Worst in Show 2025: Not All Innovation Is Good Innovation {Consumer Electronics Show}(iFixit) [View all]

The Most Overengineered, Unrepairable, and Unsustainable Tech Disasters at CES

Article by:
Elizabeth Chamberlain@liz_ifixit
January 9, 2025

Every January, the tech world descends on Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), showcasing the latest gadgets promising to revolutionize our lives. But not all innovation is good innovation, as The Repair Association’s “Worst in Show” awards reveal. Now in its fourth year, this anti-awards ceremony calls out the least repairable, least private, and least sustainable products on display.

This year’s CES is overflowing with AI and “smart” features, often in places no one asked for. The Worst in Show winners prove that just because you can add tech doesn’t mean you should.



Least repairable (Judge: Kyle Wiens, CEO, iFixit)

Winner: Ultrahuman Rare Luxury Smart Ring

This $2,200 luxury smart ring looks sleek but hides a major flaw: its battery only lasts 500 charges. Worse, replacing the battery is impossible without destroying the device entirely. Luxury items may be fleeting, but two years of use for $2,200 is a new low.
***
Who Asked for This? (Judge: Nathan Proctor, Senior Director, PIRG)

Winner: Samsung Bespoke AI Washing Machine

Samsung’s latest AI-powered washing machine comes with features no one needs, like the ability to make phone calls. These add-ons only make the appliance more expensive, fragile, and harder to repair.
***
more: https://www.ifixit.com/News/107510/worst-in-show-2025-not-all-innovation-is-good-innovation