We've Found the Coolest, Most Futuristic Tech at CES 2026. And It's Only Day 1

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We have people all over the show floor -- and beyond -- at CES, looking for the most interesting, innovative and cutting-edge tech out there. A ton of useful new information is also available, which you can find on our CES 2026 live blog and in our CES hub, but that's boring.

It's only the first day, but we've already gawked at some of the CES staples, like robots, electronic toys, phones and more. I'll be back here to top off our amazing finds regularly throughout the show.

Scott Stein/CNET

TCL RayNeo Air Pro 4

Display glasses with HDR micro-OLED screens that hit 1,200 nits of brightness

Wearable displays are a growing trend for a lot of reasons, but generally because when a display's that close to your eyes, things look huge without the corresponding physical display size. So they're great for gaming with a handheld console; Xreal's got updated glasses to pair with the Nintendo Switch 2 at the show, too, for example.

TCL's new $299 RayNeo Air Pro 4 glasses take it up a notch, bringing bright, vivid micro-OLED screens that can hit up to 1,200 nits of brightness. They're relatively inexpensive, but that's because they're wired rather than wireless.

Read more: TCL's New Display Glasses Are the First I've Seen With HDR, and the View Is Vivid.

Katie Collins/CNET

Honor Robot Phone

The flip-out camera and gimbal look distinctive, reacts to you

David Watsky/CNET

Euhomy Leopard X1 ice maker

What's cooler than a plain old ice maker? One that speedruns

An ice maker always finds its way on our list of coolest products at CES -- after all, they're literally the coolest appliances in a show packed full of domestic wares. The Leopard X1 churns out "cubes of frozen water" in under 5 minutes, "a full 3 minutes faster than any other at-home bullet ice maker on the market," according to Home and Kitchen guru David Watsky, who timed it in action.

It'll be available in April for $150.

Read more: The Coolest Thing at CES? You Won't Believe How Fast This Ice Maker Makes Ice.

Katie Collins/CNET

Sweekar

You can't lose marrying cutesy and nostalgic

LG

LG CLOiD

This home robot doesn't just fold laundry -- it can empty the dishwasher and do some light cooking, too

We've been seeing boatloads of domestic laundry-folding robot concepts at CES over the years (or cleaning, lawn mowing and so on), but this is one of the first multifunctional models to come from a major appliance manufacturer. According to the company, CLOiD can handle tasks such as "retrieving milk from the fridge, placing a croissant in the oven for breakfast and folding and stacking garments after laundering," as well as coordinate with other smart appliances in LG's ThinQ ecosystem. I have a dumb home, so I just like the aesthetics.

Read more: Everyone Wants a Robot That Folds Laundry. LG Brought Its First One to CES 2026.

Antuan Goodwin/CNET

Donut solid state battery

A small, dense battery that could enable cheaper, safer and lighter personal transportation

Solid state batteries use a solid material to pass ions between the nodes of a battery, compared to the liquid electrolyte used by, say, alkaline and lithium batteries. The solid chemistry allows them to hold more charge in a given size battery, be less volatile and cheaper to produce, along with host of other advantages. Donut Labs has paired with Verge Motorcycles to incorporate the new battery in its Verge TS Pro electric motorcycle.

According to CNET transportation maestro Antuan Goodwin, "Solid state battery tech making its way onto the road is a huge deal, even if motorcycles aren't your thing. The battery's advantages are even more pronounced on larger cars, where the weight savings and increased charging speeds should scale even more." 

Read more: This Phone-Sized Solid State Battery Is Already Powering a Production EV.

Celso Bulgatti/CNET

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold

It's shipped in Asia, but we got our hands on one for the first time at the show

While it shipped elsewhere in December, the dual-folding, three-panel Galaxy Z TriFold we've been eagerly anticipating was available for us to get our grubby American paws on for the first time at CES. After using it for a while, Abrar Al-Heeti, who's tested a lot of phones over the years, said "At last, it seems foldables are approaching their long-desired goal: a two-in-one device that fits neatly in your pocket."

It's slated to ship in the US by the end of March; the price is still unknown.

Read more: This May Be the Phone-Tablet Hybrid We've Been Waiting For.

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