out when a wall edge or corner is detected. Since it's Roborock's first stab at a roller mop robot vacuum, I'm curious to see how it'll compare to my experiences with roller mop models like the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller or Eufy E28. Unfortunately, the Qrevo Curv 2 Flow's 20,000 Pa of suction power is surprisingly low for a 2026 CES debut. At any rate, it will be available to buy starting Jan. 19, with an opening promotional price of $849. After Feb. 1, the Qrevo Curv 2 Flow will cost $999.

A legitimate stairs-climbing robot vacuum from Roborock has also been confirmed. The Saros Rover will be a two-wheel robot vac that can raise and lower independently of each other in a motion that mimics human walking. It is officially in development, but there's no time frame or price point talk as of now.

Narwal Credit: Narwal Credit: Narwal

Narwal staggered announcements of the new versions of its two main botvac series: The newest Narwal Freo came out in September, and now, the Narwal Flow 2 is the flagship representing Narwal at CES 2026. The big difference is the roller mop.

It looks like Narwal's signature millennial gray is here to stay, though the Flow 2's gold accents and frosted glass panel do give it a more premium look than the Freo Z10 Ultra. The Narwal Flow 2 is also the higher-end pick in terms of cleaning power: The Flow 2 is a sturdy roller mop robot vacuum that scrubs with hot water and rinses itself mid-cleaning as the roller gets dirty. Water flow and scrubbing time are determined in real time as the Narwal assesses the type of dirt and mess level in its cleaning path. The Flow 2's 30,000 Pa of suction power initially positions it as the better choice over the Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow. If this Narwal ends up costing less than $1,000, it's the new roller mop robot vacuum to beat.

Narwal also introduced "Family-First Scenario Modes," like Pet Care Mode, which includes auto pet zone cleaning, find my pet, and smart pet video calling, and Baby Care Mode, where the robot automatically switches to quiet mode near the crib.

Dreame The X60 Max Ultra has stronger suction power than the Aqua10 Ultra Roller. Credit: Dreame The Dreame Cyber 10 Ultra looks like something we've seen before. Credit: Dreame

Dreame already unveiled a chunk of its new vacuum lineup in August, including the flagship Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller. With 30,000 Pa of suction power, that was the most powerful robot vacuum mop combo on the market for a few months... until Dreame outdid itself with the X60 Max Ultra at CES. Like the Roborock Saros 20 models, the Dreame X60 Max Ultra has 35,000 Pa suction power

But wait, that wasn't the only robot vacuum Dreame teased at CES 2026. This year, it's Dreame — not Roborock — who's trying to make a robot vacuum with an arm happen. The Dreame Cyber 10 Ultra and its CyberDex HyperFlex Arm made a brief appearance at CES demos, where it was apparently able to successfully pick up a ball. The arm's total weight limit is 500 grams (just over one pound), which should make it a more worthwhile object picker-upper than the Roborock Saros Z70's 300-gram max. Dreame calls the Cyber 10 Ultra the "first-ever robot vacuum with autonomous tool-utility technology, able to take out and use tools like a human and to execute with robotic perfection."

Whatever that means past picking up balls is still up in the air. We'll find out more when Dreame gives more info on its official release. A legitimate stairs-climbing Dreame vacuum, the Cyber X, is also in the works.

Cordless vacuums announced at CES The green light is giving Dyson, but it's actually Narwal's first stick vacuum. Credit: Narwal Tineco's folding wet-dry vacuum weighs under eight pounds. Credit: Tineco

If you trust stick vacuums more than robot vacuums, several new cordless stick vacuum options also just hit the scene at CES, along with a handful of cordless wet-dry vacuums. And none of them are Dyson — Dyson did announce a slew of new vacuums at its Dyson Unveiled event in September, but it wasn't present at CES 2026. And while we're still waiting on confirmed prices and release dates for those new Dyson vacuums, other vacuum brands just made the competition a whole lot closer.

Roborock

Along with three new flagship robot vacuums, Roborock also announced the F25 Ace Pro. It's an upscaled version of its current F25 Ace Combo wet-dry vacuum and self-washing station that now features Roborock's JetFoaming technology, said to produce millions of microbubbles to dissolve and lift stains better than a typical squirt of liquid solution. The F25 Ace Pro will retail for $699 after a brief early bird discount to $549.99 between Jan. 19 and Jan. 30.

Dreame

Though Dreame announced more than one cordless vac with its August announcement, it did save its new Aero series cordless models for CES. There are two Aero iterations: the regular Aero, a cordless wet-dry vacuum with a dual tank roller mop that prevents cross contamination and a self-cleaning base, and the Aero Pro, with enhanced battery life over the Aero and 185-degree Fahrenheit hot water self-cleaning. Both feature a 180-degree hinge to lay flat for cleaning under low-clearance furniture.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026: The Dreamie phone-free sleep device wants to help you stop doomscrolling before bed Tineco

Surprisingly enough, Tineco is one popular vacuum brand that hasn't dabbled in robotic cleaning yet. But the family of cordless cleaners debuted at CES seems quite robust. The most unique is the Tineco i7 Fold: It weighs less than eight pounds (super compact for a duo wet-dry vacuum) and can fold 180 degrees flat to wash hard-to-reach floors under furniture, which may typically have only been accessed by a mopping robot vacuum.

Tineco also debuted three versions of the new Floor One S9 series. The Floor One S9 Scientist is decked out with LED accents and bold lighting ("cyberpunk" was mentioned in the press release) and features smart mess detection and high-temperature deep cleaning. The Floor One S9 Artist is aimed toward more design-forward living spaces and features high-pressure angled water, a StreakFree Scraper, and a self-cleaning station that automatically replenishes hot water and dries the mop. The Floor One S9 Master is being coined as Tineco's highest level of performance, complete with a green dust-revealing headlight.

Narwal

Narwal doesn't just want to be a competitive name in the robot vacuum space. The brand's CES spread also included its first cordless vacuums, plus an interesting cordless mattress deep cleaner. The Narwal V50 is a compact auto-emptying stick vacuum that weighs just 3.1 pounds — about two pounds lighter than the Dyson V12 Detect Slim. The launch also teases an ultra-slim slim unnamed Narwal vac with double-headed green lights, resembling the upcoming Dyson Pencilvac.

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. 

T-Mobile has just announced a new, limited-time family plan called Better Value, which promises premium features at a lower monthly cost than its current offerings. However, the company has included some very specific caveats for existing customers who want to jump aboard.

Having used and written about Android phones for the better part of the past decade, I've seen a fair share of features vanish from phones. Some of these features are best left in the past, but there are some that I would love to see again.

If you don't regularly wear glasses, why would you ever wear AI-powered smart glasses? That's the question posed to us by Razer at CES 2026 this year – and it's a good point!

This is why Razer has been working on a new wearable that the company unveiled at CES this week called Project Motoko, an AI-powered headset.

Project Motoko is very much in the prototype stage, without any scheduled release date or price point currently in mind. Razer gave Mashable an up-close look at the Project Motoko during a private demo at CES, and some of you might hope that Razer hurries along with that release after hearing about our experience.

Credit: Mashable A headset that sees the world around you

With Project Motoko, Razer has essentially inserted a full-fledged AI assistant into a pair of headphones. The headset is powered by Snapdragon and features two dual eye-level cameras outfitted in the device for contextual awareness. 

To showcase what these capabilities for Project Motoko mean, Razer provided a fictional scenario where we were traveling in Japan and pulled out a restaurant menu that was written in Japanese. The Project Motoko headset was able to read the menu thanks to its cameras, and translate the menu to us via audio within the headphone set. We were then able to ask Project Motoko questions about the menu such as which flavors were available or if we could afford a certain menu item based on the amount of money we had available to us. Project Motoko answered our questions and even suggested an alternative menu item when informing us that our item of choice was out of our budget.

In another example during the demo, Project Motoko was able to recognize a physical replica of the Rosetta Stone and provide corresponding information about that.

As explained by Razer, Project Motoko is not tied to any specific AI model and can be used with the user's large language model (LLM) of choice.

AI headphones vs smart glasses

Razer thinks there are quite a number of bonuses to having an AI assistant in your headphones rather than your smart glasses. The demo showed off another one: The AI assistant is talking to the user within the headphone set. With smart glasses, it's much easier for people to eavesdrop on what your AI assistant is telling you.

However, as a headset, Project Motoko is missing one central feature that smart glasses can provide: A display. Yes, that seems obvious but it's also important to point out. But, when you consider that not all smart glasses even provide an in-lens display feature, it might not be a dealbreaker.

Razer's inspiration here is clearly that the company believes that more potential customers wear headphones throughout their day than a pair of glasses or even a watch. Plus, users who want AI wearables want ones that feel like products they already utilize. And, in our hands-on with Project Motoko, it just felt like a regular pair of headphones. It seems like Razer is on to something here.

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.

The Pitt fans, rejoice! HBO Max's Emmy–winning medical drama returns Thursday, Jan. 8, meaning your favorite doctors and nurses are almost back and ready to tackle every gruesome injury this new shift throws at them.

SEE ALSO: 'The Pitt' Season 2 review: Big changes ahead for Noah Wyle's stellar medical drama

Since The Pitt is such a buzzy show, and since social media is bound to be crawling with spoilers as soon as it airs, we recommend watching live in order to experience The Pitt's twists and turns to their fullest extent. So what time does Season 2 premiere?

The Pitt's Season 2 premiere kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max, after which it will be available for streaming. The rest of the season will follow the same schedule: Each new episode premieres at 9 p.m. ET on Thursdays, with the finale airing April 16.

Season 2 of The Pitt picks up months after the end of Season 1, taking viewers into a very eventful July 4th shift. Not only does the Emergency Department have to contend with some gnarly holiday-related injuries — think of all the ways grilling or fireworks can backfire! — but they're also on the brink of massive change. Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch (Emmy winner Noah Wyle) is about to head out on a three-month sabbatical, and his replacement attending, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), already has new ideas about how to improve the department.

So what does the future have in store for the ED? Tune into The Pitt Season 2 to find out.

The Pitt Season 2 premieres Jan. 8 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max.

CES turns Las Vegas into the epicenter of the tech world every January, bringing together industry giants and scrappy startups alike to debut the ideas that will shape the year ahead. From cutting-edge AI and robotics to TVs, laptops, and some truly weird tech, CES 2026 delivered no shortage of bold claims and ambitious hardware.

Now, we’re excited to announce our official Best of CES 2026 winners and finalists.

Selected on the ground in Las Vegas, these finalists represent the most compelling, innovative, and forward-thinking products at the show. They were hand-picked by more than 40 expert journalists from CNET, Mashable, PCMag, ZDNET, and Lifehacker, with additional input from Ziff Davis sister sites Everyday Health and IGN.

To qualify, products had to be official CES 2026 exhibitors and stand out by introducing a meaningful new idea, solving a real consumer problem, or raising the bar for performance, design, or quality. The result is a finalist list that spans 22 categories, from AI and robotics to wellness, sustainability, and future tech.

The official Best of CES 2026 winners were announced live today, Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 4 p.m. PST on the CTA stage at the LVCC Central Hall Grand Lobby. Here are all the finalists and winners of Best of CES 2026.

Best of CES 2026 WinnersBest Age Tech

• Tombot Jennie (WINNER)

  Tombot's Jennie has been capturing hearts at CES for years, but the realistic robot puppy is finally launching in 2026. Designed to comfort seniors with dementia and help combat loneliness, Jennie is packed with sensors and motors, allowing it to move its head to look at you, raise its eyebrows, wag its tail, and bark when you ask if it wants a treat. Seniors at a memory care facility we visited loved Jennie.

• iGuard

  iGuard is a smart stove shutoff that helps older adults age in place. This new version of the device uses radar to tell when a person is in the kitchen, and has a configurable five-minute grace period. It can also report to a caregiver app if your loved one didn’t show up in the kitchen to make breakfast as usual.

Best AI

• Lenovo Motorola Qira (WINNER)

  Qira is Lenovo's answer to Apple Intelligence, a hybrid AI assistant that leverages a mix of on-device processing and cloud-based models for a powerful personalized assistant that's available anywhere, even as you switch from the phone in your pocket to the laptop or tablet in your hand.

• Nvidia Rubin

  Nvidia is once again the talk of CES, and the biggest announcement by the world's most profitable company is the Rubin AI platform. Nvidia’s six new Rubin chips work together to reduce the costs of data processed by AI, known as tokens. That's important for big tech companies, and all of us, as AI models become more compute-intensive.

• Pebble Index 01

  This AI wearable brings it back to basics. Users can jot down quick notes throughout their day that they don't want to forget by clicking on the button and speaking into the ring. Then, an LLM on the app will process what you said for easy access and even take actions for you.

Best Audio

• Samsung Music Studio 5 (WINNER)

  The Samsung Music Studio 5 houses a 4-inch woofer and dual tweeters in one of the most compelling designs we've seen in a home speaker. In addition to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, it supports the Samsung Seamless Codec for compatibility with other Samsung Galaxy ecosystem products.

• xMEMS Sycamore-N loudspeaker chip

  As smartglasses become more mainstream, they require an audio chip that is as advanced as their AI features. The xMEMS Sycamore-N loudspeaker chip enhances the smartglasses audio experience. Based on our listening tests, they provide a high-fidelity listening experience, and at one millimeter thin, directly aid in keeping smartglasses form factors thinner and lighter.

• LG H7 FlexConnect soundbar

  As a part of LG's Sound Suite, the H7 Soundbar extends the usefulness of Flex Connect to any TV with an HDMI input. The soundbar looks good and it sounded great with movies. The only drawback is that you can only add LG branded Flex Connect speakers to the soundbar and not those from other brands.

Best Deep Computing Tech

• Intel Core Ultra 300 (Panther Lake) (WINNER)

  Intel’s Core Ultra 300 Series “Panther Lake” platform is our winner for delivering bar-raising integrated graphics performance to the mass consumer market. The top chip offers up to 12 new “Xe3” Xe cores for (by far) the best-ever integrated graphics performance from Intel silicon, enabling graphics and gaming workloads for a huge range of portable laptop categories through 2026 and beyond.

• Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus

  It's all about the TOPS: the mainstream version of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 laptop processor family maintains the 80 trillion operations per second of the higher end X2 Elite chips. Expected in laptops starting around $800, it promises field leading NPU performance at a lower price.

• AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus 392, AI Max Plus 388

  AMD’s expanded Ryzen AI Max+ platform democratizes workstation power with the 392 and 388 models, featuring 40 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, 60 TFLOPS of compute, and 192GB unified memory. These chips bring elite local AI and GPU-free performance to thinner, more affordable devices with a superior price-to-performance ratio.

Best Energy Tech

• Willo (WINNER)

  After developing alignment-free wireless power for two years, Willo demonstrated the ability to deliver power over the air for multiple devices simultaneously, regardless of their position or movement. This represents a breakthrough in energy technology, offering wireless charging without the need for a pad, coil, or dock.

• Jackery Solar Mars Bot

  Jackery's solar energy-seeking robot showed an ability to follow you around like a puppy, but its real job is to follow the sun, collecting energy with its retractable 300W solar panels. The idea is that this autonomous bot can always find the sun, and then bring you the power when you need it.

• Superheat

  A water heater that automatically generates bitcoin with daily use. It utilizes the excess heat generated from bitcoin mining to heat running water in a home, offsetting up to 80 percent of electricity and water costs with the earnings from the process. You can control and manage it with an app or web console for ease of use.

Best Future Tech

• Lego Smart Play System (WINNER)

  A single 2-by-8 Lego brick filled with light, sound, and proximity sensors to enable new ways to play. This little block, and the tinier snap-on tab that gives it instructions, can drive anything from lightsaber duels to board games, adding color and sound effects based on what you build and how you play.

• Ixana Wi-R

  Ixana's Wi-R is a chip that sends data through a hyperlocal field generated by your body. This alternative to Bluetooth and WiFi is still a concept, but it has some upsides to conventional data protocols such as less power drain and less potential for clogged signal.

Best Gaming

• Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable Concept (WINNER)

  Rollable OLED displays have been a thing for a couple years, but they’ve been limited to enterprise laptops, if they ever even come out. The Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable concept uses this tech to bring ultrawide gaming to a laptop for the first time. Is the future rollable? We don’t know, but either way it’d be the perfect portable battlestation.

• Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo

  A gaming PC with multiple monitors has become the norm, and while portable monitors have been around for a while, there haven't been many ways to have this experience built-in to a laptop. The Asus Zephyrus Duo takes the multiple-display idea Asus has been playing with since the original Zephyrus Duo and expands it to something actually useful: a full second display.

• Asus ROG Xreal R1

  Xreal’s AR glasses are some of the best, and now PC company ASUS is partnering with Xreal to make them better, especially for gamers. These AR glasses have everything even the pickiest player needs, giving you a virtual 171-inch screen right on your face. That screen is OLED and 1080p, but the real kicker is the 240hz refresh rate. It’s smooth big-screen gaming, on the go.

Best Kitchen Tech

• Ecoldbrew (WINNER)

  The Ecoldbrew combines a portable grinder and brewer into a compact gadget that whips up a batch of cold brew coffee in five minutes. The cleverly designed device slots onto its own thermos, but it's a common size so you can easily attach it to the top of your own thermos if you have one that you love. Slated to launch on Kickstarter soon, it starts at an affordable $99.

• C-200 UltraSonic chef's knife

  Seattle Ultrasonics' C-200 UltraSonic Chef's Knife has a Japanese steel blade that vibrates about 30,000 times per second. Its movement is so subtle that you can't see or hear it move, but you will notice how effortlessly it slices through food without clinging to it. The C-200 retails for $399, a similar price point as other nice knives. The first batch ships this month.

• AISO AI Smart Oven

  We've covered our fair share of smart ovens at CES but Apecoo has boiled it down to the essentials. This compact cooker uses a camera above and scale below to ID food type and size and then deploys a precise cooking program pulled from a deep AI algorithm. Perfectly cooked steak, anyone? This machine can determine the exact thickness of meat or volume of veggies like no oven before it. The oven even recognizes multiple types of food at once and uses appropriate cooking times and temps for each. Best of all, it's about half the size of a typical smart oven.

Best Laptop

• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition (WINNER)

  Modular laptop designs for greater serviceability and sustainability are a definite trend at CES 2026, and the latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the best example of it. Lenovo’s flagship business laptop introduces its Space Frame design that lets you access and replace individual parts when something breaks instead of needing to buy a new laptop.

• MSI Stealth 16 AI Plus

  Yes, it's clearly inspired by the MacBook Pro, but MSI's big, redesigned Stealth pours on the special sauce. This thin rig deploys Intel's Core Ultra 300 (Panther Lake) CPUs and GeForce graphics up to a roaring RTX 5090, alongside amped-up cooling and airflow. Plus, a new, subtler MSI design and a 240Hz Gorilla Glass panel will excite gamers and prosumer creators alike.

• Asus ZenBook Duo (2026)

  Asus' Zenbook Duo is a niche device, but it's the most elegant expression of a dual-screen laptop we've seen yet. The 2026 Zenbook Duo has matured on its design with notable improvements from last year: thinner bezels, a more sturdy kickstand, and a better hinge. Powered with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H CPU, it’s well-equipped for diverse creative workloads.

Best Mobile Tech

• Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold (WINNER)

  The culmination of Samsung's efforts to make a sleeker and more versatile folding phone. It's a true hybrid gadget that's a standard phone when closed and opens up to a sprawling 10-inch display, making this a practical, two-in-one device that fits securely in your pocket.

• Motorola Razr Fold

  The Motorola Razr Fold is a solid entry in the book-style folding phone category thanks to its large screens, clean software, and powerful cameras. Together with stylus support, it's a fine option for those who need a device that's focused on productivity

• OhSnap Mcon

  The OhSnap Mcon is a Bluetooth controller with a slide-out plate to mount your iPhone (via MagSafe) or Android phone (via magnets) for a portable gaming experience. The pocketable accessory can be used in three ways: as a mounted handheld device, a wireless gaming controller, and a docked gaming console when your phone is connected to an external monitor.

Best Parent Tech

• Coro (WINNER)

  Coro feels like a product that should have existed for years. It solves the problem of measuring how much your baby is eating in a simple and meaningful way. I wish it was around when my babies were young.

• Earflo

  Earflo is a medical device designed to look and work like a sippy cup for kids as young as two. When you sip from the cup, a small mask forms a seal on your nose, and with each swallow, air flows through the nose. The pressure on the nasal cavity helps releasing trapped fluid in the ear. In a peer-reviewed study, after four weeks of Earflo use, 90 percent of children did not need ear tube surgery three months later.

• Lego Smart Play System

  Kids and parents already spend quality time building with Lego. Now, in Lego's CES debut, the company is launching its new Smart Bricks as part of its new Smart Play platform, which brings Lego creations and characters to life. Lego Smart Brick includes a tiny chip inside that enables Legos to tell color, direction, distance, sound and more. Now Lego creations can interact with families, enabling more time together.

Best Pet Tech

• Satellai Collar Go (WINNER)

  Satellai's new collar (Satellai Collar Go) and software (Petsense AI) are proactive tools that could flag subtle behavioral shifts in your dog before they become obvious health problems. It can also warn you when your dog has left your yard, and retails for a reasonable $79.

• Pawport

  Pawport launched its smart pet door in late 2025. The pet door uses ultra-wideband technology, which can detect how close your dog is to the door. That lets you customize how close your dog needs to be before the door opens, both coming in and out of the house. It also extends the collar tags’ battery life from 12 to 18 months.

• Petkit Yumshare Daily Feast

  One of the devices debuting is the Yumshare Daily Feast, an automatic wet cat food feeder Petkit describes as its first entry into robotic wet feeding. The unit can dispense scheduled meals over seven days while monitoring consumption through an integrated camera, and can automatically discard spoiled and leftover food.

Best Robot

• Boston Dynamics Atlas (WINNER)

  Of the many humanoid robots to have made their debut at CES 2026, it's Boston Dynamics' Atlas that stands out as the best of the bunch. The prototype version demoed at the show impressed us with its naturalistic walking gait, meanwhile the sleek product version is ready to be deployed into Hyundai manufacturing facilities from this year, where it might just be working on your next car.

• Jackery Solar Mars Bot

  The Solar Mars Bot may never make it to Mars, but it solves several problems with portable generators. It's far easier to move wherever you need and it can chase the sun without intervention.

• Beatbot RoboTurtle

  RoboTurtle is both a perfect study in biomimicry and a robot with a mission. This swimming robot is designed for environmental research and once deployed, will monitor underwater ecosystems with minimal impact on wildlife.

Best Smart Home Tech

• Roborock Saros Rover (WINNER)

  The Roborock Saros Rover can traverse the biggest obstacle for robot vacuums: stairs. It's the first model that can navigate to different floors on its own without the help of a separate attachment. It pulls off this feat thanks to a pair of bendable legs that it controlls independently to avoid obstacles, and it can even clean stairs as it climbs.

• Lockin V7 Max

  The Lockin V7 Max is a new smart lock that doesn't require recharging or replacing its batteries. Instead of using a removable battery, the V7 Max uses Lockin AuraCharge, an external device that you plug in approximately four meters away, sending a light beam to a receiver on the lock. The lock converts the light into energy to charge its battery.

• Robotin R2

  The Robotin R2 is the first robot vacuum that can wash and dry a carpet, just like a carpet cleaner. It comes with a core module and two modular attachments that let it switch from vacuuming and mopping to carpet washing and drying. It takes about one hour to clean a 300-400 square foot room and two hours to dry. There's also an absolutely massive base station with two clean water tanks, a large dustbin and a dirty water tank.

Best Startup

• Allergen Alert (WINNER)

  This might save lives. A French startup has created a $200 portable device to test food samples for allergens. The startup, Allergen Alert, only had mock-up devices at CES, but it's licensing the tech from French biofirm bioMérieux. If the startup can pull off the food testing, the impact could be huge. Expect it to arrive in this year's second half.

• Pebble 2 Duo

  If the name sounds familiar, it's because Pebble was the first company to popularize smartwatches in 2010s. After several company moves, the brand is back as a startup with a new lineup of affordable watches with battery life improvements and improved form factors. It also has a new AI ring.

• Nirva AI jewelry

  The Nirva AI jewelry is a startup that aims to continuously learn from your real-world behavior by recording your audio throughout the day. From those recordings, it offers advice on work, relationships and everyday decision-making. Nirva positions itself as a personal AI companion, designed to understand your life as you live it. Think of it as "audio journaling" after a long day.

Best Sustainability

• Clear Drop Soft Plastic Compactor (WINNER)

  Anxious about plastic waste? Clear Drop's Soft Plastic Compactor can mash them into dense bricks to send off to be recycled into products like patio furniture. Clear Drop's product and subscription ensures none of your recycled soft plating ends up in a landfill.

• Beatbot RoboTurtle

  RoboTurtle is both a perfect study in biomimicry and a robot with a mission. This swimming robot is designed for environmental research and once deployed, will monitor underwater ecosystems with minimal impact on wildlife.

• Cambridge Consultants Ouroboros smartwatch

  Ushering in the new age of right-to-repair legislation is this concept smartwatch design from Cambridge Consultants. It's proof that you can make a smartwatch that allows for self repair without compromising on design or user experience.

Best Transportation

• Strutt Ev1 (WINNER)

  There's plenty of talk about autonomy in cars, but Stutt brings the next-generation technology to an accessible application. The Ev1 mobility scooter can map and then navigate spaces autonomously, allowing people to get around via voice commands. It can also autocorrect manual navigation to prevent bumping into obstacles. This is the rare device that combines mobility, accessibility and autonomy, and it's hard not to be impressed.

• Pioneer Sphera

  Dolby Atmos adds a literal new dimension to car audio. However, not everyone can buy a new luxury car just to upgrade their listening experience. Pioneer’s Sphera receiver allows almost anyone to add Dolby Atmos via Apple CarPlay to the car they already own with the speakers already installed and immerse themselves in spatial audio.

• Donut Labs solid-state battery

  Promising huge improvements in energy density, charging speed and safety, solid state battery tech is a holy grail for electric cars, home energy, drones and a host of other applications. Donut Lab is first to market with a solid state battery in a production EV which can be found in partner Verge Motorcycles’ TS Pro Gen 2.

Best Travel Tech

• WheelMove (WINNER)

  Wheelchairs are available at airports, hotels, resorts, theme parks, and cruises, but standard wheelchairs require ongoing effort, and they can struggle through difficult terrain. WheelMoves is a portable wheelchair attachment that turns any standard wheelchair into an electric one, allowing people to travel more easily wherever they are.

• Jitlife Rideable Luggage

  The Jitlife JS07i is a rideable suitcase that travelers can use to drive long distances through airports. It's the size of a standard cabin bag but carries up to 250 pounds, has a maximum speed of 8 miles per hour, and can travel six miles on a charge. Already popular overseas, rideable luggage is making its way to the US, and Jitlife is the best we tried.

Best TV or Home Theater

• Samsung S95H (WINNER)

  The Samsung S95H is the most impressive TV we saw at CES for a number of reasons, firstly, it’s 35 percent brighter than before. Secondly, it’s a wired TV which is great for gaming, but it has a wireless option for a cleaner look and which enables more connections. Thirdly, it’s the first OLED that can show artwork from the Samsung Art Store — the S95H has anti-burn-in technology that enables it to work like a Frame TV, but with even better image quality.

• Hisense 116UXS

  The 116UXS builds on the still very new and promising RGB LED TV concept by adding even more color to the mix. Its mini-LED backlight array uses red, green, and blue LEDs, then adds a fourth sky blue (cyan) LED that Hisense says lets it cover 110 percent of the BT.2020 color range.

• LG W6

  The W6 is LG's "wallpaper" TV, an OLED TV only 9mm deep that can be mounted nearly flush against a wall. It's one of LG's brightest OLEDs yet, and it's almost completely wireless thanks to its Zero Connect box you can place up to 30 feet away to send it video and its Dolby Atmos FlexConnect-powered LG Sound Suite support for building a spatial audio system around it.

Best Weird Tech

• Lepro Ami AI soulmate (WINNER)

  Having a tiny animated girl living on a small screen inside a physical cylander case is certainly very weird. Lepro's new AI companion Ami is exactly that. Its not quite an AI assistant meant to help with actual tasks. Its an AI meant for a loney person looking for some interaction. The characters dance and gyrate inside the case and can do so at the user's request as well, upping the weirdness factor.

• Lollipop Star

  Suck on this lollipop and listen to a song directly from your mouth to your ears using bone conduction technology, so you can "experience music you can taste." I tried it out, and though you had to bite down on it a bit to hear the music, it did work. It's a weird, fun novelty item. It costs $8.99.

• iPolish digital nail polish

  iPolish touts itself as the "world's first digital color-changing nails." They take the form of press-on nails that you can individually put into a little wand to instantly change the color via a selection of over 400 shades on an app.

Best Wellness Tech

• Peri (WINNER)

  Perimenopause affects people transitioning to menopause, and is commonly marked by symptoms such as anxiety, hot flashes, and night sweats. Peri is a wearable designed to track those symptoms, and help you make informed decisions about how to manage them — whether that's through lifestyle changes and supplements alone, or hormone replacement therapy.

• OhmBody

  A majority of those who menstruate report severe period pain. This wearable neurostimulation device aims to reduce period symptoms and cramps. By attaching near the ear and delivering gentle neurostimulation, the device targets the auricular branches of the trigeminal and vagus nerves to regulate menstrual cycle symptoms and help the body return to a rested state.

• Allergen Alert

  Food allergies are common and can cause a wide range of unpleasant symptoms. Severe reactions can be deadly. Allergen Alert is a mini, portable lab that allows you to test food for common allergens on the spot at a restaurant, school, or anywhere you dine out. A single-use pouch analyzes the food sample inserted into the device and displays results within minutes.

Best Yard or Outdoor Tech

• Beatbot AquaSense X ecosystem (WINNER)

  Beatbot has introduced the world's first self-emptying pool robot cleaner. In addition to its industry leading navigation and suction, the AquaSense x Ecosystem removes the worst chore associated with robot vacs — cleaning the debris baskets filled with soggy leaves, slime and bugs. The standalone cleaning dock empties debris into a disposable bag in a bin waiting below. Next, it rinses the internal mechanisms with fresh water fed from an attached hose, keeping the filter, debris baskets and vents clear and clean.

• Luba 3 AWD

  The Luba 3 AWD stole the show at CES 2026, easily climbing slopes up to 80 percent thanks to its four-wheel drive design. This smart mower also offers wire free navigation enhanced by LiDAR and AI vision, plus adjustable cutting heights. This attractive robot lawnmower can also overcome and avoid obstacles in your yard, from tennis balls to rogue hedgehogs.

• Birdfy Hum Bloom

  Birdfy's smart 4K hummingbird feeder has a beautiful, unique design that more closely resembles an actual flower. Most importantly, it captures slow-motion video at 120 frames per second, letting you see the flap of hummingbirds' wings as they flit through your backyard. Using AI and its 8MP camera, the Hum Bloom will identify 150 different species of avian visitors.

Best Overall

Samsung Galazy Z Trifold (WINNER)

A vanguard in melding eye-catching design with genuine utility, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold achieves CES's highest honor, Best Overall. This slim device lives up to the promise of a foldable, full size tablet-phone hybrid that's as functional as it is pocketable. Its futuristic allure and seamless practicality elevate the tech while keeping it within reach.

We're on the ground floor at CES 2026, the annual consumer electronics show that sets the stage for a new year in technology. As always, there's no shortage of great products and concepts at CES, but here are our favorites of 2026.

Have you used up every HDMI port on your TV and now have no room left for another gaming console, PC, or streaming box? No biggie. You don't need to hunt for a new TV with extra HDMI ports; any of the devices listed below will do the trick.

With CES 2026 in full swing, we've already seen a slew of product announcements from Taiwanese tech giant Acer. From new laptops to an electric scooter, there's a lot of new tech to look forward to this year from the brand. One thing we're particularly pumped about is the lineup of new gaming monitors.

Acer unleashed three new monitors at CES on Monday to fulfill gamers' needs for speed, precision, performance, and of course, aesthetics. Whether you're seeking the absolute fastest refresh rate, gorgeous imagery, or a mix of the two, the latest releases are sure to satisfy. While none are available for purchase quite yet, we've broken down all the details we know so far — including the price and timeline of when they'll be up for grabs.

Be sure to follow along with Mashable's live CES 2026 updates for the latest and greatest announcements all week long.

Acer Predator XB273U F6 gaming monitor

First up is the Predator XB273U F6, a 27-inch, 2560 x 1440 QHD IPS panel with an ultra-fast 500Hz refresh rate ideal for high-level esports. That refresh rate can jump to an astonishing 1000Hz if you use the Dynamic Frequency and Resolution (DFR) mode, which lowers the resolution to 1280 x 720. Motion blur and ghosting? Never heard of them. Other specs include a 2,000:1 native contrast ratio and 350 nit brightness, two HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4, audio out, and dual integrated 2-watt speakers, an ergonomic and adjustable stand, and a remote control smart dial for convenience.

"With its 500 Hz refresh rate, advanced IPS technology, and 1000 Hz dynamic mode, it delivers both speed and visual fidelity that redefine what competitive gamers can expect from a monitor," said Charles Wang, Senior Manager, Product Management, Digital Displays at Acer.

The Predator XB273U F6 will be available sometime in the spring of 2026 starting at $799.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Predator XB273U F6 gaming monitor starting at $799.99 Learn More Acer Predator X34 F3 curved gaming monitor

For those who prefer their games to physically wrap around them, Acer has announced a new Predator X34 F3 QD-OLED curved gaming monitor. It packs a more modest (but still great) 360Hz refresh rate, a 34-inch curved QD-OLED panel with a native resolution of 3440 x 1440, a 0.03 ms gray-to-gray response time, and an 1800R curvature for breathtaking clarity, lightning-fast responsiveness, and truly immersive gaming. Its ideal for both competitive players and content creators, as the 99% DCI-P3 color gamut, 1.07 billion color support, 500 nit peak brightness, and 1,000,000,000:1 Adaptive Contrast Management (ACM) ratio deliver gorgeous highlights, deep blacks, and vibrant colors all around. Other perks include ergonomic tilt, swivel, and height adjustment, and dual 5-watt integrated speakers.

The Predator X34 F3 will also be available this spring for a starting price of $1,199.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Predator X34 F3 curved gaming monitor Starting at $1,199.99 Learn More Acer Nitro XV270X P gaming monitor

Finally, we have a new Acer Nitro gaming monitor, the XV270X P. This 27-inch IPS monitor combines creator-grade 5K resolution with esports-level 330Hz performance. Sure, that's not as high of a refresh rate as the other newly announced monitors, but it's still a beast of a monitor. And as our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) pointed out, casual gamers probably won't notice a huge difference beyond the 240Hz mark (at least on a laptop). At 5120 x 2880 (5K) resolution, it'll run at 165Hz via HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 for crystal-clear details and vibrant imagery. When you need fluidity and responsiveness for gameplay, it offers a blazing-fast 2560 x 1440 at 330 Hz.

Other features include AMD FreeSync Premium, a 0.5 ms minimum GTG response time, a 1,000,000,000:1 native contrast ratio, up to 400 nit peak brightness, 95% DCI-P3 color gamut, dual 2-watt speakers, and an ergonomic stand with tilt, swivel, and height adjustments.

The Nitro XV270X P gaming monitor will hit shelves this spring with a starting price of $799.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Nitro XV270X P gaming monitor Starting at $799.99 Learn More

If you're in need of a new gaming monitor and simply cannot wait for the new products to drop, we've also rounded up a few excellent options you can buy right now. Some are even on sale.

Acer gaming monitors you can buy right now: Acer Predator X34 OLED $699.99 Shop Now Acer Nitro XV272U W2 gaming monitor $199.99 (save $100) Get Deal Acer Nitro EDA343CUR V3 curved gaming monitor $269.99 (save $50) Get Deal Acer Predator X27U W1 QD-OLED gaming monitor $544 Get Deal

Did your Logitech keyboard, mouse, or other device stop working recently on your Mac? Don't worry, it's not just you. Logitech is aware of the problem and has released a fix, but you have to install it yourself.

I recently hacked my first-generation Echo Show 5, which was only possible thanks to the micro-USB port on the back. I wasn't even aware that this port existed until I tried this hack, and you may find that you have some useful ports hidden away on devices that you use all the time.

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

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."

Credit: Mashable / Chance Townsend

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.

SAVE $15: As of Jan. 7, get the Anker Nano Charger for $29.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $44.99. That's a discount of 33%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Anker Nano Charger $29.99 at Amazon
$44.99 Save $15.00   Get Deal

If you're tired of trying to find a charger when your phone is dead or you're thinking about one you can use solely for travel, Anker has your back. The company, which has tons of chargers and power stations to choose from, has one particular model on sale right now that's perfect for either situations, and you can get it for a low price.

As of Jan. 7, get the Anker Nano Charger for $29.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $44.99. That's a discount of 33%.

SEE ALSO: The Anker Solix F1500 just dropped back to a record-low price at Amazon

This 100W foldable USB-C charger can help get all your devices back up to 100% in no time, thanks to its fast-charging tech. Despite its small size, it can charge tech like a 14-inch MacBook Pro to 50% in less than 30 minutes.

It's just 4.23 ounces, so it's perfect for stowing in a bag or purse (or even your pocket) and take with you. You never know when you're going to need a charger and an outlet. And with ActiveShield 2.0, which monitors the device's heat and power output, you don't have to worry about any accidents when you forget and leave it plugged in.

With an included USB-C cable, this charger deal is a great option no matter whether you need it for home or travel. But get it while it's still on sale if you want to get the best discount.

When it comes to the fun parts of CES, robotics are rarely boring and are sometimes silly or surprising as well.

That's not to say they aren't useful, of course. But CES isn't necessarily a showcase of purely utilitarian factory floor robots. These are often meant to (eventually, someday) live in people's homes, which means they're often humanized or otherwise given characteristics that make them stand out. Here are four of the weirdest (even if they might be practical) robots we've seen at CES.

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

LG's CLOiD is admittedly not that weird in the realm of home robots, in the sense that it looks vaguely humanoid and seemingly does things that are actually useful. However, it's still pretty futuristic and out-there to have Rosey from The Jetsons roaming around your house, so it makes the list.

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

CLOiD is still in the concept stages and may not hit the market for quite some time (if ever). LG did give CES-goers a live demo, though, which included showing off its ability to speak, its two functional arms that each have five digits at the end, and the fact that it can fold your laundry for you. Hopefully you'll be able to send it to the laundromat if you don't have an in-unit washer/dryer combo, otherwise that's a lot of lost value.

Sweekar is barely a robot, but it's still worth a look Adorable. Credit: Takway

Easily the strangest device on this list is Sweekar, courtesy of the company Takway. It's not a robot in the traditional sense; it won't do your chores or anything like that. But it will be your friend, and maybe that's more important.

Sweekar is, essentially, a super advanced Tamagotchi that changes shape over time. It starts as an egg, and as you take care of it, it will gradually hatch out of its shell and form some kind of personality using generative AI. Taking care of it seems to be a game in and of itself, similar to a Tamagotchi, but the gimmick that it grows over time is certainly unique. It's also highly customizable, which is nice.

Switchbot onero H1 looks like a tackling dummy Hit the sleds, boys. Credit: Switchbot

Lastly, Switchbot's onero H1 is in the same category as CLOiD: It might actually be handy to have around, but we're still not used to seeing these sorts of things, so it makes the list.

To its credit, onero H1 does seem like something that could help around the house. It's basically a lanky, rolling robot with a head and two arms that it can use to perform chores. It seems fairly practical, but to be honest, I can't look at it without seeing one of those tackling dummies they use at football practices. It just looks like something you're meant to hit and not something you're meant to rely upon.

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.

OpenAI is quietly testing its advertising future as it heads into 2026, according to insiders who have heard of revived plans to pilot sponsored content in ChatGPT.

The new rumors stem from comments reportedly made by OpenAI's CEO of applications Fidji Simo, who recently published a breakdown of OpenAI's R&D goals in a post on Substack. Offline, sources say Simo mentioned an additional plan to begin testing ads on internal, employee-only chat models in the new year, reported Alex Heath, journalist and author of blog Sources. Simo has been laying a strong commercial foundation for ChatGPT's advertising future, including partnerships with Walmart, Instacart, Target, and Shopify.

SEE ALSO: Robots at CES: A history in photos

OpenAI has been relatively tight-lipped about its plans to inject public-facing ads directly into chatbot responses or chat windows, despite forward momentum from its competitors like Google and leaked references to ad functionality already being built into the ChatGPT app. In December, user outrage over responses that appeared to read as undisclosed advertisements for products like Peloton exercise bikes and fitness classes, led OpenAI team members to disclose that while the chatbot may make related product "suggestions" to users, there was no monetary advertising model in place. For now.

That same month, CEO Sam Altman told employees that plans for app advertising were on hold while the company entered a "code red" and redefined its priorities for the upcoming year, which included delaying the release of a new personalized assistant model called Pulse.

But the company hasn't fully shelved its ad business goals, which could provide a more stable source of funding for the company (and a profitable use case for the store of personalized user data its compiled). According to reporting by The Information, employees have in recent weeks tested various ad layout mockups and floated disclosures for sponsored responses in ChatGPT conversations, with the goal of creating "a new type of digital ads" that wouldn't immediately turn users away and into the arms of competitors.

"As ChatGPT becomes more capable and widely used, we're looking at ways to continue offering more intelligence to everyone," an OpenAI spokesperson told the publication. "People have a trusted relationship with ChatGPT, and any approach would be designed to respect that trust."

When I was in a band, performing on stage in front of hundreds of people fundamentally changed my relationship with music. It turned it into work. Instead of getting lost in the experience of a concert, I got hung up on the mechanics of playing the music and putting on a show. I lost the excitement a little bit. 

Today, I review phones. I have reviewed every flagship phone launched in the U.S. for the past five years (and many others before that), and it's fair to say it has changed my relationship with phones, making it harder to get excited.

The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, which I got to try at CES 2026, makes me excited.

Book-style foldables have been great up until this point, don't get me wrong. There is a reason I don't walk onto a trade show floor with anything other than a foldable. It's great to be able to see more information at once as you try to navigate the streets of Las Vegas, or the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES. But previously foldables have always felt like half-tablets. They were never really big enough to give you that full tablet experience. The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is definitely big enough.

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

This is a phone that fits in your pocket and expands into a full 10-inch display with a roughly 4:3 aspect ratio. That's large enough that it begins to feel like a computer screen, which is just remarkable. You can finally sit down with a phone, bust out a foldable keyboard such as my favored Protoarc XK01 TP Foldable Bluetooth keyboard, and just get some work done. Another key selling point of the Galaxy Z TriFold, beyond the additional screen space, is the fact that DeX can run on the device, giving you a full windowed interface. It's like walking around with a small laptop in your pocket.

How thick is the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold?

Now, let's address the elephant in the room: the phone is extremely thick, though, right? Well, that depends on how you look at it. The Z TriFold is 12.9mm thick when fully closed. That's a lot compared to the 8.9mm Z Fold 7, but still less than the 13.4mm Z Fold 5, which is just two generations old. Users managed that just fine, and there are still people walking around today with the Z Fold 5 in their pocket. So really, the Z TriFold isn't that thick.

Just like the Z Fold 7, the Z TriFold's cover screen measures 6.5 inches. It's very comfortable to use when closed, being wide enough to type on with ease, which isn't something that could be said for any Samsung Galaxy Z Fold prior to 2025. The Z TriFold also uses the same camera setup as the Z Fold 7, including a 200-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide, and 10-megapixel telephoto lens. You can read our full review of the Z Fold 7 to get a sense as to what the camera experience will be like. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold runs on the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor featured in the Z Fold 7. Qualcomm has since announced a new generation of mobile processor in September — the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — but few phones in the U.S. are using it today. The Z TriFold is available with 16GB of RAM along with 512 GB or 1TB of storage. We don't yet know what pricing will look like in the U.S., but it's fair to say it will be north of $2,000 and likely in the neighborhood of $2,500 or higher. Innovation comes at a price.

The Galaxy Z TriFold transforms from phone to workstation 

As far as using the Galaxy Z TriFold is concerned, there is one pain point that seems unavoidable for Samsung, even if some other manufacturers have managed it thus far. 

Other phones which fold like the Z TriFold give you choices. For example, the Huawei Mate XT allows you to use it closed, with one screen open, or with all the screens open, and the operating system dynamically adjusts with how you're using the phone. In contrast, Samsung's Galaxy Z TriFold gives you two options — open and closed — and that's it. Depending on your use case, the U-shaped closure of the phone might also not be ideal. 

I'm actually okay with this design decision. I use my foldables while they're closed most of the time, and consider protecting the Z TriFold's delicate inner screen a higher priority.

Credit: Adam Doud

Personally, I see the Galaxy Z TriFold as a phone that expands into a workstation. I'm good with that. 

Others might want that square screen that a current foldable gives you, but that isn't possible here. If you try to open just one screen, nothing happens until you open both. Then, if you try to close the wrong screen first, the phone buzzes and warns you that you're closing it incorrectly. That's a good safety feature, but it also emphasizes that the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is not for the same audience as single-fold phones.

As for using the phone, like most foldables, it takes a bit of an adjustment period to get used to holding it and using it on the screen. The most startling thing about the Z TriFold is how thin and light it is when unfurled. At its thinnest when unfolded it is 3.9 millimeters thick. That is not a typo. It’s ridiculous how thin this phone is.

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The Galaxy Z TriFold is thick when folded, measuring the same as the Z Fold 5, however it has a very usable cover screen that's a comparable width to the X Fold 7. This is still a tad too narrow for my taste, but it’s light years better than Samsung foldables prior to the Fold 6.

As for usability, I'd need a full review period to adequately figure out how the Galaxy Z TriFold integrates into my workflow. Still, the extra screen space is amazing and I can fully buy into using this phone as a sort of mini laptop. The one bummer is that the phone case with the stand is not included in the box, though I’m pleased to report that, at least in overseas models (the only ones currently available), a charger is included. So, that’s a pleasant surprise.

Samsung DeX on the device is really solid. I did not have the opportunity to pair a mouse and keyboard to the device, which in my mind will be the real "killer app" here. But the expansive canvas that you get will make this very close to a laptop experience. What’s more, Samsung gives you the ability to have up to four desktop layouts and switch between them in the multitasking interface. You can have both a productivity layout and a gaming layout, for example.

There are some oddities that I noticed during my time with Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold. Notably, the ability to continue what you were doing from the small screen to the larger one and vice versa is missing. I asked Samsung about that and am awaiting further details— stay tuned for our full review.

Another strange quirk is that Samsung’s own news app would not resize or move into a side-by-side mode because it wouldn’t change the aspect ratio. This seems like a weird miss considering this is Samsung’s app on Samsung’s phone. Not a great look.

Even so, these were the only potential issues I identified during my brief time with the Z TriFold. I desperately want to take this phone out for a spin to find out what it’s capable of, and explore everything that a 90-minute hands on experience won’t reveal. 

Put simply, I am genuinely excited to use the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, and you should be too.

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