CES 2025: Gear for content creators

There is more than one way to create content with all the tools available, and CES didn’t disappoint in offering new gear to consider. Unlike years past, CES isn’t as big a show for mobile devices. It’s rare to see a phone launched at the show, for example, and even tablets aren’t especially common as new releases. Same story with cameras despite some camera brands making the tech pilgrimage to Las Vegas every January.

It’s a different story for accessories to create content, which cover the gamut, more so for mobile devices. It’s also often a good show for action cameras and camera accessories. There was plenty to look at during the show, and here are some of the standouts.

Insta360

Insta360 is best known for their action cameras, and those were out in full force at CES. While the newest of the bunch—the Ace Pro 2—is already out, there are other products in the company’s lineup worth considering. The Insta360 Go 3S is an interesting choice because its breakaway camera offers different ways to capture content. It stays attached via magnets but you can also attach it to your person to take photos or record video in 4K.

Equally impressive are the company’s newest smartphone gimbals that use AI to track any subject, like the Flow Pro. The Insta360 app offers six different tracking modes to keep footage smoothly stabilized. There are 10 shooting modes, including one made for basketball appropriately called Hoop mode, and the ability to capture video using Apple ProRes on compatible iPhones. Android users won’t get as many features for third-party integration, though you do get the full scope of Insta360’s app, so it’s not a total loss.

Shiftcam SnapStudio Light

The new SnapStudio Light completes a set that Shiftcam has been releasing since the summer of 2024. It’s a ring light that comes in a rectangular design to match the general form factor of a smartphone and includes a MagSafe mount to keep it steady to capture selfie content. It pumps out up to 600 lumens of light, which is very bright for something this size. Moreover, you can adjust color temperature for cooler whites or warmer tones.

It has thread mounts on all sides so you can orient it vertically or horizontally however you like. It’s also compatible with other SnapSeries accessories in Shiftcam’s lineup, amounting to eight in total. That includes stands, lights, mounts and other helpful gear.

Even more tantalizing is the Planck, perhaps the smallest SSD I’ve seen that connects directly to a phone as external storage. It can transfer 200GB of data in as little as three minutes, so it’s super fast. That’s why it can record Apple ProRes at 4K/120fps video straight to its drive rather than the phone’s storage. This one will begin as a crowdfunded project but is set to hit retail later on, so look out for it.

SanDisk Creator Series

Sticking with storage, SanDisk unveiled a new Creator Series lineup of storage options at the show. Easy to distinguish by their sky blue colours, they come in a variety of forms. One that catches my eye is the Creator Phone SSD that uses MagSafe to attach to the back of a compatible phone. You do need to connect the drive to your phone with a short cable but otherwise acts as external storage up to 1TB or 2TB. It’s got a pretty rugged body that can withstand a three-metre drop and has IP65 water and dust resistance. While leaning toward iPhones, I can confirm it works perfectly fine with Android after testing it on a OnePlus 13 at the show.

In the same vein, there’s the Creator Phone Drive, a stick with both Lightning and USB-C connectors that goes up to 256GB of storage. Like the Creator Phone SSD, you can back up your entire Android phone using the SanDisk Memory Zone app automatically. A USB-C Flash Drive is designed to do the same for computers. Same with the Creator Pro Portable SSD, which is based on SanDisk’s existing line of small SSD drives. The rest include Creator microSD and UHS-II cards with capacities up to 1TB for cameras and drones.

The Creator Desk Drive is a bigger unit (though still quite small) you would use to back up any files you want at home or the office/studio. Meanwhile, SanDisk also has Fortnite-themed SSD portable drives catering to gamers.

Lexar Armor memory cards

Storage is a continuing theme here and Lexar turned some heads with new UHS-II memory cards made from stainless steel. The company first announced the Armor series at IFA in Berlin back in September 2024 but seeing them in their final design is interesting. They are solid pieces that don’t bend at all, giving you peace of mind if you’re ever worried about potentially damaging your card when slotting it in or out. Lexar claims they are 37 times stronger than your average memory card.

The metal body for the Armor series also gives them IP68 dust and water resistance for more rugged content purposes. They’ll come in capacities of 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB

This is hardly a new product now that it’s been out since 2023 but it still works effectively on its own or with a Mac or PC. It also sets the stage for something new to come from Wacom that I can’t reveal since the company hasn’t announced it yet. Either way, the Cintiq and Intuos line are ideal for illustrators, animators and anyone in the visual arts to work on. They can also cater to photo editors who need to make fine adjustments to images that are hard to do with a mouse or trackpad. Check out all the latest Wacom devices currently available.

HoverAir X1 Pro

The HoverAir X1 Pro and ProMax are small drones that can take off and land from your hand. A competitor to the DJI Neo, the HoverAir X1 Pro and ProMax were previously announced but have since gone through some software updates. They are also upgrades over the original HoverAir X1. It can capture 4K video at 60fps with a 104-degree field of view, while the X1 ProMax can do 8K at 30fps with 4K/120fps slow-motion on top of that. A 1/1.3-inch CMOS image sensor and 14 stops of dynamic range present some flexibility in composition. Like the Neo, this drone has AI tracking with automated modes you can utilize through the Hover X1 app.

In addition, the HoverAir Beacon offers another way to control the drone with detachable joysticks and a 1.78-inch OLED display to see what the drone sees. You can use it for either one- or two-handed operation and activates HoverLink, transmitting a signal to connect with the drone up to 1 km away.  

More to come

I saw other devices for content creators at CES but can’t talk about them because they haven’t announced them yet. Needless to say, there’s a lot more to come, and perhaps much more as the calendar year rolls on to reveal what other gear is coming to market in 2025.

In the meantime, be sure to explore the latest camera accessories for content creators to stay ahead of the curve.