Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash

CES 2026 officially opens on Tuesday in Las Vegas with 4,500 exhibitors across 2.6 million square feet. I’ve attended for decades. Here’s what has my attention.

The Jan. 5 Chip Trifecta

Something like $3 trillion has been spent or committed to AI research and infrastructure. On Monday, 3 keynotes will map the AI silicon landscape for 2026. Jensen Huang takes the NVIDIA stage at 1:00 PM PT, followed by Intel’s Jim Johnson at 3:00 PM PT, with AMD’s Lisa Su closing at 6:30 PM PT.

Analysts expect NVIDIA to focus on data centers, physical AI, robotics, and autonomous technology, with the Cosmos foundation model platform receiving significant stage time. The NVIDIA Showcase will feature more than 20 demos, including DGX Spark, which brings Grace Blackwell architecture to developer desktops.

AMD’s Dr. Su will outline the company’s vision from cloud to edge to device: expect the Ryzen AI 400 “Gorgon Point” series, Instinct MI350/MI400 launch windows, EPYC Venice specs, and details on AMD’s OpenAI partnership.

Intel’s Johnson faces the highest stakes. He will unveil Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” processors, the first chips built on Intel’s 18A process, with claims of 50% more processing performance. This is the first big product launch of the Intel turnaround. If you’re a student of AI infrastructure, this is going to be a big afternoon.

Home Robots: Demo or Product?

The gap between robotics demonstrations and shipping products remains the defining question at CES 2026. LG CLOiD debuts as the company’s most ambitious home robot, featuring 2 articulated arms with 7 degrees of freedom each, 5 individually actuated fingers per hand, and a sensor array including cameras and LiDAR. Powered by LG’s “Affectionate Intelligence” technology, CLOiD is designed to learn from repeated interactions and handle delicate household tasks. LG calls this the “Zero Labor Home” strategy.

South Korea’s Humanoid M.AX Alliance unveils a dedicated Robot Pavilion in North Hall, backed by $770 million in government funding and 224 member organizations. Korean companies are already moving beyond demos: Rainbow Robotics has deployed humanoid robots at Samsung Display for precision maintenance on laser equipment. China’s Unitree showcases its G1 humanoid, now available starting at $16,000.

TrendForce forecasts global humanoid robot shipments will exceed 50,000 units in 2026, representing over 700% year-over-year growth. The humanoids are definitely on the way. The minute they can make the bed and do laundry, I’m in.

Smart Glasses: The Field Gets Crowded

The smart glasses market is fragmenting into distinct tiers. XREAL One Pro delivers a 57-degree field of view (the widest in consumer AR glasses), Sony micro-OLED displays, and Bose-tuned audio at $599. Project Aura, a Google/XREAL collaboration, features optical see-through 70-degree lenses and runs Android XR on a tethered compute puck. Apps built for Samsung Galaxy XR will work on Aura’s glasses. Google has confirmed that Android XR glasses from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster will arrive throughout 2026.

Viture Luma Pro targets gamers and travelers with Sony micro-OLED panels projecting a 152-inch virtual screen at 1,000 nits brightness. Meta has shipped the Ray-Ban Meta Display with Neural Band at $799, featuring a full-color in-lens display controlled by an EMG wristband that reads subtle finger movements. The 2026 roadmap includes virtual handwriting and Instagram Reels integration. Beyond the Display model, Meta is developing next-generation smart glasses codenamed Aperol and Bellini, with optional “super sensing” features including facial recognition.

The TV Wars Get Interesting

Every year TVs get thinner, bigger, brighter, and better color. There is some “real” TV news this year. The OLED era may be ending. Samsung, LG, and Sony are all showing Micro RGB televisions, which use individual red, green, and blue LEDs instead of white OLEDs with color filters. The benefits: brighter images, 100% BT.2020 color gamut coverage, and no burn-in risk.

2 interesting standouts: Samsung’s Odyssey 3D offers glasses-free 6K 3D at 1,040Hz refresh rate and LG’s 1,080Hz gaming monitor featuring dual-mode support. The 1,000Hz barrier is officially broken.

Kitchen Appliances Get Conversational

Samsung is embedding Google Gemini directly into Bespoke AI refrigerators, microwaves, and ranges. The new refrigerators use cameras to recognize food (including items in personal containers with handwritten labels) and automatically catalog inventory. My question: “Who will own this data?”

Taking the idea of a knock-knock joke just a bit too far, LG’s Signature Smart InstaView refrigerator uses a T-OLED door panel that displays elegant visuals when idle and transforms to show contents with a knock. Internal cameras identify ingredients and suggest recipes.

LG’s Signature Oven Range introduces Gourmet AI, which recognizes 85+ dishes and automatically applies optimal settings. AI Browning monitors bread and sends notifications when it reaches your preference. And LG’s Over-the-Range Microwave features three built-in cameras for real-time cooking monitoring and a 27-inch full HD touchscreen.

The Laptop Chip Battle Heats Up

Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm all launch new laptop silicon at CES. Intel’s “Panther Lake” processors are the first built on its 18A process. AMD counters with the Ryzen AI 400 “Gorgon Point” series plus FSR Redstone for gaming. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite chips target improved AI performance.

Hardware announcements follow quickly: Samsung’s Galaxy Book 6 Pro debuts with Panther Lake, ASUS celebrates ROG’s 20th anniversary with updated Zephyrus laptops and a rumored ROG Ally 2 handheld, and Lenovo shows a rollable OLED gaming laptop that expands from 16 to 24 inches.

Wearables: The Rise of Smart Rings (and 1 Exceptional Band)

CES 2026 officially spotlights smart rings as a breakthrough category, with Oura, Ultrahuman, RingConn, Luna, and Bond positioned as headline exhibitors. Oura pushes deep sleep and readiness metrics with the Ring 4. Bond positions itself as a miniature health lab with ECG and blood pressure capabilities. The Pebble Index 01 takes a different approach: a $75 ring with no health sensors, just a button and microphone for capturing thoughts before they disappear.

Honorable mention to WHOOP, which is not technically a ring but remains my daily wearable of choice (not a paid endorsement). The WHOOP 5.0 delivers 14-day battery life, a 7% smaller form factor, and medical-grade capabilities including FDA-cleared ECG and blood pressure insights. WHOOP Advanced Labs, launching in early 2026, adds clinician-reviewed bloodwork panels, turning the wrist-worn band into a comprehensive health platform.

What I’ll Be Watching

Smartphones have become the Swiss Army knives of consumer electronics. They pretty much do everything. But an AI-powered future may look very different. I’m looking for realistic timelines on household robots, smart glasses, healthspan tech, Google’s Gemini in the kitchen, and the potential for Micro RGB to replace OLED.

I’ll also be paying close attention to B2B offerings and how the tech will impact supply chain, manufacturing, and distribution. 2026 will be the first year we’ll see AI truly deployed across every aspect of every business. So, expect the unexpected.

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