CES 2026 kicks off in just over a week, and the usual mix of confirmed announcements, credible leaks, and hopeful speculation is swirling. Here's what we actually know, what's still rumor, and what to watch for when the show opens January 6-9 in Las Vegas.
Confirmed: The Schedule and Keynotes
Media Days (January 4-5):
The show officially starts with press conferences before the exhibition floor opens. Here's the confirmed schedule according to CTA (Consumer Technology Association):
Sunday, January 4:
- Samsung "The First Look" at 7:00 PM PST (Wynn Las Vegas) - TM Roh, CEO of Samsung's DX Division, presenting "vision for 2026 and new AI-driven customer experiences"
Monday, January 5:
- LG "Innovation in Tune with You" at 8:00 AM PST (Mandalay Bay) - Focus on "Affectionate Intelligence"
- Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) launch - afternoon slot (CONFIRMED by Intel at Tech Tour 2025, per Wccftech)
- Nvidia keynote with Jensen Huang at 1:00 PM PST, 90 minutes (added to CTA schedule December 15)
- AMD keynote with CEO Lisa Su closing out the day - "upcoming chip announcements"
- Sony Honda Mobility press conference on their first car
Tuesday, January 6:
- Siemens opening keynote (official CES opener)
- Lenovo Tech World at The Sphere with CEO Yuanqing Yang
- Show floor opens
Confirmed Product Announcements
Samsung:
- Gemini-powered Bespoke AI Refrigerator Family Hub (confirmed in Samsung press release December 26)
- AI Wine Cellar with new features
- Micro RGB TVs (announced December 23 via Samsung Newsroom)
- Focus on smart appliances, NOT the Galaxy Z TriFold for U.S. market
LG:
- UltraGear evo gaming monitors including 39-inch 5K2K OLED, 27-inch 5K Mini LED, 52-inch 5K2K (announced December 26)
- UltraGear GX7 27-inch QHD OLED with 540Hz goes on sale January 7
Intel:
- Panther Lake "Core Ultra Series 3" CPUs - Intel's first processor on in-house 18A process with new Xe3 integrated graphics (confirmed by Intel at Tech Tour 2025)
Hisense:
- RGB Mini-LED TVs (similar tech to Samsung's Micro RGB)
High-Credibility Rumors (Multiple Reliable Sources)
Nvidia RTX 50 Super Series:
Status: RUMOR - likely announcement at CES, not launch
What multiple sources agree on:
- CES 2026 reveal expected (VideoCardz citing board partner expectations, Digital Trends, Tom's Guide)
- Three models rumored: RTX 5070 Super, RTX 5070 Ti Super, RTX 5080 Super
- Memory upgrade using 3GB GDDR7 modules (leak from Kopite7kimi three months ago)
- RTX 5070 Super may get more CUDA cores: 6,400 vs 6,144 on standard model
What's unclear:
- Actual launch timing - possibly Q3 2026 per leaker hongxing2020 on X (November 8)
- Pricing - anything circulating is pure speculation, Nvidia doesn't share pricing before launch
- Whether announcement happens at CES or just gets mentioned
My take: I'd bet on an announcement or acknowledgment at the Nvidia keynote, but actual availability later in 2026. Memory costs are high right now, giving Nvidia incentive to wait. Don't expect to walk out of CES and buy one.
Nvidia N1x ARM SoC:
Status: RUMOR - speculative but technically interesting
According to leaks earlier in 2025 (Digital Trends, multiple tech outlets), Nvidia's ARM-based AI PC chip codenamed N1x may feature GPU core count matching RTX 5070 but integrated into an SoC. If true, this would be the highest-performance integrated graphics ever.
My opinion: This feels like a concept reveal or tech demo, not a product launch. Nvidia might use it to signal where ARM computing is headed, especially for AI workloads. Don't expect laptops with N1x chips at Best Buy anytime soon.
Medium-Credibility Expectations
Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite:
TrendForce December 26 report suggests Qualcomm will demonstrate devices powered by the new Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (up to 18 CPU cores) at CES. This is likely—Qualcomm typically shows off upcoming chips at CES—but actual product availability is separate from demos.
Smart Rings:
CTA itself flagged smart rings as a big trend for CES 2026 in an official blog post, naming brands like Oura, Ultrahuman, Luna, and RingConn. Expect lots of smart ring announcements, though many will be from new companies showing first-gen products.
Motorola Foldable:
Motorola sent press invites featuring a wooden flip book, strongly hinting at a foldable phone announcement. Lenovo (Motorola's parent company) is doing a major presentation at The Sphere, so this could be part of that. (Status: Very likely based on invite, but not officially confirmed)
Google Presence:
Google hasn't officially confirmed attendance, but historically maintains a presence at CES. Likely to showcase Android features, possibly Android XR hardware demos given recent XR platform push. (Status: Educated guess based on history)
Low-Credibility / Wishful Thinking
Nvidia 40% Production Cut:
Reports from Board Channels (Chinese tech forum) via Benchlife suggest Nvidia may cut GeForce production 30-40% in H1 2026, affecting RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti 16GB first.
Status: RUMOR from mixed-credibility source
Board Channels has a spotty track record. This could be regional, could be misinterpreted supply chain chatter, or could be accurate. Treat with skepticism until corroborated.
AMD and Intel GPU Launches:
Some speculation about AMD RX 9070 GRE 16GB and Intel Arc B770 16GB, but very little concrete information. Intel is most likely to have something given they're actively building market share, but nothing confirmed.
What CES 2026 Is Actually About
Beyond the headline-grabbing consumer tech, CES 2026 has a major focus on manufacturing and industrial AI. CTA announced a new Manufacturing Track featuring speakers from National Association of Manufacturers and SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers).
Siemens CEO Roland Busch delivers the official opening keynote focusing on "AI and digital twins...transforming manufacturing, infrastructure and transportation."
There's also a dedicated Robotics Track on Wednesday, January 7 featuring industrial robotics applications.
Why this matters: The show's emphasis on enterprise and industrial tech reflects where the money actually is right now. Consumer products get the headlines, but B2B technology drives CES attendance and exhibitor spending.
What to Watch For
Nvidia's keynote will be telling. If Jensen Huang spends 10 minutes on RTX 50 Super and 80 minutes on AI data center products, that tells you everything about Nvidia's priorities. If he teases N1x ARM chips, that signals a major strategic shift toward integrated AI compute.
Intel's Panther Lake launch matters because it's their first chip on 18A process—a test of whether Intel's manufacturing recovery is real or just talk. The Xe3 integrated graphics could genuinely challenge AMD's 890M if core counts increase as rumored.
Samsung and LG's smart home push will show whether AI integration in appliances is genuinely useful or just marketing. A Gemini-powered refrigerator sounds gimmicky, but if it actually works well, it could shift how we think about smart homes.
My read: CES 2026 will be heavy on AI integration across every product category—appliances, cars, PCs, manufacturing equipment. Some of it will be useful. Much of it will be "AI" slapped on existing products for marketing purposes. The challenge is figuring out which is which, and that won't be clear until products actually ship and get reviewed.
For PC enthusiasts specifically, this CES feels more like a "wait and see" show than a "must-buy" show. The exciting announcements (RTX 50 Super, new CPUs) will likely have delayed availability, and current market conditions (memory prices, supply constraints) mean patience might be rewarded.
But if you're attending or following coverage, the keynotes on January 5 will set the tone for the entire week. That's where the real news breaks.
Sources: CTA official schedule, Samsung/LG/Intel press releases, TrendForce reports (December 26, 2025), VideoCardz, Digital Trends, Tom's Guide, Wccftech, Engadget, Pocket-lint, multiple leak aggregations from X/Twitter