CES 2026: Day Two Update

In our final update from CES 2026, we cover some additional topics that caught our eye at the show. Smart home products have long been a major theme at CES, and that continued this year. We also note several announcements of wearable devices, with AI infusion a key trend. 

Keep in touch with us on LinkedIn for further updates and subscribe to the CCS Insight blog to access future daily insights, including coverage from MWC at the end of February. 

Motorola Enters the Fitness Tracker Space with the New Moto Watch

The new Moto Watch, supported by health-tracking capabilities from Polar, is positioned as a device to compete with specialist fitness trackers from the likes of Amazfit and Withings. Featuring a week-long battery life and tracking sensors for heart-rate variability and sleep stages, the device surpasses many premium devices from major tech players. It also features dual-frequency GPS tracking, which is often only found at the premium end of the market.

Lenovo is looking to integrate itself into the full spectrum of connected devices with its product launches at CES, developing a large ecosystem of devices all connected to its Smart Connect app. Details on pricing, release dates and regional availability remain limited for now, but the Moto Watch is another sign that Motorola is edging back into the mainstream of connected devices.

Elsewhere in the smartwatch sector, Pebble has released the Pebble Round 2. Unlike most smartwatches in the market, Pebble is moving toward reducing the device’s smart capabilities, with no heart-rate tracking or GPS and a simple 1.3-inch e-paper screen. The company is positioning the product as a genuine supplement to the user’s phone, rather than trying to achieve all that a phone can in a different design. Although this approach is quaint and refreshing, we aren’t convinced that the device has great potential in the market. Adoption is likely to be limited to consumers partaking in the “digital detox” trend.

Meta Adds New Features to Meta Ray-Ban Display as US Demand Delays Global Roll-Out

Meta’s momentum in the augmented reality (AR) and smart glasses market heading into 2026 was a hot topic at CES, and the company has continued to build on its success with further updates.

At the show, it introduced two new features for its Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses:

• A teleprompter for delivering presentations and public speaking.
• Handwriting, which lets users send or type messages by tracing letters with their fingers on a table or surface.

The teleprompter feature looks like a powerful addition, although it’s already standard on basic AR glasses. That said, the integration with Meta’s Neural Band accessory is a clear differentiator, allowing users to more easily control the application.

The handwriting capability is a clever addition, but we question how useful it is for users to write out long messages.

Ultimately, these features illustrate Meta’s progress compared with much of the AR market. The Neural Band adds a layer of control, beyond voice prompting, that many other devices still lack.

Indeed, Meta further validated the strength and popularity of its smart glasses by announcing at CES that it is delaying the international roll-out of the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses because of high demand in the US. Although the volumes are relatively small, we see this as validation of demand for AR display glasses and as evidence that Meta’s approach, through an established fashion label and a connected wearable band, is the way forward for the segment.

We expect Meta to continue to build on this momentum throughout 2026, although challenges in production may remain, given various chip shortages.

New Hand-Held Gaming PCs Will Highlight Silicon Platforms’ Real Strengths

Intel confirmed at CES that it’s developing a new platform for small portable gaming PCs, based on its Core Ultra Series 3 processors — see our coverage of day one for further details. Improvements in Intel’s power efficiency make this possible because the platform uses Intel’s 18A 2 nm process.

Most recent gaming PCs, such as Valve’s Steam Deck and Lenovo’s Legion Go 2, have been based on AMD platforms that combine computing power with an AMD integrated gaming GPU. For Intel to succeed, it’ll also need a competitive graphics solution — despite the limited traction its Arc solution has seen so far.

In 2026, Arm-based devices are also likely to arrive in this segment, thanks to their strong performance per watt, perhaps powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X2 platform. We also note that AMD isn’t resting on its previous success and has announced new Strix Halo silicon.

The hand-held PC gaming category is a niche in terms of volume. However, its tight design constraints highlight the strengths and capabilities of different PC platforms that will apply to other device types.

Avalanche of Robot Vacuum Cleaners

Over the past few years, there’s been a deluge of robot vacuum cleaners at CES, and this year was no exception. We noted new products from Ecovacs, Eufy, Eureka, Roborock, Samsung and many others. All manufacturers are seeking ways to differentiate these products, and in previous years, the introduction of mopping alongside vacuuming was a notable trend.

More companies added models with mopping, but this year, Roborock’s Saros 20 and Saros 20 Sonic robot vacuums with “legs” captured attendees’ imagination. The design enables the robots to climb over thresholds and short steps of approximately 4 cm.

Roborock also announced the Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, its first robot vacuum and mop with a motorized self-cleaning roller mop, featuring eight water jets and a built-in scraper.

Elsewhere, Anker sought to differentiate its Eufy S2 robot vacuum and mop by integrating an “aromatherapy system” that perfumes your house while it cleans. Scents include bamboo, sage, bergamot, lychee, citrus and basil.

Samsung, which has long invested in this category, unveiled its latest Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra, stating that it’s powered by a Qualcomm Dragonwing AI processor. By using 3D sensors in conjunction with AI, the company claims that the robot recognizes specific liquids and spills, including juice, water and coffee, and determines the best way to clean the surface. As with previous flagship models, it includes a camera for mapping and navigation, as well as for security.

Despite the hype around humanoid robots at CES, the tangible deployment of robots is coming from categories such as vacuums (see Expectations for CES 2026). These are forming the beachhead for robots in people’s homes, and it’ll be interesting to see how consumers’ attitudes to these products evolve as they gain additional features, such as cameras. We expect this will heighten privacy concerns, particularly given the large number of Chinese manufacturers in the segment. This could have implications for the future deployment of more-advanced robotics in homes.

TCL Unveils Wide Array of Products at CES

Once again, TCL had a substantial booth at CES, primarily showcasing its extensive portfolio of display products, including TVs, projectors, tablets, smartphones, glasses and robots. It also promoted its growing range of smart home devices.

Alongside TVs with mini-LED screens, like others in the display business TCL heavily promoted the RGB mini-LED technology. In previous years, the company has showcased prototype products, but 2026 marks the arrival of commercially available RGB mini-LED TVs.

Beyond TVs, the company added to its smartphone line-up with another product featuring its Nxtpaper screen technology. The TCL Nxtpaper 70 Pro has a 6.9-inch screen and an upgraded camera. A new note-taking product, the TCL Note A1 Nxtpaper, was also unveiled and is similar to products from Amazon and reMarkable.

TCL continues to promote its line of smart glasses, including the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, which offer a 201-inch virtual display, and the RayNeo X3 Pro AR glasses, which are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 chip and use Google’s Gemini 2.5 AI. Capabilities include recognizing what a user is looking at, providing real-time translation and navigation, and capturing content through built-in cameras.

In the smart home space, the company showcased a wide range of connected domestic appliances and other smart products. One device that caught our eye was the TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock, which supports the Matter over Thread standard and can connect with Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Home devices. This was just one of numerous smart locks on display from various manufacturers at CES, and it appears to be an area that is slowly gaining traction. We’ll continue to monitor adoption and intended ownership of smart locks and other smart home devices in our quarterly Pulse: Connected Consumer survey.

Lumus and Vuzix Bring New Waveguide Technologies to Market at CES

Lumus, the company responsible for the waveguide in the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, unveiled two new waveguides at the show. The company claims that Zoe is the first geometric waveguide with a field of view greater than 70 degrees, and its Z-30 2.0 is an ultrathin 30-degree waveguide. Following Lumus’s big win on the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses in 2025, we expect more products to emerge using Lumus waveguides in 2026 and beyond.

Following a challenging 18 months, Vuzix continues to showcase its waveguides in a variety of applications. Collins Aerospace joined Vuzix’s booth to show how it’s using military helmets integrated with Vuzix waveguides. After a period of slow sales, Vuzix needs to demonstrate that these applications can be converted into tangible sales. A host of new products, such as the binocular smart glasses produced alongside Avegant, add to an already large portfolio. The company has the ability for mass-production through Quanta Computer, but it must now deliver on these possibilities.

Aqara’s New Devices Lean Heavily into the Apple Ecosystem

Aqara claims to be the first provider of smart locks to use the Apple Home Key to offer automatic, proximity-based, hands-free unlocking with its ultrawideband-based smart lock.

The company also launched the Thermostat Hub W200, which works with Apple Home’s new Adaptive Temperature and Clean Energy Guidance. The thermostat is also compatible with the Matter standard, enabling access through Google Home, Samsung’s SmartThings and Apple devices.

Additional products unveiled included a 4K indoor camera featuring AI capabilities, a Home Station M410 bridge device that allows Aqara Zigbee devices to connect using Matter, and a Spatial Multi-Sensor that uses millimetre-wave radar to determine people, movement and positioning in a room.

AI in Smart Home Devices

TP-Link debuted the Aireal assistant at CES 2026, offering a “unified experience for the entire connected home” through integration of Microsoft Foundry. It builds on TP-Link’s connected home expertise to analyse Wi-Fi performance and smart home tasks and help to fix issues with devices or the network.

Reolink introduced the Reolink AI Box, which uses Qualcomm’s Dragonwing Q8 series platform. The box acts as a central hub and integrates with most Reolink cameras, offering smart alerts, event description, local AI video search and further AI processing. Further collaboration with Qualcomm also saw the introduction of Reolink’s new battery-powered doorbells and cameras, powered by the Qualcomm QCC730 chip, which delivers significant benefits in terms of battery life.

Reolink has also joined the likes of TP-Link and Eufy in launching a range of triple-lens security cameras. The flagship OMVI X16 PoE features a 24-megapixel resolution across a 16-megapixel panoramic camera and an 8-megapixel pan-tilt lens.

Smart Rings Gain Momentum as Wearable Innovation Shifts from Wrist to Finger

Smartwatch launches remained muted at CES 2026, with more emphasis placed on smart rings as the emerging device category. Brands are now trying to differentiate through AI integration and conversational user experiences.

Market leader Oura integrated Amazon Alexa+ into its smart ring platform, allowing users to learn about their sleep patterns and receive suggestions and reminders on the go. Oura also launched its first wireless charging case for the Ring 4, priced at $99. The case offers five full charges, and the case and the ring fully charge in 90 minutes, making it convenient for users to charge their rings when travelling. Both initiatives were announced in 2025, but they became commercially available at CES 2026.

RingConn showcased its Gen 3 ring, adding health-tracking capabilities such as blood pressure and haptic alerts. Similarly, Linktop presented its ring featuring blood pressure monitoring, contactless near-field communication (NFC) payments and haptic alerts.

Dreame, a smart appliance brand, entered the smart ring category with three models designed to cater to different users. For instance, the Haptic AI Smart Ring focuses on core health features such as blood oxygen saturation, skin temperature and menstrual tracking. The AI NFC ring supports smart home connectivity and payments as well as basic health features, and the AI ECG Ring offers additional electrocardiogram (ECG) tracking. This approach helps differentiate the three models, but it also highlights a main limitation of smart rings, with the smaller device size restricting the number of sensors that can be embedded.

Unlike at CES 2025, Ultrahuman made no major announcements. We suspect this is partly because of the patent infringement case filed by Oura against Ultrahuman, which resulted in a sales ban in the US. We note rumours that Ultrahuman will release the Ring Pro, featuring NFC payments, improved sensors and a new design, later in 2026 once patent disputes are resolved.

Several new entrants, including Vocci, Pebble and SparkRing, introduced AI-powered rings equipped with voice interaction and recording capabilities. Rather than competing with health-centric brands like Oura and Samsung, these brands are positioning their rings as personal assistants that help to simplify everyday tasks.

The Vocci smart ring can generate transcripts in over 100 languages, and Pebble’s Index 01, priced at $75, was the least-expensive ring on display. The SparkRing responds to gesture controls and voice commands.

We expect many brands to add AI capabilities in their rings, alongside voice recording and real-time translation to accompany existing health-tracking capabilities.

FDA Softens Regulatory Approval Approach for Wearables

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has eased its approach to wearables, allowing low-risk wellness devices that promote a healthy lifestyle to be sold without regulatory approval.

This encompasses products that provide general wellness information to consumers, such as physical activity tracking, weight management, stress management and sleep monitoring, as a preventive and proactive healthcare measure on the basis that they don’t make any medical claims relating to diagnosing, treating or curing a specific disease.

Devices that monitor and track blood pressure, blood glucose, heart rate and sleep reside outside this approval purview, as the metrics will now be categorized as general wellness indicators.

Also, devices that claim to support a healthy lifestyle or reduce the risk of some diseases as part of broader healthy living choices can be sold without approval. For example, a smartwatch that tracks activity and sleep patterns and promotes healthy sleep habits can state that these behaviours, as part of a healthy lifestyle, could help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes without being approved by the FDA.

However, any device that claims to provide clinical solutions for a particular disease or medical condition must be FDA-approved.

We consider this a positive move by the FDA. Easing rules will lower barriers to entry, allowing more brands to enter the wearable space and driving innovation for new device types and advanced sensors as well as reducing the time-to-market for new launches.

We’ll publish our round-up of the top stories from CES 2026 and what it means for the broader industry in the coming weeks. Keep in touch with us on LinkedIn for further updates and subscribe to the CCS Insight blog to access future daily insights, including coverage from MWC at the end of February.