Every year, we behold innovative designs and technologies blow our minds. But once the novelty and awe have worn off, we’re left asking whether these made any meaningful impact in human lives. For 100 years now, the annual IFA show has been putting such products and inventions that promise groundbreaking improvements to the way we cook, the way we clean, the way we have fun, and the way we live. This year, the organization isn’t just reframing its brand but also putting a spotlight on the role these designs play in upgrading everyone’s lives. Among these, there are definitely a notable few that stand above the rest in how they make innovation available for all. Without further ado, here are Yanko Design’s top picks for IFA 2024.

Narwal Freo Z Ultra Robot Cleaner

So many products these days boast about their AI capabilities, but few actually answer the most important question: what can it do to improve people’s quality of life? The Narwal Freo Z Ultra gives a clear answer and delivers it in a design that seamlessly blends into your home instead of standing out like a sore thumb. It respects your space, adding aesthetic value you might not have come to expect from such an advanced showcase of AI technology.

Designer: Narwal

This sleek robot cleaner doesn’t just navigate your home, it also understands it. It can identify the kind of dirt it faces and apply the necessary cleaning strategy to get the job done. It sees your sleeping pet and respects its space, coming back later to check if it has moved away before starting to clean its area. And it does all these without you having to lift a finger. At the same time, you still have total control, from the privacy of your data to the automation made possible with its integration with smart home platforms and smart assistants.

It’s also smart about keeping you safe when it does come time for you to manually interact with it. It sanitizes not just the mop and water but also the dust bin, ensuring a hygienic environment at every turn. More than just the convenience of having clean floors all the time, the Narwal Freo Z Ultra offers homeowners stress-free living and more time to spend on the more important things in life.

Hisense CanvasTV

The Hisense CanvasTV 4K QLED brings art and entertainment together, transforming your living space into a captivating gallery. Its sleek, minimalist design, paired with the UltraSlim Wall Mount, allows it to hang flush against the wall, seamlessly blending with your decor. When not in use as a TV, it becomes a stunning display for artwork or personal photos through Art Mode, with a low-reflection Hi-Matte Display that ensures your visuals remain crisp and glare-free, regardless of lighting conditions.

Designer: Hisense

The vibrant 4K QLED display sets a new standard for visual quality, offering an expansive color range through Quantum Dot technology that produces over a billion shades. Every image, from digital art to your favorite shows, bursts with vivid detail and realism. The built-in RGB light sensor adapts the screen’s brightness and color temperature in real time, ensuring a seamless and natural viewing experience that adjusts to your environment, whether day or night.

For those seeking more than a TV, the CanvasTV enriches your experience with multi-channel surround sound, enveloping you in movies, music, or games. Gamers will appreciate the 144Hz Game Mode PRO, which delivers smooth, lag-free performance through features like AMD FreeSync Premium and Auto Low Latency Mode, ensuring responsive and immersive gameplay.

To add an extra layer of interaction, Hisense’s Motion Detector powers the screen only when you’re nearby, bringing art to life while conserving energy. This thoughtful design makes the CanvasTV not only a centerpiece for your home but also an eco-friendly, functional solution that enhances any living space.

ESR 3-in-1 MagSafe Charger with Qi2 and CryoBoost

With batteries remaining the bottleneck in smartphone innovation, it’s up to manufacturers of charging accessories to push the envelope and deliver a better user experience. Wireless charging technologies like Apple MagSafe and the new Qi2 offer freedom from tangling cables, but they also bring their own set of problems, particularly when it comes to heat. The hotter the charger and the phone get, the slower and longer the charging takes.

Designer: ESR

ESR fixes that problem with its CryoBoost technology, using a patented duct design and a specialized fan to keep the back of your phone cool and keep the charging speed stable and fast. Unlike other wireless chargers with fans that simply lower the charger’s temperature and rely on natural heat dissipation to keep the phone cool, the ESR 3-in-1 MagSafe Charger with Qi2 and CryBoost directs airflow directly to the back of the phone, preventing condensation that could damage the phone in the process.

The result isn’t just a literally cool charger and phone but a faster wireless charging experience as well. An iPhone 15 Pro Max can charge to full in just 2 hours, 30 minutes faster than other Qi2 chargers. Even the Apple-certified 5W fast-charging for the Apple Watch charger juices up an Apple Watch Ultra four times faster than typical 2.5W chargers, getting it to 100% in just 1 hour and 40 minutes. With the ESR 3-in-1 MagSafe Charger with Qi2 and CryoBoost, you can enjoy the flexibility of wireless charging at full speed, without having to worry about the safety and health of your phone.

Govee Star Light Projector Aurora

Smart lighting doesn’t always have to be flashy, blinding, or fast. Sometimes, you just want to have a more calming atmosphere in your home, and what better inspiration can there be than the enchanting Aurora that flows across night skies? Capturing this magical imagery, Govee utilized its LED expertise to create the Star Light Projector (Aurora) and bring the magic of the night sky to your room.

Designer: Govee

A unique dual lamp bead technology allows the projector to display a stunning and expansive 650-square-foot projection with a wide variety of colors and intricate patterns. These patterns include calming waves mimicking the play of light reflected off an ocean surface, twinkling lights that inspire awe, and even vibrant squiggly strips of color to kick off a party. With 16 million colors and over 50 preset scenes, as well as a built-in speaker with 16 preset white noises, this discreet projector can cover a wide range of occasions and moods, from relaxing night lights for dreamy slumber to dazzling kaleidoscopic displays for a jovial get-together.

Despite its more focused function, the Govee Star Light Projector (Aurora) has all the smarts that other Govee products offer, including Matter smart home compatibility and voice control through Google Home and Amazon Alexa. It also has a Smart Sleep Mode so that it will gradually dim its lights and play soothing sounds to lull you to sleep. It’s a great smart lighting companion, whether you’re aiming to paint the night sky in your kid’s room or create a different mesmerizing light show on your wall each night.

Beatbot iSkim Ultra Robot Pool Cleaner

The Beatbot iSkim Ultra has been named by Yanko Design as the best robotic pool skimmer at IFA 2024, praised for its forward-thinking approach to pool maintenance. Its solar-powered design combines sleek aesthetics with practical, energy-efficient operation. Weighing just 16.98 lbs, it adapts to a variety of pool shapes and sizes, offering a hassle-free solution for pool owners who want to keep their water surface clear without the constant need for charging or manual effort.

Designer: Beatbot

The iSkim Ultra’s advanced seven-motor system, featuring dual-side brushes, a large front roller brush, and a peristaltic pump motor, delivers precise skimming performance. Equipped with Beatbot’s AI-driven path optimization and 20 integrated sensors, including tri-ultrasonic technology, it efficiently handles surface debris, providing a thorough cleaning experience with minimal oversight.

With its ClearWater Clarification System, the iSkim Ultra reduces the need for chemical treatments. Using natural clarifiers made from recycled materials, it helps maintain crystal-clear water while promoting a healthier swimming environment. This design offers pool owners a more eco-friendly approach to pool care, requiring less time and fewer chemicals to manage.

In addition, features like the one-touch debris release and the 9L filter basket make maintenance easy. Built with durable, waterproof materials, the iSkim Ultra is designed for long-term reliability, making it a smart choice for pool owners seeking a sustainable, user-friendly solution for pool skimming.

EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 Solar Home Battery System

As AI becomes a bigger part of everyday life, so do our use and reliance on electronic devices and appliances at home. In addition to power consumption and the costs that come with it, this also means we become more beholden to sources of electricity, like power grids that are groaning under the weight of heavier consumption every year. Fortunately, there are also technologies that try to keep us from becoming paralyzed when the power goes out or when there isn’t one available in the first place, like the new EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 system that promises stable and green power you can rely on anytime, anywhere.

Designer: EcoFlow

Rather than limiting itself for the sake of being small and portable, the Delta Pro 3 embraces flexibility and power to deliver the power you need in the manner that best suits your situation. You can hook it up to solar panels to have 24/7 green energy enough to meet the needs of modern households. You can use it on its own in your outdoor adventures, powering your RV for a comfy outdoor life. And if you’re still living on the grid, it offers emergency backup power that kicks in just after 10ms. It’s an all-around power source that you can expand, whether you need 4kW, 8kW, or a whopping 12kW when used with other units.

Even with all that power, EcoFlow hasn’t forgotten the human factor in its design. Taking inspiration from high-performance sports cars, the Delta Pro 3 adopts a sleek and streamlined style with a Galactic Silver motif that adds visual sophistication to the power station. The EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 also puts safety and comfort in mind, with industry-leading battery management, advanced safety systems, and a quiet operation of less than 30dB that won’t keep you up at night.

Laifen Wave Titanium Toothbrush

The Laifen Wave Electric Toothbrush is designed for users who demand precision and performance in their oral care with up to 66,000 sonic vibrations per minute and a 60-degree oscillation range, adhering to the dentist-recommended Modified Bass brushing technique. Central to its effectiveness is the Proprietary Servo System, a feature that sets it apart from typical electric toothbrushes. This advanced system continuously monitors brushing resistance and adjusts motor performance in real-time, ensuring consistent cleaning power regardless of pressure.

Designer: Laifen

The toothbrush is available in four premium materials — Stainless Steel, Aluminum Alloy, ABS, and Titanium, making it the world’s first titanium electric toothbrush. Known for its strength and corrosion resistance, titanium ensures that the toothbrush is durable and long-lasting, making it a premium option for users looking for a product that will stand the test of time. The Stainless Steel and Aluminum Alloy options provide sleek, modern designs that balance weight and durability, while the ABS option offers a more lightweight alternative without sacrificing performance.

The Laifen Wave has three brush heads: Gum Care, Super-Clean, and Ultra-Whitening. Each head is specifically designed for different cleaning needs. Gum Care is gentler and designed to protect sensitive gums, while Super-Clean delivers intense cleaning for everyday plaque removal. The Ultra-Whitening head is designed for those looking to maintain a brighter smile. When paired with the Laifen Wave’s high-frequency vibrations and wide oscillation range, these brush heads deliver superior results tailored to individual needs.

Customization is another key feature of the Laifen Wave. The toothbrush comes with three preset brushing modes—gentle, regular, and intense—allowing users to adjust the brushing experience to their preferences. For even greater control, the Laifen app offers ten adjustable intensity levels, enabling users to fine-tune the vibration strength and oscillation range to suit their unique brushing style. Whether someone needs a gentler clean or prefers a more vigorous brushing experience, the app allows easy adjustments.

Eureka E20 Plus Robot Vacuum

There’s no shortage of robot vacuum cleaners boasting powerful suction capabilities, but that also means they’ll suck up anything and everything in their path, including things that can damage the robot as well. The Eureka E20 Plus makes short work of animal fur and human hair that can tangle and clog up vacuum brushes with its Newly Designed Anti Hair-Tangling Roller Design, achieving an anti-wrap effectiveness of 94%! Paired with its super-strong 8000 Pa suction, no dirt or hair is safe from this rolling machine.

Designer: Eureka

And it looks great to boot, offering burden-free operation that can save you up to $70 a year (estimated based on changing a $6 robot vacuum dust bag once per month). The transparent bag-free base station lets you see exactly what’s going on inside and offers stress-free emptying of that dust tank. Simply dump the contents directly into the garbage bin without having to worry about bursting or overflowing bags or having to replace those bags regularly. The clear view of the base station’s internals also gives it a sophisticated and futuristic look that perfectly fits the homes of tomorrow.

The Eureka E20 Plus Robot Vacuum is the perfect solution for pet owners as well as households where hair often ends up on the floor. Of course, it can also do what other flagship robot vacs can, including automatic Multi-Cyclonic Dust Collection, 10mm Mop Lifting, and DuoDetect AI 3D Obstacle Avoidance. With strong suction power, anti-tangling capabilities, a bag-free base station, and a stylish transparent design, the Eureka E20 Plus offers a stress-free and burden-free cleaning experience for all.

Govee COB Strip Light Pro

Smart lighting is one of the easiest ways to get started in upgrading your living space, and there is a wide variety of designs that go beyond a simple bulb. Govee, an industry leader in both indoor and outdoor smart lighting, offers plenty of interesting and useful options to not only brighten up your space but also create the mood that you want. One of its newest designs is also its first, a COB strip light that provides both illumination and ambiance with the ease of use and customizability that the brand is known for.

Designer: Govee

Utilizing “chip-on-board” or COB technology, the new Govee COB Strip Light Pro packs no less than 1,260 LED beads per meter, creating a continuous line of light without any visible gaps. It’s a beautiful display that can be used to light up a room as a secondary light source with pure white, as well as get a party going with dynamically changing hues. And thanks to its silicone sleeve, you don’t have to worry about installing it out in the open since it will look discreet and blend with the rest of its surroundings.

In addition to the bright and colorful illumination provided by Govee’s RGBIC+W technology, you have a handful of options available to control the dance of these LEDs, whether manually or through automation through smart assistants. Every meter has 12 segments you can customize, and every 8cm of the strip has a clearly labeled segment you can cut, allowing the user to truly create the lighting environment they want rather than bending over backward to conform to the limitations of the light strip. With the Govee COB Strip Light Pro, any kitchen island, furniture, or space becomes an opportunity to enhance the living experience.

DJI Neo FPV Drone

Weighing just under 5 ounces, the DJI Neo sets a new standard for everyday content creation with its ultra-compact, pocket-friendly design. As DJI’s lightest and most portable drone yet, it eliminates the need for a traditional remote control, offering one-button takeoff, landing, and shooting. It can still pair with traditional RC controllers, DJI Goggles, or the Fly app for more advanced control, offering flexibility to suit different user preferences, while voice commands enhance its ease of use, allowing for a hands-free experience.

Designer: DJI

With an 18-minute flight time and the ability to capture 12MP photos and 4K stabilized video, Neo brings professional-grade filming to anyone’s fingertips. Neo can record up to 40 minutes of 4K video or 55 minutes at 1080p/60fps that it then stores on its 22GB internal storage. The DJI Neo’s AI-powered subject tracking ensures users stay perfectly framed during cycling, hiking, or skateboarding activities. Its six QuickShots modes—such as “Dronie” and “Boomerang”—enable dynamic, cinematic angles with minimal effort.

Safety is paramount with Neo’s fully wrapped propellers, which protect the drone and its users. Neo’s single-axis mechanical gimbal and DJI’s RockSteady and HorizonBalancing stabilization technology ensure smooth, shake-free footage even in windy conditions. The drone’s infrared and monocular vision positioning systems maintain steady hovering, while the automatic Return to Home (RTH) feature adds peace of mind.

CANVAS HiFi TV Sound System

There is a lot of attention being given to the image quality produced by TVs, but what we see, while important, isn’t all that makes up a cinematic home theater experience. That said, the majority of home HiFi sound systems and even sound bars focus too much on technical qualities, forgetting the part that these audio systems have to sit inside the home. The result is a juxtaposition of a beautiful and stylish screen standing beside functional speakers that clash with the rest of your living space. Wouldn’t it be great if you could have a beautiful HiFi sound system that perfectly matches your beautiful TV? Fortunately, CANVAS agrees.

Designer: CANVAS HiFi

Going against the flow of typical speaker designs, the CANVAS HiFi TV Sound System embraces design as an important and co-equal priority to a quality home product. It integrates with your TV mechanically and visually, making the two seem like a whole rather than two separate parts. With premium materials like Milled-Ochre textile from Kvadrat or Mahogany from Danish designer Susanne Helberg, CANVAS creates an almost literal art canvas that adds beauty to any space it’s in.

Of course, it doesn’t hold back on delivering high-quality audio as well, introducing technologies that solve the biggest problems of wall-mounted speakers. Room correction turns bass gains into a big advantage even when placed so close to a wall, while BACCH 3D removes the need to place left and right speakers so far apart by preventing cross-talk and delivering real stereo imaging. The result is a stunning HiFi sound system that puts audio in its proper place, standing proudly with your equally striking TV.

TECNO MEGA MINI Gaming G1 Water-Cooled Mini PC

Even with handheld gaming PCs becoming trendy and gaming laptops becoming slimmer and sleeker, nothing still beats a desktop computer when it comes to sheer performance, configurability, and cooling. Nothing beats them in eating up desk or floor space either, which is why some gamers are willing to compromise power for the sake of size. TECNO, however, says it doesn’t have to be an either-or situation, and its mind-blowing MEGA MINI G1 mini PC proves you can have the best of both worlds.

Designer: TECNO

Significantly smaller than a standard desktop tower, this mini PC still packs quite a punch, including an Intel Core i9-13900H and, more importantly, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060. Gamers will be instantly familiar with such specs on a gaming-worthy computer, now crammed in a compact and cute box with transparent front and side panels. There’s plenty of RGB lighting that gamers crave, as well as a small built-in display at the top for CPU and GPU metrics at a glance without having to open up any app or overlay.

What really sets this mini PC apart, however, is its water-cooling system that you’d only see on larger desktops. A whisper-quiet pump moves the coolant through glowing tubes, offering the distraction-free performance that gives gamers the edge they need for an epic win. Whether it’s exploring the latest AAA title or even rendering graphics, the TECNO MEGA MINI Gaming G1 mini PC has plenty of muscle to show for such a small package.

DJI Avinox E-Bike Drive System

The DJI Avinox Drive System is designed to bring high performance and advanced technology to electric mountain bikes (eMTBs). Weighing only 2.52 kg, the drive system is compact but powerful, delivering an impressive 105 N·m of torque. This level of power allows riders to conquer steep climbs and navigate challenging terrain with ease, all while keeping the bike’s overall weight low.

At the core of the Avinox system is DJI’s Smart-Assist Algorithm, which automatically adjusts power output based on real-time riding conditions, adjusting assistance to match the rider’s needs without requiring constant manual input, whether the rider is tackling flat trails, climbing steep hills, or navigating rough terrain, the drive system . In addition to the automatic mode, riders can choose from three other assist modes—Eco, Trail, and Turbo—tailored to different riding scenarios. For particularly challenging climbs or rough sections, Boost mode delivers short bursts of extra torque, up to 120 N·m, giving riders the power to handle steep inclines or rugged terrain with ease.

Designer: DJI

Connectivity and control are central to the Avinox Drive System, which includes a 2-inch OLED touchscreen display integrated directly into the bike’s frame. This full-color display provides real-time information such as speed, range, and power output, allowing riders to monitor their performance at a glance. Additionally, the Avinox app offers advanced features like ride data tracking, anti-theft mode with password protection, the ability to customize riding parameters, and even remote bike location tracking, adding a layer of security for riders.

The first bike to integrate the Avinox Drive System is the Amflow PL, an electric mountain bike designed to fully take advantage of DJI’s advanced e-bike technology. Weighing only 19.2 kg, the Amflow PL packs serious power into a lightweight, ultra-responsive frame. The bike’s carbon fiber frame weighs just 2.27 kg, keeping the total weight low while offering strength and durability. The bike’s design incorporates cutting-edge geometry, giving it a balanced performance that handles rugged, technical trails with agility and stability. At the same time, it delivers 850W of peak power with the Avinox system, far surpassing the typical output of full-power eMTBs while maintaining the sleek, lightweight build of more traditional bikes.

The combination of DJI’s Avinox Drive System and the Amflow PL bike offers a remarkable blend of lightweight design, high power output, intelligent technology, and robust performance, making it an ideal choice for serious eMTB riders looking for a bike that handles the toughest trails with ease.

XGIMI Elfin Flip Portable Projector

Who says portable entertainment devices like speakers and projectors have to come in cylindrical shapes? They’re definitely handy and compact, but not always the most visually pleasing, especially when it comes time to use them at home. Embracing both home use and portability, the XGIMI Elfin Flip comes in a form that almost makes it look like a designer object, functioning as a decorative piece when it’s not in use.

Designer: XGIMI

The projector’s triangular form is already eye-catching, but the fact that you can swivel the main section down to reveal the projector will probably amaze your friends and family. Its flat, compact design also makes it easy to put inside a bag, ready to travel with you and set up an entertainment hub or meeting space anywhere.

And it’s not all just good looks either, with 400 ISO lumens brightness and two 3W speakers for a complete audio-visual treat. It also has a bundle of XGIMI’s intelligent features, from automatic keystone correction to screen alignment. Powered by WebOS, you have access to Netflix and a variety of apps, ensuring you have no shortage of sources to keep you and your friends entertained.

Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC Proof of Concept

AI is promised to deliver customized and personalized experiences, but that has mostly been true only for software and services so far. Hardware, particularly computer hardware, is still a matter of manual operations and control, but Lenovo envisions a future when that will no longer be the case. Its latest concept design leverages AI to change the laptop’s mode of operation, particularly its configuration and position, so that it can switch between laptop, tablet, or tent modes depending on what you’re doing. It can even close the lid when you leave the laptop unattended after a period of time.

Designer: Lenovo

Convertible laptops like the Lenovo Yoga offer flexibility in their different modes, but you have to manually fold or turn the screen to actually take advantage of those modes. That presents an opportunity to make computers more efficient mostly by automatically changing their form without having to touch the laptop itself. The Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC Proof of Concept can do exactly that thanks to a motorized hinge and, of course, some AI. The screen, for example, can turn on its own to make sure you’re always at the center, or you can give it explicit commands to flip the screen around and transform itself into a tablet. It’s a simple change but one that could offer significant quality-of-life improvements if it ever becomes a stable and staple part of future Lenovo laptops.

SHARGE Forged Carbon Fiber Power Banks

Power banks are a fact of modern mobile life, and while they come in all shapes, sizes, and designs, they follow a common rule: the larger the capacity, the larger and heavier the power bank is. You can’t escape the laws of physics, but you can use materials that can be thin and light while still remaining durable. That miracle material is forged carbon fiber, and it is at the heart of SHARGE’s new handsome power banks.

Designer: SHARGE

The SHARGE Forged Carbon Fiber Power Bank series offers high-capacity portable batteries that weigh less than their regular counterparts while actually delivering better ruggedness and survivability. Plus they look quite eye-catching with their camo-like designs, thanks to the natural aesthetic produced by using carbon fiber chips. Available in a regular 10,000mAh CarbonBlade design and two Qi2 and MagSafe-compatible packs, SHARGE’s Forged Carbon Fiber power banks push the envelope of how these portable batteries should be designed.

ASUS ZenBook S 14 Laptop with Ceraluminum Cover

Laptops have long outgrown their image of simply being machines that you carry around to get work done. They have now become more suave and stylish, with some even becoming lifestyle choices. Despite all that, much of the materials used for these sleek machines gravitate toward metal or plastic, either for their durability or their cost-effectiveness. With its Zenbooks S 14 and the new Ceraluminum material, ASUS is pushing the envelope of laptop design to offer an elegant and luxurious aesthetic without compromise.

Designer: ASUS

Combining the best of ceramic and aluminum without their restrictions, Ceraluminum offers durable protection that looks and feels premium. Add this to the Zenbook S 14’s slim profile and lightweight body and you have a formula for a portable computer that you’ll want to show off at every opportunity. It doesn’t skimp on the all-important specs either, combining Intel’s latest AI-powered silicon with top-of-the-line hardware to deliver power and pizzazz in a single stylish package.

Morphy Richards Ductless Portable Air Conditioner

Like it or not, our planet is getting hotter, and conventional cooling solutions can no longer keep up with this worsening situation and our changing lifestyles. Not everyone can afford to install a traditional air conditioning unit at home, and A/C’s that advertise mobility have long large hoses snaking from their bodies. Morphy Richards is presenting a revolutionary product that truly makes air conditioning mobile, introducing the industry’s first ductless portable aircon for homes, offices, and other small spaces.

Designer: Morphy Richards

This seemingly magical feat is made possible with water-cooling technology that keeps the emitted hot air actually closer to room temperature, so you don’t need to direct it away using a cumbersome hose. With a 50-degree angle going in each direction, this ductless portable air conditioner can actually cover a wider range than what its small body would suggest. Plus, it actually looks quite appealing, almost like a futuristic robot with its sleek, shiny silver finish and black coating. Delivering cooling, dehumidifying, and fanning functions, this Morphy Richards Ductless Portable Air Conditioner promises comfort, convenience, and even cost savings for the modern household.

Acer Project DualPlay Gaming Laptop Concept

With PC gaming experiencing a sort of renaissance, it’s not surprising to see new designs rising to meet the changing needs and tastes of gamers. From slimmer laptops to handheld PCs, gaming has taken on new trends and behaviors that require PCs to change with them. Acer is taking up the challenge with a new concept gaming laptop that manages to honor tradition and explore new horizons at the same time, thanks to some innovative designs.

Designer: Acer

The laptop’s extra-large touchpad pops out and becomes a wireless controller, allowing gamers to quickly switch between keyboard and controller without missing a beat and without having to worry about forgetting to bring the controller or having no space for it in the bag. That detachable controller can actually be separated into two joysticks, not unlike the concept of the Nintendo Switch Joy-con, allowing two people to compete or cooperate in the same game without having to fight over the controls. Plus, two high-fidelity 5W speakers slide out from the side, delivering not only unhindered sound but a futuristic and hi-tech vibe as well.

Satechi Vegan-Leather Passport Cover with Find My

For all the hi-tech gadgets we have at our disposal, we humans still lose important things quite often, from bags to keys to critical documents. That experience can be especially terrifying when it involves misplacing your passport in a foreign country. Fortunately, we do now have technology that will help us locate lost items, like Satechi’s elegant passport cover which integrates with Apple’s worldwide Find My network. You can ping the passport and get an audible response if it’s nearby, or even get an immediate warning if you’ve accidentally left it behind. With a five-month battery life, you rarely need to charge it, and when you do, you can simply put it down on any wireless charger.

Designer: Satechi

Best of all, the passport cover is made from premium materials that don’t make it look like you’re carrying a piece of tech. Using scratch-resistant vegan leather, the Satechi Vegan Leather Passport Cover with Find My offers not only a stylish and aesthetic design but also a more sustainable material that will last a very long time. Most importantly, it offers peace of mind that your passport and important cards are always with you or are at least easy to locate if you do lose them.

The post Best of IFA 2024: Designs that Deliver Innovation For All first appeared on Yanko Design.

PROS:

• Gorgeous 3.8K screen with very thin bezels


• Stylish, lightweight, and flexible workstation on-the-go


• Competitive performance even for light gaming


• Creative speaker soundbar hinge design

CONS:

• Included pen feels cramped


• No HDMI port or SD card slot

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS

ERGONOMICS

PERFORMANCE

SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With a more portable design and solid performance, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 makes for a competitive all-rounder that can cover almost every need and use case.

There has been a sudden flood of new laptops in the past months, most of them trying to ride the AI wave. With so many designs and so many configurations available, it can be a bit daunting to pick one for your next major computer purchase. There’s no shortage of models catering to gamers and content creators, as well as pro models aimed at high-performance workers. On the opposite side lies the “economy” choices meant for students and some employees, carrying barely enough power for the most basic tasks. When it comes to those who need a general-purpose computer that can keep up with their changing needs and situations, the choices can be a bit more difficult because they’re all over the place. A solid option with well-balanced features and an accessible price tag is always in demand, and that’s what the 2024 Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 (14IMH9) 2-in-1 convertible laptop is promising, so we take put it to the test to see if it does keep its word.

Designer: Lenovo

Aesthetics

The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 has a presence that grabs your attention without being loud or distracting. The simple yet sleek shape of the lid combined with the soft curves of the base creates an interesting silhouette whether the laptop is closed or open. And the dark Cosmic Blue hue, still a rarity in this product line, makes it stand out in an aesthetically pleasing way. When the lid is open and the screen powered on, the extra slim bezels around the display further emphasize the laptop’s modern appearance.

Even at first glance, it’s immediately evident how slim and small the 2-in-1 laptop is, at least for a 14-inch device. Compared to its Gen 8 predecessor, this year’s Lenovo Yoga 9i is significantly smaller and lighter, which greatly improves its portability. This attribute is even critical for this kind of laptop since it can be used as a tablet that you’ll sometimes have to hold up for long periods of time, though it does have some drawbacks compared to typical tablets, which we’ll get to later.

One design detail that might prove divisive is how the lid and the base practically have two different designs. The lid is thin and has flat edges with a matte surface, while the base sports curved edges with a shiny finish. The difference between the two is even more stark when you realize that the base is actually wider at its edges than the lid so that these two parts don’t sit flush with each other when closed. It’s an asymmetrical design quirk that might not sit well with some, while others might grow accustomed to it over time, enough to take it for granted.

Ergonomics

At only 2.98 lbs (1.35kg), the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 is relatively lighter than its predecessor as well as the nearest competition. This gives it an advantage when it comes to portability, especially when you consider how it doesn’t skimp on the specs in return. You still won’t want to hold it up unsupported for long periods of time, but it’s less straining than most. That said, you won’t be able to hold it as comfortably as a regular tablet like an iPad or a Surface because the keys fold to the back of the lid. They’re disabled, of course, but you will still undoubtedly press on them, making for a rather awkward experience.

But while using the laptop is comfortable and even enjoyable, the Lenovo Slim Pen that ships with the Yoga 9i Gen 9 is a different story. We don’t have any complaints when it comes to the performance of the stylus, since it does a great job at it, but holding the short and nearly flat stick can strain your hand if you use it for too long. There’s also no secure place to put the stylus on when not in use, because the magnet on the back and top of the lid is not exactly that strong. It almost feels as if designing the pen was an afterthought, especially since previous Yoga 9i models had a silo for its home.

Performance

In addition to its facelift, the 2024 14-inch Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 gets a major upgrade in hardware. That’s the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, the chip maker’s latest entry into the AI arena. This is matched with high-speed LPDDR5x RAM, 32GB for our review unit, and 1TB PCIe SSD Gen 4 M.2 of storage. In addition to the integrated Intel AI Boost NPU (Neural Processing Unit), a key feature of this configuration is the integrated Intel Arc graphics. It’s still a far cry from dedicated GPUs from the likes of NVIDIA and AMD, but it’s still a major leap forward in terms of performance. And it doesn’t disappoint, at least within the right context and expectations. It’s no gaming laptop, but light gaming with medium settings is no problem, as are content creation apps, especially those that utilize AI features.

The real star of the show here is the 14-inch OLED display, with a 3.8K WQUXGA (3840 x 2400) resolution in our review unit (there’s also a 2.8K 2880×1800 option). Both are touch-capable, as you would expect from a 2-in-1 laptop, and the image quality is just astounding in both brightness and color vibrancy. It’s by no means perfect, especially compared to more “pro” laptops, but on a consumer product, this is simply gorgeous. It doesn’t fall short when it comes to audio either, and its unique design solves one of the biggest problems laptops have: speaker placement. In the Yoga 9i Gen 9’s case, the wide hinge also acts as a soundbar that’s always firing in your direction, and the audio that it puts out is full and broad, and it doesn’t sound distorted or tinny at maximum volume.

As a 2-in-1 laptop, the Yoga 9i Gen 9 has to carefully balance the needs of both laptop users as well as tablet users, and nowhere is that more evident than in the choice of I/O ports. There are three USB-C ports, two of which support Thunderbolt 4, one full-sized USB-A port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. That’s pretty much it. The lack of an HDMI port means you’ll need to use a dongle if your external monitor doesn’t support USB-C video, and digital photographers might be unimpressed with the lack of a card reader. The I/O leans more on the side of portability and mobility, making some practical sacrifices along the way.

The typing experience is quite decent, and the keys have sufficient spacing and travel to keep most users happy. It’s also backlit, so typing in the dark is no problem at all. The touchpad is large, smooth, and responsive, leaving very little reason to complain. One design detail that some might take issue with is the column of special keys on the right edge, providing quick access to a few features, including a fingerprint scanner. Unfortunately, its placement makes it too easy to hit these keys accidentally, especially since they’re so close to important keys like Enter, Backspace, and the Left cursor key. It also means that the entire keyboard is practically shifted to the left, and so will your hands.

Battery life is decent, though not exactly remarkable. The 75Wh battery will last you an average of 5-7 hours on average use, shorter if you crank up the video or game settings. The good news is that it charges over USB-C and any of the three USB-C ports can be used for that purpose. That means you can opt for a faster and smaller GaN charger than the plain 65W brick that comes with the Lenovo Yoga 9i, not that it’s that big a charger in the first place.

Sustainability

The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9’s all-aluminum build means there’s less plastic in each laptop. Even better, it uses plenty of recycled materials as well, like 50% recycled aluminum for the base bottom, 50% post-consumer recycled plastic for the keyboard, and, of course, 100% plastic-free packaging. That’s definitely more than what you might find in other consumer laptops, so Lenovo deserves a pat on the back there.

Unfortunately, the longevity of the 2-in-1 laptop might be a bit of an issue, especially if you consider doing repairs or upgrades yourself. Although held down by four TORX screws, the base bottom panel also has some pretty strong adhesive that gets in the way of easily accessing replaceable parts. Also quite puzzling, this Gen 9 model has apparently dropped support for the longer 80mm NVMe SSD drives, limiting you to the 42mm variety only.

Value

The laptop market is a very competitive space, especially when brands put out new models almost at the same time and with the same core specs. That makes telling each apart a bit more difficult, let alone figuring out the actual value that a product has. With a price tag ranging from $1,300 to $1,500, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 (14″, 2024) already stands out as being more affordable, but we definitely can’t judge it by that figure alone, nor can we ignore the competition.

The Yoga 9i Gen 9 definitely offers a well-rounded set of features, wrapped in a design that is elegant and distinctive, even if a bit odd at the edges. The 14-inch display really makes videos and images pop, up and the sound quality is impressive for a laptop. That said, it’s a very close call with its biggest rival, the newly refreshed HP Spectre x360 14, also a 2-in-1 convertible laptop. It might even boil down to which product and software ecosystem you prefer, but you can’t go wrong with a solid performer like the new 2024 14-inch Yoga 9i.

Verdict

Finding a good balance between power, portability, and price isn’t that easy. Some designs don’t even try and instead focus on a specific aspect and refine that to perfection. The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 almost comes close, bringing the AI-empowered performance of the new Intel Core Ultra line to a sleek and elegant device that you can proudly show off, whether as a laptop or as a tablet. With a large and beautiful screen that barely has any bezels, it not only lets you focus on your work but also enjoy viewing content on it. Best of all, its sustainability and accessibility give it an edge over similarly priced options, making the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 2-in-1 laptop truly enticing for creators and workers always on the go.

The post Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 2-in-1 (14″, 2024) Review: Graceful Balancing Act first appeared on Yanko Design.

PROS:

• Sleek, compact, and minimalist design


• Impressive imaging performance


• Fast, responsive, and useful AI-powered features


• Hands-free gesture and voice control offer unbeatable convenience

CONS:

• Struggles a bit in low light


• Voice control might be a concern for some users


• A bit pricey (without Amazon Prime Day deal)

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS

ERGONOMICS

PERFORMANCE

SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With a sleek, modern design, excellent performance, and helpful AI features, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K camera is one of the best webcams money can buy, especially if you get it at a bargain like on Prime Day.

With streaming steadily becoming a popular and even lucrative career, the webcams built into laptops and monitors are not enough to give you an edge over the competition. Sure, they might be serviceable or even decent for meetings, but holding a captive audience requires more than just showing your static, pixelated face all the time. Whether you’re streaming a game, making presentations, selling products, or creating content in general, you will want a webcam that can keep up with you, figuratively and literally. That is exactly what the OBSBOT Tiny 2 AI-powered webcam promises, so we take it out of its premium carrying case, mount it on our monitor, and take it for a spin to see if there’s more to it than an impressive list of smart features.

Designer: OBSBOT

Click Here to Buy Now: $269 $329 (18% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

Aesthetics

Most webcams, at least those not embedded in monitors, usually come in boxy shapes that try to blend with the edge of the monitor or circles and spheres that look like a creepy eye staring back at you. Very few of their kind pay attention to the subconscious effect their designs have on the people who will be looking at the camera for long periods of time. That makes the OBSBOT Tiny 2 immediately different from its peers the moment you take it out of its carrying case because it immediately cuts a striking figure that makes its presence known without being distracting all the time.

The OBSBOT Tiny 2 comes with a rounded rectangle camera connected to a 2-axis gimbal that’s mounted on a smooth, squarish base. It has a sleek and modern aesthetic that embraces minimalism to its core. There are very few deviations from its predominantly black body, like the red accent around the camera lens and the LED light strip that indicates the camera’s modes. There are no buttons anywhere, and the only break on its surface is the USB-C port. It’s a breath of fresh air from webcams that try to look either too pretentious or too uninspiring.

The camera’s build quality is also commendable, utilizing a metal alloy rather than the common plastic. Its compact size and simple operations make it quite handy as a portable webcam, and the OBSBOT Tiny 2 comes with a solid carrying case that has room for everything you need to use it on the go, namely, its USB-C cable and included mount. Suffice it to say, the webcam’s simple yet stylish design won’t distract you from creating your finest content but will still please your eyes and your subconscious mind every time you do look at it.

Ergonomics

Unlike an action camera, whether in your hand or a gimbal, a webcam is mostly meant to sit on top of your screen or somewhere stationary. And with its minimalist design, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 is definitely not something you’ll be touching a lot to use and control. That’s definitely a good thing since you don’t want to always reach out in front of you to even just adjust the camera’s direction. What you want is to be able to record yourself or take pictures without breaking your flow, and the Tiny 2 handles that quite gracefully.

What all this means is that you’ll be controlling the camera directly, either with gestures, voice, or the optional remote control. Yes, you’ll also use the OBSBOT Center software (formerly known as the OBSBOT WebCam), which has all the sliders and buttons you’ll need to fine-tune the camera’s performance. It can admittedly be overwhelming, but it’s something that professionals will want to have access to. And if you really need to control the camera without being near the computer, the $49 OBSBOT Tiny Smart Remote 2 has a few shortcuts handy. Plus it also functions as a presenter for those meetings that will impress your boss and even your colleagues.

Various Placement Methods

As for placing the webcam itself on a monitor, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 comes with a foldable magnetic clamp made with the same premium metal as the camera. The mount uses physics and gravity to stay on top of the monitor, while a strong magnet keeps the OBSBOT Tiny 2 attached to it, even when you tilt the mount down. Given the foldable design of the clamp, it might have some problems with very thin laptop lids or very thick monitors. Fortunately, you can also screw the Tiny 2 on almost any mount, which opens up more possibilities on where you can use the webcam. The only requirement is that you can still connect it to a computer or even a smartphone with a lengthy USB-C cable.

Performance

4K Video Quality

Before the pandemic, webcams that can go beyond 1080p resolution sounded excessive, but that’s now the bare minimum for these accessories. 4K is becoming more common, and the OBSBOT Tiny 2 is right up there with a 1/1.5-inch CMOS sensor that has an effective 50MP resolution. It’s capable of recording 4K video at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps and lower frame rates. Unfortunately, there is no “in-between” resolution like 2K of 1440p, which is also a common video quality in streaming these days.

In Dim Lighting Conditions

Whichever resolution you go with, the Tiny 2 performs admirably in capturing both still and moving content with plenty of detail and wide dynamic range. It boasts a Dual ISO system that can automatically switch or combine the two depending on the lighting condition. Unfortunately, it does struggle a bit in poorly lit environments, though not terribly. If you’ll be streaming in the dark, like what many gamers do, you might still want a bit of lighting to ensure a balanced image. The camera features two built-in omnidirectional mics with noise reduction, and while it does produce decent audio, it’s not exactly something to write home about. It can also sound a little tinny, so you might want to augment your setup with a dedicated microphone if you can afford it.

Auto Tracking with Auto Zoom

Magical Gesture Control 2.0

4x Zoom In/Out

Select/Cancel Target

While the OBSBOT Tiny 2 already delivers commendable imaging performance, it really goes to town with its long list of features to make creators’ lives easier and even more fun. And, unsurprisingly, many of these harness the power of AI with very impressive results. Tracking the subject is at the very top of the list, and it is fast and smooth, thanks both to the algorithms as well as the 2-axis gimbal. Depending on your settings, the camera can even automatically zoom in and out to make sure your head or upper body is always visible, no matter how far you are from the camera. And if more people join in on the shot, it will automatically adjust the field of view to frame everyone properly.

Present Properly with Desk Mode

The Tiny 2 also has a unit Desk Mode that makes the camera perfect for meetings and video instructions. In this mode, you tilt the mount forward and the camera will then adjust its angle so that it’s directly pointing down on the desk. It will then flip the video stream so that viewers can see what you’re writing or doing with your hands in the correct direction. And for those streams that require you to act like a teacher, whiteboard mode will focus, zoom in, and straighten the whiteboard for more effective delivery.

All-Pixel Auto Focus

The list of convenient and impressive features goes on and on. Now four times faster than its predecessor, the OBSBOT Tiny 2’s autofocus is fast and impressive, making sure that the product you’re showing off in front of you is clearly seen before it switches back to showing your face. For brief and quick camera changes, you can use hand gestures to zoom in and out, but the real headlining feature for this new model is voice control. From waking up the camera to having it follow you around, you can just ask “Tiny” rather than reach out for your mouse or keyboard. Some people might feel a bit uneasy with having a camera that’s listening and waiting for your commands, but you can always turn the camera down to turn it off and protect your privacy or disable the feature entirely.

Beauty Mode – Smooth your skin and brighten your eyes in just one second.

Sustainability

With webcams a dime a dozen in the market these days, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the vast majority of them use plastic shells to cover their bodies. What’s more surprising are the outliers like the OBSBOT Tiny 2 which opt for more premium and more sustainable materials like metal. It not only adds character to the design, it also makes it look more forgiving and gentler on the planet. You will want to take better care of the camera when using it outdoors, of course, protecting it from scuffs and dents. Thankfully, that hard shell case is there for that very purpose.

It’s not a complete win, of course, as there are still plenty of plastics in the product as well as the packaging. The camera’s seamless design also makes self-repair nearly impossible, not that you’ll want to do it yourself anyway. OBSBOT does have a strong warranty and repair policy, so you’re better off letting the experts do the hard and precise work.

Value

User Scenarios

If it wasn’t clear yet, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 is chock-full of features, all of which are designed to make a content creator’s life easier and less stressful. It leverages AI so that they don’t have to make minute-by-minute decisions and adjustments to the camera, freeing them to focus on the most important part of the process: actually creating the content and engaging with a captive audience. It’s like having a small cameraman on your desk, following your body’s or hands’ cues to create those smooth transitions and to focus on important parts, whether it’s a product or your face.

That said, the OBSBOT Tiny 2’s SRP of $329 can still be a bit difficult to swallow. Make no mistake, you’re really getting your money’s worth, but not everyone will have that much in reserve for a new tool. Fortunately, Amazon’s Prime Day is just around the corner, and you can get this AI-powered camera at a steep 18% discount that brings the price down to a juicy $269. With that price cut, there’s very little to keep you from upgrading your toolset to become the content creator you’ve always aspired to be. Prime Day also opens the door to other sweet deals, like the Remote Combo with the Tiny Remote 2 getting a 16% discount, or the PowerUp Combo with a remote, a tripod, and an HQ mic going for 15% less. Streaming veterans might want to grab the Streaming Combo (remote, tripod, UVC to HDMI adapter) or the MultiCam Combo (three OBSBOT Tiny 2 Cameras, remote, 3-in-1 USB Hub) with 15% and 14% savings, respectively.

Verdict

We’re way past the time when streamers and video content creators could simply sit in front of their cameras and expect the likes (and money) to start piling in. Viewers have become more discerning, perhaps even more demanding, and streamers now need to take their content to the next level. Of course, the actual content is king, but the presentation can make or break your career as well. More than just a good camera, you need a camera that understands where you’re going and can follow your cues without you even saying a word.

The OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K PTZ Webcam delivers on both fronts, providing excellent video quality with the brains to know how you want a shot to be taken or what to focus on. And it looks great to boot, putting other webcams to shame for their lack of elegance despite all the opportunities and materials available to them. Admittedly, it’s not an inexpensive product, but with a juicy Prime Day deal, there’s no better time to upgrade your streaming equipment and upgrade your channel than with this AI-powered 4K webcam.

Click Here to Buy Now: $269 $329 (18% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

The post OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K PTZ Webcam Review: Elevate Your Streaming Quality with AI this Prime Day first appeared on Yanko Design.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning have become such hot topics that even mainstream media has been giving them their 15 minutes of fame. Unsurprisingly, there are both proponents and critics of these technologies, but it’s hard to deny how AI is becoming an unavoidable presence not just in devices but also in services. Just take a gander at how many AI-powered or AI-enhanced designs there are at MWC in Barcelona this year. Of course, that’s not the only trend that’s gripping the mobile tech industry, and so we sift through the dozens of products and concepts at MWC 2024 to pick out the best designs that help live life to the fullest, with a little help from AI, of course.

TECNO Spark 20 Pro+

The TECNO SPARK 20 Pro+ is a remarkable choice in the affordable smartphone category, providing advanced imaging features and a stunning design at a reasonable price, perfect for today’s generation of creators. The camera boasts a 108MP lens with 3x lossless zoom and 10x digital zoom, leading to incredibly detailed photos. The large 1/1.67″ sensor size and F/1.75 aperture ensure excellent image quality in diverse lighting conditions. Its HDR Multi-Frame Fusion intelligently balances light and shade for optimal composition. The phone also features a 32MP Glowing Selfie Camera with an 88.9-degree golden lens, enhanced by AI portrait restoration, perfect for selfies or group shots. The high-end camera stack also includes TECNO’s 9-in-1 Adaptive Pixel technology. This feature increases light sensitivity by 900% and uses an ultra-large 1.92µm pixel to enhance your shots’ clarity.

Designer: TECNO

Vloggers will adore how it can record in 2K resolution, making it ideal for capturing important memories and putting your best self forward. Features like an automatic bokeh for movie-like effects, a night algorithm for improved low-light captures, and slow-motion support to enhance the production quality make you feel like a pro cinematographer without breaking a sweat. It also offers advanced video stabilization and dual-focus technology for diversified filming scenarios. The Dual View mode, which combines front and rear camera views, opens up new vlogging opportunities that will take your channel to the next level.

The high-quality Corning Gorilla Glass 5 makes it sleek and easy to hold thanks to an ergonomic design, and it is lightweight at 190g with a thickness of 7.55mm. With its pioneering 56.5-degree Ergonomics Double Curved Design, the phone is a sight to behold and a joy to behold from every angle. The Quadrant Star Array camera on the back provides excellent photos and adds balance, while the Sparkle Sand Pattern sparks interest and awe, easily making you the center of attention. The glossy back cover comes in three colors – Lunar Frost, Temporal Orbits, and Radiant Starstream, plus a fourth, Magic Skin 2.0 Green, for extra durability and an eco-friendly choice. Durability is another key factor that contributes to its appeal, with water and dust resistance features ensuring longevity. These aspects, combined with its high-quality camera system, make the TECNO SPARK 20 Pro+ a remarkable device that offers exceptional value for its price.

TECNO CAMON 30 Premier 5G

Photography has become one of the major reasons to have a smartphone these days, whether you’re an amateur shutterbug or a prolific influencer. Although manufacturers played the megapixel game in the beginning, it is now clear that takes more than that to produce breathtaking images and viral videos. It can be a complicated matter, but TECNO is simplifying it into a single package that is poised to revolutionize the mobile photography scene.

Designer: TECNO

Developed in collaboration with Sony, the TECNO PolarAce Imaging System on the new CAMON 30 Premier 5G adds an independent imaging processor just for handling photos and videos. The results definitely speak for themselves, and it’s a technology that will put TECNO on the global map when it comes to mobile photography. The CAMON 30 Premier 5G itself is quite the looker, inspired by the aesthetics of rangefinder cameras while still maintaining a stylish and classic appearance.

D-Link Aquila Pro AI M60

Our Internet needs even at home have become more complicated, and the routers of the past are clearly not equipped to keep up with the demand of all the smartphones, tablets, and smart home devices competing for bandwidth. More powerful and sophisticated routers do exist, but the vast majority of them seem to be designed to flex their muscles, showing off their antennas and bulky boxes that look more like technological monstrosities rather than an integral part of your home.

Designer: D-LINK

The D-LINK AQUILA PRO AI mesh router, specifically this M60 AX6000, is like a breath of fresh air in this market, elegant, charming, yet also very capable. Inspired by an eagle in flight, the curved sides, bright color motif, and smooth surfaces try to capture the gracefulness of one of the most powerful birds of prey. The mesh router offers everything that its peers have, including plenty of AI-powered features, and still looks beautiful anywhere you place it. Its housing is even made of post-consumer recycled materials or PCRs, helping D-LINK give back to the very nature that inspired this design.

Honor Magic V2 RSR Porsche Design Edition

Foldable phones are becoming more common, with more players joining the competition. At this early stage, there is still plenty of room for exploration when it comes to design. Indeed, we’re seeing foldable phones that come in different shapes, materials, and aesthetics, all of them trying to mask what is really a large and thick slab of glass and metal. Honor is taking that to the next level with its partnership with the famed Porsche Design house, presenting a foldable phone that pushes the boundaries of what you can accomplish with such a device.

Designer: Honor

The Honor Magic V2 RSR Porsche Design Edition is unabashedly a luxury device, even more luxurious than how foldable phones are already perceived. As the name states, its design is inspired by the luxury marque, particularly the flyline that Porsche values dearly. But it isn’t just all looks either, with the Magic V2 RSR possessing features its rivals can only dream of. That includes the ability to use a stylus both on the internal display and, more importantly, the outer Cover Screen as well. Yes, its price tag may seem astronomical, but that has never stopped luxury items from selling well, especially when they’re made as good as this.

Honor Magic6 Pro

Not everyone wants a foldable phone, and for those who just want a regular yet beautiful handset, the Honor Magic6 Pro aims to deliver. It’s definitely a striking design, with a camera island that combines the circle and “squircle” designs that pervade the smartphone market today. Rather than giving in to flat trends, the Magic6 Pro wears its curves like a badge of honor, no pun intended, providing not just a graceful appearance but an ergonomic shape as well.

Designer: Honor

Of course, the Honor Magic6 Pro is also well-equipped with the latest smartphone technologies, from the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor to an advanced camera system that includes a 180MP telephoto camera. The highlights, unsurprisingly, are the AI features that enhance the user experience, like “Magic Portal,” which can automatically recognize addresses in a text message and open up Google Maps when you want to start navigating. Anything you drag to this “portal” will be analyzed by Honor’s AI to take the appropriate action, whether it’s searching, shopping, or other activities you’ll need help with.

TECNO Dynamic 1 Robot Dog

You probably never expected a smartphone maker to debut a robot dog, but that’s exactly the surprise that TECNO had in store here at MWC 2024. Putting a friendlier face and form to the design popularized by Boston Dynamics, the TECNO Dynamic 1 is reimagining what man’s best friend would look like a few years from now. But more than just a novel and expensive toy, this robot dog is envisioned to become a faithful companion to your household.

Designer: TECNO

In addition to mechanisms that allow the TECNO Dynamic 1 to gracefully imitate the natural movements of dogs, including climbing stairs and shaking hands, the robot dog is equipped with AI that allows it to navigate your home safely, just like those robot vacuum cleaners. Of course, that AI is also capable of understanding voice commands, obeying your every word better than a real furry pal. There is definitely plenty of potential for such a design, especially in security, so we’ll be waiting with bated breath for what’s to come.

TECNO Phone Materials Concept

The back of the phone is the most visible part to others, so it’s only natural that owners want it to be the most beautiful part as well. Unfortunately, smartphone designs are generalized to appeal to as many tastes as possible, which leaves very little room for customized experiences. Sure, we have seen some with vegan leather covers, but most phones simply use glass or plastic. Fortunately, not all manufacturers are content to leave the status quo as it is, and TECNO has shared some of the interesting and sometimes odd explorations it has made so far.

Designer: TECNO

Stereoscopic 3D effects, environment-friendly organosilicone fabric leather, color-blending leather, and colored textured glass are just some of the concept materials that TECNO has been playing around with. It even has fragrance leathers with microencapsulated essential oil particles to have your phone smelling as good as it looks. Not all of these make sense and they might not even make it into production, but the concepts are an important part of the ideation process that will lead to innovative designs that look and feel like they were made for actual human persons and not just faceless consumers.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 repairability

Laptops are slowly but surely dominating the PC space, especially as they become powerful enough to compete with desktops. There are, however, still some things it can’t easily beat its towering cousin. The modular nature of desktops means they’re trivial to repair since you only need to replace the broken parts. That also means they have a longer lifetime in general, reducing the overall e-waste that’s usually involved in upgrading and discarding laptops in just a few short years.

Designer: Lenovo

Lenovo is bringing that kind of sustainability to its latest laptops, particularly the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5. Collaborating with self-repair experts over at iFixit, Lenovo designed this mobile workstation to be easy to repair, scoring an astounding 9 over 10 on iFixit’s meticulous repairability index. With parts that are easier to replace, including a socketed RAM instead of a soldered one, the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 goes a very long way to ensuring the longevity of these powerful and essential tools.

Lenovo ThinkPad Transparent Display Laptop

After staying nearly the same for decades, we’re now seeing attempts at redesigning the laptop without completely erasing its familiar form. Dual screens and foldable screens are just two of the latest explorations we’ve seen lately, but they’re hardly the only innovations possible in this space. In fact, Lenovo has just revealed what could even be more ambitious than a foldable or rollable laptop, one that has a transparent display and an all-glass keyboard to match the aesthetic.

Designer: Lenovo

Transparent TVs are starting to appear in the market, bringing a long-time fantasy to life. Lenovo seems to finally be satisfied that these transparent displays have become mature enough to be used on a laptop. Although still just a proof of concept, the ThinkPad Transparent Display Laptops is already very promising and mind-blowing, demonstrating what could be possible in just a few years’ time. It definitely sparks the imagination, looking like a functional prop straight out of a sci-fi movie set, and it probably prefigures the display-centric computers that are waiting for us in the future.

Humane AI Pin

Our smartphones are powerful devices, but they can also be a source of stress, distraction, and a host of other mental and emotional issues. But the world we live in today requires a connected lifestyle, even for some of the most basic actions. The Humane AI Pin is an ambitious design that tries to keep us connected while also removing the middleman that is the smartphone, providing the necessities of modern life without distractions and complicated apps.

Designer: Humane

More like a badge than a pin, the Humane AI Pin basically projects a simplified interface on your hand that you can control with gestures. It has a camera that sees the world around you and a cloud-based AI service that interprets it, which includes voice commands and queries for information. It’s like those fancy holographic gadgets you see in sci-fi shows, except it’s already here today and actually quite usable. It demonstrates that you won’t really need a smartphone for most of the things we use a mobile device for, freeing you to be more present in the moment and with other people.

nubia Music Phone

It may have been banished from smartphones, but the headphone jack is still a standard connector in other places, especially in the music industry. Bluetooth headphones and speakers might be improving, but some audiophiles still swear by their wired equipment, especially because of the flexibility they offer when you want to let others enjoy the same tunes you’re listening to. Inspired by the social aspects of listening to music, nubia made a surprising launch of a phone that’s designed to let you share your music easily.

Designer: nubia

The nubia Music doesn’t just bring back the 3.5mm port, it actually has two of them so that you can connect two headphones or external audio equipment at the same time. But if you want to share your music with the whole room, it also has an ultra-loud speaker on its back for maximum reach. What would normally be an unsightly component is made beautiful by making this speaker and the neighboring cameras resemble the design of an old-school turntable. With its distinctive appearance and its one-of-a-kind features, the nubia Music is clearly designed to cater to a fun-loving crowd that’s always ready and willing to share the things they love, including their passion for music.

nubia Pad 3D II

3D is becoming just as pervasive as AI in the tech industry, in no small part thanks to augmented and mixed reality experiences. Unfortunately, these technologies seem to suggest that you need to wear specialized goggles or even headsets just to enjoy these three-dimensional digital objects. The nubia Pad 3D II, however, proves otherwise, and its second iteration improves on the foundations that were laid last year to deliver a tool that can be used for both enjoying as well as creating 3D content without having to wear glasses.

Designer: nubia

This large 12-inch tablet utilizes eye sensors as well as AI algorithms to detect where your eyes are looking in order to adjust the display’s pixels and create a stereoscopic effect without wearing headsets or visors. It can even convert regular 2D content not made for 3D into 3D, all in real-time, with some AI help, of course. Dual cameras and, again, AI work together to enable users to capture the world around them and convert it into a digital 3D format that can then be used for your creative masterpieces. Whether you just want to watch 3D videos or you want to create the 3D content that goes into them, the nubia Pad 3D II offers a tool that will open up more possibilities without burdening your head.

OnePlus Watch 2

When they first launched, smartwatches and their proponents were ridiculed because of the idea that you’ll need to recharge your phone every night. Things have improved significantly by now, but we’re still talking around two days before you need to put the smartwatch down on its charger. There are indeed some designs that boast two weeks of uptime, but they also run software with more limited functionality to make that happen.

Designer: OnePlus

The OnePlus Watch 2 boasts around 100 hours of battery life, which is a little over four days. What makes this figure impressive is that it’s running Google’s Wear OS, which means it has full access to all the apps, integrations, and features that standard smartwatches offer. Plus it manages to remain stylish even with all the power it packs inside.

Infinix E-Shift Color Technology

The back of smartphones is the most expressive part of the device, a veritable canvas for displaying the phone’s character as well as the owner’s inclinations. Of course, not everyone has the same aesthetic tastes, but phones are designed to cater to the general public. What if you could design your own phone’s rear cover without having to commit to stickers or even protective cases? It would definitely be a step up from today’s designs, allowing owners to truly express themselves in different ways, even on different days.

Designer: Infinix

Infinix’s E-Shift Color delivers some of that freedom and flexibility by practically putting a display on the phone’s back. It’s not a regular battery-draining LCD screen, though, and instead leverages E Ink’s Prism display technology to let users select and even create colorful patterns to decorate the back of their phones. Since it’s based on an e-paper display, it doesn’t consume power until you change the design again. Even more interesting, E-Shift Color can actually animate these changes when the phone is plugged in, taking the charging experience to a whole new level.

Xiaomi CyberDog 2

Robot dogs are apparently becoming more popular to the point that smartphone manufacturers and tech companies are making their own commercial mechanical canines. Xiaomi is one of those brands that is dipping its hand (or paw) in this very niche market, and it’s showing off its second-gen design here in Barcelona. Looking like the robotic version of a Doberman with very short ear stumps, the Xiaomi CyberDog 2’s biggest stunt is its agility and flexibility which lets it even do backflips without breaking a sweat, or a circuit, in this case.

Designer: Xiaomi

Although it will hardly classify as “cute” like actual dogs, the CyberDog 2 has a distinct look akin to a muscular canine breed thanks to the faceted surface that covers its body and legs. Compared to its headless predecessor, Xiaomi has definitely made strides in making its robot dog actually look like a dog and be more approachable, hopefully even by kids. It’s still questionable what you’d use a $3,000 robot dog for, but the Xiaomi CyberDog 2’s more refined design, improved stability, and expanded functionality make it something worth observing in the months to come.

Xiaomi SU7 Electric Car

Xiaomi is no longer just a smartphone manufacturer, and nowhere is that more obvious than at MWC 2024 where it unveiled its most ambitious product yet, its first electric vehicle. The brand has been putting out personal mobility devices like e-scooters and e-bikes, and now it is taking its transportation dreams to the highway. Labeled as a “performance sedan,” the Xiaomi SU7 boasts reaching 60 mph speeds in just 2.78 seconds and a range of 497 miles with its 101kWh battery.

Designer: Xiaomi

The design of the electric car is quite noteworthy as well, and not just because of its blue paint job. The sleek profile and curves give a sporty character, and its elegant appearance would have you guessing which long-time car manufacturer produced such a beauty. We’ll still have to see how it actually fares on the road or if it will actually roll out to other markets, but Xiaomi definitely got people talking simply by showing off that it can also make cars as well.

Xiaomi Watch S3

Smartwatches have thankfully outgrown the days when they all looked more like sports watches rather than fashionable timepieces. There’s not a bit of variety in terms of designs, including some that try to mimic the appearance of classic watches and their faces. You can even replace straps, sometimes with standard lugs, to mix and match your style. There is, however, still one classic design element that smartwatches haven’t been able to implement, at least until now.

Designer: Xiaomi

The Xiaomi Watch S3 finally brings interchangeable bezels, letting you easily swap rings to fit your mood and style, even on a daily basis. It might sound like a very trivial feature, but it’s detail like that that gives classic watches their charm. Of course, the Xiaomi Watch S3 will only be compatible with bezels designed by Xiaomi or authorized accessory makers, so hopefully, the idea will catch on and become a standard feature on future smartwatches.

OPPO Air Glass 3

Some might consider the Apple Vision Pro to be overkill even without considering its price tag, and they definitely have a point. You probably don’t want to have your computer screen in front of you all the time, nor would you want to wear a headset while you go about your daily work. You might, however, want to be able to see your tasks and some notifications when you need to without having to fish your phone out of your pocket, which is where the OPPO Air Glass 3 comes in.

Designer: OPPO

Rather than promoting augmented reality, the OPPO Air Glass 3 espouses “assisted reality,” which is how it describes its focused experience that shows only important information in front of your eyes. It does not use tinted lenses or pixel-dense screens but instead employs a micro projector that displays appointments, todos, notifications, and the like without getting in the way of your vision. The glasses themselves look like normal eyewear, save for the very thick frame, and the improved optics prevent the occurrence of blurred images that would normally be observed in this kind of display.

Samsung Galaxy Ring

After many leaks, rumors, and wishes, Samsung finally revealed the Galaxy Ring, making it one of if not the first major tech companies to launch this kind of wearable device. By now, there are already smart rings on the market, but the Galaxy Ring has the advantage of having an existing ecosystem of devices and services that revolve around wellness and health. You don’t need to stray far if you want to give up your Wear OS smartwatch for something that’s more elegant and also more discreet.

Designer: Samsung

The Galaxy Ring is simple, nondescript, and minimalist, which is actually the whole point of such devices. Rather than the powerful smartwatches that call attention to themselves and become a source of distraction, these smart rings offer the basics of health and activity tracking without burdening your wrist. It will definitely be interesting to see where Samsung will take the Galaxy Ring and if other manufacturers will quickly follow in its footsteps.

Motorola Adaptable Display Bendable Phone

Although foldable phones have become a major focus in the industry, they’re not the only design that can take advantage of flexible screens. Rollable phones have yet to become commercially available, and displays embedded in textiles are still a dream in the fashion industry. Motorola has one such design that really pushes the boundaries of what smartphones might look like in the not-so-distant future.

Designer: Motorola

Dubbed the Motorola Adaptable Display, this bendable phone is designed so that it can wrap around your wrist, almost like an open bracelet. Unlike a typical foldable phone that’s just two flat slabs joined with a hinge, the entire phone bends flexes, and bends in this case. Of course, you can’t completely remove all the flat components that make a smartphone tick, but Motorola’s eye-catching bendable phone demonstrates what’s possible with a few more iterations and polish.

The post Best of MWC 2024: The Reality of AI first appeared on Yanko Design.

The start of the year is always an auspicious time to put your best foot forward. It is perhaps because of that reason that the consumer electronics industry chose the days following the changing of the calendar year to present their best products, concepts, and designs that are meant to help improve human lives, pet well-being, and the planet’s health. Unsurprisingly, a good number of these new and upcoming designs boast the use of AI in one way or another, leveraging the latest technologies to offer features that almost look and feel like magic. Now that the world has more or less gone back to its usual flow, there is a dizzying number of products being shown off in Las Vegas. Some elicit applause and praise, while others leave you scratching your head. And some really take the cake, rising above the rest with their thoughtful design and exceptional value, and Yanko Design has picked out the top 25 award-winning designs that will help you live a smarter, healthier, and more enjoyable life.

Acer Predator SpatialLabs View Pro 27 3D Monitor

With the rise in mixed reality platforms, the appreciation and need for 3D content is similarly on the uptick. Creating these three-dimensional digital assets isn’t a trivial task, especially since we’ve been restricted by two-dimensional tools like a flat 2D monitor. Viewing things in 3D is certainly possible, though most require wearing specialized glasses just to get the full effect. With the Acer Predator SpatialLabs View Pro monitor, however, you have an unencumbered view of 3D objects, allowing you to get fully immersed in the game or craft 3D designs with accuracy and comfort.

Designer: Acer

Thanks to the latest 3D Ultra Mode delivered by the monitor’s second virtual camera, you can enjoy true stereoscopic 3D without the need to wear glasses. A collection of 3D stereo configurations, including pre-configured 3D profiles for some AAA titles, lets you quickly switch to the best settings with a single click. And what’s good for gamers is also good for creators who work on these 3D assets, offering designers and artists an indispensable tool in a digital world that’s increasingly going 3D.

Acer Predator Z57 Curved Gaming Monitor

With the growing number of apps, references, and tools that we use for both work and play, sometimes even the biggest computer monitors are no longer enough. That’s not even considering how our flat displays start to lose their appeal and comfort the bigger they get. Taking lessons learned from decades of cinema technology, curved monitors have arrived to offer a more immersive viewing and gaming experience. And with a massive 57-inch screen, the new Acer Predator Z57 Curved Gaming Monitor takes that to the extreme, providing not just more space but also more tools to level up your productivity.

Designer: Acer

The Acer Predator Z57 packs some of the specs on any gaming monitor, like the equivalent of dual UHD screens with a pixel resolution of 7680×2160, a fast 120Hz refresh rate, 1000 nits of brightness, and DCI-P3 98% color gamut, all working to deliver realistic-looking visuals. The extra-wide 32:9 aspect ratio and 1000R curvature increase not only your field of vision but also your comfort as it conforms better to how our eyes naturally work. With enough screen real estate, you can run multiple applications side by side without losing time switching between windows, while picture-in-picture features allow you to view two different sources at the same time. Whether you’re trying to immerse yourself in a game or trying to maximize your productivity for work, the Acer Predator Z57’s large, curved screen puts you right in the center of the action and in full control of your space.

Airseekers Tron Robotic Lawnmower

Think of Airseekers as the Tesla of robotic mulching lawn mowers. Unlike most competitive brands on the market, these devices do not require strong connections to an antenna with a line of sight to satellites in orbit. Instead, Airseekers use 5 cameras mounted on the front of the unit, called “Air Vision,” for positioning, navigation, and object detection. These cameras act as eyes in the front, sides, and even the rear of the mower. The battery life lasts roughly three hours, and the final version will have a swappable battery.

Designer: Airseekers Robotics

Airseekers incorporates a significant AI component as it has been trained with numerous images to understand its surroundings. It offers intelligent functionalities such as facial recognition for owners, family members, and pets. If an unidentified individual is detected, the system promptly notifies the owner via the app. As a security precaution, if the mower is taken outside of a designated area, it locks up and sends a notification. Additionally, there is an option to use your own SIM card for data service to track the mower’s location. Overall, Airseekers is simple to set up, convenient to use, and checks many of the features required from a robotic lawn mower. The security feature should provide peace of mind for owners against theft.

Anker Prime 6-in-1 Charging Station (140W)

With multiple devices come multiple charging needs, not all of which can be provided by a single charger. That’s not even counting the times when you need to juice up more than one device at the same time, at which point it becomes a frantic search for the right chargers while you scramble to fight over a power outlet. As one of the foremost experts in charging solutions, Anker has come up with a product that provides all the outlets and power you need. Best of all, it’s barely larger or thicker than your smartphone.

Designer: Anker

With two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and two AC power outlets, the Anker Prime 6-in-1 Charging Station has everything you need to top up all your devices without hogging all the power outlets. One of those USB-C ports can even charge a power-hungry 16-inch MacBook Pro while having enough power for another USB device. Anker’s GaN Prime technology and 7-point safety system guarantee peace of mind even with those scary-fast figures. And unlike typical charging stations and power strips, the Anker Prime 6-in-1’s slim and compact design banishes tangled cables and lets you easily set up a workspace anywhere with a single outlet.

ASUS ZenBook Duo 2024 Dual-Screen Laptop

Laptops are no longer just portable computers for work. They’ve also become showcases of the latest technologies and designs, catering to a wider range of users that include gamers, programmers, designers, creatives, and more. As the needs of these people evolve, so do the designs of laptops as well. A single screen, for example, might no longer be enough to squeeze in all the windows you need, but carrying around and setting up even a portable monitor can be more trouble than it’s worth. Enter the new ASUS ZenBook DUO (2024), a dual-screen laptop that hits multiple birds with one design, now with a much larger display.

Designer: ASUS

As the world’s first 14-inch dual-screen laptop, the ASUS ZenBook DUO (2024) has plenty of real estate for your productivity and collaboration needs. Whether you lay it out completely flat, prop it up like a book, or use it like a regular laptop with the full-sized Bluetooth keyboard, it gives users the flexibility they need to stay on top of things without burdening them with unnecessary accessories. And with the latest hardware available for laptops, it has enough power to support any workflow, including those that utilize AI-powered software and features that are flooding the market today.

Beatbot AquaSense Pro Smart Pool Cleaner

Indoor floors aren’t the only spaces that can benefit from a smart robot helper. In fact, compared to living room floors, cleaning a swimming pool is exponentially more difficult no matter the size, not just because it has to be done underwater but also because you have to clean the bottom, the sides, and even the surface of the water itself. It becomes pretty obvious that the standard features of smart robot vacuums aren’t enough to meet the needs of pool owners, which is why Beatbot is utilizing a wealth of revolutionary technologies to deliver the most advanced intelligent pool cleaning robot for your ultimate convenience and peace of mind.

Designer: Beatbot

Boasting 20 sensors, 9 motors, 4 brushes, and 2 filters, the Beatbot AquaSense Pro exudes not only immense power but also incredible smarts. It doesn’t just see its surroundings but also understands them, deftly avoiding obstacles and making split-second decisions based on changing conditions. Its sophisticated Beatbot OS brain allows it to optimize its route to avoid overlapping paths and missed spots, saving you time and power without sacrificing its performance. Once the work is done or before its large 10,000 mAh internal battery runs out, it will return to its starting position, rise to the surface with a submarine-inspired automatic water release, and let you easily retrieve it to dock it for charging.

This impressive cleaning robot actually boasts the industry’s first 5-in-1 cleaning solution for floor, walls, waterline, water surface, and water clarification. Whether it’s rolling on the floor, sticking to curved walls, or gliding across the water surface, the Beatbot AquaSense Pro offers 100% pool cleaning coverage, giving you peace of mind that comes from knowing that your swimming pool will always be clean and safe to use anytime you need it.

BLUETTI AC180T Power Station and MultiCooler

With our heavy dependence on electronic devices both at home and outdoors, it’s only natural that we’ve also become quite conscious of how much power we’re using, especially when we’re about to run out. Power banks are fine for smaller devices, but living off the grid for one reason or another requires a smarter solution. BLUETTI has been churning out solar-charged portable power stations for years, but its latest AC180T takes things up a notch with one super handy feature: the ability to swap batteries on the fly.

Designer: BLUETTI

The BLUETTI AC180T is basically an inverter that can hold two removable batteries that you can hot-swap at any time, delivering 1800W of power all the time. You can swap out the battery packs as needed without having to power the AC180T down, providing uninterrupted power to your appliances. It’s the perfect partner for BLUETTI’s new MultiCooler that’s powered by the same removable battery, keeping your food and drinks chilled while you enjoy the great outdoors.

Clicks QWERTY Keyboard iPhone Case

Despite the prevalence of photo-based media and social networks, it’s a bit ironic that we’re typing on our phones more than ever before. From churning out one hashtag after another to rapidly typing out a response to someone to even composing a verbose email, we rely heavily on the only input method available on our smartphones: the on-screen keyboard. Bringing the physical keyboard back isn’t an option, not unless you have this fun-looking iPhone case that does exactly that.

Designer: Clicks

Designed for creators and anyone who feels offended by the unforgiving flatness of these virtual keyboards, Clicks revives the painless joys of pecking at actual keys as you compose your novella (or your snark comment). Easy to put on and easy to remove, the accessory adds a playful character to the iPhone 14 and 15, definitely an attention-grabber that influencers will want to soak up. It’s a simple yet effective solution to a problem almost a decade in existence, one that might actually encourage you to type in proper sentences with proper spelling.

GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker

Cooking your own food at home provides plenty of benefits, allowing you to fully control what goes inside the dish as well as its flavor. There are, however, also hard limitations, especially if all you have is an indoor kitchen. Smoking food indoors is a big no-no, whether because of the smell the smoke makes in your house or the insufficient taste it produces in the end. If you’re a fan of the unique smokey flavors that this outdoor cooking process delivers, then you’ll probably raise your hands in thanks for GE’s latest innovation, the Profile Smart Indoor Pellet Smoker.

Designer: GE

Looking just a little larger than a big air fryer, the GE Indoor Smoker makes the seemingly impossible now possible. Using the same regular wood pellets you would use outdoors, you can safely smoke meats, seafood, vegetables, and more indoors, all year round. Its Active Smoke Filtration converts wood smoke into plain warm air so you won’t have to worry about your kitchen stinking after hours of smoking. With precision control, you can bring out the best flavors for the kind of food you’re cooking while also using fewer pellets than a regular outdoor smoker. It’s a simple but life-changing innovation that food lovers and home chefs will adore.

Graphene Square Cordless Transparent Graphene Cooker

Graphene is a revolutionary material that’s often associated with batteries recently, but that’s hardly the only application for it. It’s exactly because of its super ability to conduct heat and electricity that it has become an ideal material for use in electronics. Graphene Square, however, has put it to use in a pretty unbelievable way, creating a portable wireless cooker that defies convention and expectations, letting you clearly see the food as it cooks as if through a looking glass.

Designer: Graphene Square

The top and bottom “glass” of this transparent box are actually the almost invisible graphene modules that generate mid-IR (infrared) radiation to cook the food inside. Because of graphene’s energy-efficient properties, you can even power this transparent cooker with a briefcase-sized battery that connects to the bottom of the box. It’s definitely an unconventional approach to cooking and an even more out-of-this-world design, but it’s one that easily grabs attention and sparks the imagination of what the future of cooking could become.

Hisense 110UX Mini LED TV

Hisense is an old name in the consumer electronics market, and at CES 2024, it is putting its best foot forward when it comes to its display innovation. Its crowning glory is the massive 110UX TV flagship of its premium ULED X series, offering not only its largest panel but also its best technologies in this space. Unsurprisingly, there’s also a pinch of that AI special sauce that everyone’s going crazy over these days.

Designer: Hisense

With such a large area, it’s both no surprise yet also incredible that Hisense managed to cram 40,000 backlight zones, ensuring even and consistent brightness and contrast across the board. An impressive 95% BT.2020 color palette makes images really pop, while the 10,000 nits of brightness leaves no detail hidden in the shadows. With a new Hi-View Engine X chipset, the Hisense 110UX offers enhanced image reproduction powered by artificial intelligence, leaving nothing left to chance and freeing you from the worries of having to manually tweak half a dozen settings just to get the perfect image.

Hisense Automobile Laser Display

Our world is littered with displays, and not just the obvious ones like TVs, computers, and phones. From points-of-sales to even cars, we rely on dynamic screens to bring us the right information when we need it. For vehicles, however, having a screen on the dashboard might no longer be enough, so Hisense developed an innovative Automobile Laser Display projection system that provides navigation and entertainment all throughout, without sacrificing safety.

Designer: Hisense

The triple-laser projection might be 80% smaller than typical optical products, but it boasts 48% higher color performance and 200% luminous efficiency, delivering clear images that can be critical to ensuring safe driving. Its Laser Holographic AR HUD blends virtual and physical objects, turning the windshield into a captivating, information-reach holographic screen. That same optical technology also transforms the side and rear windows into screens, immersing passengers in a new world of in-vehicle entertainment.

Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 SPE E Ink Laptop

Some people prefer to keep their laptops clean and professional, while others personalize the back of their laptops until there’s no space left unturned. It’s difficult to find a middle ground between these two extremes since opting for one naturally excludes the other. But that’s exactly the kind of miracle that Lenovo is trying to pull off, thanks to the magic of colored E Ink panels.

Designer: Lenovo

Building on its experience with using an E Ink screen on the lid of a laptop, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 SPE proof-of-concept creates an opportunity for meaningful customization and personalized designs. Owners can select from a variety of colorful patterns and have them change in a sequence, or they can opt for a more practical display that shows the time all the time. Best of all, this E-Ink Prism color display uses very little power and continues to change the design even when the system is powered down.

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid Windows/Android Detachable Laptop

Windows tablets let you use your finger or stylus but don’t exactly offer an enjoyable experience. Android laptops are similar, though they come from the opposite end of the spectrum, revealing how ill-equipped the mobile platform is for desktop use. Unfortunately, there are people who need to use both operating systems and are, therefore, forced to juggle two separate devices. It is for these people that Lenovo has designed the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid in an attempt to bridge the two worlds in a rather innovative way.

Designer: Lenovo

This isn’t just a tablet with a keyboard that dual-boots Windows and Android and wastes your time switching between the two. Neither is it a Windows 2-in-1 laptop that runs Android in a virtualized environment. It’s actually two devices, a laptop base and tablet screen, running Windows and Android, respectively, each with its own hardware and batteries. This means they can run separately, though you’ll need to hook up the laptop base to an external monitor, of course, but you can also use it as a normal Windows laptop as well. When the two are joined, you can also access the Android side easily in a window of its own, allowing you to use the right tool for the right job with a single product.

LG CineBeam Qube Smart Projector

There is a growing number of smart home projectors popping up in the market, but very few are able to escape the dull rectangular shape that their ancestors came in. At the same time, however, there are practical benefits to a boxy shape, so there isn’t much reason to throw it all out the window either. What we need is an out-of-the-box (pardon the pun) thinking that makes what a normal form suddenly look like a piece of art. Enter the new LG CineBeam Qube, a compact laser projector that masquerades as an art object that gives life to your living space even when you’re not using it.

Designer: LG

It stands upright rather than lying down flat like typical projectors. Its silver chassis shines with an elegant luster that gently calls attention to itself without being loud. Its 360-degree rotatable handle provides more than just function but also a visual accent. Everything bout the LG CineBeam Qube shouts retro art object, but its modern projector capabilities make it more than just a pretty face. Whether it’s showing your favorite films, displaying beloved memories captured in photos, or simply standing there on your shelf or table, this beautiful design fulfills a role in bringing your indoor space to life.

LG SIGNATURE OLED T Wireless Transparent 4K TV

TVs have long stopped being just screens for watching videos. In many households, they have become centerpieces and focal points for interactions with family and friends. Today, they are also transforming into decorative objects that add not just functionality but also aesthetic value to living spaces. LG has been pushing the boundaries of TV design, as demonstrated by its Object collection, and now it is unveiling the next big step in that direction with a 4K TV that liberates owners from the stifling constraints of having a big black rectangle that clashes with the rest of your decor.

Designer: LG

With the transparent beauty of the LG SIGNATURE OLED T, the TV itself visually disappears when turned off, seamlessly blending with the rest of the room when not in use. Or you can use the Always-on Display capability for showing art, videos, or photos when you’re not watching anything. Thanks to LG’s cutting-edge wireless transmission technology, you can place it anywhere in the room and not worry about having a black wart marring your otherwise pristine interior. And because it utilizes the best of LG’s industry expertise, it isn’t just a pretty face but a solid 4K TV for an immersive entertainment experience. Whether it stands invisibly in the middle of the room or hangs silently on a wall, the LG SIGNATURE OLED T wireless transparent 4K TV gives you the freedom to enjoy life’s pleasures while keeping your beautiful space clean and free of big black screens.

Logitech Reach Webcam

Thanks to work-from-home arrangements in the past years, webcams have become popular again. It also showed, however, the limitations of these accessories. The modest VGA and HD cameras of old were no longer enough for professional quality video meetings, and the rise of live streaming as a potentially lucrative profession meant that these cameras could no longer just sit on top of computer monitors. It is for this new breed of users and new kinds of online content that the Logitech Reach was designed, enabling people to more easily share non-digital content on their videos, whether live or pre-recorded.

Designer: Logitech

In a nutshell, the Logitech Reach “show-and-tell” camera is a webcam on an articulate arm, providing the flexibility to point the camera anywhere at different angles. This allows for easy “flat lay” shots, moving or zooming the camera for more expressive videos, or a simple video meeting setup, all with a single device. And with 1080p/60fps video quality, it isn’t even sacrificing performance for that unique design, empowering a new generation of creators, students, and workers to rise to the new demands of their fields.

Mosslab Moss Air Air Purifying Terrarium

We’ve become acutely more aware of the rather worrying quality of the air we breathe even inside our homes. Appliances and gadgets that purify indoor air have risen in demand because of this, but the solutions they offer also come with their own drawbacks, especially in how they aim to keep us healthy while slowly killing the planet in exchange. Mosslab is offering an alternative, one that is not only more sustainable but also more aesthetic, and it utilizes an unexpected life form that’s regarded as nature’s understated miracle worker: moss.

Designer: Mosslab

Basically a terrarium in a sleek futuristic design, Moss Air functions as an air purifier and humidifier in one, utilizing the natural capabilities of moss to filter air and produce clean oxygen. Easy to maintain with just some water in an invisible tank, Moss Air offers a convenient yet eye-catching way to keep your room’s air fresh and clean, without doing much harm to the environment in the process.

ONECOM FINTIN V1 Braille QWERTY Keyboard

Technology is supposed to help everyone live better lives, but the way the market works, some people always get left behind. With many technologies moving over to touch-based controls like on-screen keyboards, people who can’t see the screen, let alone type on it, are left at the mercy of screen readers and speech recognition services, many of which are still unable to provide the accuracy needed for communication. Nothing beats a keyboard when it comes to text input, so ONECOM developed a handheld QWERTY keyboard designed specifically for the needs of visually impaired people.

Designer: ONECOM

Braille keyboards do exist, but their traditional designs make it impossible to use them with smartphones and mobile devices, especially on the go. The FINTIN V1, in contrast, fits nicely in your hand and can easily be used like thumb-typing on a mini Bluetooth keyboard. Despite that size, it actually supports the full QWERTY keyboard through special tactile keys, enabling users to express themselves fully on their phones, tablets, or any other device that requires text input.

ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) All-Aluminum Laptop

Gaming laptops are becoming more popular as powerful portable machines that can be used for more than just gaming, but their typical designs intimidate buyers from making an investment. Gaming products have a rather unique aesthetic that won’t appeal to everyone, even among some gamers, and they definitely look out of place in some settings. With the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024), however, the gaming laptop looks a bit more “grown-up,” but it isn’t just its appearance that has changed.

Designer: ASUS ROG

Sporting an all-aluminum CNC-machined chassis, the new ROG Zephyrus G16 boasts a body that is lighter and more durable than most gaming laptops. The switch from plastic to metal also frees up more space, so the Republic of Gamers is able to squeeze in more hardware for the same size. The result is what is probably the MacBook Pro of gaming laptops, lightweight, slim, sleek, and professional, while still flaunting top-of-the-line gaming hardware and a subtle yet distinctive accent that still identifies the product as fit for gamers.

Samsung 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Smart Flex with AI Family Hub+

While most appliance manufacturers focus on the living room as the center of family interaction, Samsung introduced a rather interesting spin that put the kitchen at the hub. That’s why it called its line of smart refrigerators the Family Hub, and this year it is upgrading its Bespoke 4-Door fridge with more smarts and features that promise you’ll spend less time worrying about food and more time to enjoy preparing them, preferably together with the rest of the family.

Designer: Samsung

Besides being a mouthful, the 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+ takes advantage of the smart internal camera that it has been installing in its fridges since last year to power its Vision AI technology that can identify up to 33 fresh food items inside. The idea is that the fridge will be able to warn you when food is about to go bad (based on AI or manually inputting expiration dates), suggest dishes you can make based on ingredients you have at hand and your preferences, and remind you to stock up on supplies or replace the water filter. And being part of Samsung’s Bespoke line of smart home appliances, you can also pick the designs that will better match the rest of your kitchen, presenting a modern fridge that’s not only very intelligent but also quite stunning as well.

Shift Robotics Moonwalker X Robot Shoes

Some people fear that robots and, now, AI will take away their jobs, but that hasn’t exactly happened nor will it in the foreseeable future. Robots, in particular, can be used to augment rather than replace human abilities, especially when they come in a form you would have never expected for a robot. Shift Robotics’ Moonwalker X, for example, hardly looks anything like one, but these redesigned robotic shoes with small wheels will give people more mobility and safety in their line of work.

Designer: Shift Robotics

Made for workers in industries that require a lot of going around places, sometimes while carrying heavy loads, the Moonwalker X aims to enhance walking by turning it into a safe glide. Designed to strap over your own shoes like sandals, the 10 small wheels underneath carry your weight without weighing you down. The new design is lighter, more comfortable to wear, and easier to maneuver, so workers spend less time worrying about how to use the robotic shoes and more time getting things done.

Timekettle X1 AI Interpreter Hub

The world might seem like a smaller place thanks to the Internet, but language barriers still keep us apart. Human language can be complicated and nuanced, making it difficult for conventional computer software to translate one language to another, much less in real-time. Timekettle, however, has been making strides in developing technologies that break down these barriers, and its new X1 AI Interpreter Hub further enhances the experience, delivering a single compact package for all your translation needs, wherever you go and without missing a single word.

Designer: Timekettle

Artificial intelligence today has proven to be quite adept at handling the intricacies of human languages, both written and spoken. Harnessing this powerful tool, the Timekettle X1 Interpreter Hub offers the equivalent of having a professional UN interpreter at your beck and call. The standalone device doesn’t need to be paired with a smartphone or have an app installed, so you can get up and running, or rather talking, immediately. Providing both online and offline translations, a recording mode, and, more importantly, simultaneous multi-way translation between as many as 20 people, this AI-powered translation tool is all that you need to make those important connections that transcend geographic and linguistic borders.

UGREEN Nexode Pro 160W GaN Charger

It almost feels like scrambling for a wall socket or power outlet is now an inescapable part of modern life. Juggling multiple devices at the same time is already a hassle, but having to charge them all at the same time can be a hellish experience. Different devices come with different charging needs and different chargers, and you can never be sure if one will work for the others, forcing you to bring as many chargers as you have devices. Thankfully, that’s not the case, especially with UGREEN’s new Nexode Pro 160W GaN Charger, the one charger to rule them all, including your MacBook.

Designer: UGREEN

It’s almost amusing how the 16-inch MacBook Pro has become the measuring rod by which chargers are judged, but that’s because of how power-hungry it can be. With a maximum output of 160W, the UGREEN Nexode Pro doesn’t even break a sweat, quite literally too. GaN technology allows the charger to have a small and compact shape while still maintaining maximum power efficiency, heat management, and safety. Plus, you won’t be hogging the socket just to charge the four devices you can plug into it, perhaps even earning you some friends in the process.

Vaonis Hestia Smart Telescope

Our smartphones are already impressive on their own, but they open the doors to even more mind-blowing possibilities with the right accessory or device. Their cameras, for example, can already take breathtaking photos and videos, but imagine what they can do when you connect them with something that can actually see farther, even to the depths of space. That’s the premise behind Vaonis’ latest masterpiece, the Hestia, which turns your smartphone into a smart telescope just by placing it on top of a portable box.

Designer: Vaonis

Looking almost like a mini projector, the Vaonis Hestia utilizes the imaging sensors and computing power of your smartphone and combines it with sophisticated optics to view the night sky in all its grandeur or, with the proper filter, even the sun during a momentous solar eclipse. The easy-to-use Gravity app not only becomes your guide to the night sky, but it also lets you take expansive and incredible shots by stitching multiple short exposures and utilizing image-enhancing algorithms. The Vaonis Hestia makes it easy to expand your world and your mind with the wonders of the universe, a skill that will be quite in demand as we move closer to space tourism and colonization.

Xreal Air 2 Ultra Mixed Reality Glasses

While it’s undeniable that the announcement of the Apple Vision Pro had a big impact on the mixed reality market, it’s also too easy to forget that there have been people playing in that field for years already. Xreal, formerly called Nreal, has been making AR glasses since 2019, and now it’s jumping into the spatial computing arena with the Xreal Air 2 Ultra with a more open ecosystem and actual glasses rather than a headset.

Designer: Xreal

Like its previous Air glasses, the Xreal Air 2 Ultra takes the form of large black sunglasses, something easier to put on and take off compared to even a comfy headset like the Vision Pro. That bulk is necessary to cram important sensors for features like full positional or six degrees of freedom (6DoF) tracking, hand tracking, and more. More importantly, Xreal’s device is compatible with more devices, ironically including the iPhone, which can’t be said of Apple’s ecosystem. Lightweight, stylish, and significantly more versatile, the Xreal Air 2 Ultra offers a promising design that will make spatial computing more available to everyone.

The post Best of CES 2024: Tech Designs for Smarter, More Comfortable Living first appeared on Yanko Design.

New Year New Gear, they say… but before we explore what 2024 has in store for us, here’s a look at our top EDC gear from the year gone by. Our love for EDC only grew in 2023 as we began venturing outdoors again (you know, after the entire 2-year house arrest), and we honestly believe 2023’s been a golden year for the category. Titanium finally went mainstream, with Apple adopting it for their flagship 2023 iPhones, and we saw multiple independent creators taking to platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to bring their EDC visions to life!

So what really constitutes this list and how did we arrive at our top ten? It’s simple, really. All the EDC have a few things in common. They’re built to be compact, robust, highly utilitarian, and have a wow-factor, whether it’s a unique feature, or just stellar craftsmanship. We’ve even awarded a Best EDC Design of 2023 to a certain multitool so scroll ahead to know more about why we loved it so much!

1. Prytium Titanium Multitool by G.S.G (Best EDC Design of 2023)

With a staggering 14 features built into its compact, lightweight, machined titanium design, the Prytium Multitool wins our award for just being the most versatile, capable, and handy piece of EDC money could buy. Perfect for pretty much any situation life throws at you, the Prytium is the kind of EDC you wish you’d have if you were stranded on a desert island. It’s got possibly every conceivable tool from a folding knife to a bottle opener, pry tool, nail file, glass breaker, and even a few wrenches and screwdrivers to get you through a whole gamut of worldly situations, whether they’re mildly frustrating like a hangnail or actual emergencies that require tactical tools.

Why is it noteworthy?

Aside from being made from Grade-5 that is well known for its sheer durability, the Prytium really surprises with exactly how much it manages to pack into its pocket-friendly design. It does so rather cleverly too, offering tritium slots so that your EDC is visible even at night, a deep pocket clip so you can attach your multitool to your clothing for convenience, and my favorite bit, a removable replaceable blade that you can change whenever the old one gets dull… so you spend less time sharpening your blade and more time using it instead.

2. 8-in-1 EDC Multitool Scissors by Eiger Design

The world of EDC goes well beyond just knives. It also includes tools, fidget toys, stationery, wallets even… but you’ll be hard-pressed to find an EDC scissor, yet here we are. Perfect for indoor and outdoor culinary adventures, this 8-in-1 EDC Scissor comes apart to double as a set of knives… but what’s more interesting is the fact that it also has a built-in bottle opener, can opener, nut-cracker, and even a fire-starter, all in one handy package. Quite like the M-Stand from before that splits into two, this pair of scissors can separate into its individual halves, giving you two knives, and a variety of multitools on demand. Put them back together and the hefty scissors can cut through hard materials like cured meats too, while also relying on a serrated mid-section to crack through walnuts.

Click Here to Buy Now: $59

Why is it noteworthy?

This gizmo is the kind your kitchen couldn’t live without, but it’s also perfect for outdoor cooking on a camping trip. Use it as a single scissor, two handheld knives, or by its whole gamut of features… the 8-in-1 EDC Scissors get points for being clever, practical, and reinventing an aspect of life that isn’t just outdoor/lifestyle. Pair it with Uphold’s travel cutlery for the ultimate cooking experience outdoors! Oh, and if you’re looking to buy your own pair of scissors, we recommend checking out the YD Store.

3. Septimo Multi-tool by Jeremy Valdez for CRKT

The CRKT Septimo Multi-Tool may appear to be your typical pocket knife, but it’s ingeniously designed to offer far more than just a flipper blade. Crafted to combine compactness, ergonomic comfort, and a rich array of features, this versatile tool was conceived by Jeremy Valdez, a seasoned member of the 7th Special Forces Group. Inspired by his vision of the perfect everyday carry multitool, the Septimo (which translates to ‘Seventh’ in Spanish) boasts a 2.86-inch fold-out American Tanto blade with a secure liner-lock mechanism. It also includes a built-in bottle opener, a dual-purpose flathead and Phillips head screwdriver, an adjustable wrench, and a handy glass-breaker tip for those tricky situations. Plus, with its convenient pocket clip, you can keep your Septimo Multi-Tool easily accessible, ensuring you’re always prepared for a wide range of everyday situations.

Why is it noteworthy?

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but for the Septimo Multitool, it was more like a strong survival instinct. The origin story of the Septimo is probably the wildest thing you’ll ever hear. A member of the 7th Special Forces, Jeremy Valdez was posted in Afghanistan in 2009 when his helicopter crashed during a combat operation. In the heat of the moment, Valdez realized that the tools he had at the time failed miserably at real-world applications when it came to prying open fuselage, cutting harnesses, and freeing his fellow soldiers from the blazing, mangled chopper wreckage. Some people live in the trauma of such incidents, but not Valdez. He went to the drawing board and came up with the Septimo – a tribute to his fallen brothers and sisters, and an EDC so capable it has literal military experience.

4. Rike Knife S05 by Rike Knife

This knife almost won Best EDC of the Year for just how bonkers-beautiful it is. Intricate to the point of being absolutely impossible to counterfeit, the Rike Knife S05 has one of the most unique Damascus blades we’ve ever seen. In fact, I can say with a degree of confidence that I’ve never seen a blade this beautiful. With a dizzyingly detailed pattern that’s brought about by using different grades of metal that are hammered, forged, and acid-etched to reveal the marbled texture, the S05’s blade is a literal work of art. It sports a clip-point design that folds into a titanium handle that has a marbled pocket clip too. The price of such beauty? Well, given that you’re paying for top-tier craftsmanship, the $550 price tag doesn’t really hurt as much.

Why is it noteworthy?

I’m going to sound like an absolute broken record at this point, but that Damascus blade has my heart. Almost like a piece of psychedelic art, it has something hidden in every corner, from checkers and strips to even Japanese symbols. Oh, and as far as the blade’s sharpness goes, it has a viciously sharp edge that cuts through materials like they’re made of butter.

5. KeyMaster by EDC Monster

I’d like to think that the KeyMaster is key-shaped because of its sheer ability to ‘unlock’ any kind of real or metaphorical door that holds you back. Sure, the key-shaped design means it’s the ideal size to fit on your keychain, but let’s also acknowledge the fact that this key-sized EDC has 14 different tools built in, including multiple wrenches for bicycle spokes as well as hex nuts, a few popular screwdrivers, a fold-out scalpel blade, a bottle opener, and even a miniature scale that has BOTH metric as well as imperial measurements.

Why is it noteworthy?

It’s small enough to sit on your keychain, weighs a paltry 29 grams (1 ounce), and is made from the most durable metal known to mankind. What’s not to love?! The KeyMaster is a handy-dandy EDC for when you need to perform minor repairs or when you need a small knife to cut open boxes, slice paracord, whittle wood, or defend yourself. And when you’re done, crack open a brewski with the built-in bottle opener!

6. Folding Travel Cutlery Kit by Uphold Living

The problem with travel cutlery is that in the interest of portability, it often makes a few unfortunate trade-offs. Take the spork, for instance… a two-in-one piece of cutlery that saves material/space, but is just an odd contraption that nobody loves to use. The Uphold Travel Cutlery Kit possesses the unique distinction of being a rather no-compromise solution. Designed to be as small as a bunch of credit cards, this kit contains not one, not two, but three cutlery sets that you can use just as you would the ones at home. The Uphold kit features a working spoon, fork, and knife that sit flat when not in use, but curve to assume their ergonomic shape when you need them, thanks to clever design and the use of flexible materials at exactly the right points, while relying on food-grade titanium alloy and aluminum alloy for the rest.

Why is it noteworthy?

Single-use plastic spoons and forks are a menace. Not just for the environment, which they pollute by thousands of tonnes every year, but also for humans. Why? Because flimsy plastic spoons and forks don’t offer any robust functionality at all. They bend and flex when you try to cut through food, and they’ll melt if your gravies are too hot. Uphold’s alternative is vastly better. Not only is it made from durable metals like titanium, but it’s also designed to be compact when tucked away, and incredibly functional when you need to dig into your food. The full-length design gives you all the convenience you need while you eat, and the fact that you’ve got a separate knife, fork, and spoon means no more dealing with that spork nonsense.

7. Typhoeus Morphing Knife by CIVIVI

We’re big fans of CIVIVI’s knives in general, but when I laid our eyes on the Typhoeus for the first time, I honestly felt my jaw drop a little. The Typhoeus isn’t your conventional folding knife, because it has a handle that folds too. Once you flip the blade out, you can either use it as a conventional clip-point knife, or fold the handle further to turn it into a push-dagger. This unique format gives you two knives, a conventional one and a hardcore tactical one, so you can cut open boxes and defend yourself with equal effectiveness. The Typhoeus features a 14C28N steel blade sitting within a G10 handle, but our eyes are on the Damascus steel variant that gets an upgraded aluminum handle for a more robust experience.

Why is it noteworthy?

The novel format is exciting and really reinvents a category (knives) that doesn’t see too much out-of-the-box thinking as far as mechanisms are concerned. Plus, with the Typhoeus you really get two knives for the price of one, and that itself should be enough to convince the moderate skeptic!

8. A2 Badger OTF Knife by Tekto Knives

Another one of our favorites remains Tekto’s OTF range. In a world where most portable knives have blades that swivel inwards and outwards, Tekto’s OTF (or Out The Front) knives shoot outwards when you hit the switch on top. The A2 Badger grabbed our eye this year for how compact yet capable it was. It eschewed the spear-point edge seen on most OTF blades for an American Tanto-style blade, crafted from titanium-coated D2 steel, and features a glass-breaker tip on the reverse end of the handle, giving you a knife that’s dangerous from head to toe!

Why is it noteworthy?

We firmly believe that if you’re an EDC enthusiast or even an amateur collector, you NEED to have an OTF knife in your arsenal. The A2 Badger, to that degree, is perfectly compact, well-built, and designed to be reliable and last long. The titanium-coated blade holds its edge remarkably well, and that aluminum handle feels great in your grasp, whether it’s for cutting or for shattering even laminated glass. When all’s said and done, that pocket clip lets you slide your OTF knife right into your jacket or pants, for another day.

9. M-Stand Titanium Multitool by ActMax

The M-Stand proves that there’s always room for more features in an EDC. It might look like your conventional push-dagger, but the M-Stand, as its name suggests, also doubles as a stand for your smartphone or tablet simply by splitting it apart into its two halves. Neodymium magnets hold the two titanium halves together, giving you an EDC you can wear around your neck simply by sandwiching a chain between the left and right elements of the M-Stand. However, when you need to use its vast catalog of features, split it apart and you’ve got two knives that also have built-in features like hex wrenches, a bottle opener, a paracord cutter, pry-bar, fire starter, and the phone stand, as I mentioned earlier. Snap them back together and you’re armed with a rather capable spear-point push dagger that you can wear between your knuckles and use for everything from self-defense to shotgunning a beer-can!

Why is it noteworthy?

The beauty of the EDC industry is its rather low barrier to entry. Sure, you’ve got a few big-name brands that dominate the category, but then an independent small-time creator shows up with a novel design and a Kickstarter campaign, getting the entire EDC community excited to see something new. The M-Stand is that novel design. It’s unlike any multitool we’ve seen. It does its job well, and has a fidget-like quality that’ll have your hands and eyes falling in love with it every single day!

10. Batch #003 Knife by Leatherman

When it comes to multi-tools, Leatherman is practically a household name. Back in 1975, during a European holiday, Tim Leatherman and his wife Chau found themselves encountering leaky hotel plumbing and making roadside repairs to their temperamental Fiat. This experience sparked a brilliant idea that gave birth to the plier-based multitool – a remarkable innovation that Leatherman is renowned for pioneering. Based out of Portland, Oregon, the Leatherman company still champions this category as one of the most functional tools in their catalog, but earlier this year, the company developed a new kind of EDC that caught our fancy. The Batch #003 isn’t your everyday EDC knife. It comes with Leatherman’s proprietary interchangeable blade system. Press a button and you can pop out the old blade for a new one. Unlike most knives with replaceable standardized blades, Leatherman actually makes their own blades in-house, offering you a choice between a drop-point and a sheepsfoot blade, both made from 420HC stainless steel and completed with a stone-washed finish.

Why is it noteworthy?

Aside from being a gorgeous folding knife, the Batch #003’s proprietary blade-changing system sets a standard that I really hope more knives follow in the future. It’s difficult to sharpen some types of blades (especially serrated ones), and discarding a knife for just that fact seems like a truly wasted potential. Swapping blades is a great way to prolong a knife’s overall lifespan. Did I also mention that the Batch #003 comes with its own torx and bit drivers too? Just as a nifty cherry on the cake!

The post Best of EveryDay Carry – Yanko Design Awards 2023 first appeared on Yanko Design.

At YD, we live by the fundamental belief that there’s nothing more powerful than an idea. Concepts have always enthralled us, because they represent what our future could look like, and that’s where designers come in with their unique skill – imagining this conceptual alternate reality on behalf of all of us. As we come to a grand close to 2023, we look back at some of the concepts that we (and you, surely) loved. These concepts represent some of the most intriguing ideas and visions of the year, like imagining what a proper PlayStation Portable in the modern age would look like, or even the Gen-2 CyberTruck for instance. We’re even crowning one of these concepts as our “Best Concept Design of 2023” for its sheer vision, attention to detail, and the fact that it just ever so slightly made us want to throw money at our screens. Want to know what it was? Want to also see the other concepts that made it to this ‘Best of’ list? Scroll down to find out!

1. MOI3D Gaming Console by Vadim Danilkov (Best Concept Design of 2023)

We loved this console for a few reasons. Aside from the fact that it’s detailed down to the last screw and capacitor (check the video), it’s also a tsunami of absolute nostalgia. The MOI3D is a handheld console concept that’s designed to run any PlayStation CD right back to the 1994 PS One. It comes with all the bells and whistles, starting from a screen on the front and a CD-reader on the bottom to action buttons (including L1/L2 and R1/R2), HDMI out, USB-C charging, a CD tray button, and front-firing speakers. Notably, it lacks a 3.5mm audio jack but more than makes up for it with backward compatibility with games from as long as 30 years ago when the PlayStation first debuted!

Why it’s noteworthy?

The Best Design title doesn’t come easy. We rate our designs on their brief, their output, the level of detail, their originality, and their overall appeal and the MOI3D smashed it out of the park on all levels. The amount of detail is dizzying, and the prospect of being able to play all your favorite PS games on one handheld console is even more exciting!

2. Tesla Cybertruck 2.0 by Dejan Hristov

As the Cybertruck FINALLY begins delivering to customers who first ordered it back in 2019 (if they were ready to pay that tear-jerking new price), we decided it was time to plan for the next big thing. Dejan Hristov’s Cybertruck 2.0 really caught our fancy for its unique design. It was eye-catching and iconic without being polarizing, and still somehow stuck to the Cybertruck’s design language without looking like it was made using origami. The gentle curves do a wonderful job of reflecting light and the world around it, creating the truck’s overall appeal, and if that rear truck bed wasn’t enough storage, this one also sports a frunk that opens like a drawer cabinet!

Why is it noteworthy?

Hristov’s design paints an arguably less polarizing picture of the Cybertruck but retains its overall soul. When Musk made a point that all pickup trucks looked the same, he wasn’t wrong. Hristov carries that torch but creates an EV that looks different without looking ugly.

03. Apple iPhone Ultra by Jimmy Huynh

We all thought Apple would drop an iPhone Ultra this year, but the company delivered something just as good – an iPhone Pro series made from titanium, with USB-C, and an Action button. Sure, it doesn’t look as captivating as this particular concept by Jimmy Huynh, but we love it all the same. As far as this iPhone Ultra concept goes, Huynh retained the Watch Ultra’s aesthetic beautifully, with a gorgeous crown, orange action button, and that nude titanium finish that culminates in those speaker grills at the bottom. Sure, some might find that odd bump on the side unappealing, but we appreciate anything we can rest our fingers against as we hold this phone up.

Why is it noteworthy?

It’s been a hot minute since Apple announced any new iPhone range. The Watch got an Ultra debut last year, but Apple’s stuck to the iPhone, SE, and Pro range for years now. Although some say there wouldn’t be much difference between the Pro and the Ultra, we disagree. The Ultra isn’t a creative-aligned iPhone. It’s an iPhone that’s built like a brick. Incredible sturdiness, game-changing resilience, and the kind of software security that would make it perfect for government officials (perhaps even the ones in the CCP)!

04. Nothing Power Bank by Subhav Menon Srivastava

Last year Nothing created waves with its first transparent-bodied smartphone, and while we got the Nothing Phone (2) this year, we were hoping for a few phone-adjacent accessories. A Nothing Power Bank, for example. This transparent portable charger from the mind of Subhav Menon Srivastava has us drooling because of how gorgeous it looks. While most power banks have nothing more than an Li-ion battery and a PCB, Srivastava makes things interesting with printed elements on the outer glass, and an LED display that shows the battery percentage of the power bank. You’ve also got a whopping 10,000 mAh battery on the inside, and a few LED lights that bring the power bank to life when plugged in.

Why is it noteworthy?

Our readers certainly loved the Nothing Power Bank, with 60,000 views on the concept. That pretty much affirms that there’s public demand for the Nothing Power Bank, so if Carl Pei is reading this…

05. Apple Mac Nano by Le KBM

Sometime in 2022 (or probably earlier) a patent surfaced for an Apple keyboard with its own Mac computer built into it. Given that Apple was developing its own silicone line, at the time this made absolute sense. Fit an entire Mac into a keyboard and you had yourself a makeshift Mac Mini with you! Plug a display in and you were ready to go (maybe you’d need a trackpad or mouse too, but you get my drift). Designer Le KBM decided to build out this vision, creating the Mac Nano concept. The concept features a rejuvenated Magic Keyboard with a touchbar on top and an M-series chip inside, giving it laptop-worthy computing power in the format of a keyboard. Hook an iPad or an iPhone to it and you have yourself a renegade Mac with a touchscreen. What’s not to love?!

Why is it noteworthy?

Conceptually, the Mac Nano seems somewhat strange but then again, the Mac Mini was an odd concept too. Why create a portable Mac when the MacBook Pro was already a thing? Well, the Mac Mini sort of found its own place in the Apple ecosystem, and for people looking for an ‘Air’ version of that, the Mac Nano is the perfect choice! Plus, we haven’t seen a ‘nano’ Apple product in a while!

06. PocketMan P1 Handheld Console by Grzegorz Rozwadowski (Twig Studio)

The PocketMan P1, inspired by Teenage Engineering’s raw, industrial design, boasts a sleek metal-first aesthetic with exposed screws. It features essential controls like a D-pad, action buttons, multiple joysticks, and four shoulder buttons. It also offers a USB-C port, a 3.5mm aux jack, and card readers on both sides for game loading. The black-and-white screen gives it a retro touch, possibly with an option for a color display. While currently a concept, the P1 showcases minimalist metallic design, rejecting the need for excessive ergonomics and RGB lighting in gaming hardware.

Why is it noteworthy?

Aside from that nostalgic handheld form factor, there’s a lot to be appreciated about how wonderfully cyberpunk the PocketManP1 looks. When your eyes aren’t immersed in the game, they’ll probably be admiring every inch of the P1’s metallic design while your hands familiarize themselves with every single button, trigger, and joystick.

07. Note Digital+Analog Desk Accessory by Harshit Sahu

Part digital clock/calendar, part whiteboard, and part pinboard, this Note-taking desk accessory has the best of all worlds. It’s essentially a compact whiteboard that can flip over, doubling your writing space. One side features a dotted grid for diagrams, while the other can be plain or carry the same design. Sticky notes can also find their place on this versatile board. What sets Note apart is the addition of a multi-purpose vertical screen on the left side, displaying the time, calendar, and synced appointments from your phone. It even offers functions like a timer, world clock, and music player.

Why is it noteworthy?

“Paper can be simple, and apps can be quick, but not everyone needs all the commitment that these two different note-taking methods sometimes require,” says our Co-Editor-in-Chief JC Torres. This piece of digital stationery may not be a revolutionary device, but its creative integration of analog and digital concepts makes it a focused and efficient tool for specific needs. It simplifies your workflow without overwhelming you with unnecessary features, ensuring that your productivity remains the top priority.

08. Sony Playstation XPERIA by Santosh Palaniappan

This one’s a classic case of “what could have been”. Designed by Santosh Palaniappan, the PlayStation XPERIA is the perfect hybrid between a smartphone and a gaming device, combining the company’s two successful product lines. Featuring a sliding display that reveals gaming controls underneath, along with a triple-camera setup, it offers versatility beyond gaming. Messaging, internet browsing, selfies, movie watching, and social media game streaming become seamless possibilities. The PlayStation Xperia strikes a balance between smartphone and gaming device aesthetics, combining the functionality of a smartphone with the visual appeal of the PS5. Its white and black design with textured grips and the iconic PlayStation symbol microtexture on the rear exudes elegance. Front-facing speakers enhance the media and gaming experience, and sliding the screen transforms it into a handheld console.

Why is it noteworthy?

With a focus on both gaming and smartphone capabilities, the PlayStation Xperia concept offers a promising vision for Sony’s future product lineup, blending the best of both worlds for tech enthusiasts and gamers alike. It doesn’t compromise on anything a gamer would want in their phone or their handheld console, and let’s be absolutely honest, it looks positively drool-worthy!

09. Ford Mini Bronco by Naoto Kobayashi

Ever seen an off-roader coupe? Well, feast your eyes on the Ford Mini Bronco, a two-door off-roader that we absolutely wish was real. Crafted by designer Naoto Kobayashi, the Ford Mini Bronco boasts a unique design with distinctive pixel-inspired headlights in the front and dynamic taillights at the rear. It’s ideal for a group of two or three adventurers looking to hit the off-road and embrace an eco-friendly lifestyle. This compact EV offers SUV-like excitement without the fuel consumption of larger Ford vehicles. However, it’s important to note that the Ford Mini Bronco is currently just a concept, a vision of what the future of transportation could hold. We can only hope that one day, this remarkable concept will become a reality.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Mini Bronco is a small-format-large-ambitions car that really doesn’t compromise on space or features. The lack of two extra passenger seats means the Mini Bronco has a spacious rear, perfect for storing your outdoor gear. Its short wheelbase and minimal overhangs (on the front and rear) promise enhanced off-road capabilities, and Kobayashi even managed to fit a large-size tent on the top that people can sleep in!

10. Google G Spot Tracking Device by Obi Fidler

Google will help you search for a lot of things, but this is a first! Meet the G Spot, an audacious concept from the mind of Obi Fidler that doubles as Google’s first-ever tracking device. The G Spot is a sleek and compact GPS smart tracker that takes inspiration from Apple’s popular AirTag. This innovative device boasts a conveniently small form factor, making it a breeze to carry around discreetly. What sets it apart is its seamless integration with Google’s robust ecosystem, allowing you to effortlessly track its whereabouts through the Find My Device and Google Maps services… and obviously that name, which I will never tire of saying!

Why is it noteworthy?

This one makes the list just for how much of a belly laugh it gave us as we first saw it online. The entire project is an absolute riot, making fun of what could be Google’s tracking device. Hilariously named the G Spot, this tracking device comes equipped with a tensor chip and a whole lot of double entendres!

The post Best of Conceptual Design – Yanko Design Awards 2023 first appeared on Yanko Design.

It’s that time of year again when we take stock of the past 12 months and reflect on the ups and downs in order to get a brief glimpse of what lies ahead. It has been a pretty active year for the tech industry in many segments, from companies recovering or folding from the events of the past 3 years to the explosion of AI-powered services. Of course, there has also been a torrent of new designs and product types, such as the gaming handheld fever that’s gripping the PC market. In other words, there has been a great storm swirling in the tech and consumer electronics world, and now that the dust has finally settled, we’re taking a look at some of the best product designs that you can grab today or in just a few months.

Best Mixed Reality Headset – Apple Vision Pro

After years of speculation and waiting, Apple finally revealed its hand and showed the world its vision for its mixed reality platform. Of course, that includes the hardware that will become the gateway to that reality, the Vision Pro. In typical Apple fashion, the headset isn’t just a rehash of any old VR/AR gear and is specifically designed not only to showcase the power of Apple’s Spatial Computing but also to provide convenience and comfort in all aspects.

Designer: Apple

Why it’s noteworthy

As expected from any Apple product, the Vision Pro has a minimalist, understated design where every part is made with meticulous attention to detail. In addition to luxurious, comfortable materials, the headset is designed to be lightweight and well-balanced, allowing for long hours of use without straining the head. It was also made to immerse the wearer in a virtual world without taking them away from the real world, especially when communicating with others by making eye contact. Apple’s visionOS platform is carefully tailored to mix the real and the virtual seamlessly. Admittedly, the pricing for the Vision Pro is going to be high, but that’s also on par with any high-quality product that Apple makes.

Best Gaming Handheld – Lenovo Legion Go

Although some manufacturers have been churning out portable gaming PCs for years now, things really heated up when the big names in the industry started jumping in. Valve got the ball rolling with the Steam Deck, followed closely by the ASUS ROG Ally. Lenovo may just be the latest to jump on board, but thanks to both its expertise and the advantage of hindsight, the Lenovo Legion Go is pretty much ahead of the game not just in terms of specs but also in design.

Designer: Lenovo

Why it’s noteworthy

Yes, the Legion Go looks big, but mostly because it has the biggest screen among handheld gaming PCs in the market today. Its removable controllers give the perfect Nintendo Switch vibe, but the FPS mouse mode also delivers a new and unique way to play games. The high-performance hardware leaves few complaints, aside from the usual battery life, and the built-in kickstand removes the need for a separate accessory. There’s definitely still room for improvement, so it’s actually exciting to see what Lenovo has planned next for this device category.

Best Foldable Phone – OPPO Find N3

Foldable phones are becoming mainstream to the point that there might be too many to choose from at this point. While Samsung still has the lion’s share of people’s attention, it has long relinquished being the best in this market. It has easily let its rivals pass it by, and OPPO, who is relatively new to the scene, has just produced what is pretty much the best foldable phone you can buy (depending on where you are).

Designer: OPPO

Why it’s noteworthy

The OPPO Find N3 combines not just the best specs but also the best designs currently available in this category. It folds flat, has stylish color options, and has a more normal, wider shape that makes it more usable as a regular phone when folded. And it doesn’t skimp on the cameras, which is something that most foldable phones still have a hard time getting right. This particular model might not be available in all markets, but the OnePlus Open is a dead ringer and might be available in countries where the OPPO Find N3 isn’t.

Best Laptop/Portable PC – HP Envy Move

When thinking of “portable computers,” most will probably think of laptops since those are the most common designs available. They’re not always the best, though, especially when you consider the ergonomics involved. Desktop PCs, however, are just too large and bulky to be portable, even the thin all-in-one PCs are firmly rooted to desks. HP is challenging that status quo with a unique PC that is as portable as a laptop yet as usable as an all-in-one desktop.

Designer: HP

Why it’s noteworthy

The HP Envy Move is, for all intents and purposes, an AIO or All-in-One PC that was designed to be carried around, especially thanks to a built-in foldable handle and a pocket for storing a wireless keyboard. Its large 23.8-inch screen has plenty of room for work and entertainment, and you won’t have to crane your neck down every time you use it. Yes, it’s probably going to be awkward to carry it with you everywhere, but when you have a few fixed places to set up work or sit down for a movie, this computer will give you the full desktop experience in no time flat.

Best Portable Power Station – Bluetti AC500 + B300S

A stable supply of electricity has almost become a luxury these days. Power grids can go down without prior notice, or you might find yourself spending days and nights outdoors. Gas generators no longer cut it and are dangerous liabilities rather than assets, but there’s, fortunately, a large selection of safer and greener battery-powered generators now available today. Perhaps too many, in fact, since they come in all sizes and capacities, but Bluetti’s latest modular AC500 inverter and B300S expansion batteries offer the perfect flexibility for all your power needs.

Designer: Bluetti

Why it’s noteworthy

The modular design of the Bluetti AC500 means that you can stack as many as four of these 3,072Wh batteries if you need to, enough to power a home for a day or two. Or you can only bring the inverter and one battery module if you just need to go camping over the weekend. Best of all, you can charge the batteries using solar power, so you don’t even have to worry about power outlets in case of emergencies or being stuck outside. It’s a great way to enjoy the conveniences of modern life by having access to safe and sustainable power at any time.

Best Powerbank – Anker 737 GaN Prime 24K

Our dependence on computers and smartphones becomes pretty obvious when we start scrambling for a charger and find no power outlet available. There’s a variety of portable batteries, a.k.a. power banks, available today, but not all of them deliver the power you need to charge multiple devices, let alone a power-hungry laptop. Anker is one of the leading brands in this space, and it has a solution that addresses that need without forcing you to carry a veritable brick in your bag.

Designer: Anker

Why it’s noteworthy

The Anker 737 GaN Prime 24K offers portability and power in a compact package. It has enough output and battery capacity to charge a MacBook, for example, which means smartphones, accessories, and even drones are no sweat at all. GaN (Gallium Nitride) technology makes charging not only faster but also safer, while a helpful LCD display shows all the necessary stats you need to keep tabs on the power bank itself as well as the devices it’s charging. The block is admittedly chunky, but compared to power banks of similar capacity, it’s surprisingly compact and light, making it the perfect all-around partner for any mobile worker.

Best Smart Speaker – Sonos Era 300

The hype around smart speakers may seem to have died down, but that’s mostly because they have become almost too common. Every modern Bluetooth-enabled speaker these days has some smarts now, leaving manufacturers more freedom to explore other designs. Sonos is one of the pioneers in the wireless speaker space, and it continues to push through with new designs even in the face of unrelenting competition. Its new Sonos Era 300 this year makes an impact not only with its design but also with its commitment to the environment.

Designer: Sonos

Why it’s noteworthy

The Sonos Era 300 has a distinctive shape that almost looks like a flattened speaker icon, with a front half that flares out and a back that is more or less uniform in size. That shape isn’t accidental, as it allows the multitude of woofers and tweeters to be positioned for maximum efficiency and performance. What really makes the Sonos Era 300 extra special, however, is the attention that it gives to sustainability, picking materials, lowering power consumption, and encouraging quick repairs in order to reduce its negative impact on the environment.

Best Wireless Earbuds – Sony WF-1000XM5

Apple may have made wireless earbuds popular, but it is far from being the only game in town. When it comes to design and especially sound quality, the AirPods are easily eclipsed by products from more experienced brands. Reclaiming its foothold in this audio space, Sony has launched a new pair of high-end buds that truly immerse you in your favorite music, regardless of your environment.

Designer: Sony

Why it’s noteworthy

The Sony WF-1000XM5 boasts one of if not the best noise canceling experiences that tiny buds can offer. It even uses some AI special sauce to also reduce noise interference when you’re making calls, allowing for clear and crisp audio on both ends of the line. Best of all, its minimalist design doesn’t call attention to itself, but its stylish appearance won’t embarrass you if people do notice.

Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner – SwitchBot S10

We have long gone past the days when robot vacuum cleaners only vacuumed floors and still left everything else to humans. Now they can dump their dirt into bins on their own and even wipe the floor with a mop when needed. Human intervention can’t be removed completely, like in taking out the dust bin or refilling water in the tank, but the SwitchBot S10 further reduces the need for manual interaction by making the robot smart enough to dump its own dirty water and stock up on clean water all by itself.

Designer: SwitchBot

Why it’s noteworthy

The small and narrow auto-emptying station of the SwitchBot S10 is rather deceptive, making you think it’s less capable than its larger competitors. But that’s because the exciting action happens away from that bin and at the separate water station that lets the robot vacuum exchange dirty water for clean one using the same pipes that you already have for drains and faucets. It can even refill a humidifier’s water tank on its own, presuming it’s SwitchBot’s humidifier, of course. These almost completely automated processes reduce the need to get your hands dirty, literally, and reduce the risks of getting contaminated and sick from handling waste materials.

Best Smartwatch – Apple Watch Ultra 2

Just like with smart speakers, the smartwatch market has more or less normalized by now after a long struggle in trying to carve out its niche. Designs may no longer be changing drastically, but innovation hasn’t stopped completely either. Now it’s a race to put the best health sensors you can cram in such a small space, but Apple has long been ahead of the race and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 cements its lead even further.

Designer: Apple

Why it’s noteworthy

The Apple Watch Ultra series delivered what users have been asking for a long time, more space to see the information they need at a glance without having to tap their way through screens. It also adds a new double tap gesture so you won’t even have to use your other hand for basic actions like stopping a timer, ending a call, or better yet, taking a photo from your iPhone. It also introduces Apple’s first carbon-neutral products, offsetting the negative impact the production of its smartwatches has with “carbon credits” from nature-based projects and parts.

The post Best of Tech Design – Yanko Design Awards 2023 first appeared on Yanko Design.

PROS:

• Beautiful and spacious 8.8-inch 1600p 144Hz screen


• Detachable controllers with innovative FPS (vertical mouse) mode


• Great overall performance

CONS:

• Large and heavy


• Bottom USB-C port is unusable when using the kickstand


• Short battery life

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS

ERGONOMICS

PERFORMANCE

SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The Lenovo Legion Go pushes the envelope of what handheld PCs are capable of, paving the road for future innovation in this space.

Although it was hardly the first portable gaming console, the success of the Nintendo Switch really inspired a new class of gaming devices. It pushed the boundaries of what you can accomplish with a handheld, offering a gaming experience that you can enjoy anywhere, including while sitting on a couch in front of a TV or table. Of course, Nintendo’s selection of titles is just a small part of the larger gaming world, and there have been many brands that have tried to bring the magic of the Switch to PCs. The Steam Deck proved that such a product would be popular, but it just stopped there. Lenovo, on the other hand, went all out with what is possibly the closest to a “Switch PC” to date. But is the Lenovo Legion Go just a Switch clone or is it offering a completely new gaming experience? We take this innovative gaming handheld for a few good spins to find out.

Designer: Lenovo

Aesthetics

Right off the bat, the first thing you’ll notice about the Lenovo Legion Go is that it’s huge, bigger even than the Steam Deck that’s already considered a giant. It’s slightly thinner than the Deck but only in the middle because the removable controllers almost add an inch to that thickness. It is definitely the larger and heavier of the three major handheld PCs, something that has repercussions for comfort and ergonomics, as we’ll see later.

Fortunately, you might forget the Legion Go’s size the moment your eyes settle on its large 8.8-inch screen, also the largest in this niche market. With a high pixel resolution and bright colors, it easily outclasses the competition, at least in terms of sharpness and visual impact. It doesn’t come without cost, though, but if you value a large, sharp, and fast gaming screen above other specs, this is the one to beat.

The Legion Go definitely carries itself well compared to its peers in terms of aesthetics. Unlike the more rectangular shapes of the Steam Deck and the ASUS ROG Ally, the Legion Go’s controllers taper a bit, creating a more interesting shape from the front. The back of the device is mostly flat save for the contoured handles of the controllers on each side. That back also features a full-width kickstand that lets you easily prop up the Legion Go on any flat surface for playing games or even for watching videos. The top edge has buttons and ports for controlling the device while the bottom has a lone USB-C Gen 4 port for both charging and data.

All in all, the Lenovo Legion Go presents a solid and distinctive design that doesn’t stray too far from the convention but has enough tweaks to make it stand out from the crowd. Its large screen plays in its favor, though the resulting large size is a bit of a double-edged sword. This niche market is still in its infancy and we’ll surely see more interesting designs in the future, but at least for now, Lenovo has pulled enough tricks to give the Legion Go a memorable character.

Ergonomics

There’s really no going around the fact that the Legion Go is a bulky and heavy device, bigger and heftier than its two closest rivals. For a device that’s primarily meant to be held in your hands, that can be a huge drawback. Even if its battery life lasts for hours (or if you’re playing it while charging), your hands and arms will undoubtedly tire after the first 30 minutes or an hour at most. It might be an artificial way to limit your gaming time, but the great thing about this kind of device is you don’t actually need to hold it up to play. Just like the Switch, you can simply set it down on a table or connect it to a large screen. Either way, you can just continue playing, at least as long as you have enough battery for it.

As mentioned earlier, this is as close as we’ve come to a Switch-like PC, and that’s primarily thanks to the detachable controllers. You can slide them off, though downward in the opposite direction compared to the Switch, and use them as normal Bluetooth controllers except split in two. There is, however, a special Lenovo-only mode that changes the narrative a bit. It’s called FPS mode and you stick the right controller into a base that makes it look like a joystick, except it’s a mouse that you drag across the table, not unlike those ergonomic vertical mice. As the name suggests, it’s meant to offer a more precise method of aiming with the right hand in FPS games and more fluid movement with the left controller. It’s definitely an innovative design but one that requires heavy muscle memory training to really get used to.

The Legion Go isn’t just a gaming device, however. It’s a gaming PC that runs a regular version of Windows 11, which means the user experience isn’t optimized for anything but a keyboard and mouse or, at the very least, a touch screen. This makes operating the non-gaming parts of the operating system a bit more tedious, though Lenovo thankfully included a small touchpad on the right-hand controller exactly for this purpose. There’s also a tiny scroll wheel on the back side of the same controller, but its location makes it difficult to reach. Along with the idiosyncrasies of Windows itself, this makes operating the device in handheld mode cumbersome and awkward.

Performance

Lenovo definitely pulled out the stops when it came to the Legion Go’s silicon muscles. Running inside is an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme with RDNA Graphics paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB or 1TB of NVMe SSD storage. It’s not desktop-level hardware, not even a gaming laptop, but at this size, it’s currently the best that’s available for handheld computers. It can definitely handle most PC games at medium settings, and maybe a few at high settings. Of course, cranking up those options will drain the battery quicker, and there’s not a lot in the first place.

The real star of the show, however, is the impressive 8.8-inch 2560×1600 IPS LCD display with a 144Hz refresh rate. Not only is it the largest among handheld computers, it also has the highest resolution. It’s bright, vibrant, colorful, and sharp. And it’s also quite the battery drain. On paper, a high resolution such as this would be a huge boon for gaming, but only if you have lots of battery and power to spare. At full resolution, the only way you’ll get above 60fps in Fortnite is by setting the setting to medium (67fps) or low (79fps). Then again, 47fps with high settings isn’t so bad either. Dropping the resolution to 1200p made the gameplay experience much better during our test.

The real problem is the battery life, though the Legion Go isn’t alone in this regard. At medium settings, playing Fortnite (with voice chat on) drained the battery in around 79 minutes and at 1200p resolution only. Again, the sharpness of the screen is a huge advantage over the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally, but the price it entails is just too high. Sure, you can set a lower resolution by default, but then you’ll be paying for hardware you’re not able to fully utilize.

The Lenovo Legion Go has the bare minimum when it comes to hardware connectivity, namely two USB-C 4.0 ports, one at the top and another at the bottom. There’s also a headphone jack for good measure so you can connect your favorite wired headphones for more immersive gaming. Having two USB-C ports is great for connecting peripherals or a hub while still having one port free for charging the device. The catch is that the placement of the bottom port makes it inaccessible when using the built-in kickstand. Sure, you can use the top port for charging, but you still lose the other port for other accessories. To be fair, the Switch has the same problem but is worse by having a single USB port, but you’d hope that designers would have solved this problem by now.

Being able to set the Legion Go down on a table and still play using the controllers is also a Switch-inspired feature, but the actual implementation needs a little bit of work. In addition to the awkward way of pulling out the controllers, you apparently can’t use a different external controller unless you take the pair out and disable them from Windows Device Manager. It might just be a bug or a hidden setting, but the fact that it isn’t as straightforward as on a regular computer (or even the Nintendo Switch) makes it a less favorable experience.

When it comes to performance, the Legion Go spares no expense at using the best possible hardware, but having the most powerful isn’t always the correct solution. Power-hungry specs, especially a hi-res screen, drain the battery faster than it should, and owners are forced to tweak every aspect to squeeze out as much juice as they can from the device. Admittedly, PC gamers are used to tweaking settings left and right, but that’s a little less convenient and less ideal on a handheld form factor.

Sustainability

Impressive as the Legion Go’s design might be, there will definitely be concerns about its long-term viability. First-gen designs in this industry don’t always spark confidence, both in terms of durability as well as customer support down the road. Lenovo is an established brand, of course, so there’s an implicit trust in the products that it makes. This device definitely feels solid, despite its plastic body, so you can be assured that it’s not some flimsy product that will die out on you in the first few months.

Its unique design does bring a few complications, though, particularly with the removable controllers. These can be points for mechanical failure in the feature, or structural weaknesses that could lead to an early death for the device. There are a lot of custom parts used for the Legion Go as well, so repairs will have to be done by authorized Lenovo service providers only. That increases the risk factor in purchasing a device that could meet more accidents in your hands compared to a conventional laptop.

Value

Gaming handhelds are becoming popular again, both from the retro front as well as the PC market. Just looking at the growing number of options outside of major manufacturers shows there’s a sizable market for these devices. Not every PC gamer is a fan, though these would also admit dreaming of being able to play games anywhere, including in situations where they can’t use their bulky gaming laptops. As mentioned, there are plenty of options available now, but the Lenovo Legion Go offers the best-balanced set of benefits and drawbacks in the market today.

It has powerful specs topped by a gorgeous and large display that really makes games pop. The FPS mode might need a bit of getting used to, but the convenience of being able to detach the controllers when needed is a huge boon, though there are some rough edges to smoothen out. Battery life is pretty dismal by default, but that’s on par with other handheld PCs. The biggest clincher is that you’re getting this solid mobile PC gaming experience starting at just $699.99, which means you aren’t cutting corners for that juicy price tag.

Verdict

There was a time when analysts proclaimed the PC market to be dying, but that might only be true for desktops. Laptops flew off the shelves during the pandemic, and now handheld PCs are sparking interest and ushering in a new generation of PC gamers who are living the dream of playing anywhere. There are still only a few players in this market, and Lenovo, the world’s biggest PC maker, is making sure it’s leading here as well.

The Lenovo Legion Go definitely shows the brand’s expertise, combining decades of experience with a bold design and innovative features. It also proves that there is still plenty of room for improvement, whether for refining features or introducing new experiences. At this point, handheld gaming PCs like these are still considered a luxury, but with a tempting $700 price tag, the Legion Go is doing its part to make these devices more approachable and more usable for everyone.

The post Lenovo Legion Go Review: Big Steps for Handheld PC Gaming first appeared on Yanko Design.

PROS:

• Distinctive cover design


• Effective liquid-cooling system


• Desktop-grade performance


• Comes with two power adapters (330W GaN, 140W USB-C)

CONS:

• Small, cramped trackpad


• Mediocre battery life


• A bit pricey

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS

ERGONOMICS

PERFORMANCE

SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With an effective liquid cooling system and impressive performance, the Lenovo Legion 9i delivers a formidable desktop replacement wrapped in a fresh new aesthetic.

Laptops have come a long way and are available in a wider range of options. While there are still some designs that prioritize extra slim profiles, others target performance to match or even rival that of a desktop PC. These desktop replacements, mostly in the guise of gaming laptops, have to make a few compromises to strike a balance between portability, performance, and heat management. There’s no perfect mix, at least none that would match almost all the needs of almost all types of laptop users. The Lenovo Legion 9i, though primarily a gaming laptop, promises to come pretty close to that ideal. Better yet, it comes with a unique and memorable design that might even appeal to those outside of gaming circles. Read on for a deeper dive into this visually distinctive laptop to see if it is really able to deliver on those promises.

Designer: Lenovo

Aesthetics

Right off the bat, the Lenovo Legion 9i is clearly not your average laptop, gaming or otherwise. The top cover has this unconventional pattern of polygons in different shades of gray. These are actually forged carbon chips, chosen not just for their unique appearance but also for the material’s lightweight durability. Lenovo says that no two Legion 9i units have the same pattern, so it’s almost like getting an exclusive edition for each purchase. Admittedly, it’s going to be a divisive topic, since the design isn’t something you can turn on or off as you wish, unlike RGB lights. At the same time, it’s like a breath of fresh air, deviating from the standard gaming aesthetic. Suffice it to say, it’s going to be a head-turner, no matter how you look at it.

The rest of the laptop’s chassis eschews the usual plastic affair and is made with 90% recycled magnesium die-cast in a classy Carbon Black finish. Not only does it afford increased durability, it also gives the laptop an interesting sustainability story. The chassis has a matte finish that adds a bit of texture, appealing not only to your sight but also to your sense of touch.

Speaking of those RGB lights, there’s still plenty to go around, though not in the usual places. On the A cover, you’ll only see it behind the large “LEGION” branding in the corner, while they’re pretty much under each key inside. There’s also a strip of light that runs around the edges of the laptop, wrapping it in a somewhat subtle rainbow of colors of your choosing. The ports themselves aren’t illuminated, but indicators for the back connectors do get a bit of light to help guide your hand in the dark. As always, you have full control of these lights, so you can configure them to match your mood or environment.

As a 16-inch laptop, the Lenovo Legion 9i is definitely on the larger end of the size spectrum, and even among its peers is still on the bulkier side. It is by no means excessively big, especially considering everything it’s packing inside, but those expecting MacBook Pro-like profiles are definitely looking at the wrong category of laptops. All in all, this portable desktop replacement strikes a fine balance when it comes to size and features, and it carries a unique visual character wherever you take it.

Ergonomics

As mentioned, the Legion 9i is by no means a thin and lightweight laptop, which can be expected from gaming-focused desktop replacements like it. In fact, it sits somewhere in the middle of other 16-inch laptops like a smaller ASUS ROG Strix G16 and a behemoth Alienware x16 R1. Yes, it is thick, but it could have actually been worse if not for the headlining liquid-cooling feature. It is surprisingly portable compared to other 16-inch gaming laptops, but you’ll still want to prepare your shoulders or hands whenever you have to carry this powerhouse. And regardless of that cooling system, you still wouldn’t want to put it on your lap except in the most dire circumstances.

When it comes to laptops, comfort and usability factors focus mostly on the keyboard and the trackpad. Gamers are especially picky about the former, as the performance of keyboards can mean the difference between glorious victory and devastating defeat. The Lenovo Legion 9i’s keyboard is, to put it simply, good enough. It’s not mechanical, of course, but it does have sufficient travel to make it feel snappy and comfortable at the same time, a rare treat for membrane-based keys. The keyboard is pushed further down compared to most laptops, but not because there’s some fancy display or interface at the top. Instead, that area is yielded to the aforementioned cooling system, including the ventilation grilles that sit there on top.

Unfortunately, that shift in position affects the trackpad in a detrimental manner. While the trackpad itself is responsive and smooth, its small size makes it feel cramped and difficult to use, particularly for vertical movement. While most gamers will have their favorite gaming mouse when they’re in the zone, it’s still a disappointing sacrifice that you will definitely feel whenever you have to use that trackpad to do some work quickly.

Performance

Due to the need for speed and power, gaming laptops naturally try to match the performance of their stationary desktop cousins. They are, however, more affected by the laws of physics, particularly when it comes to the heat generated by all that hardware, which in turn causes throttling and performance hits with deadly consequences for gamers. There has been no shortage of cooling innovations in the laptop segment over the years, and Lenovo finally brings one of those to its Legion laptop segment for the first time.

Co-engineered with the famed Cooler Master, the branded Legion ColdFront liquid cooling system runs over the GPU’s VRAM to help keep temperatures down, kicking into gear once the GPU hits the 84°C mark. There are also three fans that help ferry cold air away from those components and out the sides. The liquid cooling system is not a panacea and you’ll still hear the fans spin, though not at an uncomfortable high speed. It is quite effective in keeping performance stable while, at the same time, offering an alternative to bulky cooling solutions that are part of the reason why some gaming laptops are larger than they need to be.

On the opposite side of that distinctive forged carbon A cover is an equally eye-catching 16-inch 3200×2000 mini-LED screen, a display technology that outpaces IPS LCDs in terms of black levels but also surpasses OLEDs in brightness. And the screen is indeed very, very bright, especially when you show HDR content. It has an odd resolution, granted, but it is also higher than some of its rivals in the 16-inch laptop segment. Running games at QHD or QHD+ resolutions gives the most balanced performance, but “3.2K” as Legion calls it is definitely a good option for content that doesn’t require extremely high refresh rates.

As with any laptop in the market today, there are different configurations to choose from, but the base starts with a 13th-gen Intel Core i9-13980HX, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, and 32GB of DDR5 memory. Those are pretty mighty specs with matching hefty prices, but they definitely show their worth when it comes to actual use. Synthetic benchmarks don’t tell the whole story, of course, but there is pretty much nothing the Lenovo Legion 9i can’t handle, whether it’s graphics-intensive games or video rendering. Granted, it’s not going to outperform a hulking desktop tower with the latest cooling solutions, but it definitely comes close to providing you with a desktop that you can use and carry anywhere.

Given everything that’s happening inside, it’s probably no surprise that the Legion 9i’s battery life is so-so. With moderate use, you can squeeze out a little over two and a half hours, but you’ll easily see that time cut down to an hour or so on more intensive games. Lenovo tries to make up for it with a super-fast 330W GaN charger, but it isn’t an understatement to call that a brick. Interestingly, Lenovo does something out of the ordinary and ships a second and significantly slimmer 140W PD charger that connects via USB-C. This is the one you’ll probably want to always carry with you, but you’ll also have to remember how it will limit the laptop’s overall throughput.

Sustainability

As the world’s largest PC maker, it is quite encouraging that Lenovo takes its environmental responsibility quite seriously. Especially with gaming laptops that chug plenty of electricity, Lenovo has to look for other areas where it can offset its negative impact on the planet. It’s not 100%, but the use of recycled magnesium on Legion 9i definitely helps cut down reliance on plastic, while giving the laptop both durability and looks.

Laptops have also thankfully become less restricted, at least when it comes to upgrading certain parts. You still can’t easily repair most commercial laptops like these, but upgrading storage and memory can usually be done with ease. For the Lenovo Legion 9i, however, that’s only true for the storage, which is immediately accessible after removing the bottom cover. RAM is unfortunately hidden beneath the motherboard, so you will have to remove other parts before you can double your memory. That means it’s more practical to aim for the configuration with the largest RAM capacity, though that’s easier said than done considering the price.

Value

Considering all the features mentioned above, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the price tag on the Legion 9i starts with a high figure. Depending on sales, it starts at around $3,200 to $3,400 with 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and an NVIDIA RTX 4080. The maximum configuration pushes you back $3,800 to $4,000, again depending on any promos or the current SRP. It’s easily more expensive than the competition, but the good news is that you’re getting exactly what you pay for.

The Lenovo Legion 9i makes very few compromises, except what you can expect in terms of its size and weight. The integrated liquid cooling system, while not mind-blowing, is impressive and effective in keeping both temperatures and thickness down. High-performance hardware makes short work of gaming and content creation tasks, and plenty of connectivity options expand the laptop’s capabilities to desktop levels. And that bright mini-LED makes any type of content a pleasure to see. Plus you get a smart-looking distinctive piece of equipment that’s going to pique the interest of people around you. Taking all those into consideration, that hefty price tag becomes more of an investment on a desktop that empowers you to do anything you need or want anywhere you go.

Verdict

Gaming laptops are traditionally large and bulky because of hardware requirements, but thankfully they don’t need to be unattractive as well. Developments in engineering and design are revealing ways to slim down these portable powerhouses without sacrificing too much performance. It’s still a matter of making compromises, but the Lenovo Legion 9i thankfully makes very few of those.

The unique forged carbon lid and subtle RGB edge lighting immediately draw your attention, while the impressive performance keeps you glued to that beautiful screen. Liquid cooling and AI-tuned fans help keep that performance from fluctuating too much, and two charging options let you go big or pack light, depending on your needs. Yes, the trackpad is uninspiring, the battery life is too short for comfort, and the price tag is a bit tough to swallow, but you are definitely getting your money’s worth for a desktop replacement with a hot look and a cool personality.

The post Lenovo Legion 9i Gaming Laptop Review: Liquid Cooling meets Hot Design first appeared on Yanko Design.