CES 2020

We review all the gadgets & gear we loved at this year's showcase.

Every year, we search the halls of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for the best new technology for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. This year, we saw all kinds of amazing tech (driverless cars! Smart fridges!) and sometimes puzzling products (a robot that brings you toilet paper? A hands-free carry-on that follows you through the airport?). The following awards go to the coolest and most useful iOS gear we discovered on the show floor.

CHARGING

Scosche BaseLynx Modular Charging System (Starting at $49.99)

The BaseLynx stood out among a sea of charging stations at CES because it lets you mix and match charging modules for the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods in order to create the perfect custom charging station for your gear. Another advantage is that you can eliminate the chaos of multiple cables by charging through a single AC power cable.

STM ChargeTree ($79.95)

As we accumulate more devices and chargers, desktop and nightstand real estate can become scarce. That's why we appreciate the vertical approach that STM took when designing the ChargeTree. The ChargeTree can power an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, all in the same amount of space as a charging dock for a single phone!

Mophie Powerstation Go ($159.95)

Every glove compartment should have a portable car battery jumper. This 44400 mWh, compact, portable car jumper by Mophie can easily jump a full-size car or SUV.

But it's no regular car jumper! It can also charge iPhones or other mobile devices via its two USB-A ports or Qi wireless charging pad on top. It also comes with a 115V AC power outlet to charge a laptop and an LED flashlight. All of this is enough to make the Powerstation Go a standout product. It is also surprisingly stylish for such a utilitarian item, with a sleek design and attractive color options.

IPAD

Brydge Pro+ Wireless Keyboard with Trackpad (Starting at $199.99)

Brydge is known for making high-quality wireless keyboards for the iPad and iPad Pro. With the Pro+, Brydge has added a trackpad to its wireless keyboards (they accomplished this by cleverly taking advantage of the new iPadOS feature that lets users pair a Bluetooth mouse with their iPad). The Brydge keyboards are compatible with 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros. The Pro+ Wireless Keyboard with Trackpad stands out by bringing the iPad Pro that much closer to being the laptop that Apple wants it to be.

AUDIO

Belkin Soundform Elite Hi-Fi Smart Speaker + Wireless Charger ($299.99)

Belkin has partnered with the audio experts at Devialet to create a smart speaker with impressive sound and fast wireless charging capabilities. Devialet's vibrationcanceling technology (called “Push Push”) makes it possible to wirelessly charge a phone without it moving around because of speaker vibrations. The Soundform Elite currently works with Google Assistant, and Belkin will release models that work with AirPlay 2 and Alexa later this year.

Audio Technica ATH-WP900 ($650)

With all the focus on Bluetooth, noise canceling, and true wireless earbuds, it can be easy to lose sight of the actual sound quality offered by an excellent pair of headphones. If you are an audiophile looking for a sublime listening experience, the ATH-WP900 over-ear headphones could be just what you're looking for. These headphones offer crystal clear, hi-res audio with a beautiful and incredibly comfortable maple wood-accented design. FOR FUN

DJI Mavic Mini ($399)

When it comes to drones, you mostly have two choices—buy the $20 one that teeters a few feet off the ground before dive-bombing or invest thousands of dollars in the real deal. That's why the Mavic Mini caught our eye on the show floor. It's reasonably priced, fits in one hand, and has a high-resolution camera (2.7K video) and top-notch flying features including stabilized hovering. We got to test fly the Mini, and found the controls allowed her to glide smoothly in any direction, opening up possibilities for all kinds of cinematic videography. The controller wraps around your phone and gives you a real-time view from the drone's perspective through the DJI Fly app, so you can see what you're capturing. Best of all, the Mini weighs 249 grams, which means it comes in just light enough that you don't have to register the drone with the Federal Aviation Administration. Celestron StarSense Explorer Smartphone App-Enabled Telescopes (Starting at $179.95)

The new Celestron StarSense Explorer telescopes solves our biggest problem with stargazing—finding celestial bodies in the sky. You simply calibrate the app with the mount on the telescope and you'll be looking at planets and nebulae in minutes.

SLEEP TECH

Hatch Restore

The team at Hatch has made it their mission to help parents create good sleep habits for their children and now they've turned their attention to helping adults get a good night sleep too. Restore is a combination of all the different things you might combine in your quest for a better night sleep: sunlight alarm, white noise machine, and reading light. All of these features combine to help users build the best possible sleep routine.

CASES

Incipio Organicore Case for iPhone 11 & 11 Pro ($39.99)

Climate change is a serious concern for most of us. If you're looking for ways to lessen your impact on the environment, here's one possibly unexpected way: with a biodegradable iPhone case from Incipio! This stylish case, made from plants instead of plastic, offers drop protection up to 6 feet and works with wireless charging. And when you no longer need the case, you can compost it instead of throwing it in the trash!

HEALTH

Withings ScanWatch (Price TBA)

Withings has impressed us in the past with its other smart health tracking devices such as the Body+ smart scale and wireless smart blood pressure monitor, but this might be its most impressive product yet. Unlike most fitness trackers and smart watches, the ScanWatch looks like nothing more than an attractive wristwatch. But in addition to its stylish and classic design, this watch not only tracks its wearer's heart rate, it is also the only smartwatch that scans for sleep apnea. Other features include smart notifications, automatic activity tracking, waterproof capability up to 50 meters, and an impressive 30-hour battery life. It requires your iPhone for GPS functionality and works with most popular fitness tracking apps.

Glutrac Glucose Monitor

Some of the most exciting tech at CES promises to greatly improve health outcomes for its users. This medical wearable aims to give users non-invasive, continuous glucose monitoring. If this product gets FDA approval, this could mean saying goodbye to finger pricks and test strips. Although approval is not a given, Glutrac has been shown to measure glucose levels with 90 percent accuracy in clinical trials. Glutrac works by measuring the wearer's vital signals and using the results to calculate glucose levels.

SMART HOME

Worx Landroid WR140 & WR150 Cordless Robotic Lawn Mowers (Starting at $999.99)

Whether you're a lawncare and tech enthusiast or you're someone who hates devoting your free time to yardwork, these smart programmable robot mowers from Worx are sure to get you as excited as we were when we saw them at CES. These mowers can be programmed to mow yards of up to a quarter or half an acre respectively (you can figure out the size of your yard with the companion app). The app can also help you program mowing by zones and mowing schedules. Safety sensors send the mower in a different direction when it bumps into an object. The folks at the Worx booth assured us that the mowers could easily handle uneven ground, tree roots, and debris like walnuts and branches. Additional accessories can be purchased separately to increase the convenience and utility, such as obstacle-detecting sensors, rainfall sensors (so you can program how often to mow based on rainfall), a digital fence, and a Wi-Fi extender.

U by Moen Smart Faucet

Baking bread? Preparing a bottle of formula? Need water to boil for pasta? The U by Moen Smart Faucet can give you the exact volume of water you want at the precise temperature you need. You can even use the companion app to program the amounts and temperatures for things you do frequently, like preparing baby bottles, so that you don't need to specify the volume and temperature every time. The app also lets you monitor your water usage and customize the faucet's settings. This smart faucet work with Alexa and Google Assistant (but not Siri, unfortunately), so you can use it even when your hands are otherwise occupied. It also has a motion sensor so you can start and stop the water with a wave of your hand.

Scan the QR code to read up on the rest of the innovative companies who won an award from iPhone Life.

Note: While some award winners are or have been iPhone Life sponsors, the editorial selection process was independent of our advertising department; we just really liked those particular products.