The fix, he told me, was temporary - he didn't have the right part and couldn't get it. This experience revealed a broader shift in how modern products are designed, sold, and owned - one that increasingly treats repair as optional and replacement as inevitable.
By January 2026, over a quarter of Americans will live in states with right-to-repair laws, and that number should rise to more than 35% by fall 2026 when Connecticut and Texas join in. The European Union also passed a Right to Repair Directive in 2024, which will apply to all EU countries by July 2026. These rules make manufacturers give consumers and independent repair shops the tools, parts, manuals, and software needed to fix their own products.
From the moment I completed Google TV setup and started watching the TCL X11L I was amazed. I could immediately tell it's the brightest TV I've had in my home, but it was the color vibrancy that I found most impressive. The colors we're all most familiar with - skin tones, the sky, green grass and trees - all look as close to realistic as I've seen on a TV.
Most of the screens that you encounter everyday is always fighting for your attention, always buzzing, glowing, pulsing with red notification badges designed to hijack your focus. The TRMNL X, a 10.3-inch e-ink smart display priced at $219, takes the opposite approach entirely. It just sits there, calm and papery, waiting for you to glance over when you're ready.
Traits I look for in a large TV include good brightness and contrast, advanced local dimming (read: good backlighting) to reduce light bleed from bright objects on dark backgrounds, accuracy to the director's intent, and impressive color saturation, especially for HDR (High Dynamic Range) content.
The flagship LG evo G6 series ranges in price from $2,499 to $24,999. (Cue spit take.) Fortunately, that five-figure price only applies to the 97-inch model, which nobody this side of Elon Musk needs. The entry-level price is for a 55-inch OLED. Moving up the ladder, the 65-inch one costs $3,399, the 77-inch model is $4,499 and an 83-incher will set you back $6,499.
Best Buy kicked off its so-called "Winter Sale," introducing a whole host of price cuts that range from not-so-good to legitimately great, at least for this time of year. Apple's M4 Mac Mini, for instance, is receiving a $100 discount at Amazon and B&H Photo, while LG's 65-inch C5 OLED TV is on sale at eBay for a little over a grand.
The age of smartphones that were traded in reached a record high during the 2025 upgrade cycle, according to a new report from Circana and B-Stock. Most of the devices traded in were at least three generations old, yet even older phones are in high demand on a global basis. As of October 2025, nearly 11% of U.S. consumers own a pre-owned smartphone, with almost one-third (30%) of those being certified pre-owned (CPO) models.
The iPhone 17e is coming soon, expected to be unveiled at some point this coming spring. A new rumor out of China today 'confirms' (as much as any rumor can) the fact that it will boast a 6.1-inch screen with a 60Hz refresh rate and the Dynamic Island feature (which also implies a hole-punch cutout replacing the iPhone 16e's notch), and a downgraded version of the Apple A19 chip that also powers the iPhone 17.
Running a multi-monitor setup with your PC or laptop can get pricey, especially if your rig pulls double duty as a gaming build and workstation. But right now at Samsung, you can get two screens for the price of one and save some extra cash on your main screen. When you order the , you'll save $600 and get the 24-inch Samsung Essential screen (a $140 value) for absolutely free.
While there are certainly fancier models with higher brightness and prices tags to match, we think the QM6K offers a balanced image at a great price point. It has incredible black levels that help create a deep, high-contrast picture. The panel is impressively uniform too, with almost no blooming across the entire screen. It maintains great details in darker areas, even with the preset on Dolby Vision Dark. Colors are natural and vivid, adding to the realism and immersion of the experience.
According to a report from flatpanelshd.com, LG is officially halting production on all 8K TVs. From what I can tell, this leaves Samsung as the only remaining manufacturer -- and its 2026 lineup announcement at CES a few weeks ago made no mention of 8K. Speaking to flatpanelshd.com, the company framed the decision as a temporary hold and said it would be ready to resume if customer interest changed. I've reached out to LG for more details.
One of the QM8K's most striking features is the complete lack of bezels, giving your entertainment stand a modern and distinctive look. With the included pedestal mount, it almost looks like it's floating, a neat trick for such a well-priced television. While there may be some personal preference when it comes to the interface, we generally feel that Google TV is one of the better options right now, and it supports both Chromecast and Airplay 2, so Apple folks won't feel left out.
The Mini LED panel itself got an upgrade with 6,000 precision dimming zones for enhanced contrast that rivals OLED TVs, a peak brightness of 6,500 nits for better visibility in bright rooms and direct sunlight, an anti-glare matte screen to reduce the "halo" effect you sometimes see with LED backlighting, and improved LED technology for better color accuracy. A 7,000:1 contrast ratio means you'll get crisp details in dark scenes and inky blacks that make colors pop.
One of the highlights of this year's lineup is the new LG OLED W6 Wallpaper TV. The Wallpaper line itself isn't new, dating back to 2017, but this year's entry is only 9mm thick and features an improved wall mount that allows it to sit even more flush against the wall and the Zero Connect Box, meaning the TV is totally wireless except for a single power cord.
TCL introduced the next entry in its flagship line of televisions during CES. The X11L SQD-Mini LED Series is available for pre-order now in three sizes. But like much of the gear on show in Las Vegas this week, it doesn't come cheap. The 75-inch model of the X11L costs $7,000, the 85-inch option is $8,000 and the 98-inch model goes for $10,000. That's more than double the costs of the QD-Mini LED TV the brand unveiled at last year's CES.
Its AI Picture Pro feature further enhances image quality by adjusting brightness, resolution, clarity, and other settings based on what you're watching. Plus, LG offers Dolby Atmos support for sound that feels more immersive, while offering easy access to popular streaming apps like Netflix, Max, Disney Plus, Hulu, and Apple TV Plus right out of the box. On the gaming side, the TV includes four HDMI 2.1 ports and support for AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync.
