25 for CES 2025: The Must-See Tech We're Obsessed With

A smart garden with its own special effects

Ignore for a moment that this indoor garden looks like the last thing a hapless crew member in space sees before they get swallowed up by whatever creature is in the pod. The lighting and fog aren't there for effect: They help you grow herbs and vegetables in your own home. Plantaform's Smart Indoor Garden can grow up to 15 plants at a time using "fogponics," a combination of fog and nutrients, and is self-cleaning and self-watering. And of course there's an app to track growing progress and supply levels. It's also available now for $500.

A Wonder-ful way to photograph your backyard

Photographing birds, insects and other natural marvels in your yard often involves a big problem -- you. We're not criticizing your talents, but rather your human-sized presence. The Petal camera from Wonder, with its stalk-like shape and solar leaf, is designed to take photos of your yard in its natural state. The 12-megapixel camera uses AI to identify what it records and can report back to you on what it discovered.

An electronic doorman that unlocks your door in a smarter way

When your hands are full, a smart lock can be as welcoming as the inside of your home. With a voice command or a device such as a phone or watch within Bluetooth range, you can disengage the lock – once you're there. The Schlage Sense Pro Smart Deadbolttakes a higher-tech approach. It contains an Ultra Wideband radio that detects the speed, trajectory and motion of your connected phone. The lock only disengages as you reach the door. This is the same technology that can lead you directly to an AirTag, for example.

Home solar power that doesn't need a rooftop installation

Want to take advantage of solar power without the cost and infrastructure of roof-mounted panels? The Zoltux Instant Solar Kit is an intriguing Kickstarter project that could let you place solar panels on your property – a yard or balcony, for example – and reduce your reliance on the local power grid. The 800-watt Instant Solar Pod costs just $1,200 for a plug-and-play configuration. However, be sure to read Ajay Kumar's full post that explains some of the regulatory issues that could come into play.

A pop-up projection screen with built-in speakers

Even when it's not being used, a projection TV still maintains a presence, whether that's a blank wall or a pull-down screen reminiscent of high school science classes. Wouldn't it be nice to make it go away, and with style? If the dream of a fancy roll-up OLED screen has too many dollar-sign hurdles, the Xgimi Ascend might be the solution. When not in use, the Ascend is a long, low box. But when activated, a 100-inch diagonal screen unspools vertically – and that box is an array of Harman Kardon speakers. And if you just want ambiance, the screen can be partially raised with a long roaring fire as projection.

New graphics hardware that makes AI happen

With many companies at CES 2025 incorporating AI into their products, it's time to consider what's powering it all. And lately, a lot of it points to Nvidia, whether that's on computers themselves or massive cloud servers. The company revealed its long-awaited RTX 50-Series graphics cards based on its Blackwell microarchitecture. The GeForce RTX 5090, for example, is reportedly twice as fast as its predecessor and contains 92 billion transistors capable of more than 3,352 trillion AI operations per second. All that computation also improves Nvidia's other core market, gaming. The first of the GPUs begin shipping at the end of January.

A lava lamp with thumping speakers

To play your favorite music, would you prefer a portable Bluetooth speaker that looks like, well, a thousand other speakers? Or one that not only sounds great but also pulses with color in time to the music? Govee showed off its new Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL, which syncs to the music playing from its integrated JBL speakers. The lava lamps of old only wished they could be this cool.

Shoes to make you feel better and boost performance

You can buy shoes that will help you run faster or jump higher, but that's not what's going on here. These astronaut-suit-looking boots are actually for when you're doing nothing -- specifically when you're recovering from a workout or performance. The Nike + Hyperice recovery shoes apply adjustable compression and heat to your feet and calves, while also letting you move around instead of being locked down. Despite their futuristic looks, they're not actually from the future -- some athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games used prototypes to aid in faster recovery between events.

A laptop with a screen that unrolls

When you've experienced the joy of working on multiple screens, it's hard to go back to just one. And yet we typically don't have much choice when traveling or away from our normal setup with a laptop. One option is to tote and set up add-on screens, but that means extra bulk and extra work. Lenovo has a different idea using flexible screen technology. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable laptop's screen extends from 14 to 16.7 inches, expanding the screen real estate and giving you some breathing room -- or space to watch a movie under that spreadsheet you need to work on. You can see it in action here.

An EV that runs on sunshine

Forget the pump -- heck, forget the plug. This solar-powered electric car can get up to 40 miles of everyday driving in a day. The Aptera solar vehicle looks like a dolphin and holds just two people, but did you catch the part about being powered by the sun? Every part of it is optimized for efficiency, from its weight -- about half that of a regular EV -- to its carbon fiber chassis and low profile wheels. For longer trips you can plug it in and get up to 400 miles from a full charge.

A super bright and detailed watch screen

When new smartwatches are announced, the companies make a point of showing off the screen brightness. For good reason: Even high-nit screens can have trouble competing with bright sunlight -- especially here in Las Vegas -- while at the same time being bright enough to see in low-light environments at night. Samsung Display demonstrated a Micro LED smartwatch concept that goes up to almost 4,000 nits compared to 3,200 nits on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 or the 2,000 nits on the Pixel Watch 3. So far this is just a proof of concept, but since Micro LEDs are already present in televisions, it could be time to start using them in smartwatches.

A 2-second iPhone battery swap

Even as battery life improves in our phones, there comes that point where we need to set it down to charge. Even the latest fast-charging technologies require dozens of minutes to get the power level up to working. If you're impatient or need to run out the door right away, how does a handful of seconds sound for a fresh battery top-off? The Swippitt is a box that looks like a toaster into which you drop your phone with a special Swippitt case. After a few seconds the machine swaps out the depleted battery in the case with a fresh one that's charged and ready. It supports the iPhone 14 and later, with Android compatibility coming soon. The entire setup isn't cheap at around $700 for the hub and one case, but could be worthwhile for a small business or family on the go.

A battery backup for your fridge

You'll never forget the smell -- or taste, if you were unfortunate enough -- of unexpected spoiled milk. If your refrigerator goes out, either from malfunction or more commonly a power outage, sooner or later its contents will go sour. BioLite has a backup battery solution for the fridge or any other appliance that needs constant power. Instead of installing large whole-home battery system, the BioLite battery is tied to the appliance that needs it. Think of it as a portable power station that doesn't go anywhere. With two battery units, it packs 3 kilowatt-hours of energy -- enough to run a standard fridge for a couple of days.

No really, the TV is actually getting closer

After the movie Avatar changed the theater-going experience with high-quality 3D projection, the TV industry spent vast sums bringing 3D to home televisions. Unfortunately for them, few people brought those televisions home. But the 3D dream will never truly die, as evidenced by Samsung Display's wild stretchable display concept. Instead of simulating a scene in three dimensions, the display actually extends like some kind of pixelated soufflé, depending on the imagery being played. It's too early to tell if this concept will scale to a product that's usable, but we'll bet "warp the actual screen" wasn't on most people's minds when they were watching 3D movies.

Who needs YouTube when you've got a microwave?

A future (and futuristic) motor to power electric vehicles

Stick this TV almost anywhere

Televisions tend to stay put, especially as they've grown in size. You may have even organized a family room around the placement of the TV. But suppose you could tote that TV anywhere? The Displace TV is designed to be hyper portable. We're not talking "small enough to haul on vacation." This TV, which comes in 27-inch and 55-inch versions, includes built-in batteries so it's free of all cables. But you don't fully appreciate the concept of this "anywhere TV" until you attach the Pro model to… any flat surface via giant suction cups. The software helps you level the device and applies the suction to ensure a tight seal.

A robot vacuum that can do the tidying for you

Tracked-in dirt? Clumps of pet fur? Robot vacuums were built to automatically whisk them away. But drop a sock or a pair of underwear on the way to the laundry room? Most vacuums either push the garments around or, worse, choke on them, stopping everything until they can be rescued by a human. But not the Roborock Saros Z70, which extends a normally hidden mechanical arm to pick up the debris and move it to a designated area out of the way. We suspect it will be not only good for cleaning, but for entertaining small children (and honestly, us adults too).

Smart glasses that actually look like glasses

The evolution of vision-centric wearables continues to come from both ends of the spectrum. On one side are expensive, immersive headsets like the Apple Vision Pro. On the other are options like the Meta Ray-Ban glasses that can record audio and video but leave the glasses portion unobstructed. And in the vast middle are lots of opportunities for AR. Here, CNET's Lisa Eadicicco tries out Halliday XR smart glasses that incorporate a small screen that puts information in your field of view. A companion ring gives you some control over what you see without tapping the frames or a connected phone or other smart device.

This robot is a charm (and charming)

We have robots that clean floors and robots that mow lawns, but what about robots that… turn to look at you? That's the idea behind Mirumi, a fuzzy robotic baby sloth that hangs off your bag as a charm and sparks joy. You'd think it was just a stuffed toy until it swivels its head to look at people or objects nearby and focuses on them. It's cute, not creepy, we promise.

Is your dedicated e-reader in a drawer?

We know people who like the convenience of reading books electronically but don't want to carry a separate dedicated e-reader in addition to their phone or laptop. However, those devices usually offer better readability and certainly longer battery life due to their E Ink displays. Are those folks stuck juggling multiple devices? Not if they pick up the TCL 60 XE NxtPaper 5G, a $200 phone with a separate mode that mimics an e-reader in both visual style and reduced power consumption.

Digital art on your wall with fewer cables

We're used to seeing TVs on walls everywhere, but when you're not watching them, they're usually just big black rectangles. Samsung's Frame TVs turn the displays into art -- well, art with connection cables snaking from the back. The new Frame Pro syncs up wirelessly to Samsung's Wireless One Connect box for transmitting material from a set-top box. It also employs Samsung's Neo QLED panels for better image quality.

Add some fizz to your daily water intake

If you prefer bubbles in your bottles, you typically need to stock up on prepackaged carbonated water or remember to prep your SodaStream. Or you can take the bubbles anywhere with a Roam SodaTop. This $50 water bottle cap uses a small carbon dioxide cartridge to fizz up what's in the bottle, giving you fresh carbonation whenever you want it.

Mow mow, mulch mulch

We imagine anyone who buys a robot lawnmower already has a great lawn to run it on, but what if your tract of grass is wilder than normal? The $3,000 Lymow One could be what you're looking for. Not only is it outfitted with tank-like tracks -- called, no kidding, the Savage Traverse System -- it includes mulching blades that are strong enough to macerate leaves, fruit, pine cones and small branches. A centrifugal fan disperses the matter and prevents clogging. Your curious pets should be safe, though, because the Lymow One has obstacle recognition and avoidance tech.

Give voice to your soon-no-longer-suffering plants

We would never judge anyone who talks to their plants. When the plants start talking back, though, we start to raise a few eyebrows. Don't worry, the companies at CES haven't (yet?) bred a new strain of Audreys. Instead, LeafyPod has unveiled a smart planter for your home flora. With sensors and a packet or two of AI mixed in, the LeafyPod planter adjusts water intake from a reservoir to prevent overhydrating and makes recommendations about sunlight exposure. The planter holds up to four weeks of water, so it can take care of your green buddies while you're on vacation.

A space for handmade art

Not everything at CES is cutting edge. There's always space for bespoke, handcrafted artwork like this latté design of C|NET's throwback logo, created by a barista at Dandelion Chocolate in Las Vegas. Although Las Vegas is swarmed by CES vendors and visitors like us this week, we also recognize the people who live and work here year round -- in this specific case fueling us with the caffeine to bring you even more cool finds over the next few days.