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CES is about many things, but primarily it’s about screens. TVs and laptops get the most attention, but you’ll find all kinds of new PC monitors, too. At CES 2026, several companies are using the trade show as an opportunity to update their gaming monitor lineups. This year expanding what OLED panels can do in terms of refresh rates, brightness and color production is the big focus, but there’s some more unusual options, too, like a glasses-free 3D monitor. The collection below are some of our favorite gaming monitors that have already been announced: 

LG UltraGear GX7

LG’s latest QHD OLED gaming monitor is its brightest to date

The LG UltraGear GX7 is the fastest and brightest gaming monitor LG has offered so far and a gaming-focused showcase for LG Display’s 4th-gen RGB Tandem 2.0 OLED technology. The new display tech splits up the yellow layer of the company’s 3rd-gen OLED tech into distinct red and green layers that, when stacked with blue layers, create brighter, more energy-efficient screens.

In the case of the UltraGear GX7, the new 27-inch monitor reaches a typical brightness of 335 nits, and is VES DisplayHDR True Black 500 certified, for deeper contrast between the dark and bright parts of the screen. LG touts the display’s Dual Mode, which lets discerning gamers switch between two distinct settings: a 540Hz refresh rate mode at QHD resolution, when image quality is what you care about most, or a 720Hz refresh rate mode at HD resolution, when speed is your priority.

Whichever mode you choose, LG promises the monitor will offer a smooth and stutter free experience. It has a 0.02ms response time and supports both NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSYNC Premium Pro, so you should be set, regardless of what your computer’s specialty is. For $1,000, the LG UltraGear GX7 seems like a high watermark for OLED gaming monitors.

Samsung Odyssey 3D and Odyssey OLED G8

Samsung’s new Odyssey 3D monitor is the “world’s first 6K display with glasses-free 3D,” with a 6,144 x 3,456 resolution, and the ability to take games “beyond 2D” by tracking the position of your eyes, and enhancing terrain, distance and object separation. Even if you’re not interested in playing formerly 2D games like Lies of P: Overture with an added sense of depth, a 32-inch LCD screen with a 165Hz refresh rate that’s capable of being boosted to 330Hz through Samsung’s Dual Mode is nothing to sneeze at, especially with a 1ms response time.

On top of its big 3D monitor, Samsung is also pushing its own updated OLED tech at CES. The company’s new 32-inch Odyssey OLED G8 uses a 4K QD-OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate and a glare-free treatment for added visibility. The monitor has a VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, but unlike LG’s display, its brightness is capped at 300 nits.

ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM and ROG Strix Pulsar XG27AQNGV

The back and front of ASUS’ new ROG Swift monitor with a Tandem OLED panel.

While the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM uses a Tandem OLED panel – a panel with two light-emitting layers, like the Ultra XDR Retina display on Apple’s recent iPad Pros – the big change ASUS is focused on at CES 2026 is its new RGB Stripe OLED layout, technology LG helped pioneer. These updated panels use “a full RGB sub-pixel arrangement” to produce sharper text and more accurate color reproduction when compared to the QD-OLED panels the company has used in the past.

The 27-inch ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM can be run at 4K with a 240Hz refresh rate or at FHD with a 480Hz refresh rate. The display also has a 0.03ms minimum response time for smooth and clear action, and 99 percent DCI-P3 color gamut coverage for more vibrant and accurate color reproduction. The OLED monitor also includes a “Neo PRoximity Sensor” which automatically turns the screen off when you’re not looking at it, to prevent burn-in.

NVIDIA’s new G-Sync Pulsar tech, which uses variable backlighting to reduce blur, is specifically meant for competitive gamers, and ASUS’ new ROG Strix Pulsar XG27AQNGV monitor is one of the first to support the new tech. The monitor features a 27-inch, 1440p  panel with a 360Hz refresh rate and “the fastest response time” ASUS has ever achieved in a 1440p LCD display. The monitor also includes DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1 and multiple USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports for whatever devices you want to connect to it.

MSI MPG 314CQR QD-OLED X36

MSI’s new curved MPG monitor with a QD-OLED panel.

The star monitor of MSI’s new products at CES 2026 is the wordily titled MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36, a curved, 34-inch ultrawide monitor, with new OLED panel. Like Asus, MSI is mixing different OLED display technologies for better results. This new monitor uses a 5th-gen Tandem QD-OLED panel with an “RGB Stripe sub-pixel layout” for sharper visuals. MSI also applies what it calls “DarkArmor Film” to “enhance light absorption,” eliminate the reddish tint some QD-OLED panels have under ambient light, and boost black levels by “up to 40 percent.”

As an ultrawide, the MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 has a resolution of 3,440 x 1,440, an aspect ratio of 21:9 and a refresh rate of 360Hz. MSI says the monitor can reach a peak brightness of 1,300 nits, and the company provides multiple HDR modes to switch between depending on your needs. Similar to ASUS, the monitor also includes a sensor for detecting whether a human is in front of the screen – MSI calls it an AI Care Sensor – so that the monitor can power-off or enter standby mode when not in active use.

ViewSonic VX2738 2K OLED Gaming Monitor

ViewSonic’s new 24-inch OLED monitor.

ViewSonic’s new gaming monitors are more approachable and (presumably) more affordable than the options from competitors, but not necessarily less performant. The company top-of-the-line model, the ViewSonic VX2738 2K OLED Gaming Monitor has a 27-inch 2K QHD QD-OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate and up to 0.03ms response time.

The monitor supports AMD FreeSync Premium and NVIDIA G-Sync for smoother gameplay. The VX2738 also has the ability to scale down its image via a 24.5-inch “esports mode” for competitive settings. ViewSonic says the monitor will include HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports and be available for $500.

HP HyperX Omen OLED 34

HP’s new curved OLED monitor with a headphone hook.

HP’s newest monitor under its unified HyperX Omen gaming brand is the HyperX Omen OLED 34, a curved 34-inch monitor with a QD-OLED panel. HP says the monitor uses V-stripe QD-OLED tech, which like in MSI and ASUS’ monitors, means sharper text and better color accuracy. The HyperX Omen OLEd 34 has an aspect ratio of 21:9, a 360Hz refresh rate and a 0.03ms response time.

The monitor has 100W USB-C power delivery for whichever laptop you decide to connect to it, and a built-in KVM switch, HP says. Plus, the company is offering a customizable, 3D-printable headphone hook, if you want to store your accessories nearby.

Acer Predator XB273U F6 Gaming Monitor

An Acer Predator monitor on a white background.

Acer is showing off multiple new monitors at CES 2026, but the Predator XB273U F6 Gaming Monitor stands out for its ridiculously fast refresh rate. Acer says the 27-inch screen has a 500Hz refresh rate by default, that can be boosted to 1000Hz at a 1,280 x 720 resolution if you use the company’s Dynamic Frequency and Resolution (DFR) mode. 

The Predator XB273U F6 otherwise features a 2,560 x 1,440 IPS panel with a brightness of 350 nits, that’s calibrated to cover 95 percent of the DCI-P3 and 99 percent of the sRGB color gamut. The monitor also has 2-watt speakers built-in, and includes HDMI2.1, DisplayPort 1.4 and audio out ports for connecting to the rest of your PC gaming setup. Acer says the Predator XB273U F6 will be available for $800 when it launches in Q2 2026 in North America.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/the-gaming-monitors-that-caught-our-eye-at-ces-2026-130000433.html?src=rss 

In a move that should surprise nobody, Google is stuffing more Gemini AI into Gmail. A host of new features, some of which are already familiar to Workspace users, are rolling out today for Gmail users in the US. Some are free, while others require a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription.

The first premium feature is AI Overviews, the same name as a similar feature in Google Search. Gmail’s version lets you ask questions about your messages in the search bar, using natural language. Google uses the example of, “Who was the plumber that gave me a quote for the bathroom renovation last year?” It’s hard to imagine that saving much time over a basic search for “plumber quote” or “plumbing estimate,” but maybe it could help in some situations.

There’s also a free portion of AI Overviews that summarizes mail threads for easy catch-ups. However, the ability to ask your inbox questions requires a subscription.

Meanwhile, Proofread is a subscription-only feature that’s essentially Grammarly for Gmail. As you’d guess, it suggests improvements in grammar, word choice, conciseness, voice and sentence structure.

AI Inbox

Finally, there’s the AI Inbox, a feature that “filters out the clutter so you can focus on what’s most important.” Google says it’s like a personal briefing that flags to-dos and catches you up on what it thinks is most important. (It identifies VIPs based on frequent contacts, your contact list, and inferred relationships.) The company claims, without adding further detail, that this all “happens securely with the privacy protections you expect from Google.” AI Inbox is another subscription-only feature.

Now onto the free stuff. Help Me Write is a tool for all Gmail users that generates email copy from a prompt. This kind of thing should be well-familiar by now, as Big Tech increasingly encourages users to avoid drafting anything from scratch. And Suggested Replies can draft replies for you that mimic your tone and style. (Google describes it as a next-gen version of Smart Replies.) Help Me Write and Suggested Replies are rolling out to everyone (no subscription required) today.

The new Gemini-powered features begin rolling out to Gmail today. Although they’re starting with English speakers in the US, Google says they’ll arrive in more languages and regions “in the coming months.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gmail-is-getting-a-gemini-ai-overhaul-130000422.html?src=rss 

Ahead of a launch later this month, Volvo has teased some impressive details about its upcoming electric crossover. The EX60, which slots between the EX40 and EX90, will offer an EPA range of 400 miles, beating all other Volvos and most EVs in general. It will also be the first Volvo car to use a megacasting process designed to reduce weight and boost manufacturing efficiency. 

“With our new electric vehicle architecture, we directly address the main worries that customers have when considering a switch to a fully electric car,” said Volvo CTO Anders Bell. “The result is class-leading range and fast charging speeds, marking the end of range anxiety.” 

Volvo considered that main worry to be range anxiety, so it focused on maximizing endurance to the largest extent possible. Key to that is Volvo’s advanced SPA3 EV architecture, which integrates the battery directly into the structure of the car with cell-to-body technology. Volvo also developed its e-motors in-house to improve efficiency and reduce weight. 

The company also made the EX60 fast to charge with an 800-volt electrical system and support for up to 400kW fast charging, letting you add up to 168 miles of range in just 10 minutes. New lighter materials and lower heat generation aid in that, “meaning the EX60 can add over 100 miles or range in just a few minutes,” Volvo wrote on its blog. 

The megacasting, meanwhile, helped Volvo replace hundreds of smaller parts with a single, high-precision casting to reduce weight. The Volvo EX60 will be revealed on January 21, 2026 at a livestream on Volvo’s website. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/volvos-ex60-electric-crossover-promises-400-miles-of-epa-range-130008964.html?src=rss 

Disney+ will add vertical videos to its service in the US sometime this year, in hopes that they can entice viewers to engage with its app every day. The company has made the announcement at its Tech + Data Showcase event at CES 2026. Disney first dabbled in vertical content with Verts, which launched for the ESPN app in August 2025, giving it the insight it needed on how its users respond to the video format.

Erin Teague, Disney Entertainment’s EVP of Product Management, told Deadline that the company will use the format for all kinds of content. The service isn’t just planning to use it as a vehicle for movie and series teasers, but also for original short-form programming. She didn’t say what kinds of original programming Disney+ will be adding as vertical videos to its app, but vertical micro-dramas have become incredibly popular over the past year.

“We’re obviously thinking about integrating vertical video in ways that are native to core user behaviors,” Teague said. “So, it won’t be a kind of a disjointed, random experience.” The company is targeting Gen Z and Gen Alpha users, in particular, since they’re not inclined to sit and watch long-form content on their phones for hours. Disney said in a statement that the experience will “evolve as it expands across news and entertainment” and will be personalized for users, with making the service “a must-visit daily destination” as its goal. After all, if a user is already in the app, they’re more likely to explore and watch the service’s programming.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/disney-is-launching-vertical-videos-this-year-120000776.html?src=rss 

Every fall, dozens of maple and oak trees in my neighborhood shed their leaves. Thus begins the constant drone of gas-powered leaf blowers every day through early December. The noise is by far the most annoying thing about these yard tools, but I can appreciate it’s a necessary evil — unless you prefer to pick up a blister-inducing rake.

Whisper Aero argues there’s a better way. The company is using aerospace tech to quiet the noisy devices, introducing the T1 leaf blower at CES 2026 under its sub-brand Tone Outdoors. The company promises the T1 is 80 percent quieter and 60 percent more powerful than “leading” handheld gas leaf blowers. More specifically, the T1 has 880 CFM of air flow, which easily surpasses my battery-powered EGO. And at 52 decibels of average noise at peak volume, his model is drastically quieter than any leaf blower I’ve used. I was able to confirm its lower roar on the CES show floor.

Tone says the T1 also offers extended run time of up to 50 minutes on a charge in Eco mode. That too is greater than what I get on my mid-grade EGO. What’s more, the company plans to sell a battery backpack that will extend any clean-up sessions for several hours. The T1 also has a built-in LED “nightlight” so you can still use it after dark. And since it’s quieter than what you have now, you can do so without annoying your neighbors.

Tone Outdoors T1

So, how does Whisper Aero achieve this? The company originally set out to devise a quieter solution for electric aerospace motors. Its engineers discovered that they could dramatically reduce noise and increase overall efficiency by redesigning the fan and motor. They’re still pursuing that, but the company discovered its technology had other uses too.

The T1 is already available for preorder for $599 and it’s scheduled to ship in September. If you don’t care for the standard green color, you can spend another $100 for limited edition “Silence Is Golden” version. The battery backpack won’t arrive until Q1 2027 though (price TBD). Tone also says it has additional models in the works and it has a partnership with Stanley Black and Decker that will likely produce additional products with this tech on board.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/ces-2026-the-tone-outdoors-t1-solved-the-biggest-problem-with-leaf-blowers-234309500.html?src=rss 

If you’re off-roading, it’s a neat idea to use your engine to top up your battery, which prompted Bluetti to launch the Charger. You could hook it to your alternator and draw off energy as you drove to make sure you turned up to your campsite with full batteries. But if you’re also toting around solar panels on your roof, then it’s a shame you can’t also use that power to top up. This omission is what prompted Bluetti to turn up to CES 2026 with the Charger 2, which will take power from your engine and your solar panels at the same time.

Bluetti says the Charger 2’s dual-input architecture will accept 600W from the panels, 800W from the engine. All of that power will charge your batteries significantly faster than the first model, claiming it’s 13 times faster than a standard car charger. In addition, Charger 2 can manage more than one Bluetti power station and expansion batteries, should your power needs stretch. And the system is smart enough to know where the energy is coming from, managing the sources based on their availability. Plus, you can use it to jump start your engine should you need the help.

If you’re a Charger 1 owner and want to upgrade, it’s fairly painless to drop the old unit out in favor of its replacement. It uses the same cabling, so you can just hook the new model to your existing wires without having to get your fingers greasy. To reward that loyalty, the company will sell you an upgrade for $99, at least through February 7.

As for everyone else, you’ll be able to pick up the Charger 2 for $349 through February 7, at which point the price leaps to $499.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/bluettis-charger-2-uses-solar-and-engine-power-to-charge-your-portable-battery-230000270.html?src=rss