Better of CES 2025: Every thing that stole the present, in line with our consultants

We’ve stomped the showroom flooring. We’ve scrutinized the cubicles. We’ve trekked up and down the Las Vegas Strip for hands-on demos. A whole bunch of 1000’s of collective steps and plenty of cups of espresso later, we’re prepared to select the standouts from the largest present in tech.

Because it does yearly, CES 2025 has introduced huge improvements, outrageous ideas and spectacular options to on a regular basis issues. This time, the CNET Group — made up of sibling websites CNET, ZDNET, PCMag, Mashable and Lifehacker — teamed up with the CTA because the official media companion of the Better of CES Awards. After consulting our workers consultants and editors, we have named the highest services and products at CES and awarded them with the official distinction of Better of CES. 

To be eligible, a services or products have to be an exhibitor at CES 2025 and meet not less than one of many following standards:

• Features a compelling new idea or concept

• Solves a significant shopper downside

• Is new or is an replace to an present product that units a brand new bar in efficiency or high quality

Nominees have been submitted by CNET Group’s editorial workers, with finalists voted on by a panel of editors in attendance at CES 2025.

With none additional ado, listed below are our Better of CES 2025 winners:

Greatest AI: Nvidia Cosmos AI mannequin

Cosmos feels just like the AI platform that might be fueling CES for years to return — “the ChatGPT moment for robotics,” as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang put it. Educated on 20 million hours of video, Cosmos turns digital fashions of roads, factories, properties, and different IRL areas into simulations utilizing generative AI, automating the coaching information wanted to assist robots higher perceive the bodily world. With much less of a reliance on real-world testing, this can streamline the method of creating the robots and autonomous vehicles of the long run. Cosmos will most likely run the very best on Nvidia’s personal chips, however props to the corporate for planning to democratize the code and make it accessible in open supply on Github.

Runner-up within the class is Gemini for Google TV.

Greatest transportation/mobility: Honda 0 Sequence

Honda’s flashy and futuristic new electrical autos, the Honda 0 Saloon and Honda 0 SUV, might be accessible in North America by 2026. They’re set for manufacturing on the corporate’s new battery platform in Ohio — hypothetically qualifying for the $7,500 federal tax credit score, if it hangs round — and their skinny battery will supposedly be capable of juice up in 10 to fifteen minutes. They’re going to run on a brand new AI chip and Honda’s recent ASIMO OS after launch, which implies they will be Stage 3 self-driving autos that may quickly take full management over driving. The prototypes we noticed on the bottom in Las Vegas have been simply prototypes, however Honda stated its final designs might be very comparable. Maintain an eye fixed out for pricing specifics.

Runner-up within the class is the BMW Panoramic iDrive with Working System X.

Greatest laptop computer: Asus Zenbook A14

The 14-inch Asus Zenbook A14​ is successfully an Asus Zenbook Air, combining a feathery type issue with an extended battery life. At simply 2.18 kilos, it is the thinnest and lightest Copilot+ PC ever made. Its chassis is made out of a magnesium aluminum alloy the corporate calls “Ceraluminum,” which is extremely sturdy, scratch resistant, and utterly recyclable.

It is accessible in two Qualcomm Snapdragon X sequence configurations in two fashionable impartial finishes, which each sport nice-to-haves like an OLED show and tap-and-slide touchpad controls. As for that battery life: The Zenbook A14 is rated at as much as 32 hours of video playback per cost, which beats the longest-lasting laptop computer we have ever examined by about 9 hours. A Snapdragon X Elite mannequin might be accessible on Jan. 13 for $1,099.99, and an $899.99 Snapdragon X variant is coming this March.

Runner-up within the class is the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable.

Mashable Gentle Pace

Greatest TV/dwelling theater: LG G5 OLED TV

LG’s newest G-series OLED TV is well the best-looking TV we noticed at CES this 12 months. Its image high quality is unbelievable: LG says it is 40 p.c brighter and presents higher distinction in vivid lighting in comparison with its predecessor, the G4, which was a surprising TV in its personal proper. LG improved its AI distant, too, however retained its glossy gallery design for an virtually all-picture look.

The corporate additionally launched a brand new M5 wi-fi TV, which has the identical picture high quality because the G5, however it will likely be much more costly due to that cord-free connection know-how — which most consumers don’t want. Pricing and a launch date are nonetheless TBA.

Runner-up within the class is the Hisense 116UX.

Greatest sensible dwelling/dwelling tech: Roborock Saros Z70

Lastly, a robotic that may decide up after us. This vacuum-mop hybrid can sense, snatch, and put away your stray socks utilizing its mechanical arm, marking an business shift from object avoidance know-how to object elimination know-how. In contrast to so many grabby robots we have seen at CES over time, this one is actual, profitable and really coming to market, with a launch slated for April 2025. At 22,000 Pa of suction, the Saros Z70 might be extra highly effective than virtually some other fashionable robovac. It’s going to even be dearer: Roborock teased a worth level across the $2,000 mark, making it undoubtedly a high-end luxurious equipment. However we count on it to pave the way in which for a brand new (finally cheaper) era of robotic vacuums that supply do-everything-for-me cleansing.

Runner-up within the class is the BioLite Full.

Greatest sustainability: Flint Paper Battery

A battery made out of… paper? Singaporean startup Flint says it has created a extra sustainable, inexpensive, and scalable different to conventional lithium-ion batteries. The magic ingredient is cellulose, which acts as a pure medium for ion switch between the node and cathode. They’re totally versatile and could be shrunk all the way down to the dimensions of a coin battery or embedded in a smartwatch strap. Plus, they decompose in a mere six weeks as soon as they’re achieved getting used. Flint lately secured $2 million in seed funding to run a pilot undertaking this 12 months, placing us one step nearer to a dream of sparing the Earth from the mining and drilling for finite lithium.

Greatest gaming: Lenovo Legion Go S

The Lenovo Legion Go S stands out due to its its working system, and due to that working system’s implications for all the gaming handheld class. Whereas it’ll be accessible with Home windows 11, Lenovo will even supply a mannequin with Valve’s SteamOS, making it the one non-Valve-built moveable to formally run SteamOS. That’s huge information for anybody searching for a Steam Deck different. The Legion Go S lacks the removable controllers in final 12 months’s commonplace Legion Go, and it has a smaller, lower-resolution display. However its two top-side USB 4 ports and Corridor Impact joysticks (which ought to by no means drift) are welcome — as is its anticipated lower cost level. The Go S will begin transport in Could 2025, beginning at $599.99.

Greatest wellness/health tech: Ozlo Sleepbuds

Designed by ex-Bose engineers, Ozlo Sleepbuds aren’t simply comfy earbuds for sleeping — they’ll really assist you get a greater night time’s sleep. They match flush together with your ear, which implies you’ll be able to sleep in your facet with out feeling them urgent into you. This additionally prevents them from falling out of your ear. Sleep-enhancing perks embrace biometric sensors within the earbuds that may observe your sleep, sensors within the case that may determine potential sleep interruptions in your room, and an in-ear alarm that will not get up a sleeping companion. They’ve a 10-hour battery life, too — no extra waking as much as a useless battery notification. You may even play sound straight from the Sleepbuds with out connecting to a different Bluetooth system, which implies you will not even have to have a look at your cellphone earlier than going to mattress. So handy. They’re accessible now for $299.

Runner-up within the class is the YoctoMat.

Greatest cellular: HMD OffGrid

The overwhelming majority of telephones are basically ineffective with no cell sign. That’s the place HMD’s new OffGrid accent is available in. The $199.99 dongle lets any Android cellphone or iPhone ship textual content messages and phone emergency companies sans sign by connecting to Viasat and Skylo’s community of satellites. A number of latest telephones just like the iPhone 16 and Google Pixel 9 come geared up with satellite tv for pc connectivity, however most customers solely improve their telephones when their present system breaks or wants changing, so this accent provides older telephones the power to continually keep linked — which might be life-saving in some instances. To make use of OffGrid, you’ll should subscribe to HMD’s month-to-month service, which begins at $79.99 per 12 months.

Runner-up within the class is the TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper.

Greatest privateness and safety: Ultraloq Bolt Mission UWB Plus NFC

That is essentially the most spectacular and safe sensible lock we have ever seen. It’s additionally the primary sensible lock to return to market with ultra-wideband know-how, giving it the potential to sense your location (inside inches) and the spatial consciousness to know in case you’re inside or outdoors your door. It’s actually hands-free unlocking, much like key fobs on vehicles. As backups, it additionally presents NFC for tap-to-unlock entry, a keypad, and a conventional key mechanism. It contains 128-bit AES information encryption, IP65 climate resistance, and BHMA Stage 1-certified sturdiness. It helps WiFi, Matter, Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. Maybe better of all, although, it has a battery lifetime of as much as one 12 months.

Runner-up within the class is the Lockly Status Duet Sequence.

Greatest weirdest/most surprising: Kirin Electrical Salt Spoon

There was no dearth of unusual technological purposes at CES 2025, however the sales space that received everybody’s consideration was hands-down the Kirin Electrical Salt Spoon. This relatively giant spoon sends an electrical present to your tongue to make your meals style saltier. The thought is noble: Get meals to style higher with out including pointless sodium to your weight-reduction plan. The answer is downright surprising. We solely detected a slight distinction in our style take a look at, however from what we heard from others who tried the demo, outcomes different. This one is already accessible on the market… in Japan. It prices 19,800 yen (with tax), or about $125.

Greatest general: Nvidia Cosmos

Solely one other Nvidia product might overshadow the brand new Nvidia RTX 50-series graphics playing cards at CES 2025.

The Cosmos platform harnesses AI to take away one of many greatest ache factors within the strategy of creating new robotics, which is the necessity for tons of real-world information and testing. By doing so, it’ll change the way in which know-how is ready to clear up issues and assist future generations. (Keep tuned to see the way it performs out for Toyota: The world’s greatest automotive producer might be utilizing it to construct its next-gen self-driving autos.) Merely put, Cosmos is monumental.