Las Vegas is Ready for Its Close-Up: CES 2026 Preview
Get ready to put on your walking shoes and charge your devices, because the biggest week in tech is nearly here. The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, is set to kick off in Las Vegas, Nevada, running from January 6 through January 9, and the atmosphere promises to be electric. This year, the focus isn’t on a single revolutionary gadget, but rather a tidal wave of intelligence, as artificial intelligence moves from a headline feature to the foundational infrastructure for everything we use.
If there’s one phrase to define the show, it’s “AI Everywhere.” We’re not just talking about massive cloud systems anymore. The major trend for 2026 is “on-device AI” or “Edge AI,” meaning the smarts are running directly on your laptop, wearable, or home appliance. This shift is crucial for improving privacy and enabling instantaneous responses without relying on an internet connection. Expect to see new silicon powering this change, including Intel’s Panther Lake chips and new Snapdragon X2 processors from Qualcomm, which are all designed to make the “AI PC” a mainstream reality.
Of course, CES wouldn’t be CES without dazzling displays, and this year, the TV wars have a new battleground: Micro RGB. Companies like Samsung, LG, and Sony are poised to debut lineups featuring this new display technology. Analysts believe Micro RGB TVs could rival the picture quality of OLED screens while being more energy efficient and potentially more accessible. Meanwhile, smaller screens are also getting an upgrade, with new wearable AI glasses, such as the latest smart frames from Meta, moving beyond simple capture to offer continuous, hands-free interaction for a truly personal intelligence experience.
Outside of the convention halls, the show’s automotive section is set to be a massive draw. The conversation has matured from basic autonomous driving to fully “software-defined vehicles.” Major automakers and tech companies will showcase cars with highly sophisticated in-cabin AI assistants, which use biometrics and context awareness to personalize the driving experience. We are also expecting to see more concrete details about electric vehicle platforms and robotaxi services, including an update from the joint venture between Sony and Honda Mobility.
Finally, the smart home is getting significantly smarter, and more integrated. Driven by industry standards like Matter and Aliro, expect appliances, locks, and security cameras to work together more seamlessly, with a clear focus on energy management and local processing to enhance user privacy. Alongside the functional updates, we’ll see the latest generation of robotics, from industrial quadruped models capable of traversing rugged terrain to increasingly advanced home service robots, like smarter robot vacuums. CES 2026 is shaping up to be a show where the future isn’t just teased, but integrated into the devices we use every single day.