The gadgets and gizmos we’re most excited about from the Consumer Electronics Show this year
CES is still the biggest consumer tech show in the world. Held in Las Vegas each January, it’s the place to see the latest gadgets and concepts which may – or may not – ever go on sale.
This year there were plenty of the expected TVs, but also the unexpected reveal of a new micro-LED transparent TV from Samsung. Health tech is booming, too, with Withings’ new BeamO giving us a glimpse of where things might go in future. You can count on LG to unveil some weird and wacky devices, and this year was no exception.
Without further ado, here are the products that caught our attention this year.Withings BeamO
Personal health tech is undoubtedly a new trend that’s set to grow hugely over the next few years. Withings is already the gold standard where smart scales are concerned and now the brand has packed the heart monitoring tech available in its priciest scale – plus more features – into a tiny, handheld device. That’s the BeamO, which features an ECG to record the rate and rhythm of the heart, a stethoscope for measuring lung health, a thermometer, and an oximeter to test blood oxygen levels.
It can take a full set of readings in around one minute. These measurements will then be uploaded to the Withings app, where users can track, analyse and share their health data. They’ll also be alerted to any odd or alarming readings.
The BeamO supports multiple users so, unlike a smart watch, it can be used by a whole family. It’s not as pricey as we might have expected either. It’ll cost $249.95/ £199.95 and is expected to launch in June this year.
the BeamO.LG Styler
LG’s Styler is a beautifully made piece of lifestyle tech. It’s an appliance that people want before they even know what it does.
When we reviewed an earlier iteration back in 2020, we found numerous uses for its de-creasing, refreshing and sanitising settings. But it still had limitations, including an inability to remove wrinkles from heavy cotton.
But the new model adds an inbuilt handheld steamer to its list of features, giving users more opportunities to avoid dragging out the ironing board. It also features a ventilation system and dehumidifier to protect the room the Styler stands in from muggy air and the clothes inside from damp.
There’s now an awareness of the amount of microplastics shed when clothes are washed, and the Styler provides a genuine alternative to washing clothes in a machine every time they need to be refreshed.Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand Pro
Content creators (professionals and amateurs alike) can now make videos without a crew much more easily with the help of Belkin’s new Auto-Tracking Stand Pro, which follows subjects around as they move. With support for DockKit, the new stand is allegedly silent, and has a full 360 degrees of pan and 90 degrees of tilt.
It works with iPhone 12 or higher (sorry Android fans), and can use both front and rear cameras. Once the phone is magnetised onto the stand, it pairs via NFC, and then with a click of a button works via both the standard camera app and others such as FaceTime, Instagram, TikTok and even Microsoft Teams, meaning it could be a good work tool.
The stand also features MagSafe, so you can charge your iPhone with 15W speeds when the product is plugged in. If you’re not near a socket, then the stand has five hours of battery life on a single charge. It’s certainly a clever little gadget, but at $179.99/£169.99 it doesn’t come cheap.
Pre-orders in the US will kick off at the end of January. LG OLED B4
The G4, M4 and T1 from LG’s 2024 TV range are the models grabbing the headlines but the humble B4 is our pick of the bunch. It could well be the best value OLED TV of the year.
We don’t know prices yet, but there’s no doubt it will be a cheaper alternative to its flagship siblings. Plus this year comes in a new 48in size which will be even more affordable still.
The B3 impressed us last year and the B4 has received a significant raft of upgrades starting with a new α8 processor. It also has four HDMI 2.1 ports supporting 4K at 120Hz, giving the set more gaming appeal as well as for TV and movies.
