The new year is upon us, and that means CES 2026 is right around the corner. The biggest technology show on the calendar comes with a host of new and notable announcements that set the tone for trends and expectations for the next 12 months. The CES 2026 show is officially open January 6-9, but the fun begins with events on Sunday, January 4, followed by numerous press conferences on Monday. As always, product demonstrations, announcements and networking activities will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center and other hotels throughout the city. As usual, Engadget will be covering the event in person and remotely, bringing you news and practical information straight from the show floor.
More specific details and advance announcements are already coming as CES approaches, and thanks to the Consumer Technology Association’s (the trade organization that runs the show) schedule, we have a full itinerary of press conferences. We also use our experience and expertise to predict what technology trends might emerge at the show.
The CES 2026 calendar
Press conferences and exhibition stands are the bread and butter of CES. The CTA has already published a searchable directory who will have an official presence at the show, as well as a schedule of each official panel and presentation. However, the press conference program gives us a more digestible overview of the first 48 hours of major events.
On Sunday, January 4, Samsung will kick off CES with “The First Sight” a presentation hosted by TM Roh, CEO of Samsung’s DX division, on the company’s “vision for DX (Device eXperience) division in 2026, as well as new AI-driven customer experiences.” However, before that, Samsung has already outlined a variety of more specific details (scroll down for more details). Alongside Samsung’s presentation, the official CES Unveiled mini-show will take place, which is usually made up of small suppliers and start-ups.
This will be followed by several press conferences throughout Monday January 5. The LG CES 2026 press conference, titled “Innovation at your service” is ostensibly to share “his vision for elevating everyday life through loving intelligence.” But, like Samsung, this Korean giant has already spent the three weeks leading up to CES announcing many of its new products in advance. So perhaps this is more of a summary than breaking news.
After LG we will also see press conferences from Bosch and Hisenseas well as the first-ever CES appearance of Lego. As the Las Vegas afternoon approaches, we get the first of three giant chips: Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA takes the stage on January 5 at 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET) and, according to the website, his presentation will last approximately 90 minutes. Based on the description on the listing, the presentation will “showcase the latest NVIDIA solutions that drive innovation and productivity across industries.” NVIDIA’s presser coincides with Hyundai’s, where the Korean automaker will focus on in-car technology and robotics.
Later today we’ll hear from the haters of NVIDIA, Intel and AMD. The Intel event at 3:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m.) will ostensibly present its new Core Ultra 3-series processorsand AMD CEO Lisa Su will cover AMD’s upcoming chip announcements at a speech address which ends the day. But expect both to be very heavy on AI applications, of course. Sandwiched between these chipmakers will be Sony Honda Mobility. The joint venture will offer even more details on its Afeela EV.
Finally, on Tuesday, January 6, Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang will host the Lenovo conference. Global Technology Conference at the Las Vegas Sphere, using the large, decidedly curved screen to share the company’s “commitment to delivering smarter AI for everyone by constantly redefining how technology can engage, inspire and empower.” It’s worth noting that Lenovo is the parent company of Motorola, which still makes phones and foldable devices with AI tools. It is therefore possible that these devices will also appear in the presentation.
Samsung and LG compete for pre-show advertising
As noted above, Samsung and LG continued their recent trend of spoiling almost all of their respective CES announcements in the days and weeks leading up to the show. LG, for example, said it would launches its first Micro RGB TV at CES. While details are scarce, the company’s press release for the LG Micro RGB evo confirmed that it has received certifications from Intertek for 100% color gamut coverage in DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, and has over a thousand dimming zones for brightness control.
Elsewhere in the TV sector, LG throws its hat into the circle of “art TVs” that Samsung launched with its Frame TVs: the LG TV Gallery will debut in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, and it will of course feature various artwork when not otherwise used. And if PC gaming displays are faster, LG will take care of that too with a new line of 5K-compatible gaming monitors on deck with built-in AI scaling.
But LG doesn’t just show off screens. The Korean multinational will also introduce a Modular home audio system powered by Dolbya new line of sound xboom speakers (developed with will.i.am) and the company will flex its automation muscles with a humanoid home automation robot named CLOiD. We are also looking forward to discovering the company’s new products Aerominum ultralight laptops.
Of course, Samsung refuses to be left behind by its local rival and also issued a pre-CES press release. Samsung will launch its own line of Micro RGB TVs at CESto start. The company has already presented its first Micro RGB TV at CES 2025which was a 115-inch model available for a cool $30,000. Next year, Samsung is expanding its lineup with 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 100-, and 115-inch models that use the next evolution of the company’s Micro RGB technology.
Samsung is also countering LG’s 5K monitors with a 6K model which aims to deliver glasses-free 3D (another long-standing CES staple). This will be one of several new displays in the company’s Odyssey gaming lineup. And the company is also updating its Freestyle spotlight for 2026 as well.
And on the audio front, Samsung introduced several new soundbars and speakers, including Sonos-style Wi-Fi streaming models called the Music Studio 5 and Studio 7.
Aside from the formal introduction of new products and initiatives, by reading the tea leaves of what was announced last year and what companies would be working on, we can make some educated guesses about what we might see at CES 2026.
New chips from AMD, Intel and Qualcomm
CES is often the start of a cascade of new chip announcements for a given year, and one of the first places new silicon appears in real consumer products. AMD will likely use its keynote to introduce new versions of its Ryzen chips, including the recently spotted Ryzen 7 9850X3Dwhich should offer better single-threaded performance, and the Ryzen 9000G series, which could be built with AMD’s Zen 5 architecture. The company could also take advantage of its CES stage to review its new FSR Redstone AI scaling technology.
Intel already has publicly announced that it will launch its Panther Lake chips at CES 2026. The chips officially titled Intel Core Ultra Series 3 fit into Intel’s overall “AI PC” push, but are aimed specifically at high-end laptops. Based on an overview starting in October 2025, Intel says the first chip made with its 2 nanometer 18A process will offer 50 percent more processing performance than previous generations and for the chip’s Arc GPU, a 50 percent performance increase over the last generation.
Qualcomm is also rumored to be targeting laptops at the show, building on the work it has done. move its Snapdragon chips from phones and tablets and to other types of computers. The company Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Premium The chips are expected to start appearing in laptops at CES 2026, offering a glimpse of the improved AI speed and performance the company promises in 2025.
Brighter, “more real” screens
As noted above, Samsung and LG seem to be banking on Micro RGB display technology for TVs. Expect it to be a buzzword at CES, with Hisense and Sony also launching new models.
Sony announced a collection of new Bravia TVs in April 2025, replacing the company’s flagship, supplementing its mid-range options and adding a new budget model to the mix. The star of this updated Bravia lineup is the Bravia 9, featuring a QD-OLED panel, but Sony appears to be preparing an entirely new display technology for 2026. In March 2025, Sony introduced new display technology. RGB LED panel which uses individual Mini LED backlights colored in red, green and blue to produce even brighter and more accurate colors. Unlike a QD-OLED, which filters a layer of blue organic light-emitting diodes through color-changing quantum dots, Sony’s “general RGB LED backlight technology” can get as bright as a Mini LED panel without needing an additional filter layer or worrying about OLED burn-in issues.
The company has already registered the name “True RGB” which could end up being what Sony calls this new display flavor if it decides to show them at CES. This seems entirely likely, since CES is nothing more than a TV show – it’s a safe bet we’ll see new TVs from the likes of LG and Samsung in addition to Sony. If the company does not introduce new display technology for its televisions, it has a new 240 Hz PlayStation monitor coming in 2026, it could instead be presented at CES.
Sony isn’t the only company promoting bright displays. Samsung is reportedly offering an updated version of the HDR10 and HDR10+ standards that could be ready to show off at CES 2026. The new Advanced HDR10+ standard would be Samsung’s response to Dolby Vision 2which includes support for bidirectional tone mapping and smart features that automatically adapt sports and gaming content. Samsung’s version reportedly offers, among other improvements rations, improved brightness, gender-based tone mapping, and intelligent motion smoothing options.
And maybe your future TV won’t need a power cord either: Move will feature a mounting option including a 15,000mAh battery to power whatever giant TV screen you choose to connect.
Ballie Watch 2026
The yellow ball-shaped robot affectionately nicknamed “Ballie” has been announced twice, premiere in 2020 and then again in 2024 with a searchlight in tow. Samsung said Ballie would put on sale in 2025 at CES last year, then shared in April 2025 which Ballie would ship this summer with Google’s Gemini on board. But it’s almost 2026 and Ballie is nowhere to be found. It’s possible that Samsung will make a third attempt to announce its robot at CES 2026, but whether it does or not, robotics will still be a big part of the show.
Robot vacuum cleaners and washers were a highlight of CES 2025, and we can expect notable improvements from the new models announced at CES 2026. Not all companies will adopt the retractable arm of the Roborock Saros Z70but robot vacuums have feet to climb up small ledges like the Dream X50 it looks like they could become the norm. Roborock could also show its new Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flowthe first of its robot vacuum cleaners to feature a retractable roller mop.
Beyond the simple traveler Singing spaces more efficiently, improving robot navigation could also be a major concern of the show. Prominent members of the AI industry are shifting their attention from large language models to models of the worldwhich aim to give AI a deep understanding of physical space. These global models could be the key to making robots – like LG’s aforementioned CLOiD – competent at navigating homes and workplaces, and will likely be a big talking point at CES 2026.
We’ll be updating this article throughout the month as new rumors surface and new products are confirmed – stay tuned for future updates!
Updated, December 11, 2025, 11:03 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include details about Lenovo as Motorola’s parent company and how the latter might participate in Tuesday’s presentation.
Updated, December 16, 2025, 1:33 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include NVIDIA’s press conference, which was added to the CTA schedule over the past two days.
Updated, December 23, 2025, 7:28 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include Micro RGB TV announcements from LG and Samsung, which were made public over the past seven days. The intro has also been changed to reflect when CES is coming to this point.
Updated, December 29, 2025, 11:03 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include additional details on pre-announcements from Samsung, LG and Displace.
Updated, December 31, 2025, 12:05 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include even more early announcements from LG.
Updated, January 3, 2026, 8:45 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include even more Samsung and LG announcements.
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