CES 2026 Takeaways: What Tech Investors Need to Know

It’s billed as “the most powerful tech event in the world” and commentators tend to agree: CES is seen as a barometer for how cutting-edge tech will evolve over the next 12 months. 

Organized by the Consumer Technology Association, CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) was first held in 1967, and currently takes place in Las Vegas every January. 

2026 proved to be a particularly exciting year. Unsurprisingly, Nvidia [NVDA] dominated the headlines, but there were plenty of other scintillating reveals from across the tech sphere. Let’s dive in. 

Nvidia Challenges Tesla 

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang gave a lengthy presentation early in the week, detailing what his firm has been working on.

One major announcement was the earlier-than-expected launch of its Vera Rubin architecture, designed to cater to artificial intelligence’s (AI) ever-swelling computation needs. It will begin to replace the Blackwell architecture in the second half of 2026.

But even more earth-shaking than that was the news that Nvidia is continuing its push to bring AI into real life with its Alpamayo family of open-source AI models and tools. 

“The ChatGPT moment for physical AI is here — when machines begin to understand, reason and act in the real world,” Huang said in a statement. “Alpamayo brings reasoning to autonomous vehicles, allowing them to think through rare scenarios, drive safely in complex environments and explain their driving decisions.”

As Huang implied, a principal use case of Alpamayo will be to help autonomous vehicles operate, well, autonomously. Of course, this brings the chip giant into direct friction with the electric vehicle giant Tesla [TSLA]. While they are very different companies, it will be interesting to see how this new rivalry plays out over coming months, particularly as Tesla’s own path to full self-driving has been anything but smooth.

On that note, Ford [F] said it plans to launch its own AI assistant in the company app ahead of a targeted 2027 in-vehicle rollout, with hosting on Google Cloud. 

Elsewhere in chips, Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] chair and CEO Lisa Su opened CES with a keynote giving an outline of the company’s strategy to broaden AI adoption on personal computers through its Ryzen AI 400 Series processors.

Robot Takeover

In 2025, the focus was on agentic AI, but if there was one equation that defined CES 2026 it was that “robotics + AI = the future”.

At one end of the scale there was a proliferation of cute robot pets, such as Ecovacs’ [603486:SS] “emotional companion”, the puppy-like Famibot LilMilo. Then there was a range of domestic robots, such as LG’s [066570:KS] CLOiD robot, which deploys AI and vision-based technology to perform household tasks; it is, apparently, emblematic of what LG calls its “Zero Labor Home” vision.

Moving from domestic to industrial applications, as part of parent company Hyundai’s [HYMLF] presentation, Boston Dynamics debuted their long-awaited Atlas robot. The South Korean firm is partnering with Alphabet’s [GOOGL] DeepMind on robotic AI research, and plans to roll out the robot across its manufacturing plants over the next two years. 

Many analysts saw Atlas as the star of CES 2026. In the fast-moving world of robotics, some even wondered if it had made Tesla’s Optimus look like legacy tech.

Screen Dreams

Major manufacturers including Acer [2353:TW], Dell [DELL], Samsung [SSNLF] and Lenovo [LNVGY] dropped some hints as to the future of laptops and mobile devices. In particular, there were a number of startlingly innovative approaches to display. 

Among these was Lenovo’s Legion Pro Rollable concept. At first glance a conventional 16-inch laptop, the device features an OLED display that extends horizontally to become a 24-inch screen, positioning it as a portable solution for both gaming and productivity. 

Lenovo also confirmed that its ThinkPad Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist, previously shown as a concept, will become a commercial product. The device features a motorized hinge that automatically rotates the display to face the user or an audience, targeting professional presentation use cases.

Samsung focused on flexible displays, unveiling a tri-folding Android phone-tablet hybrid. Building on the book-style folding design seen in existing foldables, the device adds a third panel that unfolds again to create a wide tablet-sized screen. Marketed as the Galaxy Z TriFold, the device went on sale in South Korea shortly before the end of 2025 and is expected to launch in the US and other markets in the first half of 2026, at a premium price point.

Gadgets Galore

Alongside this, a range of AI-powered accessories were debuted, from wearables to smart glasses.

Examples included Cored Devices’ Pebble Index O1 smart ring, which supports note-taking, calendar input and transcription, and the SwitchBot AI Mindclip, a lapel-mounted device that records and summarizes conversations. Similar concepts were presented across the show, including Lenovo’s pendant-style Qira assistant and Anker’s [300866:SZ] Soundcore Work, reflecting broader industry interest in lightweight, always-on AI companions. 

Motorola introduced new wearable hardware, including its latest Android smartwatch, the Moto Watch. Motorola also showcased a concept AI wearable called Maxwell, featuring a microphone and camera for multimodal input, designed to be worn as a pendant or pin.

Smart glasses were another area of focus. Lenovo presented a concept pair of AI glasses weighing approximately 45 grams. Separately, XREAL unveiled the XREAL 1S, an entry-level AR headset priced at $449. 

Solid Progress on Solid-State? 

Verge Motorcycles announced plans to become the first manufacturer to bring a fully solid-state battery into production within the coming months. The technology could significantly improve electric motorcycle performance, with up to 370 miles of range on a single charge and an additional 186 miles from a 10-minute recharge.

Related developments are also emerging in consumer electronics, Tech Radar reported, with semi-solid-state battery packs — using gel-based electrolytes — seemingly approaching deployment in smartphones. These designs are intended to improve safety and extend battery lifespan compared with conventional lithium-ion cells. 

While solid-state and semi-solid-state batteries remain at different stages of commercialization, 2026 is shaping up as a year in which early versions of these technologies begin to move from demonstration to limited real-world use.