I’m huge into gadgets — but largely useless gadgets, I’ll admit. I have backed more social robots on Kickstarter than anyone I know (and I still keep Jibo running in my kitchen even though the servers shut down years ago). It’s a great time to be a fan of gadgets in 2026, with so many coming out this year and beyond. But don’t worry; unlike the Jibo, the five gadgets I’ve picked out blend cuteness and fun with actual usefulness for SlashGear’s readers. These won’t sit on your kitchen counter staring into space. 

With CES 2026 behind us, there is an overwhelming number of gadgets to be excited about. There’s even a $20,000 humanoid robot coming next year! This list, however, is a bit more grounded in reality. For the most part. From fitness trackers to robot pets to mini gaming PCs, here are the gadgets to look forward to this year, whether you want assistance with work, health, or just capturing special moments.

I’m a sucker for robot companions. I already have the LivingAI Emo pet, which loves to interrupt my meetings with random AI musings and cat impressions, and I’ve also reserved Razer’s AVA, a holographic AI companion that will allegedly teach you how to game better. I don’t need that, but the idea of League of Legends GOAT Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok yapping to me while I play a game sounds hilarious. And do we truly need anything, anyway?

Ecovacs, a brand known for robot vacuums, also got in on the craze in 2026, releasing a fluffy white robot dog in May — the LilMilo. It’s honestly a little creepy, but it’s meant to provide emotional support and companionship through dog-like behavior. Sure, you could get a cat, but does a cat have 40 sensors, a high-powered processor, and voice control? One downside is that you’ll need to shell out $599.99 for the LilMilo, which may be a bit steep for those who may want more functional robot companions instead of a slightly eerie couch buddy. 

As a recovering CrossFit addict (I’m now an F45 addict, thank you), I have been thinking about buying a fitness tracker for a while now. The issue is that they just aren’t that visually appealing. I’m admittedly not a watch person, but I was excited to hear that there’s a new Fitbit, since I used to sport one about a decade ago (yikes). The Google Fitbit Air dropped in May, sporting an attractively sleek design.

Its week-long battery life is well beyond the Apple Watch, allowing you to wear it day and night to track sleep and physical activity. The Google Health app will automatically detect your workouts and log your performance, but it also offers a coach-recommended guided workout. It also starts at $99.99, making it one of the cheaper options for anyone after af itness tracker. You can pay $100 a year more for a premium Google Health subscription that offers you an AI coach. We found the coach generally personable when we reviewed the FitBit Air, but I’ll probably stick with the basics.

I know, I know, it’s over $1,000. But I am still very hopeful about the Steam Machine, Valve’s second attempt at a living room gaming-PC-meets-console box. I switched from PlayStation to PC a few years ago and haven’t looked back, but the Steam Machine seems like an interesting middle ground. It’s aesthetically pleasing — a stylish, simple cube — rather than looking like the overstuffed folder that is PlayStation 5. And the gaming is as simple as the design. You just plug it into your TV and start downloading and playing games.

For a gaming console, the Steam Machine is beyond expensive. But for a gaming PC, it’s not a bad price. It’s basically like getting a compact PC that you don’t have to play at your desk. Don’t expect it to have the same performance as a high-end gaming PC, but it’ll still be a step up from the Steam Deck. Maybe I’m just hoping it does well because I’m rooting for Xbox’s downfall, but that’s a topic for another time. It’s coming out in June 2026, but you’ll need to be lucky to get one this year.

I’m clearly a sucker for cute things, and this is beyond adorable. I currently own a cheap instant camera that takes awful photos, but it’s still so much fun to snap a pic at an event, shake the photo until the image is revealed, and get a retro-tinged memento to keep. Polaroid’s new camera, the Go Instant Camera Gen 3, would be a step up for me. It’s more expensive at $89.99, but it has a selfie mirror and a self-timer mode as well as supposedly sharper and clearer photos than previous iterations, even in bad lighting. 

Of course, using an instant camera isn’t about getting the best photograph you can. It’s about the vibes. It’s about the aesthetic. It’s about capturing the moment in its most authentic, imperfect form. There’s just something so special about a physical photograph these days. My boyfriend and I recently went on a cute date to an astronomy club’s “Star Party,” and a random guy asked to take our photo with a vintage instant camera — and it’s probably one of my favorite pictures of us. Much better than anything I’ve posted to Instagram.

I never thought I’d be recommending a $399 e-paper device, but I’m obsessed. As someone who loves physical planners and keeping tons of notes throughout the day, the reMarkable Paper Pure seems like one of the most satisfying alternatives to traditional pen and paper. It’s simple: you use one of their “markers” to write on a flat, paper-like tablet. ReMarkable has attempted to recreate the feeling of writing on paper by using specific materials and textures, with the benefit of it being reusable.

Unlike a sheet of paper, the Paper Pure can organize your notes into folders and upload them to your computer or send them to others through apps like Outlook or Slack. That said, those silly sketches you made during a meeting are safe — the Paper Pure has multi-factor authentication to keep prying eyes away. The Paper Pure basically combines the benefits of handwritten notes and the convenience of a laptop into a very satisfying digital notepad.

It can be a bit overwhelming to wade through the seemingly endless series of gadgets that companies promote every year, so I had to set some criteria. The first was that they had to have actually come out in 2026, of course. Many of the products revealed at CES 2026, for example, are not yet available — some were concepts, some are in development, while others are only available as pre-orders. The items in this list can be purchased as of June 2026. 

Then, I had to select available products that were genuinely exciting. Everyone has their own definition of “exciting,” but for me, that means the product offers something unique that makes it stand out from all the other gadgets out there. That could be its size, battery life, or features — these new gadgets add something special to the category they fall under. I also wanted to make sure that said unique feature was actually useful, adding organization, inspiration, fun, or love to your life.