Everything we know about CES 2026 and the big AI bets

Las Vegas once again becomes the epicenter of the Technological innovation with the 2026 edition of CESThis event kicks off the industry calendar and sets many of the trends that will reach homes in the coming months. Amidst neon lights, hotels, and casinos, the fair brings together... Manufacturers, developers, and startups are competing to showcase the next big leap in consumer devices..

On this occasion, the absolute focus is on the Artificial intelligence applied to everyday life: From high-end televisions and monitors to refrigerators, domestic robots, and connected health devicesMajor brands take advantage of the Las Vegas showcase to showcase their bets in a setting where the interests of European consumers and companies are also very present.

A CES focused on artificial intelligence and connected living

This year's Consumer Electronics Show brings together tens of thousands of attendees and more than a thousand companiesFrom established giants to emerging projects looking to make their mark, the official program kicks off on January 6th and runs until the 9th, with preliminary days dedicated exclusively to the press and closed-door presentations.

The organization, in charge of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)The fair has been structured around several main themes: artificial intelligence, digital health, cybersecurity, energy and smart grids, video games, robotics, mobility, and sustainability. Under this umbrella, participants present solutions ranging from experimental to commercial, with a particular focus on practical applications in the home and business.

The heart of the event is located, as usual, in the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC)Although many of the conferences, demonstrations, and networking events take place in hotels such as Wynn, The Venetian, and Aria, these venues host keynote speeches by top executives, as well as specialized workshops and industry-specific meetings.

The major press conferences are concentrated during the first few days: Samsung with its “The First Look” event, Nvidia with its AI-focused keynote and data centersAMD, with its opening conference, sets the tone for the rest of the week. Around them, names like LG, Lenovo, Hisense, Siemens, and Caterpillar complete an agenda designed for media and professionals from around the world.

In the final days of the show, the schedule becomes more focused on thematic panels and collaborative sessionswhere several companies share the stage to discuss sports and technology, inclusion, investment in smart energy infrastructure or new forms of entrepreneurship, such as the popular "Shark Tank" style project selection format.

Samsung and its proposal “Your AI companion for life”

One of the most powerful presentations at CES 2026 comes from Samsung ElectronicsThe company has chosen the Latour Ballroom at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel to unveil its "Your AI Life Partner" strategy. Under this slogan, the South Korean company explains how it wants to integrate artificial intelligence into virtually all of its product lines.

TM Roh, head of the Device eXperience (DX) division, emphasizes that the goal is not to add isolated features, but create a connected ecosystem that accompanies the user in their daily lifeMobile phones, televisions, household appliances, and digital services share the same approach: moving from basic tasks to more personalized experiences, with AI as a common layer.

The company emphasizes that its competitive advantage lies in the breadth of its catalog and interoperability between devicesThis is especially relevant in mature markets like Europe, where households have smart TVs, soundbars, connected appliances, and phones of various generations. Samsung promises that this entire system will work more seamlessly thanks to AI.

AI-powered entertainment: TVs, monitors, and sound systems

In the display category, Samsung is reinforcing its commitment to premium televisions and high-performance monitors. The company has led the global TV market for two decades and, at this year's CES, is focusing on its new range of televisions with integrated artificial intelligence capabilitiesdesigned for both home cinema and video games.

The centerpiece of this family is the 130-inch Micro RGBThis television uses microscopic red, green, and blue LEDs that illuminate independently. With this technology, the brand aims for a level of brightness, contrast, and color fidelity superior to that of traditional panels, while simultaneously reducing visual distractions thanks to a very discreet bezel.

This screen integrates the processor Micro RGB AI Engine ProIt is responsible for analyzing the content and adjusting parameters such as color, contrast, and sharpness in real time. The idea is that each scene is rendered more accurately, without the user having to modify advanced menus. In addition to these image improvements, it is also compatible with HDR10+ ADVANCED in the 2026 range of televisions, with greater brightness, zone-based tone mapping, and specific functions for video games.

To go beyond simple viewing, Samsung introduces Vision AI Companion (VAC), an assistant designed as an “entertainment companion”. Integrated into Micro LED, Micro RGB, OLED, Neo QLED, Mini LED and UHD models, this system offers recommendations for content, music or even food options associated with what is being seen on screen, and allows you to adjust the sound level of the audience, commentators or the soundtrack with your voice.

The audiovisual ecosystem is completed with new Wi-Fi bars and speakers, such as the Music Studio 5 and 7and with complementary equipment such as the ultra-thin profile S95H OLED television, or the portable projector The Freestyle+capable of projecting onto walls, ceilings, and irregular surfaces, also managed via VAC. In all cases, the operating system Tizen It is being updated and promises up to seven years of support, a relevant issue for those in Europe seeking greater durability and security in connected devices.

Connected home and AI-powered appliances

Beyond the showroom, Samsung is dedicating a good part of its space at CES to showing how artificial intelligence can simplify household chores and improve home managementThe SmartThings platform, which already has over 400 million users, acts as the basis for this approach, allowing the connection of household appliances, sensors, and third-party devices.

One of the main characters is the Family Hub refrigerator, which incorporates the function AI Vision integrated with Google GeminiThrough an internal camera and visual recognition models, the appliance identifies the food that enters and leaves, keeping an up-to-date inventory (with certain limitations, such as the contents of the freezer) and helping to plan meals without having to check shelf by shelf.

Utilities such as “What’s for lunch today?”, which suggests recipes based on available ingredients, or the function Video to Recipewhich transforms cooking videos into step-by-step instructions. The entire process is integrated with SmartThings Food and allows you to automatically send cooking settings to ovens and other compatible appliances.

The company also presents FoodNoteA weekly report analyzing consumption patterns highlights the most used ingredients and advises on products that should be restocked. In addition to Now Brief and to voice recognition Voice IDThe refrigerator adapts the information it displays to each family member, from reminders to personalized recommendations.

In the area of ​​clothing care, the company is bringing its products to CES. Bespoke AI Laundry Combo washer-dryerwhich combines washing and drying in a single machine, with faster cycles and optimized energy consumption. Alongside it, the Bespoke AI AirDresser It promises to reduce wrinkles and refresh garments through injections of air and steam, relieving the need for ironing on a daily basis.

Household cleaning is also being renewed with the Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam UltraA robot vacuum cleaner equipped with a Qualcomm Dragonwing processor and 3D sensors that can recognize liquid spills or the presence of pets. In addition to cleaning, it can act as a surveillance device, sending alerts if it detects unusual activity. It also features a voice assistant. BixbyThe integrated system allows you to program tasks using spoken commands in different languages, including Spanish.

Digital health and proactive care

The healthcare sector is gaining prominence in Samsung's CES presentation. The company is proposing a transition from a reactive to a preventive model of health care, taking advantage of the information generated by mobile phones, smartwatches, household appliances and other connected sensors.

The goal is to offer Personalized recommendations for physical activity, rest and nutritionsupported by AI algorithms capable of detecting anomalous patterns. In a scenario where a large part of the European population lives with chronic illnesses, the possibility of anticipating problems using data collected at home takes on special relevance.

The company collaborates with platforms such as Xealth To facilitate the exchange of information with healthcare professionals, provided the user authorizes it. In this way, if the system identifies risk factors, it can send alerts to doctors or telemedicine services, enabling virtual consultations and closer monitoring without the need for constant travel.

Among the prominent lines of research is the early detection of possible cognitive impairment and dementiaLeveraging wearable devices and other ecosystem elements to record changes in mobility, speech, or digital interaction patterns, the ambition is for these tools, initially developed in collaboration with research centers, to be progressively integrated into consumer products.

This entire framework relies on security platforms Samsung Knox and Knox Matrixdesigned to protect data both on the device and in the cloud. The company emphasizes that the evolution of AI is accompanied by a constant updating of its security measures, with systems that test models through adversarial simulations and protocols designed for environments with multiple devices connected simultaneously.

PC, gaming and hardware: the other big stars of CES

Although the home-related offerings connect directly with the general user, CES 2026 also reinforces its role as a showcase for gaming hardware, content creation and productivityManufacturers of processors, graphics cards, monitors and laptops take advantage of Las Vegas to preview some of their catalogs for the year.

In the PC arena, we expect to see Gaming laptops and lightweight devices with next-generation processors, such as Intel's mobile platforms known by the codename Panther Lake, designed for laptops with integrated graphics capable of running games at 1080p without a dedicated GPU. These CPUs also incorporate AI-powered frame generation features, replicating on a smaller scale what is already seen in discrete graphics cards, and require close monitoring of the RAM shortage which affects the sector.

Artificial intelligence also permeates the advanced laptop segment: some manufacturers are showing Copilot+ teams and workstations with dedicated NPUs to run models locally, reducing reliance on the cloud. The trend points to combining AMD, Intel, or Qualcomm processors with high-resolution OLED displays, long-lasting batteries, and lighter designs, in a context marked by the chip race.

Meanwhile, gaming brands are presenting monitors with very high refresh rates, glasses-free 3D displays, and adaptive synchronization technologiesAmong them, the joint developments between panel manufacturers and GPU companies stand out, integrating features such as G-SYNC directly into display scalers, reducing production costs and expanding the number of compatible models.

The accessories ecosystem is completed with Wireless gaming headsets, mechanical keyboards optimized for e-sports, ultralight mice, and liquid cooling systems for high-performance towers. In many of these products, AI appears as a complementary tool to reduce background noise, adjust image and sound profiles, or automate settings according to the type of game or application.

How to follow CES 2026 from Spain and Europe

For those following the fair from outside the United States, a good part of the Keynote speeches and product launches are streamed live through the official CES website and each manufacturer's YouTube channel. The organizers have allowed several sessions to be broadcast simultaneously, so viewers can choose the topic that interests them most: from electric mobility to domestic robotics.

Specialized technological media, both international and local, complement that coverage with analyses, rapid tests and daily summariesThis makes it easier for European users to filter through the vast volume of listings and focus on products that will actually be available in their region. In many cases, European subsidiaries of brands use the trade show to confirm approximate launch schedules and price ranges for the EU.

The presence of AI functions that require cloud services also puts the spotlight on regulatory and data protection issues within the European marketManufacturers must adapt some of their solutions to regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or future frameworks on artificial intelligence, an aspect that may influence the availability or operation of some features compared to other markets.

Overall, CES 2026 reinforces the feeling that the Artificial intelligence is no longer an extra; it has become the central theme. of almost everything that is presented: televisions that recommend content and adjust the image, refrigerators that organize the pantry, robots that take care of the house, devices that monitor health and PCs that run complex models without a continuous internet connection.

The result is a scenario in which the boundary between consumer electronics, digital services, and AI platforms It becomes even more blurred; large companies show their ambition to control the entire ecosystem, while users in Spain and Europe watch as these proposals gradually become part of their daily lives, with promises of convenience and efficiency, but also with new questions about privacy, compatibility and device lifecycle.

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Alberto Navarro

I am a technology enthusiast who has turned his "geek" interests into a profession. I have spent more than 10 years of my life using cutting-edge technology and tinkering with all kinds of programs out of pure curiosity. Now I have specialized in computer technology and video games. This is because for more than 5 years I have been writing for various websites on technology and video games, creating articles that seek to give you the information you need in a language that is understandable to everyone.

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