The second day of CES 2023 was a big one. With press conferences from LG, ASUS and more, we heard companies outline their plans for the new year and beyond. But more significantly, we saw plenty of cool gadgets on a day typically dominated by press events.
With the show opening to the public today (January 5), there's still plenty to come in terms of hands-on opportunities with the new products debuting at CES 2023. But here's what caught our attention from all the press conferences and briefings we attended.
Looking for more great products debuting at CES? Our Best of CES 2023 Awards are now live, with our picks for the top things we've seen at this year's show.
LG OLED T
LG had a lot of TVs to show off at CES 2023, from the wireless LG Signature Series M3 OLED to the latest version of its top-selling OLED set, the LG C3 and its improved upscaling. But the LG TV that caught our eye is the one that's designed to disappear from view — the LG OLED T with its transparent screen.
The idea is that the LG OLED T's display goes translucent when not in use — ideal if you've positioned the TV in front of a window or are using it in a store or museum where it occasionally needs to be unobtrusive. Another setup featured two screens — one displaying a virtual aquarium that disappeared when you wanted to watch some TV.
Alas, this is only a prototype for now. But we hope it isn't long before the LG OLED T appears — and then fades away — at a store near you.
Sony Honda Mobility Afeela EV
At this point, we'd be concerned if Sony didn't end its CES press conference without rolling a car out onto the stage. But the Afeela EV that appeared this year is a bit different from the concept cars that punctuated Sony's CES appearances in 2020 and 2022. This time, the car is the actual product of a mobility alliance between Sony and Honda. And it's coming to a street near you in the spring of 2026.
While details about the Afeela car were scarce, we do know it's got a lot of sensors and cameras, and that the infotainment system will draw heavily on Sony's library of games, music and movies. Sony and Honda plan to start taking pre-orders in the first half of 2025, with the car debuting a year later.
Asus Zenbook Pro 16X OLED (2023)
This year's edition of the 16-inch Asus Zenbook Pro may look a lot like last year's model, but the real action is on the inside of this laptop. Asus worked directly with Intel to redesign the CPU so that it's smaller. That frees up more room for a cooling system and other powerful internals like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000 series GPU.
While the 38% smaller motherboard inside the laptop is certainly a big talking point, don't overlook other aspects of 2023's Asus Zenbook Pro, whether it's the 16-inch OLED panel or the redesigned keyboard. It's shorter than before, taking up only half of the laptop's deck, and it's mounted on a plate that can tilt it upward. This should also help with cooling, and we'd imagine that it's more ergonomic, too.
We'll find out for certain during the second quarter of this year when the Asus Zenbook Pro 16X OLED (2023) is set to ship for a still-to-be-announced price.
Citizen CZ Smart
Lots of watches can track your data during a workout, but the Citizen CZ Smart takes it one step further by alerting you to the optimal time to workout. This Wear OS 3-powered watch is able to analyze your behavior and predict when your energy levels will be at their peak. Some wearables offer a similar "body battery" metric, but the Citizen CZ Smart stands out by also emphasizing mental alertness in its calculations.
All it takes to get started is a 1-minute mental alertness test you take a couple times during the day when first strapping on the watch. From there, the Citizen CZ Smart assigns you a profile based on the period during the day when you're at your most energetic.
You'll be able to pick up a 41mm lifestyle model of the Citizen CZ Smart starting at $350. The sportier 44mm version costs $370. Look for the Citizen CZ Smart to take on other smartwatches starting in March.
Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid Wellness Edition
Combine the traditional look of a wrist watch, with the smart features of a wearable and you get the Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid Wellness Edition. The $229 watch, which is now available, combines an E-Ink display with physical watch arms, creating a very stylish looking timepiece.
If that were all there was to the latest Fossil, it would be a pretty forgettable entry, but it's got sensors that are capable of continuous heart rate monitoring, SpO2 readings, step counting and workout tracking. There's a built-in Alexa assistant, though no speaker so any information you ask for will just appear on your watch face.
Best of, the Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid Wellness Edition delivers these capabilities without needing frequent recharges. You should be able to get two to three weeks' use out of the watch with normal use, Fossil estimates.
Withings U-Scan
This is not the streaming device we're used to seeing at CES. But the hockey puck-shaped Withings U-Scan certainly gets a lot of use out of your streams, tracking everything from general health markers to menstrual cycles for female users. All you have to do is add water — your water, specifically.
Yes, the U-Scan is fastened to the inside of your toilet bowl where it can collect your health data whenever you need to heed the call of nature. The U-Scan gets its sample and beams its analysis to your smartphone over a Bluetooth connection.
It's certainly not an inexpensive way to track your vitals. When it hits the U.S. later this year, the Withings U-Scan will cost $499, with replacement cartridges costing $90 each. Still, that could be worth the investment if the U-Scan proves to be a whiz at monitoring health data.
Movano Evie ring
There's a battle brewing in the world of smart rings. Our Kate Kozuch has been doing a lot of testing with the Oura Ring for sleep and health tracking. But after trying out the Evie ring from Movano on the CES 2023 show floor, she's come away impressed.
The Evie ring does the sort of health tracking you'd expect from this kind of wearable, but it adds menstrual health management to its capabilities as well. Because the Evie Ring can last two to three days on a charge and a companion charging case can extend that even further, you could theoretically wear the ring for a full ovulation cycle.
Kate praises the Evie ring for an open design that comes in different sizes and allows some flexibility for swollen fingers. While there's no price on the Evie yet, Movano expects it to cost less than the Oura Ring. This is a wearable fight worth keeping an eye on.
Samsung Micro LED CX TV
Like LG, Samsung has been very busy at CES 2023 showing off new TVs, including the QN95C Neo QLED TV and the S95C OLED TV, which has a special appeal for gamers. But the set that captured our imagination was the Samsung Micro LED CX.
If you seen a Micro LED panel, you wouldn't have to ask why. It highlights the best things about OLED TVs like perfect blacks and bright colors while delivering them in thing designs with outstanding viewing angels.
Unfortunately, Micro LED TVs are also massive in both price and size, which is why this CES demo impressed us. The set Samsung showed off was a 76-inch Micro LED model, which is a much more manageable size. True, the price is still prohibitive for nearly everyone, but we get the feeling that costs are going to start inching downward with screen sizes.
Samsung Galaxy A14
CES is not a big show for phones, with flagship models like Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S23 debuting at press events of their own so they can have the spotlight all to themselves. But Samsung didn't totally forget about phones — it introduced the Galaxy A14, a $199 addition to its Galaxy A midrange series.
The Galaxy A14 is on the lower end of that range, but don't dismiss it out of hand. The 6.6-inch display has a 90Hz refresh rate, which is faster than what you'll find on iPhones that start at $600 more than this model. Samsung also equipped the A14 with expandable storage, so you can add up to 1TB with a microSD card.
We're not going to pretend that the Galaxy A14 has a host of premium features — we'll be shocked if the main camera and its dedicated macro and depth sensors can compete with top budget camera phones like the Google Pixel 6a. But smartphone shoppers with only $200 to spend now have an interesting option from Samsung.
Honorable mentions
The Tivo is back, baby, with the DVR of choice from a generation ago resurfacing as a smart TV platform. Alas, you'll only be able to find Powered by Tivo in Europe, but don't let that squelch your nostalgia for Tivo's better-than-you-remember recommendations and commercial-skipping capabilities.
You'll have an easier time tracking down JBL's new Dolby Atmos soundbar. The JBL Bar 1300X will cost $1,699 / £1,299, and, as you might imagine, it will support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D surround sound.
Finally, there are some new Roku TVs coming, and unlike past models built by TCL, the Roku Select and Roku Plus models will be built by Roku itself. Prices range from $119 to $999 and you can bet they'll benefit from the Roku OS software.
