Mobile devices have long been a part of our modern lives, from the smartphones that are always in our hands to the smartwatches on our wrists to even the laptops that have become our reliable mobile work partners. Despite almost two decades since the iPhone paved the way for modern smartphones, these devices have mostly been seen as geeky products that are more obsessed with specs and features rather than the humans using them. Trends, however, have started to change, and the players in this industry have started paying closer attention to the value of design, almost to the point of making it the next buzzword. MWC 2023 is unsurprisingly filled with the latest mobile innovations and thought experiments, but it is also showcasing the growing design awareness among brands. This year, we’ve taken a tour of what’s up for show in Barcelona to bring you Yanko Design’s top picks for the Best Product Designs at MWC 2023.

ABLE Human Motion

We easily take our physical capabilities for granted until we suddenly see ourselves deprived of some of them. Some people, however, are not so lucky and might be born with some disability or encounter a tragic accident sometime in their lives. With today’s technologies, they shouldn’t have to be forever confined to a wheelchair or worse, and thankfully there are now many companies utilizing modern tools and techniques to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

Designer: ABLE Human Motion

ABLE Human Motion, for example, is dedicated to helping people with walking disabilities enjoy life to the fullest. We’ve seen exoskeletons designed to give well-bodied people more strength to lift or move stuff, but ABLE Human Motion’s exoskeletons are instead made to give people back what they might have lost. Best of all, you won’t feel embarrassed wearing something sleek and well-designed, especially if it makes you look like some armored superhero in the process.

Honor Magic Vs

It might still baffle people as much as awe them, but foldables are slowly but surely becoming more common in the market. Samsung still remains the most familiar brand in that niche market but was never the only one. Due to some rather colorful circumstances, however, Huawei’s foldable phones barely made it outside of China. Fortunately, its former subsidiary is helping bring its legacy to the global market, and it’s posing a challenge to Samsung’s dominance.

Designer: Honor

The Honor Magic Vs, an updated version of the brand’s first foldable, carries a mix of specs and features that definitely stir things up a bit. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold, there is no gap when the phone is folded shut, a trait that is becoming more common among non-Samsung foldables. Its external display is interestingly curved at one edge only, making it visually distinct from other horizontal foldables. It isn’t perfect, of course, but another player in the market creates variety and good competition that will only help foldables grow.

HTC Vive XR Elite

Meta seems to be playing with fire when it comes to its metaverse vision and even its Quest line of VR hardware. It might have the luxury of playing around, but HTC is all-in on the extended reality or XR industry, whatever buzzword you might call it. On the heels of the Meta Quest Pro, HTC unveiled its own standalone Vive XR Elite headset, offering a design that seems to take us closer to that ideal minimalist eyewear painted by science fiction and Hollywood.

Designer: HTC Vive

As the product’s name suggests, the HTC Vive XR Elite takes the headset beyond just virtual reality, sprinkling a bit of augmented reality into the mix. Its more impressive feat, however, is being able to cram even better hardware inside a more compact design that makes you feel like you’re wearing large glasses rather than ski goggles. It’s still far ways off from sleek Tony Stark shades, but it represents a significant step forward in a market that has seemingly stagnated of late.

Huawei Watch Buds

The popularity of wireless earbuds only confirmed what we had known all along, that most humans have become terrible at remembering even the simplest things. Now people are likely to lose one of two buds, forget the charging case at home, or forget to charge the buds before going out. These accessories aren’t smart enough yet to remind you of all those things, so one stopgap measure it make sure they’re always with you all the time, always charged, and ready to go when you need them.[/caption]

Designer: Huawei

The new Nokia 5710 XpressAudio solves that by turning the phone into the buds’ charging case, but obviously, that can’t happen with our very thin smartphones. Huawei’s solution is to put the buds inside a smartwatch instead, creating a locket-like cover that reveals teeny earbuds charging inside. Sure, the design makes plenty of compromises, and it looks almost comical to a certain degree. It’s hard to deny, however, that the novelty certainly has appeal, especially if you’re the type to fancy yourself as a secret agent with spy tools hidden inside their timepiece.

Huawei Watch GT Cyber

Although many decry how smartwatches present fake luxury, there are definitely benefits in having the ability to change a watch face to fit your style or even your changing mood. That’s only true for the display, though, since you’re practically stuck with whatever watch body you purchased. At most, you can swap out straps for other colors or materials, but the chassis for the watch itself remains unchanged.

Designer: Huawei

The Huawei Watch GT Cyber tries to change the status quo by letting you swap out cases as well. Granted, the available cases all look more like stylish tanks, but the idea itself is probably something worth exploring. It does require a healthy ecosystem of case makers to meet the varied tastes of consumers; otherwise, it remains a design experiment with no future in sight.

Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 (woven Flax Cover)

Unless you’re going for a gaming heavyweight, chances are you’d want a laptop that’s sleek and stylish, almost like a luxury item you’d want everyone to drool over while you work in public. Plenty of laptops do fit that bill with their brushed metal or shiny covers, but nothing grabs the attention better than something that’s not common fare as far as laptops go. That “wow” factor is definitely what the new ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 is going for, particularly with its brown, fabric-like cover that’s sure to turn eyes and heads around you.

Designer: Lenovo

This material, however, isn’t just eye-catching. Made from 100% agricultural product harvested from Flax plant fibers, this woven Flax material increases the new laptop’s sustainability prospect while also making it stand out with its unique elegance. This material is bonded to the top cover, which itself is made from 75% recycled aluminum. Thankfully, the ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 isn’t just a pretty face, either, and it possesses the best that Lenovo has to offer for businesses and consumers alike.

ThinkPhone by Motorola

Motorola is one of the oldest names in the mobile phone market, predating even the smartphones that now rule the land, but now it is also under the ownership of yet another giant that has the lion’s share of the PC market. Given its history and pedigree, it was really only a matter of time before these two worlds collided in a very particular way, so the arrival of a ThinkPad-branded Motorola phone was both surprising but also long overdue.

Designer: Lenovo

Unlike a typical smartphone, even those made by Motorola, the ThinkPhone wants to make its association with the popular laptop brand obvious. From the iconic branding to the diagonal patterns running across its back, this phone wants to stand out visually among the rest of the crowd as something meant for serious business. It also has plenty of integration features with Lenovo’s ThinkPads, so its intention to be a mobile partner to those laptops is also unambiguous and clear.

Nokia G22

Today’s smartphones are beautiful and powerful pieces of technology, but all that becomes pointless when the battery dies out, or the screen gets cracked beyond use. Repairing phones is expensive and difficult, but it doesn’t exactly have to be that way; just that the current mobile industry has been set up that way. There are few champions of longer-lasting and easier-to-repair phones, and HMD Global just joined that club with the new Nokia G22.

Designer: HMD Global

Unlike the excruciatingly tedious and nerve-racking processes you’d see in teardown videos, it only takes a guitar pick and a screwdriver to open up this phone. Five minutes is all you need to pull out the battery and 20 minutes to replace a broken screen. It’s not exactly a trivial process, at least not yet, but it’s exponentially better than what we have as “standard” today. Hopefully, this trend will catch on so that we can have beautiful phones that last for years, no matter how many times you accidentally drop them.

Nothing Phone (1)

The phone (1) gets an honorary mention here for doing what no other phone company has managed to do with their debut product… make a big, industry-wide splash. While industry giants merely dismissed the Nothing phone (1)’s Glyph Interface as just a gimmick, it was surprising to see companies like OnePlus, Realme, and Unihertz copying the lighting feature on their own phones, announced at MWC this week. Major win for Nothing and its founder, Carl.

Designer: Nothing

The phone (1) is just the beginning for this new fledgling brand, and it gets the award for its impact, but also for holding its title of being the Flagship killer. Available now at just $299, the phone (1) is an absolute steal, with its drop-dead gorgeous design, more-than-average chipset, and impressive battery-life upgrade thanks to the new NothingOS 1.5 update. Of course, the transparent back and Glyph Interface still have our thumbs up, and we can’t wait to see what future devices will look like.

OnePlus 11 Concept

OnePlus’s claim to fame was that it Never Settled for mediocrity, trying to push the limits of what a smartphone can deliver without pumping the price up too much. Although it couldn’t stem the tide of market prices forever, it continues to be the outlier among its peers. It’s also one of the few brands willing to make seemingly crazy and outlandish experiments that may or may not become a real product. After the disappearing camera act of the OnePlus Concept One, the company is setting its sights on something cooler, literally and figuratively.

Designer: OnePlus

In a nutshell, the OnePlus 11 Concept’s Active CryoFlux is like PC liquid cooling for phones used to create a stunning visual effect. The concept phone’s clear back becomes something like a light show as the icy blue cooling liquid flows through pipes and around the circular camera bump. It’s definitely quite the sight to behold, and OnePlus naturally makes big claims about its effectiveness in keeping a phone cool, allowing it to maintain good frame rates longer. If it does become a retail model, it will definitely appeal to mobile gamers that might want something a bit different from the usual RGB designs.

OPPO Find N2 Flip

Although book-type horizontal foldable phones are definitely jaw-dropping the first time you see them, even Samsung admits that the clamshell-type foldables are more popular and approachable. Whether it’s because of their more familiar form or because of their more accessible price tag, the likes of the Galaxy Z Flip are expected to make up the majority of sales in this category. Ironically, there are even fewer players on this court, which makes OPPO’s belated challenger also more significant.

Designer: OPPO

Like its horizontal sibling, the OPPO Find N2 Flip pushes the envelope with what you can do with this kind of foldable. It offers a larger external screen and a more competitive set of cameras, packed together with flagship-level hardware and a nearly crease-less display. There are a few kinks here, and some missed opportunities there, but for a first attempt, it’s definitely a laudable move forward for the entire market segment.

OPPO Air Glasses 2

The high-profile failure of the Google Glass made many companies a bit warier of turning regular specs into AR-equipped devices, but that dream never really died. The industry now seems to be better prepared for this kind of wearable, and some are setting expectations right. It’s not going to be the hi-tech secret agent device of fiction, but the OPPO Air Glass 2 definitely takes the cake for being one of the most discreet smart eyewear around.

Designer: OPPO

Lightweight and sleek, the OPPO Air Glass 2 focuses (no pun intended) on a set of features that is more relatable rather than fancy, including real-time translation and captioning, navigation, and, of course, some messaging. The display seems like it’s embedded in the lens itself, but you can actually change it to use corrective lenses for those with eyesight problems. It’s admittedly less sensational than other AR glasses, but it is ultimately more practical and more approachable for regular consumers.

Qualcomm Snapdragon AR and XR Platforms

Although the rhetoric around the metaverse seems to have died down a bit, companies are still pushing the envelope in making the technologies empowering it more accessible. That means more headsets and glasses that try to deliver an extended reality experience without weighing us down or making us look laughable in public. There are quite a number of devices now that offer these capabilities without tying you down to a stationary desktop or laptop, and many of these standalone VR, AR, or XR wearables are unsurprisingly powered by Qualcomm’s processors.

Designer: Qualcomm

Qualcomm is the world’s leading silicon maker for mobile devices, but the large Snapdragon family doesn’t just cover smartphones, tablets, or even laptops. It also powers wearables, from smartwatches to this new generation of headsets and eyewear that carry their own computing power inside of them. As these devices get sleeker and more fashionable, it won’t be surprising to see Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR and XR dominating this market as well, powering the gear that will make the metaverse, or whatever its name will be, our next real universe.

realme 10 Pro Coca-Cola Edition

Smartphones are no longer just hi-tech tools to make our lives easier, they have also become tools for self-expression. People slap on stickers, skins, and cases not just for protection but also for show, displaying their favorite colors, characters, brands, and much more. Some smartphone makers have tried to tap into this trend, and realme just one-upped everyone else with a partnership you never saw coming.

Designer: realme

You can definitely try to force some associations between smartphones and the world’s most popular beverage, but the realme 10 Pro Coca-Cola Edition is definitely special even without that. The mere fact that it’s weird and quirky speaks to the youthful and energetic vibe that both brands are aiming for. The phone itself is actually well-designed, and the attention to detail extends even to the smallest thing, like a SIM tray ejector in the shape of a bottle cap. It doesn’t hurt that the hardware is quite competitive as well, so die-hard Coca-Cola fans won’t feel left behind if they get their hands on this limited edition collector’s item.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Series

There are definitely many people that dislike how it diverges from the “vanilla” Android experience, but there’s no denying that Samsung is pretty much the leader of the Android market across many tiers. That doesn’t mean they always put out a winning flagship, like the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, but they do have notable designs every so often. Although the Galaxy S23 series offers upgrades across the board, it looks almost similar to its 2022 predecessor, which is actually part of what makes it great.

Designer: Samsung

Rather than coming out with something different for the sake of being different, Samsung seems to have settled down on a more familiar and more stable design language that will become its DNA, at least in 2022 and 2023. This strategy has made the iPhones easily identifiable, even if you miss the telltale logo on the back. Additionally, the Galaxy S23 is a refreshing dose of minimalism at a time when smartphone camera bumps have become obnoxiously big. Hopefully, Samsung will stick to this classic look, even for just one more round.

Tecno Phantom V Fold

You know that foldable phones have made it big when even brands you might have never heard of start launching one. Tecno is a relatively younger and smaller player in the global scene, but it’s making a leap of faith by launching its first-ever foldable phone internationally from the get-go. The formula for horizontal foldables hasn’t exactly changed in the past four years, so it’s interesting to see newcomers that can bring fresh ideas to the table.

Designer: Tecno

The Tecno Phantom V Fold’s defining feature is pretty much its camera design, something you won’t see on any of its kind. The constrained spaces of foldable phones have pretty much limited where you could place components like camera sensors, so it is quite surprising that Tecno managed a feat that bigger brands have failed to accomplish. Whether that will be enough for it to grab sales, only time will tell, but it has definitely raised the bar for future foldables.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Although we interact with our phone’s screens nearly 100% of the time, it’s really their backs that give them their character. Some manufacturers have taken that to heart perhaps a bit too much, creating camera and back designs that are truly eye-catching, though not always in a good way. Less sensational and simpler designs can sometimes be more memorable, and the new Xiaomi 13 Pro tries to walk the fine line between the two extremes with a unique yet minimalist design.

Designer: Xiaomi

The phone’s camera bump is admittedly big, but it tries to create the illusion of a smaller size by visually dividing it into three parts. That also has the effect of emphasizing each camera’s unique strength, especially because of their association with Leica. The back cover is also made from “medical-grade bio-ceramic material,” and while you won’t be able to see the difference, your hand will appreciate the softer touch. Of course, the Xiaomi 13 Pro also has premium specs, so you’d be getting your money’s worth both in looks and in performance.

Xiaomi AR Glass Discovery Edition

It seems that one of the most numerous mobile devices at this year’s event is smart eyewear. From full-on headsets like the HTC Vive XR Elite to more discreet glasses like the OPPO Air Glass 2, there is no shortage of wearables that offer all kinds of mixed reality experiences. This market segment is starting to get crowded, to Xiaomi is quickly making its presence known with an AR headset that could be one of the lightest of its kind.

Designer: Xiaomi

The Xiaomi AR Glass Discovery Edition might be a mouthful, but it practically encases the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 inside a magnesium-titanium alloy and carbon fiber frame. That’s the same powerful processor that runs in the bulkier Meta Quest Pro but in a lighter body that only looks like oversized sunglasses. It still has to make room for hardware, of course, especially since it functions standalone without connecting to a computer. It’s still lighter than most AR and VR headsets but promises nearly the same capabilities without burdening your head too much.

ZTE nubia Pad 3D

3D is becoming more than just something you see in movies or games. With the advent of mixed reality technologies and experiences, the role that 3D objects play has become a little more significant. Most people presume that enjoying 3D content would require wearing a headset or at least some special glasses like those you’d use in cinemas. There are now some TVs and even a few laptops that will let you see “real” 3D content without having to wear those glasses, but ZTE is presenting something that is more portable and potentially more usable by everyone.

Designer: ZTE

The nubia Pad 3D is perhaps the first tablet of its kind to enable viewing stereoscopic 3D content without any eyewear. It leverages Leia’s technology and ecosystem to power its features, not just for viewing 3D content but also transforming plain 2D content, like streamed videos, into something you view in 3D. The large 12.4-inch slate has dual cameras front and back to also allow users to become creators as well, generating 3D visuals from real-world objects or even their faces.

The post Best of MWC 2023: Mobile Gets Design-Conscious first appeared on Yanko Design.

Starting the year right often involves putting your best foot forward. For most people, that means making New Year’s resolutions that they hope won’t get broken after just a few weeks. For those playing in the consumer electronics arena, that translates to showing off their best products, designs, and ideas in Las Vegas. Unsurprisingly, CES 2023 is filled to the brim with devices, gadgets, and products across different industries and catering to people from different walks of life. Some are expected and even commonplace, while others look out of this world for better or worse. Whether it’s a shiny new gaming laptop, a health-tracking ring, or even a flying car, all of these designs are united in their mission to help improve our lives. Without further ado, here are Yanko Design’s Best of CES 2023 awardees, showcasing some of the best products designed to improve our quality of life here and now.

Acer Halo Swing Smart Speaker

Smart speakers have now become commonplace, and that market congestion has thankfully given birth to plenty of new designs. At first glance, the new Acer Halo Swing smart speaker seems almost old-school, sporting the same canister design of first-gen smart speakers, though a little bit boxier. Looks can be deceiving, however, and Acer’s smart speaker will pleasantly surprise you with some eclectic design choices that easily charm their way into your heart.

Designer: Acer

Right off the bat, the Acer Halo Swing comes with a transparent base that displays psychedelic colors once you start pumping out tunes. Beneath the black fabric exterior, you’ll also discover an LED dot matrix display that can show the time, weather, or other icons to spruce up the visual experience while listening or dancing to the music. In all honesty, these design elements would normally clash with each other, but the Acer Halo Swing smart speaker miraculously blends them together into a quirky and memorable product that adds a little flavor to your listening experience, whether indoors or even outdoors.

AeviceMD Wearable Stethoscope

We have plenty of wearable devices today that can measure and keep track of various aspects of our health, but almost all of them do so indirectly through our wrists or fingers. Compared to dedicated medical equipment, these smartwatches, smart fitness bands, and smart rings can really only make approximations, but they come with the benefit of having them always on your body, or at least most of the time. What if you could have one of those more accurate doctors’ tools available for your personal use all the time? That’s exactly the proposition that the AeviceMD is making, and it won’t be taking up room on your wrist to deliver it.

Designer: Aevice

The AeviceMD is nothing more than a small white disc that you stick to your chest, quite a far cry from the iconic stethoscope of medical practitioners. Despite that nondescript appearance, however, the device is able to measure not just your heart rate but also your respiratory rate, something that no smartwatch is able to do. It can also detect wheezing and coughing, which is critical for those with cardiopulmonary conditions. Of course, all the data it collects is still meant to be checked by a doctor, but the wearable device goes a long way in enabling 24/7 monitoring without having to see a doctor in person all the time.

Amazon Echo Show 15

Amazon has come a long way from the first-ever smart speaker that created a new market that still stands today. Although the Echo started as a modest and tall cylinder, the brand now encompasses a variety of devices, including those that aren’t just speakers anymore. Even the display-toting Echo Show now comes in a variety of sizes, and Amazon really went all out with the new Echo Show 15, which really takes the brand out of its comfort zone.

Designer: Amazon

Unlike the awkward first Amazon Echo Show devices that didn’t seem to know their proper place in your home, the Echo Show 15’s large 15.6-inch screen is clearly meant to be hung up on a wall. It is pretty much like an interactive picture frame or a wall display that acts as a portal to Amazon’s world. This is where the Echo Show’s UI really shines, inside a big, vibrant screen that displays all the necessary information that you need to see even from a distance. It can also be used for video calls, of course, though that might be a bit awkward, depending on where you’re hanging it. And, yes, it has native YouTube apps available for your large-screen viewing pleasure.

AMD Ryzen 7040 Laptop CPU

Rising like a phoenix, AMD has managed to recover its ground quickly and shake up the processor industry against an already rattled Intel. It has successfully gotten rid of the stigma of simply being a cheaper alternative and is now a force to reckon with. With its latest “Zen 4” architecture and Ryzen 7000 series, AMD is taking aim not just at gamers but also creators that need all the silicon they can get to produce astounding works of art and effective designs. And with its new “Phoenix Point” CPUs, it is taking that power and shoving it into this latest generation of laptops.

Designer: AMD

By introducing desktop-grade performance to laptops, AMD is opening the doors for more varied workflows, especially for creators still doing hybrid work. Although the CPU doesn’t exist nor work in isolation, the raw power that it offers gamers, designers, engineers, and broadcasters is no laughing matter, especially when there’s no discrete graphics card inside the laptop. With the introduction of a dedicated AI architecture in the Ryzen 7040 mobile CPU for upcoming laptops, AMD delivers the hardware resources required to boost the performance of new AI-powered experiences, from creative apps like Photoshop to real-time ray-tracing for games and videos. It’s also hard to ignore the appeal of more affordable laptops bearing AMD processors, especially when they’re just as or even more powerful than the competition.

Anker GaNPrime Technology

As we become more dependent on electronic devices like phones and laptops, so, too, have we become more beholden to the electricity that keeps these things running. Chargers and portable batteries have always been a big concern for consumers, not just because of their inconvenience but also because of their speed or lack thereof. Fast-charging tech in smartphones only works if you have fast chargers, and even then, it’s often something that a few brands and specific power bricks offer. Enter Anker’s GaNPrime technology, revolutionizing how charging works across a variety of products.

Designer: Anker

Utilizing Gallium Nitride or GaN, Anker’s latest line of chargers, power banks, and even power stations boast faster charging times, improved safety, and smaller packages. More efficient than the traditional silicon found inside charging hardware, GaNPrime is able to reduce the unavoidable energy loss incurred during this process. In addition to reducing downtime when you have to charge a device and reducing the physical size of the charging component, Anker GaNPrime Technology also helps save the environment by reducing carbon emissions through more efficient power use.

Aska eVTOL

We are living in a world where the idea of flying cars and their market-ready prototypes are already stirring the air at CES 2023. California-based visionary startup ASKA has brought A5, a fully functional eVTOL to the mega show in Las Vegas with a promised range of 250 miles when it finally hits the roads in 2026. Dubbed the “world’s first Drive and Fly,” the four-seater flying car wants to bridge the gap between land and sky commuting. The electric motor-powered flyer has large wings like a single-seater plane and six rotors that retract back in land-driving mode. For added range, the company has also fitted the flying car with a gasoline-powered engine.

Designer: Aska

The vehicle is crafted out of advanced metal materials in combination with a carbon fiber body for certified strength and safety rating. The company has incorporated in-wheel motor technology to operate with equal dexterity on the road and in the air. In particular, the drive mode hones dynamic handling capabilities with all-wheel-drive traction. ASKA has also announced the On-Demand ride service fueled by the fleet of multiple A5 vehicles that’ll change the complexion of transportation as we see it in the current era.

ASUS Spatial Vision 3D OLED Display

Whether it’s for games, movies, or the metaverse, 3D is becoming an expectation among many people. Both viewers and creators, however, often have to experience these seemingly realistic objects through literally tinted glasses or, worse, heavy headsets. It doesn’t have to be this way, especially if we can harness the power of technology to “hack” our eyes and fool our brains. That’s exactly what ASUS is bringing to the table with its Spatial Vision tech, giving creatives a new dimension to experiencing their work the way they were intended to be seen.

Designer: ASUS

It’s almost ironic how these 3D objects are created, tested, and refined in 2D space only, but such has been the status quo for decades. Thankfully, ASUS Spatial Vision applies modern technologies and sciences to monitor the viewer’s eyes and feed each one a different part of the image, creating a stereoscopic display that doesn’t require wearing specialized glasses or eyewear. By putting this innovation inside the new ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED and Vivobook Pro 16X 3D OLED, ASUS is empowering digital creatives to easily view their 3D work, be it models or games of visualizations for presentations, without the inconvenience of having to put on glasses and take them off again repeatedly. It creates a more seamless and non-disruptive workflow where you can switch from 2D to 3D at the push of a button.

ASUS ROG Azoth Keyboard

Gamers can be very particular about the peripherals they use, especially in competitive gaming, where the smallest detail could mean the difference between sweet victory and painful defeat. The variety of gaming keyboards, particularly mechanical ones, is almost overwhelming, and yet not all gamers will be satisfied with what’s available off the shelf. Gamers and heavy typists often try to pick and match parts to their liking, though that often ends up costing them more. ASUS’ Republic of Gamers wants to challenge that status quo with an affordable mechanical keyboard that they can customize to their hearts’ content.

Designer: ASUS Republic of Gamers

The ROG Azoth is a handsome mechanical gaming keyboard that could be a DIY hobbyist’s dream come true. If the switches aren’t to your liking, you can easily pull them out and switch them with something else, pun intended. In fact, ROG encourages you to do exactly that, providing a DIY kit that includes a lube for those switches. And once you’ve assembled your dream keyboard, the Azoth’s OLED display is the icing on top that adds both flair and functionality to your gaming sessions and work.

Bluetti AC300+B300 Modular Power Station

There has been a rise in the need for emergency power, and the traditional gasoline-chugging generators just don’t cut it anymore. Portable power stations, sometimes called portable solar generators, now offer a greener alternative that utilizes rechargeable batteries to deliver quiet and safe power, be it in an emergency or when camping outdoors. Just like with power banks, there’s almost no one size fits all and you’re often stuck with the size and capacity you bought. Not unless you invest in the Bluetti’s modular power station, the AC300, and its partner battery module, the B300.

Designer: Bluetti

Unlike your typical all-or-nothing power station, the AC300 itself is just the inverter part of the equation, providing 3000W of Pure Sine Wave AC power. What makes it notable and more flexible is that you can connect up to four 3,072Wh B300 battery modules for a whopping 12,288Wh of power. Of course, you can use only one, two, or three such modules, letting you and your circumstances decide how much power you need to bring rather than the product forcing you into a box. It also means that if one or the other module break, you can easily replace only that rather than throwing away the whole package, increasing the power station’s sustainable appeal.

BMW i Vision Dee Concept

If ever the iconic Pixar franchise Cars movie could be a real-life avatar, it would be the recently unveiled BMW i Vision Dee concept sedan at the CES 2023. The Dee means “Digital Emotional Experience” in the namesake and sets a new precedence in human-vehicle interaction. BMW has made it clear that the vehicle will not go beyond the conceptual stage, and some of the features exhibited will start trickling down to their future-forward vehicles in 2025. The car’s body is wrapped in 240 E-Ink panels, making it change color like a chameleon with 32 different color options at the driver’s disposal. Now is that cool or what?

Designer: BMW

The futuristic appeal doesn’t end there – i Vison Dee gets a nostalgic kidney grille capable of changing shape to mimic different facial expressions to express joy, astonishment, or visual approval. On the inside, the HUD expands to the entire windshield blurring the lines between real life and augmented reality for an AR driving experience. Of course, the three-box sedan can interact via voice commands to prompt the user to keep their eyes on the road. BMW wants the iVision Dee to be a companion with a sense of emotional intellect along with a lively character for a never before seen bond between man and machine.

Davinci Motor DC100 Electric Motorcycle

Davinci Motors has jumped on board the electric vehicle bandwagon with the DC100 electric motorcycle showcased at Booth 10163 in the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show 2023 in Las Vegas. The heavy-duty ride comes with a unique self-balancing mechanism courtesy of a number of assist features, including superior traction control and overall balance control. It is fitted with more than 1,000 smart chips and 200 advanced sensors to access road conditions, motor temperature, lean angle, movement status, and other dynamics for an easy, safe riding experience.

Designer: Davinci Motor

They deem it the “motorcycle of tomorrow,” giving the 1000cc combustion engine motorcycles a good run for their money. DC100 comes loaded with a 17.7 kWh battery pack delivering power to the electric motor. The bike can churn out 134 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque which is good enough for acceleration from 0-100 km/h in mere three seconds flat and a top speed of 200 km/h. Davinci Dynamics claims a range of 249 miles on a single full charge (achieved in just 30 minutes via DC fast charger), and we’re colored impressed already.

German Bionic Cray X exoskeleton

We’re beginning to see robots (not disembodied AI) starting to do the more menial and sometimes more dangerous jobs that humans used to do. It will take a long while, however, before they can really fully replace the precision, speed, and flexibility that humans have. Unfortunately, that means that humans will continue to be exposed to health risks and injuries in the workplace, especially in warehouses and industrial settings. Wearable exoskeletons are slowly inching their way into these industries, but few look as sleek and polished as German Bionic’s Cray X.

Designer: German Bionic

Rather than just metal bars sticking out of your back or clinging to your legs, the Cray X looks more like a robotic helper embracing you from behind. Providing protection and support for your lower back when lifting heavy objects, the fully-connected and powered exoskeleton augments human capabilities rather than supplanting them. Best of all, you won’t look ridiculous while wearing it, and it might even make you feel like a high-budget sci-fi show character with its aesthetic and appealing design.

Ixana Wi-R Wireless Technology

It seems that our world’s technologies are becoming more and more wireless each passing year, from wireless communication to wireless charging. Despite that, there are very hard limits to today’s tech resulting in slow data transfers, spatial restrictions, and interference. There’s also the inconvenience of simply pairing two devices together, as anyone who has ever handled Bluetooth products will attest to. Wouldn’t it be grand and almost dreamy if you could simply do all these with a simple touch? That’s the proposition that Ixana’s Wi-R tech is making, and it definitely sounds like it should be the future of wireless.

Designer: Ixana

It may sound like NFC’s “tap to pair” feature, but it is so much more than a one-off contact. Imagine immediately pairing with a headset or a smartwatch simply by touching it with your fingers or being able to stream music from your phone to your earbuds without using Bluetooth or even Wi-Fi. Ixana Wi-R uses your body as the conduit for such communication, which also means you’re unlikely to be leaking out data that others can snoop on as long as they’re within Bluetooth range.

Lenovo Project Chronos

Whether you subscribe to the concept and buzz of the metaverse, there’s no denying that virtual worlds and characters are becoming more common today. From virtual reality to games to even VTubers, many people have started taking on virtual personas to represent them in these artificial worlds. Most of the rhetoric around the metaverse and mixed reality, however, requires the use of headsets and controllers that limited mobility. More importantly, these tools only let you see the virtual world without really being able to control your avatar like you would your real body. Lenovo’s Project Chronos concept does away with the middleman and allows you to control your avatar’s moments and even its facial expressions more naturally.

Designer: Lenovo

Project Chronos is practically a box with a camera that you can connect to any TV or monitor at home. Rather than having to wear headsets and body sensors, the device uses depth cameras and intelligent algorithms to watch your body movement and facial expressions to map them to your virtual avatar. Although you do have to see that virtual world on a flat screen, it opens up other applications, such as live streaming with a virtual avatar, real-time fitness coaching, and even just socializing with other friends’ avatars, all from the comfort of your living room.

Lenovo Smart Paper

Even with the advent of computers and tablets, some experiences never truly died. In fact, they transformed and evolved, thanks to advancements in technology. Books have become digitized, and eBook readers like the Amazon Kindle have proliferated even today. In fact, these, too, have evolved to take on a new form and new capabilities. E Ink notebooks (not the laptop kind of notebook) are becoming more popular these days, and the Lenovo Smart Paper brings that technology to book lovers, students, workers, and everyone who is in need of a digital analogue to analog pen and paper.

Designer: Lenovo

Combining the best of both worlds with few of their drawbacks, the Lenovo Smart Paper brings an E Ink device that replaces dozens of paper notebooks with a sleek and minimalist device. Its companion pen requires no charging, just like a real pen, but also doesn’t require ink or changing nibs just to get different types of brushes. Comfortable to the eyes and convenient to carry around, the Smart Paper adds convenient features you wouldn’t even be able to experience on pen and paper, like the ability to record audio lectures and meetings and play it back the correct section just by selecting the text you wrote while recording that part.

Lenovo Tab Extreme

In no small part thanks to a certain fruit-named company, tablets have experienced a renaissance as more than just a media consumption device. That said, the Lenovo Tab Extreme’s large 14.5-inch 3K 120Hz OLED screen and eight 4-channel speakers definitely make that enjoyable, but it’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. With plenty of processing power, ports, and features, the Tab Extreme is not only Lenovo’s largest Android tablet to date, it is also its most powerful, enabling hybrid workflows and mobile workers today.

Designer: Lenovo

Beyond just the tablet itself, though, Lenovo is also bringing accessories and features that transform the Tab Extreme experience, depending on what you need. A magnetic stand supports both horizontal and vertical orientations, and a keyboard cover lets you lift the screen to a more ergonomic angle to let you work for hours comfortably. The tablet can even become a digital drawing pad or a second monitor, depending on which USB-C port you connect to. Power, portability, and flexibility is what the Lenovo Tab Extreme brings to the table and in your hands, empowering you to do what you need, wherever and whenever.

LG ARTCOOL Gallery Air Conditioner (2023)

People have become more appreciative of interior designs in recent years, especially after being stuck indoors for months on end. It’s no longer enough to just bring pretty furniture and decorations into the room; they also need to blend well together. That’s a bit more difficult when it comes to picking appliances that have their own design language and aesthetics, visual elements that can conflict with the rest of your room’s decor, no matter how elegant they might be. The LG ARTCOOL Gallery Air Conditioner solves that problem by masquerading as part of your decor, one that you can change according to your mood and tastes.

Designer: LG

The ARTCOOL Gallery definitely doesn’t look like an air conditioner and is more like a picture frame. In reality, it is actually both. A square, wall-mounted air conditioning unit has a large 27-inch LCD screen right in front of it, hiding a common house appliance behind beautiful art or family photos or even animated images to mesmerize your guests. Hiding in plain sight, this smart air conditioner, which can also function as a heater on cold days, offers a customizable and functional decoration for your home, something you’d wish were available for other home appliances as well.

LG Minimalist-Design Appliances

We see a lot of home appliances with sophisticated features and luxurious designs, especially here at CES 2023. Some even come with bespoke configurations, allowing the buyer to really integrate their refrigerators or washing machines into the rest of their house’s decor. That definitely bodes well for making homeowners more perceptive of the designs of their appliances, but it might also be overwhelming for others. Embracing the minimalist philosophy to the extreme, LG is launching a new line of unadorned, achromatic appliances that blend into their surroundings by becoming almost invisible. More importantly, however, his minimalist-design appliances also wholeheartedly embrace a sustainable mission to reduce their negative impact on the environment.

Designer: LG

By espousing simplicity, these LG appliances use fewer components and require fewer resources and energy to manufacture. Many parts are made from recyclable materials, and the appliances can be upgraded with new features through software, prolonging the life and usefulness of the appliance. With a simple design language and a sustainability focus, the LG Minimalist-Design Appliances bring an understated selection of home tools whose appearances belie their power, just like many minimalist designs you might have adorning your home.

LG XBOOM XL7S Party Speaker

Smart speakers are the rage these days, spurred by the success of products like the Amazon Echo, Apple AirPod, Sonos, and many more. While they come in many shapes and sizes, there seems to be an unspoken agreement that the standard design should be cylindrical or something similar. That might be fine for more portable designs, but it will definitely be lacking for those that need not only a bigger speaker but also a more eye-catching one. Whether you regularly hold parties or go busking often, the LG XBOOM XL7S speaker has you covered in a rather colorful and whimsical way.

Designer: LG

In addition to its larger soundstage, this “Party Speaker” also features pixel lighting on the front that can change its colors and intensity depending on the music, pretty much like an EQ visualizer. It goes well beyond that, though, offering a display that can be customized with emojis and text, anything to keep your guests and audiences captivated. The dust and waterproof speaker has a telescopic handle that helps you bring it anywhere you need to blast some music. While it’s targeted at college kids who love to party, anyone with a penchant for mixing music and visuals will definitely get a kick out of this quirky speaker.

Logitech G Cloud

The success of the Nintendo Switch ushered in a new age for handheld gaming devices, especially with many trying to recreate that magic formula for other platforms. The most natural candidate is, of course, Android, which has already been dabbling in this kind of market years before the Switch even came to be. Those pioneers might have unfortunately been far ahead of their time, and it’s only with the convergence of today’s hardware and software that Logitech is able to pull off a successful attempt like the G Cloud gaming handheld.

Designer: Logitech

Some might scoff at the idea of a dedicated Android handheld when there are plenty of smartphones to go around, but there is definitely a case for a device that boots directly into a gaming hub and is primarily used just for that, similar to consoles and, well, the Nintendo Switch. Fortunately, the Logitech G Cloud isn’t constrained to just Android games like those early devices. Thanks to cloud game streaming, which is probably where it takes its name, the device has access to a wider library of titles from different platforms. Too bad this is exactly when Google decided to pull the plug on its Stadia streaming service.

Microsoft Surface Studio 2+

The Microsoft Surface brand has definitely gone a long way from the game-changing detachable 2-in-1 tablet that finally broke the company’s string of bad luck when it comes to hardware. Although the name now covers a variety of products, including accessories, the Surface is still famed for its Pro tablet and its focus on creativity and productivity in whatever form. That mission is embodied in Microsoft’s surprisingly popular Surface Studio all-in-one PC, which takes a step and a half forward with the Surface Studio 2+.

Designer: Microsoft

Clearly designed for artists, designers, and all sorts of digital creatives, the Surface Studio’s reclining display has always been a work of both art and engineering. Its large, beautiful display is perfect not only for viewing videos and images but also for displaying accurate colors when working with digital assets. And with the Studio 2+, Microsoft finally gives the elegant desktop computer a much-deserved internal upgrade that delivers the processing and graphics power needed by its intended users.

Movano Evie Ring

Smartwatches have definitely gotten better, both in terms of battery life and especially in aesthetics. Some luxury brands have been able to successfully hide the techy nature of these gadgets, making them look like normal elegant timepieces. Not everyone is a fan of replacing their faithful companions, though, which is where smart rings come in. But like most gadgets, especially wearables, these devices seem to be designed primarily with a male audience in mind. Movano wants to change that status quo and is launching a beautiful smart ring that was made specifically for women.

Designer: Movano

Some will definitely argue about the dangers of associating designs with genders, and the Movano Evie’s elegant design will definitely appeal to all sexes and genders. That said, this smart health ring isn’t just made to appeal to women’s aesthetic tastes but also to provide them with features specific to their body’s needs. Period and ovulation tracking, menstrual symptom tracking, and the like are just some of the features that Evie offers right off the bat, offering women an all-in-one solution in a single wearable rather than having to look for yet another tracker in addition to a smartwatch.

MSI MEG Trident X2

Many gamers, especially PC gamers, love to flaunt their gear, which is why many gaming products come with almost outrageous designs and plenty of RGB lighting. It would be unfair, of course, to presume that all gamers’ tastes are the same, and there will always be those that prefer their computers to look a little less glamorous and a lot more stylish. Fortunately, there are a few such designs available, and the new MSI MEG Trident X2 definitely takes the crown when it comes to classy elegance.

Designer: MSI

Rather than the psychedelic affairs that most gaming desktops are, the MEG Trident X2 is more subdued and graceful in glossy black with LED highlights that contrast with that dark surface quite nicely. The tower still has an unusual geometry, sharp edges, and restrained lines that easily make it stand out from anything else you might have on your desk. Plus, it comes with a rather cool-looking HMI Dashboard that provides easy access to system information as well as important controls at a single touch.

Nanoleaf Sense+ Control

Even before smart home products became a thing, Internet-connect or phone-controlled lights were already making their way into people’s homes. Today, smart lighting is still the easiest way to get started with this whole smart home trend, considering how easy they are to install and use. But if manually switching your smart light on or off was still too tedious, Nanoleaf’s newest smart light switches will do it all for you hands-free, at least after it learns from your routines and habits.

Designer: Nanoleaf

The Nanoleaf Sense+ Control switches have motion and ambient light sensors, and with learning algorithms from Nala’s AI learning assistant, these switches will be able to give you the right kind of light when and where you need it without having to even ask. Of course, it actually has to learn from you first, and you can still manually control the lights with a literal flick of the switch, but having smart lighting control that is truly intelligent and truly automated could help make people’s lives more convenient and less mechanical.

Nebula Capsule 3 Laser Portable Projector

Many people have already cut the cord, but most haven’t cut ties with their TVs. Of course, cord-cutters still want to watch videos and play games on a large screen, but there are those who have taken the freedom to the extreme by getting rid of the huge panel as well. Home projectors have become a sort of compromise that lets homeowners clear their walls and shelves but still have the opportunity to enjoy a good old-fashioned movie night with the family when they want to. Portable projectors take that one step further, delivering entertainment you can carry around with you anywhere, which is exactly what Anker sub-brand Nebula wants you to do with its latest laser projector.

Designer: Nebula (Anker)

Despite coming in the size of a large soda can, the Nebula Capsule 3 Laser packs quite a punch for a portable projector. You might scoff at its 1080p output, but the fact that you can watch a full movie almost anywhere without having to plug it in definitely makes up for it. It also has a built-in 8W speaker, which can be enough if you’re not too picky. Its minimalist aesthetic is also a plus, freeing you to focus on the content it projects and not on the projector itself.

Neutrogena 3D Printed Skin Supplements

You can print almost anything these days, from car parts to sculptures to even food. Yes, 3D-printed food is actually a thing, odd as it might sound, but it hasn’t completely caught on yet because of the logistics and costs involved. Some might not even be able to make sense of what the technology can be used for, but Neutrogena has come up with a creative way to use 3D-printed gummies to make skincare a little personal.

Designer: Neutrogena

Neutrogena and Nourished teamed up to create a rather unique skin care program that will probably have you addicted to gummies, whether or not you realize they’re not made the traditional way. Customers will need to send photos of their cleaned skin and answer a few questions, after which they will receive a recommendation for the best skin supplement “stack” for them. These stacks come as rainbow-colored 3D printed vegan sugar-free gummies that are promised to be good for your skin while also being good for the planet.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

Computer graphics play a critical role in our civilization today, and not just in the entertainment that we consume daily. From the designs on websites to the presentations for architectural projects to even visual models of mathematical or scientific theories, the need to create graphics has never been greater. Of course, these digital assets don’t just pop out of thin air, and someone has to make them, and NVIDIA is giving creators one of the most powerful tools to add to their belts.

Designer: NVIDIA

The GeForce RTX 4090 for laptops isn’t just for gaming, though that definitely is its primary use case. The raw power it delivers, plus AI-enabled functions, also make it perfect for actually creating the content that goes into those games. And with a laptop variant of this desktop-grade graphics card, creators don’t have to feel forced to stay at their desks just to work on their latest masterpiece. With both hardware and software tools at their disposal, NVIDIA frees artists and designers from having to worry about technical requirements and just let their creativity fly.

Panasonic MultiShape Ultimate Special Edition

Personal grooming has always been a chore, no matter the gender. There are plenty of gadgets that try to make that easier or at least more convenient, but you often have to look for and buy each tool that does a single thing only. It can be a waste not only of money but also of precious resources, adding to the waste that is killing the planet. Panasonic’s award-winning MultiShape grooming kit solves the problem of space, money, and waste by having a single battery-powered based unit with interchangeable heads for trimming or shaving all kinds of hair as well as brushing your teeth. It’s the ultimate modular grooming kit that’s not only extremely portable but also more sustainable overall as well.

Designer: Panasonic

With its Ultimate Special Edition Kit, Panasonic has partnered with another environmentally-conscious brand, British style icon Molton Brown. The three travel-sized Bath & Shower Gels from the marque included in the kit are made from fine and rare ingredients produced in a carbon-neutral factory. The refillable bottles themselves are also made of 50% recycled PET in line with Molton Brown’s strong commitment to sustainability. With the Panasonic MultiShape Ultimate Special Edition Kit, not only will you look good, you’ll also feel good that you’re doing your small part to help keep our planet alive.

Samsung Bespoke 4-Door Flex with Family Hub+

The kitchen is probably the last place you’d expect to see a screen as large as a TV, but Samsung has been pushing the envelope of what you can expect inside the kitchen, from its smart ovens to the smart refrigerators it has dubbed Family Hubs. With the Bespoke 4-Door Flex with Family Hub+, Samsung has revealed its biggest fridge with the biggest screen yet, a whopping 32 inches. Not only does this display have enough room for your family photos, sticky notes, weather warnings, and the like, it’s even spacious enough for comfortable watching of videos while you cook or clean the kitchen.

Designer: Samsung

Of course, the 4-Door Flex isn’t smart just because of that. The large screen does serve as a convenient dashboard for checking all your SmartThings and Smart Home devices. It has all the benefits of other smart Bespoke refrigerators, including smarter cooling and energy efficiency. Suffice it to say, your kitchen might indeed become the family’s new hub with this fridge, and you might even be able to rope your kids into doing chores with it.

Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 Monitor

If you thought you knew widescreen monitors, you clearly haven’t seen the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9. Whether it’s a beauty or a monstrosity will depend on the eye of the beholder, but it’s hard to argue that it’s a head-turning design. With a 49-inch 1000R screen, the monitor offers the equivalent of two QHD 16:9 curved monitors side by side. If you wanted an extreme cinematic experience on your desk, this definitely fits the bill.

Designer: Samsung

It’s clearly made for gaming and enjoying video content, especially with quantum mini LED technology that delivers sharper contrasts and finer control over dimming zones. Content creators will also have a blast with how much space they have to work with, while the curved surface offers a more ergonomic view that conforms to how our eyes work naturally. You’ll definitely have to make room for this behemoth of a computer monitor, but you would be in the same boat anyway if you opted to buy two or more separate screens.

Sony PlayStation VR2

There has been plenty of talk about VR or mixed reality headsets lately, but most of these revolve around gear that either connects to a PC or can function on its own. They also come with more ambitious goals for spreading the good word about mixed reality and the metaverse, whether or not they actually succeed at it. There’s definitely plenty of room for some good old-fashioned and more direct VR gaming, and the Sony PlayStation 5 is finally getting the VR accessory that it deserves.

Designer: Sony

The PlayStation VR2, or simply PSVR2, is the VR system that Sony should have released years ago. It does away with cumbersome external beacons with the addition of inside-out tracking. The headset also has eye-tracking for foveated rendering, focusing only on where your eyes are actually looking at. Plus, the headset and its controllers finally mesh with the PS5’s design, making it look and feel like a system designed for Sony’s strongest console yet.

Sony Project Leonardo PS5 accessibility controller

Gaming is an activity that everyone can enjoy, but most video games and gaming hardware are unfortunately designed to cater only to a certain majority of able-bodied players. Some games include accessibility settings, but these become moot and academic if the input methods for playing them are inaccessible by design. That’s how game controllers are, unfortunately, which leaves many people with physical disabilities out in the cold. Following Xbox’s lead, Sony has revealed Project Leonardo, an accessibility controller kit that opens the gaming doors wide open for all people while also looking quite peculiar and interesting.

Designer: Sony

Unlike the Xbox Adaptive Controller board, Project Leonard takes on a circular form with buttons around its edges and a smaller circle sticking out on one side that can sit a joystick. Every part of the controller can be customized with different parts and buttons, and accompanying software on the PS5 console will allow mapping these to traditional controls. It also works with other accessibility devices, which is a good thing considering Sony is coming late to the game. Project Leonardo is still in development, but it has definitely kicked up interest and buzz, especially thanks to its rather quirky looks.

Skyted Sound-absorbing Open Air Mask

Face masks have gotten a bad rep for various reasons, but sanitation isn’t the only use for things that cover our mouths. One French startup has come across a rather novel way to turn this accessory from an annoyance into a necessity, especially to support the growing number of hybrid workers out in the open these days. Skyted turns the voice-muffling property of face masks into a strength, providing the privacy you need to take a voice call in public.

Designer: Skyted

The Skyted sound-absorbing open air mask uses the same technologies used to silence the noise of jet engines. Ten embedded resonators absorb 80% of voice vibration and prevent external noise from being picked up by the internal mic, ensuring that you get a clear line of communication, whether you’re in a plane, in an open workspace, or traveling the metaverse at home while everyone’s sleeping. And unlike conventional face masks, it actually allows the smooth flow of air in and out of the mask, resolving one of the biggest comfort problems people have with these accessories.

TCL RayNeo X2 AR Glasses

The dream of Iron Man-like AR glasses hasn’t really died, but the high-profile failure of early implementations, including Google Glass, has made both consumers and manufacturers more cautious of this field. That never stopped display and TV maker TCL from trying, resulting in AR glasses that were almost ready for primetime. At this year’s CES, the company is again presenting its latest innovation, this time with a different name that comes along with a new design.

Designer: TCL

The TCL RayNeo X2 not only ditches the NXTWEAR branding but also adopts a design that looks more like a regular pair of untinted specs. Despite the clear glass, each lens actually embeds micro-LED displays that put a floating screen before your eyes without occluding your vision. The glasses have their own processor inside, as well as mics and cameras for seeing the world around you, perhaps raising red flags again when it comes to privacy concerns. The thick frame and rim aren’t exactly appealing, but such is the way of early prototypes.

Withings U-Scan

We have plenty of devices on our bodies and in our homes that try to give us a clue about our health, like the smartwatches on our wrists and smart weighing scales that tell us to lay off on the chips. These, however, only show a few parts of our overall health, mostly because they only focus on select parts of our body. In reality, our bodies have plenty of stories to tell, especially from the fluids that our bodies produce, some of which make people feel awkward. Withings doesn’t have qualms about getting its hands dirty, however, and its newest smart device is boldly going where few devices dare to go.

Designer: Withings

U-Scan is a simple white circle that hangs inside your toilet bowl to serve as your at-home urinalysis device. This helps avoid all the discomfort and inconvenience of the typical procedure at a clinic or hospital. It can even help women with their monthly hormonal fluctuations, giving them recommended actions to take based on biomarker analysis, cycle phases, and past data. While it won’t replace professional medical checkups, just like smartwatches, the Withings U-Scan can provide early warning signs before you need to actually see a doctor.

The post The Best of CES 2023: The Future of Better Living Today first appeared on Yanko Design.

It’s almost too easy to produce things these days, with all the advancements in technology and manufacturing that we enjoy. 3D printing opened the doors even wider to people who wouldn’t have access to factory lines. That, however, doesn’t mean that product design has become easier, especially when talking about good product design. That still comes not through mass production but through thoughtful and creative processes. It’s admittedly easy to take product design for granted and even easier to simply equate it with “pretty things.” Form and function are two sides of the same coin, of course, and both have equal roles to play in good product design. And what better examples are there than the exquisite selection shown off at this year’s Maison & Objet, where we got the chance to pick out this year’s best-designed products for your home.

Aarke Water Purifier

Water is critical to human life, even more so clean drinking water. Not all water that goes into our homes, however, is safe to consume for humans and pets. There are plenty of ways to fix this, ranging from simple faucet filters to complex water tanks. Each has its own pros and cons, and there’s almost no solution that fits all, especially when it comes to tasteful design. Aarke’s new purifier is trying to change that by delivering a simple yet novel way to obtain drinking water in an elegant and sustainable carafe.

Designer: Aarke

Unlike your typical purifier in a pitcher, Aarke’s Purifier doesn’t use a plastic container that stains over time and becomes a bacteria magnet when not cleaned properly. The glass pitcher, along with the stainless steel filter, are not only durable but also dishwasher safe, allowing them to be easily and thoroughly cleaned for sanitation. Aside from the silicone bumpers that protect the glass carafe, almost everything about the Aarke Purifier is sustainable.

That is true even for the filters used to clean the water. Instead of a disposable plastic cartridge that you have to replace over and over again, Aarake’s system uses refillable granules that you simply put inside the stainless steel filter. Pure granules clean the water and enhance its taste, while Enhanced granules also add magnesium to turn it into alkaline water. All of these are packed in a stylish design that won’t look out of place among your fine glasses and silverware.

ALUVY Jean Barbecue Furniture

After being cooped up indoors for such long periods of time, it’s not surprising that outdoor activities like camping and barbecues have started trending this past year or so. Some have even evolved to a new level, like the oh-so-convenient glamping. Barbecues are also becoming more convenient and easier to do, but their designs haven’t exactly changed that drastically. ALUVY is challenging those conventions with a set of barbecue products designed to appeal to everyone, not just the males of the species.

Designer: ALUVY

Make no mistake, there are plenty of good-looking barbecues around, but almost all of them share a common ancestral DNA. It’s hard to deny they are meant to weather the great outdoors, exuding industrial and functional personalities more than anything else. In contrast, the ALUVY Jean is charming and colorful, almost as if you took a part of your indoor kitchen outside.

Jean is actually a companion to the gas barbecue Lulu or the charcoal barbecue Marcel. All three can have matching colors and look like part of a set with grid-like patterns on their exteriors. Jean functions as spacious storage for all your barbecue equipment, as well as a table to prepare your ingredients. Just because you’re cooking outdoors doesn’t mean you have to stop showing off your bold and colorful furniture.

Atmosfera Boomerang Interactive Furniture

Most of the furniture we buy already has a fixed design, including the flat-packed DIY ones you can get from the likes of IKEA. Even modular furniture still has to stick to a basic form if only to ensure that it can at least offer some basic functionality. It is possible, of course, to have something like LEGO blocks to build your own furniture, but that would also limit you to certain blocky forms. Atmosfera went back to the drawing board and took to nature to find the most basic and most usable building block for furniture, and the answer it got back was a boomerang.

Designer: Atmosfera

Imagine over a dozen boomerang-shaped pieces of wood stacked together in different ways to create different forms. What you get is a system where you can build different furniture depending on the combination or which hole you use to connect the parts together. It doesn’t have to be a fixed thing either, and you can change a composition the moment your circumstances change as well. One day, you might need a low table, but half a year later, you might want to turn that into a chain instead.

Unlike simple blocks, you end up with furniture that flaunts gorgeous and natural curves that are pleasing to look at. The unique arrangement of interlacing boomerangs also produces interesting visual patterns that almost hypnotize you if you look long enough. In addition to making a visual statement, the use of 100% recyclable wood also makes a sustainability statement that tries to challenge the conventions of standard furniture-making.

Evavaara Design sshhh 1 Phone Booth

Phone booths have been around for decades, but the rise of mobile phones and, later, smartphones have almost made them obsolete. Those very same devices, however, are also making the concepts of private space almost obsolete, whether outdoors or even indoors. When you need to take a call, whether personal or business, you often just do it right then and there, regardless of the people around you. In the future, that may no longer be the case if specialized “phone booths” like this from Evavaara Design become ubiquitous.

Designer: Antti Evavaara (Evavaara Design)

Rather than going inside a box to use a public phone, the “sshhh” is more like a soundproof booth where you can use your own phone or tablet privately. The box is designed to be comfortable, safe, and transportable, creating a space for one or two people to use their gadgets, be it a phone or laptop, in peace. It offers an oasis of privacy when you need to take a personal call or have an impromptu work meeting that should be nobody else’s business.

Gingko Velvet Accordion Lamp

Who said lamps need to come in traditional shapes or sizes? There has recently been an explosion in unusual and creative designs that literally bring light and awe to spaces, both indoor and outdoor. Most of these lamps, however, tend to stay in the same form they were made in, which isn’t exactly a bad thing. For those who want some literal and figurative flexibility, Gingko’s Velvet Accordion Lamp might be a better choice.

Designer: Ginko

Inspired by the musical instrument of the same name, this lamp’s flexible yet durable Tyvek paper covering can curve and bend to your heart’s content and aesthetic tastes. Lay it horizontally flat on a surface as a traditional table lamp, or stand it on both ends to create an arching display. Hanging it loosely like a traditional Chinese lantern, or make both ends meet to form a circular lamp. And, of course, it can fold flat as well, making it easy to slip inside a suitcase to carry with you on your travels. Delightful and beautiful, the Velvet Accordion Lamp puts a playful twist on how lamps should be.

O-LYFE SCREW Corkscrew

It’s almost too easy to take for granted how mundane objects can suddenly become precious items with a little touch of class. A tea set can become an heirloom, and cutlery can become collector’s items. A corkscrew always stays hidden in a drawer until it’s time to be used. O-LYFE SCREW, however, is something that can stand on its own, quite literally even, and it’s something you’ll want to always be on display, even when you have no intention of opening a bottle of wine.

Designer: O-LYFE

The bespoke, hand-finished corkscrew is quite stunning in its alien-like form, like an otherworldly jellyfish draping its limbs over an elegantly twirling tentacle in the middle. It’s not all just looks, though, and every part of the tool is designed not only to be beautiful but also functional. Those three legs, for example, give a better grip, and the scalloped head design also makes it easier to twist. It’s a rather tasteful example of form and function blending so well together that you almost can’t see where one stops, and the other begins.

Orbitkey Nest Desk Organizer

We have come to depend on so many gadgets and accessories in our lives in addition to the other stuff we usually have scattered around our desks. There are tons of desk accessories out there that offer plenty of compartments, but those can get pretty inconvenient, too, especially when it comes to actually taking out items from them. Orbitkey’s Nest is going the extra mile to make a difference, and it has a few tricks up its sleeves to make that happen.

Designer: Orbitkey

Nest is a home (get it?) for your everyday tools and accessories, but rather than just being a tenant, it makes you the landlord. Customizable dividers let you split up the space the way you need rather than being confined to what was designed beforehand. A dual-function hinge lets you easily remove the top lid, which also has inside pockets for cards and flat items. That lid also functions as a wireless charging mat, so you aren’t losing functionality even when the Nest is closed. Simple yet effective design tricks like these help turn an ordinary product into a “wow” product.

Schaffengott Tritona AI Home Safety System

Despite the number of smart devices in our homes, safety still remains a problem today. Sure, there are smart locks and smart security cameras, but those mostly only record what has already happened. When it comes to emergencies, many homes are still unprepared, even with smart smoke detectors. Schaffengot is trying to inspire hope in the future of home safety with a system that involves simply pressing an SOS button, at the very least.

Designer: Schaffengott

Tritona AI almost looks like a smart speaker, but its intelligence lies elsewhere. It is pretty much the modern equivalent of a distress beacon, allowing homeowners to simply press a button to alert emergency services of a dangerous situation. The device also contains a throw-type liquid fire extinguisher as well as a window breaker that can work even on tempered glass. Of course, such a smart emergency device really only works when there’s a proper system in place, but its existence paves the way for developing the smart cities of the future.

Stella Foosball Stella Toi & Moi

Sports fans would love to play their games at any opportunity, but almost all these activities can only happen outdoors. That’s why many of these turn to video games that let them live those experiences from couches, but there is one sport that can also be played indoors without a computer involved. For football (or soccer) fans, there is also the football table or “foosball,” and the name that started it all has an eye-catching 1V1 table to show off at M&O.

Designer: Stella

The blue and pink motif of this “Toi & Moi” table, not to mention the big “Palm” emblazoned on its side, gives a more laid-back atmosphere that would probably fit the 80s Palm Springs culture. It’s a bit of a deviation from the traditional color schemes of most football tables from the brand’s catalog, which makes it stand out even more. The raised glass tabletop also gives it a different character, allowing it to be used as a more traditional table when you’re not trying to beat each other out in a spinning and kicking match.

WaterRower Exercise Machine

Home exercise equipment has become extremely popular in the past few years as more people have become conscious of their lifestyles. Of course, there has been a rise in smart equipment, offering the latest and greatest technologies for keeping fit and staying healthy. Most of these look like machines from the future, but WaterRower is instead taking inspiration from nature in a way that’s reflected even in its design.

Designer: WaterRower

As the name clearly suggests, WaterRower is a rowing machine, but that’s where its similarity with other rowing machines ends. It uses a unique invention that it calls the Water Flywheel that reproduces the physics and dynamics of rowing a boat. And unlike almost all exercise machines, WaterRower makes use of wood, which not only looks exquisite but also absorbs sound and vibration for a quieter and smoother operation. It’s definitely not what you’d expect from an advanced machine, but it’s definitely something you’d want to put on display, even if you’re not faithfully sticking to your exercise schedule.

The post The Best of Maison & Objet 2022: Celebrating Excellent Design first appeared on Yanko Design.

It’s that time of year again when big brands try to make a big splash in upgrading your home with the latest and greatest in consumer electronics and home appliances. The past two years were filled with devices that tried to fill the needs of the times, offering different ways to sanitize and protect your home against harmful microorganisms. Things have fortunately settled down, and industries have started to recover, putting their attention and resources into products that help make life less stressful and more enjoyable. There are plenty of such products up for show at IFA 2022 in Berlin, and so we distilled the lineup into our top picks for products to keep an eye on this year.

Zendure Superbase V Portable Home Battery

Thanks to natural calamities and resource shortages, power blackouts have become more common these past few years than ever before. Power banks might be enough for phones and even some laptops, but they are useless to power anything else, especially for extended periods of time. Gasoline-chugging generators do exist, of course, but the dangers they pose both to people and the environment make them inefficient and costly in the long run. Clean Energy Tech startup Zendure is putting its best foot forward this year with a new energy system that can power your house or even your car in a sustainable way.

Designer: Zendure

With a capacity that can reach up to 64kWh thanks to its expandable design, the Zendure Superbase V Portable Energy System has enough juice to give power to a house in an emergency. It even has a power outlet for charging EVs. Despite its large capacity and size, it can still be moved around like a cart on wheels. More importantly, the semi-solid state battery inside can be charged using solar power, offering a more sustainable solution to electricity problems. It’s a win-win solution for both humans and the planet.

Leica Cine 1 Projector

Along with cutting cables, some homeowners have also started getting rid of TVs that take up space even when not in use. While still waiting for the perfect rollable TV, home projectors have become more attractive and more practical solutions, especially when you want a bigger screen without losing wall space. Famed camera maker Leica is jumping into this market, and its first attempt is as classy as anything that bears its signature “Coke” logo.

Designer: Leica

The Leica Cine 1 short-throw projector utilizes triple RGB lasers to deliver picture-quality 4K images and videos on an area equivalent to a 100-inch TV. Despite all that power, the projector manages to keep a compact size that will fit in any room arrangement. Even better, it also bears Leica’s design language, with a sleek aluminum body with an automatic dust cover to protect the lens. Stylish and functional, this home projector promises to add life to a space, both through its design and through the videos it will play.

LG OLED Flex Bendable TV

TV innovation hasn’t been standing still, especially if you’ve been keeping track of recent buzzwords. While curved TVs haven’t exactly become the norm, they’ve become a force to reckon with in the market. Not everyone is convinced that they need a curved TV, though, or at least not all the time. LG’s latest trick is to give people the ability to choose between the two whenever they want.

Designer: LG

Utilizing its expertise in flexible OLED panels, the brand’s new 42-inch TV can lay flat or bend to a curve with a push of a button. Designed primarily with gaming in mind, the LG OLED Flex LX3 has plenty of features that benefit even non-interactive content like movies and TV shows. Now you no longer have to make an upfront decision to go flat or curved, freeing you to enjoy content in the best way possible.

LG MoodUp Color-Changing Fridge

Once upon a time, appliances were simply functional pieces of equipment and nothing more. These days, they have not only become smarter but have also become an expression of the owner’s personality and interests. Bespoke home appliances are becoming a little bit more common, but they can also be a little bit too specific to a certain style or theme. LG’s new fridge, however, tries to shake things up a bit by letting people choose the doors’ colors on a whim.

Designer: LG

The LG MoodUp refrigerator’s doors are covered with LED panels that can change their color depending on your, well, mood. You can select different colors for each door or you can set it to follow a motif based on seasons, locations, and moods. These panels can also serve as visual notifications, like when you left a door open. The refrigerator also has a built-in speaker that you can use to play music from your smartphone via Bluetooth. Of course, the colors of the doors can sync to that music as well, truly pushing the mood up on any occasion.

JBL Tour Pro 2 Earbuds

Truly Wireless Stereo or TWS earbuds have come a long way over the past years. Spurred by the retirement of the headphone jack on smartphones, these tiny audio devices have seen plenty of innovation in terms of features and designs. In contrast, the cases that hold these earbuds have remained practically the same, mostly changing only in shape. The JBL Tour Pro 2 tries to change that and make the earbuds case as smart as what it holds inside.

Designer: JBL

Portrait Of Young Caucasian Stylish Man On Sunny Day In The City.

The earbuds themselves are what you would expect from the brand, featuring features like adaptive noise canceling and spatial sound. What truly sets it apart is its smart charging case, which has its own 1.45-inch touch screen that lets you control the earbuds without having to take out your phone. It’s not an earth-shattering new feature, but it does level up the experience for the first time.

Philips Hue Lightguide Bulbs

Lighting can make or break the mood in a room, not to mention affect people’s productivity in that space. Since the smart home explosion a few years back, lighting was the first to be connected to the Internet, giving people better control over the hues in their homes or offices. As one of the pioneers of that smart lighting market, Philips Hue has to constantly innovate and mix things up to fend off the competition, and its new statement lighting collection tries to step up to that challenge.

Designer: Philips Hue

The new Philips Hue Lightguide Bulbs mix the old and the new with large glass bulbs in modern shapes like ellipses and triangles. Diffused light comes from an inner tube that you can, of course, control with your smartphone. Whether hanging from pendants or sticking up on stands, these bulbs give some character to a space, even when they’re turned off.

Electrolux AEG Kitchen Innovations

Electrolux is one of the most trusted names in the home appliance market, and it continues to push the envelope to meet the changing needs and trends of the times. Sometimes that means jumping on the smart home appliance bandwagon. Other times, it means making a commitment to sustainability and resource efficiency.

Designer: Electrolux

The AEG 7000 GreenZone refrigerator, for example, boasts using 70% recycled plastic for its inner liner walls, while the AEG 8000 series has new cooling technology that tries to preserve food longer so that they don’t go to waste. For those who love cooking at home, the AEG 800 Bridge/FlexiBridge with eXTractor sucks up vapor and recycles the air back into the kitchen, removing the stress of lingering odors while preparing your favorite meals.

Tineco Toasty One smart toaster

Everything’s becoming smarter these days, from the lights to washing machines to even toothbrushes. There’s always room to add a little intelligence to consumer electronics, especially when it means relieving our brains from having to fret over mundane stuff. It might sound excessive at first, but a smart bread toaster with a touch screen can be pretty convenient.

Designer: Tineco

The Tineco Toasty One can toast two slices of bread like other toasters, but it can have different settings for each of them. It can even detect the condition of the bread to automatically set the right heat for the desired crispiness. Of course, you can input your own preference, and it can remember different settings for up to eight people. OK, it might be overboard for some, but the toaster’s somewhat cute design definitely fits the kitchen of the future.

Bluetti Green Power Generators

Portable power generators that replace fuel generators are becoming more popular these days. Having emergency power that is clean, green, and safe is almost critical in this day and age, whether it’s for spending the weekend outdoors or living through a power outage. Bluetti is one of the most trusted brands in that growing market, and it’s showing off its latest solution to keep the lights on in the darkness.

Designer: Bluetti

The new Bluetti AC500 modular portable power generator steps up the game with a larger inverter that can dish out 5000W. When paired with B300 or B300S battery modules, it can provide an astounding 18,432Wh of power for the whole house. What makes it different from most battery-powred generators is that you can decide just how many modules you want to bring along, simplifying its portability. Plus, you can also charge it using solar power, creating a more sustainable solution to your electricity problems.

ASUS ZenBook 17 Fold OLED

Smartphones aren’t the only ones that are getting a foldable treatment. Although it’s happening more slowly, even tablets and laptops are getting foldable screens as well. There might still be some hesitation and doubt on whether it’s a fad or the next wave in computing, but devices that can change their forms will definitely become more common in the near future.

Designer: ASUS

The ASUS ZenBook 17 Fold OLED is one of the pioneers of this still nascent market. A 17.3-inch 2.5K screen that can fold into two 12.5-inch Full HD screens gives a whole new meaning to multitasking. Whether it will survive the test of time and hard work remains to be seen, but its launch marks the start of something new.

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold (16-inch)

Credit where credit is due, Lenovo is actually one of the first to demonstrate that it really believed in the foldable laptop hype. The first Thinkpad X1 Fold, while functional, didn’t exactly meet the hype and imagination of the PC market. Its next-gen iteration, however, inches closer to that ideal.

Designer: Lenovo

The new 16-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold refines the design of its predecessor, making the body thinner while also increasing the screen size. It also comes with a new cover stand and an improved Bluetooth keyboard that should make the device more usable. No longer will you feel like you’re carrying around a prototype device and are instead using the computer of the future.

Bang & Olufsen Beosound Theater Soundbar

As TVs become thinner, the need to relocate speakers has also become greater. You can, of course, cram smaller speakers inside those thin frames, but that often comes at the expense of sound quality. Soundbars have become one of the solutions to this problem, offering a way to have an elegant speaker near an equally elegant TV. And when it comes to elegance, there are few names you can trust more than Bang & Olufsen.

Designer: Bang & Olufsen

The marque’s new Beosound Theater is unsurprisingly another proof of its expertise in blending audio quality and aesthetics. Whether standing alone or paired with a TV, the soundbar looks stylish and attractive, unlike common boxy soundbars. Inspired by sailboats, the Beosund Theather’s curved body looks like it’s floating on air, giving it a sense of grandeur and adventure that matches the heart-racing sounds that come from it.

Yaber Pico T1 portable projector

While short-throw home projectors are gaining popularity as alternatives to traditional TVs, another kind of projector is making its way into people’s travel bags or even pockets. Pico projectors offer the opportunity to enjoy videos or make presentations anywhere, as long as you have the right light conditions. Given how projectors work, it’s hard to find the right balance between portability and performance, something that Yaber gets mostly correct.

Designer: Yaber

The Yaber Pico T1 itself is like a shorter but thicker smartphone, and it can easily fit into your jeans’ pocket. It does output at a resolution of 960×540, but it can do so at a screen size of up to 100 inches. The downside is that it doesn’t have an internal battery, so you’ll have to connect it to a compatible power bank. That said, all its accessories still fit nicely in a pouch that you can conveniently carry around if you want a cinema on the go.

Huawei

In spite of and despite all odds, Huawei continues to bring quality products to meet the needs and demands of today’s consumers. From powerful smartphones to professional laptops, Huawei brings a plethora of choices across different markets and tiers. The Huawei nova 10 and nova 10 Pro, for example, bring a 60MP front-facing camera that’s sure to excite selfie lovers with limited budgets.

For those more focused on productivity, the Huawei MatePad Pro brings a tablet to rival the iPad Pro with a 120Hz OLED screen and a Huawei M Pencil stylus. The new MateBook X Pro, on the other hand, packs a 3.1K 14.2-inch screen into a Windows-powered laptop powered by the latest 12th-gen Intel Core processors. Whether it’s for lifestyle, entertainment, or productivity, Huawei has a product that has one of the best bang-for-buck offers in designs that make you feel you’re really getting more for less.

The post The Best of IFA 2022: Technology for Better Living first appeared on Yanko Design.

Caring for ourselves and our families also means caring for the planet we all live on.

Recent events, including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic, have made us more acutely aware of the quality of our lives, whether we’re living well, comfortably, or, more importantly, healthily. It has also made many people more of the state of our planet, the only habitable planet that we know of, and how the way we live affects the Earth, no matter how seemingly insignificant it is. Salone del Mobile in Milan has always gathered the best designs and ideas in furniture and lifestyle products, and this year has showcased yet another wonderful selection of products from creative minds and innovative companies. This year’s exhibition has also shown a more positive bent towards not just the physical but also the mental well-being of people, not to mention a more conscientious effort to leave a positive impact on the environment. At Yanko Design, we recognize and highlight the best product designs not just for their beauty but also for their positive impact, and here are our Top 12 picks for Salone del Mobile 2022.

Antoniolupi Ofuro

We sometimes take inspiration from the past to inform today’s designs, and sometimes we even look to other cultures for ideas. When it comes to bathing and cleansing, the Japanese are both famous and notorious for their relaxing areas and strict rules. Antoniolupi tries to capture the spirit and the feeling of a traditional Japanese soak without the rigid norms, resulting in a bathtub that is distinctive and unique in its appearance.

A circular basin with a notch, the Ofuro‘s lowered front edge tries to invite you to step into its relaxing waters and soak for a while to let your worries wash away. Optional LED lights at the base call to mind outdoor tubs that would be heated by firewood underneath, creating an almost otherworldly glow meant to take your mind to a higher plane. Made of the designer’s patented and eco-friendly Flumood, the Ofuro tub looks like it was sculpted from a single block completing the perception of wholeness and integrity that your mind needs while your body soaks and relaxes inside.

Artemide Integralis

The COVID-19 novel coronavirus gave birth to plenty of new products that focused on cleaning the air in our homes and killing dangers that we can’t see with the naked eye. You don’t, however, have to stick some odd-looking contraption in the middle of your home just to benefit from these technologies, especially when all you need is to shine a better light on the problem. Artemide’s Integralis line of lighting products delivers both safety and beauty to create a safer space for the whole family, as well as the occasional visitors.

Homeowners can choose from a variety of designs and colors that fit their needs and their sense of style. The Discovery lamps, for example, employ geometric shapes like circles and rectangles to provide low-impact designs inside your home. In contrast, The Veil puts a canopy draped over 11 arms arranged like spokes in a wheel, diffusing the light to create a gentler and more comforting atmosphere while using ethically-sourced and sustainable materials to put your conscience at ease.

BORA X BO

Part of living a healthy lifestyle means eating healthy, and the best way to do that is to decide what you eat and how you cook your food. Cooking, however, sometimes feels more like a chore with very low ROI, especially when $you think of the cleanup afterward. The BORA X BO tries to do most of the work for you by employing some of the same technologies you have on your smartphone. You probably never expected you could even search on your oven!

The smart steam oven offers a large touch screen that lets you choose how simple or how complex your cooking activity needs to be, allowing you to customize the interface to fit your habits and needs. Steam extraction and odor elimination prevent your kitchen from looking and smelling like a warzone, and self-cleaning means you won’t have to get your hands dirty from both cooking and cleaning. And if you’re at a loss on what to do, the oven even has its manual installed on the touch screen, so all you need to do is to search like Google.

Electrolux GRO

There is, of course, another aspect to our eating habits, and it probably shouldn’t be a shock to learn that feeding the planet is, unfortunately, killing it as well. Our over-reliance on meat and broken food systems contribute to the sad state our planet is in. Just because we’re eating the right things doesn’t make it easier for the planet, so Electrolux’s Better Living Initiative is envisioning a complete revamp of the kitchen, which doesn’t mean completely giving up meat.

GRO, from the Swedish word “to sprout,” is a kitchen concept that tries to highlight and encourage better habits, both in eating and in sourcing ingredients for food. Naturally, plant-forward diets are the main focus, but a “Jewelry Box” storage is also part of the system, encouraging people to eat less but better meats. The modular compartments not only preserve veggies but also showcase their green beauty, while different containers and displays encourage experimentation with different ingredients, flavors, and scents. Eating green doesn’t have to be boring, and it should also help keep the Earth green as well.

Kartell TEA Lamp

Many homes are filled with products that bring delight to the senses, especially the eyes. These range from expensive art decorations to designer lamps to stylish aroma diffusers. In most cases, many of these lifestyle items were mass-produced, often using common materials that may not exactly be friendly to the environment. Fortunately, designers and companies have become more conscious of their role in nudging people towards more sustainable practices, particularly by presenting them with sustainable options that are as good or even better than the common lamp or furniture.

Kartell’s TEA lamps, for example, are made from recycled thermoplastics, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from the way they look. Shaped like abstract hands, the lamps’ external cover creates a chiaroscuro effect that makes light and shadow mingle in a visually interesting way. It is a shining example of how beauty can be created and molded from the things we throw away, giving credence to the saying that one’s trash can be another’s treasure.

Kohler Statement and Stillness

For many people, the bedroom is often the first room in the house they consider when thinking of a place of solitude and peace. For others, however, soaking in the tub or standing underneath the shower is their idea of a calming and relaxing moment. While some might be content with your run-of-the-mill furnishings, introducing some Zen into your bathroom will require things that will remind you to take a break using your eyes and your other senses. It’s for that exact purpose that Kohler launched its Statement shower and Stillness bath to offer a small oasis of well-being inside your home.

The Stillness bathtub uses water, light, fog, and aromas to set the mood for a relaxing soak. The Statement shower line, on the other hand, mixes beauty and functionality, creating an experience where you don’t have to worry about water not flowing smoothly out of the shower heads or taps. Both products create an inviting atmosphere for people to not only clean their bodies but to also wash away their worries and anxieties, even for a short while.

Kreoo Pave Stones

We have been witnesses to many creative and inspired artists throughout human history, but the greatest artist of them all is none other than Mother Nature herself. Through the flowing river and blowing winds, she’s able to create smooth pebbles that represent both the gentleness and power of natural forces that shape the Earth. The smooth pebbles are often used in Zen gardens as decorative and meditative pieces for that very reason, but Kreoo’s Pave Collection turns their design into something you can use and even sit on.

The Pave Stones, in particular, combine marble and wood shaped like these natural pebbles and turn it into an outdoor or even indoor seat. Thanks to modern manufacturing and processes, you don’t have to worry about this structure falling over from your weight. In fact, Kreoo stepped things up literally by combining two pieces of marble and one wooden “pebble” to create a piece of furniture that is just as thought-provoking as their miniature originals.

Megius Sauna and Shower

Many people are familiar with saunas, and most of them will imagine big public spaces filled with steam and awkwardness. What should be a relaxing activity can produce anxiety in people not used to being exposed inside an enclosed space. A lot more people would probably enjoy a short sauna experience if it were more private and more personal. Fortunately, shower expert Megius agrees too.

The Exen Sauna mixes glass and wood to create a more confined and intimate space for a single person to use, probably inside a private bathroom. This personal sauna is complemented by the Zen shower that puts a minimalist touch on the typical shower stall. Taking a shower shouldn’t just be for cleansing your body but could give you a psychological wash as well, especially when what you see before you exemplify clarity and simplicity.

pmstudio Progetto HUG

Wood is a more sustainable material for creating products and furniture, but that doesn’t mean it has no negative impact on the environment, especially when we don’t plant enough trees to replace the ones that we cut down. Recycling scrap wood, then, becomes an important step in completing a circular economy of wooden furniture, which is the kind of love the Progetto HUG is trying to give the environment.

Designers Medeot Barbara and Piovesan Giulia created a multifunctional object made of recycled scrap wood that you can assemble into different pieces of furniture. It doesn’t use nails or glue to put together, so you can potentially reassemble the pieces into something else when your needs change. HUG creates an even more sustainable system, ensuring that these pieces won’t need to be recycled themselves anytime soon.

Per/Use Guillotine

We often take a lot of everyday objects in our homes for granted. On the one hand, that’s necessary for survival because our brains would be overloaded if they took note of every object it encounters at every turn. On the other hand, we sometimes miss out on the interesting nuances of our own furniture, at least until it shocks us out of our stupor.

Named after a rather undesirable tool of punishment, Per/Use’ new Guillotine Mirrors use the metaphor of slicing through objects to create a rather thought-provoking design. It isn’t completely just visual, though, as the wooden block that the mirror cuts through actually hides a drawer that rolls out at the touch of a hidden button. It’s definitely a curious execution of a design, pun totally intended.

Samsung Infinite Line

It might be better known for its smartphones, TVs, and computer monitors, but its area of expertise extends to almost all major appliances inside the house, from refrigerators to ovens to washing machines. Its Bespoke line of smart home appliances, in particular, has become its flagship brand to push Internet-connected and interconnected products to homes today. At Salone del Mobile 2022, it is expanding that vision with the Bespoke Infinite, a line specifically designed to deliver the kitchen of the future today.

The fridge, for example, can automatically open when you swipe or tap your hand over the handle’s sensor, no more struggling with tight doors. The Family Hub smart refrigerator becomes an even better entertainment center in the kitchen to distract kids while you cook. And, of course, this new line is designed to look luxurious in any kitchen setting while also keeping one foot in sustainability through eco-conscious packaging and more efficient energy consumption.

Tubes Radiotori

Heating is an essential part of the home in many regions, but the sources of heat haven’t exactly evolved with contemporary home designs. Many still look as industrial and unappealing as pipes hidden behind walls or underneath sinks, but they don’t have to be. Tubes Radiatori has been making radiators beautiful and stylish, almost disappearing into the background as part of the room’s decor.

The Radiatori Trame, for example, hardly resembles a typical radiator, looking almost like a wall decor that just happens to give off warmth. The new Radiatori I Ching takes inspiration from the iconic writing, providing heated bars of steel where you can hang towels, bathrobes, and any other thing that you need to get dried quickly. Tubes Radiatori, like many on this year’s Best of Salone del Mobile, is proof that mundane things can be designed well, not just to look good but to also feel great for one’s self as well as the environment.

The post The Best of Salone del Mobile 2022 – Smarter and Greener Living first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Mobile World Congress this year is unsurprisingly filled with phones and Metaverse references, but producers and consumers are thankfully becoming more aware of the deeper impact these products have in our lives and on the planet.

Next to CES, MWC is an auspicious time for companies to show off their wares, especially those related to smartphones, tablets, and even the new “Metaverse.” Despite the onslaught of COVID-19 since 2020, the smartphone market shows no signs of declining, at least to a significant degree. After two years, MWC 2022 sees a return to face-to-face exhibits and interactions that almost feels surreal given previous events. It’s not as jam-packed and as frantic as before, but that’s not the only thing that’s different this year. There’s also an increased consciousness of the role that thoughtful product design plays in improving people’s lives, both directly and indirectly through sustainable products.

Like every year, a few of these designs and products manage to grab our attention more strongly than others. Some through their design, others through their commitment to the environment, while others are just plain fun or useful. Without further ado, here is Yanko Design’s Top 8 picks for MWC 2022, ranked!

1. OPPO Find X5 Pro

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and some smartphones are regarded to be beautiful, mostly from the standpoint of people who love gadgets and tech products. They are well-designed, of course, but few would probably be standout to a designer as a thing of beauty. The OPPO Find X5 Pro breaks out of the mold in more ways than one.

The phone’s design takes minimalism to heart without going overboard and ditching features. The cameras are still there, but they aren’t as in your face as most camera bumps are these days. The structure rises so smoothly and so softly from the surface of the phone, like a dune in a desert after a sandstorm. You have a single continuous form that looks and feels unbroken, even with the camera holes and branding.

OPPO’s choice of ceramic material also brings joy to the hands. The white colorway exudes an atmosphere of peace, while the black finish pulls you into its dark depths and into a meditative state. Both are sleek and clean, even if the black does become a fingerprint magnet. Wiping off those smudges can itself even become a mindfulness practice.

What makes the OPPO Find X5 Pro’s understated beauty even more compelling is its relevance. We live very busy lives in an ever-changing world that’s still recovering from two chaotic years. Smartphones have become our faithful companions and weapons in navigating this world, but they have also become sources of stress and, in some cases, addiction. OPPO’s “futuristic” design actually goes back in time and back to the basics, offering an oasis of calmness and comfort for the eyes, the hands, and the mind.

Designer: OPPO

2. Realme GT2

Realme gets the silver medal for the GT2 and GT2 Pro phones not in the uniqueness of their designs but for the boldness of their statement. True, the Paper White and Paper Green models of these phones do have unique patterns and textures that try to recreate the look and feel of paper, but that pales in comparison to the message that the design is trying to send.

Taking inspiration from paper and other sustainable materials, Realme adopted a bio-based polymer to create the shell of these two colorways. Although the phone is far from being recyclable, the novel material significantly reduces the carbon emission overhead of producing these phones. The Realme GT2 is only the second of two phones boasting a TCO 9.0 certification for its positive impact on the environment.

This bio-based polymer might be a one-off thing, but Realme is at least making a lot of noise about its other efforts to create a greener tomorrow. Like many smartphone makers these days, it is reducing the amount of plastic in its packaging and increasing its use of sustainable materials. With the Realme GT2 series, it’s also committing to planting a tree for every phone sold. As one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in the market, it has a big responsibility in creating awareness and doing its part to help protect the environment. It deserves major props for getting the ball rolling in this arena.

Designer: Naoto Fukasawa for Realme

3. TCL Ultra Flex

Foldable phones are going to be around for a while, even if they won’t become the future. The new experiences it enables are both exciting and challenging, especially for designers. We’re still a few hundred steps away from the perfect foldable screen, which makes it the perfect time for designers and manufacturers to play around with new ideas and test out prototypes.

Samsung and LG aren’t the only ones having fun with deformable screens, of course. TCL is right up there with some even crazier ideas that actually become working prototypes. It hasn’t sold any of that technology yet, though, or at least the flexible screens it has been developing. That gives it at least more time and leeway to bring more ideas to light, including this one it showed off at MWC 2022.

Foldable phones seem to have adopted Samsung’s “innie” design, where the flexible screen folds inward like a book, protected by the phone’s external frame. It’s not the only way to fold, of course, but it is currently the winner, despite requiring an extra screen on the outside to make the phone usable even when folded. Some think that allowing a screen to fold in and out would be the ideal option, leaving the owner to decide which method is best, and that’s exactly what the TCL Ultra Flex tries to do.

As a prototype, it’s not exactly the prettiest nor the most usable, but it does try to prove that it can be done. Of course, there remain many questions about its durability, not to mention its economy, but there’s plenty of time for the company to figure that out. Once it does, TCL will have the opportunity to shape the foldable device market and, consequently, shape the new experiences that these devices will offer.

Designer: TCL

4. Huawei MatePad Paper

Tablets are making a comeback, especially from the Android side. These increasingly larger slates are getting more powerful to the point that they are being positioned as laptop replacements. Tablets, however, do have new competition in the form of more powerful and more talented e-book readers, often called eReaders. Huawei, however, is putting a different spin on that idea and is targeting a very specific and probably niche market.

The Huawei MatePad Paper does come with the trappings of a typical e-book reader, one that uses the popular E-Ink display to give your eyes and the device’s battery a well-deserved reprieve. What makes this new contender different is that reading is actually just its secondary purpose. Its primary goal is to replace your paper notebook instead.

That is definitely a tall order, especially with so many expectations coming from die-hard pen and paper users. You can really only do so much to try and replicate the feel of pen or pencil writing on a material like paper using a plastic stylus nib and glass. Huawei has made a good approximation, but the MatePad Paper’s features try to make up for whatever flaw there is in that experience.

The Huawei MatePad Paper is designed primarily to be a notebook, and the software it has reflects that purpose. In addition to typical note-taking, it even has features for creating your own digital journal and copying content directly from a Huawei laptop. It can also record audio while you’re jotting down notes and play it back later when you need more than just a visual reminder. Its lightweight and portable design makes it an almost perfect companion to keep your design ideas and references, and its simpler functions, at least compared to a tablet, leave very little room for distractions as well.

Designer: Huawei

5. HTC Viverse

The Metaverse is everywhere, at least when it comes to marketing and buzzwords. Just like the early days of the cloud, the term is still a bit hard to qualify and quantify in its current form. This, of course, leaves the doors wide open for any interpretation, implementation, and vision. Despite its name, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, doesn’t have a monopoly on the Metaverse (at least not yet), and its rival in the VR space is putting down some stakes on the ground to claim a bit of that space.

HTC’s Viverse is still a work in progress, but its ambition is no less grand than others. Its Vive VR platform already laid the groundwork for some Metaverse-compatible experiences, like holding events and meetings in virtual worlds. It is also envisioning more interactive experiences, like buying or paying for goods using cryptocurrencies and, of course, buying NFT art.

What makes the Viverse more encompassing is that HTC isn’t stopping with its Vive VR platform. Ideally, the Metaverse experience will extend to almost any device with a screen, like a smartphone, a tablet, or even a computer with a web browser. Without this seamless cross-platform experience, the Metaverse will be limited to a few people that have no problems wearing headsets or eyewear all the time, which doesn’t really sound Metaverse-like.

Designer: HTC Vive

6. Lenovo ThinkPad X13s

Let’s face it, most laptop designs don’t exactly excite, especially when they look like any other laptop in the market. Although there are a few that do stand out, they are far and few in between. When Lenovo announced a host of new laptops at MWC 2022 this week, we almost gave it a pass, but one new entry piqued our curiosity in more ways than one.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X13s has the distinction of being the first ThinkPad to be powered by an ARM Snapdragon processor, a glowing recommendation considering the strength of Lenovo’s brand. With the attention that Apple’s M1 chip has been getting since it launched, there has been a great deal of interest in seeing more Windows laptops running on this platform.

What this means for designers is that the ThinkPad X13s will last longer than most other laptops on a single charge. This translates to longer working times away from a power outlet and more freedom to work the way they want. There are still some problems with app compatibility with Windows on ARM, but staples like Adobe’s suite and ZBrush are completely supported already.

The ThinkPad X13s also has a rather intriguing design that could be best described as a “reverse notch.” Instead of going the way of the latest MacBook Pro, Lenovo opted instead to have a bit of a lip at the top of the screen to accommodate the camera and security hardware. That said, the bezels around the screen are still on the thick side, so there doesn’t seem to be anything gained from that unusual design.

Designer: Lenovo

7. Prinker

We’ve already seen the Samsung-backed Prinker make its debut back in CES 2022 last January, and it has returned to once again show how well-thought design can also be fun and whimsical. Basically a handheld inkjet printer in the shape of a gigantic ink cartridge, Prinker offers almost endless fun in putting temporary tattoos on almost any part of your body.

What makes this product special is that it combines existing ideas and technologies in a way that creates a totally new experience, the marks of a great product design. Plus, it’s also fun and safe, a win-win situation for young people craving to add a bit of personalization and identity, even at the wildest of parties.

Designer: Prinker (Samsung)

8. Fauna

Sometimes, the best solutions are also the simplest and the most inconspicuous. That’s the kind of solution that Fauna’s audio sunglasses try to offer, solving multiple problems with a single and stylish product. Part eyewear and part open ear headphones, Fauna lets you enjoy your music while keeping safe and looking great, all at the same time.

This kind of integrated solution will be critical in the next few years, especially as technology becomes even more deeply embedded in our lives. Ordinary objects like eyeglasses, rings, and even clothing will soon be connected to a network thanks to technologies like 5G (or 6G even), flexible screens, and wearable circuitry. These, in turn, will pave the way for the so-called Metaverse to become as normal and as ordinary as the real universe.

Designer: Fauna

Wrap-up

Mobile technology and consumer devices have grown by leaps and bounds ever since the iPhone first came out more than a decade ago. Smartphones, tablets, and the accessories built around them have become almost unavoidable parts of modern life. There are no signs of things slowing down, which doesn’t bode well for humanity and the planet in the grand scheme of things. Fortunately, there are signs of things shifting for the better as well.

Just like at CES 2022, we saw positive indicators that both manufacturers and consumers are becoming more aware of how these devices have indirect effects on lives and the environment. From focusing on mental health in addition to physical fitness to embracing and promoting sustainable practices, the design of products, both physical and digital, are seemingly taking a turn for the better. While foldable phones, the Metaverse, and dozens of identical devices will continue to flood the market, there is at least some hope that the people pushing these products and technologies have grown more conscientious of the role they play in building a better future.

The post The Best of MWC 2022 – Product Design in a Mobile World first appeared on Yanko Design.

Here are some of the best consumer electronics we can look forward to this year or dream about in the near future.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show or CES has always been a time for companies to show off their latest and greatest consumer tech ideas and products. More often than not, it also acts as a barometer for the trends and directions that will eventually drive and affect people’s lives in the months to come, from mobile devices to AI to robots to, unsurprisingly, the metaverse. These products and concepts aren’t just pulled from thin air, of course, and they also showcase the thinking and work that goes into their design. Not all products are made equal, though, and some designs easily rise above others. Here are some of the picks this year showcasing some of the best product designs from CES 2022.

Samsung Freestyle

Smart projectors are almost a dime a dozen these days, even if they cost nearly four-digit figures. They come in all shapes and sizes, but Samsung’s latest entry into that market throws all design conventions out the window. It’s small, portable, multi-talented, and quirky. And it will be trying to put Samsung’s own smart TVs out of business.

The Samsung Freestyle is part smart project and part smart speaker, with a little bit of ambient lighting on the side. Designed for Gen Z and millennials, it cylindrical device offers almost everything you need for a video binge, including Samsung’s smart TV software. It won’t outclass larger projectors when it comes to brightness, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one that’s as portable as this. All you need is a dark room, a flat surface, and a power bank, and you’re good to go.

Designer: Samsung

(Samsung C-Labs) Prinker

Although tattoos are historically serious business, they have acquired a certain element of whimsy in the modern age. Temporary tattoos and stickers try to offer a brief glimpse into that experience but come with their own sets of problems and limitations. More importantly, they aren’t fun, which is what Prinker is trying to solve.

Born from Samsung’s C-Lab skunkworks program, the new Prinker M makes printing temporary tattoos almost magical. You can select a design from the mobile app or create your own, slide the handheld printer over your skin, and voila! Instant water-proof temporary tattoo. The sign of great product design is that you don’t have to think about how something works, and the Prinker definitely pulls that off pretty well.

Designer: Samsung C-Lab

OneLife X

The COVID-19 pandemic has made people more concerned about the air they breathe, even at home. Although they don’t exactly kill the dreaded virus, air purifiers that help reduce the risks of getting sick have surged in popularity in the past two years. The OneLife X sounds like your typical air purifier if you simply read its features, but one glance at it, and you know it’s special.

Aside from its use of advanced technologies like a laser plasma field to detect and purify the air, the OneLife X stands out from the crowd by being more sustainable. The filter, for example, is reusable and can easily be washed under the tap or even inside a dishwasher. The wooden outer body is also a big plus and looks handsome to boot!

Designer: OneLife

Labrador Retriever

Robots are going to be part of our lives, whether we like it or not. These machines and AI might not completely take over our jobs just yet, but they are making their way even into our homes. Most home robots, however, are either toys or vacuum cleaners, but Labrador Systems designed a new robot that is a bit more homely. And despite its name, it doesn’t resemble a dog or Boston Dynamics’ Spot, for that matter.

This shelf on wheels can bring you your medicine or carry your laundry for you, all without you having to push or pull it to submission. Although everyone can benefit from this smart roving storage, the Labrador Retriever and Caddie are primarily designed for those with more limited physical capabilities. They also won’t look out of place standing with your minimalist furniture for those times when you don’t need it at your side.

Designer: Labrador Systems

Baracoda BCool

Medical and health-related gadgets have been popping up left and right as more people become concerned and conscious about their physical well-being. That, unfortunately, also means a rise in the use of plastics and other environment-unfriendly materials that are used to make these products. Digital thermometers have become one of the most common gadgets in this category, and Baracoda is launching one that keeps an eye on the environment as much as your temperature.

The BCool thermometer eschews batteries that almost all digital thermometers use, relying instead on kinetic energy to power the tool. Give it a few shakes, and then hold it near but not on your forehead to get a reading. No skin contact is required, making it also safe to use between different people. The device probably still uses non-recyclable or non-biodegradable materials, but it’s still a positive step forward towards making common tools like these more sustainable.

Designer: Baracoda

Albert 2 Pro Foot Scanner

The ongoing pandemic has changed a lot of things in our lives, from the way we work to the way we buy things. Stores have also implemented their own systems to minimize health risks, but those don’t always work for all retail products. Footwear is particularly tricky to get right, especially without first-hand (or foot) in-person fitting. That’s where Aetrex comes in with an almost futuristic way to get your foot size and shape.

The Aetrex Albert 2 Pro looks almost like a sci-fi prop, one that you step on to potentially teleport you somewhere. In reality, it’s a 3D scanner that makes it almost trivial to find the right shoe or orthotics to fit your feet. Adding to the futuristic feel is voice control, ensuring that only your feet make contact with the scanner and never your hands.

Designer: Aetrex

Anssil Mattress

Given its name, you’d expect that everything at CES will be about electronics. Technology, however, doesn’t always involve processors, circuits, and electricity. Sometimes, the most impressive consumer tech products are those that don’t even have those, applying instead smart materials, innovative manufacturing, and, of course, good product design.

The Anssil Mattress is one example of that, using specially woven “3D” strings to replace the use of springs. The mattress does have some external electronics in the form of a cushion control that can increase or decrease the tension of those threads to soften or harden the mattress. It’s definitely an interesting and impressive demonstration of ingenious product design that doesn’t rely on hi-tech electronics and AI to function.

Designer: Anssil

Roborock Auto-Empty Dock

Robot vacuum cleaners no longer look like oddities today, and many of them are starting to look or sound similar in design and features. That includes how you often have to manually clean out the robot’s dust bin, potentially exposing you to harmful particles. A veteran in this market, Roborock has finally figured out how to minimize how often you’ll have to empty out the bin.

Roborock’s Auto Empty Dock system sucks the dust, dirt, and other unwanted things that the vacuum cleaner accumulated in its bin and transfers them into a bigger bin. That bin will eventually need to be taken out, but the 3.0L bag automatically seals itself when you’re about to do that. As an extra feature, that dock also acts as an air purifier for your room.

Designer: Roborock

LG PuriCare 360 Air Purifier

While the OneLife X definitely takes the crown when it comes to sustainability, there are times and instances where you might need a more powerful solution to protect your family’s health indoors. There are plenty of solutions available from big brands, but LG’s latest goes the extra mile by also minding the pets that live with you. And it does so in a form that doesn’t take up too much space in the room.

The new LG PuriCare 360 air purifier combines some of the company’s best features in this category. Pet Mode, for example, pulls in even strands of fur and hair that could cause allergies or breathing problems. It also has AI that detects which part of the room has the most air contamination and automatically rotates to face the problem head-on.

Designer: LG

XGIMI Aura

The Samsung Freestyle might be cute and portable, but when it comes to a serious cinematic experience, it might fall short of a few desirable specs. It stops at 1080p Full HD content, for one, and really requires you to have a dark place to watch in. If you want the full shebang, XGIMI’s new Aura 4K Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector will do nicely.

Yes, it’s quite the behemoth of a project, so you’ll probably want to keep it in a single place. Its sleek exterior and slightly curved top do give it a bit of charm and won’t mar the pristine interior design you’ve chosen. More importantly, its close range means you won’t have to set it up in the middle of the room when you need to use it.

Designer: XGIMI

Honorable Concepts

Not all the impressive things on the CES 2022 showroom floor made the cut, especially those that lean more towards the conceptual side of the fence. Here are some “honorable mentions” of designs we do wish would become a reality sooner rather than later.

Razer Project Sophia

Razer’s idea for a modular desk will save many creatives and workers not just time but also space and money. A single desk that can be reconfigured at a moment’s notice to fit your needs sounds like a fantasy waiting to happen. That it looks like the dashboard of some futuristic ship or console scores bonus points for design and tech geeks.

Designer: Razer

Movano Ring

Smart rings aren’t completely new, but they have yet to become the stylish and discreet accessories that their non-smart counterparts have been for centuries. Movano’s design, aimed at women, certainly makes it look like a luxury item, but it is serious business in keeping tabs on the wearer’s health. It will definitely be interesting when Movano finds a solution that will allow that same ring to monitor not just your typical biometrics but also your blood sugar level without having to draw your blood.

Designer: Movano

Dell Concept Luna

CES 2022 is unsurprisingly flooded with new laptops, but even ASUS’ take on the foldable laptop pales in comparison to Dell’s bold concept. A sustainable and repairable laptop probably goes against all business sense for a PC maker, but the long-term benefits to the environment probably make it the most important gamble Dell could ever take. It doesn’t have to happen all at once, though, and any step forward could still benefit the planet and consumers in the long run.

Designer: Dell

BMW iX Flow Concept

Forget flying cars, at least for a while. BMW’s iX Flow envisions a future where a vehicle can be more than just a status symbol but also a fashion statement. Of course, E-ink technology will still have to catch up, but it’s only a matter of time before we see a full-color version of this intriguing idea.

Designer: BMW

The post The Best of CES 2022 – Product Designs that Wow first appeared on Yanko Design.