CES 2026: Which Products Actually Impressed You (and Which Were Overhyped)?
For Whom/What:
A smart home and AI nerd
Requirements:
Product name + brand
describe why it stood out to you
Concept cars and moonshot prototypes are fine — just call them out as such
No press-release copy paste; real opinions only
Extra Details:
Every year, CES is packed with futuristic demos, flashy prototypes, and bold promises — but only a small percentage of products end up being genuinely useful, well-designed, or market-ready.
I’m curious which CES 2026 products truly stood out to real people following the event. Not just what looked cool on stage, but what felt thoughtful, practical, or genuinely innovative.
Whether it’s smart home tech, AI devices, health & wellness gear, mobility, displays, appliances, or something completely unexpected — I want to hear what made you stop scrolling and think, “Okay… this one’s different.”
Also fair game: products that were massively hyped but felt underwhelming once you dug deeper.
I was at CES all 4 days and honestly the thing that impressed me most wasn’t flashy at all — it was LG’s updated transparent OLED concept.
I saw it in person in the LG booth, and unlike past years where it felt like a gimmick, this version actually looked architecturally usable. Thinner frame, cleaner edges, and the rep openly talked about commercial + high-end residential installs, not mass consumer hype. Still insanely expensive and niche, but this felt like the first time it crossed from “show toy” into “design product.”
Definitely not buying one anytime soon, but as someone into interiors, this one stuck with me.
Spent most of my time in Eureka Park, and the Withings booth was surprisingly busy for a health brand.
Their new at-home metabolic health device (not just weight — recovery, stress, cardio metrics) was demoed live and the data refresh speed was noticeably better than what they showed last year. I talked to a product manager for ~10 minutes and they were very transparent about what is and isn’t medically validated yet, which I appreciated.
Feels like something that could actually ship this year and not disappear after CES like half the wellness tech there.
CES 2026: Which Products Actually Impressed You (and Which Were Overhyped)?
A smart home and AI nerd
Product name + brand
describe why it stood out to you
Concept cars and moonshot prototypes are fine — just call them out as such
No press-release copy paste; real opinions only
Every year, CES is packed with futuristic demos, flashy prototypes, and bold promises — but only a small percentage of products end up being genuinely useful, well-designed, or market-ready. I’m curious which CES 2026 products truly stood out to real people following the event. Not just what looked cool on stage, but what felt thoughtful, practical, or genuinely innovative. Whether it’s smart home tech, AI devices, health & wellness gear, mobility, displays, appliances, or something completely unexpected — I want to hear what made you stop scrolling and think, “Okay… this one’s different.” Also fair game: products that were massively hyped but felt underwhelming once you dug deeper.
I was at CES all 4 days and honestly the thing that impressed me most wasn’t flashy at all — it was LG’s updated transparent OLED concept.
I saw it in person in the LG booth, and unlike past years where it felt like a gimmick, this version actually looked architecturally usable. Thinner frame, cleaner edges, and the rep openly talked about commercial + high-end residential installs, not mass consumer hype. Still insanely expensive and niche, but this felt like the first time it crossed from “show toy” into “design product.”
Definitely not buying one anytime soon, but as someone into interiors, this one stuck with me.
Spent most of my time in Eureka Park, and the Withings booth was surprisingly busy for a health brand.
Their new at-home metabolic health device (not just weight — recovery, stress, cardio metrics) was demoed live and the data refresh speed was noticeably better than what they showed last year. I talked to a product manager for ~10 minutes and they were very transparent about what is and isn’t medically validated yet, which I appreciated.
Feels like something that could actually ship this year and not disappear after CES like half the wellness tech there.