As the global tech industry's annual barometer, the 2026 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was held January 6–9 in Las Vegas, USA. Organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), it attracted more than 100,000 attendees and over 4,000 exhibitors, with exhibition space exceeding 2 million square feet. According to the CES website and CNET, this year's CES, themed "Innovation Connects the Future", focused on artificial intelligence (AI), sustainable technology, smart home and consumer electronics. The opening day already featured major reveals such as Samsung's foldable display and Intel processors, while the show's Best of CES 2026 awards were compiled by CNET together with TechCrunch, The Verge and Engadget, covering AI agents, robotics, display technology, audio devices and smart home innovations.
January 8, 2026, after inviting numerous experts to carefully study thousands of products, CNET published the final "Best of CES 2026 Awards" on its website, and from 63 finalists selected 22 category winners and one Best Overall product, 23 awards in total. Judges included editors and experts from Mashable, PCMag, ZDNET and Lifehacker. The announcement avoided conceptual hype and instead clearly highlighted technical implementation details and user‑experience improvements: judges paid particular attention to on‑device AI, low‑power continuous sensing and more accessible price points. This CES's dominant trend was deep AI integration, with products spanning robotics, smart home, display technology, audio devices, health tech and sustainable innovations. The awards were decided by more than 40 experts, using criteria such as innovation, practicality and performance gains. CNET reported that this year's CES emphasized an "AI‑everywhere" approach and sustainability, signaling a shift from concept to everyday application.
Best Overall and Mobile Tech: Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold Foldable Phone
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold won Best Overall and Best Mobile Tech. This triple‑fold phone is Samsung's direct response to the Huawei Mate XT, featuring a G‑shaped double inward‑fold design that opens into a 10‑inch tablet and folds to a thickness of just 12.9mm, weighing 309g. CNET judges said it "combines eye‑catching design with genuine practicality." The unfolded screen resolution is 2160×1584 with a peak brightness of 1600 nits and supports a 120Hz LTPO refresh rate. The outer display is an independent 6.5‑inch panel with a 2600‑nit peak brightness for one‑handed use. The hinge uses titanium alloy and armored aluminum and supports IP48 water and dust resistance, making it the world's first water‑resistant tri‑fold phone.
Compared with Huawei's Z‑shaped outward fold, Samsung's inward fold better protects the display from scratches. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, with 16GB RAM and a 200‑megapixel main camera. ZDNET noted this device marks an evolution from dual‑fold to tri‑fold displays, potentially reshaping the phone‑tablet boundary. Mashable called its Best Overall win well deserved and predicted it could drive foldable market share from 1% to 5% in 2026.
AI and Deep Computing: Lenovo and Intel Lead
Best AI went to Lenovo Motorol[a] Qira, a hybrid AI assistant that uses both on‑device and cloud processing to deliver personalized cross‑device assistance. CNET described it as "Lenovo's take on Apple Intelligence," supporting seamless switching across phones, tablets and laptops. Qira uses local LLMs for privacy‑sensitive tasks and cloud for complex queries; it is also made with 75% recyclable materials, reflecting sustainability.
Best Deep Computing Technology was awarded to the Intel Core Ultra 300 series (Panther Lake). This is the first 18A‑process chip, integrating Cougar Cove P‑cores, Darkmont E‑cores and Xe3 graphics, with platform TOPS reaching 180. PCMag reported that its integrated Arc B390 GPU is 73–82% faster than the AMD Radeon 890M and supports extended battery life across multiple modes. Intel emphasized the series targets AI PCs and robots, driving an edge‑computing revolution. AMD's Ryzen AI Max Plus series (40 RDNA 3.5 cores, 192GB memory) was nominated and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Plus was also shortlisted, underscoring intense competition in AI chips.
NVIDIA's Rubin platform received an AI nomination; its six new chips reportedly reduce AI token costs tenfold and deliver inference performance five times that of Blackwell. ZDNET called this indicative of a revolution in AI compute costs.
Audio and Home Entertainment: Samsung and LG Stand Out
Best Audio went to Samsung Music Studio 5, a designer home speaker that supports Bluetooth/Wi‑Fi whole‑home pairing. CNET praised its sound quality and sculptural design. LG's H7 FlexConnect soundbar and the xMEMS Sycamore‑N chip (1mm thin, for high‑fidelity smart‑glasses audio) were nominated.
Best TV/Home Theater was Samsung S95H OLED TV, with 35% improved brightness and an anti‑burn‑in Art Store mode. Nominees included the Hisense 116UXS Mini‑LED (RGB+cyan LEDs, covering 110% of the BT.2020 color gamut) and LG W6 "Wallpaper" OLED (9mm thick, wireless transmission). The Verge reported these TVs integrate AI image optimization and help drive broader adoption of 8K and Dolby Atmos.
Robotics and Smart Home: Practical AI Deployments
Best Robot went to Boston Dynamics Atlas, a humanoid robot demonstrating natural gait and planned for use in Hyundai manufacturing. Nominees included the Jackery Solar Mars Bot (a sun‑tracking robot) and Beatbot RoboTurtle (an underwater monitoring robot).
Best Smart Home was Roborock Saros Rover, a vacuum robot with flexible legs capable of climbing stairs. Lockin V7 Max (beam‑charging smart lock) and Robotin R2 (a modular carpet‑cleaning robot) were shortlisted. CNET noted these products address household pain points with AI‑optimized routing and energy management.
Other Category Highlights: Health, Sustainability and Novel Tech
Best Health Tech: Peri wearable for tracking menopause symptoms; OhmBody neuromodulation device for menstrual pain relief; Allergen Alert portable allergen detector (also Best Startup).
Best Sustainable Tech: Clear Drop Soft Plastic Compactor, which compresses soft plastics into recyclable bricks.
Best Pet Tech: Satellai Collar Go, an AI collar monitoring behavioral health.
Best Fun Tech: Lepro Ami, an AI companion (interactive animated girl); Lollipop Star, a bone‑conduction music lollipop.
Best Gaming: Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable Concept, a rollable OLED gaming laptop concept.
Best Laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition, modular design supporting repairability and sustainability.
Best Energy Tech: Willo wireless power transmission.
Best Family Tech: Coro breastfeeding monitor.
These awardees reflect CES 2026 trends: AI personalization, sustainable design and multifunctional integration. CNET's panel debated for more than six hours to select these "most impactful" innovations.
Conclusion: Industry Takeaways from CES 2026
The Best of CES 2026 roundup shows AI has moved from gimmick to core driver. Samsung's Z TriFold as Best Overall demonstrates foldables' maturation, while Intel and NVIDIA's chip innovations are advancing compute democratization. The robotics and smart home winners point to an era of household automation, and sustainable products reflect rising environmental awareness. Overall, the show set the tone for 2026: innovation with greater practicality, inclusivity and green focus. Many award winners are expected to ship within the year and are worth consumer attention. These highlights will not only spur market growth but also reshape everyday life.
▶️ Enjoy this story? Creating it takes real effort!
Follow our YouTube channel:
AI Rosetta
Your likes, subscriptions and shares are our greatest support! 🙏
More AI news at: https://www.airosetta.com