At least once a year, what happens in Vegas is made very, very public. As the official kickoff for all the cool high-tech and cutting-edge products and trends that consumers should expect in the coming year, CES is all about the hype and publicity.
Surprising exactly no one, a lot of that hype included AI in everything and robots. Some of which is legitimately exciting.
But we’re PCWorld, so we naturally care deeply about how the latest products and innovations will impact the near future of our beloved pastime. What exciting new components and capabilities are coming to PCs and how much further will we be able to push them? Of course, we’re not so singularly focused that we can’t get pumped about other tech lifestyle gadgetry, too.
Without further ado, here is our list of the coolest, most promising things we saw at this year’s CES. (For even more, see the best smart home and home security products our TechHive counterparts saw at the show.)
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist
Mark Hachman / Foundry
I keep thinking about this Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist laptop and laughing a little because why is it turning to look at me? That feels illegal. But it’s also kind of perfect because I never sit still anyway — I pace, I fidget, I talk things out and look like I’ve lost my mind. Apparently, it has a motorized hinge that just rotates the screen to face you depending on where you are in the room. So, the idea that the screen just swivels along while I’m doing that? Weirdly appealing.
It feels a little too alive, too sentient, but that’s kind of the point. It’s not a normal laptop nor is it pretending to be, which I can respect. –Ashley Biancuzzo
Core Ultra Series 3
Foundry / Mark Hachman
Intel claims that its Core Ultra Series 3 chip (Panther Lake) offers the gaming performance of an older Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 laptop: Discrete GPU performance in an integrated package. In our first tests, it comes close, and upscaling and frame generation can take it the rest of the way.
We’re not ready to call a winner yet in the 2026 mobile CPU race, but Intel has come out strong, aggressive, and backed by the usual phalanx of customers. It looks tough to beat right now. –Mark Hachman
Nvidia DLSS 4.5
NVIDIA
Nvidia’s DLSS is the gold standard for AI upscaling and frame generation, and it just keeps getting better. The GeForce team announced DLSS 4.5 at CES 2026, and surprise! It looks amazing.
Nvidia bumped the upscaling feature to a second-generation “transformer” model, which enhances anti-aliasing and temporal stability while simultaneously reducing the occasional nasty “ghosting” effect — all big wins, and those improvements are coming to all RTX GPUs.
But it doesn’t stop there: If you have an RTX 50-series GPU, DLSS 4.5 will also introduce “Dynamic Multi-Frame Generation” this spring. DLSS 4’s multi-frame gen feature already makes janky games feel silky smooth by inserting up to four AI-generated frames between every traditionally rendered one. Dynamic MFG ups the ante by pushing that up to 6x AI frames and algorithms that strive to hit your monitors maximum resolution at all times.
Normal MFG already made 4K, 240Hz gaming possible in 2025, at least if you had a high-end GPU like an RTX 5080 or 5090. DLSS 4.5 will let you push things even further — and potentially help more midrange cards like the RTX 5070 series play like a dream on these god-tier displays. –Brad Chacos
HP EliteBoard
I’m very into unusual form factors for compact computers—so HP’s upcoming EliteBoard, which stuffs a whole PC into a keyboard, definitely caught my eye. Talk about a sleeper PC: This 1.7lb system doesn’t immediately register as such, even though it can pack up to a AMD Ryzen AI 350, 64GB RAM, and 2TB SSD. One variation even includes its own battery, making it a displayless laptop. Neat.
Whether or not you can afford to kit this out to the max is its own question (RAM prices, ouch), but as a PC designed for hybrid workers, I’m exactly in the right camp for this. I rarely travel beyond desks with monitors and peripherals, and an EliteBoard could save me a pound or two while traipsing back and forth from the office to home, I’d take that in a heartbeat. —Alaina Yee
Second opinion
Sometimes an idea is so simple, so obvious, that it makes you wonder why it wasn’t already a thing. That’s the feeling I had about HP’s EliteBoard. Yes, stuffing a full-fledged computer into a keyboard form factor has been done before. But this is an implementation that has real mainstream potential.
It’s not for everyone, mind you. But for anyone who totes a work laptop between home and office where it gets connected to stationary peripherals (a far larger population in this new work-from-home era) this makes a lot of sense — if only by shaving off a good chunk of a laptop’s weight. –Katherine Stevenson
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
In the current landscape of slowed hardware releases and horribly inflated prices, nothing warms my heart more than seeing laptops that prioritize repairability. Lenovo and HP both introduced new laptops at CES that made a concerted effort to be more repairable than the previous generation, and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon specifically had an important story to tell.
Lenovo reps told me that they were so happy with the previous generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon that rather than work to try and make it only millimeters thinner and ounces lighter (which you probably wouldn’t notice anyway) they decided to focus on optimizing the internals so that it can be easier to repair. During this process an added side effect was that they were actually able to fit a larger fan, which contributes to even better cooling. So by refining what they had they were able to make the X1 Carbon easily repairable, perform better, all while sacrificing nothing!
This kind of focus will allow these devices to have prolonged life and maybe it will ease the harsh realities of our situation right now. Now, I want to encourage Lenovo and other PC vendors to bring these same principles to consumer-based lines. I believe there’s a larger need than they realize. —Adam Patrick Murray
Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable
Matt Smith / Foundry
An ultrawide screen while on the go? That’s the dream. Just imagine being able to write, code, browse, and stream on your couch in glorious 21:9, all without needing any external clutter. The Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable speaks to me because I’m first and foremost a laptop user who needs lots of screen real estate, and there’s something magical about a 16-inch laptop with a display that extends wide up to 24 inches. Not to mention that the panel is OLED. Whew.
Okay, sure, it’s still just a concept for now, and sure, it’s going to be super expensive if/when it comes out. But I just love Lenovo’s ambition in developing a laptop like this. And given the relative success of the ThinkBook Plus Rollable, I suspect the Legion Pro Rollable will also manifest as real. This thing isn’t a gimmick—it’s functional. And if other makers start following up with their own ultrawides, we’ll all have Lenovo to thank for it. –Joel Lee
Asus ROG Kithara gaming headset
Asus
The Audeze Maxwell has largely been dubbed the best sounding gaming headset for a while now because of its special drivers. While most gaming headsets have neodymium drivers, the Audeze has planar magnetic drivers for better audio fidelity. But now CES 2026 has produced a new contender, the Asus ROG Kithara, which also has planar magnetic drivers. What’s more, this headset has an open-backed design which Asus says allows for better sound separation compared with headsets with enclosed earcups. This headset is going all out as an audiophile-grade product so it’ll be interesting to see if it can live up to expectations. The Audeze is eye-wateringly expensive though, so here’s also hoping the Kithara is reasonably priced when prices finally drop. –Dominic Bayley
Asus ROG Flow Z13 Hideo Kojima edition
It’s been a pretty quiet CES on my front. I didn’t see anything PC-related that just blew me away. But the most interesting thingamabob that caught my eye was the Kojima edition of the Asus ROG Flow Z13. The gaming tablet still isn’t something I’d buy for myself — even with the amazing Ryzen AI Max+ 395 for a power plant, and enough graphical oomph to make a Steam Deck weep, it’s still running on integrated graphics.
But who cares. This Kojima Productions edition of the tablet is all about style, with graphics and carbon fiber embellishments designed by legendary Metal Gear series artist Yoji Shinkawa. The tablet and Surface-style keyboard are gorgeous, but the included custom briefcase is the star of the show. It looks like something that fell right off of Sam Porter Bridges’ back.
I have no idea how many of these limited edition Z13 tablets will be made, or how much they’ll cost when they become available. But I want one deep in my gamer soul. –Michael Crider
Fraimic E Ink Canvas
Fraimic
One of my favorite items to come out of CES 2026 is the Fraimic E Ink Canvas. It’s a framed canvas that both generates AI art or allows you to upload your own art, as well. This might not be the first time we’ve seen something of this kind, but the Fraimic sets itself apart with some cool, unique features and a cheaper price tag.
Right off the bat, there is no subscription required. You’re allowed 100 free OpenAI art creations per year, and you can purchase more if you so choose. Additionally, if AI art isn’t your thing, you can upload your own images either via Fraimic’s website or locally instead. The canvas also allows you to swap out the frame itself and there are no fiddly apps to mess with. Oh, and the best part is that it comes with “voice-to-vision” control, where you can describe exactly what art you want it to create and it’ll appear onscreen in a few seconds.
The Fraimic uses a 13.3-inch Spectra 6 E Ink display with a resolution of 200 dots per inch and only uses battery when changing the display, so theoretically the battery life could be years. Similar to a color E-paper tablet, the images on the display are pleasant with a sort of muted, desaturated appearance more like properly aged paintings.
The standard canvas display is already open for pre-orders and will set you back $399 with units expected to ship out this spring. –Sam Singleton
Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM / LG panel with 240Hz RGB stripe pixel structure
This is a joint award. LG debuted a boundary-pushing new OLED panel at CES 2026, and Asus was busy showing it off in the form of the delectable ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM.
OLED monitors are drop-dead gorgeous, leaving your jaw on the floor when you’re gaming or watching videos, but they’ve traditionally had a lingering drawback: Middling text performance. With the way traditional OLED subpixels work, text on page can appear a bit blurry and jagged, a term known as fringing. But LG’s new panel with its 240Hz “RGB stripe pixel structure” waves goodbye to that bugbear, providing a massively noticeable improvement in text clarity. Just look at this close-up of the ROG Swift! It looks normal — a big improvement over traditional OLED.
If you want to learn more about the underlying technology, check out my eyes-on with LG’s bleeding-edge OLED displays (this ain’t the only one!). But take my word for it: The difference can’t be missed. It’s awesome. –Brad Chacos
GameSir Shift Drive
When I saw the press release for GameSir’s revolutionary Shift Drive controller, I was skeptical (to say the least). Who wants a miniature racing wheel plunked down in the middle of a gamepad? But after playing around with it myself at CES, I can definitely say: I sure do!
While the Shift Drive I tried is only a near-final engineering sample, it’s already clear that GameSir somehow nailed it. The controller feels surprisingly comfortable in hand, with the wheel falling naturally under your thumb. Better yet, the wheel has just the right amount of tactical feedback for a semi-racing wheel; it responds sturdily yet easily to your moves, without getting so loose that racing feels sloppy. Best yet? That wheel also packs force feedback haptics so you can feel every bump in the road and crack in your flipped-over vehicles frame. –Brad Chacos
Ventiva/Compal laptop reference design
Ventiva’s futuristic cooling technology was first seen last year at CES, but in 2026, the company is showing off a reference laptop design produced in a partnership with Compal that excites me in all kinds of ways.
First, I’m excited by a future that moves past tiny fans and allows for radical new hardware designs thanks to completely novel ways to cool devices. I had a chance to visit Ventiva’s labs in Fremont, California last year to learn more about its ICE technology, and one of my takeaways was that PC vendors can completely rethink how they design thin and light devices like laptops and gaming handhelds with these new cooling technologies. The problem? What we’ve seen over the past few years from companies like Frore and even Ventiva have mainly been retrofits of existing devices — and therefore aren’t allowing for the full capabilities. So Ventiva had the bright idea to design their own laptop (produced by Compal) to fully showcase the benefits of their cooling system. And if what Ventiva says is true, it performs as well as other Core Ultra Series 3 devices but with completely silent operation. Exciting stuff!
But the fun doesn’t stop there. In order to showcase how the ICE cooling devices were implemented in the laptop, they added translucent plastic across the back of the device. That alone made me gasp. I went to high school in the 90’s, so transparent devices hit home in a way that I don’t care to share. Now all I can think about is how this 100% needs to be a trend in the laptop space. The new Lenovo Rollable features this as well, so I’m crossing my fingers that we’ll see even more in the coming year. — Adam Patrick Murray
Jackery Solar Mars Bot
Brad Chacos / Foundry
Billed as “a mobile solar-storage bot that finds the sun, charges itself, and delivers power wherever you need it,” the autonomous Jackery Solar Mars Bot rover did exactly that in a tantalizing demonstration.
A bright light in the corner of the booth simulated the sun’s rays and periodically repositioned to point at different points of the floor. The Solar Mars Bot identified where the light was beaming each time with mosquito-like quickness, then scooted over to the new location before settling down to soak in those delicious energy-providing rays. The swing arm atop the bot has four solar panels that can fold out for maximum power draw, and the side pops open to reveal a bevy of ports to keep all your devices charged.
It reminds me of a cat lounging in the path of a sunbeam — if your cat was a robot that could keep all your devices charged in electricity-deprived areas (or a zombie apocalypse). –Brad Chacos
Second opinion
Call me a suspicious sort, but I haven’t entirely bought into the idea of robot helpers yet. Would I love a Rosey to cook and clean for me? Absolutely. Do I think we’re there yet? Not quite, but you know what, the Jackery Solar Mars Bot is making me rethink my position a little.
I tend to forget to recharge all my tech devices (including portable batteries) regularly, which means sometimes I’m left without power when the local utility inevitably blows a transformer or otherwise goes down. (Thanks, but no thanks, PG&E.) But this solar-powered bot takes care of the work — it finds sunlight to charge itself up. When my boss Brad Chacos had a look at it on the CES convention show floor, it followed the “sun” (light simulating the sun’s rays) around the booth, like the lowest-maintenance cat in existence. Sounds good to me. —Alaina Yee
Author: Katherine Stevenson, Managing Editor, PCWorld
Katherine has been covering consumer technology as a product reviewer, writer, and editor for more than 20 years, starting her career at MaximumPC magazine. She's been with PCWorld since 2015, and diligently works behind the scenes assigning, editing, and curating much of the site's content.