CES 2023 is now at a close, and CGM spent the bulk of last week charging the show floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center (and several other locations) to find the best of the best to share with you, our readers. We saw everything from blenders to flying cars, but separating the great from the gimmicks was our goal for CGMs Best of CES 2023 awards.
So, what makes the winners of the Best of CES 2023 awards great? We are looking for products that are feasible, not just a pipe dream someone hopes to see in the next twenty years. We are looking for a market for the product, something that people will want and actually find a use for. We are looking for companies and products that push their niches in new and exciting directions and keep the industry on its toes. Most importantly, we are looking for devices and products that we want in our homes and that we would recommend to you!
That being said, we decided we would not honour specific categories this year, like “best smart device” or “best laptop.” We pitted every item on the show floor against one another, big and small, so with our Best of CES 2023 winners, you are really getting the best of the best, not just the best in its category.
Here are CGMs Best of CES 2023 winners, in no particular order:
Lenovo YogaBook 9i Laptop
This may not be the first time we have seen a laptop with dual screens, but few have been as sleek and practical as Lenovo’s YogaBook 9i. This thin and light offering brings the benefits of a dual-monitor setup into a compact package you can carry with you wherever you go. With such a compact offering, it is no wonder it walks away with one of the coveted CGM Best of CES 2023 awards.
With the YogaBook 9i, you will get a 13″ OLED display on both sides of the laptop, so you can use it in a number of ways, regardless of whether you use it with the included accessories or not. A dual-screen laptop has been something I have been trying to find for years now, and it turns out it just needed years of R&D and new computing advancements to become a reality. From the minute I saw the Lenovo YogaBook 9i Laptop at CES 2023, I was excited to see just would be possible.
Aside from the latest Intel Core i7 processor, the YogaBook 9i features 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which should suffice for most users’ workloads in terms of power. It’s surprisingly compact at 12 inches wide and 3 pounds in weight, and with its teal look stands out from the sea of silvers and grays we typically see on notebooks of this type.
For many people, a dual-screen laptop isn’t necessary, and $2,100 for a computer is a lot of money. It may be surprising to see two OLEDs stacked on top of each other, but once you get past the initial shock, you’ll find a compelling value for those who are looking for the versatility of a multi-display laptop with the portability of a single-display.
ROG Zephyrus G14 Laptop (2023)
It is hard to deny just how striking the 2023 ROG Zephyrus G14 laptop is in person, especially with its AniMe Matrix on and in full force. This shockingly small laptop delivers powerful specs in a form factor that defies you to see just how powerful it can be. With so many great gaming laptops, it is hard to narrow down the pack, but the ROG Zephyrus G14 laptop takes home one of our Best of CES 2023 awards thanks to the style, power and advancements that keep it at the head of the portable gaming pack.
There’s more to this Zephyrus G14 than the display. This year, it’s upgraded to the latest Ryzen processor, and it’s switching to RTX 40-series graphics from NVIDIA. This year, we know that the device will support up to the monstrous RTX 4090 graphics card.
As far as the entire line is concerned, one of the biggest changes in 2023 is the addition of a mini-LED Nebula HDR display. This screen is capable of maintaining all those vibrant colours while at the same time maintaining the deepest blacks, making sure all those colours remain bright and vivid. This technology was reserved only for the powerful Strix models in the past, but now it has become accessible to even the smallest G14 laptops.
With some of the features that will be included in the G14, you can be sure you’ll be able to do all your work and play all your games without breaking your back when it launches in early 2023.
Razer Leviathan V2 Pro Soundbar
Sitting down in Razer’s suite the day before CES 2023 officially began, we were met with a beefy soundbar. The Leviathan V2 Pro soundbar sits just under your monitor, with a sub on the floor, and let me tell you, this thing can fill more than just your gaming room with sound. At less than 50% volume, the entire suite was drowned out by the device, and it sounds good.
Of course, Razer has never let us down with their sound, so a good soundbar was expected. The Leviathan V2 Pro comes in at $399.99, which is more than worth it for great quality audio. You’ll find RGB Chroma (of course), THX Spatial Audio, 98dB max sound pressure, five full-range drivers, and one firing-down subwoofer. Great, but expected things in audio devices.
Where the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro soundbar blows us away—and why it wins the Best of CES 2023 award—is its Beamforming technology with Head Tracking AI. What this means is that this soundbar is equipped with an AI tracking system and an infrared camera that locates the user and their positioning (no images are stored in the soundbar). In doing this, it projects beamforming surround-sound putting you in “the sweet spot,” making it feel like you have a full set of speakers all around you.
When switching this feature on and off at our appointment, it felt like there were speakers on either side of my head (and no, we weren’t using Project Carol). When you aren’t directly in front of the speakers, they still sound great, and there are lights to indicate when it is searching for your eyes to calibrate the sound.
This single device managed to create an entire surround sound system from just a desk. This is a truly innovative technology and one I am very excited to get my hands on, and that level of enthusiasm earns the Leviathan V2 Pro soundbar our Best of CES 2023 award.
Govee AI Gaming Sync Box Kit
Smart light sync boxes may not be all that new, but Govee is looking to do something different with its AI Gaming Sync Box Kit and that has won them our Best of CES 2023 award. Built for synchronizing your smart lighting to the action on your screen using the AI-powered HDMI gaming box, you will be able to experience automatic reaction lighting that changes in real time as you play your game.
The Gaming Sync Box Kit’s artificial intelligence is trained to handle specific video games like League of Legends, in which it recognizes what is happening on the field. In other words, if you get a Penta-kill, kill a boss, or destroy a tower, you will trigger a special lighting effect that is tailored to match the game’s colours and style.
With more people looking to stream, a device that ties this tightly to your game is a perfect companion, especially to bring an extra pop of colour to your room and gaming setup. Set to cost $300-$350 at launch, if Govee can keep up with AI training, this could be a mainstay for anyone who plays games competitively or wants to step up their setup.
JBL Tour Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds
The past year has seen a lot of fantastic wireless earbuds released, many delivering good sound and features, but with so many good ones, it takes something truly special to be considered great, especially at a show like CES. Fortunately, JBL, with their JBL Tour Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds, delivered something uniquely exciting and is walking away with a Best of CES 2023 award in the process.
A 1.45-inch LED touchscreen is located on the front of the JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds. While it may sound like a gimmick at first, this little touch screen gives you a new window into controlling your music and audio experience. Additionally, it has a number of other features that can be controlled through the app, such as glancing at the time, controlling active noise cancellation, checking the battery level of the earbuds, and so forth.
Believe it or not, this touchscreen can also make calls, read messages from a connected phone, and even give notifications about incoming calls. As you can see, it’s sort of like having a smartwatch, only it’s a charging case for your earbuds.
With ANC on, JBL says you can use the headphones for up to 8 hours, and without it, you can use the headphones for up to 10 hours. With ANC on, the charging case can provide 32 hours of usage and 40 hours with it off. There is little these new headphones don’t do, and they do it in a style only JBL can pull off.
As of now, there have been no pre-order opportunities announced for the buds. They will be launched sometime this spring for an MSRP of $250, and if the showing at CES 2023 is anything to go by, the case may be the next way people interact with their smartphones, at least if JBL has anything to say about it.
OMEN 45L Case
When walking into CES 2023, I did not expect to award a case from HP the Best of CES 2023, but here we go. The OMEN 45L Case is a shocking smart concept I am surprised more case makers have not jumped onto before this point: the radiator’s separation from the internal computer when using an AIO cooler.
This simple concept means you can build a computer and not worry about the internal components preventing the cooler from doing what it does best, keeping your CPU running at the best possible temperatures. If that were not enough, the OMEN 45L Case just looks clean and refined in a way I did not know I needed in my gaming setup.
While on the higher end of PC cases, this mid-tower offering brings all the bells and whistles you can hope for from a brand like OMEN, all in a look that screams premium PC. With more components pushing the limits on cooling in both the CPU and GPU fronts, innovations like this are what means PCs can keep improving, looking more unique, while still delivering solid results when you need them the most.
GeForce Now
PC gamers have always been an elite group of players, often with access to specs that console players can only dream of. Those specs come with a cost—often in the thousands—to build a PC that can run their favourite games at ultra settings. With GeForce Now from NVIDIA, gamers can take their PC games almost anywhere they want and announced at CES 2023, they can now do it with the power behind NVIDIA’s new RTX 4080 GPU.
There are currently over 1500 games available on GeForce Now, with new games announced every GFN Thursday. What this means is that you can take games you love and run them through one of NVIDIA’s many server locations, giving you access to GPU capabilities that many gamers can only dream of.
Right now, there are three memberships available, Free, giving use with time limits and a standard rig, Priority, lending you a priority, premium rig experience with 1080p resolution and 60 FPS, and Ultimate, which currently gives you access to a GeForce RTX 3080 (upgrading to RTX 4080 when available), exclusive access to the best servers, 8 hours or playtime at a time, up to 4K resolution and 120 FPS.
Now, these services come with a cost, but the top-tier membership costs $19.99 USD/month, and it lets you play some of your PC favourites like League of Legends, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt anywhere, even on the go. GeForce Now works with various handheld gaming systems, smart TVs, mobile devices and soon, even vehicles.
This is by far one of my top picks for a Best of CES 2023 award, as it’s not only turning almost any device into a beast of a gaming rig, but it is making quality, top-tier gaming more accessible for everyone. NVIDIA and GeForce Now are helping bridge the gap between console and PC gamers.
Trova Home Smart Safe
Trova is known for Bluetooth-powered smart safes. With their wireless connectivity and biometric scanning, only users that have paired to the device will be able to unlock it. Trova boxes are tightly sealed to prevent damage, reduce odour, protect the items inside, and are powered by USB-C.
Of course, safes and lockboxes have plenty of uses, but Trova has gone a step further with its new design, making it a perfect device for many adults. The Trova Home is a larger version of their standard boxes, but the company has taken something often overlooked into consideration. Protecting your valuables, or perhaps even prescription medications, is essential, especially if you have children. But what about other things you don’t want your kids to find?
The Trova Home was created with adult activities in mind. The size of the lockbox allows for multiple spicy toys to be locked away from nosy neighbours and curious kids. Trova goes one step further, however, taking toy power into consideration, placing two USB-C charging ports inside the box, so all your favourite toys will be at the ready and won’t need to be lying in the open to charge.
This innovative device steps outside the box, loud and proud, to fix a problem many adults have, but few have ever talked about. That kind of thinking lands the Trova Home a Best of CES 2023 award!
LG OLED Flex Monitor
Thousands of guests walked into the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at CES 2023 and were greeted by hundreds of stunning LG OLED curved screens. It was certainly a sight to behold, the crowd loved it, and LG certainly got us talking. The LG OLED Flex screens were all sitting at different angles, creating a stunning experience across the hall that you are sure to find on every attendee’s social media.
The LG OLED Flex allows you to use your monitor in flat screen mode while you’re watching a movie or in curved mode for the optimal immersive gaming experience. What makes the LG OLED Flex special is not only the ability to switch between flat screen and curved mode but the way that it does it.
There were several monitors on the show floor at CES this year that could be adjusted by hand, creating a loud cracking sound to let you know it is in place. A terrifying experience for anyone who loves their screen. LG manages to do it all with the press of a button. Using the remote, you can switch between 20 different curve levels, making your experience completely custom to your needs.
The LG OLED Flex was nominated for two CES Innovation awards and managed to snag the Best of Innovation in gaming award. Pairing its unique abilities with its .1ms response time, Super Anti Reflection and self-lit OLED pixels and the LG OLED Flex monitor wins a CGMs Best of CES 2023 award.
ASUS Swift Pro PG248QP
CES is the place to go to find the best and most exciting tech the industry has to offer, and this year ASUS did not disappoint with its ROG brand. With its 24.1-inch screen and 540 Hz refresh rate, the ASUS ROG Swift Pro PG248QP monitor has been designed specifically for pro gamers that demand the best.
With an overclocked display like this, you’ll get an eye-watering refresh rate of 540 Hz, putting it ahead of all its competitors. The ASUS Swift Pro PG248QP monitor is an option built to dominate in shooters such as CS:Go, Valorant, or Rainbow Six Siege, where a fast refresh rate and low latency make all the difference.
While most casual players will never be able to take advantage of what this monitor has to offer, for the pro players, this is a potential tool in their arsenal to earn that extra kill during a match. With this screen, you have not only an integrated NVIDIA G-Sync processor but also an NVIDIA Reflex Analyser, which allows you to check the latencies of your setup and optimize them for the best possible performance.
ASUS ROG continues to push the limits on desktop gaming, and with such record-breaking features that could lead to real victories, the ASUS Swift Pro PG248QP monitor stands as one of the best of CES 2023.
QUBE 500 PC Case
PC builders go to great lengths to create the ultimate custom-built rigs. Cooler Master is well aware, as they showed off with the Sneaker X and Shark X PCs this year, but what really caught our eye was their QUBE 500 PC case. Not only will builders get to customize the inside of their PC, but now they can customize the case itself—from the ground up.
The QUBE 500 PC case is a compact ATX chassis and comes in a box a quarter of the size a normal PC would, so right off the bat, we are doing good things for the environment. Interestingly, each piece comes disassembled, flat in the box with very few screws, so you can snap them all together, almost like LEGO. You really do get to build your PC! You can also move the inner pieces around to move your video card or cooler to fit your needs.
If the sheer innovation isn’t enough, the QUBE 500 PC case comes in at under $100, making it incredibly competitive compared to other cases. Different colours are available right out of the box, so when this PC case launches, you will have more customization options than you can dream of!
That’s a wrap for CGMs Best of CES 2023. Keep an eye out for our Most Innovative CES 2023 and CES 2023: Most Memorable awards, as there is plenty more to check out from the massive event!
