CES 2026: A Showcase of “Enshittified,” Insecure, and Wasteful Tech
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This year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas highlighted a disturbing trend: increasingly intrusive, insecure, and environmentally damaging technology, according to advocates for repairability and responsible tech design.
As predictably as problematic gadgets appear each January in Las Vegas,Repair.org and it’s allies awarded a series of prizes recognizing the worst innovations on display at CES 2026. The list, mirroring concerns from the previous year, is dominated by artificial intelligence – but also includes examples of outright planned obsolescence and environmental disregard.
Lollipop Star: The Taste of E-Waste
the Public Interest Research Group’s right to repair campaign director singled out Lollipop Star as the worst offender in terms of environmental impact. These novel “suckers” integrate a battery and tiny speaker,transmitting sound through jaw vibrations to deliver what the company calls “music you can taste.” However,this fleeting sensory experience comes at a steep cost.
The device is non-rechargeable, offering only 60 minutes of battery life and playing a single song before becoming electronic waste. “We need to stop making so many disposable electronics which are full of toxic chemicals,require critical minerals to produce,and can burn down waste facilities,” a senior official stated,pointing to the thousands of battery-related fires that occur annually due to improper disposal.
Merach Treadmill: Data Security Takes a Backseat
A Chinese company, Merach, showcased a smart treadmill equipped wiht a conversation-enabled AI coach. While the treadmill’s AI features garnered attention, security researchers quickly raised concerns about the device’s data collection practices.
“The treadmill records your weight, height, age, and exercise habits, and then transmits that data to servers in China,” explained a security analyst. “There’s no clear clarification of how that data is used or protected.” The company’s privacy policy was vague, and researchers discovered the treadmill lacked basic security features like encryption.
Amazon Ring: The Surveillance State
Despite unveiling a dystopian wildfire detection feature, Amazon Ring earned the worst in show award for privacy due to its broader expansion of surveillance capabilities. The Electronic Frontier Foundation executive director expressed concern over the company’s facial recognition technology in Ring cameras, commercially deployable surveillance towers, and a new app store poised to host even more intrusive applications.
“More surveillance, doesn’t always make us safer,” she cautioned.
Bosch’s AI Barista: A Solution to a Non-Existent Problem
Bosch received a second mention on the list with its 800 Series Personal AI Barista, an Alexa-integrated espresso machine touted as the first of its kind. the device earned the “who asked for this” award, with one analyst noting that the complexity of voice control outweighs the convenience for most users.
Furthermore, the machine requires an Amazon Prime subscription, effectively transforming it into a standard coffee maker shoudl the subscription be cancelled. “Adding voice control to a fancy coffee maker so you can tell it to make you a macchiato without having to learn the details” is a good idea “in theory,” but “in reality many people don’t actually want to have a conversation with their coffee maker.”
Samsung’s Handleless Fridge: The Worst in Show
For the second consecutive year, a smart refrigerator has earned top honors for “garbage tech,” with Samsung’s Family Hub Smart fridge stealing the crown from LG. The fridge earned double honors for being the worst in show for repairability and the overall worst in show.
iFixit’s chief explained that the new Samsung Smart Fridge lacks physical handles, relying entirely on voice command for operation. “noisy kitchen? Good luck opening the fridge. Mechanism breaks? Good luck opening the fridge. Internet outage? You know the drill.” Samsung also has a history of component failures in its refrigerators, including touchscreens and compressors.
A Digital Right to Repair coalition executive director added that the fridge’s excessive points of failure, connectivity dependence, and integrated advertising make it the worst product she saw at CES this year. “The one thing a refrigerator should do is keep things cold,” she stated. “It needs to do that all the time; it needs to do that without difficulty.” These devices, she argued, should not interfere with the simple function they are designed to perform.
