CNET’s editors are in Las Vegas scouting the most interesting, useful and simply unusual products coming your way this year.
Jeff Carlson writes about mobile technology for CNET. He is also the author of dozens of how-to books covering a wide spectrum ranging from Apple devices and cameras to photo editing software and PalmPilots. He drinks a lot of coffee in Seattle.
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1 of 11Joseph Maldonado/CNET
One reason we look forward to the annual Consumer Electronics Show is its unpredictability. Sure, CES 2026 will include giant TVs, upgraded computers and these days AI sprinkled across everything. But what about a lollipop that plays music while you eat it? Or smart locks that stay powered via direct-light sources?
These aren’t just things we’ve dreamed up after a night on the town, they’re real products we’ve seen and we’ve just finished up the second official day of the show. Here are 10 of the most interesting things CNET’s editors and writers in Las Vegas have found so far. Check back to see what else we discover during the week.
2 of 11Lego
Lego bricks with smarts
I’m not a Lego obsessive, but I did spent some enjoyable, zen-like time during the holidays assembling an F1 race car from the inside out. The variety of forms Lego creates for its pieces is impressive, but in the end they’re all just plastic. And the car now just sits on my desk.
However, the company is about to make those pieces a lot more interesting. It showed off Lego Smart Bricks, regular-sized blocks packed with circuits, sensors, speakers and lights that can intelligently react when they’re in proximity with others. It doesn’t hurt that the first sets to get the new tech will be Star Wars kits on March 1.
3 of 11David Watsky/CNET
A machine that makes ice in less time than concocting a cocktail
If I’m going to have ice in my drinks, I need to remember to fill plastic trays with water early enough so the freezer has plenty of time to freeze them. That’s fine for most days, but limited when the house is full of guests. The Euhomy Leapard X1 creates bullet ice in 5 minutes.
The company also showed off the Rock Pro Sphere, a machine that creates crystal clear, perfectly smooth spheres of ice for your fancy whiskey presentations.
4 of 11Alexandra Able/CNET
A modern Blackberry with a clicky keyboard
Do you miss the days when mobile phones were tactile? All-screen models like the iPhone pushed out the original BlackBerry and other phones that included a physical keyboard below the screen. Your fingertips are probably itching to use the Clicks Communicator, an Android phone that can work standalone but is also designed as a distraction-free companion to a full-featured smartphone. And it even has a headphone jack.
5 of 11Ty Pendlebury/CNET
A giant 130-inch TV with great color
CES has always showcased the latest TV technology, so it’s a given that each year there will be giant TVs (like The Wall) and the latest display technologies. For CES 2026, Samsung’s Micro RGB Backlit R95H TV has caught our attention — and not just because it’s a 130-inch television. The Micro RGB LEDs potentially offer more colors, which Samsung says can achieve 100% of the HDR-ready BT.2020 wide color gamut. It includes Samsung’s proprietary Glare-Free technology, which will be important on such a wide expanse of display. Pricing and available are not yet announced.
6 of 11Celso Bulgatti/CNET
Three phone panels for the tablet experience anywhere
Although the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold was announced prior to CES, this was the first opportunity CNET’s Abrar Al-Heeti had to get hands-on time with. (Our colleague Prakhar Khanna nabbed the first experience in Dubai shortly after it became available there.) She found it to be impressively sleek when open and “is all about getting things done on a portable scale.”
7 of 11Josh Goldman/CNET
First look at a folding phone from Motorola
Everyone (well, almost everyone) is getting into the foldable phone game at the start of 2026. Motorola debuted its Razr Fold, a book-style design coming this summer with a 6.6-inch external display and an 8.1-inch internal display. Specific details are still sparse, but it’s good to see more competition in this space.
8 of 11Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET
A lollipop that plays music as you eat it
Now here’s a concept you probably never considered. The Lollipop Star is a double dose of pop, both candy and music. It’s a sweet treat you can eat… that also plays music. When it’s in your mouth, it uses bone conduction (sound vibrations that go through your skull’s bones to your inner ear) to play three tunes when you’re biting down with your molars. There are three artists, each with a particular flavor: Ice Spice (peach), Akon (blueberry) and Armani White (lime). Each lollipop costs $9 and will be available online and at select retailers.
9 of 11Ajay Kumar/CNET
A ceiling light that acts like a skylight
Skylights sound like a great way to bring natural light into a dark room, but you can’t (or shouldn’t) just cut into any ceiling, especially if you’re in a rental. And skylights are notorious for not keeping out the weather.
Govee has alternatives that are designed to mimic natural light in a circular lamp that attaches to the ceiling or wall. The Govee Ceiling Light Ultra uses a 616-pixel LED matrix and reportedly outputs 5,000 lumens of brightness. The Sky Ceiling Light isn’t as sophisticated or bright, but could be just the thing to warm up dark corners.
10 of 11Owen Poole/CNET
This smart ring catches the conversations you forget
Don’t you wish you could remember more details from everyday conversations with people, or record your thoughts when your phone or pen and paper aren’t nearby? The Vocci AI ring can record audio when you trigger it with the press of a button — it doesn’t record all the time — and then generates a transcript when done. Tapping the button also sets a marker that flags that part of the audio and provides AI-generated insights based on those notes.
11 of 11Ajay Kumar/CNET
A wireless smart lock that doesn’t require a battery
A smart lock with no power is just a waste of money, and it can feel like supplying it with batteries is even more expense. Lockin’s V7 Max has created a smart door lock that “requires no sunlight, no manual charging and provides an infinite power supply,” according to the company. How? Through optical wireless charging. A base station in your house positioned within 4 meters of the door with a clear line of sight provides all the power the lock needs. And that charge enables three types of biometric security: finger vein, palm vein and 3D facial recognition.
