What to anticipate from tech’s greatest convention in January

[ad_1] CES is the January commerce present the place the tech business kicks off the 12 months with a bevy of recent and notable bulletins — and it’s lower than every week away. The CES 2026 present ground is formally open from January 6 via 9, however the enjoyable kicks off with occasions on Sunday January 4 and a number of press conferences on Monday. As all the time, product demos, bulletins and networking will probably be occurring on the Las Vegas Conference Heart and different resorts everywhere in the metropolis. As ordinary, Engadget will probably be masking the occasion in-person and remotely, bringing you information and hands-ons straight from the present ground.

Extra particular particulars and pre-announcements are already trickling out as CES approaches, and because of the CTA’s schedule we additionally do know what corporations will probably be internet hosting press conferences. We’re additionally utilizing our expertise and experience to foretell what tech tendencies might rear their heads on the present.

The CES 2026 schedule Press conferences and present ground cubicles are the bread and butter of CES. The Shopper Know-how Affiliation has already revealed a searchable listing of who can have a presence on the present, together with a schedule of each official panel and presentation.

On Sunday, January 4, Samsung will kick-off CES with "The First Look," a presentation hosted by TM Roh, the CEO of Samsung's DX Division, on the corporate's "imaginative and prescient for the DX (Gadget eXperience) Division in 2026, together with new AI-driven buyer experiences." Forward of that, although, Samsung has already outlined a wide range of extra specifics.

That'll be adopted by a number of press conferences all through Monday, January 5. LG is internet hosting its "Innovation in Tune with You" presentation to share "its imaginative and prescient for elevating every day life via Affectionate Intelligence" in the beginning of the day, Intel is launching its new Core Extremely Sequence 3 processors within the afternoon, Sony Honda Mobility is holding a press convention providing but extra particulars on its first automotive and AMD CEO Lisa Su will cowl AMD's upcoming chip bulletins at a keynote deal with that closes out the day.

On the week of December 15, the CTA added a keynote by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to its schedule. The occasion will happen on January 5 at 1PM PT (4PM ET) and, in keeping with the web site, will final about 90 minutes. Primarily based on the outline on the itemizing, the presentation will “showcase the most recent NVIDIA options driving innovation and productiveness throughout industries.”

Lastly, on Tuesday, January 6, Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang will host Lenovo's Tech World Convention on the Las Vegas Sphere, utilizing the massive and decidedly curved display to share the corporate's "dedication to delivering smarter AI for all by consistently redefining how expertise can have interaction, encourage, and empower." It’s price noting that Lenovo is the mother or father firm of Motorola, which nonetheless makes telephones and foldables that function AI instruments, so it’s potential these gadgets function within the presentation as effectively.

Samsung and LG vie for pre-show publicity As they sometimes do, some corporations have already gotten a head begin on the CES information by publicly sharing their bulletins within the weeks main as much as January. LG, for instance, has mentioned it's going to debut its first Micro RGB tv at CES. Whereas particulars are scarce, the corporate’s press launch for the LG Micro RGB evo did affirm it has acquired certifications by Intertek for one hundred pc coloration gamut protection in DCI-P3 an Adobe RGB, and that it has greater than a thousand dimming zones for brightness management. And if PC gaming shows are extra your pace, LG can have that coated, too, with a brand new line of 5K-capable gaming displays on deck with built-in AI upscaling.

However LG’s not simply displaying off shows. The Korean multinational will even introduce a Dolby-powered modular residence audio system and flex its automation muscular tissues with a humanoid residence automation robotic named CLOiD.

After all, Samsung refuses to be outdone by its hometown rival, and has additionally launched a pre-CES press launch doc dump. Samsung will probably be launching its personal lineup of Micro RGB TVs at CES, for starters. The corporate already launched its first Micro RGB TV at CES 2025, which was a 115-inch mannequin obtainable for a cool $30,000. Subsequent 12 months, Samsung is increasing the vary with 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 100- and 115-inch fashions that use the subsequent evolution of the corporate’s Micro RGB expertise.

Samsung can also be countering LG’s 5K displays with a 6K mannequin that goals to ship glasses-free 3D (one other long-time CES staple). It’ll be one in all a number of new shows within the firm’s Odyssey gaming line.

And on the audio entrance, Samsung has teased a number of new soundbars and audio system, together with Sonos-style Wi-Fi streaming fashions name the Music Studio 5 and Studio 7.

Exterior of the formal introduction of recent merchandise and initiatives, studying the tea leaves of what was introduced final 12 months and what corporations are reportedly engaged on, we will make some educated guesses at what we might see at CES 2026.

New chips from AMD, Intel and Qualcomm CES is regularly the beginning of a cascade of recent chip bulletins for a given 12 months, and one of many first locations new silicon seems in actual shopper merchandise. AMD will doubtless use its keynote to introduce new variations of its Ryzen chips, together with the lately noticed Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which is anticipated to supply higher single-threaded efficiency, and the Ryzen 9000G sequence, which could possibly be constructed with AMD's Zen 5 structure. The corporate may also use its CES stage to go over its new FSR Redstone AI upscaling tech.

Intel has already publicly introduced that it will launch its Panther Lake chips at CES 2026. The formally titled Intel Core Extremely Sequence 3 chips match into Intel's total "AI PC" push, however are particularly meant for premium laptops. Primarily based on a preview from October 2025, Intel says the primary chip made with its 2-nanometer 18A course of will supply 50 % extra processing efficiency than earlier generations and for the chip's Arc GPU, a 50 % efficiency bump from final era.

Qualcomm can also be rumored to be concentrating on laptops on the present, constructing on the work it is achieved transferring its Snapdragon chips out of telephones and tablets and into different forms of computer systems. The corporate's Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Premium chips ought to begin showing in laptops at CES 2026, providing a have a look at the improved pace and AI efficiency the corporate promised in 2025.

Brighter, "more true" screens As famous above, Samsung and LG look like going all-in on Micro RGB show tech for TVs. Anticipate that to be an enormous buzzword at CES, with Hisense and Sony debuting new fashions, too.

Sony introduced a set of recent Bravia TVs in April 2025, changing the corporate's flagship, filling in its midrange choices and including a brand new price range mannequin to the combination. The star of this up to date Bravia lineup is the Bravia 9, which encompasses a QD-OLED panel, however Sony seems to be prepping fully new show tech for 2026. In March 2025, Sony launched a brand new RGB LED panel that makes use of particular person Mini LED backlights coloured in pink, inexperienced and blue to provide even brighter, extra correct colours. In distinction to a QD-OLED, which filters a layer of blue natural mild emitting diodes via quantum dots that change coloration, Sony's "Basic RGB LED Backlight Know-how" can get as vibrant as a Mini LED panel with no need an additional filter layer or worrying about OLED's issues with burn-in.

The corporate has already trademarked the identify "True RGB," which might find yourself being what Sony calls this new taste of show if it decides to indicate them off at CES. It appears fully doubtless, as a result of CES is nothing if not a TV present — it’s a positive guess that we’ll see new TVs from the likes of LG and Samsung along with Sony. If the corporate would not introduce new show tech for its TVs, it does have a brand new 240Hz PlayStation monitor coming in 2026 that it might showcase at CES as a substitute.

Sony is not the one firm hyped on vibrant screens. Samsung is reportedly pushing an up to date model of the HDR10 and HDR10+ requirements that could possibly be able to demo at CES 2026. The brand new HDR10+ Superior customary could be Samsung's reply to Dolby Imaginative and prescient 2, which incorporates help for issues bi-directional tone mapping and clever options that mechanically adapt sports activities and gaming content material. Samsung's take will reportedly supply improved brightness, genre-based tone mapping and clever movement smoothing choices, amongst different enhancements.

And possibly your future TV gained’t want an influence wire, both: Displace will probably be displaying off a mounting choice that features a 15,000mAh battery to juice up no matter big TV display you select to connect.

Ballie Watch 2026 The ball-shaped yellow robotic lovingly often called "Ballie" has been introduced twice, first in 2020 after which once more in 2024 with a projector in tow. Samsung mentioned Ballie would go on sale in 2025 at CES final 12 months after which shared in April 2025 that Ballie would ship this summer season with Google's Gemini onboard. But it surely's almost 2026, and Ballie is nowhere to be seen. It is potential Samsung might make a 3rd try at asserting its robotic at CES 2026, however whether or not or not it does, robotics will nonetheless be a giant a part of the present.

Robotic vacuums and mops had been a serious spotlight of CES 2025, and it is secure to anticipate notable enhancements from the brand new fashions which might be introduced at CES 2026. Not each firm will undertake the retractable arm of the Roborock Saros Z70, however robotic vacuums with legs for rising over small ledges just like the Dreame X50 seem to be they may turn into the norm. Roborock might additionally showcase its new Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Movement, the primary of its robotic vacuums to function a retractable curler mop.

Past simply traversing areas extra effectively, enhancing robots' navigation is also a serious concern on the present. Distinguished members of the AI business are turning their consideration from massive language fashions to world fashions, which goal to present AI a deep understanding of bodily house. These world fashions could possibly be the important thing to creating robots — like LG’s aforementioned CLOiD — competent at navigating properties and workplaces, and can doubtless be a major speaking level at CES 2026.

We’ll be updating this text all through the month as extra rumors floor and new merchandise are confirmed — keep tuned for future updates!

Replace, December 11 2025, 11:03AM ET: This story has been up to date to incorporate element on Lenovo being Motorola’s mother or father firm and the way the latter may need an element within the Tuesday presentation.

Replace, December 16 2025, 1:33PM ET: This story has been up to date to incorporate the NVIDIA press convention, which was added to the CTA schedule inside the final two days.

Replace, December 23 2025, 7:28AM ET: This story has been up to date to incorporate LG and Samsung’s Micro RGB TV bulletins, which had been made public prior to now seven days. The intro was additionally tweaked to mirror how quickly CES is at this level.

Replace, December 29 2025, 11:03AM ET: This story has been up to date to incorporate extra particulars on pre-announcements from Samsung, LG and Displace.