Engadget News
Elections 2026Hardware / Engadget
LG just announced some new Gram AI laptops ahead of CES 2026 . These are incredibly portable laptops that the company says are the lightest in their class. This is largely thanks to a proprietary material that LG has dubbed Aerominum. This material reportedly reduces the laptop's weight while reinforcing structural strength. In other words, these computers are both light and durable. Each model offers improved scratch resistance, while providing a sleek metallic finish. The laptops have also bee
Youve probably heard people say its impossible to go back and correct some error from the past. To those people, you should raise a middle finger in defiance (they are miserable, after all), and then point them to the tale of Pebbles unlikely revival. The smartwatch pioneers return was a surprise of 2025 , and now the company has resurrected one of its last great triumphs. Its announcing the Pebble Round 2, and company founder Eric Migicovsky is looking to put right what once went wrong. The Peb
Were gearing up for CES 2026! Engadget will be on the ground, once again, to dive into the latest TVs, wearables and other wild tech from the worlds biggest consumer electronics show. In this episode, we chat about some new products we expect to see, like Micro RGB LED TVs and AI devices, and peer into whats ahead for the rest of 2026. Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Credits Hosts: Devindra Hardawar Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien This
Elon Musk's Grok AI has been allowing users to transform photographs of woman and children into sexualized and compromising images, Bloomberg reported. The issue has created an uproar among users on X and prompted an apology from the bot itself. I deeply regret an incident on Dec. 28, 2025, where I generated and shared an AI image of two young girls (estimated ages 12-16) in sexualized attire based on a user's prompt, Grok said in a post. An X representative has yet to comment on the matter. A
Fender Audio, the consumer electronics arm of the instrument maker, will introduce two flagship audio products at this year's CES in Las Vegas. These products were made under a licensing agreement with Singapore-based company RiffSound. First up is a line of Bluetooth speakers dubbed the ELIE (Extremely Loud Infinitely Expressive). The lineup includes two models, the E6 and E12. The speakers leverage a combination of DSP and system-on-a-chip processing, which Fender says can deliver more volume
It's been known for months now that technology giant Lenovo is hosting its Tech World event at Sphere in Las Vegas during CES week . Like many other tech conglomerates, the world's largest PC manufacturer by units shipped will put its main focus on AI. Lenovo says it's a Tech World experience unlike anything CES has seen before. We'll tell you where to livestream the event and what to expect so far. How to watch the Lenovo CES 2026 event live Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang will host the event on Tuesd
Instagrams top exec Adam Mosseri expects AI content to overtake non-AI imagery and discussed the implications for the platform and users. Mosseri shared his thoughts on broader trends he expects to shape Instagram in 2026. Everything that made creators matter the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldnt be faked is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools, he wrote. The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything. He added: There is already a growi
The Swiss minimal phone pioneer Punkt is back with another model, the MC03. The new handset continues Punkt's focus on privacy, security and digital minimalism. If you've never seen Punkt's MP01 and MP02, the company's gorgeously minimal dumb phone line , they're something to behold. (The MP01 is quite literally a museum piece, in New Yorks Museum of Modern Art.) Meanwhile, this new MC03 is the company's second stab at a more practical touchscreen smartphone, following 2023s MC02. What you lose
A great rice cooker can change the way you handle weeknight meals. Instead of watching the pot or dealing with uneven results, you get fluffy, consistent rice with almost no effort. Modern rice cookers can do a lot more than white rice, too. Many handle brown rice, oatmeal and grains, and some function like mini multi-cookers for soups or stews. With so many options available, the best rice cooker for you depends on how often you cook, how much counter space you have and which features matter mo
A good laptop for both gaming and schoolwork strikes a balance that goes beyond raw power. It should handle essays and research during the day, then jump into your favorite games when you are ready to take a break. That mix is easier to find now, with more laptops offering capable GPUs, solid battery life and designs that do not look out of place in a classroom. Whether you want a budget gaming laptop for lighter titles or a more powerful system that can run demanding games, there is something t
Starlink will lower the orbits of roughly 4,400 satellites this year as a safety measure, according to engineering VP, Michael Nicolls. In a post on X , Nicolls wrote that the company is beginning a significant reconfiguration of its satellite constellation, in which all satellites orbiting at around 550 kilometers (342 miles) will be lowered to around 480 km (298 miles). The move is intended to reduce the risk of collisions, putting the satellites in a region that's less cluttered and will allo
Samsung has upgraded its Freestyle portable projector for 2026. The company announced a new model, the Freestyle+, ahead of CES, touting twice the brightness of its predecessor at 430 ISO lumens, and AI-powered screen optimization features. As with Freestyles past, the Freestyle+ offers 180-degree rotation and 360-degree audio. This one also supports Q-Symphony so it'll work with some Samsung soundbars. Samsung hasn't revealed much else in the way of specs or pricing, but it'll be showing off th
A look at Hyundai's Holographic Windshield Display. (Hyundai) While it often feels like a full-on auto show, the car vibes feel somewhat lessened at CES 2026 . Yes, the Afeela electric vehicle from the Sony-Honda joint venture will be back on the floor, but with the Trump administration yanking most EV incentives from the market, the industry isn't offering a full-court press of new vehicles in Las Vegas this year. That said, there's still plenty of in-cabin car tech on display, including Hyunda
Most Apple products are pretty expensive, but some of the most affordable (and useful) ones are AirTags . The Bluetooth trackers are priced pretty reasonably even when not on sale, but they can be a steal if you can get them on a discount like right now. A four pack of AirTags is on sale for $65 at Amazon, which is only a few dollars more than the record-low price we saw during Black Friday a couple of months ago. AirTags can be useful for people who travel frequently, helping you to keep track
One of the many concerns about artificial intelligence these days is how the rush to build data centers is impacting local communities. Data centers can create a drain on resources , and some utility companies have already said customers can expect to see their electricity bills growing as these facilities increase demand. There have been some discussions of what other power sources could support the AI engine, and wind power specialist Airloom is one company that's looking to address the proble
For a tech writer, being very offline is sort of like being a marathon coach who doesnt run. So in 2025, I tried to reverse years of studied avoidance towards the most ubiquitous technological phenomenon on earth I got back on social media. The change was short-lived. My first exodus from the feeds took some work disabling notifications, removing apps from my homescreen and then deleting accounts entirely. This time, the phone put itself down. The whole thing has simply lost its luster. I star
You may know Bosch as a home appliance brand (via its partnership with Siemens), but the German multinational is generally more focused on providing underlying technology and engineering solutions to auto, home and manufacturing partners across the globe. It's fitting, then, that much of what it's showing off at CES 2026 is more intended to be licensed to other companies versus Bosch-branded products you'll be seeing on store shelves. Case in point is Bosch's automotive plans at CES. The company
The start of a new year always feels like a reset button. Everyones talking about moving more, eating better, sleeping longer or finally taming their digital chaos. But resolutions rarely survive on willpower alone. The right tools or piece of tech can make those goals easier to keep by turning motivation into a habit. Whether youre trying to close your rings, track your progress or just build better routines, these smart picks make self-improvement feel a little more achievable, and a lot more
If you are trying to stay on top of your health this year, a smart scale can make the process feel more manageable. These devices log details like body fat, muscle mass and water levels, then sync everything to your phone so you can see patterns instead of guessing. It is an easy way to track changes and stay motivated between workouts or check-ins with your doctor. Some smart scales keep things simple and focus on just your data, while others tie into big fitness platforms or support multiple u
It's no secret that AI-generated content took over our social media feeds in 2025. Now, Instagram's top exec Adam Mosseri has made it clear that he expects AI content to overtake non-AI imagery and the significant implications that shift has for its creators and photographers. Mosseri shared the thoughts in a lengthy post about the broader trends he expects to shape Instagram in 2026. And he offered a notably candid assessment on how AI is upending the platform. Everything that made creators mat
NurPhoto via Getty Images Samsung is arguably the 800-pound gorilla of CES, with a full spectrum of products that range from phones and computers to refrigerators to AI assistants and rolling robots. But for CES 2026 , the company is shaking up the schedule a bit: Instead of its longtime midday Monday press conference position, the Korean giant will front-run the entire show with a Sunday night presentation. Samsung has already given a few hints as to what's on the agenda, but what we're really
Sony's CES 2026 press conference is just days away, but this year has a twist: Instead of an overview of Sony's electronics, video game and Hollywood studio plans for the new year, the presser will apparently have a more narrow focus: electric vehicles. That's because the traditional end-of-press-day slot isn't just Sony, but rather Sony Honda Mobility the joint venture responsible for the Afeela 1 electric car that has been showcased at CES for the better part of a decade. This year, however,
Sony has revealed the first batch of PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for 2026. There are three titles to play this month, all of which drop on January 6. As always, youll retain access to these games as long as your subscription remains active. First up, there's Need For Speed Unbound . This is a racing game that came out at the tail-end of 2022 and was the first entry in the franchise for several years before that. It has a unique visual style, thanks to cel-shaded graphics, with all kinds of ve
LG For years, LG has kicked off CES press day with the first event of the morning and 2026 will be no different. The Korea-based corporation is theming its presentation as Innovation in Tune with You , and if it follows the template of past presentations it will highlight both the consumer electronics and large appliance sides of its mammoth global businesses. Like nearly all tech-centric events these days, expect AI to be the binding theme of the LG presentation at CES 2026 . Just be aware
The new year is upon us, and that means CES 2026 is imminent. The biggest tech trade show of the calendar comes with a bevy of new and notable announcements that set the tone for trends and expectations for the subsequent 12 months. The CES 2026 show floor is officially open from January 6 through 9, but the fun kicks off with events on Sunday January 4, followed by a host of press conferences on Monday. As always, product demos, announcements and networking will be happening at the Las Vegas Co
Chances are that if a VPN is marketed to everyday users, it more or less runs itself. As long as you go with one of the best VPNs instead of setting up your own manual connection, the interface is likely built so you have to engage with it as little as possible. Generally, if you find yourself constantly thinking about your VPN while using it as happened to me with Norton VPN that's a bad thing and you should change providers. That said, it's still useful to get a high-level view of how to use
The festive lights, time off and cute scarfs can only conceal the truth for so long: Winter can be pretty bleak. I don't mean to be a downer, but it's cold all of the time, dark most of the time and this lasts far beyond the most wonderful time of the year. Here at Engadget, we've tried so many tools and products to make winter more bearable from therapy lamps to heaters . We've invested in tea sets, wrapped ourselves in heated blankets and learned to grow herbs indoors really, anything that wi
picture alliance via Getty Images The Lego Group is hosting its first-ever press conference at CES 2026 but what the company is going to announce remains a mystery. While the huge toy brick creators haven't given any hints as to what they'll be showcasing, the possibilities run the gamut from new video games to Formula 1 race cars. Here's how you can watch Lego's presentation at CES, and what we might expect to see. How to watch The Lego Group's CES 2026 press conference The Lego CES press conf
Here are some of this year's biggest, most star-studded TV specials you can watch to help you ring in 2026. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images) CHARLY TRIBALLEAU via Getty Images This year, it seems like there are more ways than ever to celebrate New Year's Eve... from the comfort of your couch, that is. Whether you want to catch the enduring Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve hosted by Ryan Seacrest and filmed live out of Times Square in New York City, or check out of one the many other
Choosing a camera is not just about resolution or price. It is about finding something that matches how you like to shoot. Some photographers want a compact mirrorless camera that travels easily. Others want an action cam that can handle rough hikes, or a full-frame system that delivers the best possible image quality. With so many options today, there is a camera built for almost every creative style. We tested the top models across categories to help you decide which one fits your needs. Wheth
LG just revealed several new speakers in the xboom line ahead of CES 2026 . These speakers are part of an ongoing collaboration with will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas, who is on board as the experimental architect involved with development, design and brand marketing. These speakers are fairly different from one another, but they all have AI in common. Each speaker includes an algorithm that automatically adjusts the EQ after analyzing the audio content and the listening space. Many also feature an
OneXPlayer is quickly establishing itself as a company that isn't afraid to get weird as hell. (Take, for example, its transforming dual-screen gaming portable .) Its latest venture is another retro gaming handheld that, at first glance, looks like a standard dual-screen model. But the Android-powered OneXSugar Wallet uses a single foldable screen instead. The device was teased via a 54-second video on the Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili. Retro Handhelds reports that the Wallet uses an 8
The demand building out AI infrastructure has placed on PC component makers has already led to the death of one consumer-facing RAM brand, but a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) suggests it could have an even worse impact on the PC industry at large. In its worst-case-scenario model, the IDC predicts PC shipments could shrink by up to 8.9 percent in 2026 because of the high cost of memory. Instead of expanding conventional DRAM and NAND used in smartphones, PCs and other
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images Hisense is perhaps best known for its budget-friendly electronics and appliances, like TVs and refrigerators. But at CES 2025, the China-based company showed its high-end chops with a massive 136-inch micro LED TV, which recently became available for a whopping $100,000 . So what's on deck for this year's show? New leadership, for starters. The company has two new hires, including Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Larsen and Chief Commercial Officer James Fishler.
Samsung will have two new inexpensive mobile devices arriving on the US market next month. The Galaxy A17 5G starts at $199 and will be available on January 7. Arriving on January 8, the Galaxy Tab A11+ will retail for $250. The Galaxy A17 5G has a 6.7 FHD+ Super AMOLED display and is powered by the same Exynos 1330 chip found in the Galaxy A16 5G. The photography setup is also unchanged from last year's model, with a 50MP main camera, 5MP ultrawide, 2MP macro and 13MP selfie lenses. The base mo
Tomorrow's the big day, and I don't just mean New Year's Eve. The series finale of Stranger Things airs tomorrow, and Netflix has released a trailer for the last episode . We're given only flashes of the final episode, along with a voiceover of an emotional Jim Hopper telling Eleven he needs her to fight one last time. It's just over 1 minute and 30 seconds long, with what appears to be only about 30 seconds of new footage. There isn't much to go on here, as most of the footage features emotiona
If cleaning up your digital life is on your New Year's resolution list, we've got good news: 1Password is offering half off its subscription plans (both the Individual and Families plans). That brings the price of the Individual plan down to $24 for a year and the Families plan down to $36 for a year. The plans are nearly identical, but the Families plan accommodates five additional people. These discounts are only available to new customers and the prices expire after the year, so set a reminde
Meta has acquired an AI startup called Manus known for its custom research and website-building agents in a deal valued at more than $2 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal . It's reportedly one of the largest acquisitions yet involving a startup nurtured in China's AI ecosystem. Manus arrived in March 2025, shortly after another Chinese AI startup, DeepSeek appeared on the scene. The company (called Butterfly Effect at the time) originally described it as the first general AI agent t
Hot on the tail of Amazon's Kindle Scribe Colorosoft , TCL is introducing its own take on a distraction-free note-taking and reading device. Unlike the new Scribe, however, it doesn't use E Ink. The TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER is the company's latest device to use NXTPAPER , TCL's custom paper-like LCD screen, which offers some of the qualities of E Ink without the limitations. TCL says the 11.5-inch color NXTPAPER Pure display on the Note A1 has a 2,200 x 1,440 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, whi
CFOTO via Getty Images At CES 2025, NVIDIA spent the bulk of its presentation touting (what else) its leading position in the artificial intelligence arena. But it also spent time talking up new hardware, including its RTX 5000-series GPUs and Project Digits desktop supercomputer (later redubbed Spark ). This year, the company's website says it's lighting up CES 2026 with the power of AI. To that end, NVIDIA is pulling out all the stops at its Vegas installation, promising hands-on demos in its
CES 2026 is right around the corner , and the pre-show hype cycle/ early reveals suggest, yes, theres going to be an awful lot of AI-powered insert-product-category-here alongside, thankfully, some major announcements from the likes of Intel, Sony and NVIDIA. Intel is finally unveiling its Panther Lake (Core Ultra Series 3) chips. The first chips built on Intels 2nm process could offer a 50 percent performance boost, which is sorely needed amid intense competition. NVIDIAs Jensen Huang is taking
An iPad is a great all-purpose device, but it also needs protection if you want it to last. A good case can guard against drops, add a stand for videos or sketching sessions and even make your iPad feel more like a lightweight laptop. Whether you prefer something slim, rugged or packed with useful features, there is a case that fits the way you use your tablet. From keyboard folios to minimalist covers with room for your Apple Pencil, we rounded up the best iPad cases that keep your tablet safe

13 C