Cool Tech Gadgets 2026: What’s Actually Worth Buying

I get a dozen or more newsletters on the “hottest gadgets” each week, and nearly all of them feature that one flagship smartphone with a different color scheme. I decided to take a closer look at the products that were actually released in the last year, which have gained popularity, and those that garnered attention at CES.

The category everyone calls cool tech gadgets 2026 is honestly a mix this year: some real problem solvers, a couple of genuine firsts, and a handful of things that exist because someone at a company wanted to see if they could build them.

Robot Vacuums Can Finally Climb Stairs

This one felt like it was never going to happen. Robot vacuums have been stuck cleaning one floor for close to a decade, and every “multi-floor” feature I’ve tested before this was really just a scheduling trick, the same robot bouncing between two separate base stations you had to buy. The Roborock Saros Rover actually climbs stairs on its own and moves between levels. I read the spec sheet twice because it sounded like the kind of thing that gets promised at CES every year and then quietly disappears. Apparently it works well enough that people who tested it stopped bringing up the stair problem, which for a category this stagnant counts as a real breakthrough.

Power Stations Got Boring in the Best Way

Not much to say here except that it works, and working is the whole point of a backup power station. The Anker SOLIX S2000 claims up to 35 hours of fridge backup, which used to require a generator loud enough to annoy your whole street. Now it’s a box you keep in a closet. Buy one before you need it, not during the outage, because that’s when everyone else is buying one too.

The Drone That Shoots Footage You Frame Later

The DJI Avata 360 is probably the single most interesting piece of hardware on this list, and here’s why. Instead of picking your camera angle while flying, which is genuinely hard to do well, it captures in every direction at once through dual sensors, so the framing decision happens after you land, at your desk, with time to actually think about the shot. Flip it into single lens mode, and it turns into a regular FPV drone for tricks and acrobatics. You can fly with goggles or a plain two-stick controller, and honestly that flexibility matters more than the 360 gimmick itself for a lot of people who just don’t want to strap a headset on to fly around the yard.

This is not the first drone. If you already fly and want to see what a real jump in capability looks like this year, this is it.

Somebody Made the Commodore 64 Pocket Sized

I did not expect this. Hyper Mega Tech released clamshell handhelds shaped like the ZX Spectrum and the Commodore 64, both starting around 129 dollars, both preloaded with a batch of classic games and a MicroSD slot for loading more. Forty-year-old computer platforms, shrunk down to something that fits in a jacket pocket. If you grew up on that hardware, or you just collect weird niche tech that has no business existing, it’s worth a look. If none of that means anything to you, skip it entirely; this one is not for a general audience.

CES also had an edible music player, because of course it did.

Every CES has a handful of gadgets built purely to see if they could exist. This year that included a popsicle-shaped music player that plays a song through bone conduction while you eat it, priced under 9 dollars, and an AI companion robot meant to sit next to you and talk through your day. The popsicle is harmless fun. The AI companion I’m more skeptical of, mostly because these things tend to sound great in a two-minute demo and feel a lot less charming after two weeks of actually owning one.

What I’d Actually Buy

Roborock Saros Rover first, since it solves a real problem instead of just being neat. Anker SOLIX S2000 second, for the same reason. The DJI Avata 360 makes sense only if you already fly drones. Everything else on this list, the retro handhelds, the popsicle, and the AI companion, falls into treat yourself territory rather than need territory, and there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you know which category you’re shopping in.

Our full gift guide for gadget lovers breaks these picks down by price if you’re shopping for someone else.

Before You Plug Anything In

Every device on this list connects to your phone or your home network, and that convenience comes with a tradeoff most people never think about until something goes wrong. Read through the FTC’s guide to securing internet-connected devices at home before setup, particularly the part about turning off remote access features you’re not actually using. It takes about ten minutes. Saves you from finding out later that your new robot vacuum has been sending more data than you’d like.

Worth a browse too if you want to see what else showed up on the show floor this year: the Consumer Technology Association’s CES coverage, since a few of the products above started there before making it to shelves.

Pick based on which problem you’re actually solving, not whichever gadget is trending this particular week.  That’s the real split running through cool tech gadgets 2026: things that solve a problem, and things that exist for fun.

FAQ

What are the coolest tech gadgets of 2026? 

The Roborock Saros Rover and the Anker SOLIX S2000 are the two most useful picks among this year’s cool tech gadgets 2026. The DJI Avata 360 drone and the pocket-sized retro handhelds are more niche but still worth knowing about.

Is the Roborock Saros Rover worth it?

 Yes, if you have a multi-floor home. It solves a limitation robot vacuums have had for almost a decade.

What made CES 2026 stand out?

 A real split between practical upgrades, like longer-lasting power stations, and deliberately weird releases, like an edible music player and an AI companion robot.

Are 2026 smart home gadgets safe to connect to my network? 

Mostly, as long as you turn off remote access features you don’t use and check each device’s privacy settings after setup. The FTC’s connected device guide covers the basics.

What’s a good 2026 tech gadget for someone who isn’t into tech? 

A power station. It solves an obvious problem, backup power during an outage, and doesn’t require any technical knowledge to use.