Mark your calendars. On Jan. 7, 2026, CNET Group will announce probably the most complete and compelling class of official Better of CES award winners but.
In 2025, we got here collectively for the primary time as a household of tech media manufacturers to announce 11 Better of CES winners, hand-selected by the journalists at CNET, PCMag, Mashable, ZDNET and Lifehacker. Having found many desirable new merchandise eventually January’s present, we’re going even greater subsequent 12 months to carry the Better of CES 2026, offered by the CNET Group in partnership with the Client Expertise Affiliation.
Subsequent month, we’ll collaborate with pals from Ziff Davis manufacturers IGN and On a regular basis Well being for the primary time to assist us announce 23 winners throughout as many classes, with a number of finalists in every class:
- Finest Age Tech
- Finest AI
- Finest Audio
- Finest Deep Computing Tech
- Finest Vitality Tech
- Finest Future Tech
- Finest Gaming
- Finest Kitchen Tech
- Finest Laptop computer
- Finest Cellular
- Finest Guardian Tech
- Finest Pet Tech
- Finest Robotic
- Finest Sensible Residence Tech
- Finest Startup
- Finest Sustainability
- Finest Transportation
- Finest Journey Tech
- Finest TV or Residence Theater
- Finest Bizarre Tech
- Finest Wellness Tech
- Finest Yard or Outside Tech
and…
What to anticipate from CNET Group’s protection
Whereas the world recovers from New 12 months’s hangovers, 74 of our journalists, social media producers and video professionals will pack our baggage for Las Vegas. We’ll spend the primary weekend of January scouring the present earlier than anybody else arrives. By the point CES opens on Jan. 6, 2026, you may really feel such as you’re there, too. Our reside blogs, social media posts and video from the present gives you inside glimpses at never-before-seen tech.
On Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at 8 a.m. PST, CNET Group will announce the official Better of CES 2026 finalists. You can go to CNET to see all of them and skim highlights on every product.
When you’re fortunate sufficient to attend CES in individual, we encourage you to go to the CTA Primary Stage on the Las Vegas Conference Heart’s Primary Corridor at 4 p.m. PST to observe our Better of CES Awards present reside. CNET Editor at Massive Bridget Carey and PCMag Cellular Editor Iyaz Aktar will invite consultants from throughout our manufacturers to hitch them on stage to evaluate highlights of the present and announce and congratulate our winners. At 6 p.m. PST, we’ll replace our major article on CNET to announce 22 class winners and the Finest General award.
Don’t be concerned if you happen to miss that announcement. We’ll work with our companions on the CTA and all our websites and platforms to shout the winners from the mountaintops.
Methods to submit your product for Better of CES consideration
We might love to think about any product you assume deserves recognition as a best-in-category on the present. We now have some guidelines for participation, although. The services or products have to be an exhibitor at CES 2026 and meet at the least one of many following standards:
- Embody a compelling new idea or concept
- Remedy a significant shopper drawback
- Is new or a big replace to an current product that units a brand new bar in efficiency or high quality
As in previous years, we will not promise to answer each submission, and our journalists will make the ultimate name on which merchandise win and which don’t. However we’re keen to listen to your take. If you would like to submit a product for consideration, use this submission kind and ensure to get it to us by Jan. 1.
