CES 2023

Android Police evaluates the top 8 of the largest technology fair in the world

Nature is healing. After two years of cancellations, virtual booths and discomfort amid the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, CES 2023 saw the world's biggest tech conference return to normal. Well, whatever counts as normal in the growing insanity of a tech show that takes over Las Vegas for a week, anyway. While bizarre devices like urine analysis sensors and literal cutting boards may have captured the spotlight alongside a wave of TVs and PCs, plenty of promising smartphones, Chromebooks, wearables and smart home devices have also been unveiled.

We've been combing the floors of Las Vegas to find the show's most exciting tech — which, you know, someone would actually spend money on — and we've put together a list of the best devices we've seen yet. They're not guaranteed to be the best gadgets of the year, but they're among the most exciting products we've seen unveiled at the year's first big tech show. CES 2023 is far from boring, and we think our list reflects that.

1. Samsung Galaxy A14 5G...Samsung unveiled a new smartphone at CES 2023, and while it may not be the most exciting new Android phone we'll see from the brand in the first few months of this year, it will likely be a top-selling device. A follow-up to the impressive Galaxy A13, the Samsung Galaxy A14 is a new addition for those who want a less expensive One UI device with genuinely outstanding specs considering the price.

The Galaxy A14 5G(image above) features a 6.5-inch Full HD+ LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate and runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset alongside 4GB of RAM and a 5,000mAh battery. There's a 50MP main camera, but on paper it looks similar to the high-end device's snapper, which didn't particularly impress us. That said, you'll be able to pick it all up for as little as $200, so it's likely to rank among the best budget phones of 2023.

2. Ring car camera...Ring is one of the preferred brands for high-end smart home security systems, but their newest product takes the same safe focus on the road. The Ring Car Cam is designed to provide your car with the same video and motion security protection as you use Ring products to keep an eye on your home. The camera sits on your dash, and two HD cameras with the company's NightVision detection built-in will monitor your vehicle's surroundings, as well as inside your car. If there is any suspicious activity, it will notify your smartphone the same way other Ring hardware does with your home.

It also doubles as a dash cam as more and more people need video evidence to prove what did and did not happen during an accident. You can even ask Alexa to start recording while you're not driving if you're pulled over by the police, a (sadly) important feature these days. If you've ever worried about your car, whether it's driving you or wherever you park it, this could be a great new gadget for you.

3. HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook...HP's new iteration of the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook proved to be one of the most exciting reveals at CES 2023. The biggest headline is the fact that this is a Chromebook that isn't gaming-focused but still has an RGB keyboard. This is interesting for when you want the keyboard to be backlit when you're typing late at night, but don't want the soft, bright white light that most laptops use.

Other highlights include the 12th generation Intel Core i5 processor with 16GB of RAM and the 14-inch 1,200-nit QHD touchscreen that should be bright and beautiful for all your Chromebook needs. We still don't know how much the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook will cost for 2023, but we hope to know that information soon.

4. Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid Wellness Edition...Fossil offers almost every type of smartwatch, and the new Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid Wellness Edition is designed for those who don't want a big, shiny screen on their wrist. Instead, it has a backlit e-ink display. There are actual mechanical hands that rotate to tell time, but in the middle is an electronic ink display that shares your latest stats.

Features include a heart rate tracker, blood oxygen monitoring, automatic exercise detection, Amazon Alexa support, and more. The big benefit is that the e-ink display means the watch will last for two weeks on a single charge, so you won't have to take it off your wrist every night.

5. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook, Gen 8... This $350 laptop might not look too amazing on the page – 12.2-inch touchscreen, 4-8GB RAM and Intel (formerly Celeron) N100 processor and N200 – but it's what the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i (Gen 8)'s larger screen in a similarly sized chassis is that's really important here. After years of virtually all compact Chromebooks using 11.6-inch screens with huge bezels on all sides, this Chromebook takes a step closer to redefining the “budget” Chromebook and moving it firmly into the FHD era.

With a 16:10 aspect ratio, this 1920 x 1200 pixel touchscreen features more than twice the pixels of its predecessor on a 16% larger screen, allowing for much better definition while at the same time providing brightness of up to 300 nits. Intel's improvements in the efficiency and performance of the N100 and N200 should allow the Flex 3i (Gen 8) to still get up to 12 hours of battery life despite the bigger, brighter display.

6. Motorola Think Phone...It's a new Motorola phone, but it's not a G series or Edge device. No, this is Lenovo's first attempt to use its trademark in the smartphone world. The Motorola ThinkPhone is an interesting device, albeit one with a controversial design that uses a carbon fiber backplate and features square edges. There's a red button on the side of the phone, reminiscent of the ThinkPad's iconic TrackPoint core, which also helps you chat with your colleagues right away via Microsoft Teams.

There's a 6.6-inch Full HD+ display, runs on the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and a 5,000mAh battery with 68W fast charging built-in. Another highlight of the ThinkPhone is set to be its “Think 2 Think” technology, which lets you connect to any ThinkPad device to share notes, files and more. We still don't know how much the ThinkPhone will cost and it is expected to arrive in the US in late 2023.

7. Lenovo smart paper...E-ink tablets are all the rage right now with new products competing with the original Remarkable tablet, and now Lenovo is joining them. Closely following the Kindle Scribe we saw from Amazon late last year, the Lenovo Smart Paper is coming this year, and it looks like a premium e-ink tablet, perfect for sketching or taking notes.

The 10.3-inch e-ink screen comes with the stylus included in the box on the side. That big screen means it's a giant when you're reading an ebook, but you'll probably like it when you're sketching an idea or handwritten notes. It's also slightly cheaper than the Kindle Scribe at $399, so it could be some interesting competition from Lenovo to Amazon's great new Kindle.

8. Nanoleaf Skylight...Ever wanted a skylight in your home where you can't physically have one? Nanoleaf may have the answer with its new smart lighting option. Although you cannot see the natural sky through the Nanoleaf Skylight, you can use it to give the effect of lighting coming from a part of the ceiling. There's a long wait for Nanoleaf Skylight, as it won't be released until July or August at the earliest.

The Nanoleaf Skylight was built to mimic natural light where you don't normally find it. It's designed to be placed on the ceiling and the modular squares let you create your own look. It features all the features we've come to expect from Nanoleaf products, such as over 16 million colors and music visualization.

Source: Android Police(www.androidpolice.com)