On today’s special edition of You Asked, we tracked down each of our editors and put them on the spot to find out what they thought was the most impressive thing they saw at CES 2025 in Early January. Let’s find out what they had to say.
Panasonic Z95B
There’s been some really cool TV tech at CES, but the thing I’m most excited about is the new Panasonic Z95B. Instead of the regular OLED display structure we’ve seen in recent years with MLA technology, this uses a four-layer panel structure. It features individual red, green, and blue layers (two of the latter) for the emissive light.
This new structure delivers higher brightness without the MLA technology used in LG’s G Series, along with more color purity. It’s a much more efficient way of producing light and color, and it represents the next step in OLED panel technology.
It’s especially exciting because it felt like we were hitting the brightness limits of MLA. By changing the panel structure, we’re now reaching new brightness levels that can better compete with the QD-OLED technology we’ve seen over the past couple of years.
— John Higgins
Belkin Stage Power Grip
The coolest thing I saw at CES 2025 for mobile tech is the Belkin Stage Power Grip. It looks like a DSLR camera grip that attaches to your iPhone via MagSafe. It adds a physical camera capture button and feels great to use. Plus, it has a 10,000 milliamp-hour battery pack inside, wirelessly charging your iPhone while you use it. There’s even an integrated USB-C cable for charging other devices.
It’s a quirky device, but it’s practical, and Belkin says it will cost under 80 bucks. I can’t wait to get my hands on it again.
— Joe Maring
Honda Zero Series Saloon Concept
The coolest thing I saw at CES so far is Honda’s Zero Series Saloon Concept. I try not to get too excited about concepts at CES because many of them never come to fruition, but Honda is promising that this one will release in late 2026.
It’s a sleek, wedge-shaped car that looks futuristic — like something from Cyberpunk 2077 or Blade Runner. But the real standout feature is its Level 3 autonomy, a step above the Level 2 self-driving currently available in Tesla vehicles.
Level 3 autonomy means truly eyes-off driving. You can sit behind the wheel, turn to talk to someone, or watch a movie. This is made possible by advanced sensors and processing power, and I think it’s going to outshine Tesla’s self-driving capabilities when it debuts in 2026.
— Nick Mokey
Olight Ostation X
One of the coolest things I saw at CES 2025 was the Olight Ostation X. It’s a charging station for AA rechargeable batteries, and it’s incredibly smart. You can load a bunch of AA batteries in the top, and the station charges four at a time before dropping the freshly charged batteries into the bottom hopper, which holds up to 32 batteries.
It doesn’t matter which way the batteries are facing — the Ostation X automatically tests and charges them to full capacity. If you accidentally throw in a non-rechargeable battery, it detects and rejects it into a special tray. It’s powered by USB-C and even has a mobile app to show the charging status.
Since the device can get noisy in fast-charging mode, you can schedule when it charges. The best part? You’ll always have fully charged batteries ready to go, making disposable ones unnecessary. It’s $120 and ships in February.
— Simon Cohen
Lenovo Legion Go S
The most exciting tech I saw at CES has to be the Lenovo Legion Go S. It’s essentially a streamlined version of the Lenovo Legion Go with a more traditional handheld form factor, and without detachable controllers or anything like that.
Handhelds are great, but what really stands out to me is that it’s officially licensed by Valve to use Steam OS. Until now, Steam OS has only been available on the Steam Deck. I love Steam OS and playing on my Steam Deck, so seeing it on other handhelds, especially ones with more powerful chips, is a big deal.
More importantly, this marks the first step toward Steam OS being adopted more broadly in PC gaming. There are plenty of issues with Windows and some alternative operating systems right now. Seeing Valve take this step to expand Steam OS’ availability is exciting for me as a PC gamer because it offers a far more convenient and seamless experience than what most PC gamers currently can get.
— Jacob Roach
Roborock Saros Z70
The coolest thing I saw at CES 2025 is the Roborock Saros Z70. It builds on previous generations of robot vacuums, but introduces something I’ve never seen before: an extendable arm that can pick up small obstacles.
This means you don’t have to prep as much before running the vacuum. The arm, called the Omni Grip, can move horizontally and vertically to pick up items up to 300 grams, like socks, small toys, or towels, and drop them off at a predetermined spot.
The Roborock Saros series feels revolutionary in the world of robot vacuums. Pricing and availability are still unclear, but it’s expected later in 2025.
— Patrick Hearn
SolidddVision smart glasses
For me, it’s personal. I got to try a pair of smart glasses called SolidddVision. They’re a prototype, but this is what CES is all about. These glasses use cameras and a display to restore vision for people with severe low-vision conditions, like macular degeneration.
Low vision runs in my family, so I came to CES specifically to check them out. After trying them on and seeing how they work, I’m amazed. They create a prism effect that corrects vision, and I hope this technology becomes a real product soon.
— Luke Larsen
Hisense TriChroma Mini LED TV
Finally, my pick for the most exciting tech at CES: Hisense’s TriChroma Mini LED TV. Instead of using a white backlight with quantum dots and a color filter, it uses RGB Mini LEDs behind a lens to deliver pure colors.
The color brightness is out of this world, but what really impressed me is the processing power needed to synchronize the RGB backlight with the colors on-screen. It’s a mind-blowing achievement and a sign of what’s possible in display tech.
— Caleb Denison
