Here Are the Best, Coolest, and Weirdest Gadgets at CES 2024

Jorge Jimenez, Florence Ion, Kyle Barr, and Dua Rashid

January 12, 2024 at 12:31 PM·12 min read

CES 2024 was certainly interesting this year; while we did anticipate AI being inserted into everything from TVs to cars, there were some genuine surprises from the show floor here in Las Vegas. Despite going to what felt like a million press conferences and keynotes, the Gizmodo team did manage to find loads of cool, interesting, and just plain weird gadgets from this year’s show.

LG Signature Series T OLED

The LG transparent OLED going into high contrast mode during a performance.

One of the first big stories to come out of CES 2024 was LG’s gorgeous transparent OLED. It has a mode that lets you see through it, almost giving your content a neat holographic look, but it also means you can place the TV in front of a large window and not feel like you are obstructing your view of the outside world. However, Signature Series T can raise a black film for a more traditional OLED viewing experience. Pictures and video don’t do it justice, and it was one of the coolest things I’ve seen at CES in years. — Jorge Jimenez

Jaws Pinball Machine next to a mannequin dressed like a Jaws character.

Stern continues to prove that pinball can indeed be a work of art. The company’s latest game is a love letter to the blockbuster film, plus it includes voice acting from Richard Dreyfuss screaming “multi-ball.” — Kyle Barr

Auracast

Why does a new Auracast Bluetooth ability have me excited? Because it will make things like group tours and getting airport announcements easier without having to take off your headphones. — Florence Ion

Skyted Mask

And you thought all the Bane memes were done for. This mask is essentially a privacy filter with an in-built microphone and sound dampening. It’s not HEPA-rated in any way, so there’s no guarantee it would keep you or others safe from pathogens. The company also demoed one with a screen if you wanted to become a walking advertisement. — Kyle Barr

HP Omen Transcend 14

HP completely redesigned its Omen gaming laptop to be far smaller and far cuter than its previous 16-inch version. It’s still packing an Intel Core Ultra CPU and Nvidia Geforce 4000 GPU, but it’s all contained in a rather thin design that gets extra props for its full LED keyboard. We’ll need to run full experiments to see how much all this power it’s packing translates into battery life or extra heat. — Kyle Barr

Glüxkind Rose self-driving baby stroller

Parents need help, and if you can afford it, this nearly $2,500 smart stroller can help with rocking and walking your baby to sleep. Unlike most high-tech baby gadgets, the Glüxkind Rose smart stroller grows with your baby into childhood. —Florence Ion

MSI Claw

MSI was the first PC maker of the year to show off its own Steam Deck-like handheld console, and already it’s a contender. It’s sporting an Intel chip rather than AMD, which means we’ll get to test how that company’s APUs perform compared to the Steam Deck or ROG Ally. Plus, it has a lot of colorful LEDs in both the joysticks and face buttons. — Kyle Barr

Palmplug One

I am still determining how effective this will be in helping rehabilitate stroke patients, as it purports to do. But I know I was attracted to the Palmplug One because of the bright LED lights on each fingertip. This device features haptic feedback, and you can use it inside other apps for a tactile effect when playing video games. — Florence Ion

Razer’s Prototype Haptic Chair

Gizmodo reporter sitting on Razer's protoype haptic cushion.

Razer is on the right track to a haptic system that is comfortable, subtle, and effective. The Esther concept isn’t commercially available, but I’m already very intrigued by its audio-to-haptics system that seamlessly translates the sounds of games into a sensation rolling across your back. — Kyle Barr

C-Seed N1 Folding MicroLED TV

The N1 is a 137-inch MicroLED 4K TV capable of folding itself back into its base and turning into a modern art piece in your living room. Basically, it is a dream for interior decorators of the rich and famous. It uses something called ‘Adaptive Gap Calibration’ that increases brightness around the edges of each panel, essentially making gaps invisible. It’s similar to what you see on big LED walls at concerts. Oh, and did I mention it retails for $220k? — Jorge Jimenez

Lenovo’s Proof-of-Concept ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 SPE

I’ve gone goo-goo over the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid, a literal 2-in-1 combining an Android tablet with a Windows laptop. But the company also had a ton of prototypes on display, including this proof-of-concept ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 SPE. It can display eight colors and supports up to 1,000 different images. — Florence Ion

Happysite AI Backpack

A view of an AI backpack with LCD googly eyes on the back.

If you feel extra comfortable about people staring at your back constantly, then Happysites LED backpacks will give you the attention you crave. What’s more, the company is this year promoting generative AI features that let you make your own image or short clip to show off on the bag’s display.

Samsung’s Ballie

Samsung’s latest, roundest robot practically took over CES once it debuted Monday. The ball-shaped bot is supposed to be a household companion acting as a kind of mobile Siri with a built-in projector. Ballie can also do sweeps of your home and send you updates about what your pet’s getting up to in your absence. We haven’t had any hands-on time with Samsung’s little helper, yet we’re still itching to know just how far we can kick the thing. — Kyle Barr

Garmin Lily 2

CES 2024 had no shortage of pretty smartwatches. Garmin used the show to announce the Lily 2, the successor in its petite smartwatch lineup. The Lily 2 starts at $250 and comes in various colors and finishes. It monitors heart rate, step count, and stress levels. It also offers morning-after-sleep reports and contactless payments. —Florence Ion

Varjo XR4 Headset

Varjo headset being worn by Gizmodo reporter.

Varjo’s latest, high-end VR helmet is also betting on its passthrough capabilities, but what sets it apart is the incredible fidelity of its internal 4K displays on each eye. — Kyle Barr

LG CineBeam Qube 4K Projector

Keeping in the theme of cute tech. The LG CineBeam Qube is a projector that’s as big as a toaster, weighs just over 3 pounds, and is more powerful than projectors twice its size. This 4K projector can cover 120 inches of wall space. — Jorge Jimenez

Asus Zenbook Duo

Asus Zenbook Dou being held by a Gizmodo reporter.

Asus’ new Zenbook Duo is already proving to be one of those controversial pieces of tech. Some might think it looks clunky and weird, but it could prove a big boon for those who go screen akimbo at their work desk. We’re hoping to get some hands-on with the laptop soon to see if it has enough power for both OLEDs at once. — Kyle Barr

Evie Smart Ring

Sadly, I’m aware that this smart ring has nothing to do with my favorite Pokémon. But knowing smart rings will be more prominent in the coming years is exciting. Movano’s Evie smart ring is super lightweight, and it comes in a variety of femme-centric designs. The Evie smart ring is slightly opened to allow your fingers to expand during that bloated time of the month. It’s available for $270 in varying ring sizes. The smart ring has no Android compatibility yet, but the company said it would come later this year.

Exobrew

There were a few companies advertising easy all-in-one beer brewing stations at CES this year, such as the Igulu 5-liter brewing station that’s also meant to keep your drinks at a safe temperature. However, the Exobrew might take the cake as it promises you can make 1.6-gallon batches at a time, and all users need to do is add the ingredients to the hopper above the tank. — Kyle Barr

PlayStation 5 Slim Side Plates and Matching DualSense Controllers

Different color PlayStation 5s and controllers on display.

I really like the look of the new PS5 Slim that was recently released, so of course, I was pleasantly surprised to see three new side covers for the console. I’m digging the Volcano Red with matching DualSense, though I hope Sony releases more exciting colors in the future. — Jorge Jimenez

Prinker

The Prinker may have been around for a bit, but it’s still a very neat device that’s able to print temporary tattoos of many designs and colors by washing the device over one’s skin. — Kyle Barr

TVs as Art

From TCL’s frame-like TVs pictured here to Samsung’s Serif, CES 2024 featured a maelstrom of pretty TVs meant to act as art pieces in your home. It’s a reminder that not everyone who watches TV wants the highest, brightest resolution in the room. — Florence Ion

WeHead

WeHead was present at last year’s CES as a kind of stand-in for your boss who wants to Zoom in on a meeting and still be “present” in the room. It’s essentially several phone screens attached to a stand in order to imitate a face, and other than being rather creepy and distracting; it would also make your company’s CEO seem extra silly. But with the advent of AI, WeHead is instead rebranding itself as a fully autonomous “GPT Edition,” except it still doesn’t like the sounds of a crowded room. Instead of answering my questions, it turned its head and tried to ignore me. —Kyle Barr

Fuse Audio’s Vertical Record Player

Vertical record player on a table being flanked by two speakers.

Fuse has been making vertical record players for a while now, but this new one comes with two 30-watt speakers and screams vibes. It plays 33s, 45s, and 78s and has Bluetooth 5.0 support. I want one. — Jorge Jimenez

Nimble Smart Nail Salon

Gizmodo reporter getting their nails painted.

The Nimble’s premise is quite simple. Want to have your nails painted without any hassle? Then, stuff your fingers into this over-large Gom Jabbar and let the machine do the work. It’s supposed to analyze where your nails are, then apply multiple coats and sealers to get you a pitch-perfect coat. The only thing is, it can be a little finicky when it first tries to read your hand. Nimble said the device uses machine learning to get better at learning where your fingernails are, but even then, you’ll need to sit with your hand in the machine for around 25 minutes, trying to keep still. It might save on hassle, but not necessarily on time. —Kyle Barr

Why is this car dancing?

SK Telecom, one of South Korea’s largest mobile operators, had a massive booth in CES’s Central Hall, with appearances from K-Pop starts and a mini Sphere. There was also this dancing car, though all this “car” really did was move up and down and have images projected about the “car of the future.” But it was enough to captivate people to crowd around for every show. — Florence Ion

XReal Air 2 Ultra

XReal showcased its newest $700 AR glasses at this CES in an effort to take a bite out of all the “spatial” hubbub thanks to Apple’s Vision Pro headset. This device doesn’t have a dedicated UI, at least not yet, and right now, it’s only featuring concepts of how its hand-tracking controls could work for texting apps or for watching movies. The hand and eye tracking weren’t perfect, but Xreal still has a pretty wide field of view and a strong display with a 120Hz refresh rate. — Kyle Barr

BHaptics TactGlove

Gizmodo reporter trying out haptic gloves

BHatpics’ products have really stuck out for looking so much like your typical ballistic vest, but the gloves—which launched last February—are the truly odd man out. The gloves have haptic feeling at the tip of each finger and at the wrist, which is supposed to give you sensation when you’re picking up an object or proffering a high five. My demo also involved me awkwardly trying to hug another avatar, and the hand tracking for the demo wasn’t quite good enough to offer any real sense of immersion. — Kyle Barr

Alienware’s 4K QD-OLED

Alienware QD-OLED on a table next to a gaming PC.

This year’s slate of gaming monitors all promise big resolution gains, but Alienware’s 4K, 240Hz QD-OLED is one of the best we’ve seen in a very crowded field. The 32-inch screen has a gentle curve that isn’t overwhelming but still does enough to center your field of vision on gameplay. — Kyle Barr

Typhur Sous Vide Station

The best way to describe Typhur’s sous vide apparatus is that it’s a Pelaton for your sous vide station. The device can circulate the water temperature and keep it going at the correct temperature, but it also offers hundreds of recipes through its 12.3-inch touchscreen. Just know you’ll have to buy the resealable bags and vacuum separately. — Kyle Barr

IYU Massage Ari

This “hands-free” massage arm offers a dedicated back massage without needing any fleshy human to work your muscles for you. With its long proboscis and strangely flesh-colored kneading utensil, the machine should be able to offer you an accurate massage no matter your body type. With your face down on the bed, you should be able to control everything thanks to a screen on a bottom shelf and a remote control placed at your fingertips. —Kyle Barr

Looking Glass Go

Looking Glass Frame on a table featuring Pop-Eye.

This holographic frame, the Looking Glass Go, is one of those things that feels cool to have around the house. Eventually, chatbot capabilities will be available so you can interact with a 3D-like avatar. — Florence Ion

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