Next-Gen Tech Galore: Everything That Grabbed Our Eyes at CES 2025

Nike partnered with fitness recovery tech company Hyperice to make a tech-filled boot that can help sore feet recover. First deployed at last year’s Paris Olympics, the Nike x Hyperice boot (no more official name) slips around your foot and applies heat and compression with buttons to adjust either. It’s technically a “system of dual-air Normatec bladders bonded to warming elements,” but there was only one word when our CNET Senior Reporter Lisa Eadicicco wore them on the Vegas show floor: relief.

The pitfall of salt is that it tastes so good, but many of us are on low-sodium diets for our health. Rather than use an untasty alternative, why not turn to science? Japanese appliance company Kirin has a new experimental soup spoon. It’s large and requires an awkward grip to engage the sensors, so you kinda look like a toddler using it. But pull it off and weak electrical current will simulate the taste of salt (varying per person), making it an imperfect but promising piece of dinnerware tech.

Singaporean startup Flint’s technology hopes to solve the problems inherent in today’s widely-used lithium-ion batteries with cellulose, a natural material that promotes ionic transfer between the positive and negative terminals of a battery. Which is another way of saying “electricity!”. Cellulose, the stuff of leaves and other greenery, is flexible, compressible and possibly more important, biodegradable; the paper battery can be shrunk small enough embed in a smartwatch strap. It’s one our picks for Best of CES 2025, too.

The flagship of LG’s new GX9 line of UltraGear gaming monitors announced at the show is the most feature-laden of the group and more interesting than a lot of other offerings — it’s relative high resolution (5,120 x 2,160), has support for multiple picture sizes and refresh rate configurations (dual mode) and a curved-to-flat bendable screen (like the Corsair Xeneon). 

It’s not the LG OLED rollable screen of your dreams, but the Ascend may be more within your grasp. It’s a retractable, ambient light-rejecting screen with built-in speakers and an ultra short-throw projector that looks like a piece of furniture when the screen withdraws. TV tech guru Geoffrey Morrison has been an ultrashort throw skeptic, but thinks this pair may solve some of the issues he’s had with them. There’s no pricing yet for the screen (the projector is $2,700), but it’s bound to be less than models like the LG. 

Humetrix’s AI-powered translation technology already assisted aid workers at last summer’s Paris Olympic Games, but soon it’ll expand to help individuals seeking medical aid in places where they don’t speak the native tongue. Humetrix’s advantage lies in its database of 4 million medications and info on 67,000 medical conditions; using GPS location, Humetrix will translate and speak symptoms, medications and other health info into the local language (of 25 available for now) — just speak into your phone and the Humetrix app will explain in the right lingual and medical terminology.

When you’re ready to go small — or don’t have the budget to go big — a tiny home can be an appealing alternative, especially when it’s luxurious and packed with the latest smart tech. Our favorite of AC Future’s designer mini residences is the AI-Thu, a modular build (as small as 400 square feet) packed with smart technology that helps control lighting, heating, cooling and appliances, plus solar panels, a water recycling system, atmospheric water generation and a lot more. 

Roombas and other robot vacuums have been a big hit, but their little wheels can be defeated by the tiniest ledge or threshold between rooms. Enter Dreame’s X50 Ultra, which has two short wheeled legs it can deploy to surmount very modest obstacles. No, it won’t climb stairs, but we saw it conquer small ledges a couple inches high. This advancement comes at the steep price of $1,699 when it starts shipping in mid-February (preorder it for $390 off). 

Delta has a new feature for its phone app, and yes, it’s AI-powered. Coming this year, Delta Concierge will help out with the most annoying parts of travel, like reminding you about passport renewal and visa requirements, suggesting what to pack for your destination’s weather and general tips on getting around while you roam. Like other new AI-powered features, you’ll be able to ask questions through text or speech in natural language and have the app respond. Anything that makes travel less painful — and for free — is a big help these days.

Zoltux’s $1,199 Instant Solar Kit has a lot of promises and a few roadblocks, but it’s still an intriguing Kickstarter product. It’s an 800-watt solar panel you can hang anywhere, using an inverter to feed back into your home energy setup. You’ll theoretically need an interconnection agreement and permission to operate from your local energy company, and there are concerns about just plugging one into any old 120-volt home outlet, but it’s promising to get a plug-and-play solar panel to start harvesting your own energy without expensive installation — assuming Zoltux works out the kinks.

It’s still only a concept, but Lenovo’s new laptop extends the screen upward rather than folding it (or folding two screens together) like almost every dual-screen laptop we’ve seen. We’ve got no pricing or available for it yet — it’s a real product, not just a concept or prototype — but being able to turn a laptop screen from 14 to 16.7 inches in a press of a button sounds like something I want.

You know that horror trope where something scary stretches the screen towards you and something awful enters the world? Samsung’s turned the stretching screen of our nightmares into reality — though it could be flowers as much as the undead pushing through. The screen bulges in the middle to produce a 3D effect; it’s a little hard to see, according to editor Lisa Eadicicco, but it’s there.

I’m all for anything that can remove the tedium from everyday (or every-week) tasks, and this one is the first to do away with one of the most tedious homeowner tasks. It not only mows your lawn, it gnaws most of the detritus (including leaves and branches) into lawn food. 

We’ve seen smart kitchen appliances, but none that cater to the…influencer crowd? The LG Signature Smart Instaview has cameras inside the microwave to record video of you making your favorite dishes — and don’t worry, there are plenty of sensors that check on how the food is cooking to make sure you don’t end up with a smoldering mess. There’s also a 27-inch HD display and speakers so you can watch TV while you cook. While only a concept device for now, the Instaview is an intriguing look at how kitchen-fluencers are nudging tech forward, too.

For years, premium smartwatches have been able to detect atrial fibrillations — irregular heartbeats that could preclude strokes and cardiac events — but not everyone wants a smartwatch. Enter the Circular Ring Gen 2, a $380 smart ring that watches out for these AFib events and tracks other health data, will be available to buy in the next couple months.

The SodaStream, which lets you create carbonated drinks at home, was a great idea when it launched. But now everyone’s in motion and equipped with water bottles, so why should you be able to get your fizz on in only one location? The SodaTop is a cap for compatible water bottles that carbonates water in compatible containers.

Don’t wait until the soil’s cracked or the leaves fall off. LeafyPod is a smart planter that learns the appropriate regimen for the plant you’ve potted in it, as well as determines if any environmental facts are suboptimal. Then it lets the plant voice its needs via a phone app. It can’t do everything — you’ve still got to do as you’re told.

The concept of being able to use multiple portable screens with a laptop is one of those elusive dreams that leave us searching for a product we can live with. They’re also a CES staple, and at least on Day 1, the FlipGo has caught the attention of the dreamers. Who knows? Maybe this one is it.