CES 2025 was the first CES I have ever attended. I was lucky enough to attend as a member of the media, which meant I had access to extra events and services that regular attendees didn’t receive. I’ll be honest – attending CES has been on my bucket list, and it didn’t disappoint. Here are the highlights and my thoughts about each day I attended CES.
Editor’s Note: This CES 2025 article is very long. It is a little different from my other articles as it is partially documenting my personal experiences in addition to talking about home technology. I’d of course love it if you read the whole thing, but I get today’s attention economy. Make good use of the table of contents and keep coming back to read more.
This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item using an affiliate link I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Affiliates do not influence my recommendations. Read my disclosures for more information.
Editor’s Note 2: What is CES? CES stands for the Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s largest technology trade show, held annually in Las Vegas, where the future of innovation takes center stage. It’s a massive event that brings together tech enthusiasts, industry leaders, and companies big and small to showcase groundbreaking advancements and cutting-edge gadgets. From smart home devices to artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and even quirky prototypes you didn’t know you needed, CES is a treasure trove of tech marvels. It’s not just a glimpse into the latest trends; it’s where the tech world converges to shape the future. CES 2025 had 150,000 people attend!
Table of Contents
Day 0 — Arrival at CES
I started my journey to CES on Saturday, January 4th. I flew out of the Everett Paine Field Airport (PAE) for the first time. It might be the smallest airport I’ve ever been too, and I’ve been to some small ones. But, it was so much smoother, easier, and nicer than flying out of my usual airport, SeaTac International (SEA).
The two hour bumpy and turbulent flight to Las Vegas was unable to affect the giddiness I was feeling as I was headed to my first ever CES. For someone as into home tech and other consumer electronics as I am, CES is a must-do activity some time in your life.
As soon as I landed in Las Vegas, I headed toward baggage claim and, to my surprise, found a registration badge printing station right next to the luggage carousel. Talk about convenient! I had my CES badge in hand before my suitcase even made its grand appearance on the conveyor belt.
It is somewhat strange to think of myself as media. But, I do write columns for multiple publications covering various technology products and trends. That makes me media! I arrived late at night, got my bearings and went to bed knowing the next few days would be packed!
Day 1 — Lines and the perks of being a member of the media
The first day of CES is primarily for media members. There are multiple press conferences. I got up early in the morning to get my workout in (trying to take care of my health wherever I am). Then I wanted to try out taking the Monorail to the Las Vegas Convention Center, where much of the show and exhibits are held. I knew it wouldn’t really be open for a couple of days, but I like to scout out how long things will take. As you can see from the pictures below, things were still getting set up.
On the way there I got to see the Las Vegas Sphere for the first time. This was cool because on my way back I went to the Mandalay Bay to get in line to get tickets to the Delta Keynote which would be held there later in the week. Tickets are free, but limited and first come first serve. A few other people wanted to go, apparently, as evidenced by the lines:
I’m looking forward to this keynote, which also includes a performance by Lenny Kravitz!
After that, I got to hang out in the media break room, which is only for media members. It is a cool place with water, coffee, cookies, and other snacks. It also has enclosed interview rooms, dedicated Wi-Fi, charging stations, and even a place to print. I’ll be back in that room for sure! I met some cool people in the break room who gave me great advice and further inspired me in my journey to help you make the most of your home tech!
Then, it was time for the media-only press conferences. These events were like Shark Tank, but replacing the ask for investment with an ask for media members to publicize their products. Various CEOs and other company representatives were given four minutes to tell the media about their product, and then answer questions for a couple of minutes.
A couple of products that stood out were a bionic leg from BionicM. The CEO who presented was using the bionic leg he created. Another that stood out was the company Elcyo which is developing autofocal glasses that automatically adjust focus. Bye bye bifocals!
After this were two more media events: CES Trends, and CES Unveiled. CES Trends features a couple of speakers giving an overview of consumer electronic trends for 2025. Basically they said:
- Gen Z likes technology and your product better include it in your products
- We are moving to carbon-neutral energy production and you better get on board
- And, using AI can improve your purchase conversions (e.g., using AI to show people how clothes would fit them)
CES Unveiled was a preview of many of the cool things I would see more of when CES officially opens. It was an exhibit hall with hundreds of companies displaying, demonstrating, and talking about their products. I stayed for a while – heck they provided free drinks and snacks. So many cool things. A couple of fun ones include FaceHeart which makes a mirror that scans your face and evaluates your health (blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, stress levels, and many more items). I tried it out, and compared to data I track about myself and what my watch told me, it was surprisingly accurate.
The second was a stringless guitar from LiberLive. At first, I thought “Cool, they have live music here!” But it was a woman doing a great job of singing and playing a stringless guitar!
So that was day one, which is really two days before CES 2025 actually starts. What a great start it was!
Steps as measured by my Polar Vantage V3 Watch (as mentioned in my health tech article): 26,458.
Day 2 — Press conferences, reveals, and Nvidia’s keynote
Day 2 was a bit more relaxed than Day 1. In the morning there were competing press conferences for the media. One thing I noticed very early on is that many more CES attendees were walking around, and it seemed like people were much more dressed up at the media events than they were the day before.
It was hard to know which one to go to, since I didn’t know what they were going to announce in advance. I love bright and beautiful TVs so I went to the Hisense press conference.
Hisense mostly discussed lighting technology evolution and their new RGB local dimming display tech (TriChroma LED TV). They say it has better color and reduces energy consumption by 20% as compared with QD-LED sets. Then they announced the world’s first 116-inch RGB -MiniLED TV:
They didn’t show off the TV at their event, but it will be available at their exhibit. I’ll be sure to check it out. That sucker is bright. Specs say 10,000 nits! I know it is a bit apples and oranges but my Pixel 9 Pro Fold is 2,700 nits.
They also announced they’ll be producing new Gemini-powered Google TVs soon.
I also attended an “HDMI Power session.” I had no idea what this was going to be about, but HDMI is a big part of home theater and A/V setups so I thought I’d give it a look.
Members of the HDMI Forum announced and discussed HDMI 2.2. It is early on, and few announced products support it, but many are in production and expected to be out by Q3.
HDMI 2.2 will support up to 16K resolution and Latency Indication Protocol (LIP). LIP allows devices (gaming consoles, stereo receivers, TVs, etc.) to communicate with each other to better sync video with audio. This will also be good for fast-paced gaming. They showed us a prototype cable:
I took a break this day to walk a little ways on the strip since it was a nice day. These days are long. Sessions start at 8 AM and go past 7 PM. I can’t keep that pace up without a few breaks.
Last, I went to my first keynote of CES 2025. Nvidia put it on and it was held in the Michelob Ultra Stadium and it was well attended. That’s the same stadium that has hosted UFC fights, the Latin Grammys, and it’s where the WNBA Las Vegas Aces play. Once again, the line was long, but I toughed it out.
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia delivered a nice keynote that included:
- He announced the new GB10 Superchip, which is a new processor designed to enhance AI capabilities in humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles.
- A new Blackwell family line of GPUs announcement. These GPUs have 92 billion transistors and can do AI and video management at the same time.
- AI systems for humanoid robots. This goes along with the chip but they are aiming to improve the functionality of humanoid robots and have numerous partnerships in the works.
The presentation overall was good. Mr. Huang was entertaining, and it had lots of slick visuals and videos. But sometimes it got a little too technical and boring, in my opinion
Another great day!
Total steps today: 31,902
Day 3 — Exhibits, the Sphere, Tom Brady, and Lenny Kravitz
This is the beginning of the first official day of CES. As I did my morning workout I could feel some fatigue in my legs, especially while running. All the walking and standing were definitely having an effect on me, but they were more than worth it.
I hopped on the Monorail to head to the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). It was packed with CES folk. Luckily, I got on at the MGM stop which is the first stop. Those who tried to board at subsequent stops on the way to LVCC weren’t afforded much room. Well, maybe it wasn’t luck. I was told this would happen by past participants.
Today I still wanted to attend sessions, but I quickly realized I could spend all day (week?) at just the exhibits. They were… overwhelming. It was like Black Friday crazy up in there.
There was not even have time to walk to all of them, let alone peruse them. I thought I would focus on the AI/IoT section today, and plan to return and get to other parts tomorrow. I saw many things, too many to write about, but I’ll mention three:
Eden Park
Eden Park does far-UVC technology. Basically, they sell devices that can continuously disinfect areas using UV light. They make some for the home and even devices for planes that can be installed with overhead lights at seats. These sound great for private and public restrooms and kitchens.
AIZip
AIZip does intelligent sound processing in a wide range of AI models for audio-related applications, such as keyword spotting, speaker identification, and deep noise reduction. But what I thought was cool was their demo using this product to create Karaoke versions of songs in real time!
Sweet Robo
Sweet Robo makes a variety of intelligent vending machines including custom candy and cotton candy machines, balloon makers, and ice cream. But the one that caught my eye was the custom phone case maker — Case Bot. It allows users to create custom cases using uploaded images or from a library of popular styles in just 90 seconds!
I also attended a few sessions geared towards helping creative professionals grow their businesses. I’ll spare you the details, but they were entertaining.
One cool thing about the LVCC is their underground loop system. LVCC is huge. Walking around all of it can be really time consuming and tiring. CES has exhibits and sessions across the LVCC. The loop system is basically a whole bunch of Teslas that will drive you around to different section of the LVCC through underground tunnels. Most stops are free. You just have to be okay with sharing your Tesla with a stranger. I’m not making this up.
The highlight of the day was the Delta keynote with CEO Ed Bastian in the Sphere. It was very well done from the moment you walked in. Delta provided free food and drinks to everyone. The food was airplane food-themed, including salads, biscotti crackers, cookies, wine, beer, water, soda, flavored bread, cheese, meat, and cracker plates, etc.
Delta’s CEO discussed his company’s history and focused on how tech is going to influence the future. Highlights included:
- Delta Concierge — This will be an AI-powered platform that saves Delta customers time by being able to book flights for you, make your security screening and bag check-in easier using biometrics, and through partnerships with Uber (who’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, was a speaker) and Joby Aviation, make your transport to and from the airport easier. By the way, everyone who showed up got an Uber Eats gift card. Delta Skymiles members will soon be able to earn Skymiles points with Uber and Uber Eats purchases. I feel like I should start flying Delta more.
- YouTube content and complimentary premium subscriptions — Delta customers will be able to watch YouTube content on planes, and Delta will work with creators to make exclusive content (more on that later).
- Ed Bastian also spotlighted a long standing partnership with Qualtrics to analyze customer experience data (using AI of course) to help them learn from and improve the customer experience.
Viola Davis did an intro and narrated some of the videos. The partnership with YouTube was discussed with Tom Brady! He will be one of the people making exclusive YouTube content for Delta.
Lenny Kravitz gave an amazing performance at the end. He performed most of his hits and his performances were flawless. And, I think Slash was on the guitar! If you ever get the chance to watch a concert inside the sphere, you absolutely should. Below are a couple of pics from the keynote and a couple of Lenny Kravitz clips.
Total steps today: 27,436
Day 4 — Exhibits, exhibits, and more exhibits
Day 4 started with anticipation as I was excited about the sessions I was going to attend, and looking at the exhibits over at the Venetian for the first time. The exhibits I saw focused on health, beauty and IoT. However, I started my day at the LVCC as I wanted to see a couple of sessions there.
I started with a session on Integrating AI to create better content. The creators that were part of the panel mentioned all kinds of tools that I’ll definitely check out and let you know about if they warrant a review. They all use multiple AI tools in addition to ChatGPT and Gemini. They say it really cuts the time down to create. I’ve been using a few AI tools myself, and plan to use more.
But the real reason I went back to LVCC was to see a session from will.i.am (from the Black Eyed Peas) talking about his new product, RAiDiO. The product and his demo blew my mind. He is also fantastic, and a true techie. He speaks tech as well as most at this tech infused conference.
Launched in 2024, RAiDiO.FYI is an AI-driven interactive radio platform that transforms traditional radio into a conversational experience. Developed by will.i.am’s company, FYI.AI, the platform features AI hosts who engage listeners in real-time discussions on various topics, including music, news, sports, and culture. Listeners can ask questions, request songs, and receive personalized content, creating a dynamic and personalized radio experience.
First, I was impressed that will.i.am was willing to real-time demo the product from his phone. And, he seemed comfortable doing it. Here are a couple of videos capturing some of its AI capabilities. Sure, it plays music, but it also responds in real-time with real voices in a way most other AI voices don’t do. The first video is a response to a question he asks about the LA wildfires and what he should be worried about. The second video is him demonstrating its multilingual capabilities. If you don’t like bad words, don’t watch.
He demonstrated other features of the app too. I really invite you to check it out. I will be. He told really good stories about making sure everyone has access to tech and how important it is. He also inspired the crowd to not just consume but to create their own things. This is something I tell my kids all the time.
As for the exhibits, well there were too many to mention them all. Once again, I’ll give a few highlights and things I thought were interesting.
Health tech
Some of the major themes I saw in health tech were A/R glasses, over-the-counter earbuds, and tons of health monitoring wearables like rings and watches. They measured everything from blood glucose levels to heart rate variability. They can do ECGs and measure blood pressure without the hassle of using a cuff. There were so many of each of these devices that it was hard to differentiate. Plus most were not readily available on the market yet.
Exercise tech
I saw cool portable exercise equipment like treadmills that have motorized raising capabilities for space saving. I saw others that allow you to use Airplay or Miracast to play content on the screen while you exercise. Better yet, I saw treadmills that fold up into a case and can be carried around.
Beauty
Want to get your make up done? Heck you can even see what your makeup will look like before putting it on.
There were so many beauty products including tools for your hair, makeup, and improving your skin. You could even get a hair and beard trim if you were willing to wait in line. At CES even haircuts are smart. Wahl had an app where you can envision your cut before you get it!
Home IoT
I have never seen so many automated pool cleaners. I didn’t realize the demand was so high. There were also plenty of robot lawnmowers and vacuums, including one of my favorites, the SwitchBot K10+ Pro.
I should also mention many other brands that I regularly use and review were there like Tuya, which had a cool prototype of an interactive stuffy powered by ChatGPT:
I should also mention that I ran into one of my favorite YouTubers — Reed from SmartHomeSolver. He and his wife were there and it was a pleasure to interact with them, if only for a short moment. They have great content with reviews and hands-on demonstrations of all kinds of smart home gadgets and solutions. You should check them out.
So, Day 4 was another great day. Day 5 will be spent looking at more exhibits, networking, and lamenting that I’ll be leaving the next morning.
Total steps today: 33,874
Day 5 — Trying to see everything I missed
In my last day at CES and my primary focus was to walk the massive exhibit floor and see more of what I missed so far. I didn’t think it would be possible for me to see all the exhibits in all the locations and attend sessions, but I wanted to get through a lot.
First, though, I started off with another session in the Creator Space. This one was about growing your channel, and I’ll spare you the details. The news item for me is that this panel featured Brian Tong, a family favorite tech YouTuber. He dispensed with some valuable advice, and I even got to meet and chat with him for a bit.
I suck at pictures and selfies in general. He actually gave me some tips when I asked to take a selfie with him. It amazes me how gracious some of these people are who often have so many demands on their time.
Back to the exhibits… I’ll readily admit that my energy levels were low on this day. I didn’t have as much energy to stop and chat with people about there products. Again, I’ll group the exhibits I perused by overarching themes.
Robotics
There were robots that could do everything; mow your lawn (as I saw yesterday), make you coffee, and even be your companion. One of the robots that stuck out to me was the lifelike full-bodied AI companion robot by Realbotix. Here is a short video.
Artificial Intelligence
There were too many artificial intelligence companies and applications to list. There were companies with AI platforms for building your own AI, for putting AI into devices (local AI), and various other applications from automatically blurring faces in surveillance video to being the brains behind interactive bots like the one from Realbotix. The AI and Robotics exhibits were very close to each other. We are probably just a few integrations and crossed wires from Terminator :).
Mobility
There were so many different mobility solutions. I saw tons of e-bikes and e-scooters. I also saw wheelchairs and other small transportation devices. But my two favorites, maybe because I was about to head to the airport again, were both mobile carry-ons. Basically, you can ride on the carry-ons to your gate, and then take them on as a regular carry-on.
Below is a demonstration of folding one of the mobile carry-ons from Butter Flights.
Here is another video of someone riding an Aotos carry-on at about six miles an hour!
There really was a lot more. Pretty much any tech that you’ve seen was represented in some way, shape, or form. This really is a massive event, and I need to team of people to get through all the exhibits!
Total steps today: 29,604
Final thoughts and overall trends from CES 2025
Although there were so many people, presentations, and exhibits, there were definitely some key overarching themes:
- AI is accelerating — Most presentations I went to mentioned AI. All the companies are trying incorporate AI into their products and there is a race to see who can make it the best and use it the best. If you aren’t keeping up with AI you are really falling behind. Consider taking one or both of my AI courses.
- Sustainability and electrification — There were many companies touting being or moving towards carbon neutral. There were also a lot of electrical products, from universal EV car chargers to wireless powered kitchen appliances.
- Within AI a couple of terms popped up over and over — digital twins and agentic AI.
- Agentic AI refers to autonomous AI systems capable of making decisions and taking actions independently based on goals, environmental observations, and learned knowledge. These systems are proactive, adaptable, and operate with a level of autonomy, commonly used in applications like self-driving cars, robotics, and financial trading.
- Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical systems, processes, or objects, designed to simulate, monitor, and optimize real-world performance. By leveraging real-time data and AI, digital twins allow businesses to predict outcomes, test scenarios, and improve efficiency across industries like manufacturing, healthcare, and smart cities. Together, these technologies represent powerful tools for innovation and decision-making.
CES 2025 was magnificent and inspiring. It was worth every time and dollar sacrifice I made to be here. I will definitely go again. I met so many wonderful people and saw and experienced so much great technology. More than I could absorb, and there was so much I didn’t have time to see. If you ever get a chance to go, do it. Just remember to bring some comfortable shoes. I hope to see you there!
