The outstanding tech innovations we saw at CES this year

After a two-year lull, CES is back in fighting shape. The world’s biggest tech companies descended on Las Vegas once again and brought some notable merchandise with them. Among other things, we saw a “flying” electric boata huge wireless TV (more on that below) and, yes, a pee sensor for your toilet at home (definitely more on this below).

This year’s show marks the return of a fully in-person CES. It is estimated to have attracted more than 100,000 people, and over 2,200 companies have spoken about what they expect to be the next big thing. This year—and for the first time since 2020—CNET editors walked the floors to see new products and services on display.

We have already collected must-have CES highlightson the most futuristic technology, the weirdest gadgets and gizmos and on things you’ll actually be able to buy in 2023. Below is our curated list of the best of CES 2023.

Before we dive into our Best of CES 2023 list, here’s the criteria we used. We’ve tried to keep the number of people who win our Best of Show award between five and seven. Everyone on this list meets at least one of the following criteria:

• The product includes a never-before-seen concept or idea.
• The product tries to solve a basic user problem.
• A product is a redesign or different take on an existing product in a way that sets a new bar in performance or quality.

Finally, to avoid awarding products that may never see the light of day, we gave more weight to those with a release window or timeline of at least a calendar year, as opposed to products with no planned release date. release or with a more obscure date.

LG’s 97-inch wireless OLED TV puts everyone else to shame

The LG M3 Series 97-inch Wireless OLED TV is a behemoth that doesn’t skimp on normal high-end TV features. This giant beast of a TV combines fantastic picture technology with its sheer size to make it one of the most exciting TVs in recent memory. What really makes it superior, though, is that it’s completely wireless.

Yes, no more fussing with a bunch of cables behind your entertainment center to make them look like they’re not there. With this TV they are not.

LG says the 97-incher should be released in 2023, along with 83- and 77-inch versions. Don’t expect it to be cheap, though. The cable version of LG’s 97-inch TV costs $25,000, while its 77-inch OLED is just $2,900. Just to set expectations.

The Withings U-Scan will read your urine

Have you ever imagined that you can get health data on the spot at home just by becoming number one? Soon you will be able to Withings U-Scan pee sensor. The device is located at the front of your toilet. When you pee—and obviously it’s best to sit down when you do this to get an accurate sample—it collects the urine, analyzes it, and then sends the results to your phone via Wi-Fi.

What type of results, you may ask? For starters, it can monitor daily levels of ketones and vitamin C and test your urine pH level, which can indicate overall kidney health. Use a different cartridge and women can use it to track their menstrual cycle.

We’ve seen at-home urine test strips that require you to be hands-on to get the test results, but the U-Scan is designed to be a hassle-free experience. Just do your job and move on. The fact that you can do this testing every day without even thinking about it and get results sent immediately is what really sets U-Scan apart.

The HTC Vive XR Elite is unlike any other VR headset we’ve seen

The HTC Vive XR Elite is the latest version of HTC’s VR/AR headset, and based on our time with it, it could be the best Vive yet when it launches in late February for $1,099.

Yes, we’ve seen VR headsets before, so what makes this one special? The main reason it’s on this list is its size. HTC has shrunk the VR headset down to almost normal glasses size and less than half the weight of Quest Pro VR Headset.

If you wear glasses normally, you won’t need to wear them while using this. Adjustment dials or diopters can change the lens prescription in real time, meaning the user doesn’t have to wear glasses at all. This is a really useful feature if it works as expected. As someone who wears glasses but has become aggrieved by VR over the past few years, the combination of the XR Elite’s small, lightweight chassis and the no-glasses requirement makes VR a much more appealing prospect to me.

I’m not going to rush out to buy a VR headset, but the technology here looks exceptional, so hopefully it will catch on.

The BMW i Vision Dee has a mandatory heads-up display

Yes, on BMW i Vision Dee is a concept car, so my first reaction was to take every feature here with a grain of salt, but BMW has confirmed that the coolest and most useful feature, the heads-up display, is coming to production cars in 2025.

Instead of a traditional dashboard screen, Dee instead uses the entire windshield as a HUD. It’s an AR display that uses the entire width of the windshield and features five levels of immersion. Level 1 gives you the essentials – a speedometer, some navigation information, etc. Levels 2 through 4 increase the information on the screen and eventually overlay navigation information on the road.

Level 5 can display a fully virtual environment and is not intended for driving. Or rather, it’s not meant for when you’re driving, but instead it’s meant for when you’re being driven by a car. It’s one of those that works best on the move, so check out the BMW i Vision Dee video to see it in action.

The concept car also has an E Ink coating on its chassis that can change color to your own liking, and during BMW’s press conference presenters made it look like it could have a conversation with you, like your very own KITT. but BMW has admitted that it is using a behind-the-scenes actress to show what it wants to do in the future. Again, only the HUD is confirmed to be coming to cars in the future, so it was the most useful thing to focus on.

The Samsung S95C 77-inch QD-OLED TV gives LG some competition

The Samsung S95C is the company’s first 77-inch TV to use its QD-OLED technology. It improves on the previous year’s model with better anti-glare technology and brighter images. Color in particular seemed to impress our TV expert David Katzmeier the most; however, the screen coating is slightly grayer than the LG’s, which washes out the image somewhat.

Still, the main reason it’s on this list, aside from its high quality, is the potential it has to give LG a run for its money in the high-end 77-inch TV market, which could eventually lead to falling prices everywhere. Great news for those of us looking to buy a big, awesome, high-end TV in the future.

The Schneider Smart Home system will maximize your energy savings

Schneider’s smart home system not something I ever considered owning until I moved to a new, bigger house in 2020. Let’s just say I have at least a few more gray hairs when a new bill comes. The system will allow users to save money by scheduling when certain outlets draw power by controlling breakers, switches and outlets to prevent energy vampires like TVs and chargers from drawing power when we don’t need them.

For EV users, it can schedule when your vehicle charges, setting it to only charge when rates are lowest or, if possible, only charge via solar panels.

As home electricity prices get higher – where I live they certainly have – and with more devices requiring more charging in our homes, having this kind of granular control without having to unplug a bunch of stuff every time you leave the house or go on holiday is a really welcome relief.

The completely surreal Dolby Atmos in-car sound in Maybach

Dolby Atmos is a sound technology – think surround sound 2.0 – that tries to fully immerse you in whatever you’re listening to. Atmos has been around for a while in movie theaters and home theaters, but the luxury Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is one of the first cars to use it.

So how good is it? The experience is hard to explain, but I’ll let CNET editor Bridget Carey do her best. She says: “I felt like the music was floating in the space around me – I couldn’t tell where the speakers were; it created a surreal sound. When I listened to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, it was like Freddie Mercury was just floating in front of me.”

Check out the video to get a better idea of ​​what Bridget experienced in the $185,000 Maybach. For those of us without that kind of cash, Dolby says we could see Atmos used in more affordable cars. The team is working on adapting the technology to a traditional six-speaker setup, but there’s no word yet on exactly when.

CES 2023 is back with some potentially useful tech. Some new, some improvements, but at least an attempt to solve a known user problem. There were many more that almost made the list. These are only the real distinctions. Be sure to check out the rest of CES’s CES coverage for everything else.

Now playing:
Watch this:

Best of CES 2023: All the best tech we saw

5:31