Best of CES 2023 Awards: The best products from the show

CES is back in force. Hundreds of companies have used the opportunity to launch new products, ranging from wildly innovative to barely iterative, across every vertical you can imagine. At Android Authority, we’ve once again sifted through the deluge of announcements and products to bring you the very best. Let’s run down through our Best of CES 2023 Awards.

Mobile

Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola

Our top smartphone from CES 2023 was the Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola, a business-focused flagship Android phone inspired by the classic line of notebooks. It blends a solid set of specs with an aramid fiber case and the signature red key to activate Lenovo’s Think 2 Think features. After almost ten years of Lenovo owning Motorola, it’s great to see them linking up in new ways. There’s no confirmed price yet for this phone and Lenovo will only commit to availability in the coming months.

Smart home

Homey Pro

If you have a smart home, you probably have a lot of redundant hubs along with devices that don’t work well together. Homey Pro solves these problems by acting as the one smart home hub to rule them all. It would take multiple articles to explain all the things Homey Pro can do and since it will be getting Matter and Thread support by the end of the year, it’s only going to get more powerful. Pre-orders are open now for $350 and the Homey Pro will start shipping in February.

Roborock S8 Pro Ultra

As the top-of-the-line option in the new Roborock S8 line, the S8 Pro Ultra is an automated cleaning machine for most flooring surfaces. Paired with the RockDock Ultra, this robot can vacuum, mop, and even self-clean. Better yet, it self-empties, and can self-refill the water tank as well. Minimal effort for maximum clean, available soon for $1,599.99.

Yeelight Cube

There are actually three products in the Yeelight Cube line: Matrix, Panel, and Spot. Each cube snaps together with other cubes (and a controller) to make fully customizable vertical or horizontal stacks. With these options, you can create hundreds of different configurations to fit your particular setup. Matter support out of the box, as well as Razer Chroma integration make these a must-buy for your gaming room. The Yeelight Cube and a controller will cost $75.99 while additional cubes will cost $45.99. Pre-orders will begin in March.

Nanoleaf 4D

Nanoleaf 4D is a small camera that attaches to the top or bottom of your TV. It “watches” the content on your TV and automatically syncs your smart RGB lights to the color palette present on the screen at that moment. This is a platform-agnostic tool that works with literally anything that appears on your TV, whether that’s movies, games, or even a photo slideshow. Pricing and availability is unknown at the moment, but this nifty smart lighting system will land in 2023.

VR and AR

TCL RayNeo X2

Remember Google Glass? TCL thinks the time is finally right for fully featured AR glasses that can do things like give you navigation directions, real-time translation, take photos/videos, and more. The TCL RayNeo X2 aren’t going to win any awards for being fashionable, but the tech inside these glasses is pretty impressive, and we felt like we had stepped into the future during our hands-on time. TCL is going to seed these to developers throughout early 2023 and eventually sell them commercially in China this year. A global release could follow, which might make them the first widely available AR glasses of this caliber.

HTC Vive XR Elite

Do you like the idea of a lightweight VR headset but looking for more power under the hood? Meet the HTC Vive XR Elite. Weighing in at 625 grams, the Vive XR Elite is only slightly heavier than the Meta Quest 2, yet has power and performance that rivals the heavier and pricer Meta Quest Pro. They are convertible as well, allowing you to quickly turn them into personal theater glasses. The Vive XR Elite costs $1,099 and pre-orders are open now.

Audio

Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus

The Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus aren’t really headphones — although they can stream your music if you want them to — they are over-the-counter hearing aids. Users can better hear their world thanks to the speech enhancement and ambient noise reduction. We were impressed with their comfort and with how well we could hear the person in front of us in a crowded room filled with chatter.

JBL Bar 1300X

The JBL Bar 1300X is one of the most functionality-filled soundbars we’ve ever seen. Not only did we enjoy the sound out of this 1,170W 3D soundbar, but the detachable rear satellite speakers immerse you in clear, loud sound when placed wirelessly across the room. These smaller units also operate as standalone Bluetooth speakers with up to 10 hours of battery life. The JBL Bar 1300X will be available later in February for $1,700.

Monitors and displays

LG Display 360-degree foldable OLED

This 8-inch OLED panel is similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, except it can fold in both directions, giving you more flexibility for how you use your device. The display is durable enough to withstand being folded 200,000 times, making it one of the stronger foldables to date. We expect this display technology to be implemented in the next wave of foldable phones, hopefully delivering a far less visible crease.

LG Meta

LG is bringing bigger and brighter OLED panels to the market, thanks to its new Meta technology. Not to be confused with Facebook’s parent company, Meta displays are up to 60% brighter than LG’s current OLED technology, with a peak brightness of 2,100 nits. The new tech uses a micro lens array, a layer of lenses that maximise light emission. LG plans to bring Meta panels to its TVs in the future, but no firm plans have been announced just yet.

Dimenco Simulated Reality

You’ve seen VR and AR, but what about SR? Dimenco’s Simulated Reality is an advanced 3D spatial display technology bringing impressive 3D with actual depth — no glasses required. The new tech will even follow your gaze as you look around the display for better immersion, thanks to built-in eye-tracking technology. The first laptop with this technology is the the ASUS ProArt Studiobook, but pricing and availability for that machine are still a mystery.

Samsung ViewFinity S9

Apple Studio Display look out, you have some new competition! The new Samsung ViewFinity S9 is a 27-inch prosumer monitor with an impressive resolution of 5,120 x 2,880 pixels. The new monitor includes several features you won’t find on Apple’s monitor, including support for HDR, easy rotation to use in portrait mode, and plenty of ports for connecting USB-C, HDMI, and DisplayPort devices. Though no exact pricing has been revealed just yet, the ViewFinity S9 is one of our top picks for the best of CES awards.

TVs and projectors

DisplaceTV

The first truly wireless TV that can stick to any surface using “active-loop” vacuum technology. The DisplaceTV can run on one to four swappable batteries for roughly 30 days. And, instead of using a remote, a pop-up camera captures motion and gesture controls. You can combine multiple TVs to get as big a picture as you’d like, depending on how big a wall you have. Reserve yours now for $2,999 for a December 2023 release, but do it fast as there are fewer than 50 left!

Samsung The Premiere 8K

Samsung’s The Premiere 4K projector was already an amazing laser-powered ultra-short-throw projector that awed us in 2020. Now Samsung is back at it with an 8K version that can expand the image to up to 150 inches. And it’s so bright it can be enjoyed with the lights on!

Laptops

Razer Blade 18

The Razer Blade 18 is a monster of a laptop, both in appearance and under the hood. You get the latest and greatest silicon from Intel and NVIDIA, a blistering-fast 240Hz QHD+ display, and six booming speakers with THX support. The mix of power, specs, and style comes at a price (starting at $2,900), but you won’t look back when the Razer Blade 18 takes the place of your existing tower.

HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook

The HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is a super-powered Chrome OS laptop that leads the way in the next wave of gaming Chromebooks. It can be specced with top-tier components, including a Core i7 processor and up to 32GB of RAM. The laptop starts shipping in June, but it’s pricey, so start saving up!

ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip

Gamers will love the ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip. It comes with the usual gamer aesthetics, as well as powerful specs and a convertible form factor. You can get up to an Intel Core i7 processor, as much as 16GB of RAM, an RGB backlit keyboard, and even a stylus that docks straight into the laptop. Pricing and availability are still unknown for this machine.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i

When one 13.3-inch display isn’t enough, two will do. Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i combines dual 2.8K OLED panels with a detachable keyboard and kickstand, for several flexible setups and tons of unique gestures. It has plenty of punch under the hood, like a 13th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, but you’d better be ready to open up your wallet to the tune of at least $2,000.

Automotive

Afeela

Sony had something a bit different to announce at CES this year — a new car brand called Afeela. Built in partnership with Honda, Afeela combines Honda’s experience in the automotive industry with Sony’s high-end tech acumen to create the EV of the future. No pricing has been revealed just yet, though Sony plans to ship the first units in the US sometime in 2026.

Accessories

Naya Create

The Naya Create is a completely modular split keyboard with a focus on ergonomics, allowing you to do everything from your fingertips. There are no wires needed; instead, the inner swappable modules provide power and charge wirelessly. It’s also fully programmable, meaning you can remap every key or make your own shortcuts. You can create your dream keyboard during the crowdfunding campaign starting in April.

Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra

The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra takes webcam camera video quality to the next level with the largest sensor to ever come to a webcam. The 1/1.2-inch sensor and ƒ/1.7 aperture make it one-of-a-kind, offering a true bokeh effect we know many of you love. It’s also aided by HDR and AI technology. Of course, all that power doesn’t come cheap: the Kiyo Pro Ultra costs $300 and is available to buy now.

Wearables and health

Citizen CZ Smart PQ2

Citizen’s second-generation CZ Smart shines with its new YouQ app. It incorporates fatigue and alertness technology developed by NASA to project your energy highs and lows and help you make the most of your day. Once the CZ Smart crafts your profile, it will provide recommendations tailored to boost your productivity and adapt to the prompts that help you the most. The Citizen CZ Smart Casual smartwatch costs $350 and is available to pre-order now.

Somalytics SomaSleep

The SomaSleep is a prototype sleep mask for monitoring rapid eye movement (REM) at up to 1,000 times per second. The paper-thin nano-based capacitive sensor will also be made available for purchase separately (pictured above), meaning you will be able to use it for any gadget you can come up with. Get a good night’s sleep with the SomaSleep mask starting this December for $199.

That concludes our overview of the Best of CES Awards. Keep it tuned for more coverage from the show.