CES 2025 has now kicked off in earnest, bringing with it a smorgasbord of big announcements — more than any one person can really keep up with. We already saw a bunch of amazing announcements on day one, including a modular robot vacuum, a 136-inch micro-LED TV, a portable TV and more.
But day 1 was only a taste of what CES has to offer, with day 2 offering even more incredible reveals. Whether you’re looking for new gaming handhelds, bizarre new TV concepts, robot companions, or even solar power for the beach, CES apparently has something to offer. And we’re still pretty early on in the show.
Here are the 11 best new gadgets revealed on CES day 2 — and why you should know about them.
TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G
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Back at Mobile World Congress 2024, TCL revealed its new range of Nxtpaper devices — including tablets that have the ability to switch off the colors. Essentially letting you turn the device into an e-reader at the push of a button. Now, at CES 2025, the company has revealed this tech has come to phones with the TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G.
Nxtpaper displays have been available on TCL phones for a couple of years, with TCL promising that they’re better for your eyes while also reducing annoying things like fingerprint smudges, blue light and glare. All while maintaining ordinary touchscreen controls, and now giving users the option to switch to a black & white mode at the push of a button. There’s even a new Mac Ink Mode, which offers a more paper-like reading experience in certain optimized apps.
Oh, and the battery is expected to last multiple days in color mode, or up to 27 days of standby mode battery life with Max Ink switched on. Most phones that offer this are bulky brick-like devices that look like phones welded to external battery packs, so not doing that is an impressive achievement. Expect this phone to arrive in the U.S. later this year, with prices starting at $199.
Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs
We figured it was coming, but now it’s all been made official. Nvidia has revealed the new RTX 50-series graphics cards, led by the flagship GeForce RTX 5090. It’ll be joined by the RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti and the RTX 5070 — all of which are available in laptop and desktop configurations.
It’s still early days at the moment, and we don’t have many confirmed details about what these cards will be able to accomplish. However it’s expected that the laptop models will rely on DLSS 4 upscaling to boost graphical prowess and framerates without killing your battery in the process.
The RTX 5090 and 5080 will be released first, before the end of this month, while the other desktop cards will arrive at some point in February. Laptop models will then arrive a month later, at some point during March.
Samsung Stretchable MicroLED Display
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You’ve heard about foldable and rollable screens, but what about a screen that stretches? It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but this is real technology Samsung has been showing off at CES 2025. Dubbed Stretchable MicroLED, we saw a demo session where a shark seems to try and push out through the TV. But instead of using 3D imagery gimmicks, the screen actually bulged out with the shark.
Are there any practical purposes to this? Honestly I have no idea. The tech is also pretty limited, with Samsung’s demo being limited to a single 6-inch panel bulging out at eye level. That’s smaller than most flagship phones. But it’s still interesting to see that tech companies are still trying to figure out where screens can go in the future. Even if it never actually makes it to a consumer device.
Anker heads to the beach
While tech and the sea generally don’t mix, there’s always room to add some fancy gadgets to the sand — so long as you don’t leave it there when the tide comes in. Anker’s got some ideas on what you can take including an electric cooler and a solar-charging beach umbrella to keep it powered on.
The SOLIX EverFrost Electric Cooler comes in 23L, 40L and 58L options, with the largest model being able to freeze and cool at the same time. The batteries powering the trio all last for 52 hours, and are able to be swapped out for continuous running. Naturally there are wheels and a handle, because I doubt you’ll want to be carrying any of this around for long. They go on sale February 21, priced at $699, $749 and $999 for the three size variants.respectively.
As for the SOLIX Solar Umbrella, it can deliver up to 100W power through XT-60 and USB-C connections. All powered by Peroskite solar cells, which promise to be 30% better than typical crystalline silicon solar cells. That’s perfect for powering the EverFrost coolers, your phone, and whatever other tech you decided was safe to take to the beach. The umbrella is IP67 rated too, meaning it can handle the elements. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but it goes on sale this summer.
Amazfit Active 2
If you want a budget-friendly fitness watch with features normally reserved for pricier models, then the newly-announced Amazfit Active 2 might be for you.
There are two models to choose from; a $100 standard model and the $130 premium model which comes with more durable materials — including a sapphire glass display, stainless case casing and a black leather strap.
The Amazfit Active 2 is quite different from its predecessor, opting for a circular watchface instead of the clunky rectangular one. The screen is a little smaller at 1.32-inches, but it does offer an Apple Watch 10-matching 2,000 nits of brightness.
The new model also packs in updated heart rate and sleep-tracking algorithms, a barometer to monitor elevation changes, plus an accelerometer and gyroscope for improved movement tracking. Not to mention over 160 sports modes, including ski and snowboard tracking.
There’s a whole lot more on offer here that we don’t have room to mention, so check out our rundown on the Amazfit Active 2 for a more in-depth look at what the watch has to offer. Needless to say, you’re getting a heck of a lot for your money with this one. Shipping is expected to commence in February.
Samsung Ballie
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Officially debuting way back at CES 2020, Samsung Ballie is now confirmed to be a thing you can actually buy — not just a concept. Samsung wasn’t very big on new details of what Ballie will be able to do, so we’ll just have to assume that whatever was shown off at CES 2024 will be making its way to your own personal yellow robo-ball companion.
Features included interacting with pets through Ballie, which I know would not go down well with my dogs, as well as acting like a second pair of eyes throughout your home. Either when you’re not there, or unable to actually get up and see why your young kids have suddenly gone very quiet. The 2024 Ballie even had a projector, which was able to project stars, stars and even meetings onto nearby surfaces.
We didn’t get a price, or details on where Ballie will actually be released. South Korea is all but guaranteed, but there’s no confirmation on whether a U.S. release is on the cards. All we know right now is that Ballie will be released at some point during the first half of this year.
Acer Nitro Blaze 8 and 11
Gaming handhelds aren’t going anywhere, and Acer just announced two brand new models for 2025: The Acer Nitro Blaze 8 and larger Nitro Blaze 11. The Blaze 11 is the one we’re most excited about, not just because of the huge 11-inch display, but also thanks to its Nintendo Switch-style design. That includes detachable controllers and a built-in kickstand.
That screen also offers 2560 x 1600 resolution at 120Hz, while the Blaze 8 offers up to 144Hz. Inside both models is the AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU, Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB of DDR5X RAM, up to 2TB of solid state storage, Wi-Fi 6E and 4 ports — USB4, USB-C, USB-A and microSD.
Here’s the bad news. Not only are the Nitro Blaze 8 and Blaze 11 expensive, costing $899 and $1,099 respectively, they’re also heavy. The Nitro Blaze 11 is 2.31lbs, or roughly 1 kilogram. Meanwhile the Blaze 8 is 1.59lbs/0.72kg. So it definitely needs that kickstand, and it’s safe to say you won’t be holding it for longer periods of time. Both models are set to arrive in the U.S. in Q2 2025.
Samsung MicroLED Smart Mirror Concept
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We’ve seen a few smart mirrors at tech shows over the years, each offering something slightly different to what’s come before. Samsung’s new smart mirror concept takes things in a new, but not unexpected direction — scanning your face and figuring out what skincare routine you should adopt.
After scanning your face the mirror rates your complexion based on wrinkles, pigmentation, pores and erythema. It then offers some personalized insights into your skin, followed by recommendations of products that might help improve your overall look — including options from known brands. The mirror itself is made from an “aluminium and niobium micro-patterned mirror structure”, which allows for a sharp display without affecting the actual reflection.
Unfortunately, for those of you interested in this idea, the Samsung Smart Mirror is only a concept for now. In other words, it isn’t likely to be going on sale anytime soon — if ever.
HDMI 2.2 is here
You thought HDMI 2.1 was impressive? Well HDMI 2.2 is probably going to blow your mind with what it can do. Set to become more widely available later this year, HDMI 2.2 offers double the bandwidth of HDMI 2.1, up to 96GBps, provided you have the correct “Ultra96” HDMI cable. The HDMI forum also promises “optimal audio and video” thanks to new HDMI Fixed Rate Link tech, as well as major improvements to resolution and frame rate.
How impressive? Well imagine playing 4K video at 480fps, or 12K content at 120fps. That’s way beyond anything that’s actually available right now, and it leaves HDMI 2.1’s 4K/120fps capabilities behind in a cloud of silky smooth, highly-detailed dust. The HDMI Forum also promised that the new standard would be of benefit to mixed reality displays. So next time you’re thinking about upgrading your TV or monitor, remember to keep an eye out for how many HDMI 2.2 ports it has.
Asus Swift OLED PG27UCDM Monitor
CES is a big show for displays, and this tends to be the place where all the most extravagant new products are announced and shown off to the world. Case in point: the Asus Swift OLED PG27UCDM monitor, a 27-inch OLED monitor that offers up to 4K resolution while maintaining a 240Hz refresh rate.
That’s right, no more choosing between high resolution and high refresh rate anymore. Assuming your system can offer both at the same time, that is. According to Tom’s Guide’s Managing Editor Jason England, this could well be the most impressive display he’s ever actually looked at. Also included is HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1a, USB-C with 90W power delivery, Dolby Vision HDR10 and Nvidia G-Sync. All the things you need, especially if you’re PC gaming.
No word on price or availability just yet, though.
LG G5
The LG G4 OLED is one of the best TVs you can buy right now. Needless to say the news that LG will be releasing the G5 OLED TV is quite exciting. We haven't been able to test the TV just yet, but we did get to see it up close at CES — and it certainly left an impression.
Not only does it look as bright and flashy as the G4, it also comes with a bunch of great upgrades. Native refresh rate is now up to 165Hz, while Variable Refresh Rate, FreeSync premium and S-Sync support are coming along for the ride to boost that viewing experience no matter what you're doing.
LG's also added the 2nd generation Alpha 11 AI processor to help clean up low resolution images and add AI-powered search and chatbot functions to the TV. Meanwhile the AI Picture/Sound Wizard will give you the chance to personalize your audio and video experiences. No word on pricing or availability yet, but we can't wait to see what else this screen can do.
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