New Wonders From the Consumer Electronics Show

The Consumer Electronics Show, held every January, offers a glimpse at where tech is heading for the year and beyond. At CES 2025, more than 140,000 people descended onto Las Vegas to poke, gawk, laud, and scoff at the wares of 4,500 companies big and small.

These upcoming products could become the must-have gear of the year, or they might disappear into obscurity. Will the latest AI-enabled feature finally bring that nonsense technology into the mainstream? Will some gadget from a tiny company revolutionize the world? Probably neither, but at the very least these were the top gadgets to ogle.

ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable

At first glance, Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable looks like any other laptop. It has a 14-inch OLED screen that, as far as laptop screens go, doesn’t seem too revolutionary. It’s what the screen can do that’s remarkable: It rolls. As in, make a certain gesture in front of the above-screen camera and the screen extends vertically to 16.7 inches. It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. As someone who travels with smaller laptops for their easy portability, having the option for an occasionally larger screen is enticing. This opens up a wealth of possibilities: multitasking, seeing more rows in a spreadsheet, coding, editing photos, and more.
$3,499 at lenovo.com, available in June 

Belkin Stage PowerGrip

Belkin Stage PowerGrip

The Stage PowerGrip combines a number of useful features that would make life easier for anyone who shoots a lot of content with their phone. First and most obvious, it’s an ergonomic grip to make holding the phone easier. Inside is a large, 10,000 mAh battery, which not only has wireless charging but also includes USB-C outputs to charge other devices. It even has a retractable USB-C charging cable. It’s magnetic, so you’ll need at least an iPhone 12 or a MagSafe case for an older or Android phone.
Price upon request at belkin.com, available in May 

Shokz OpenMeet

Shokz OpenMeet

Shokz is best known for its headphones that primarily transmit sound through the bones in your head. You read that right. Bone-conduction headphones let you hear the world around you and whatever you’re listening to, since they’re not in or on your ears. It’s an interesting effect, and in many situations—like if you’re running—it’s a safer one. The lightweight OpenMeet uses bone-conduction and traditional headphone drivers for a headset that should be comfortable to wear for long hours while at the same time letting you hear normally. These are ideal if you work from home and need to hear what your kids are up to in the next room. They’d also make do in an office to hear the bellows of a boss who’s equally needy.
$249.95 at shokz.com 

TCL Nxtpaper 11 Plus Tablet

TCL Nxtpaper 11 Plus Tablet and 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G Smartphone

The marketing around TCL’s Nxtpaper is a bit hyperbolic, even by CES standards. It’s a different way of approaching the LCD technology found in every tablet and budget phone. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not interesting. With a matte screen and lower blue-light emissions, both the tablet and phone should be easier to stare at, as well as having better visibility in direct sunlight. If you’re looking for something that combines the features of a smartphone with a display that’s easier on the eyes—more like an e-reader—these might do the trick.
$199 for smartphone at tcl.com, available this year