The Shortcut CES Awards 2023: the best tech of the future
Here are the gadgets you'll be buying in 2023 and beyond, according to our reporting from CES 2023
I got a glimpse into the future of technology at CES 2023 – along with 115,000 others who attended the Las Vegas-based expo last weekend. Thanks to paid subscribers and people who use our affiliate links, my new teammates at The Shortcut were able to join me in person and remotely to evaluate the best tech we saw and tested.
We awarded 13 “gadgets of tomorrow” at the Consumer Electronics Show, giving out one physical trophy for each of the categories we created. The criteria are strict – each winner had to do something forward-thinking, like eliminate wires to common reduce frustrations (the LG M-Series TV says goodbye to HDMI) or add screens to a laptop to finally enhance on-to-go productivity (Lenovo YogaBook 9i seems like a fix).
In short, our inaugural The Shortcut CES Awards selected technology destined to make our lives simpler and more enjoyable. To make things more authentic, I handed out the trophies in person – I like to meet the people behind our favorite tech.
Here are our 13 winners who got this trophy at CES:
Best in Show: LG M3 OLED TV
Goodbye, HDMI. The massive 97-inch LG M3 OLED TV does away with wires – with the exception of the power cable that can be routed through the TV stand. According to The Shortcut’s Wes Davis, the LG M3 accomplishes this by putting the innards and ports in a box across the room – as far as 30 feet away – and beams the signal to the television.” So PS5 or Xbox Series X doesn’t have to live underneath your TV.
Maybe the coolest part of the CES demo was the fact that LG had hung four LG M3 OLEDs on top of water to show there are no A/V wires. It was like a magic trick, and we’d expect nothing less from our “Best in Show” winner.
Best Automotive: BMW i Vision Dee
What if you didn’t have to pick a car color? That’s the idea behind the BMW i Vision Dee, which combines the color-changing iX Flow E ink paint technology with the i Vision Circular concept we’ve seen before.
The Shortcut’s Gabe Carey got an extensive look at the BMW i Vision Dee dynamic body panel color adjustments that brought the concept a little closer to reality. It’s fitting the automaker put Herbie on the stage, as the rhythmic automatic paint jobs and blinking front grille could not have reminded me more of the little Love Bug.
Best AR/VR: Sony PlayStation VR 2
Sony’s PlayStation VR 2 headset renewed my hope for virtual reality. It looks and feels good, and the specs boast something not offered by some of Sony’s competitors: eye-tracking on a 4K display at a reasonable price point of only $549.
Stay tuned for my full Sony PSVR 2 review from The Shortcut next month, where I’ll have an in-depth look at how the first PSVR 2 games perform.
Best Mobile: Razer Edge 5G with Verizon
“This is the closest we’ve come to a portable Xbox, and that had me smiling at CES this year. The Razer Edge is a handheld gaming juggernaut powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chipset, enabling it to smoothly play every Android game and stream Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and other cloud games. I’m especially enamored by the possibilities of the Razer Edge 5G from Verizon, which will make this already portable gaming machine very portable with support for both Sub 6 and Verizon’s super-fast mmWave technology.” - Matt Swider
Best Smart Home and Networking: Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98
“If there’s a new WiFi standard, Asus is there with something that supports it as soon as can be, and while the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 isn’t quite the first WiFi 7 gaming router out into the world this time…it’s one of the fastest, and certainly the head-crabbiest.” - Wes Davis
Best Computing: Lenovo YogaBook 9i
“The new Lenovo YogaBook 9i is the dual-screen laptop that wants to be your multi-monitor workstation replacement. The two screens can be stacked on top of one another in landscape or aligned vertically and tipped on its side edge, using the included folio as a stand.” - Wes Davis
Best Gaming: Razer Blade 18
“Leading the pack is the new Razer Blade 18, which Razer claims to be the ultimate desktop replacement. This is an 18-inch gaming laptop that’ll be packed with the most powerful components on the market, along with a huge 18-inch display. The larger chassis also allows for an all-new cooling solution that allows the Razer Blade 18 to take full advantage of up to an RTX 4090.” - Jackie Thomas
Best Component: Intel 13th Gen Mobile Processor
“At CES 2023, Intel launched its 13th-generation mobile lineup, and rather than a staggered release, it has chips for every type of laptop on the market, along with some fresh desktop SKUs. The highlight, of course, is the new 13th-generation HX series, which will be behind the best gaming laptops of 2023.” - Jackie Thomas
Best TV: TCL QM8
“All of the companies had giant TVs to show off this year, but the TCL QM8 really impressed us with its gargantuan 98-inch size. This 4K QLED TV set is a 6-Series replacement that has more than 2,300 dimming zones and over 3,000 nits brightness, earning our pick for the best TV of CES 2023. The QM8 comes equipped with WiFi 6 – still a rarity on TV sets – and a built-in subwoofer.” - Wes Davis
Best Monitor: Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57-inch
“Samsung’s Odyssey monitors are seeing big upgrades this year, starting with the Odyssey Neo G9. The 57-inch version is an incredibly wide 32:9 monitor with a 7,680 x 2,160 resolution – essentially the top half of an 8K TV. It uses Mini LED backlighting, so I’d expect high contrast and good-to-great HDR performance, hopefully with minimal blooming.” - Jackie Thomas
Best Audio: Razer Leviathan V2 Pro Sound Bar
“The Razer Leviathan V2 Sound Bar takes what was already one of the best PC audio products and improves it with incredible motion-tracking technology that makes sure you’re in the middle of the action. Plus, with its stylish RGB lighting, it’ll make an excellent centerpiece for any PC gaming setup.” - Jackie Thomas
Best Wearable: TCL RayNeo X2
“The chunky TCL RayNeo X2 might make you look like a near-future Jeff Goldblum, but it may be worth it for all the tech they carry in their heft. Dual, high-contrast Micro LED displays with up to 1,000 nits brightness promise to offer a truly useful augmented reality experience without cramping your style (as long as that style is cheerfully quirky).” - Wes Davis
Best Concept: Samsung Next-Gen Foldable / Slidable Displays
“Samsung Display brought magic to CES 2023 with innovative displays that are destined to change the way we interact with screens. I was shown prototype smartphone and tablet OLED designs that wowed me, providing an inside glimpse into the future. The tri-fold display felt like it was one step ahead of my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, and tablets with several slide-out screens automatically expanded display real estate right before my eyes. The true standout is the Samsung Flex Hybrid OLED, which combines the benefits of foldable and slide-out technology into one device.” - Matt Swider