TechRadar will cover this year’s edition extensively CESand will bring you all the important announcements as they happen. Go to our CES 2025 News page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable screens to new phones, laptops, smart home devices and the latest in artificial intelligence.
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CES 2025 is underway, and while the big expo technically starts today (January 7), for media outlets (including the TechRadar team), it’s the second day of exhibits and announcements. It’s been another hectic day of tech news, so we’re giving you a roundup of the best stuff here.
Just like the first day of CES 2025, the gadgets and gadgets shown below will help define the year in technology. We have great news from Samsung, Nvidia and LG, as well as new smart watches, robot vacuum cleaners, AI air fryers and… battery-powered umbrellas (perfect for your next day at the beach).
CES is a technology showcase, so you won’t be able to buy all of these products right away, but they give us a taste of what’s coming later in 2025, so you can start saving now.
This isn’t the end of the CES 2025 fun either, because tomorrow we’ll have another full hardware roundup for you to dig into…
1. Samsung The Frame Pro TV
- Best feature: Incorporating mini-LED technology
We’ve always been intrigued by Samsung’s The Frame TV, the TV that doubles as an art showcase, and here at CES 2025 the latest model was unveiled. The Frame Pro adds mini-LED technology and enhanced HDR to the mix, and the difference between it and the 2024 model is simply astonishing.
There’s some extra vibrancy here and a few other tweaks (like an improved refresh rate) that make The Frame Pro a better TV, and yet it loses none of its appeal when Art Mode is active. We’ll have to put the model through its paces further, but it looks like Samsung has finally hit on the right formula this time.
2. NVIDIA RTX 5090
- Best feature: Adequate support for 8K gaming
We’ve been waiting a long time, but the Nvidia RTX 5000 series GPUs are finally official, including the high-end RTX 5090. First Impressions: These graphics cards will live up to the hype and come in a huge amount of power, although you’ll have to pay a lot of money to get them.
The RTX 5090 specifically brings with it 92 billion transistors, next-generation Tensor Cores and Ray Tracing Cores, and more than double the AI processing speed of the RTX 4090 (which was a complete beast). Oh, and there’s also 32GB of new GDDR7 VRAM, making it comfortably the most powerful GPU on the planet.
3. SwitchBot K20+ Pro
- Best feature: An innovative mounting platform
If you ever thought the key feature your robot vacuum was missing was the ability to bring you a sandwich while you cleaned the floors, take a look at the new SwitchBot K20+ Pro. It comes with a mounting platform for accessories like fans, security cameras and trays to bring lunch directly to him (maybe).
It’s a good idea and expands the capabilities of the standard robovac; It makes sense that it can also take care of other tasks (like purifying the indoor air) while keeping everything spotless. The price of the device and its accessories will be crucial, and we will find out sometime later in 2025.
4. LG xboom stage 301
- Best feature: Works on the floor or on a stand.
Musician will.i.am is back in the tech game and has teamed up with LG to bring us the xboom speaker series. The best of the bunch right now is the LG xboom Stage 301, which is designed like a stage speaker: it has a cut-out corner on the bottom, so you can tilt it up, just like professional musicians do.
Most important, though, is the sound, and the 6.5-inch woofer and twin 2.5-inch midrange drivers do a very impressive job here, according to our testing on the CES 2025 show floor. The speaker It works both on a stand and on the floor and is designed to be versatile enough to meet a wide range of different needs.
5. Anker SOLIX umbrella
- Best feature: Solar powered shade cover.
You know you’re at CES when you see charging stations paired with objects you wouldn’t necessarily associate with device charging, and that brings us to the Anker SOLIX umbrella, which you can take to the beach to make sure you keep a close eye on the network while you sunbathe
Or rather, do not immerse yourself in the sun’s rays, if you use the umbrella cover. The umbrella is waterproof and comes with some smart solar cells on top, so you can use the sun’s energy to charge your phones and tablets. It also pairs quite well with other products in the Anker range, including power stations.
6. Amazfit Active 2
- Best feature: An artificial intelligence personal assistant on the wrist
It is now well established that Amazfit is one of the go-to brands if you are looking for a smartwatch that is feature-packed and affordable, and the new Amazfit Active 2 series continues that trend. The starting price here is just $99.99 (around £80 / AU$160), but you get a ton of value for your investment.
The watch series features stainless steel frames, 10 days of battery life, offline map support, and 160 sports mode options. There are multiple strap and AMOLED display options, and you’ve also got the Zepp Flow AI assistant on board, ready and waiting to help you with information about your fitness, watch settings, messages, and more.
7. Essential Ecobee Smart Thermostat
- Best feature: Energy savings at an affordable price
Ecobee isn’t missing out on the fun of CES 2025 and has a new Smart Thermostat Essential to show off in Las Vegas. Not only does it learn your home’s heating and cooling speeds and bring with it a full-color touchscreen, but it’s also half the price of the fourth-generation Nest Learning Thermostat that Google introduced last year.
It will cost you $129.99 (around £100/AU$200) when it goes on sale in March. All the standard features are included, such as customizable schedules and remote control, and it will also work with Ecobee’s SmartSensors, if you have them installed. We haven’t had a chance to test it yet, but the first signs are very promising.
8.Dreo ChefMaker 2
- Best feature: AI-powered conversions for oven recipes
We’re often a little disappointed by AI tricks that don’t really live up to the hype, but we like the idea of the Dreo ChefMaker 2 air fryer: it uses artificial intelligence to convert standard oven recipes pulled from websites or books cooking in real programs that the machine can use, with revised temperatures and times.
Now, until we try it, we don’t know how well it works, but given how good the original Dreo ChefMaker was, we’re hopeful. If you don’t want to rely on AI, there are also 100 pre-programmed recipes available to get you started, and the device appears to offer Dreo’s usual build quality and culinary prowess.
9. TCL Game Cube
- Best Feature: Can be easily tilted in any direction
We’ve only seen a fleeting mention of the TCL Playcube at CES 2025 so far, but we’re very interested to find out more. The portable projector is battery-powered so it can be placed virtually anywhere you want, and features a ‘magic cube’ design which means you can easily tilt the projected image in any direction.
And… that’s all we know: TCL hasn’t offered any information on pricing or a release date. The previous TCL A1 projector was affordably priced and came with Google TV software built in, so we expect the same from the Playcube. Stay tuned to TechRadar for future updates on this.
10. Off-grid HMD
- Best Feature: Satellite connectivity for all smartphones
HMD OffGrid brings satellite messaging to any smartphone, so you don’t need the latest iPhone to stay in touch with people without Wi-Fi or cellular coverage. It works as a mobile hotspot that can also reach satellites and also includes support for connecting to 24/7 search and rescue services.
All of this comes at a cost, specifically $199/£169 upfront with a monthly subscription fee of $14.99/£14.99, but for some of you outdoor adventurers, it will be worth it. HMD hasn’t confirmed the exact phones it will work with, but we should hear more later this month when the device goes on sale.
11. Flic Duo
- Best feature: Hugely customizable and versatile
Sometimes the best devices are the simplest, and the Flic Duo is a good example from CES 2025: At first glance, it looks like a simple wall switch, but its two buttons can be programmed in many different ways, and as well as accept button presses, you can also control connected devices by swiping.
So, for example, you could change the brightness of smart lights or raise and lower a smart blind by moving your finger over one of the buttons. In addition to using it on the wall, you can easily remove it and use it while roaming around your home, making it a versatile and convenient controller for your smart devices.
