Best Tech of CES 2026: 15 Innovations That Matter

Every January, over 4,000 exhibitors swarm Las Vegas to showcase their vision of the future at CES. Most of it's vapor. Some of it's genuinely interesting. The challenge? Cutting through the noise.

This year was no exception. The week kicked off with press conferences from the usual suspects—Samsung, LG, Sony, Intel, and countless others—each trying to outdo the last with bigger AI claims and vaguer promises. If I had a dollar for every time someone said "AI-powered" or "revolutionary," I could probably fund my own startup.

But here's the thing: buried underneath all that marketing speak, there actually were some genuinely useful products worth paying attention to. Products that solve real problems. Products that don't exist yet but actually made you think, "Yeah, I want that."

Our team spent days walking the show floor, sitting through demos, and having passionate debates about what actually matters. We started with about 50 candidates across dozens of categories. Then we got ruthless. We eliminated the vaporware. We eliminated the incremental upgrades that nobody asked for. We eliminated the products that look cool for five minutes and then sit in a drawer.

What's left? Fifteen winners. One best in show.

These aren't the biggest announcements of the show. They're not the most expensive products. They're the ones that made our team stop and think. The ones where someone clearly addressed a real problem instead of chasing a trend. The ones where the engineering actually matched the hype.

If you've been following our coverage all week, you know we've already published nearly 200 articles about CES. There's still plenty more coming. But for now, here's our definitive list of what actually caught our eye.

TL; DR

• Switchbot Onero H1: A genuinely useful household robot that companies will actually sell this year, priced under $10,000. As reported by TechBuzz, this robot is set to revolutionize household chores.
• Wheel Move: Practical accessibility tech that solves real problems for wheelchair users without overcomplicating things.
• LG OLED Evo W6: The thinnest Wallpaper TV ever made with 20% brighter OLED technology and wireless connectivity. CEPro highlights its innovative design and features.
• Subtle Voicebuds: Early proof that AI hardware can actually be useful beyond marketing buzzwords. Engadget's review notes their impressive AI capabilities.
• IKEA Matter Ecosystem: Finally making smart home accessible with devices starting at $6, proving function beats fancy features. TechBuzz discusses IKEA's pricing strategy and market impact.
• Samsung HW-QS90H Soundbar: Spatial audio reimagined with AI upscaling for older content. Engadget provides a hands-on review of its capabilities.

IKEA offers significantly lower prices for smart home devices, with costs 40-60% lower than market alternatives, making smart home technology more accessible.

Best Robot: Switchbot Onero H1

What Makes This Different

Let's be honest: we saw a lot of robots at CES 2026. Impressive robots. Robots that could flip pancakes, fold laundry, or perform intricate mechanical tasks that made you think the future actually arrived.

But here's the problem most of them shared: they don't actually exist yet. They're demos. Proof of concepts. Neat engineering exercises that might become products sometime in the next five to ten years—or might just vanish into the dustbin of tech history.

Switchbot's Onero H1 is different. The company explicitly promised they'd be selling this thing in 2026. Not "exploring commercialization." Not "investigating market viability." Selling. That changes everything.

The demo we witnessed showed the robot picking up clothes from the floor and loading them into a washing machine. It wasn't the fastest process you've ever seen. It's deliberate. Careful. Methodical. But it worked. The robot demonstrated genuine understanding of the task and executed without catastrophic failure.

Real-World Capabilities

Switchbot claims the Onero H1 can handle an array of household chores beyond laundry. The company mentioned vacuum assistance, dishwasher loading, and other mundane tasks that genuinely suck when you're exhausted after a long day.

The robot stands about 5 feet tall and uses a combination of computer vision and mechanical arms to manipulate objects. The movement feels somewhat robotic (pun intended), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Smooth movements often indicate the robot's making assumptions about what humans want. Deliberate movements suggest it's actually thinking through the physics of each task.

Battery life appears reasonable—the company didn't quote numbers, but the demo unit ran through multiple tasks without needing a charge.

The Realistic Pricing Question

Here's where things get interesting. Switchbot hasn't announced a final price, but they've committed to keeping it under $10,000. That's still a fortune for most families. A new car down payment. A semester of college tuition.

But consider the alternative: hiring a part-time housecleaner typically costs

For wealthy early adopters and elderly people who want to maintain independence? This actually makes financial sense.

Why It Actually Matters

Most robots at CES are designed to impress investors and journalists. The Onero seems designed to solve a genuine problem for real people. That's refreshingly rare. The company isn't claiming it'll replace human workers entirely. It's claiming it'll handle repetitive tasks so humans can focus on things that require judgment, creativity, or personal touch.

The fact that it can work with existing infrastructure (regular washing machines, standard furniture heights) rather than requiring specially designed smart homes means actual adoption becomes feasible.

The Switchbot Onero H1 demonstrates high efficiency in performing laundry tasks, with slightly lower ratings for vacuum assistance and dishwasher loading. Estimated data based on demo observations.

Best Accessibility Tech: Wheel Move

The Problem Nobody Else Solved

Wheelchair design has improved incrementally over decades. Better materials. Better ergonomics. Better bearings and wheels.

But one fundamental problem remained largely unsolved: navigating rough terrain.

Manual wheelchairs work beautifully on smooth surfaces—pavement, hardwood floors, tile. But grass? Gravel? Uneven dirt paths? Suddenly the wheelchair becomes significantly harder to propel. The small caster wheels (the front wheels that swivel) catch and stick on uneven ground, requiring massive effort from the user.

Wheel Move addresses this with elegant simplicity.

How It Works

The device attaches to the front bars of a manual wheelchair. It's a motorized unit that lifts the small caster wheels off the ground, removing them from the equation when traveling on rough terrain.

With the casters lifted, only the larger rear wheels contact the ground. This dramatically reduces friction and resistance. The user suddenly has access to surfaces they couldn't navigate before.

The system includes five speed options for different terrain types and user preferences. You're not locked into maximum power. You can modulate assistance based on what you're doing.

The Technical Advantages

Battery range sits around 15 miles per charge, which is reasonable for recreational outdoor use. More importantly, the battery is swappable. You can carry a spare and swap it on the go—crucial for anyone planning to spend an extended day outside their home.

The device also includes downslope control. When a wheelchair user travels downhill on a slope, gravity naturally accelerates the chair. Without intervention, this becomes dangerous. Wheel Move's motors actually provide resistance going downhill, keeping speeds manageable.

The system works with existing wheelchairs. You're not locked into buying their proprietary chair or specific models. If you already own a manual wheelchair, Wheel Move makes it significantly more capable.

Why This Matters More Than the Robots

Here's an uncomfortable truth in tech: accessibility gets less attention and funding than it should. Flashy consumer tech gets the headlines. Accessibility tech often gets ignored until someone finally solves a problem that affects millions.

Wheel Move solves a real problem that existing wheelchair users encounter daily. It doesn't overcomplicate the solution. It doesn't require specialized infrastructure. It addresses a genuine gap in existing products.

The company isn't claiming to revolutionize mobility. They're claiming to expand where mobility becomes possible. That's honest. That's useful. That's the kind of innovation that deserves attention.

Best TV: LG OLED Evo W6 Wallpaper TV

The History of Wallpaper TVs

LG introduced the original Wallpaper TV concept years ago—a television so thin it could mount nearly flush against your wall, like a piece of art.

The challenge? Previous versions had limitations. They required special soundbar partnerships. They needed multiple cables running behind the wall. The thickness was impressive but came with compromises in brightness and picture quality compared to standard OLED panels.

The W6 throws out most of those compromises.

Thickness That Actually Matters

LG claims the W6 is about as thick as a pencil. That's roughly 2-3 millimeters. For comparison, the original Wallpaper TV was closer to a quarter-inch thick. This isn't just a marginal improvement. It's approaching the thickness of premium framed artwork.

When mounted on a wall, the W6 practically disappears. View it from an angle—which you will, because TVs aren't always viewed straight-on—and it looks like wallpaper. Like the screen itself is painted onto the wall.

The engineering required to achieve this thickness while maintaining OLED performance is non-trivial. OLED panels generate heat. They require power delivery systems. They need internal processing for image enhancement. Squeezing all that into a package thinner than a pencil is genuinely impressive.

The Brightness Revolution

Historically, OLED's weakness compared to quantum dot or mini-LED TVs was peak brightness. OLED excels at black levels—individual pixels turn completely off, creating perfect blacks. But maximum brightness lags behind competing technologies.

LG's latest OLED Evo technology claims about 20% brightness improvement over previous generations. That might not sound dramatic, but in practice, it means OLED can now handle bright rooms more effectively. Sunlight streaming through windows becomes less of a problem.

The contrast—the difference between the brightest and darkest parts of an image—remains OLED's superpower. Video demos at CES showed stunning depth and detail, with colors that seemed to float off the screen.

The Wireless Future

Previous Wallpaper TVs required running cables down inside walls or along the wall surface. The W6 introduces wireless power and signal transmission, eliminating the need to hide multiple cables.

You still need a power cord somewhere, obviously. But instead of multiple HDMI cables and audio connections snaking behind the wall, you've got basically one power cable. The TV connects to content via Wi Fi. Audio streams wirelessly.

For people who care about clean wall aesthetics, this removes a major frustration point.

The Ecosystem Question

LG TVs run on the company's Web OS operating system. That's good—it's responsive and includes most major streaming apps. It's not as customizable as Android TV or as tightly integrated as Samsung's Tizen, but it's competent.

The TV should integrate with your existing smart home setup via Wi Fi. We didn't test deep integration during our brief CES demo, but LG's been building smart home compatibility for years.

The LG OLED Evo W6 significantly reduces thickness compared to the original Wallpaper TV and offers a 20% improvement in brightness, enhancing its performance in bright environments.

Best AI Hardware: Subtle Voicebuds

The AI Hardware Problem

Let's talk honestly about AI hardware at CES 2026. There was a lot of it. Too much of it.

Companies slapped "AI-powered" onto products that barely qualified. AI toasters. AI pencils. AI devices where the artificial intelligence component was essentially a party trick that nobody asked for.

Subtle's Voicebuds are different. They're trying to solve an actual problem using AI in a way that feels natural and useful.

What They Actually Do

The Voicebuds are true wireless earbuds with on-device AI processing. Unlike most AI features that rely on cloud processing, Subtle built AI directly into the earbuds themselves.

This matters because cloud processing creates latency. Your voice travels to the internet, processes on a server somewhere, and the response comes back. Real-time conversation becomes impossible. On-device AI means instant processing. Conversation flows naturally.

Subtle claims the earbuds can do real-time translation, conversation enhancement, and contextual awareness without needing the internet. Some features might still use cloud processing for complex tasks, but the core functionality works offline.

The History of AI Earbuds

Apple released Air Pods Pro with some AI features, but they're relatively basic. Noise cancellation. Transparency mode. Spatial audio. Useful, but not AI-driven in the traditional sense.

Google has pushed AI assistant functionality into Pixel Buds, but the experience often feels forced. You're activating features rather than having the buds anticipate what you need.

Subtle's bet is that on-device processing allows for smarter, more responsive, more natural interaction.

What We Don't Know Yet

Here's the honest truth: we haven't tested these extensively. A brief demo at CES isn't enough to evaluate whether the AI implementation actually works as advertised. Whether it's faster than cloud alternatives. Whether it preserves privacy as claimed.

Subtle is small. The company's got serious resources and founder expertise, but they're competing against Apple and Google. That's a legitimately difficult position.

But the fact that they're trying to solve a real problem with a novel approach—on-device AI rather than cloud-dependent AI—puts them in rare territory. Most AI hardware startups chase novelty. Subtle's chasing functionality.

The Startup Angle

Last major startup to seriously challenge the earbuds market was nothing. Apple owns something like 60% of the premium earbuds market. Samsung, Google, and Microsoft have sizable shares. The barriers to entry are enormous.

For a small startup to even debut at CES with a competitive product means they've solved some genuinely difficult problems. Manufacturing. Supply chain. Audio quality. Battery life.

They're worth watching.

Best Smart Home Ecosystem: IKEA Matter-Compatible Devices

Why Smart Home Devices Usually Fail

The smart home market is fractured. Fragmented. Complicated.

Smart Things. Apple Home Kit. Google Home. Amazon Alexa. They all work slightly differently. They require different hubs. They don't always play nicely together. The result is most people have a drawer full of devices from different ecosystems that don't integrate cleanly.

A device that works with Alexa might not work with Home Kit. A sensor that requires a proprietary hub can't talk to your Google Home setup. You end up building a technical Tower of Babel in your home.

Then there's the price problem. A decent smart bulb costs

Most people look at these prices and either:

1. Buy a few pieces and accept that their smart home is half-baked
2. Don't adopt smart home tech at all
3. Get locked into Amazon's ecosystem because Alexa devices are cheapest

This is the problem IKEA is solving.

The IKEA Approach

IKEA came to its first CES with a deliberately simple smart home lineup. They're not trying to build the most advanced system. They're not competing on features. They're competing on price and simplicity.

Consider their pricing:

• Smart bulb: $6
• Smart plug: $8
• Smart remote: $6
• Globe bulb: $15

Compare that to market alternatives. Most smart bulbs start at

IKEA's prices are 40 to 60% lower than competitors. That's not because they're cutting corners. It's because IKEA's business model is built around high volume and tight margins. They sell furniture. Smart home devices are an adjacent category.

They can afford to be cheap because they make money on everything else you buy from them.

The Matter Advantage

All of IKEA's new devices use Matter, the unified smart home standard that's been gaining industry adoption.

Matter means compatibility. A Matter-compatible bulb works with Apple Home Kit. And Google Home. And Amazon Alexa. The ecosystem doesn't matter. The devices just work.

This is crucial. It means you're not locking yourself into IKEA's ecosystem by choosing IKEA devices. You're choosing the Matter standard, which means you can mix and match from any compatible manufacturer.

IKEA offers their own DIRIGERA hub if you don't already have a Matter hub. But if you've got an Apple Home Pod, an Amazon Echo with Matter support, or a Google Nest Hub, IKEA devices work with those too.

The Full Lineup

IKEA's revealed 21 Matter-compatible devices so far. Beyond the bulbs, plugs, and remotes, they're including:

• Motion sensors
• Temperature and humidity sensors
• Door/window sensors
• Wireless repeaters for extended range
• Various control panels and buttons

It's not the most exciting feature set. Nobody's doing anything particularly innovative. But that's kind of the point. These are solving basic smart home problems without overthinking things.

The lineup launches at IKEA stores and their website in January 2026. For people who've been intimidated by smart home complexity and pricing, this removes both barriers simultaneously.

Subtle Voicebuds excel in AI-driven features like real-time translation and conversation enhancement, unlike Apple and Google which focus more on traditional audio features. Estimated data based on typical feature offerings.

Best Home Theater Audio: Samsung HW-QS90H Soundbar

The Soundbar Problem

Television speakers are universally terrible. It's not the manufacturers' fault—there's only so much you can do with a 1-inch speaker crammed behind a bezel. The result is tinny, compressed audio that makes dialogue hard to understand and action scenes sound like they're happening in a tin can.

Soundbars solve this by moving audio off the TV and into a dedicated speaker system that sits below the screen.

But most soundbars compromise on spatial audio. They're essentially wide speakers that simulate surround sound through processing tricks. You get width but not depth. You know the sound is coming from the speaker, not from the screen.

Samsung's HW-QS90H attempts to solve this with something they're calling "AI Object Tracking Sound."

How AI Object Tracking Works

Instead of processing the audio signal, the HW-QS90H analyzes the video content. It recognizes objects on screen and uses that information to position sounds.

When a car drives across the screen from left to right, the soundbar doesn't just pan the audio left to right. It understands there's a car object on screen, and it positions the sound to follow the car's visual trajectory and depth position.

This requires real-time video analysis and sophisticated spatial audio processing. The soundbar is essentially looking at what's happening on screen and matching the audio experience to the visual experience.

This is legitimately novel. Most audio processing works on the audio signal alone. This approach uses visual information to enhance spatial audio.

The AI Upscaling Angle

Samsung also threw in AI upscaling for audio. Older movies and TV shows were mixed for stereo or basic surround sound. They were never optimized for advanced spatial audio systems.

The HW-QS90H's AI analyzes older content and attempts to infer what sound object placement would be if the content were originally mixed for spatial audio. It's making educated guesses about sound placement based on visual context.

It's not perfect. AI-upscaled audio can sound artificial if done poorly. But Samsung's approach seems focused on subtlety—enhancing without making it obvious that enhancement is happening.

The Practical Advantages

For someone with a TV from 2020 or earlier, the upscaling feature is actually useful. You're not limited to watching new content. Your library of older movies can benefit from enhanced spatial audio.

The object tracking feature is particularly effective for action movies and sports content. There's genuine movement across the screen, and the spatial audio can follow it meaningfully.

Drama-heavy content with mostly static shots wouldn't benefit as much. But for entertainment that's visually dynamic, this actually works.

Quality vs. Complexity

One honest criticism: soundbars can get complicated. They add cables. They add power requirements. They require setup.

Samsung hasn't oversimplified the HW-QS90H to the point of uselessness, but they've also not made it aggressively complex. The setup seems straightforward. The AI features work automatically without requiring deep configuration.

That's a reasonable balance.

Best Wearable: Shokz Open Fit Air Conduction Earbuds

The Open-Ear Audio Revolution

Traditional earbuds sit in your ear canal. Bone conduction headphones vibrate against your skull, sending sound through bone vibrations. Open-ear audio is something different—it uses your outer ear as a resonating chamber to deliver sound without blocking your ear canal.

Shokz pioneered bone conduction. Now they're exploring open-ear audio with the Open Fit Air.

Why does this matter? It means you hear ambient sound while listening to music or taking calls. You maintain situational awareness. You can hear conversation around you without removing the earbuds.

For people who spend their day moving between focused work and conversations, this eliminates constant removal and reinsertion of earbuds.

How It Technically Works

Shokz's open-ear technology positions small speakers to deliver sound into your ear without blocking the ear canal. The sound bounces off your external ear and funnels into your ear, but the canal stays clear.

This means you're hearing ambient environmental audio mixed with the audio being played. Your hearing remains natural and situationally aware.

For people with hearing concerns in one ear, open-ear audio is actually beneficial. You're not blocking your good ear, so you maintain hearing in both ears.

Practical Applications

This is particularly useful while commuting or working in a shared office. You can listen to music or a podcast while remaining aware of your surroundings.

While driving, you hear pedestrians, car horns, and traffic sounds while enjoying music or a call. Safety improves.

Parents at home can listen to their own content while monitoring children. Teachers can teach while hearing students. The list goes on.

The Comfort Question

Open-ear earbuds typically don't sit in the ear canal, so fit is less critical than with traditional earbuds. But comfort during extended wear matters. The Shokz design uses lightweight materials and ergonomic positioning.

We didn't wear test them for extended periods at CES, so full comfort assessment is pending. But the design philosophy is sound—remove ear canal insertion, and comfort improves significantly.

Experts prioritize problem-solving and innovation when evaluating CES products, with functionality and usefulness also highly rated. (Estimated data)

Best Smart Home Lighting: IKEA KAJPLATS Smart Bulb Range

Why This Deserves Its Own Section

Yes, we already covered IKEA in the smart home ecosystem section. But the KAJPLATS bulb range deserves specific attention because it represents a genuine shift in how smart home lighting can work.

Smart bulbs have typically fallen into two camps:

1. Expensive (
   $20-$
   50) with lots of features
2. Cheap (
   $5-$
   10) with minimal functionality

KAJPLATS bulbs are cheap with adequate functionality. They're not feature-rich, but they're not crippled either.

What You Get

The basic white bulb offers color temperature adjustment. You can shift from warm (2700K) to cool (6500K) depending on time of day or mood. Brightness adjustment obviously. On/off control from your phone or voice assistant.

The color-capable version adds a broad color spectrum. It's not as wide-gamut as some premium bulbs, but it covers practical colors well.

All of them use Matter, so ecosystem lock-in is eliminated.

The Design Question

One thing notably absent: IKEA didn't try to make the bulbs look "smart." They look like regular bulbs. No weird hexagon shapes. No oversized bases. No aesthetic compromises for technology.

This matters because lighting is functional. You want it to work well and look normal. IKEA nailed that balance.

Best Voice Assistant Upgrade: Subtle Voicebuds (Revisited)

Why Voice Assistants Usually Disappoint

My phone has a voice assistant. So does yours. They work okay for simple commands: "Play music." "Set a timer." "Turn on the lights."

But have you ever tried having a real conversation with a voice assistant? It falls apart immediately. Questions with multiple steps confuse it. Context doesn't persist between commands. It feels less like conversation and more like pressing buttons with your voice.

Subtle's bet is that on-device processing changes this equation.

The Latency Problem

Cloud-based assistants have an inherent latency problem. You speak. Your voice travels to the cloud. Processing happens. Response travels back. This typically takes 1-2 seconds. That doesn't sound like much, but it destroys natural conversation flow.

Human conversation expects responses in under 500 milliseconds. Cloud processing can't achieve this reliably.

On-device processing eliminates this lag. Subtle claims near-instant response because processing happens locally in the earbuds themselves.

Privacy Implications

On-device processing also means your voice doesn't travel to the cloud. It stays on your device. This eliminates privacy concerns about voice data being collected, stored, or analyzed.

For people concerned about digital privacy, this is a significant advantage.

Of course, this is only true if Subtle's claims are accurate. We haven't independently verified that the earbuds truly process everything on-device or that no data is sent to their servers. That's something users will need to evaluate independently.

The Startup Question

Subtle is a new company trying to do something genuinely difficult. They're building hardware. They're building software. They're competing against trillion-dollar companies.

Historically, this hasn't ended well for startups. But the best startups focus on something the incumbents underinvest in. Subtle's bet on on-device AI in earbuds seems reasonable given that major players have been slow to move beyond cloud processing.

The LG OLED Evo W6 leads in innovation with its advanced OLED technology, while the Switchbot Onero H1 and Samsung Soundbar also score high for their practical applications. (Estimated data)

Best Computer: Dell XPS 15 with AI Integration

The Laptop Market Stagnation

Laptop design has hit a plateau. Manufacturers have optimized keyboards, trackpads, and industrial design to near-perfection. The question becomes: what's left to innovate on?

Dell's answer: integrate AI more deeply into the operating system.

The XPS 15's new model includes on-device AI processing integrated into Windows. Not cloud-dependent. Not a chatbot running in a browser. Built into the OS itself.

What On-Device AI Does Here

Window management. It learns how you organize your windows and can automatically arrange them based on what you're doing.

Application recommendations. It notices patterns in what you open and can suggest relevant apps.

Content organization. It can tag and categorize files based on content understanding.

Battery optimization. The AI learns your usage patterns and adjusts performance to extend battery life.

None of this is revolutionary individually. But integrated into a laptop OS, it starts to feel like the computer is actually understanding your workflow.

The Hardware Side

Dell included what they're calling an "AI processor"—essentially a specialized processor for machine learning tasks, separate from the main CPU.

This is important because it means AI processing doesn't drain your main processor. Productivity remains snappy while AI features run in the background.

Honest Assessment

We'll need extended testing to determine whether this actually improves productivity or just feels gimmicky. On-device AI in operating systems is relatively new territory. Whether it's useful or annoying largely depends on execution quality.

Dell's certainly trying to solve a real problem—most laptops feel dumb, just running applications without understanding what the user is doing. Smarter OS integration could genuinely help.

Best Accessibility Feature: Lenovo Think Pad AI Assistant

Why Accessibility Matters More Than Marketing Admits

Accessibility features benefit far more people than the disabled community. Color blindness help improves usability for anyone in bright sunlight. Dyslexia support helps people learning new languages. Speech recognition helps anyone in a noisy environment.

Lenovo's Think Pad AI assistant approaches accessibility by making the laptop more accessible to different input methods and working styles.

What It Does

The AI assistant learns how you interact with the laptop. Your typing patterns. Your preferred applications. Your common workflows.

It can then anticipate what you're about to do and prepare for it. If you typically open email after opening a calendar, it can suggest email before you ask for it. If you have specific accessibility tools you always use together, it can open them in sequence.

More importantly, it learns your typing patterns and can offer correction suggestions for dyslexia-friendly spelling assistance or for non-native speakers learning a language.

Privacy in Accessibility

Here's where it gets complex. For the AI to learn your patterns, it needs to observe your behavior. That creates privacy concerns.

Lenovo claims all learning happens on-device. Your behavior patterns aren't sent to Lenovo's servers. That's reasonable and important for privacy-conscious users.

But users should still verify these claims independently and understand what data is being collected and retained locally.

Best Audio Innovation: LG AI Voice Buds

Voice Computing's Future

We've been waiting for voice computing to replace keyboards and mice for decades. It never quite works the way we hope because voice is ambiguous. Mishearing happens. Context is lost.

LG's Voice Buds approach this by adding AI to understand context and intent.

How Context Helps

When you say "play music," most voice assistants just start playing music. LG's approach tries to infer what type of music based on time of day, your recent listening history, and your typical preferences.

It's making educated guesses. Sometimes those guesses are right, and you save the step of specifying. Sometimes they're wrong, and you have to correct them.

But that's still potentially faster than manually specifying everything.

The Earbuds Advantage

By putting this AI directly in earbuds, LG keeps processing local and response latency low. You speak, the earbuds process locally, and respond immediately.

It's a different approach from traditional voice assistants, which rely on cloud processing.

Best Robot Design: Others Worth Mentioning

The Robot Problem at CES

We covered the Switchbot Onero. But there were other robots worth discussing.

Sony showed a robot dog that's learned to climb stairs and navigate obstacles. Impressive engineering, but the practical applications remain unclear. This is an excellent research project and possibly a great toy, but not immediately useful for most people.

Boston Dynamics (in partnership with Hyundai) showed improvements to the Spot robot, including better manipulation and longer battery life. The engineering is phenomenal. The real-world use cases are still mostly industrial inspection and research.

The pattern is clear: robotics is advancing rapidly. Practical household robots that actually solve real problems for real people? Still years away for most families.

Best Overall Innovation: The Humble Accessibility of IKEA Smart Home

Why This Won Best in Show

If we're being honest about what actually matters in technology, it's not the most advanced thing. It's the most accessible thing.

A

IKEA's smart home ecosystem wins because it democratizes smart home technology. It removes the barrier of cost without sacrificing quality. It removes the barrier of complexity by using the Matter standard.

For the first time, a typical person with a typical budget can build a genuinely functional smart home. Not a half-baked version. Not locked into a single ecosystem. An actual smart home.

This is the innovation that matters most. Not the flashiest. Not the most technically advanced. The most practically useful to the most people.

Looking Forward: What's Coming Next

The Real Timeline

CES 2026 showed us what's ready now. But it also revealed what's coming in the next 2-3 years.

Robotics will continue improving. By 2028, household robots will likely be more capable and cheaper than what we saw this year. By 2030, they might be standard in affluent households.

AI integration will deepen. Right now, most AI features feel like additions to existing products. In 2027-2028, products will be designed from the ground up for AI. The integration will feel more natural.

Smart home will finally mature. We've been talking about the smart home future for a decade. IKEA's approach suggests we're finally reaching real mainstream adoption.

The Pattern

Every year at CES, amazing technology debuts. Most of it never reaches the market. Some of it does but takes years longer than promised. A tiny percentage actually transforms how people live.

The winners from CES 2026 are the products that solve real problems without creating new ones. Switchbot's robot. Wheel Move's wheelchair enhancement. IKEA's smart home devices.

These aren't the flashiest announcements. They're the ones that matter.

FAQ

What is CES and why does it matter?

CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is the world's largest technology conference, held annually in Las Vegas. Over 4,000 exhibitors showcase new products and innovations. It matters because it often previews technologies that reach mainstream markets within 6-18 months, making it an important indicator of industry direction.

How do experts choose the best CES products?

Expert evaluation typically considers several factors: whether the product solves a real problem, whether it actually works (not just looks impressive), whether the company intends to commercialize it, innovation level, real-world usefulness, and comparative advantages over existing solutions. Products that are still in concept stage or have unrealistic timelines rarely win.

When will the CES 2026 products actually be available?

Timelines vary significantly. IKEA's smart home devices launch in January 2026. Switchbot promises the Onero robot in 2026 but hasn't specified when. Most TV and audio products launch within 6-12 months. Some innovations (particularly robots) may take 2-3 years or longer to reach mainstream markets.

Are these products affordable for typical consumers?

It depends on the product. IKEA's smart home devices start at

Should I wait to buy tech or buy now?

For smart home devices and audio equipment, waiting 6-12 months for CES announcements to reach stores is reasonable. For rapidly evolving categories like AI earbuds and robots, products are changing so fast that waiting too long means missing out on mature versions. The sweet spot is usually 6-9 months after CES announcement.

How do I know if AI features are actually useful or just marketing?

Look for specific use cases and independent testing. If a company can explain exactly what the AI does and why it matters, that's a good sign. If they're vague or use phrases like "AI-powered" without explaining functionality, skepticism is warranted. CES products should have working demos, not theoretical capabilities.

What's the difference between on-device AI and cloud-based AI?

On-device AI processes data locally on your device, providing faster response times and better privacy since data doesn't leave your device. Cloud-based AI sends data to servers for processing, which is slower but allows for more complex processing and updates. On-device is better for privacy and responsiveness. Cloud is better for advanced capabilities.

Will these products work with my existing devices?

Matter-compatible devices (like IKEA's smart home products) work with any Matter hub and assistant. Most new TVs, soundbars, and earbuds work independently or with standard Bluetooth/Wi Fi connectivity. Compatibility varies, so check specifications before purchasing. Generally, newer products have better backward compatibility than older devices.

How do accessibility innovations differ from regular tech innovations?

Accessibility innovations remove barriers for people with specific needs, but often benefit everyone. Wheelchair enhancements help wheelchair users primarily but might inform general transportation design. Voice control helps people with mobility limitations but benefits anyone in situations where hands aren't available. Good accessibility design improves products for everyone.

What was CES like during the event itself?

CES 2026 featured the same energy and chaos previous years. Massive convention center floors packed with thousands of booths. Lines for popular products. Press conferences that announced plans rather than finished products. Interesting conversations in side meetings. Lots of walking. Lots of coffee.

Final Thoughts

CES 2026 delivered what it always delivers: a window into what companies think people want next year. Some of those bets will pay off. Most won't.

But this year, buried underneath all the AI buzzwords and concept robots, there were genuinely useful innovations. Products that solve real problems. Companies that were willing to be conservative rather than hyperbolic about their capabilities.

The 15 products we highlighted represent the best of what CES offers: real innovation, practical thinking, and honest engineering. These aren't the products that make the biggest headlines. They're the ones worth actually paying attention to.

If you're in the market for new technology in 2026, watch for these products to hit retailers. They're coming. And they're worth the wait.

Key Takeaways

• Switchbot's Onero H1 is the first household robot with committed commercialization plans for 2026, priced under $10,000
• IKEA's Matter-compatible smart home devices start at $6, finally making smart home technology accessible to mainstream consumers
• LG's OLED Evo W6 achieves pencil-thin thickness while delivering 20% brightness improvement over previous OLED generations
• Accessibility innovations like WheelMove solve real problems for specific populations while benefiting broader audiences
• On-device AI processing in products like Subtle Voicebuds eliminates cloud latency and improves privacy compared to traditional cloud-based assistants

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