In the world of tech, the event that kickstarts the year is often the one that defines it, and that honor annually falls to CES (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) — an exhibition hailed as everything from the world's largest gadget show to the most powerful tech event in the world.
The Laptop Mag team reported directly from Las Vegas, Nevada for the duration of the show's January 7 to January 10 span. It's from here that we captured the computing reveals in consumer tech.
Welcome to Laptop Mag's CES 2025 special issue, offering you a recap of all of the highlights from Las Vegas, Nevada, and a showcase of our hand-picked Laptop Laurel winners across 25 categories.
CES 2025: Laptop Laurels
Throughout this year's showcase, we awarded products that truly stand out from the crowd with our Laptop Laurels — Laptop Mag's very own seal of approval for the best tech on show at CES 2025. Check out the winners below.
Best in Show
With up to 128GB of memory on package that can be allocated between the CPU, GPU, or NPU as needed, the Ryzen AI Max chipset is an absolute beast of a processor.
We watched the Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 crush an intensive DaVinci Resolve task in seconds on the HP ZBook Ultra 14 g1a, and we even took the non-workstation Ryzen AI Max+ 395 for a few slick encounters in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart on the Asus ROG Flow Z13 gaming tablet.
The performance capabilities we’ve seen from the Ryzen AI Max and its sheer boundless potential have us so incredibly excited we couldn’t even think of a laptop that would top “Strix Halo.”
Best Laptop
An absolute gem of a powerhouse workstation that offers incredible AMD Ryzen AI Max power.
Best Gaming Laptop
A high-end gaming desktop replacement with replaceable parts? Sign me up.
Best 2-in-1 Laptop
Lenovo's innovative 2-in-1 brings its Aura Edition to the high-end Yoga 9i.
Best Creator Laptop
Lenovo's thin-and-light creator laptop has some new tricks beneath its display.
Best Business Laptop
As with so many winners, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Best Concept
Project Ava may be a concept right now, but it’s also a template for gaming’s AI future.
Best Design
It’s a design wonder because it doesn’t demand your attention, it entices it.
Best Use of AI
A personal AI supercomputer in the hands of more people could make AI more equitable.
Best Thunderbolt 5 Accessory
The world’s first Thunderbolt 5 eGPU won me over.
Best Docking Station
All about building your very own panopticon of productivity.
Best Gaming Headset
Connect to gaming handhelds, laptops, and phones to maximize your viewing experience with enormous virtual displays.
Best Gaming Keyboard
When a keyboard like the Keychron K2 HE comes along, there's really no other option.
Best Gaming Mouse
HyperX's PulseFire Saga mouse was the one we singled out above its contemporaries.
Best Gaming Monitor
Asus delivered gorgeous styling and a couple of unique extras to stand out from the crowd.
Best VR/XR
A creator-focused sister headset to Sony's impressive PS VR2, with a view to creating “spatial content.”
Best Monitor
LG just leveled up its professional monitor game in a big way.
Best Tablet
Lenovo's potential laptop replacing Yoga Tab Plus boasts on-device AI for 2025.
Best Streaming Gadget
It’s arguably the best cloud gaming platform out there.
Best Wearable
The first smart ring on the market to gain FDA approval for ECG readings.
Best Phone Accessory
Belkin’s Stage PowerGrip adds a twist to this useful category.
Best Earbuds
Audio-Technica claims the sun rises twice between charges of these earbuds.
Best Webcam
This camera holds promise and Emeet says there's more to come in the months ahead.
Best Router
Every so often, a router can feel like a much-wanted solution to a very real problem.
Best Smart Home
Stick it anywhere you'd like and not worry about the battery for two years.
CES 2025: News recap
Light as a feather
The line of demarcation from unnoticeable to annoying is usually about three pounds for a laptop. Here are the best sub-three-pounders I saw at CES 2025.
Rise and shine
Razer's Monitor Stand Chroma adds ergonomic support and gamer flair to smaller setups and pairs well with the company's Thunderbolt dock.
A-Gazing Grace
The right gaming monitor can work wonders, and the new HP Omen G2 gaming monitor lineup is here to impress.
Area 404
Handheld gaming PCs have been all over CES 2025, however, there's one major manufacturer that has yet to enter the fray: Alienware.
Nama-Stay Productive
Lenovo makes some of our favorite laptops, and at CES 2025, we got to check out the company's new Yoga lineup before it hits the shelves.
Very cool
Razer's Project Arielle makes me think the company is unknowingly wandering into a 4D gaming wonderland.
Heads-up!
The heads-up display is making the leap from games to real life, and we've highlighted three pair of smart glasses that showcase how.
Ready for Ad-Venture
CES 2025 showcases a new line-up of AI-powered laptops, including MSI's new Venture series with the latest chips from Intel and AMD.
RTXtra Strong
MSI's gaming line-up expands, with new Raider, Vector, Stealth, and Crosshair gaming laptops featuring Nvidia's RTX 50 series GPUs.
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Good Omens
HP joins in the frenzy of new high-end gaming laptops being announced during CES 2025 with the HP Omen 16 Max.
Hold the bottom line
Lenovo’s Legion series typically offers quality gaming experiences at an affordable price. Can the Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 keep its price point?
Zen-sational
Asus updating the Zenbook 14 OLED with new Intel and AMD processors, and a new, slick Ceraluminum chassis already has us pretty psyched.
Kiln me softly
Is a unique feel and low weight enough for the Asus Zenbook A14 to hold the limelight? Let’s dive into what else Asus is packing.
Dynamic Duo
Asus has unveiled its new line-up of AI-powered laptops at CES 2025, giving us a first look at the new Zenbook A14, Vivobook 14/16, and more.
Vivo Las Vegas
Asus unveiled a fresh line-up of Vivobooks at CES 2025, powered by a mix of Intel, Qualcomm, and AMD processors.
Back in Blackwell
Nvidia officially launched the GeForce RTX 5000 series graphics cards for both desktops and laptops at CES on Monday in Las Vegas.
Thinking Different
Lenovo announced a new pair of ThinkPads at CES, sure to spark many an argument in 2025, here's why.
Steam Powered
The Steam Deck is no longer the only handheld gaming PC running SteamOS after Lenovo the Legion Go S at CES.
Rolling out soon
Lenovo's productivity laptop comes with an extendable screen offering up to 16.7 inches of vertically aligned real estate.
Legion-heir
Lenovo unveiled the Lenovo Legion Go 2 at CES 2025 alongside two Legion S models — and they look pretty exciting.
A Sightful sore eyes
Sightful relaunches Spacetop as a software-only product this week at CES, ditching its display-less laptop in the process.
Stream Deck
Nvidia's cloud-gaming platform will bring thousands of PC games to Steam Deck handhelds and Meta Quest headsets with RTX 4080-level graphics.
Looking sharp
Razer unveils the thinnest, smallest Blade 16 gaming laptop ever. At just 0.59 inches thick, it's even thinner than the Apple MacBook Pro 16.
Strix-ly speaking
Asus has unveiled ROG gaming laptops at CES 2025, giving us a first look at the new ROG Strix and ROG Strix Scar series.
Alt Tab
Handheld gaming PCs are all the rage, making Asus moving forward with its ROG Flow Z13 gaming tablet is an interesting choice.
This could be Zephyr-us
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is the first gaming laptop that got my heart to grow three sizes. Can Asus deliver again at CES 2025? I think so.
Gaming with the Alien
Alienware has announced a new series of A-51 desktops and laptops, a brand resurrection we can't help but be hyped for.
Powerful in Pink
HP just announced a refresh of the budget-friendly HP Victus 15, one of HP's most popular gaming laptops — and for good season.
On the juice
Plugable, an accessory company based out of Washington, introduced the "world's first" 10-port charger with smart power allocation.
Monitor Wizard
Plugable is already known for its robust accessories, and its recently announced UD-7400PD docking station is continuing that ethos.
Office Space Odyssey
HP kicked off CES 2025 with a trio of updated business laptops in its EliteBook line-up, all featuring Intel's new Lunar Lake chips.
Swift takeoff
Acer kicked off CES 2025 this week by unveiling new and improved versions of the Swift Go 14, Swift Go 16, Swift Go 14 AI, and Swift Go 16 AI.
Playing with fire
The Acer Nitro Blaze 11 boasts a massive 10.95-inch display, making it the largest major Windows gaming handheld we've seen.
Going Pro
Dell is completely rebranding its suite of laptops, doing away with its XPS, Inspiron, Latitude, or Precision lines and replacing them with a new line-up.
ZBook smarts
The ZBook line offers impressive performance, quality displays, and high levels of portability that meet professional needs at admittedly premium pricing.
Bring the heat
Acer is expanding its handheld gaming options with the Nitro Blaze 8, delivering a larger size for those who prefer a more immersive display.
Release the Krackan
AMD has launched new processors for AI PCs, gaming PCs, gaming handhelds, and workstations at CES 2025 in Vegas.
Snap happy
Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon X chipset at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, finally entering the budget-friendly laptop space with Snapdragon X systems.
Lake clockwork
Intel's "Arrow Lake" architecture has returned for a redemption tour on laptops with the debut of Intel Core Ultra 200H and Intel Core Ultra 200HX chipsets.
A-Eyewear
Halliday smart glasses push the boundaries of wearable AI and smart glasses tech and look to release early this year
Laptop Mag's combined know-how covers a wide range of tech expertise, from laptops to mobile, processors, artificial intelligence, and more. Thanks to their reporting, our on-the-ground team was able to bring all of the breaking news, hands-on reviews, and consumer tech highlights from CES 2025 to our readers.
This year's outbound team included Laptop Mag Editor-in-Chief Nick Lucchesi, Managing Editor Sean Riley, Senior News Editor James Pero, Staff Writer Madeline Ricchiuto, and Contributing Writer Joanna Nelius.