The halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center have finally quieted, but the impact of CES 2026 is just beginning to ripple through the tech world. This year’s show was nothing short of transformative, moving beyond mere incremental updates to unveil hardware that fundamentally changes how we interact with digital spaces. The official Best of CES 2026 awards have been finalized, crowning 22 groundbreaking products as the undisputed leaders of the industry. From shape-shifting displays to AI that lives directly on your device, these winners represent a seismic shift toward modularity and adaptability.
While the full list of 22 winners covers everything from smart home energy grids to next-gen health wearables, the spotlight burned brightest on the gaming and mobile sectors. The industry has moved past the experimental phase of foldable and rollable concepts, delivering consumer-ready devices that feel less like science fiction and more like the inevitable next step in computing. Below, we break down the standout CES 2026 award winners that are set to dominate the market this year.
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold: The New Shape of Mobile
For years, the industry has whispered about the possibility of a dual-hinge device, but Samsung has finally delivered with the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, the unanimous winner for "Best Innovation in Mobile." This isn't just a thicker foldable; it is a complete reimagining of the phone-tablet hybrid. When fully collapsed, it functions as a standard, albeit slightly dense, 6.5-inch smartphone. But the magic happens when you unfold it—not once, but twice.
The device opens into a massive 10-inch QXGA Dynamic AMOLED display, effectively placing a full-sized tablet in your pocket. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the TriFold manages to stay impossibly thin at just 3.9mm when unfolded. Critics and judges alike were stunned by the "Multi-Active" multitasking, which allows three full apps to run side-by-side without cramping. With a 5,600 mAh battery distributed across its three panels, it solves the longevity issue that plagued early foldables. At a premium price point near $3,000, it is an enthusiast's dream, but it undeniably sets the bar for top tech trends 2026.
Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable: Gaming Without Borders
While Samsung conquered the fold, Lenovo mastered the roll. The Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable took home the "Best Gaming Laptop" award, and for good reason. It addresses a dilemma that has frustrated gamers for a decade: the choice between portability and immersion. Instead of a fixed screen size, this laptop features a motorized OLED panel that expands horizontally.
At the touch of a button, the standard 16-inch display unspools into a purely "Tactical Mode" at 21.5 inches, or fully extends to a cinematic "Arena Mode" at 24 inches. This ultra-wide aspect ratio is powered by the monstrous NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 mobile GPU, ensuring that the extra pixels are driven at high frame rates. The dual-motor system is whisper-quiet, a significant upgrade over the creaky prototypes of yesteryear. This is arguably one of the best gaming gadgets 2026 has to offer, proving that screen real estate no longer dictates laptop size.
The Handheld Revolution Continues
Portable gaming didn't stop at laptops. The revamped Lenovo Legion Go, now natively running SteamOS, was another major winner. By ditching Windows for a dedicated gaming OS, Lenovo has created a seamless, console-like experience that rivals the Steam Deck's ease of use but with significantly more raw power under the hood.
Modular Hardware and the End of Stick Drift
One of the most consumer-friendly trends at CES 2026 was the explosion of modular accessories. The GameSir x Hyperkin X5 Alteron won "Best Accessory" for its ingenious approach to mobile gaming. It is the world's first fully modular mobile controller, featuring hot-swappable face buttons and thumbsticks. Whether you prefer a GameCube layout for retro emulation or a modern Xbox configuration for streaming, the X5 Alteron adapts to you.
Crucially, this device—and many others on the show floor—standardizes Hall Effect sensors, effectively promising an end to the stick drift that has plagued controllers for generations. This shift toward repairability and customization is a key theme of the CES 2026 best in show lineup, signaling that manufacturers are finally listening to long-standing consumer demands for longevity.
On-Device AI and the Road Ahead
If there was a unifying thread across all 22 winners, it was the invisible integration of AI. We aren't talking about chatbots; we're talking about NPU-driven performance tuning. Devices like the Legion Pro Rollable now use onboard AI to dynamically allocate wattage between CPU and GPU in real-time, predicting load spikes before they happen. This "invisible AI" is one of the definitive top tech trends 2026, working in the background to extend battery life and boost framerates without user intervention.
As these award-winning gadgets hit shelves throughout the year, they promise to redefine our expectations of what personal technology can do. The era of static, rigid hardware is over; the future is foldable, rollable, and smarter than ever before.
