TL;DR
The Verge staff selected standout products from CES 2026 across displays, laptops, TVs, smart home devices, cars, and health tech. Winners highlighted advances in OLED panels, multi-screen laptops, interoperable smart locks, and multisensor driver assistance.
What happened
At CES 2026 The Verge team reviewed a wide range of consumer electronics and named category winners for products that pushed existing categories or offered notable new ideas. LG Display’s 27-inch 4K RGB-stripe OLED panel took the best monitor nod for sharp text and gaming at high refresh rates, while Corsair’s $350 Galleon 100 SD keyboard impressed by integrating a Stream Deck–style control cluster. TCL’s X11L SQD-Mini LED TV stood out for novel quantum-dot formulation and an UltraColor Filter enabling coverage of the BT.2020 color space and extreme peak brightness. Asus’s ROG Zephyrus Duo won best laptop for its two matching 16-inch OLEDs and high-end specs, due in Q2 2026. Aqara’s U400 smart lock was singled out for hands-free Apple Home Key unlocking over ultra-wideband and Matter-over-Thread interoperability. Mercedes’ Drive Assist Pro was the pick for cars, combining multiple radar, camera, and ultrasonic sensors with an Nvidia supercomputer to deliver Level 2 driver assistance in real-world testing. The show also foregrounded longevity-focused health tech, with the Withings Body Smart 2 noted among health winners.
Why it matters
- Display tech is addressing earlier OLED text-rendering issues while pushing higher refresh rates and color fidelity.
- Dual-screen laptops are bridging productivity and gaming use cases, signaling niche hardware growth.
- Smart-home interoperability (Matter, Thread, Aliro readiness) could reduce ecosystem lock-in and improve user convenience.
- Automakers are emphasizing sensor fusion and dedicated AI silicon for more robust driver-assist systems compared with camera-only approaches.
Key facts
- LG Display’s panel: 27-inch 4K RGB-stripe OLED, dual-mode 4K 240Hz or 1080p 480Hz, ~1,000-nit peak brightness.
- Asus may use the LG panel in an ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM monitor; Asus did not disclose price or availability.
- Corsair Galleon 100 SD is a $350 full-size wired mechanical keyboard with an integrated Stream Deck–style module (screen, two knobs, 12 buttons), hot-swappable PCB, and up to 8,000Hz polling; it is expected to be available later this month.
- TCL X11L SQD-Mini LED TV uses blue LEDs, reformulated quantum dots and an UltraColor Filter; claimed coverage of 100% BT.2020, up to 10,000 nits peak brightness, and as many as 20,000 dimming zones; the smallest 75-inch model is priced at $6,999.99 at launch.
- Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo: two matching edge-to-edge 16-inch OLED displays, up to RTX 5090 graphics, Intel Panther Lake CPU, removable wireless keyboard/trackpad; due in Q2 2026, price not disclosed.
- Aqara Smart Lock U400 is the first smart lock reported to support Apple’s hands-free Home Key unlocking using ultra-wideband; it is Matter-over-Thread compatible and described as Aliro-ready to enable broader tap/unlock features in the future.
- Mercedes Drive Assist Pro is a Level 2 driver-assist system using five radar sensors, 10 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and an Nvidia supercomputer capable of running up to 508 trillion operations per second; testers reported successful navigation of complex city traffic while driver attention remained required.
- CES highlighted trends such as rollable laptops, twice-folding phones, and a focus on longevity tech in health-related products.
- Withings Body Smart 2 was named best health tech amid a CES emphasis on longevity tools and some unconventional approaches involving bodily samples.
What to watch next
- Exact pricing and regional availability for Asus’s ROG Zephyrus Duo when it ships in Q2 2026 (not confirmed in the source).
- Whether TCL’s X11L TV prices fall later in the year as suggested by reviewers (not confirmed in the source).
- The timeline and scope for Aliro-enabled hands-free unlocking reaching Android phones and watches beyond the Apple Home Key rollout (not confirmed in the source).
Quick glossary
- OLED: A display technology in which each pixel emits its own light, allowing for deep blacks and high contrast without a backlight.
- Refresh rate (Hz): The number of times per second a display updates its image; higher values can produce smoother motion.
- Matter: A cross-industry smart home interoperability standard intended to make devices from different manufacturers work together.
- Ultra-wideband (UWB): A short-range wireless technology used for precise spatial awareness and secure proximity-based features like hands-free unlocking.
- Level 2 autonomy: A driver-assistance level where the vehicle can control steering and acceleration/deceleration in some conditions but requires the driver to remain attentive and ready to take control.
Reader FAQ
When will the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo be available?
The laptop is due in Q2 2026, per the review; exact dates were not provided.
Is the Aqara Smart Lock U400 compatible with Android hands-free unlocking now?
Currently it supports Apple’s hands-free Home Key via UWB; broader Android support via Aliro is discussed but timing is not confirmed in the source.
Is Mercedes Drive Assist Pro fully autonomous?
No. It is a Level 2 system; drivers must keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.
Will TCL’s X11L TV come down in price this year?
The Verge suggested prices could fall later in the year, but any specific reductions were not confirmed in the source.
TECH GADGETS GAMING The Verge Awards at CES 2026 Rollable laptops, twice-folding phones, and a ‘longevity station.’ This is the CES tech we come back for. by Verge Staff Jan…
Sources
- The Verge Awards at CES 2026
- The best tech announced at CES 2026 so far
- Best of CES 2026 Awards: Official List of Winners
- What surprised us the most at CES 2026
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