The tech world started off 2024 with a bang at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The convention bustled with life after some atypical years caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the show floor was full of hot tech and innovation of all kinds, we were on the lookout for the best gear and accessories for Apple users in particulart. Smart home products were everywhere, with vacuums and air fryers taking center stage, while wireless charger makers were keen to emphasize their adoption of Qi 2 technology. And it seemed like everyone had their own answer to othe upcoming VisionPro. Here, in no particular order, are our picks for the very best of CES 2024.
CES 2024 Winners
Xebec Snap
Price: Starting at $549
Available now
Want a full office setup on the go? Xebec has created external monitors that snap on to the sides of your laptop, tripling or even quadrupling your screen real estate. Remote work can often mean being as tethered to your home computer setup as you were to your office, so being able to easily add external monitors can add another level of freedom, whether you're just going down the street to your favorite coffee shop or planning a month-long trip to another continent. The Xebec Snap can be used in portrait or landscape mode, giving you even further degrees of flexibility. The passthrough charaging means you don't need to bring along any extra charging cables. It's a moving workstation must-have.
Roborock S8V Max
Price: Starting at $1599
Available: April 2024
If you want your house to get really, really clean really, really fast, this robot vacuum stands head and shoulders above the rest. Not only does it have the classic robot vacuum capabilities of cleaning and even mopping your floors, its advanced technology ensures it really gets the corners and edges, something many other robot vacuums and actual humans frequently struggle with. It goes another step beyond, by offering hygienic, self-cleaning mop features that can connect with your home's plumbing for automatic dumping and refilling of water. It mops and dries at a temperature of 60° C (140° F), to prevent mildew and odors. The 'V' in the model name stands for vision, indicating the presence of a camera used for mapping your home and a voice-activated assistant. If you don't feel like opening the app or getting up and pushing a power button, just tell the Roborock to start cleaning. If you want something done right, don't do it yourself—have your Roborock vacuum do it for you.
Sightful Spacetop
Price: $2150
Available now
2024 seems to be the year of AR, and the Sightful Spacetop is helping to shape the landscape. Lighter weight and easier to carry than most mixed reality headsets out there (and significantly cheaper than the upcoming Vision Pro), the Spacetop is an AR laptop that consists merely of a keyboard and a set of AR glasses. Once the laptop is powered on, you can put on the glasses and see your multiple large AR monitors displayed around you. Besides the indisputable fact that this is very cool, it also cuts down greatly on gear to lug around, offers you a giant workspace that no external monitors can compete with, and lets you look up and around instead of staying hunched over your desk.
Clicks Creator Keyboard
Price: Starting at $139
Available to order
Whether your struggle with your onscreen iPhone keyboard or just miss the days of having a Blackberry, the Clicks Creator Keyboard brings your buttons back to life in a delightful way. Just snap it onto your iPhone and enjoy a physical keyboard. It's easy on and easy off, so you don't have to worry about the bulk the keyboard will add in your pocket, and you can choose to use it regularly or just when you want to compose a lengthy email and don't feel like pulling out your laptop. Best of all, you can use iPad and Mac keyboard shortcuts on it, which isn't an option on the onscreen iPhone keyboard, and you also free up screen real estate by bringing your keyboard into the real world. The keyboard case is currently only available for the 14 Pro and 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Withings BeamO
Price: $249.95
Available: After June 2024 (FDA approval pending)
Imagine being able to give yourself a full at-home checkout with one tool. The Withings BeamO lets you do just that. Check your temperature, O2 saturation, heart and lungs, and even your ECG right at home then track your results in the Withings app to see what results are coming up normal and what areas for concern there might be. The app also lets you easily share these stats with your doctor so the next time you go they can look at the measurements you took at home. Of course, this is never supposed to replace an actual visit with a doctor but can offer excellent supplementary resources between appointments or if you have a condition you're looking to monitor.
Unistellar ODYSSEY Smart Telescopes
Price: Starting at $2499
Available now
Explore space in an almost professional capacity with this line of telescopes from Unisteellar. Whether there's a particular celestial event you're interested in or just want to explore what's out there, these telescopes will let you clearly see outer space phenomena like Jupiter's spots and stars millions of light years away. The telescope has built-in GPS that will determine where you are so the app can let you know what celestial bodies are available for viewing. The app can also help you by identifying what you're looking at, so you don't need to be an expert on astronomy or telescopes to get the most out of this technology. Best of all, it is powerful enough that you can successfully star gaze in the city, something the Unistellar team demonstrated by inviting the press to come look at the stars from the roof of a Vegas casino; no need to travel out past civilization to get the best view of the sky.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4
Price: $299.95
Available: February 29
Sennheiser is adding to its Momentum line with new earbuds that promise new levels of sound quality by supporting both already existing and new technologies to deliver lossless audio and features like one-to-many broadcasting. The charging case holds up to 30 hours of battery life, with each charge delivery 7.5 hours to the earbuds themselves, and, perhaps the coolest feature of all, the Momentum True Wireless 4 offers AI voice enhancement so the person an a call hears your voice clearly even with a lot of background noise. If you're looking for a premium yet affordable choice with some exciting new technology for your earbuds, this is the way to go.
Jabra Elite 8 Active
Price: $199.99
Available: 2024
Jabra's Active already excellent rugged earbuds are getting better and easier to use. With their new Elite 8 Active, you can now access a toggle to easily switch features off and on such as HearThrough, Active Noise Cancellation, voice prompts, and SideTone. This means you don't have to rely on the app or specific tapping motions to change these settings, instead you can just flipping a switch whenever you want to change something. Plus, the HearThrough feature has been buffed up to work even in windy conditions, an excellent boost for a sports-friendly earphone, letting you take it outside on a windy day or on any adventure that involves whipping through the air.
Ampere DuskRx
Price: $299
Available: Pre-order now, ships summer 2024
Prescription sunglasses can be a useful thing, but lack of customization can keep people from taking full advantage of the technology. Ampere has solved this by creating prescription sunglasses where you can fully adjust how much tint you want, from 4% tint to 66%. This allows you to not only adjust to your personal preference but also to your environments, like when those cloudy days are a bit too bright for comfort but too dark for typical sunglasses. You can choose to adjust them manually or automatically, giving you all the control you need. It accommodates most prescriptions, and you can choose from six styles to best suit your personal look.
Birdfy Hum Feeder
Price: $299.99
Available now
How many times have you heard someone shout: "Look, a hummingbird!" only to turn around and see that you've missed it? Birdfy Hum feeder offers all the attraction of a regular hummingbird feeder, but records its guests so you can watch the video at your leisure instead of turning around in your chair in hopes of catching a glimpse of the creature before it flits away. You can get to know the specific hummingbirds that come to your feeder as well as their habits so you might be able to better anticipate when they'll appear. A worthy investment in any bird lover's yard.
Motionpillow
Price: $699
Available now
Snoring can be disruptive not only for an individual, but for an entire household. Regular snoring can come with a host of health issues as well as a grumpy spouse or partner who also had to sacrifice their quality of sleep. Motionpillow aims to reduce snoring by using AI to identify your individual snoring sounds and patterns and then triggering a small airbag in your pillow to adjust your head to stop the snoring. You can track your sleep through their app, gaining insights and seeing the improvement to your sleep as you use the pillow. Sure, it's expensive for a place to rest your head, but worth it for your own health and your partner's sanity.
Satechi 3-in-1 Portable Charger
Price: $129.99
Available: Second quarter 2024
It can be hard to strike a balance with portable chargers between providing enough juice, offering multi-device charging, and fitting into your bag. Satechi seems to have hit the nail on the head with its new 3-in-1 portable charger, offering a folding model with charging stations for your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. Not only will this fit into your bag better than most other portable charging stations with these options, but it also offers fast charging for your Apple Watch, perfect for giving your wearable a boost when time is short.
ESR 6-in-1 Wireless Charger
Price: $179
Available now
ESR's new 6-in-1 fast wireless charger offers a feature the company calls "CryoBoost," which is designed to keep your iPhone from overheating during a fast charge. The charger has fan to keep your phone cool and ensure charging is happening at max speed, unhampered by too-high temps. This charger also has a spot for both your AirPods and Apple Watch, though those have a more traditional charging approach with no fan to keep them cool. Additionally, there are spots for three additional devices, including your Mac. For a really powerful power station that won't fry your iPhone, this is the way to go.
