Enlarge / Dell's 6K USB-C monitor was the one of the most tantalizing displays at CES 2023. (credit: Scharon Harding)

The Consumer Electronics Show ( CES ) never fails to deliver a pile of new gadgets and gizmos, but finding products that bring something new and valuable to the table can be a real challenge. CES 2023 had its share of product refreshes, clones, and minor updates, but this year also proved there's still some "wow" factor to be found at the tech show.

And that includes the event's PC monitor selection. All the monitors on this list are promised to be real products coming out this year. Better yet, they all have some unique features that aren't readily available to consumers today.

Here are the seven most intriguing monitors from CES 2023.

Enlarge / Ram is the last of the Detroit three to show off a fully electric pickup truck. (credit: Ram)

On Thursday Ram revealed a concept of its first fully electric pickup truck at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Ram is the last of the Detroit Three to show off a full-size EV pickup— Ford's F-150 Lightning went on sale in 2022 , and Chevrolet displayed the Silverado EV at CES last year . But the production Chevy EV is only due in 2024, the same year that the Ram 1500 BEV goes on sale.

"The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept is our clearest signal yet that we're on the precipice of something extraordinary at Ram and points directly to where we’re going on our electrified journey. At Ram, we’ve redefined what pickup trucks can be and will do so again by pushing past what competitors are offering by delivering the best electric pickups on the market," said Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr.

Ram's design team has gone for a quite modern look for the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV, some of which—like the pillarless "suicide doors"—might not make it to the production version in a couple years' time. Other features and details should survive, though, like the powered frunk, tailgate, and rear step with active diffuser. The concept also sports side-view cameras instead of reflective mirrors—unless I'm mistaken, we'd need a change of regulations for those to become road-legal in the US.

Enlarge (credit: Razer)

Razer is using CES 2023 to expand its soundbar lineup with a top-tier model with its own subwoofer. Specs include a frequency response of 40-20,000 Hz and a max sound pressure level of 98 dB. But for those who prefer being extremely cautious with their gadgets when it comes to privacy and security, the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro 's integrated camera is disappointing to see.

The soundbar is 23.6×4.5×3.5 inches, and the subwoofer is 10.2×11.6×10.2 inches. (credit: Razer)

But Razer insists that the infrared camera, which exists in the front center of the speaker, is all in the name of next-level virtual surround sound. Using head-tracking AI, the soundbar can tell where the user is and create a virtual soundscape with the listener as the center point. The beamforming technology comes from Audioscenic , which discussed the feature as research at CES 2017 and demoed it at CES 2022 . The tech allows the soundscape to change while it tracks you as you move.

That makes the soundbar a unique product, with Razer aiming to expand PC audio capabilities without filling home offices and gaming dens with physical speakers. The Leviathan V2 Pro uses THX Spatial Audio virtual 7.1 surround sound (Razer acquired THX in 2016) and, per Razer, focuses on "crisp, clear treble" and "deep, punchy bass" through three different audio modes, which you can toggle across through a button on top of the soundbar.

Enlarge / AMD is announcing at CES several RDNA 3-based GPUs for laptops. (credit: AMD)

AMD announced at CES this week several new laptop GPU models to go along with updates to the company's desktop and laptop CPU lineups . Although not as wide-ranging as Nvidia's laptop GPU announcements earlier in the week , all of these graphics chips target low-end-to-mid-range gaming laptops and mobile workstations, which data suggests is what most people are buying when they shop for those kinds of PCs.

AMD announced seven GPUs, four of which are new RDNA 3-based models in the mid-range 7600 and 7700 series (the other three are spec tweaks for existing low-end RDNA 2 laptop GPUs). The 7600 and 7700 series support the same core features of other RDNA 3 GPUs, including improved ray-tracing performance and hardware-accelerated encoding and decoding of the AV1 video codec. All four GPUs will be available in laptops beginning in February.

The full range of new (and new-ish) GPUs. (credit: AMD)

There are two new GPUs here, available in four configurations. One GPU has 32 of AMD's compute units (CUs), 2,048 shaders, and an 18Gbps memory speed. The second GPU drops to 28 CUs, 1,792 shaders, and a 16Gbps memory speed. Both GPUs share an 8GB pool of GDDR6 memory, a 128-bit memory interface, and 32MB of AMD's Infinity Cache.

Enlarge / Lenovo's Yoga Book 9i 2-in-1 laptop on its included kickstand. (credit: Scharon Harding)

Like it or not, companies are set on making foldable PCs a thing. Asus' Zenbook 17 Fold OLED turned out to be one of 2022's most adventurous laptops, and Lenovo is planning its second foldable, the 16-inch ThinkPad X1 Fold for this spring. Assuming an operating system and apps that play well with the form factor, foldables excite multitaskers, workers, and creatives who can benefit from larger, yet still portable, display options, especially those who don't need a keyboard and touchpad at all times.

But foldable PCs are very new and have their faults, from durability and compatibility concerns to the crease that can visibly run down the display's middle. Lenovo's Yoga Book 9i announced today at CES in Las Vegas aims to boost pixel count in a way that feels both more and less obvious: replacing the keyboard and touchpad with another laptop-size screen.

It's the dual-screen PC for people who want all the pixels but none of the fold.

On Thursday at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the electric vehicle maker Polestar announced that its forthcoming Polestar 3 SUV will be one of the first vehicles in the world to use Google's new high-definition map.

Unlike the Google Maps you might access on your phone, the new HD map is much more accurate, pinpointing your position on the road down to an inch or less instead of several feet. Although that accuracy is not particularly useful to someone on a smartphone, it's vitally important for partially or fully automated driving systems that need to know which lane they're in or exactly where a road obstacle might be .

Google has evidently been building its HD map for some time—in 2017, its Street View mapping cars started sporting lidar scanners . And I'm not entirely surprised that Google is debuting the new map in a Polestar—the young automaker was also the first to use Android Automotive OS , which debuted in the Polestar 2 but can now be found in an increasing number of new vehicles from many different automakers.

Enlarge / Mercedes wants its charging hubs to be safe and well-lit and to offer a charging experience that befits its range of luxury EVs. (credit: Mercedes-Benz)

On Thursday, Mercedes-Benz announced that it is entering the DC fast-charging arena for electric vehicles. The German automaker is in the midst of an electrification push and a plan to be carbon-neutral by 2039, and it evidently doesn't believe that the current charging infrastructure is as good as its new EVs , so it's doing something about the situation. Mercedes says it plans to deploy more than 10,000 fast chargers around the world, starting in North America.

The new network is separate from and independent of Ionity, the European fast-charging network backed by Mercedes, BMW, Ford, and Volkswagen. Here in the US, Mercedes is partnering with the charging company ChargePoint and MN8 Energy, a solar and battery-storage company. Together, they will deploy more than 2,500 DC fast chargers at more than 400 sites around the US by 2027.

"Mercedes-Benz customers deserve a compelling charging experience that makes electric vehicle ownership and long-distance travel effortless, and that’s why we are launching a global high-end charging network that will offer a charging experience to match the extraordinary Mercedes driving experience," said Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG. "We are excited to start right here in North America with two strong and experienced partners, ChargePoint and MN8 Energy."