Best Travel Gadgets of CES 2025 – Awarded Editor’s Choice

CES is the world’s biggest annual technology show, held every January in Las Vegas. This article about the best travel gadgets at CES 2025 is part of our CES 2025 news coverage.

The event ran from January 7th to 10th, with media-only exhibits in the days before the main conference. Click here to see all of my CES 2025 news.

For years, CES has been the biggest conference in the consumer technology space. CES 2025 was no exception, with over 4,500 brands attending.

If you’re unfamiliar with this conference, CES runs every January in Las Vegas and provides a platform for almost every tech brand to show off their products for the coming year and, often, share their vision of the future.

Apple is the only prominent name missing from the lineup every year, but they hardly need the platform outside their own events dotted throughout the year.

However, not only tech brands attend CES. This year, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian once again delivered the opening keynote speech from the hugely impressive Sphere, a first for CES. During the hour-long keynote, Ed covered several key areas for Delta and showcased the new Delta Concierge and the must-have Delta Aluminium Carry-On case made from its retired B747 aircraft.

CES 2025 will likely be remembered for one phrase: AI. It was everywhere and attached to everything, whether AI-powered, AI-driven or built on AI. It felt like every product needed to include the buzzword through a fear of being seen as not being “cutting edge”.

Even before arriving in Nevada, I had grown numb to the phrase, but thanks to the huge volume of pre-show emails filling my inbox, I was still excited about plenty of new devices.

Wearables, for example, had a good selection of new releases and prototypes on display, most notably Smart Glasses. Smart glasses may become a viable option for many travellers as the technology on smaller displays improves. This year, there was also a wide variety of smart rings covering a range of health monitoring features.

But as I navigated my way around the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), the Venetian Expo, the Mandalay Bay Convention rooms and various hotel suites transformed into showrooms, yes, CES really is this big, I managed to find five excellent travel gadgets for 2025.

The ThinkPal Tablet’s 10-inch HD display is designed to keep kids engaged while travelling. It offers vibrant visuals for educational content and entertainment. The tablet comes preloaded with age-appropriate apps and games that balance fun and learning. Built with a long-lasting, kid-proof case and an adjustable stand, it is tough enough for travel and adaptable to different settings.

Its long-lasting battery ensures extended use on long journeys, and parental controls make it easy to manage screen time and content. The tablet also supports offline access, allowing kids to enjoy downloaded content without an internet connection—ideal for trips with limited connectivity.

EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD
I’m one of the few who don’t mind screen time for kids as long as there is a level of productivity and learning involved. The TheThinkPal Tablet not only delivers this through a large amount of online and offline content, but it also has a style young users will be proud to own, use, and care for.

The ShiftCam PLANCK is a compact, high-speed SSD tailored for content creators and travellers. Weighing just 10 grams and smaller than a credit card, it offers 1TB and 2TB storage options with read/write speeds up to 1050 MB/s. This enables the transfer of 200GB of data in approximately three minutes. Its universal USB-C connection ensures compatibility with a wide range of devices, including smartphones, cameras, gaming consoles, and laptops.

Built for durability, the PLANCK is drop-proof and IP65 water-resistant, making it suitable for various travel conditions. Its design supports seamless 4K/120fps video recording, catering to high-resolution content needs. The PLANCK is set to launch on Kickstarter in February 2025, with early bird pricing at $125 for 1TB and $199 for 2TB models. A global release is planned for Spring 2025, with retail prices of $189 for 1TB and $299 for 2TB, available through ShiftCam’s website.

EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD
The ShiftCam PLANCK won me over as someone who constantly pushes the limits of my on-device storage limits despite having additional cloud accounts, which are not always accessible when I am travelling. PLANCK is one of the most unobtrusive storage options I’ve tried for a handset. As it is starting as a Kickstarter campaign, users can snap it up at a great price.

JLab Epic Lux Lab Edition headphones offer impressive features for travellers and audiophiles alike. They boast over 90 hours of battery life with ANC off and 60+ hours with it on, ensuring long-lasting use during extended trips. The included magnetic wireless charging pad provides 5 hours of playtime from just a 5-minute charge, and a built-in USB-C port offers additional conventional charging.

Powered by 32mm high-fidelity custom dynamic drivers that deliver Hi-Res sound, JLab’s Lab Spatial Audio algorithm and head-tracking technology create an immersive 360-degree experience. The Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation (AANC) technology automatically adjusts to real-time environmental noise, reducing sounds by up to 35 dB. Four beamforming microphones ensure clear voice calls, even in loud and noisy environments. Additional features include a Bluetooth Multipoint connection, LabShare Mode for sharing audio with other Lux headphones, and compatibility with Google Fast Pair and Find My Device functionality.

EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD
If you want to know how confident JLab is in its latest headphones, just look at the retail price! At $199, the Epic Lux Lad Edition headphones will be up there with the big names, but once you’ve tried them, you will agree with me: once released, they justify the price and position themselves as one of the best headphone options for travellers.

The Circular Ring 2 is a titanium smart ring available in gold, silver, black, and rose gold finishes. It boasts an FDA-cleared atrial fibrillation detection algorithm, providing hospital-grade ECG monitoring for precise heart health tracking. Enhanced sensors monitor heart rate and sleep stages, while the eight-day battery life ensures continuous health tracking without frequent recharging. The included wireless charging dock simplifies the recharging process.

A standout feature is the Digital Ring Sizing, an industry-first that allows users to determine their ring size using just a smartphone, ensuring a perfect fit before ordering. The updated companion app, featuring the next-gen Kira AI, delivers tailored health insights and actionable recommendations. Priced at $380, the Circular Ring 2 is expected to be available in February or March 2025, following a crowdfunding campaign launching in January.

EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD
Admittedly, the digital ring sizing won me over, given many of the competitors send out sizing kits first and then take money off the purchase price. It’s such a faff buying a smart ring until now. Circular Ring 2 is packed with all of the latest health tracking features, looks great on your finger and should stand the test of time thanks to its titanium casing.

The DWARFLAB Dwarf 3 Smart Telescope is a compact and lightweight portable device, weighing just 1.35 kg and comparable in size to an average book, making it ideal for travellers and outdoor enthusiasts. It features a professional-grade 1/1.8-inch Sony IMX678 sensor and a dual-camera system, delivering sharp, detailed images. The telescope includes three built-in filters—VIS, Astro, and Dual Band—for capturing stunning night sky shots. Its proprietary equatorial mount mode allows for 60-second exposures without the need to account for Earth’s rotation, resulting in more stable and clearer images of deep-sky objects.

Designed for ease of use, the Dwarf 3 connects to a dedicated DWARFLAB app via Wi-Fi or NFC, providing an integrated star atlas and a one-tap GOTO function to locate and focus on astronomical targets automatically. Beyond astrophotography, it’s also suitable for terrestrial photography, thanks to its tracking features and time-lapse mode. Priced at $499 (£379), the Dwarf 3 is available for pre-order, with shipping expected 12-14 weeks after ordering.

EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD
Astrology has, until now, needed bulky equipment and some knowledge of the night sky. Now, thanks to the Dwarf 3 & app, anyone can have a telescope on hand for a hike or camping trip along with a digital knowledge base of constellations and where to find other planets in the sky.

{Tech} for Travel can finally go Interstellar!