The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is set to kick off next week in Las Vegas, where tech giants like NVIDIA, Samsung, and Lenovo Group will face a critical test: proving to everyday consumers that AI hardware is worth the investment. This yearly tech extravaganza will move beyond mere concept demonstrations to become a vital proving ground for the genuine market demand for AI products. Companies must demonstrate to the market that AI can not only be "developed" but also effectively "sold."
At the CES event running from January 6th to 9th, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang will showcase foundational AI technologies, while manufacturers including Samsung, Lenovo, and AMD are set to launch a plethora of consumer-grade products with AI as their core selling point. This comes after commercial failures of AI hardware like the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1, which received poor reviews, serving as a wake-up call for the industry.
This year's exhibition will heavily feature hardware products such as AI smart glasses, humanoid robots, and wearable devices. The organizer, the Consumer Technology Association, has dedicated an entire hall specifically for robot displays, underscoring the importance of this category.
AI glasses are set to be one of the central focuses of this year's CES. According to Bloomberg, a flood of AI-powered eyewear products is expected at the show. Both Snap and Apple are reportedly planning to launch their own smart glasses by the end of 2026, continuing the momentum in this category driven by companies like Meta.
Although both Meta and Snap have confirmed their participation, major hardware announcements are anticipated from emerging brands such as Xreal, Vuzix, Halliday Global, Rokid, and Even Realities. Meta previously released its first smart glasses with built-in screens; their presence at this show will likely focus on demonstrating new software or iterative features rather than new hardware. Snap is also not expected to announce specific pricing or release plans for its "Specs" glasses at this event.
Beyond smart glasses, the show will also present other forms of AI hardware, such as rings, designed with the philosophy of allowing users to directly access AI assistant functions without relying on a smartphone. This reflects the tech industry's ongoing exploration and investment in "AI-first" interaction paradigms.
Humanoid robots will also be a key highlight of this year's CES. The Consumer Technology Association has disclosed that an entire hall has been allocated for a concentrated display of robotic products, covering various application scenarios from home services to industrial manufacturing, logistics, and food service.
Several companies will showcase robotic solutions integrated with artificial intelligence. Artly Coffee and VenHub Global will demonstrate AI-powered robotic café and unmanned convenience store technologies, respectively; California startup Tombot plans to introduce Jennie, a companion robot dog designed for the elderly and individuals with cognitive impairments.
This year, many humanoid robot manufacturers are pushing their technological demonstrations from single-task execution towards multi-step complex operations, such as simultaneously identifying, grasping, and folding clothing. Large tech companies like LG are also expected to unveil their robotic concept products.
However, a significant gap often remains between performance in controlled demo environments and the final commercial capabilities promised by manufacturers. Companies need to prove to attendees that their products possess practical conditions for commercial deployment—such as battery life, movement flexibility, cost control, and safety reliability—beyond being mere technical concepts.
Televisions have always been a centerpiece at CES, with brands like Samsung, LG, TCL, and Hisense continuing to exhibit their annual flagship models. Sony Group has gradually shifted its TV new product launches to the spring in recent years and has correspondingly scaled back its presence at CES.
As 2026 progresses and high-end TVs generally meet consumer demands for brightness and resolution, manufacturers are expected to focus more on wide color gamut reproduction and other technological advancements that enhance picture realism. Furthermore, the "artistic design" trend sparked by Samsung's The Frame series has prompted industry-wide adoption, a trend emphasizing aesthetic integration likely to continue at this year's show.
Although CES is not a primary stage for new smartphone launches, Motorola might be an exception. Its parent company, Lenovo, is giving a prime-time keynote speech at the show for the first time, and teaser packages sent to media by Motorola strongly hint at the launch of a book-style foldable phone. If true, this would mark the company's first foray into this form factor after years of focusing on the Razr clamshell foldable.
Wearable devices are continuously expanding beyond traditional fitness tracking, with their functions increasingly merging with professional medical-grade equipment. This year's show will feature innovative products, including smart nighttime mouthguards, which claim not only to prevent teeth grinding but also to monitor multi-dimensional health metrics like sleep apnea, heart rate, breathing rhythm, and sleep cycles.
Overall, the wearable device industry is expected to further focus on areas such as women's health management, continuous glucose monitoring, advanced cardiovascular tracking, longevity technology, and chronic disease management. These functional expansions indicate that manufacturers are striving to transform wearables from supplementary fitness accessories into comprehensive tools for daily health monitoring and management.
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