At a Glance
- CES 2026 runs January 6-9 in Las Vegas
- Samsung will deliver its largest-ever showcase, while Lenovo hosts a keynote in the Las Vegas Sphere
- AI, digital health, and automotive technology are the three headline trends
- Why it matters: The event sets the tech agenda for 2026 and showcases products that could shape everyday life
CES 2026 is set to light up Las Vegas from January 6-9, bringing the world’s biggest tech showcase to the city’s conference halls. CNET reporters will arrive days early for exclusive previews and will cover the event across X, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Bluesky. The show promises to highlight the most exciting products and trends of 2026.
CES 2026: Schedule and Scope
The official window for CES 2026 runs from January 6 to 9 in Las Vegas, with CNET arriving a few days before to secure early looks. Side events kick off as early as January 3, and the first major day for CNET is January 5, featuring back-to-back press conferences from the industry’s biggest names. CES 2025 drew over 140,000 attendees, 40 % of whom came from outside the U.S., underscoring the event’s global reach.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Side events begin | January 3 |
| First major day for CNET | January 5 |
| Official CES 2026 | January 6-9 |
These dates frame the core of the show, while additional side events and pre-show previews give early adopters a sneak peek into upcoming releases.
Major Players and Show Highlights
Samsung is slated to deliver its largest-ever CES showcase, while Lenovo will host a keynote inside the Las Vegas Sphere that could rival Delta’s 2025 event. Sony and Honda will unveil the pre-production Afeela 1 EV, slated for sale in California in 2026. The event also attracts a mix of established giants and emerging startups, all eager to set the agenda for the year.
- Samsung – flagship showcase
- Lenovo – Sphere keynote
- Sony & Honda – Afeela 1 EV reveal
- Other exhibitors – up-and-coming tech firms
Together with press, investors, and business leaders, these companies will showcase innovations across conference halls and hotel suites, offering a glimpse into the next generation of consumer technology.
Trends Shaping CES 2026
The Consumer Technology Association highlights three core trends for the show: artificial intelligence, digital health, and automotive technology. AI remains a dominant theme, with the goal of separating meaningful product enhancements from marketing hype. Digital health will span devices and services, featuring companies like Withings, Samsung, and Ultrahuman.
- Artificial Intelligence – on-device and cloud solutions
- Digital Health – personal health tech from Withings, Samsung, Ultrahuman
- Automotive & Mobility – Volvo keynote, connected vehicles, electric air taxis
Chip makers such as Arm, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Nvidia will also be in focus, as their advances underpin many of the AI and automotive displays.
Expert Predictions
TV & Audio (Ty Pendlebury)
Ty Pendlebury forecasts that TVs at CES 2026 will deliver brighter images and richer colors. The new Dolby Vision 2 specification and Samsung’s HDR 10 Plus Advanced will push brightness beyond current levels, with some models achieving more than twice the luminance of last year’s best. OLEDs will also benefit from LG’s four-stack technology, and colors will expand to 100 % of the BT.2020 standard.
- Brightness – up to 2× current levels
- Color gamut – 100 % BT.2020
- OLED stack – LG’s four-stack tech
- New backlights – Micro-RGB and color filters
Audio expectations are high, with new entrants showcasing multi-room systems and personal music players, while established brands like Harman, Klipsch, and Onkyo present soundbars and speakers.
Computers (Josh Goldman)
Josh Goldman notes that CES 2026 will be a key moment for the PC market, featuring everything from ultraportables to gaming rigs. Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm will battle for power-efficient processors, with first-look laptops powered by Intel’s Panther Lake promising over 24 hours of battery life and strong graphics without a discrete GPU. These devices will also explore gaming handhelds that could adopt the same chip architecture.
- Ultra-portable & gaming – diverse lineup
- Panther Lake – >24 h battery, efficient performance
- No discrete GPU – integrated graphics boost
- Gaming handhelds – potential new form factor
Manufacturers such as Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and Samsung will showcase prototypes that push the limits of thinness and performance.
Mobile (Abrar Al-Heeti)
Abrar Al-Heeti highlights that the next wave of smartphones will focus on thinness and foldability. Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold will introduce a three-panel display, mirroring Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate Design. Other concepts will continue to push the envelope, with many remaining in the realm of imagination.
- Thin & foldable – core focus
- Galaxy Z TriFold – three-panel design
- Huawei Mate XT – similar concept
- Mobile AI – pervasive across devices
The show will also feature a range of wearables and bendable screens that demonstrate the future of personal tech.
Home (David Watsky)
David Watsky points to AI-driven home robotics as a major highlight, including a robot vacuum with a robotic arm that impressed testers. Future devices will tackle chores like laundry, cooking, and security, while refrigerators, ovens, and washing machines will sport advanced hub screens and smarter app integration.
- Robot vacuum – robotic arm
- Laundry & cooking – next-gen robots
- Smart appliances – hub screens, app integration
- Voice assistants – conversational AI at doorbells
- Presence sensing – Wi-Fi disturbance mapping
Security cameras will also gain AI-powered video scanning, and the overall trend points to more hands-off smart home management.
Future Tech (Scott Stein)
Scott Stein predicts that smart glasses will finally enter mainstream use, with Google and Samsung leading the charge. The show will also showcase next-gen displays, wearable interfaces like rings and watches, and AI accessories such as wristbands and camera-equipped devices.
- Smart glasses – Google, Samsung
- Wearable AI – rings, watches, wristbands
- Neural tech – Meta’s EMG band
- Robotics – eye-popping demos
OpenAI is expected to evolve its own AI device, while startups like Humane AI Pin continue to explore the frontier of embodied AI.
Cars (Antuan Goodwin)
Antuan Goodwin notes that automotive tech at CES 2026 will accelerate with language-based AI, enabling cars to predict driver habits and maintenance needs. Natural-language voice assistance will become more conversational, while autonomous driving and robotaxi services receive significant updates.
- Language AI – predictive maintenance
- Voice assistance – conversational
- Autonomous & robotaxi – major news
- Flying cars – prototypes and electric air taxi plans
- Dashcams – aftermarket gear spotlight
The event also highlights dashcams and other aftermarket automotive gear, underscoring the growing ecosystem around connected vehicles.
Key Takeaways
- CES 2026 will showcase AI, digital health, and automotive tech as the main themes.
- Samsung’s biggest showcase and Lenovo’s Sphere keynote set the tone for the event.
- New devices promise brighter TVs, longer-lasting PCs, and foldable phones that push design limits.
CES 2026 promises to deliver a mix of breakthrough technology and practical releases, giving consumers a clear view of what 2026’s tech landscape will look like.
