Justin Kahn

Just after pre-orders went live on the new LEGO SMART Brick sets, the very first official LEGO Pokémon sets have been revealed ahead of launch next month. LEGO officially teased the pocket monster collaboration for Trainers last year, and we are getting our first official look at the first sets. 

Update 1/12: The new Joy-Con 2 (L)/(R) Light Purple / Light Green are now up for pre-order over at Amazon.

Update 1/9: The new Joy-Con 2 (L)/(R) Light Purple / Light Green are now up for pre-order ahead of next month’s launch over at Amazon.

A new year has arrived and a new set of official Joy-Con for your Switch 2 have as well. This morning, in the official Nintendo Today! app, Nintendo has given us our first look at a set of new Switch 2 Joy-Con with the purple/light green treatment. 

Welcome to 9to5Toys News Weekly – your go-to spot to catch up on the latest new product releases, features, and hands-on reviews. This weekly roundup collects all of the coolest new gadgets, the most interesting updates in the world of tech, and more. With CES 2026 in full swing this past week, there are loads of compelling new releases, wild concepts, and launch deals to catch up on below.

Update: The new LEGO LEGO Star Wars Smart Play sets are now available for pre-order on Amazon: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter at $70, Red Five X-wing at $90, and the Throne Room Duel & A-Wing at $160

The new LEGO Smart Brick sets are now live for pre-order. LEGO unleashed its new Smart Play platform this year at CES 2026, and the first of the new multi-function SMART Brick sets are now live in the form of the three new Star Wars sets we featured previously. 

Today’s lineup of the best deals on Apple TV shows and movies is now ready to roll, including a host of complete series offers: the original Batman, Game of Thrones, Shameless, House, and Band of Brothers as well as House of the Dragon: Seasons 1-2, and more. Scope them all out below.

The next Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube release has been revealed! After dropping Wario World into its GameCube Nintendo Classics back in December, Nintendo is injecting the collection with one of the more highly-anticipated titles from the GameCube library – Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. 

Today’s lineup of the best deals on Apple Books is now ready to roll, including titles like Die Trying by Lee Child, Making Sense by Sam Harris, The Night Circus, World Travel by Anthony Bourdain, The Greatest Secret by Rhonda Byrne, and much more. Everything awaits down below.

The biggest electronics show in the game hit the strip in Vegas this week with the latest and greatest from the world of tech. We have already collected all the most compelling stories we featured this week in our master CES 2026 hub right here, but we wanted to touch down this afternoon before everything wraps up for another year to highlight some of our personal favorites reveals. From the new LEGO Smart Bricks to launch pricing on Anker brand new display-laded charger, desktop hologram enclosures, and robotic vacuums with legs to climb the stairs, check em’ all out below.

CES 2026 – the biggest tech event of the year is now in full swing on the strip in Las Vegas with a countless number of new product reveals and wild new concepts. From desktop hologram machines and the new smart LEGO bricks, chargers that turn your phone into an AI robot assistant, the latest e-bikes, solar-powered gazebos, smart goggles, and the latest in electric vehicle tech, CES knows no bounds. We have collected all of the wildest and most intriguing reveals from the show from across our network for your browsing pleasure below. 

Update 1/9: A pair of the new My Mario plushy toys are now available for order on Amazon at just $7.99 Prime shipped:

• My Mario Super Star $8
• My Mario Mushroom $8

Last summer Nintendo revealed a new set of Mario toys for the Japanese market under its new My Mario moniker, and it has now announced it is coming to the U.S.

It has been a bit of a sleepy start to the year for Nintendo so far, but now, just 8 days into 2026, it is ramping things up with the reveal of a new set of Joy-Con 2 as well as the official, overview trailer for the new Mario Tennis Fever. 

Xbox has announced when the next Developer Direct showcase will go live. Taking to the official Xbox Wire this morning, it won’t be long before we get another official look at Forza Horizon 6, Fable, and more. 

As expected, Roborock has landed at CES 2026 with fleet of new robotic vacuum cleaners. But the model that’s real dominating headlines right now has to be the Saros Rover – the “world’s first robotic vacuum with AI-powered wheel-leg architecture that can both navigate stairs and slopes with human-like agility while cleaning them.” 

Power banks can, often times, feel a bit dime a dozen these days, and while that largely remains true despite some of the more flashy models from brands like Anker as of late, the new SolidSafe Air did catch our eye. Now on display at on the show floor at CES 2026, the company behind this new mobile power solutions claims it is the “world’s slimmest semi solid-state power bank.”

Apple’s high-end, high-capacity pro-grade configs are certainly among the more niche options in its lineup, if not for any other reason than the price tags. And that largely remains true on the M4 iPad Pro, but Amazon is offering a gigantic price drop on the maxed out 11-inch 2TB model this morning at $699 off the original list price. 

Your afternoon lineup of the best Android game and app deals is now ready to roll, including titles like Theme Park Simulator, Old Man’s Journey, Children of Morta, Skul: The Hero Slayer, and more. Be sure to dive into our collection of the best and most interesting new reveals from CES 2026 right here and this deal on Galaxy S25 Edge at a giant $420 off, and then head below for today’s app deals.

Google Pixel Watch Crafted Leather Band

Buy from $53 (Reg. $80)

What we love

There aren’t a ton of leather Pixel Watch bands out there, and even less with Google’s Moonstone color treatment. We have seen some deals on this model in the past but select sizes are now sitting at new Amazon lows, complete with Google’s “beautiful Italian leather and elegant stitching.”

For years CES has had autonomous robot helpers on display, and 2026 is no different – check out the LG CLOiD bot. But we don’t often see devices that can transform your iPhone into a mini desktop AI bot like the Loona DeskMate claims to. 

Eve is a well known smart home brand around here, with a rather extensive lineup of sensors, outdoor weather stations, light switches, plugs, and a whole lot more, most of which with updated Matter support. At CES 2026, the brand is introducing its very first indoor thermostat to expand its footprint in your home.

Update 1/9: The new LEGO Smart Brick sets are set to go live for pre-order at what appears to be 9:15 a.m.ET.

Update: The new LEGO Smart Play and its first three sets go live for pre-order on January 9 – they are officially releasing on March 1.

After a brief and relatively cryptic official teaser hit LEGO’s social feeds over the last day or so, it has now officially hit the stage at CES 2026. 

Much like Samsung before it and the new LG Wallpaper and Gallery TVs announced at CES 2026, Amazon is stepping into the lifestyle TV space. It has just officially announced the all-new Amazon Ember Artline – “a beautiful 4K QLED TV featuring support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Wi-Fi 6, and a thin 1.5-inch design.” 

Update: Amazon is now offering Kingdom Come: Deliverance II on PS5 down at $29.99 with free shipping for Prime members. Regularly $60, this is matching the lowest price we have tracked on Amazon since release. 

While we are still tracking a host of hangover Switch game deals over at Amazn right now starting from just $6 down below, we wanted to highlight the offer it is running on Sonic X Shadow Generations for Nintendo Switch 2 right now. Regularly $50, you can now score the Switch 2 version down at $24.99 with free shipping for Prime members or in orders over $35. That’s 50% off the list price and the lowest we can find – it is also on par with the Black Friday offer we featured at Amazon and is currently down at $22.30 Prime shipped. You’ll find even more SEGA titles on sale over at Best Buy in its publisher sale event right here. 

CES 2026 is now in full swing with new products all over the the place from many of the biggest names in tech. Next up we are taking a look at the latest from Twelve South – the Valet. While not the most unique implementation of wireless charging we have ever seen, the elegant new Twelve South Valet aims to provide an elegant home for your on-the-go accessories while keeping them powered up in between adventures. 

Well, it wouldn’t be CES unless there were some new smart autonomous robot helpers on display, and CES 2026 is definitely underway, and there are certainly some new bots on the show floor this year. One of the more compelling models that is looking to help out around the house is LG’s new CLOiD – a robot that can do your laundry, make breakfast, and is designed to effectively double as a smart home butler. 

Update: Smart Play, smart bricks, smart minifigs, and three new Star Wars sets are now official – details here.

LEGO has now taken to its official social channels to tease a new upcoming launch. And by the sounds/looks of it, this might be more like a new theme and potentially even something more high-tech than your usual brick building action. 

After the reveal of its new Gallery TV to take on Samsung’s The Frame, the brand’s CES 2026 offerings also include the return of its Wallpaper TV. The ultra-thin LG OLED evo W6 lands with support for the brand’s Gallery+ service as well as all-new wireless connectivity and a notably thin design to sit flush up against your wall. 

Alongside the second-iteration of its latest 25W 3-in-1 charging stand (now with a modular wearable charging pad), Belkin is also revealing a brand new Nintendo Switch 2 charging case at CES 2026. This time around Belkin is taking a more integrated approach, complete with an onboard status display and the ability to charge the battery case without opening it. 

Baseus has made a name around here for its breadth of charging and computing peripherals, many of which land at much lower price points than its competition. However, at CES 2026 it is unveiling a slate of new gear headlined by the new more powerful desktop docking solution that also happens to feature onboard 25W wireless 25W charging prowess. 

CES 2026 is about to officially kick-off and the new product reveals are already starting. Next up, we are taking a look at the latest from smart lighting brand Govee with three new flagship products headlined by its most advanced floor lamp yet and a pair of Sky Ceiling Lights, one of which brings “true-to-life sky illumination indoors.”

Welcome to 9to5Toys News Weekly – your go-to spot to catch up on the latest new product releases, features, and hands-on reviews. This weekly roundup collects all of the coolest new gadgets, the most interesting updates in the world of tech, and more from the past week, and organizes it into a single handy reading list for you to sift through every Sunday morning.

Samsung has now updated its official site with a teaser for some upcoming releases at CES 2026, and more importantly its latest Reserve Campaign with up to $100 in FREE Samsung credit to use towards them. We have already received a good look and some details on at least some of the upcoming Samsung reveals, and now you can go drop your email down to secure some no-strings-attached FREE credit. 

Is Walmart open on New Year’s Day 2026? Are Costco and Best Buy stores open today? Is Target closed today? New Year’s Day 2026 has arrived and while some folks might be taking a lazy recovery day, those venturing out will want to take note of the special holiday hours at some retailers first. It looks like most major retailers are open today and, in some cases, during usual store hours, but not everything. Down below you’ll find details on which of the major national retailers are open and closed for New Year’s Day 2026. Check it all out after the jump. 

It is that time once again where we look back on our absolute favorite releases of the year. A time to reminisce on the 2025 products we loved the most, are still using to this day, and the gear readers broke the internet to get a hold of, head below for a closer look at the 9to5Toys staff’s favorite things of the year and the gear you, the readers, loved the most too. 

We cover a broad range of gear and releases around here, including everything from Nintendo, Pokémon, and LEGO, right through to the latest from Apple, Samsung, and more. So let’s take a look back at the most popular releases, leaks, and stories of the year before we head off into 2026. This is a collection of the top stories here at 9to5Toys from Switch 2 to AirPods Pro 3 right through to some teasers for releases that won’t even launch until next year.

It is time for our annual look back at the best iPhone case releases of the year. This year brands were, in some cases, forced to contend with Apple’s new iPhone Air form-factor, but things were largely the same as 2024 otherwise. Our yearly iPhone case awards features some beloved brands alongside some all-new designs and a couple sleeper hits that might have slipped under your radar. 

Welcome to 9to5Toys News Weekly – your go-to spot to catch up on the latest new product releases, features, and hands-on reviews. This weekly roundup collects all of the coolest new gadgets, the most interesting updates in the world of tech, and more from the past week, and organizes it into a single handy reading list for you to sift through every Sunday morning.

With Christmas now behind us, next up is New Years and this year’s 2025 Target New Year’s Eve ad has arrived. Amazon also now launched a sort of mini New Years store loaded with deals on decorations, apparel, and more, but Target has also now unleashed its latest weekly ad with a host of deals set to go live this weekend. 

I love me some Find My, and perhaps the most useful implementation of it in my life has come by way of those wonderful wallet tracker cards. Nomad’s Tracking Card (now known as the Tracking Card Air) has been a staple in my everyday carry for years and something I never leave the house without. However, the brand debuted a new Pro model this year with a metal build and much longer battery life and I have now had a chance to put this thing to the test, so let’s take a look to see if it is worth the higher price tag?

Is Walmart closed for Christmas Day? Is Best Buy and Target open today? How about Costco and Sam’s Club? The short answer here is yes, it’s Christmas and just about everything will be closed today. You might find the odd Dunkin’ or McDonald’s open, and it looks like all Waffle House locations are open today, but by and large it’s a day of celebration, gifts, and relaxation. 

Is Walmart open today? How late is Target open on Christmas Eve? Is Costco and Sam’s Club open? Just in case you have some last-minute gifting needs, or just need to hit your local Costco for some groceries to get on the table tonight, we have put together some details below on which stores are closed/open on Christmas Eve this year – worry not, just about everything is open, just on adjusted holiday hours.

Welcome to 9to5Toys News Weekly – your go-to spot to catch up on the latest new product releases, features, and hands-on reviews. This weekly roundup collects all of the coolest new gadgets, the most interesting updates in the world of tech, and more from the past week, and organizes it into a single handy reading list for you to sift through every Sunday morning.

Update 12/21: The final Target Holiday Countdown Sale is now live alongside today’s fresh batch of holiday Deals of the Day.

Target made is final push for deals ahead of the holidays official last week when it announced a last-minute Holiday Countdown Sale. Joining tomorrow’s Super Saturday sale at Amazon, the Target sale event kicks off on Sunday and we are now getting a closer look at the deals as it has now unveiled the official 50-page ad. 

Just when you thought all of the Prime Days, and Black Fridays, and Cyber Mondays, and holiday sales were mostly behind us now, Amazon has just officially announced Super Saturday! What on earth is Super Saturday you ask? It is Amazon’s official last-minute holiday sale event and it goes live this weekend. Details await below. 

We are getting down to the wire now folks – there might still be slightly over a week until Santa makes his magical voyage, but we all know UPS and Amazon delivery isn’t nearly as fast as Rudolph. Shipping times are slipping and, perhaps even more importantly, holiday pricing is too. You’re going to want to get on the best gear as soon as you can if you’re hoping to take advantage of both, and we have put together a (relatively) short list of highlights down below. Whether you’re looking land something for a special someone or yourself, now’s the time to get in there.