4 months ago
CES 2026 is still a time distant from officially opening, but Sunday, January 4, delivered nan first existent activity of news. As has go tradition, nan pre-show slate group nan reside for nan week ahead, anchored by Samsung’s yearly First Look property convention and CES Unveiled, nan second of which wherever hundreds of companies previewed products earlier nan show level opens connected January 6.
Samsung erstwhile again dominated nan early speech pinch its First Look event, utilizing nan shape to outline really it sees AI shaping everything from TVs to location appliances successful nan twelvemonth ahead. Rather than focusing connected individual specs, Samsung framed its 2026 lineup astir adaptive experiences, pinch screens and devices designed to respond much intelligently to their situation and nan group utilizing them. TVs remained nan centerpiece, pinch updates for illustration nan caller 130-inch Micro RGB model aimed astatine improving image quality, contented find and personalization done AI-driven tools.
Among nan much actual pieces of tech tied to Samsung’s CES tally was The Freestyle+, a successor to nan company’s portable projector that doubles down connected AI-powered image optimization, brighter output and smarter calibration for different surfaces. The portion besides supports immersive audio features and syncs pinch Samsung’s soundbars for a much complete intermezo package. The institution further bolstered its audio portfolio pinch nan caller Music Studio wireless speakers, which connection an eye-catching design.
Samsung’s broader show strategy was besides connected show: Samsung Display revealed next-generation QD-OLED panels tin of highest brightness up to 4,500 nits, which are expected to beryllium utilized successful TVs and monitors that debut connected nan show floor, and introduced caller concepts illustrating really OLED tech tin blend into early AI-enhanced lifestyles.
Software besides played a domiciled successful Samsung’s early messaging. The institution confirmed that Google Photos will beryllium coming to Samsung TVs later this year, bringing photograph libraries and Memories straight into nan surviving room. It’s nan benignant of summation that doesn’t drawback headlines successful nan aforesaid measurement arsenic caller hardware, but it’s precisely nan type of update that softly shapes really group really usage their TVs regularly.
Outside of Samsung’s event, CES Unveiled — nan convention’s kickoff mini-show — offered an early look astatine what smaller companies and startups are bringing to Las Vegas this year. The show level was packed pinch a acquainted operation of near-ready user products and much experimental ideas, spanning robotics, smart location gear, wellness tech and individual electronics. Companion-style robots, updated AR glasses and AI-powered family gadgets were communal sights, reflecting broader trends that are apt to show up many times crossed nan main halls this week.
Unveiled is seldom astir big-name launches, but it often reveals wherever nan industry’s attraction is drifting. This year, that meant a noticeable accent connected AI-assisted hardware that blends into mundane routines, whether that’s location devices designed to enactment much autonomously aliases individual tech that prioritizes discourse and convenience complete earthy performance.
LG besides kicked disconnected its pre-show efforts pinch immoderate notable show news that’s definite to style conversations connected nan CES floor. The institution reintroduced its ultra-thin Wallpaper OLED evo W6 TV, a sheet that sits conscionable 9mm heavy and tin beryllium mounted flush against a wall, boasting improvements successful brightness and colour accuracy pinch Hyper Radiant Color Technology and support for FreeSync and G-Sync.
LG's 2026 Wallpaper wireless OLED TV (Devindra Hardawar for Engadget)
LG’s show lineup extends into nan PC abstraction too, wherever nan section plans to debut a 27-inch OLED gaming panel hitting a 720Hz refresh complaint and consequence times arsenic debased arsenic 0.02 ms. On nan manner front, nan Gallery TV intends to compete much straight pinch Samsung’s art-style screens by combining a specialized anti-glare sheet pinch an expanding Gallery+ work that brings thousands of artworks to nan surviving room.
Some CES-related announcements besides landed up of Sunday, underscoring really stretched nan show’s news rhythm has become. Samsung and LG some shared show and ecosystem updates successful nan days starring up to January 4, ensuring their products were already portion of nan CES speech earlier pre-show events moreover began.
Sunday’s announcements served arsenic a clear warm-up for what’s coming next. Monday, January 5, marks nan commencement of property day, erstwhile awesome companies will return nan shape for individual conferences and a ample number of embargoes are expected to lift. Then, connected Tuesday, January 6, CES officially opens its doors, shifting nan attraction from presentations to hands-on demos and real-world impressions.
We’ll beryllium updating this recap arsenic much news breaks, but if Sunday was immoderate indication, CES 2026 is already moving accelerated — and nan show hasn’t moreover started yet.
