For those of us in tech journalism, the new year doesn’t start with resolutions, it starts with CES. While the world’s biggest consumer tech show technically takes place from Jan. 6 to Jan. 9, we’ve been preparing for weeks. That includes talking to vendors big and small, getting sneak peeks of products, and of course plotting our path on the show floor.
One of the results of all of that is our annual roundup of what we deem to be the best products out there. This year we have seven categories: Best Phone, Best Foldable Phone, Best Wearable, Best Health Tech, Best Smart Home, Best Home Gadget, and Best Concept.
The winners of our Best of CES 2026 Awards are below. They have been carefully chosen by the Android Police team and, for a bit of behind-the-scenes info, the choices were almost uniformly unanimous.
Best Phone – Punkt MC03
It’s hard to come back after releasing a phone that wasn’t up to the standards expected from a brand, but it looks like Punkt is about to pull off this neat trick with the MC03.
The concept behind the MC02 — a privacy-focused, Google-free phone — was solid, but the execution wasn’t what we’d come to expect from Punkt, which was best known for beautifully designed minimalist phones at the time.
Punkt recognized its shortcomings, and has worked to rectify them in the new MC03. The hardware is now built in Germany, and Apostrophy’s AphyOS software has been given a user-friendly overhaul, making it easier to setup and use.
All the privacy and security features remain, plus Proton supplies its suite of productivity apps, and there’s the option to install and use apps from Google Play too. However, you can only use them in a dedicated space on the phone, separate from the main, secure space.
The hardware has been upgraded with a new MediaTek processor, a 120Hz OLED screen, a new camera, and a removable battery for extra longevity. The price has dropped to $699 too, and it’s set for release in the US this spring.
Punkt knows the MC02 could have been better, and the changes made to the MC03 reflect that. It’s great to see a brand work to improve its hardware, and listen to its users, making us very excited for the MC03’s launch. – Stephen Radochia
Best Foldable Phone – Motorola Razr Fold
CES is often full of products coming soon, rather than ones you can go out and buy today, and the Motorola Razr Fold is no exception.
It’s set for release later this year, and provided Motorola gets the price right, it may be one to grab at the earliest opportunity.
Why? Motorola’s compact folding phone line is excellent, and the Razr and Razr Ultra are superior to Samsung’s better known Z Flip 7. The software is great, the cameras decent, and the design and Pantone palette are fantastic.
The Razr Fold doesn’t go mad with a Pantone color scheme (yet, as we’d expect a special edition to arrive in the future), but the 6.6-inch outer and 8.1-inch inner screen, showing Motorola’s already fold-friendly software, plus stylus support as standard, gives it the right base credentials to challenge Samsung and Google.
Selecting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip may be the stroke of genius needed to make the Razr Fold the next big foldable to buy. It should keep the price sensible and lower than the competition, yet still provide all the power without excessive heat buildup to satisfy most.
Big, foldable phones are wonderful tools, and the more companies releasing them will help drive innovation forward, and prices down over time. All this means we welcome the Motorola Razr Fold with open arms. – Andy Boxall
Best Wearable – Pebble Round 2
Pebble is on a roll, if you’ll forgive the pun. When the brand resurfaced in mid-2025, it wasn’t clear if it was only to re-release a pair of smartwatches based on the original Pebble watch, or if it was the beginning of a whole new chapter.
The Pebble Round 2 (along with the Index 01 smart ring) proves it was a jumping off point for the resurgent Pebble, and is arguably the model fans most wanted.
It shuns the rectangular shape of the classic Pebble and the new Core 2 Duo and Time 2 models, and brings back the 8.1mm thick circular body many loved from the first Pebble Round. It gets the new open-source Pebble software, a choice of lug widths to make it suitable for more wrists, and a sensible $199 price tag.
It’s not here to take on fitness-centric smartwatches, or challenge the Apple Watch for true superiority. Instead, it goes back to basics (it shares the same platform as the Core 2 Duo and Time 2) but with a less geeky and more familiar case shape.
It’s also fantastic to see a genuinely crowd-pleasing smartwatch arrive not from the likes of Samsung, Google, or Apple, giving us hope for a rich mobile life outside of buying only from the big players. – Andy Boxall
Best Health Tech – Ascentiz H1 Pro
We’ve seen the Ascentix H1 Pro floating around the internet for a few months now at this point, but folks in the US are getting their first real chance to strap this thing on and take it for a test spin at CES.
The powered exoskeleton is an assistive tool that can be used to lighten your load or provide you with a little extra boost if you’re looking to travel by foot. The goal here is to take some of the stress off your body, which can be vital.
There are two versions of the exoskeleton, with plans to expand the lineup. And while the Ascentix H1 Pro looks like something you’d see from a 90s sci-fi film brought to life, we absolutely love it. The starting price of $699 doesn’t hurt at all either. – Timi Cantisano
Best Smart Home – Roborock Saros 20
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t get overly excited about robot vacuums, but the Roborock Saros 20 has cool features that sound ideal for people who love smart home accessories.
If I buy a robot vacuum, I don’t want to constantly worry about it not navigating my home properly. The Saros 20’s AdaptiLift 3.0 technology aims to limit those concerns.
AdaptiLift 3.0 allows the Saros 20 to clear higher thresholds in your home so that the vacuum can cover multiple rooms with ease. It also maps its surroundings more quickly, recognizing up to 200 objects to prevent constant bumping into items in your home.
All that is wonderful, but unless it cleans well, it’s pointless. The Saros 20 features hot-water mop washing, warm-air drying, and up to 65 days between dust bag changes — an impressive interval.
All told, the Saros 20 appears to be a solid smart home device to keep your domicile looking spotless. – Stephen Radochia
Best Home Gadget – Seattle Ultrasonics C200 Knife
I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect CES 2026 to be the place where I saw a really good knife, because, honestly, what can you do to “techify” a kitchen knife? (Fallout’s Shishkebab excluded, of course.) But that was before I saw the Seattle Ultrasonics C200.
This 8-inch kitchen knife is made from high quality Japanese steel, and looks largely like any other knife, except for the large handle and orange button. But push that button and the knife starts to vibrate a microscopic amount, which boosts its cutting capabilities enormously.
As a keen chef, I know the importance of an excellent kitchen knife, and anything that helps a knife to cut smoother and consistently is a big plus in my book. The catch? $400 is a lot of money — but for a techie chef, there’s no finer purchase. – Mark Jansen
Best Concept – Honor Robot Phone
It appears Honor doesn’t want to be blamed for boring smartphone designs in 2026, as the Robot Phone is quite bold.
Instead of a fixed rear camera, a retracting arm comes out from the back of the device, allowing the primary camera to capture 360 degrees and be gimbaled. If it works properly, it’ll be a content creator’s dream, ideal for live streaming or capturing better front-facing images using the phone’s primary lens.
I don’t know how the Robot Phone will perform, but I’m excited to see new camera designs in 2026. I loved the gimbal functionality on the LG Wing, and there should be specialized phones for people who demand more from their cameras.
As long as Honor keeps the price in check, look for the Robot Phone to be one of the more interesting phones of the year. – Stephen Radochia
Not the final word
While these are our top picks, they’re far from all that is interesting to us at CES. Take a look at all of our CES 2026 coverage, which includes the weirdest things we’ve seen at the show and a look at Samsung’s AI-pocalypse.
