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Some people are just lucky, I guess.

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Thomas Ricker
Samsung CEO warns of higher phone, TV, and gadget costs.

The global shortage of memory chips is great news for Samsung’s semiconductor business, but bad news for its consumer electronics business. Co-CEO T M Roh speaking to Reuters:

“As this situation is unprecedented, no company is immune to its impact,” Roh said, adding that the crisis affects not only mobile phones but other consumer electronics, from TVs to home appliances. He did not rule out raising product prices, saying some impact was “inevitable.”

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Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Dreame made a $700 hair dryer that looks like a floor lamp — which it also is.

Wish you could dry your hair hands-free while sitting on the couch? That’s apparently the concept behind Dreame’s giant blow dryer, which also has LEDs to use it as an actual lamp.

It’s due out by the end of the year, but it wasn’t even plugged in at CES Unveiled. We’ll have to find another chance to try it on some luscious locks during the show.

1/3Photo: Kevin McShane / The Verge
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Sean Hollister
I regret to inform you that AI has come for the stick vac.

Perhaps the Fraction by Deglace truly is “the ultimate vacuum cleaner.” I’ve spent far too much time repairing and replacing plastic Dyson components; swappable modular batteries sound great! But it’s also got “Neural Predictive AI” that sounds a lot like trying to sell you proprietary replacement parts before they’re needed.

Everything about this image has me in stitches.
1/4Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
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Sean Hollister
I never fail to grin at Stern Pinball’s new pinball machines.

The Chicago company’s still keeping the dream alive, year after year, after year, and it’s a joy to see their playable art grace the halls of CES. No rumored Pokémon Pinball machine yet, but these pricy Walking Dead and Star Wars machines look great.

1/16Photo by Kevin McShane / The Verge
Meet the new tech laws of 2026

Coming into force this year: AI regulations galore, a teen social media lockdown, and “Taylor Swift” laws.

Adi Robertson
This robot companion is a cameraman for your petThis robot companion is a cameraman for your pet
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Dominic Preston
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John Higgins
Samsung brings back the Timeless Frame with its biggest Micro RGB TV at CES.

To counter last month’s announcement of more manageable Micro RGB sizes for 2026, Samsung went the other direction at CES. The 130-inch monster dominated First Look as soon as I entered. It’s likely just a statement piece, but if not, start checking your cushions for loose $100 bills.

The 130-inch Samsung Micro RGB TV with the Timeless Frame in a stone room.
The Timeless Frame is less of a TV frame and more of an artistic statement piece.
Image: Samsung
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Dominic Preston
Would you let AI cut your hair?

The Glyde smart hair clipper has an AI hair-cutting coach and automatic fade trimming so you can be your own barber, and you only have to wear this extremely normal looking face band for it to work.

As a man who already cuts his own hair: no one needs this.

Photo of a mannequin head being “shaved” by the Glyde smart hair trimmer
This band is how the Glyde knows where on your head it’s cutting.
Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge
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Dominic Preston
You call that a knife?

This is an ultrasonic knife. Seattle Ultrasonics’ C-200 uses piezoelectric ceramic crystals to vibrate over 30,000 times a second, helping it cut as if it’s sharper than it really is. I was skeptical, but I sliced through a tomato with almost no resistance at all — it felt like the knife was falling through.

Photo of the Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 knife slicing a tomato
Photo of the Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 knife on a chopping board
Photo of the Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 knife showing the button
Photo of the Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 knife with the battery removed
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The C-200 still needs sharpening, but less frequently than other knives — once every couple of years.
Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge
I just want to keep unfolding the Samsung Z TriFoldI just want to keep unfolding the Samsung Z TriFold
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Dominic Preston
The Robot Phone is real(ish).

I only got to see (and not touch) a prototype, and the fold-out gimbal camera wasn’t operational. So it’s strictly TBC what the Robot Phone will actually do, but Honor did tell me this is no concept: after the full launch at MWC next month it will go on sale — but only in China.

Photo of a prototype Honor Robot Phone at CES 2026, with the camera folded out
Photo of a prototype Honor Robot Phone at CES 2026, with the camera folded in.
Photo of a prototype Honor Robot Phone at CES 2026, with the camera folded out
Photo of a prototype Honor Robot Phone at CES 2026, seen from the side
Photo of a prototype Honor Robot Phone at CES 2026, at an angle with the camera folded in
Photo of a prototype Honor Robot Phone at CES 2026, with the camera folded out from the back
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The Robot Phone has a stabilized camera that folds out of the body.
Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge
Shut the fridge door!Shut the fridge door!
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
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Sean Hollister
‘Where Pills meet AI.’

Today in “cursed AI things we saw at CES 2026,” a Korean company called Welt has “AI Converged Pharmaceuticals” — sleeping pills with their own AI agent to recommend the “optimal time for your next pill.” The app claims it requires a doctor’s prescription, but they’re handing ‘em out like candy here!

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Sean Hollister
The Pebble Time Round is here at CES — on Eric’s wrist.

Eric Migicovsky, that is, the guy who founded Pebble and is currently rebooting his early smartwatches with even longer battery life. (Weeks, not days.) This one’s staying on Eric’s wrist, unfortunately, but I stabbed the buttons while it was there! I can confirm they do, indeed, click.

Looks like he’s a Goldeneye fan. Also pictured: the new Pebble Time 2 and the Index 01 microphone ring.
Looks like he’s a Goldeneye fan. Also pictured: the new Pebble Time 2 and the Index 01 microphone ring.
Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
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Andrew Liszewski
8BitDo teases a new mobile smartphone controller called the FlipPad.

The short teaser video shared through the company’s official X account is light on details, but the folding FlipPad will connect to iOS and Android smartphones through their USB-C port. There’s no analog thumbsticks, but it’s got a D-pad and a total of 12 face buttons. It’s expected to launch in the summer this year.

The 8BitDo FlipPad controller attached to a smartphone.
The FlipPad controller may lack Bluetooth and a rechargeable battery as it’s designed to connect to smartphones through their USB-C ports.
Screenshot: X
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Lutron adds smart wood blinds to its Caséta line.

The DIY blinds cost a flat $429 for any size up to 48 inches wide and 80 inches tall and are available in white or walnut. They join the company’s lower-cost smart shades and feature Natural Light Optimization that automatically tilts blinds throughout the day based on the sun’s position.

Caséta blinds integrate with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, and other platforms and are available now on Caséta’s website.

The Caséta blinds work with the popular Caséta line of smart lighting through Lutron’s bridge.
The Caséta blinds work with the popular Caséta line of smart lighting through Lutron’s bridge.
Image: Caséta
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Andrew Liszewski
Timekettle’s translators will soon be optimized for the languages you’re speaking.

In early 2026, the company’s handheld and earbud translators, including the W4, W4 Pro, and T1, will be getting a software upgrade introducing a new “SOTA Translation Engine Selector” that automatically chooses the optimal AI engine based on what two languages are being spoken. The upgrade should result in translations that sound more natural.

Two people sitting at a cafe table converse while wearing Timekettle’s translating earbuds.
Timekettle’s translating earbuds are designed to be shared with another user to bridge language gaps.
Image: Timekettle
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Andrew Liszewski
Baby FuFu is a cute, kid-safe fan that doesn’t have an appetite for little fingers.

Yukai Engineering has doubled the size of its drink-cooling Nékojita FuFu fan to create a version designed to safely cool kids. It’s expected to launch in mid-2026 for $50 to $60 and features a “slit plate” inside Baby FuFu’s mouth to prevent anything from making contact with its fan blades, including li’l fingies.

<em>An internal fan sucks in air from the the bottom of Baby FuFu and blows it out its mouth.</em>
<em>Baby FuFu’s hands and feet are designed to grab onto stroller handles to cool kids who are not yet old enough to hold it.</em>
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An internal fan sucks in air from the the bottom of Baby FuFu and blows it out its mouth.
Image: Yukai Engineering
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Terrence O'Brien
How the New York Times vets images before publishing them.

Unsurprisingly, considering President Trump’s tendency to post AI slop, the New York Times wasn’t exactly keen on publishing his supposed photo of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima without question. Ultimately, the paper couldn’t verify the image’s authenticity but decided to publish it in the context of his Truth Social post. The Times’ Director of Photography Meaghan Looram detailed their skepticism:

It looked odd: The photo was cropped to an unusual, vertical shape, suggesting that much of the content of the original image had been excluded, and the quality was low. One Times photo editor noted that it looked like a photo of a printout, or a photo of a screen. When run through the same A.I. detector, the image posted by Mr. Trump also left some uncertainty.

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