Review: The Best of CES 2017
The Consumer Electronics Show (now officially simply termed CES) turned 50 this year. And yet, rather than turn stale or start to fade into irrelevance, the 2017 show brought some genuine innovation we haven't seen in quite a while. Sure, wacky gadgets and pointless prototypes are all over the place at CES, but this might be the year that many of them actually become reality.
For instance, we didn't see many gimmicky curved televisions on the show floor. Instead, LG really wowed us with a new, incredibly thin OLED TV that houses all of its processing power in a sleek connected soundbar. Faraday Future showed off an electric self-driving supercar that can park itself, and should actually make it to market next year. The PowerRay drone from PowerVision doesn't work in the air, like you might expect, but underwater, to help you catch fish. And Razer's Project Valerie, while just a concept, proves that when it comes to gaming laptops, three screens are better than one.
Other top products are more about refinement than revolution. Lenovo's Smart Assistant speaker, its take on the Amazon Echo, looks and sounds better than the device it emulates. The Asus Zenfone AR smartphone brings augmented reality (in the form of Google Tango) to a reasonable form factor. And the Misfit Vapor looks and acts a lot like the Apple Watch for nearly half the price.
It certainly wasn't easy when you take into account the sheer number of devices (and opinions) that funneled into this story, but we've tried our best to highlight the very best of what we've seen over the past week in Las Vegas. We've had some good luck picking in the past, as many devices turned out to earn top marks in testing. (On the other hand, some of them also vanished without a trace.) Ultimately, we're hoping to see all of these gadgets hit the market at some point in the future. But even if it's just some of them, the future looks bright. - Alex Colon
Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe Reports of their death have been greatly exaggerated: Laptops were everywhere at CES this year, in all shapes and sizes. As far as general notebooks go, the Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe is the one that really caught my eye. This ultra-slim laptop is only 0.5-inch thick, weighs 2.42 pounds, and just looks, well, gorgeous. The aluminum-and-glass body comes in royal blue with gray and gold accents, or in all silver and really makes a statement. A generous (and sharp) 14-inch display in the body of a 13-inch laptop, a speedy Core i7 processor, and up to 1TB of solid-state storage make this ultraportable a winner. - Matthew Buzzi
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Series The Inspiron 15 7559 was one of our favorite laptops in recent years for its unmatched value, and Dell looks to have done it again. Starting at $799, the new Inspiron 15 can be equipped with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 or 1050 Ti, an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, a full HD or 4K UHD screen, and up to 32GB of memory. Storage can be configured up to 512GB M. 2 SSD and/or a 1TB hard drive, and all of this fits into a one-inch-thick, chassis that's even nicer looking than before. The Inspiron 15 7000 Series may not be the most powerful gaming system, but it's versatile and fast, with a very attractive price point. - MB
HP EliteBook x360: The HP EliteBook x360 is a business laptop with style. Taking plenty of inspiration from the HP Spectre x360, the new convertible model is slim and light, but durable and secure. It's just 0.59 inches thick, but packs plenty of speed and can be configured with up to a 4K touch display. One of its killer features is the optional HP Sure View, a built-in privacy screen that can be toggled on and off with the press of a button. It works like a charm, thwarting prying eyes without the need for one of those unsightly films. - MB
Asus Zenfone AR Augmented reality is in its very early days, but it's easy to guess that it's going to be even bigger than VR. The Asus Zenfone AR is the first manageably sized smartphone to be able to run both Google's Daydream VR and Tango AR systems. Unlike the gigantic Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, the first Tango device, the Zenfone AR actually feels like a phone you'd want to use, even if you never augment your reality. It has a sharp camera, a high-res screen, a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, and a nicely textured back. Asus doesn't tend to sell a lot of phones in the US, but this one shows us where Google wants to push all of our forms of reality. - Sascha Segan
Mistfit Vapor Amidst a sea of forgettable smartwatches at the show, the Misfit Vapor truly stands out. From its comprehensive fitness tracking to its understated elegance, the Vapor is an excellent blend of form and function. Its AMOLED display is bright and colors are vibrant, and its circular touch bezel means you don't have to worry about constantly wiping greasy fingerprints off the screen. And at $199, it's also kinder to your wallet than the Apple Watch Series 2. - Victoria Song
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 CES was very light on pro camera gear this year, which makes the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 an easy pick for best in show. But even if there had been more competition, Panasonic's latest upgrade of its professional video/still hybrid Micro Four Thirds camera would be a serious contender. It's got everything a professional cinematographer could want, including 4K capture at up to 60fps, in-body image stabilization, programmable focus racks, and support for 10-bit capture. Likewise, still photographers will enjoy its quick autofocus system, quick burst rate, and rugged build. - Jim Fisher
PowerVision PowerRay Leave it to PowerVision, the company so far best known in the US for making an egg-shaped quadcopter, to remind us that a drone doesn't need to have four rotors and fly through the air. Its PowerRay, a remote-controlled submersible with a built-in 4K video camera and a fish finder, not only allows you to capture high-resolution video of the life aquatic, but it works to improve your chances of reeling in a nice big catch. It's new, different, and a little bit crazy - but if it works, it could end up being more of a friend to fishermen than cough drops ever were. - JF
Faraday Future FF91 Faraday Future has only been around for two years, and has made our best of CES list for both of them. Last year it showed a nonfunctional dream car, the FFZERO1, but this year the company has a prototype that actually works. The FF91 is a self-driving automobile that runs on a 30 kWh battery to deliver up to 378 miles between charges. Throw in a zero-to-60 time of just 2.39 seconds, and you have one of the most innovative automobiles ever assembled. We say assembled, but it isn't exactly clear if Faraday Future will actually make these vehicles. (The company had to stop production on its factory late last year because of cash flow problems.) Faraday Future is taking preorders for the FF91 now, along with a $5,000 deposit. The earliest the FF91 will ship is 2018 and there's final price yet. And then there is the fact we have no idea if its actually smart enough to safely navigate public roads. Any way you look at it, the Faraday Future FF91 is a long shot. Then again, we said the same thing about Tesla. - Dan Costa
LG Signature W OLED Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology can produce excellent pictures on incredibly thin panels. LG is pushing the limits of what OLED can do with the Signature W series. This TV does away with the bezel and the body of the screen, leaving you with only a 0.1-inch-thick rectangle you can hang on your wall like a poster. All of the processing and connections are offloaded to a soundbar connected with a single ribbon cable, and that soundbar adds Dolby Atmos audio compatibility to the TV's Dolby Vision and HDR-10 video capabilities. Expect a pretty hefty price tag for such a slim TV. Still, wow. - Will Greenwald
Dish AirTV As a media streamer, Dish's AirTV is a simple Android TV box that focuses on Sling TV. It wouldn't be particularly impressive next to any Amazon Fire TV or Roku device. However, an OTA TV tuner and a focus on accessibility could make the AirTV a boon for less tech-savvy cord-cutters. This $129.99 bundle jumps straight into Sling TV, letting you access both live TV over the subscription service and OTA television with an antenna, along with your Netflix queue on the same screen. - WG
Lenovo Smart Assistant The Lenovo Smart Assistant is a lot like Amazon's Echo, only better. It looks better, sounds better, and costs less. Just like the Echo, the Smart Assistant uses Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, which will answer your questions, turn the lights on or off, and, of course, order stuff from Amazon. The $129.99 speaker comes equipped with a 5-watt tweeter and a 10-watt woofer. An upgraded Harman Hardon Edition (no pricing announced) includes an extra 2-inch sound cavity for enhanced sound quality. We're looking forward to a head-to-head comparison with the Echo when it comes out in May. - AC
Innex Super Retro BoyIf you couldn't tell from the NES Classic Edition, the hottest game systems of the holiday season, retro gaming is bigger than ever. Innex is one of a handful of companies that focuses on helping you play your classic games. The company showed off several new ways to play old favorites, but the standout is the Super Retro Boy. This Game Boy-shaped device can play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges, with a backlit color screen and 10-hour battery life. There's a reason the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance dominated handheld gaming for two decades, and this little time machine will remind you why. - WG
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 VR Headset Unlike most VR headsets, which require a connected phone or computer, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 VR headset is a completely stand-alone product. Similar to the HTC Vive, the Qualcomm headset can actually sense when you're moving, which means you can walk around and the virtual world you see will respond accordingly (though the HTC Vive accomplishes this with sensors you place around your room). It's only a reference device right now, but it's a cool concept we hope to see adopted in some consumer-ready products this year. - AC
Sleep Number 360 Smart Bed Sleep Number pioneered the idea of a mattress with two unique settings, but those settings have always required user input. With the Sleep Number 360, the company has released a bed that will adapt to your body in real time. You can still manually set your ideal "number," but the 360 will also respond to your nocturnal rocks and rolls, adjusting mattress firmness automatically. The bed also includes a foot warmer that turns on automatically at your usual bed time. And if you are one of those people with a partner who snores, the bed will automatically lift their head to improve air flow and dampen the noise. Of course, all of this can be controlled via an app, and the mattress also supports Nest and IFTTT integrations. - DC
LG Smart InstaView RefrigeratorIf you're in the market for a high-end fridge with all the bells and whistles, this is it. The LG Smart InstaView features a 29-inch touch screen on its upper right door on which you can browse recipes and leave notes for family members. There are cameras that take photos of your food, and connects with an app so you can see what's inside wherever you are. The coolest part, and what sets it apart from Samsung's Family Hub refrigerator, is that it runs either Amazon's Alexa or Microsoft's Cortana digital voice assistants, so you can ask the fridge to play music, report the news or weather, and a perform a host of other nifty tricks. It - Angela Moscaritolo
Motiv Ring Who says a fitness tracker has to be worn on your wrist? While smart rings aren't exactly new, the Motiv Ring stands out for a number of reasons. For starters, it measures the same metrics that larger, wrist-based fitness trackers do: steps, heart rate, calories burned, sleep, distance traveled, and activity types. It's also waterproof up to 160 feet, so you can wear it in the pool or while washing dishes. Plus, its clever charging port means you don't have to lug around yet another cable. If the Motiv Ring proves to be as accurate as the best wrist-based models, it could bring fitness tracking to a whole new level - your finger. - VS
HP Sprout Pro The original Sprout had some issues, but HP's new Sprout Pro is undoubtedly the coolest desktop at CES this year. It projects a 21.3-inch full HD digital mat down onto the desk, similar to its predecessor. The kicker, though, is that the new Sprout can now perform 2D and 3D scanning, by taking a real object and turning it into a 3D model in seconds after you rotate it in view of the cameras. You can enhance the digital version further by snapping some HD pictures of each side, making the digital textures much higher-resolution than the scan. It's a fast, easy process, and the implications across multiple fields like education and medicine could be tremendous. It also functions as a standard desktop, and the camera is relatively innocuous considering its capabilities. - MB
Dell Canvas Dell's Canvas is a horizontal Surface Studio -like device with a few key differences. It has no PC hardware of its own, which greatly reduces the cost (around $1,799). Instead, it connects to an existing PC and monitor, serving as a second input-focused screen. The 27-inch display is a cool, natural evolution of an artist's analog workspace, complete with a tool called the Totem that allows for physical control of the digital UI by placing it on the screen. With QHD resolution, it looks sharp, but isn't as demanding as 4K, which makes it better suited to working with a wider array of systems. - MB
Linksys Velop It seems as if the standard Wi-Fi router might be going the way of the dodo in 2017. Actually, probably not, but in wireless networking, Mesh-based Wi-Fi systems, which promise to blanket your home with seamless coverage that extends to every last corner, are all the rage right now. Products like Eero, Google Wi-Fi, Luma, and many others fit the same profile: Slick design, easy app-enabled setup and use, minimal configuration options. And the Linksys Velop follows suit. It's rare that we get to test a product that debuts at CES before the show, but we've been using Velop for a few weeks and it's the best Wi-Fi system we've tested. Networking vet Linksys is late to the game here, but brings a top-notch app with well designed, future-proof hardware that delivers the fastest single stream and MU-MIMO throughput speeds we've seen. In fact, it's our Editors' Choice. - Wendy Sheehan Donnell
Lego BoostLego Mindstorms is one of our favorite robotics kits, but it's pretty complicated and expensive. Lego Boost is Mindstorms' friendlier, more affordable little brother. The kit is just over half the price of Mindstorms, and its Move Hub brick lets you program it with a mobile device to do almost anything. Thanks to sensors, motors, and basing all of the processing around your tablet instead of the Move Hub itself, you can build a car, a cat, a guitar, or even a Lego-building 3D printer. All of these projects are just the first steps to making your own creations with Boost and its simple, flexible programming interface. - WG
Kuri Kuri from Mayfield Robotics has personality in spades. From its intergalactic space penguin aesthetic, to its adorable chirps, bleeps, and bloops, Kuri is one of the first personal assistant robots to evoke the same emotional response as beloved fictional characters like BB-8 and WALL-E. But cuteness isn't all it has going for it. Kuri is able to navigate past obstacles, read bedtime stories, play your favorite tunes or podcasts, patrol your home, and tell your naughty pup to get down from the couch. If you're willing to plunk down $700, it'll probably take no time to develop an emotional attachment - and that's real progress toward making the Singularity a lot less scary. - VS
Aira There are more than 20 million visually impaired people in the United States, and by and large they get around just fine. There are times, however, when a second pair of eyes could be useful. That is what Aira delivers. By using either Google Glass or Panasonic Vuzix glasses and a Wi-Fi hotspot, Aira allows the blind to show an agent what they are seeing. Agents get a live video picture along with Google map data. This can help a visually impaired person navigate a crowded intersection, or just choose between brands at the grocery store. Agents are on call 12 hours a day, and charges start at under 40 cents per minute. Aira is basically vision-as-a-service, and perhaps even more remarkable, a Google Glass application people will actually use. - DC
Razer Project Valerie While this three-screen, 12K laptop may not ever end up as a consumer product, it's still one of the most talked-about and ambitious concepts in Vegas this year. Two 4K displays spread out like wings from the main screen, and fold into the extra room behind the primary display when not in use. Project Valerie is only about as thick as two Razer Blade Pros stacked together, and somehow, it was able to run a game at full resolution across the three screens, which is a pretty amazing feat. (Granted, specs are under wraps, and it did get quite warm while playing.) Still, it looks completely outrageous, and may stay the stuff of dreams forever, but isn't dreaming big what CES is all about? - MB
• This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.