If last year’s CES was still half about showing off muscle and half about goofing around, then this year’s show is fully powered by the strong winds of AI. Everyone is desperately trying to “do something wild,” to the point where, without a bit of absurdity, it’s hard to leave any impression at all in the sea of people.

Some of these stunts actually come with decent ideas behind them, and a few have even turned into real products. But the overarching theme this year is obviously AI: AI can be slapped onto anything. In 2025, when everyone has outsourced their imagination to prompts, conventional products instead start to reveal a different kind of beauty—one that doesn’t rely on AI to exist.

So what flashy new gadgets did CES 2026 bring us? Here’s a roundup of some of the more unusual “memory points.”

---

Dell’s laptop: undoing a “betrayal of the ancestors”

Last year, Dell made what many would call a decision that betrayed its lineage: renaming its product lines to Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max, claiming this would make it easier for customers to find the AI PC that suited them (it didn’t). Perhaps after seeing big brother Microsoft’s Copilot struggle over the past year, Dell suddenly realized that whether the name sounds like Apple’s or whether it has AI positioning doesn’t really matter—the only thing that matters is sales.

So the XPS, which had been put in the coffin for a year, was lifted back out at CES 2026.

As for the specs, nothing special—pretty standard. The design is the classic XPS look. Pricing-wise, the XPS 14 starts at USD 2,049 (about RMB 14,310), and the XPS 16 starts at USD 2,199.99 (about RMB 15,365). Dell also said an Ubuntu version of the XPS 14 will be available later, which should be a bit cheaper.

---

Aqara’s smart lock lets you walk in without even noticing

But you still feel tired when you get home from work, right?

At CES 2026, Aqara unveiled the world’s first Apple Home smart lock with UWB support: the Smart Lock U400. Thanks to its ultra-wideband chip, if you’re using an iPhone or Apple Watch, the door will automatically unlock as you approach—no need to say “open sesame.” Once you’re inside, it even locks itself for you.

Of course, Android users don’t need to feel left out. It also supports fingerprint, NFC, and passcode unlocking, and uses the Matter over Thread protocol, so it can join ecosystems like Google Home, Home Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings.

All in all, UWB has been in smartphones and wearables for years now, and it’s about time it unlocked more truly “frictionless” scenarios in smart homes. Hopefully, Aqara—long known for its close ties with Apple—can use this smart lock to nudge other manufacturers as well.

---

Sony’s console highlight wasn’t at CES

Probably feeling that the PS5 is already five years old and the market is getting a bit tired, Sony rolled out a brand-new color lineup for its controllers and consoles on January 8: The Hyperpop Collection.

In plain terms, that means limited-edition, high-saturation reskins for DualSense controllers and PS5 Slim console covers—in Nintendo red, Xbox green, and Sony blue. Patch it up, repaint it, and sell it for another year.

As for pricing, the console covers are USD 75 (about RMB 524), and the controllers are USD 85 (about RMB 594). Want a PS6? Keep dreaming. All I know is that a friend who just bought a PS5 Pro is grinding his teeth right now, because Sony almost simultaneously launched a new model called CFI-7100B01. Not many changes—just some optimizations to performance, cooling, and noise control, plus a bit more battery life for the bundled DualSense controller, while keeping the overall price the same.

He’s probably mad that Sony didn’t bother to announce something this important at CES for everyone to hear about, huh?

Lenovo squeezes an ultrawide “beltfish screen” into a laptop

At CES 2026, Lenovo showcased the Legion Pro Rollable, a gaming laptop with a roll-out display. The key feature: once you open it, you can physically adjust the screen size—from the original 16 inches horizontally expanding to 21.5 or even 24 inches.

According to Lenovo, the screen has three modes: 16 inches is “Focus Mode,” 21.5 inches is “Tactical Mode,” and 24 inches is “Arena Mode.”

Image: The Verge

But honestly, compared with hardcore gamers, I think this machine would sell better to office workers commuting on the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed rail or flights. The three sizes could just as well be renamed “Boss Mode,” “Manager Mode,” and “Corporate Drone Mode.” Also, the Legion Pro Rollable is still only a concept for now, and there’s no word yet on whether it will actually go on sale.

---

Intel’s new chip, supposedly with longer battery life

This year at CES, Intel unveiled its new Core Ultra 300 series processors based on the Intel 18A (2 nm) process. Intel claims that its top-end X9 388H model delivers up to 60% higher multi-threaded performance, 77% better gaming performance, and battery life extended to as much as 27 hours.

Congratulations: in the past, you could still apply for an x86 Windows laptop and use “no power on the plane” or “the computer is lagging” as excuses to delay the urgent task your boss suddenly dumped on you. In the future, you might—still be able to use the same excuses. After all, specs on paper are one thing; Windows is another.

---

This Dutch company is also here to grab a piece of “Teacher Luo’s underwear”

DuRoBo, a company from the Netherlands, unveiled a phone-sized (6.13-inch) e-reader called Krono at CES 2026. Judging by its looks alone, there’s nothing particularly special about it, and its specs—6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, running Android 15—can only be described as just barely adequate.

But unlike traditional e-ink readers in the past, it integrates an AI assistant called Libby. With a press of the button on the left side of the device, you can easily record voice notes, and the AI will transcribe them into text.

You really have to admit: once you put AI into “Teacher Luo’s underwear,” it can feed quite a few tech companies.

---

This Samsung speaker looks like a MagSafe power bank

After getting a taste of success in home-decor-friendly products with its Frame TVs and wall-art Bluetooth speakers, Samsung this time launched a new Wi-Fi speaker lineup at CES aimed at blending into living-room interiors: Music Studio 5 and Music Studio 7.

The Music Studio 5 comes with a 4-inch woofer and a tweeter, while the Music Studio 7 features a 3.1.1-channel spatial audio system and supports 24-bit/96 kHz high-resolution audio, and can link up with other Samsung speakers for synchronized playback.

But I really want to know whether the designer of the Music Studio 7 once looked over at the desk next door during work slacking time and noticed a MagSafe power bank.

---

My house isn’t big, but cleaning has gone 3D

When robot vacuum cleaners were first born, they were basically round plates with a few wheels. But this design has an unsolvable problem: it can’t handle height differences or stairs. For households with split-level floors or multi-story villas, if you want to be lazy and not sweep the floor yourself, you have to buy one for every floor.

To address this, Roborock and MOVA (Dreame) offered two very different solutions—one adds legs, the other adds wings. Roborock’s G-Rover claims to be the “world’s first wheeled-legged robot vacuum,” combining multiple sensors and AI navigation to automatically climb up or down when it encounters stairs or changes in floor height.

MOVA Pilot 70 goes one step further: why not just give it wings like a drone?

While these technologies do solve a major long-standing problem for robot vacuums, in terms of their core job—cleaning—there doesn’t seem to be much new to talk about. Or is it that today’s cleaning problems are already too trivial for mopping robots to really show their skills? If you’re using one, share your thoughts in the comments.

It turns out Kindle is what puts nail technicians out of work

Anyone who gets their nails done regularly knows the drill: it takes time and damages your nails. Now iPolish claims to solve this with “digitally color-changing nails.”

Using material technology derived from Kindle e-readers, iPolish has created a nail product that can change color under certain conditions. It charges via a companion wand, pairs with your phone, and can switch among more than 400 colors in just five seconds.

Most importantly, compared with other expensive, borderline-abstract gadgets at CES, this one is actually pretty affordable. The starter kit costs only USD 95 (about RMB 663) and includes two different nail shapes, while replacement sets start at just USD 6 (about RMB 42).

This might be the product from CES 2026 that I most want to get…

---

AI has Tony—maybe this really works

A friend once described Google I/O by saying, “even stray cats passing by have to shout ‘AI.’” At CES 2026, the message is: even hair clippers are AI.

You’ve probably experienced getting a “bowl cut” from Teacher Tony at a barbershop. But with these clippers called Glyde, you can block Tony and cut the hairstyle you want at home. Just pick your desired style in the Glyde app, put on a positioning cap, and ask someone to hold the clippers for you. During the haircut, the AI automatically controls how far the blades extend, trimming only the parts needed according to your preset style preferences.

That said, the clippers currently seem suitable only for short hair. Glyde still can’t be used alone—you need someone else to hold them—and it’s unclear whether the app supports fine-grained settings like trimming bangs.

---

You don’t need a sledgehammer to kill a chicken, but I do need ultrasound to cook

This time, Seattle Ultrasonics brought us an ultrasonic knife called the C-200. When you press the orange button on the handle while cutting, the blade vibrates more than 30,000 times per second, making it much sharper—while your hand feels nothing unusual at all.

The ultrasonic knife is priced at RMB 2,712 and will start shipping in March this year.

Of course, for environmental reasons, the knife doesn’t come with a USB-C charging cable. Think wired charging for a knife isn’t elegant enough? Then you can buy a storage + wireless charging set to magnetically mount the knife on the wall, priced at RMB 3,288.

---

From desk setups to showing off your “partner”: AI moves onto your desktop

At CES 2026, Razer unveiled a 3D holographic AI assistant called Project AVA, which can display five different characters as holographic projections on your desk.

Razer says Project AVA is a desktop AI companion. Built on last year’s concept of an esports AI coach, it can stay by your side 24/7, “bridging the gap between virtual assistants and physical companionship.”

Similar products also exist, such as Lepro Ami from China. It doesn’t use holographic projection, but instead relies on a curved OLED display.

I can’t help but wonder: after AI takes over the world, will it start putting humans into bottles to play with too?

---

So… Rolex or Apple Watch? What a dilemma

According to the creator of this watch strap, David Ohayon, speaking at CES, he absolutely hated having to decide every morning in his mansion whether to wear a Rolex or an Apple Watch. Now, he no longer has to.

If you happen to own both a Rolex and an Apple Watch, this USD 400 (about RMB 2,800) strap might be worth considering. It lets you wear both watches on the same wrist—one to tell the time, the other to track your activity (and maybe check whether the more expensive watch is more accurate).

If your finances are even stronger than those of the people who buy those framed TVs mentioned earlier, you can also opt for the titanium version, priced up to USD 700 (about RMB 4,885, not including the smartwatch or the Rolex). And if you’re not using an Apple Watch, versions for Samsung, Google, and Fitbit are also available.

I think the next step for this guy is figuring out how to stop the strap from pinching arm hair on both sides.

---

CES’s ultimate oddball: the anti-AI lamp, Light Saver

I’ll admit that AI is indeed great and capable of many things. But when it comes to AI devices inside the home, most of them rely on cameras to collect data. Imagine if your fridge, speakers, clothes-folding robot, robot vacuum, picture frame, and desktop companion all had cameras. One day your home might get hacked—or the AI might awaken—and all these devices could suddenly “defect.”

sPresto thought about this tricky problem too, so they introduced an “anti-AI” lamp called Light Saver. It’s designed specifically to disable the cameras in these devices by emitting light that is harmless to human eyes but interferes with camera sensors, rendering them unable to capture images.

Light Saver is suitable for places that value privacy, such as homes, hotels, hospitals, and archives, helping prevent secret filming. And considering that “this year’s CES probably couldn’t even happen without AI,” sPresto’s anti-AI lamp almost feels like a sharp, rebellious outlier in an age obsessed with playing it smooth.

---

At this price, the frame itself is part of the art

At CES 2026, more than one company launched smart picture frame products.

For example, Fraimic introduced its Smart Canvas color e-ink smart frame, which looks almost like a physical print. The smaller size is 13.3 inches, priced at USD 399 (about RMB 2,791); the larger one is 31.5 inches, priced at USD 999 (about RMB 6,990). Add the RMB 20 print I bought on Taobao, and who’s to say what’s hanging on the wall isn’t a piece of art with some real value?

Another company, Vinabot, released a picture frame that can move—and even talk. They say the inspiration comes from the magical portraits in Harry Potter. All you need to do is upload a photo and a simple prompt, and the person in the frame can come to life and chat with you, including deceased celebrities or loved ones. As for the price, Vinabot says it will launch on Kickstarter soon, starting at USD 299 (about RMB 2,086) after a 40% discount.

Both frames can generate images directly via large AI models based on your needs.

But at this point, I don’t know why, I suddenly thought of the idle iPad Air sitting in my hands.

---

By the time I finish a shower, I’ve already made a fortune

There’s a common way to describe how fast Wall Street tycoons make money: in the time it takes you to do XXX, they’ve already earned an N-digit sum.

Superheat brought a hot water heater built on a similar idea to CES 2026. It doesn’t use fire, electricity, or natural gas to heat water, but Bitcoin-mining ASIC chips instead. Their thinking is that mining chips generate so much heat anyway—rather than struggling to dissipate it, why not use that heat to warm water?

What if you hit the jackpot while taking a shower?

Superheat says the installation cost is USD 2,000 (about RMB 13,967.5), and its power consumption is about the same as a regular water heater—basically free crypto mining.

To be fair, the design of this heater does look great, very Jonathan Ive-like. I’d recommend domestic manufacturers take notes.

---

For emotional companionship, cute may matter more than realistic

Perhaps as people have grown increasingly lonely in recent years, many products designed to provide emotional value with AI have also appeared at CES.

For instance, Takway brought an egg-shaped virtual pet, similar to a Tamagotchi. After you buy it, you first have to incubate it for two days, then it “hatches” and “grows” a cute little face. Next, you have to take care of it for a while and raise it into an adult egg—otherwise it dies and everything resets.

Once it grows up, it can take care of itself and keep you company. It will even go out on its own, then come back and tell you where it went and what fun things it did. (Hmm? Why does that sound so familiar?)

When it reaches 51 years old, it won’t die anymore—unless you stop charging it. No idea how they came up with that setting.

Another similar product is the bionic panda Anan. It comes from Shenzhen and is designed to provide companionship for the elderly and people with cognitive impairments, as well as timely reminders to prevent forgetfulness. It can also collect certain data to help caregivers understand the health condition of those being cared for.

Compared with making those very abstract humanoid robots, I think this approach is pretty good.

Conclusion

That wraps up our CES 2026 roundup. Given the limited space, many major and interesting products didn’t make it in. As for some of the truly abstract, hopelessly AI-obsessed creations—like an ice maker that uses AI to reduce workplace noise—we won’t dive into those here either.

Feel free to share in the comments the CES 2026 moments that left the deepest impression on you, along with your spiciest takes. And here’s hoping next year’s CES will be even more fun.