In the original, and best Total Recall, there’s a scene where Rekall’s receptionist uses a digital pen to change the color of her nail polish. It’s only taken 35 years, but now a company has turned up to CES 2026 with a version that actually works outside a pricey sci-fi movie. iPolish is a company which makes press-on acrylic nails that, when you apply an electric charge, changes color.
In order to enjoy kaleidoscopic nails, you’ll need to charge the wand, which then connects to your phone. Once you’ve selected your color of choice, you just put the tip of the nail into the wand, and it’ll pass a short charge into the nail to change it. Sadly, the company wouldn’t shed too much light on the process it uses to run the nails but, from my guess, it’s some sort of electrochemical shenanigans going on behind the scenes. All in all, it took around five seconds to change the color of a single nail, so it’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
iPolish (Daniel Cooper for Engadget)
iPolish says that each nail can display 400 colors, and can be changed as many times as the user would like. So, if you’re coordinating your nails with your outfits, you’re not bound to a single color palette in the weeks between salon visits. They’re also surprisingly affordable, with the starter set costing $95 which contains two sets of nails, one in Ballerina cut, one in Squoval. The Ballerinas are relatively short, while the Sqovals are longer. It’s worth noting that you can’t shape the nails as you’ll break the hardware, so if you don’t like those shapes, you can’t use ‘em.
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When it comes time to replace your nails when one breaks or you lose it in some nailbed mishap, you’ll be able to pick up spares for $6.50. Given the theoretical cost of getting your nails re-done on a weekly basis, being able to change color on a whim seems like a bargain. Of course, we won’t be able to speak to iPolish’s quality and reliability until they start shipping, which is presently expected to begin in June 2026.
CES 2026 is taking place in Las Vegas from January 4 to January 9, and Team Engadget is on the ground covering all the news and checking out the products at the show, including the latest from Samsung, LG and NVIDIA. The show floor opens for the first time on Tuesday, but check out a recap of Monday's CES press conferences and everything announced at CES 2026 so far. Also follow our ongoing CES 2026 liveblog for real-time updates throughout the week.