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For the past decade or so, smart home tech has been about as prevalent as it gets at CES. That's once again the case here in 2023, with the usual flood of new device announcements from brands both big and small (plus some weird and wonderful ones). This year's crop in Las Vegas has something else, though: support for Matter, the newly launched, open-source smart home standard that brings compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings within a single wireless protocol.
In other words, devices that work with Matter should work with just about everything, and at CES there are all sorts of new gadgets making that exact pitch.
We're keeping track of all of it as the week progresses, including the highlights listed below, which we'll be updating regularly. So, let's get right to the new products catching our eye:
GE Lighting
GE Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Lights
GE Lighting was sold to Savant a few years back, but the brand's been keeping busy ever since, with a wide assortment of smart lights for the growing Cync lineup. This year brought a number of new lights into the mix, including several Dynamic Effects lights that promise to put out multiple colors at once while syncing with music or showing off other preset effects. Expected in stores this March, prices for the new lineup should range from $20 to $200.
Most interesting among the new lights might be the Neon Rope pictured above, which functions like a multicolor string light that you can flex into interesting, artsy shapes for some quick wall decor. Other products due in stores later this year include hexagonal wall panels, disc-shaped, multicolor "Smart Wafer" downlights, and standard-shaped bulbs capable of putting out a gradient mix of multiple colors at once.
As for Matter, GE Lighting says that new versions of its Direct Connect smart bulbs and smart plugs will sync up with the standard later this year, with other new devices to follow suit after that. However, over-the-air Matter updates aren't in the cards for older-gen Cync devices, which might come as a disappointment for anyone who already bought into the platform.
Masonite
Masonite M-Pwr Smart Door
Last year, at CES 2022, we named the Masonite M-Pwr Smart Door one of the five most interesting products from the show floor. It was early for the yet-to-be-released product, but the fully powered design, complete with built-in, motion-activated LED welcome lighting, plus a smart lock and Ring Video Doorbell that need no batteries left us intrigued.
This year, Masonite tells us that the door is finally headed to retail -- Home Depot, specifically, where it'll be available nationwide in a variety of designs later this year. Just be prepared to splurge, because this nifty smart door is set to retail for a whopping $6,500, making it one of the most expensive smart home gadgets available in stores.
LG
MoodUp Refrigerator by LG
Need a fridge that glows and plays music? You're in luck. One of LG's new products at CES this year is the MoodUp Refrigerator, which is almost certainly the flashiest fridge on the market. With LED panels on the door that can display over 19,000 color combinations, it's an appliance that can set the mood, change color with the seasons and always match your kitchen's decor. It's also equipped with a Bluetooth speaker, and its colors can even sync up with your music. It's all controlled through LG's ThinQ mobile app.
The door panels in front of the refrigerator side can also go transparent, eliminating those energy-wasting moments in front of an open fridge deciding what you want to eat. That seems like a truly useful feature, but we'll see how much consumers will need to spend for it once the fridge arrives at retail.
Samsung
Samsung Bespoke Kitchen Appliances
Samsung's new Bespoke AI Wall Oven, part of its new Bespoke line, comes with an internal camera that can share images and videos of your food right to social media as it cooks. It'll also send you warnings if your food is about to burn. It's AI-trained to recognize and recommend cooking temperatures and times for 80 dishes (and 106 in Europe).
Samsung also introduced three Bespoke refrigerators, including a 4-Door Flex Refrigerator that has a 32-inch touchscreen on the upper right door and a camera inside that allows you to see your fridge's contents without opening the door. The touchscreen also allows you to manage multiple apps at once, display photos, or act as a "communication and entertainment hub," according to Samsung. Again, pricing is still yet to be determined, but these high-end smart appliances definitely won't come cheap.
Govee
Govee Gaming Sync Lights and Strip Lights
This strip light, which got second billing to Govee's gaming sync box at CES this year, is the first Matter compatible offering from the smart lighting company. Like some of the other companies rolling out new Matter gear, Govee won't make older versions of its products compatible with the standard because "Matter has upgraded hardware chip requirements," a company press release said.
Govee's other offering syncs colored lights with the movies and video games showing on your TV. It's AI-powered and promises negligible delay and custom light displays for achievements in certain video games.
Roborock
Roborock S8 Series robot vacuums
Roborock, a leading robot vacuum company, introduced new models at CES this year, including its most powerful robovac yet. The Roborock S8 series is a follow-up to the S7 series.
The S8 series vacuums have 6,000 Pascals of suction -- the highest number from a Roborock robot vacuum yet -- and introduces a second rubber brush for better sweeping. They vacuum, mop, avoid obstacles, recognize carpet and raise their mops to keep them dry and map your home for quicker cleaning.
The S8 Ultra Pro vacuum also comes with an extra mopping pad and the new RockDock Ultra docking system, which cleans and dries the mop to avoid mold growth.
The S8 series will be available to buy in April 2023 and start at $750. The S8 Plus (includes a dock) and S8 Ultra Pro (includes the Rock Dock Ultra) will sell for more.
Roborock also introduced a manual wet-dry vacuum called the Dyad Pro, an improved iteration of the Dyad. It can handle both wet and dry messes and will also clean and dry itself when docked. The Dyad Pro will sell for $450 starting this month.
Catch up on all of CNET's CES coverage.
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