Shacknews’ Best of CES 2026 Picks
The Consumer Electronics Show is still underway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Whether at the Las Vegas Convention Center or on the Venetian Expo Hall floor, I’ve witnessed technical wizardry and amazing discoveries. As the show continues, the staff and I have put our heads together to assemble a list of our favorite products and reveals from this year’s show. Here are Shacknews’ Best of CES 2026 picks:
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold
Foldable phones are hardly anything new, but Samsung may have come closest to perfection at this year’s CES with the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold. Building on the bi-fold design of most foldable phones, it offers a triple-folding panel design that allows users to either hold a thick phone or open it into a 10-inch touchscreen tablet with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Folding feels natural, and if someone tries to fold or unfold incorrectly, the phone provides a gentle vibration as correction. The design results in a thicker phone, which contrasts with Apple’s trend of making thinner iPhones. However, the seamless display transition during folding and unfolding is truly impressive, enhanced by the crystal-clear AMOLED display.
There’s no price announced yet, but the technology suggests a hefty MSRP.
Samsung 130-inch Micro RGB TV
Televisions have rapidly adopted Micro RGB technology in recent years, which allows fuller expression of the BT.2020 color spectrum. Samsung leverages features like its Micro RGB AI Engine Pro, Micro RGB Color Booster Pro, Micro RGB HDR Pro, and proprietary Glare Free technology to deliver a staggeringly clear and vivid display that must be seen to be believed.
The TV sits on Samsung’s Timeless Frame, giving it the look of a work of art floating in the air. While designed as an art piece, it feels more like a glorious trophy proudly displayed.
TCL X11L SQD-Mini LED TV
TCL, an early adopter of Micro RGB technology in TVs, introduced the X11L SQD-Mini LED series, which utilizes Super Quantum Dot technology. This tech offers the vivid and sharp colors of Micro RGB but addresses some common issues, such as trouble displaying certain whites and color crosstalk.
Combined with TCL’s Ultra Color Filter Panel, it delivers sharper colors and deeper blacks that are more typical of OLED displays. This advancement in color display tech is staggering, but due to its complex components, expect a premium price range beyond the average consumer’s reach.
LG W6 OLED Wallpaper TV
While Samsung and TCL focus on sharper colors and unique form factors, LG emphasizes incredible thinness with its OLED technology. The W6 TV measures just 9mm thick, allowing it to slide seamlessly onto most walls.
What’s most impressive is that the TV operates almost totally wirelessly, except for a single power cable. All other connections run through LG’s Zero Connect box, including HDMI inputs for external devices.
LG demonstrated the W6’s gaming capabilities, showing minimal latency and seamless compatibility with NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW cloud gaming service.
LEGO SMART Brick
While LEGO is not typically expected among tech giants at CES, the company made a splash with the LEGO SMART Brick—a single LEGO brick embedded with responsive sensors, accelerometers, light sensors, and sound sensors.
This innovation brings sounds, lighting effects, and interactivity to LEGO creations. An obvious first application is the LEGO Lightsaber, as LEGO plans to launch the SMART Brick with upcoming Star Wars sets. The possibilities are vast, extending to LEGO Architecture, LEGO Technic, and other licensed sets.
This represents LEGO’s most exciting innovation in years.
Razer Project Ava (with an Asterisk)
Razer first introduced the idea of an AI-powered esports coach last year, which helped players improve their gameplay by identifying weaknesses. This year, Project Ava has evolved into an AI avatar companion housed in a capsule, offering a more personal and engaging interaction.
Powered by the AI engine of a user’s choice, the avatar can hold dynamic conversations, acting as a constant companion when a human coach isn’t available. It’s an empathetic platform for venting frustrations after tough losses or strategizing improvements.
The “asterisk” in its name hints at future plans. Razer reps discussed expanding the avatar roster, including creating custom avatars from uploaded photos, which raises privacy concerns. As Project Ava is still in development, careful thought must be given to these features to prevent abuse.
Razer Project Madison
Not solely focused on AI, Razer also unveiled Project Madison—an advanced gaming chair described as a 4D experience. It combines gaming chair comfort with Razer Sensa HD haptic feedback from the Freyja chair, plus THX Spatial Audio-powered speakers embedded in the shoulders.
Featuring Razer’s iconic Chroma RGB lighting, Project Madison represents the culmination of Razer’s years of innovation in gaming chairs, serving as a status symbol for high-end gaming setups.
Corsair Galleon 100 SD
A keyboard integrated with a Stream Deck was a long-overdue innovation, and Corsair’s Galleon 100 SD delivers just that. The keyboard features 12 programmable buttons and a five-inch digital display, bringing the flexibility of a Stream Deck right to your fingers.
While it carries a premium price of $349.99 USD, it will be a compelling purchase for hardcore gamers, multitaskers, and content creators alike.
ROG XREAL R1 Gaming Glasses
After the success of the XREAL One Pro AR glasses at last year’s CES, XREAL has partnered with ASUS’ Republic of Gamers to launch the ROG XREAL R1 gaming glasses.
These glasses feature a micro-OLED FHD display offering a virtual 57-degree field of view that simulates a 171-inch screen, and they support connections to PCs, gaming consoles, mobile phones, and handhelds like the ROG Ally series.
Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable Laptop
Still in the concept stage, Lenovo’s Legion Pro Rollable laptop could revolutionize gaming notebooks. The standard 16-inch notebook’s screen can expand to a 21.5-inch Tactical Mode or a 24-inch UltraWide Arena Mode using a quiet dual-motor mechanism.
Targeted at hardcore gamers and traveling esports players, the device features top-tier specs—including an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 GPU and Lenovo AI Engine+ that optimizes gaming performance by dynamically allocating resources.
While production might be some time away, this concept shows exciting potential.
Honda Afeela 1
Sony Honda Mobility’s Afeela has appeared on the Shacknews Best of CES list before, and this year marks its near-final arrival. The electric vehicle incorporates Afeela Intelligent Drive (an advanced driver assistance system), Afeela Personal Agent (a conversational AI companion), and a customizable Snapdragon Digital Chassis panel spanning the entire dashboard.
This year’s model was a pre-production version with nearly all features fully functional, including a racing wheel-style steering wheel, a sliding panel for eye-level GPS navigation, digital blind spot mirrors, and privacy features that keep passenger screen content secure.
Safety concerns from previous years appear addressed. The Afeela 1 is expected to begin deliveries later this year, with sales ramping up in 2027. The journey from concept to finished product is nearly complete, earning the Afeela one more “Best of CES” honor.
That’s everything that stood out during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Many other innovations caught our eye, so be sure to check out Shacknews on YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and more for an in-depth look at CES 2026.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/147346/best-of-ces-2026
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