AI has permeated every facet of our lives.

The Leitech reporting team has arrived at CES 2025 in the United States. This year, we've dispatched a larger contingent to bring you firsthand insights into the latest products and technologies. Our first stop at CES is the Unveiling event.

On the afternoon of January 5, 2025, local time, two days prior to the official opening of CES 2025, the CES Unveiling event took place in Las Vegas, USA. As the kickoff event for CES 2025, the smaller-scale Unveiling provided a platform for small and medium-sized tech innovators from around the globe to gain visibility, ensuring that even the smallest yet imaginative innovations received due attention.

Image source: Leitech

At last year's CES 2024 Unveiling, AI hardware stole the show. However, at the CES 2025 Unveiling, the AI hype was notably less intense than the previous year, and the practice of arbitrarily prefixing "AI" to product names had largely subsided. This doesn't mean AI wasn't a focal point at this year's CES – rather, exhibitors seamlessly integrated AI into specific products and use cases. In essence, the shift was from "we have AI" to "we solved these problems using AI".

Now, let Leitech guide you through the CES 2025 Unveiling and experience how cutting-edge consumer electronics will reshape our lives from various perspectives.

Smart glasses lead the charge – has the 'Clash of Smart Glasses' commenced?

In terms of exhibited products, wearables dominated the CES 2025 Unveiling. Among wearables, smart glasses and smart rings were undoubtedly the stars. Besides the Shanji "Papai Mirror" already released in China, the Unveiling showcased three smart glasses tailored for diverse user groups and scenarios. Some exhibitors even displayed "dummy models" devoid of circuits, essentially promising the moon.

One intriguing product was Captify's smart glasses. Unlike other smart glasses equipped with built-in AI assistants and high-definition cameras, Captify's application is straightforward – providing near real-time subtitles for the hearing impaired.

Image source: Leitech

In simple terms, Captify is a smart glasses device comprising a directional microphone, binocular monochrome projection unit, touch strip, and battery. Since Captify serves as the "ears" for the hearing impaired, it demands stringent battery life without compromising on the glasses' lightweight design. Therefore, Captify only incorporates a basic control and transmission system: the directional microphone captures sound from the wearer's front and transmits it to the user's phone via Bluetooth. The phone app, leveraging Microsoft AI (capable of offline operation), processes the sound, converts it to text, and sends it to the glasses for projection display.

Image source: Captify

Thanks to Captify's binocular large-area monochrome display, subtitled conversation text and translation results are displayed in high-brightness white text near real-time at the bottom of the field of view, eliminating the need to constantly glance at the top right corner like with monocular displays. The app's offline capability ensures system responsiveness and safeguards user data from being uploaded to third parties.

Image source: Leitech

Upon communicating with the Leitech team on-site, we learned that Tom Pritsky, a member of the Captify team, is hearing impaired himself. This product aims to provide a more natural subtitle assistance, akin to Netflix subtitles, so that hearing impaired individuals don't have to constantly check their phones. According to him, Captify currently offers a standard battery life of 10 hours, supporting 4 hours of intense conversation. Given Captify's lightweight design and impressive battery life, it stands out in the smart glasses industry.

When discussing the issue of "environmental awareness" often faced by the hearing impaired, Tom Pritsky mentioned that the current focus of the product is on providing subtitles, akin to "subtitles for real life." Since Captify employs Microsoft's AI algorithm, which supports environmental detection, it technically has the capability to "textualize" environmental noise. However, before implementing this feature, the team needs to address the challenge of battery life for extended use.

In addition to Captify, several other exhibitors showcased their smart glasses, such as Shanji and Rokid.

Image source: Leitech

Leitech has previously reported on products from Shanji and Rokid showcased at the Unveiling, so we won't delve into details here. Regarding Rokid's upcoming products at CES 2025, Leitech will bring you the latest news in the coming days.

In the smart ring category, a company named Circular exhibited an AI smart ring capable of electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement. According to the brand, this is "currently the only AI smart ring on the market that supports ECG functionality." Upon inquiry, Circular revealed that this product targets middle-aged users in overseas markets who may be less receptive to smartwatches but have a potential need for ECG measurements. This ECG AI smart ring effectively fills this market gap.

Image source: Leitech

Despite incorporating additional ECG motors and sensors, Circular's product remains compact and lightweight, ensuring a battery life of 4-8 days without the need for daily charging like an Apple Watch.

AI Desktop Companions Are Trending: Are All Hardware Devices Becoming AI-Powered?

As mentioned earlier, AI has been deeply integrated into specific products this year. Based on Leitech's observations, AI hardware products at the CES 2025 Unveiling can be broadly classified into two categories:

The first category includes AI "desktop companions" that provide emotional support and companionship through AI technology. If this concept is unclear, envision a physical version of the "QQ Pet" familiar to many post-90s individuals.

Image source: Leitech

LOOI's Robot, for instance, is a tech-savvy desktop robot that somewhat resembles the protagonist of the animated film "Wall-E." This robot glides on tracks and is equipped with various sensors, including ToF and obstacle avoidance sensors. Its built-in 6000mAh battery allows LOOI to move freely on a desktop, although it still requires manual connection to a USB-C charging cable for charging.

Since LOOI doesn't have a screen, users need to magnetically attach their phones to LOOI's "face." Once attached, LOOI's sensors automatically activate the robot and provide wireless charging for the phone. Opening the LOOI app on the phone displays the robot's eyes or other AI interaction and control interfaces.

In terms of functionality, LOOI currently only provides AI emotional companionship through the mobile app, essentially serving as a physical "electronic pet." However, due to this phone-based AI interaction, LOOI can acquire additional AI capabilities through app updates in the future. Its free-moving, free-view design makes it well-suited as a children's companion robot – it can tell stories, entertain kids, and even support remote video calls and intercom through the app, serving multiple purposes.

If LOOI follows the path of a "legged AI magnetic charger," Ropet takes a radically different approach. According to the introduction, Ropet is an AI "companion" that sits on a desk and cannot move autonomously. Its "eyes" are two display screens that can exhibit animations or AI interaction content, while its "nose" is a camera that can recognize user gestures or common objects.

Image source: Leitech

Ropet's replaceable plush "cover" conceals sensors, allowing users to foster affection for Ropet by "petting" it (or conversing with it). As affection grows, users can unlock more Ropet costumes through the mobile app, and Ropet can chat with users, remind them to eat on time, or periodically stand up and move around.

It's worth mentioning that Ropet employs a local AI model on the device, enabling it to function without Wi-Fi (offline support for Chinese and English, with Japanese offline functionality to be added in 2025 upon entering the Japanese market). Even when connected to the mobile app, only user progress data like "affection level" is sent, keeping all sensitive user data within the Ropet device. When connected to the internet, Ropet supports over 50 languages based on ChatGPT capabilities, further enhancing its conversational prowess.

The second type of AI application leverages AI's powerful computational abilities to endow smart devices with new capabilities. For example, Captify uses AI to provide "real-world subtitles," while Elehear has developed a TWS-form factor medical-grade hearing aid based on AI technology, which can also conduct hearing tests for users.

Image source: Leitech

A company named Doublepoint showcased their new technology based on smartwatch sensors. In essence, Doublepoint's WowMouse software transforms a user's smartwatch into a "laser pointer" – by downloading the app to the watch and connecting it to a computer or iPad, the watch becomes a Bluetooth wireless cursor. Doublepoint's AI algorithm not only accurately and swiftly calculates the user's pointing actions but can also recognize finger gestures, such as pinching the thumb and index finger to simulate a left-click.

For end-users, Doublepoint's WowMouse app is free to download and currently supports Apple Watch and WearOS-based Android watches (such as Galaxy Watch and Pixel Watch). They also license this recognition algorithm to interested parties. During communication with Leitech, Doublepoint staff mentioned that two third-party brands have confirmed the use of this technology this year – one for XR glasses interaction and the other for in-car screen interaction.

Intelligence Is the Next Frontier: Automobiles Become the New Protagonist at CES

Speaking of automobiles, numerous technologies related to or applicable to automobiles were on display at the CES 2025 Unveiling. Besides Doublepoint, a startup named Direction9 also presented a product that can be utilized in vehicles. In simple terms, it's a versatile T9 input method for embedded development, supporting over 40 languages (including Chinese) and a wide array of input devices.

Image source: Leitech

From TV remotes to car steering wheel control buttons, as long as the device supports "five-way input" (output of up, down, left, right, and center signals), Direction9's input method can adapt to it. During the communication, brand staff introduced the working mode of Direction9's input method:

Essentially, the keyboard outputs numbers. For example, when spelling "SONY", the actual backend input is "7669", and the algorithm automatically matches and predicts the user's intended input in the backend, allowing users to input text with the highest efficiency in the shortest amount of time. This design also circumvents the uncertainty and privacy risks associated with voice input.

Image source: Lei Tech

In addition to Direction9's embedded input method, other car-related highlights at CES 2025 include smart charging stations that use AI to calculate driving range and schedule charging, as well as vehicle interior trim and exterior lighting components with built-in screens. Although the development of new energy vehicles is primarily led by China, we can still observe many global suppliers eager to join the automotive industry.

Occupying a central position at CES, Chinese brands are worth anticipating

Chinese exhibitors have become an indispensable part of CES in recent years. The aforementioned Shargeek, Rokid, and renowned Chinese brands such as NARWAL, Leifen, UGREEN, and JMGO, along with numerous startups with Chinese backgrounds targeting the overseas market, all made an appearance at the CES 2025 Preview.

Image source: Lei Tech

However, due to differences in patents and regulations between domestic and overseas markets, most Chinese brand booths exhibit products that domestic consumers have already seen and used in China.

Another factor that cannot be overlooked is the timing of brand new product launches. Since January 7 is the official opening day of CES 2025, some Chinese brands have already announced that they will unveil truly novel products during the main exhibition. If you're disappointed with the "latest products" from Chinese brands at the Preview, don't fret.

In a few days, we'll witness how Chinese brands will reshape the world on the CES stage during the main exhibition. Lei Tech will also be in the United States to provide real-time updates and bring you the latest news from CES 2025. We invite you to continue following our perspective and join us at this prestigious global technology event.

Source: Lei Tech