Samsung CES 2026 'First Look' Presentation: Complete Watch Guide
Samsung's about to shake things up. For the first time in years, the company's ditching its traditional Monday midday press conference at CES and going straight for the jugular with a Sunday night premiere. This isn't just a scheduling change, it's a strategic flex that signals Samsung's confidence in what they're about to announce.
If you're wondering how to watch, when to tune in, and what Samsung might actually reveal at CES 2026, you've come to the right place. We're breaking down everything you need to know about the company's "First Look" presentation.
TL; DR
- When: Sunday, January 4, 2026, at 10 PM ET from the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas
- Where: Watch live on Samsung Electronics' YouTube channel, Samsung Newsroom, or Samsung TV Plus
- Who's Presenting: TM Roh (CEO of Device eXperience), SW Yong (Visual Display President), Cheolgi Kim (Digital Appliances Executive Vice President)
- What to Expect: New AI-driven customer experiences, gaming monitors, displays, and home appliances
- Why It Matters: Samsung's taking the lead at CES 2026, signaling major announcements ahead of competitors
The new Odyssey 32-inch 6K model is expected to lead in resolution and 3D technology, while the Odyssey G8 excels in refresh rate. Estimated data based on typical feature improvements.
Why Samsung's Changing the CES Playbook in 2026
Samsung's been to every single Consumer Electronics Show since practically forever. The company's press conferences became legendary for their sheer breadth, unveiling everything from next-gen Galaxy phones to AI-powered refrigerators to rolling robots that look like they belong in a sci-fi movie.
But here's the thing: moving from Monday midday to Sunday night is significant. You don't change a schedule unless you've got something big enough to warrant it. This move puts Samsung's presentation before every other major tech announcement at CES, which means the company gets first crack at capturing headlines and consumer attention.
Think about it this way. CES traditionally builds momentum throughout the week. Companies announce on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. By the time Friday rolls around, nobody's paying attention anymore. Samsung's now forcing everyone else to react to them, rather than the other way around.
The company's also operating from a position of strength. Unlike Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, Samsung still shows up to CES with major announcements every single year. These companies have either largely abandoned the show or never relied on it as a showcase for new products. That gives Samsung an enormous stage almost entirely to itself.
Historically, Samsung uses CES to introduce AI assistants, smartphones, wearables, televisions, gaming monitors, kitchen appliances, and whatever experimental robotics they're cooking up in labs. This year promises to be no different, except the company's made AI the centerpiece of everything.
Samsung's Odyssey monitors are expected to outperform standard gaming monitors with higher resolution, refresh rate, and contrast ratio, providing a superior gaming experience. Estimated data based on typical specifications.
How to Watch Samsung's CES 2026 'First Look' Presentation
The Official Streaming Channels
Samsung's making it dead simple to watch. You've got three official options, and honestly, pick whichever one works best for your setup.
Samsung Electronics YouTube Channel is your first choice. The company streams everything here, and it's the native home for the broadcast. YouTube's got solid streaming infrastructure, so you won't deal with buffering issues (usually), and you can rewatch it anytime afterward. The comments section will probably be chaos, but that's part of the fun. You'll also get instant notifications if you're subscribed.
Samsung Newsroom is the second option. This is more of a press-focused channel where journalists and industry folks tend to gather. The video quality's solid, and the environment's more professional than YouTube's comment section. If you want to see how industry insiders are reacting in real-time, this is where they'll be watching.
Samsung TV Plus is the third route. If you've got a Samsung TV, this is built right into your television. Just fire it up and the stream should be there. For people who prefer watching on a bigger screen without fiddling with cables or casting, this is the path of least resistance.
Time Zone Conversion (Critical Detail)
Here's where people mess up. The presentation starts at 10 PM ET on Sunday, January 4, 2026. Let's break this down by region:
- Eastern Time (ET): 10 PM
- Central Time (CT): 9 PM
- Mountain Time (MT): 8 PM
- Pacific Time (PT): 7 PM
- GMT: 3 AM Monday (January 5)
- CET (Europe): 4 AM Monday (January 5)
- IST (India): 8:30 AM Monday (January 5)
- JST (Japan): 1 PM Monday (January 5)
- AEDT (Australia): 2 PM Monday (January 5)
If you're outside North America, this gets rough. The Europeans and folks in Asia are looking at very early morning viewing, which is why Samsung will likely release clips and recaps within hours.
What to Do If You Might Miss It Live
Let's be realistic, you might not be able to tune in at 10 PM on a Sunday night. Samsung's aware of this, and they've planned for it. The full presentation will be archived on YouTube within minutes of finishing. You can then watch it on-demand anytime, anywhere.
But here's the catch: if you really care about the announcements, watching live beats watching the replay. During the live stream, Samsung sometimes addresses technical issues on the fly, answers questions in real-time, and provides context that might not make it into edited clips. Plus, the excitement of watching alongside millions of other people following tech announcements is half the fun.
Samsung also typically publishes individual segment clips, press releases, and product-specific announcements through their official channels within hours. If you just want the headlines, you can scroll through Samsung's newsroom or social media on Monday morning and catch everything that matters.
Meet the Executives Steering Samsung's CES 2026 Vision
TM Roh: The Keynote Voice
TM Roh is the CEO of Samsung's Device eXperience (DX) Division, and he's the person who'll be speaking during the main keynote. Roh's been with Samsung for years and oversees everything related to phones, tablets, computers, and wearables. He's typically the company's frontman for major announcements because he understands the intersection of hardware and software in a way that resonates with consumers.
Roh's expected to focus on AI-driven customer experiences, which is the buzzword Samsung's been hammering since last year. What that actually means is integration of artificial intelligence into your phone, your watch, your tablet, and whatever else Samsung's about to announce. Think things like smarter assistants, predictive recommendations, and automated workflows that anticipate what you need before you ask for it.
Historically, Roh's keynotes are well-structured and move at a good pace. He doesn't spend ten minutes on the same slide, and he doesn't oversell features you won't actually use. That's refreshing compared to other executives who drag things out.
SW Yong: The Display Guy
SW Yong is the President and Head of Samsung's Visual Display Business. When he takes the stage, you know the company's about to flex its display technology. Samsung makes some of the best screens in the world—QLED TVs, OLED panels, gaming monitors. Yong's job is to convince you that the new ones are worth your money.
Expect Yong to talk about resolution improvements, refresh rates, gaming features, and whatever bizarre screen innovation Samsung cooked up in the lab. Last year hinted at glasses-free 3D technology and higher refresh rates on gaming monitors. This year could bring even more dramatic leaps. Yong usually comes with demos that genuinely impress, because display improvements are among the few things you can actually show visually on a screen and have people understand immediately.
Cheolgi Kim: The Home Tech Connection
Cheolgi Kim is the Executive Vice President and Head of Samsung's Digital Appliances Business. This is the person responsible for Samsung's refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, air conditioning units, and every other appliance that lives in your home. Kim's portfolio also includes smart home connectivity and how all these appliances work together in an intelligent ecosystem.
When Kim speaks, expect announcements around AI-powered appliances, energy efficiency improvements, and how these devices interact with your smartphone. Samsung's been pushing hard on the idea that your kitchen appliances should be as smart as your phone, and Kim's the person making that happen. This segment's often the most underrated part of CES presentations, but it's where Samsung actually makes money from everyday people, not just early adopters.
Announcing on Sunday night at CES 2026 allows Samsung to dominate the media narrative, with coverage intensity peaking early in the week. Estimated data.
What Samsung's Likely to Announce at CES 2026
The Gaming Monitor Lineup
Samsung's Odyssey gaming monitors are legendary among competitive gamers. The company's been iterating on this line aggressively, and CES is where they typically show off the latest and greatest.
The flagship here is expected to be the new Odyssey model with a 32-inch 6K resolution screen and glasses-free 3D technology. Let that sink in for a moment. A 32-inch monitor. With 3D. Without glasses. That's the kind of feature that sounds gimmicky until you actually see it working, at which point it becomes a "why doesn't everything do this?" moment.
Samsung's also expected to update the 27-inch Odyssey G6 and the Odyssey G8 models. These are the workhorses of Samsung's gaming monitor lineup. The G6 sits in the middle of the market, balancing cost and performance. The G8 is the pricier option with more advanced features. Both usually get incremental improvements each year: higher refresh rates, better color accuracy, new gaming-specific features.
What makes gaming monitors interesting at CES is that Samsung uses them to showcase display technology that'll trickle down to TVs and other products later. A gaming monitor is basically a testbed for Samsung's latest panel innovations.
AI-Powered Customer Experiences
This phrase is vague enough to mean almost anything, but here's what Samsung likely means: smarter software that learns how you use your devices and adapts automatically.
Your Galaxy phone might learn that you always go to the gym at 6 AM and automatically switch to a fitness tracking interface. Your smartwatch might detect unusual heart rate patterns and suggest checking your health metrics. Your tablet might recognize which apps you use together and automatically arrange them for faster access.
These aren't mind-bending innovations, but they're the kind of thoughtful touches that make products feel less generic and more personal. Samsung's been investing heavily in this AI layer, and CES is the stage to explain how it works and why you should care.
Expect lots of demos showing before-and-after scenarios. "Here's how you'd normally do this task. Here's how Samsung's AI does it for you." That narrative arc works because it immediately shows value without requiring technical explanation.
New Television Technology
Samsung's TV division never sits still. The company typically announces new flagship television lines at CES, showcasing the latest advancements in resolution, color accuracy, gaming features, and AI upscaling.
OLED technology continues to improve, and Samsung's been making serious moves in this space. Expect announcements around brightness improvements, better black levels, and faster response times. The company might also talk about new software features that use AI to enhance streaming content in real-time, making older movies and shows look better without replacing them.
Mini-LED backlighting (where thousands of tiny lights sit behind the screen) might also get an upgrade. This technology allows for incredibly precise brightness control and stunning contrast ratios. It's more expensive than regular LED, but for people who care about picture quality, it's worth the premium.
Home Appliance Updates and Smart Home Integration
Samsung's pushing hard on the idea of an interconnected home where your refrigerator talks to your dishwasher, which talks to your washing machine, which talks to your air conditioning unit. It sounds like science fiction, but it's becoming real.
Expect announcements around energy efficiency improvements, AI-powered features that predict maintenance needs before something breaks, and better integration with voice assistants and smartphone apps. Samsung's building a comprehensive ecosystem where buying one Samsung appliance makes it logical to buy another because they work seamlessly together.
The company might also announce new form factors or features for fridges, ovens, and washing machines. Perhaps a refrigerator with a larger smart display, or a washing machine with sensors that automatically adjust water temperature and detergent amount based on fabric type.
Wearables and Accessories
Samsung's Galaxy Watch line continues to evolve, and CES often brings new models or significant feature announcements. The company might introduce new watch faces powered by AI, health monitoring features, or integration with other Samsung devices.
Galaxy Buds (the company's wireless earbuds) might get an update with better noise cancellation, longer battery life, or new audio features. These products don't usually get massive revelations, but Samsung uses CES to show off incremental improvements that add up to a genuinely better product.
The Strategic Importance of Samsung Going First at CES 2026
Why Sunday Night Matters More Than You Think
Moving from Monday midday to Sunday night changes the narrative flow of the entire show. Traditionally, CES momentum builds as companies announce throughout the week. By moving to Sunday night, Samsung's essentially saying, "Everything else is a reaction to us."
This matters because headlines compound. Tuesday's announcement gets compared to Monday's. Wednesday's gets compared to Tuesday's. By Friday, people are exhausted and stop paying attention. But if you're the first major announcement on Sunday night, you've got the entire week to own the conversation.
Media outlets will cover Samsung's announcements on Sunday night and Monday morning. Then they'll spend the rest of the week asking other companies, "Can you beat Samsung's new displays?" or "Is your AI as integrated as Samsung's?" Samsung's set the bar, and everyone else is climbing to reach it.
This is a common strategy in big tech. Apple often announces first or last at events because those positions own the narrative. Microsoft does the same. Samsung's adopting this approach at CES, which signals confidence in whatever they're about to reveal.
Samsung's Positioning Against Absent Competitors
Here's the context you need: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon have largely abandoned CES as a venue for major announcements. Apple's never been a CES company. Google used to show up but scaled back significantly. Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon? They hold their own events or make announcements directly to media without waiting for CES.
That leaves Samsung in an unusual position. The company has the biggest stage in consumer tech almost entirely to itself. No direct competitors will be announcing phones or tablets on Sunday night. Samsung owns the entire conversation.
This is why the company can flex with a 32-inch glasses-free 3D gaming monitor. There's nobody else in the room to upstage the announcement or offer an alternative. Samsung's basically talking to itself and all of tech media, with zero direct competition in real-time.
The AI Arms Race and Why CES Matters
Every tech company is investing massively in AI right now. The question Samsung's answering at CES is: "What does consumer-focused AI actually look like?" Not research AI. Not enterprise AI. Consumer AI that normal people will use every day.
Samsung's particularly well-positioned to answer this because the company makes phones, watches, tablets, computers, televisions, and home appliances. Few companies touch as many aspects of a person's daily life. If Samsung can create an AI experience that ties all of these devices together seamlessly, that's genuinely differentiating.
Competitors are watching Samsung's CES presentation closely because it signals where Samsung thinks the AI opportunity lies. If Samsung's emphasizing health monitoring AI, competitors might double down on health features. If Samsung's emphasizing display optimization via AI, competitors might invest in similar technology.
This is why CES presentations matter even though most products announced won't hit the market for months. The presentations signal strategic direction, and the industry reacts accordingly.
Estimated data shows a significant shift in Samsung's CES presentations from a broad focus on various product categories to a strategic emphasis on AI integration by 2026.
What Happened to Samsung's Previous CES Presentations (The Context You Need)
The Transformation From "Everything" to "Strategic Focus"
Samsung's CES presentations from 2020 to 2025 were remarkably similar in structure but evolved significantly in focus. The company would roll out phones, tablets, computers, wearables, televisions, appliances, and sometimes experimental robots. Each category got about 15 minutes of stage time, and executives would hit predetermined talking points.
What's different in 2026 is the narrower focus on AI. Samsung's not suddenly ignoring other product categories, but the company's making AI the connective tissue across everything. Instead of talking about phones as a separate thing and appliances as a separate thing, Samsung's likely to show how AI ties these devices together.
Historically, Samsung's presentations also lasted about two hours. You'd have the main keynote from the CEO, then separate segments for phones, displays, appliances, etc. This format worked, but it didn't create the kind of narrative momentum that builds excitement.
The Most Impressive Samsung CES Announcements of Recent Years
Samsung's knocked it out of the park several times recently. In 2024, the company announced the Galaxy Ring, a wearable that goes on your finger instead of your wrist. That was genuinely novel because the category barely existed yet. Samsung essentially created it.
In 2023, Samsung showed off advanced OLED display technology and talked extensively about how these displays would reach more Samsung products. The company also highlighted gaming monitors with incredibly high refresh rates and low response times.
In 2022, Samsung made noise around 5G technology integration, advanced manufacturing processes that made chips smaller and faster, and AI-powered features in consumer devices. The company also showed off experimental robotics that could handle household tasks.
What's interesting about these presentations is that Samsung always announces products months or quarters before they hit the market. CES is about signaling direction and building excitement, not necessarily releasing products immediately. Sometimes announcements made in January don't arrive until Q3 or Q4 of the same year.
The Technical Specifications of Samsung's Expected Announcements
Display Specs That Matter
When Samsung talks about gaming monitors, there are specific technical details that separate good from great:
Resolution: The flagship Odyssey monitor is expected to hit 6K resolution. For context, that's 5,120 x 1,440 pixels (ultrawide aspect ratio) or theoretically higher. That's roughly 1.5x the pixels of a standard 4K display, which translates to noticeably sharper images.
Refresh Rate: Gaming monitors typically go up to 240 Hz or 360 Hz. That means the screen refreshes 240 or 360 times per second. For comparison, most TVs are 60 Hz. Higher refresh rates reduce motion blur and make fast-paced games feel smoother.
Response Time: This is measured in milliseconds (ms). The best gaming monitors hit 1ms response time, meaning the screen updates instantly. Cheaper monitors might be 5ms or 10ms, which adds latency. For competitive gaming, even 1ms matters.
Color Accuracy: Measured in Delta E values. Anything below 2.0 Delta E is considered excellent. Samsung's professional-grade monitors typically hit 1.0 Delta E or better, meaning colors are incredibly accurate.
Brightness: Measured in nits. Gaming monitors typically range from 300 to 600 nits. Higher is better for seeing details in dark game scenes without crushing black levels.
Contrast Ratio: This is the difference between the brightest whites and darkest blacks the monitor can display. OLED displays can hit 1,000,000:1 contrast ratios because they can turn pixels completely off. Mini-LED displays might hit 100,000:1. LED displays often hit 10,000:1.
Expected Phone and Wearable Specs
If Samsung introduces new Galaxy phones or watches at CES, expect these kinds of improvements:
Processor: Likely a next-generation Snapdragon or Samsung Exynos chip with improved AI performance. We might see 50-100% faster AI inference compared to current generation processors.
Battery: Possibly larger capacity batteries with improved efficiency. Realistically, you might get 6-8 more hours of battery life compared to current models, depending on usage patterns.
Display: Samsung typically improves brightness by 10-20% year-over-year. Refresh rates might improve from 144 Hz to 180 Hz or higher on foldable displays.
Camera Sensors: Larger sensors with more megapixels are typical. Expect 200+ megapixel main sensors on flagship phones, though more megapixels doesn't always mean better photos.
AI Features: These are harder to quantify but should include faster processing, more context awareness, and better predictive features. Real-world improvements might shave 20-30 seconds off common tasks like photo editing or message drafting.
TM Roh is expected to focus on AI-driven customer experiences and hardware-software integration, while SW Yong will likely emphasize display technology and gaming features. Estimated data based on roles and past trends.
How CES 2026 Fits Into Samsung's Broader 2026 Product Timeline
The Release Schedule You Should Know About
Historically, Samsung announces products at CES in January but doesn't release them immediately. Here's the typical timeline:
January (CES): Announcement and excitement building February-April: Pre-orders often start, limited availability May-July: Full market availability for announced products August-December: Iterative updates and regional variations
So if Samsung announces something on January 4, don't expect to buy it the next day. Expect a 3-4 month wait for most products. This actually works in Samsung's favor because it lets excitement build, media covers the products multiple times, and supply chains have time to ramp up production.
Expected Release Dates for Major Product Categories
Based on historical patterns, here's when you'll likely see announced products actually hit shelves:
Gaming Monitors: Q2 2026 (April-June). These typically launch about 4 months after announcement.
Televisions: Q2-Q3 2026 (May-August). Premium models might arrive sooner, budget models later.
Smartphones: Q2 2026 (April-June) if announced. Samsung's Galaxy phones typically launch in March-April regardless of CES announcements.
Wearables: Q1-Q2 2026 (February-June). Watches and earbuds usually have faster turnarounds.
Home Appliances: Q2-Q4 2026 (April-December). These have the longest lead times because of manufacturing complexity.
What Competitors Are Doing (And Why Samsung's Timing Matters)
The CES Landscape Without Apple, Google, Microsoft
CES used to be dominated by ecosystem announcements from major companies. Apple would announce something, Google would announce something, Microsoft would announce something. Companies would leapfrog each other, creating a week-long narrative arc of competition.
That's not happening anymore. Apple focuses on product-specific events. Google uses Made by Google events. Microsoft typically announces at conferences like Build or dedicated showcase events. CES has become less of a competition ground and more of a showcase for companies that still believe in the format.
This actually benefits Samsung enormously. The company shows up, owns the narrative, and competitors respond afterward. It's like being the only major player on the stage.
What Other Consumer Tech Companies Are Doing at CES 2026
Samsung won't be alone at CES. Other companies will be there, but they're mostly second-tier players or companies focused on specific niches. You'll see announcements from manufacturers like LG (displays), TCL (televisions), ASUS (gaming hardware), Razer (gaming peripherals), and various smart home companies.
These companies will definitely have interesting announcements, but they're not in direct competition with Samsung in the way Apple or Google would be. Samsung can afford to be generous with praise while still dominating headlines.
Estimated data shows that product availability increases steadily over six months post-CES, while prices gradually decrease as new products hit the market.
The Live-Watching Experience: What to Expect Minute-by-Minute
The Pre-Show Build-Up (9:45-10:00 PM ET)
You'll tune in 15 minutes early to see the empty stage, test videos from Samsung, and some light music. The YouTube chat will be pure chaos: people talking about what they hope gets announced, complaints about other tech companies, random memes. It's part of the experience.
Samsung often uses this time to show highlight reels of past products, testimonials from customers, or teasers for upcoming announcements. Pay attention to these, because Samsung rarely airs a clip without strategic intent. If they're showing 30 seconds of a gaming monitor, that monitor's probably getting announced in the next hour.
The Opening (10:00-10:15 PM ET)
TM Roh will likely open with a vision statement about Samsung's direction in 2026. Expect mentions of AI, connectivity, and innovation. The opening's usually about 10-15 minutes and serves as the foundation for everything that follows.
Roh will probably acknowledge the move to Sunday night and explain why: Samsung wants to lead the conversation, set the tone for the industry, and put their vision front-and-center. It'll be framed as confidence, not arrogance.
The Main Announcements (10:15-11:15 PM ET)
This is where the products come out. Samsung will likely follow this flow:
- Gaming and Displays (SW Yong segment): 15-20 minutes on new monitors and TVs
- Phones and Wearables (TM Roh continues or transitions): 15-20 minutes on Galaxy devices
- Home Appliances (Cheolgi Kim segment): 15-20 minutes on smart home products
- AI and Software (TM Roh returns): 10-15 minutes tying everything together
Each segment includes product reveals, feature explanations, live demos, and pricing/availability information.
The Close and Q&A (11:15-11:30 PM ET)
Samsung usually closes with another vision statement, reiterates the key announcements, and opens to questions from journalists. The Q&A can go long because journalists have lots to ask, or it can wrap quickly if Samsung's made everything clear.
The Real Question: Does Samsung's CES Presentation Actually Matter for You?
Who Should Actually Watch This (Honest Assessment)
Let's be real: if you're not a tech enthusiast, gamer, or considering a Samsung product purchase in the next 6 months, watching a 90-minute presentation on a Sunday night is probably not the best use of your time.
If you're interested in what's coming next, excited about gaming monitors, considering a Samsung TV, or curious about where the tech industry is heading, then it's worth watching or catching highlights Monday morning.
The sweet spot is probably watching the YouTube highlights Monday afternoon. Samsung will release 5-10 minute segments on YouTube covering the biggest announcements. That gets you the important stuff without the full 90-minute commitment.
What Actually Changes After This Presentation
Here's what will definitely change: Product availability will expand. Retailers will stock whatever Samsung announces. Prices will gradually drop as new products arrive and older inventory clears. Software updates for existing Samsung devices will incorporate features announced at CES.
What probably won't change much: Your daily life, unless you're planning a major purchase. CES announcements are interesting, but they're typically months away from actual availability. The products that arrive in Q2 2026 won't be in stores when you're reading this, and newer products will likely be announced before then anyway.
The real value of watching CES is understanding where technology is headed so you can make informed decisions about your own purchases. If Samsung announces a gaming monitor with glasses-free 3D in January and you were planning to buy a new monitor in March, suddenly you know what to wait for.
FAQ
What time does Samsung's CES 2026 presentation start?
Samsung's "First Look" presentation kicks off at 10 PM ET on Sunday, January 4, 2026, from the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. That translates to 9 PM CT, 8 PM MT, and 7 PM PT for folks in the US. International viewers should note that it's 3 AM GMT on Monday, 4 AM CET, 8:30 AM IST, and 1 PM JST.
Where can I watch the Samsung CES 2026 presentation live?
You have three official options: Samsung Electronics' YouTube channel (most popular), Samsung Newsroom (more press-focused), or Samsung TV Plus (built into Samsung televisions). All three streams will have the same content, so pick whichever is most convenient for you. YouTube is your best bet if you want instant replays and community interaction.
What products is Samsung expected to announce at CES 2026?
Based on Samsung's history and recent product development, expect announcements around gaming monitors (particularly a 32-inch 6K model with glasses-free 3D), premium televisions with advanced display technology, new smartphone and wearable devices with AI features, updated home appliances with smart home integration, and software improvements across the entire ecosystem. Samsung also teases new products hours before presentations, so check Samsung's newsroom Monday morning for early announcements.
Who will be presenting at Samsung's CES 2026 event?
Three executives will present: TM Roh (CEO of Samsung Device eXperience), SW Yong (President of Visual Display Business), and Cheolgi Kim (Executive Vice President of Digital Appliances). Each brings expertise in their respective areas—phones and wearables, displays and monitors, and home appliances. Roh will likely deliver the keynote, with Yong and Kim taking secondary segments.
Why did Samsung move its presentation to Sunday night instead of Monday?
Moving from Monday midday to Sunday night is a strategic decision that lets Samsung control the CES narrative. By going first on Sunday, Samsung sets the expectations for the entire week, forcing other companies to react rather than Samsung reacting to them. This is standard practice in tech: first-mover or last-mover positions own the conversation. Samsung's confidence in their announcements clearly warranted this change.
When will products announced at CES 2026 actually be available?
Historically, Samsung announces products at CES in January but releases them 3-4 months later. Gaming monitors typically arrive in Q2 (April-June), televisions in Q2-Q3 (May-August), smartphones in Q2 (April-June), wearables in Q1-Q2 (February-June), and home appliances in Q2-Q4 (April-December). Some products might be available sooner, but don't expect immediate availability for everything Samsung announces.
Is CES 2026 the same as Samsung's previous CES presentations?
Not entirely. While Samsung's past CES presentations covered similar product categories, CES 2026's focus appears narrower with AI integration as the central theme. Instead of siloed product categories, Samsung's likely to emphasize how AI connects phones to watches to appliances to displays. The Sunday night timing is also completely different from Samsung's traditional Monday midday slot, signaling a strategic shift in how the company approaches the show.
What if I can't watch the presentation live?
No problem. Samsung will archive the full presentation on YouTube within minutes of finishing. You can watch on-demand anytime afterward. The company also releases individual segment clips and press releases through Samsung Newsroom, so Monday morning you can catch all the major announcements in summarized form. YouTube clips typically go live within 1-2 hours of the presentation ending.
The Bottom Line: Why This Moment Matters for Tech in 2026
Samsung's CES 2026 "First Look" presentation represents more than just new products. It's a signal that Samsung is taking a leadership position in consumer tech at a moment when traditional leaders have stepped back. By moving to Sunday night, Samsung's essentially saying: "We're confident enough in our vision to lead the entire industry conversation."
What happens on that stage will ripple through the tech industry for months. Other companies will respond to Samsung's announcements. Media outlets will cover the products repeatedly. Consumers will start deciding whether Samsung's AI vision aligns with what they actually want.
The fascinating part is that Samsung's got an unusual moment of clarity right now. Without Apple, Google, and Microsoft competing for CES headlines, Samsung can introduce radical ideas—like glasses-free 3D gaming monitors—without being immediately overshadowed. That freedom is rare in tech, and the company seems determined to use it.
Whether you watch live on Sunday night, catch highlights Monday morning, or just read about it later, the announcements will shape Samsung's product lineup for the next 12 months. That's worth paying attention to, even if you're not planning to buy anything immediately.
Key Takeaways
- Samsung's "First Look" presentation starts Sunday, January 4, 2026 at 10 PM ET from the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas
- Watch live on Samsung Electronics' YouTube channel, Samsung Newsroom, or Samsung TV Plus for free
- Expect announcements on gaming monitors with glasses-free 3D, AI-driven features across devices, premium TVs, and smart home appliances
- Three executives present: TM Roh (keynote), SW Yong (displays), and Cheolgi Kim (appliances)
- Products announced typically arrive 3-4 months later (Q2-Q4 2026) rather than immediately after presentation
