CES 2026: The biggest tech trends to watch out for

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is only a matter of days away, which means it’s time to take stock of what to expect from the world’s most recognizable tech brands.

Companies like Samsung, LG, and AMD will be showcasing new products ranging from futuristic concepts to more tangible, real-world items you’ll be able to purchase in the near future. Between foldable phones, fancy new TVs, robots, and hardware, there’s going to be a lot to talk about in the week ahead. Let’s dig.

Here are the biggest tech trends to expect at CES 2026.

Lots of big, colorful TVs

Prepare to hear the letters “RGB” a lot.
Credit: LG

TVs always take pride of place at CES, and 2026 appears to be no exception. However, one thing that will be different is the color technology used in many of the TVs on display this year.

Specifically, RGB TVs (which stands for red, green, and blue) are trending at CES 2026. A typical TV has a backlight that emits white or blue light, depending on what’s on the screen, but RGB TVs have many small red, green, and blue lights that create the picture instead. The idea here is to create greater color accuracy than you would find on another type of display. As a bonus, these displays can also achieve higher brightness levels and better contrast.

We know for sure that Samsung, LG, and Hisense are all showing off RGB TVs at CES, but other companies will likely have something under their belt as well. Beyond RGB, it looks like these same companies are also putting more effort into big screens this year. Leaks suggest Samsung is introducing a 98-inch version of its Frame TV, while LG’s RGB TV range starts at 75-inches and goes up from there. That doesn’t mean smaller TVs are disappearing, but it does mean larger ones are here to stay.

New chips for laptops

Intel has new chips coming.
Credit: Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The mood around computer components at CES 2026 is currently a bit muted, given how memory prices are soaring these days. In previous years, we’ve seen powerful consumer GPUs showcased at CES, but this isn’t the case. seem as will be the case this year.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be anything to chew on, though. For example, AMD will give a keynote speech to kick off the show, which it could use to announce its Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor, which is said to be designed for blazingly fast PC gaming. Intel, meanwhile, has already announced its Panther Lake chips, which will likely be featured in powerful laptops and PCs at CES. The same goes for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite chip. Whether it’s entirely new laptops or updates to older models, expect to see machines equipped with these chips at the show this year.

As always, keep an eye out for innovative new concepts, such as rollable displays and other unconventional form factors. We don’t know of any in this specific category yet, but there are always some something like this at CES.

(I hope) useful robots

Where are you?
Credit: Kim Gedeon/Mashable

Robots regularly appear at CES in one form or another, and 2026 appears to be no exception.

In fact, we already know one in advance. Its name is CLOiD and comes from LG. The Korean tech company has yet to share any photos, specs, or pricing information for CLOiD, but we do know that it will have two limbs with actuated digits on the end, a menagerie of sensors to navigate and interact with your home, and an AI-powered robot brain that will personalize its responses to its owners over time. At least it will do all this in theory. CLOiD might be one of those far-off concepts I mentioned earlier, something that won’t launch for a while, if ever.

Speaking of which, Samsung has been threatening to release Ballie, a spherical robotic assistant, since CES 2020. After that first presentation, Ballie went quiet for several years, reappearing at CES 2024. We still haven’t gotten any concrete information on when (or if) Ballie will be available to consumers. There’s no guarantee that Ballie will appear this year, but it’s certainly worth mentioning until Samsung provides answers.

At least two new foldable phones

Big phone!
Credit: Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images

The iPhone Fold, which is the subject of many rumors is unlikely will appear at CES, but other foldables are expected to be presented.

For starters, Samsung just launched its highly anticipated Galaxy Z Tri-Fold in Asia, and we expect it to arrive in the United States in early 2026. That doesn’t necessarily guarantee it will appear at CES, but given Samsung’s significant presence at the show this year, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the TriFold make its Western debut at the show. In case you haven’t been keeping track, this is the extra large book-style foldable that has two folds instead of just one. In other words, when unfolded, it will almost be like three smartphone screens attached to each other.

Interestingly, Samsung is also reportedly working on another new foldable with a larger screen than its previous devices. This one may be further away and not guaranteed to appear at CES, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

And while we know less about it than the TriFold, Motorola is apparently going to show off its new foldable at CES. The company has sent out physical invitations to some media outlets heavily hinting at a new book-style foldable (as opposed to the clamshell devices Motorola already makes), and it could have a wood finish, giving it a distinct look. Other than that, we know virtually nothing about this device. This will probably change next week.

Smart Glasses

Smart glasses are making a comeback.
Credit: IAN MAULE/AFP via Getty Images

Between last year’s CES showcase and Meta’s increasing market saturation with Ray-Ban, smart glasses have made a modest comeback in 2025. Don’t be surprised to see more of them at CES 2026.

We don’t have many firm predictions on which companies will introduce which glasses at CES, but in general you should expect to see more glasses with built-in displays than in previous years. These have been at CES for a while now, but it’s starting to look like a device category that could actually be used by regular consumers in the near future, rather than just a distant tech fantasy. Well, maybe, anyway. It depends on whether tech companies can figure out how to deal with all the horrible privacy consequences of wearing a camera on your face.

AI will be everywhere

Finally, as a general forecast, expect the term “AI” to be used frequently in relation to all of the above device categories. New laptop chips will be optimized for AI applications. Smart glasses and home robots will be powered by AI. New TVs will likely use AI in some way. And, of course, foldable phones will have built-in AI features, just like non-foldable phones.

Will any of them be particularly new or unique? It’s impossible to say. We will find out together soon.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest tech show, where Mashable journalists report live.