CES 2026 in Las Vegas drew more than 148,000 industry professionals and featured over 4,100 exhibitors. Beyond the scale, the show delivered a clear signal: hardware is entering a new phase where foldables, AI wearables, and smart glasses shift from “interesting” to “credible.” The common thread is that utility—and the ability to earn trust—now matters more than novelty.
Foldables hit an inflection point
Motorola’s CES debut of the book-style Razr Fold marks a meaningful escalation in foldables competition. Unlike flip-style devices, book-style foldables must convincingly bridge phone and tablet workflows.
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Motorola is aiming directly at Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold and Google’s Pixel Fold with a 6.6in external display and an 8.1in 2K LTPO flexible inner screen optimised for multitasking, media, and productivity. Stylus support via the Moto Pen Ultra reinforces note-taking and light creative use cases, while a triple-camera system anchored by 50MP sensors and on-device AI tools positions the device closer to flagship expectations rather than “foldable compromise.”
Pricing is still unannounced, but reporting suggests a summer 2026 US launch. The larger competitive backdrop is even more important: Samsung plans to bring its $3,000 Galaxy Z TriFold to the US in Q1 2026, while Apple is widely expected to enter the foldable market in Fall 2026. Samsung Display’s CES showcase of folding, rolling, and stretchable concepts also highlights a structural advantage—control of display supply at a moment when display yields and capacity can dictate who scales.
The biggest catalyst remains Apple. Apple’s entry tends to accelerate categories through hardware/software integration and ecosystem reach, and it is the only major OEM still absent from foldables. With Samsung expanding form factors and Motorola joining the book-style race, foldables are approaching mainstream contention.
AI wearables pivot toward everyday utility
CES 2026 also showed AI wearables evolving after early stumbles such as the Humane AI Pin and mixed reactions to earlier entrants. The narrative is shifting from “AI as a new interface” to “AI as an always-on layer” that can sense context, infer intent, and assist proactively. Vendors are converging on multimodal sensing (audio, visual, motion) paired with on-device or hybrid processing to reduce latency and support privacy claims.
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By GlobalDataA recurring “memory” use case is emerging: capture daily conversations and moments, then convert them into searchable summaries, action items, and timelines. Looki’s L1 looks relatively market-ready at around $199, emphasising waterproof all-day wear, up to 12 hours of “story mode,” 32GB storage, and privacy-by-design with sensitive on-device processing. Productivity-focused devices like Plaud’s NotePin S (orderable now at roughly $179) validate demand for “capture → transcribe → summarise → act,” even as other debuts remain early-stage.
Smart glasses split into real segments
CES reinforced that AR/smart glasses are breaking into distinct archetypes rather than one catch-all category. Meta’s pause of international rollout of its Ray-Ban Display glasses due to strong US demand and operational constraints is a telling market signal: pull exists, but scaling is hard.
Three directions stood out: (1) prototypes pushing standalone connectivity via eSIM/4G, like RayNeo’s X3 Pro, to remove smartphone dependence; (2) display-led “personal theatre” glasses such as XReal 1S and TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro, competing more with portable monitors than full AR; and (3) AI-first, screenless glasses like Rokid’s, which may reduce social friction.
The verdict: privacy becomes the price of admission
Always-on capture turns privacy from a policy into an operational requirement. Vendors that lead with on-device processing, clear recording indicators, granular controls, and auditable retention/deletion will be best positioned to scale. CES 2026’s message is blunt: the next winners won’t be the most futuristic—they’ll be the most usable, shippable, and trustworthy.
