We gaze into our crystal ball to predict the tech hits (and misses) of 2026

You can’t take the temperature of the tech industry before you’ve sifted through the press releases and announcements coming out of CES. The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is such a fertile launching ground for innovation, as well as a deluge of cruft, vapourware and slop both physical and AI-generated, that it’s necessary to study the show before pontificating on what comes next.

So what will be the big tech stories of 2026? There are the usual suspects, to be sure, with upcoming devices from Apple, OpenAI, Meta and more all vying for consumer attention. Come and gaze into the Wallpaper* crystal ball.

AI in everything, everywhere, all at once

At this point, you and everyone you know will have some variation of an AI-related anecdote – some trivial, bizarre or awful hallucination, for example, or an assistant sticking its digital nose into where it’s not needed. Sadly, 2026 is the year we can expect even more back and forth over the pros and cons of AI. The putative bubble hasn’t yet burst and there are still billionaires out there who believe fervently in its socially transformative powers.

Those of us at the thin end of the wedge are certainly being transformed, just not always for the better. We’ve already had a deluge of slop across every conceivable platform, not to mention children’s toys that dispense dubious advice, chatbots that trigger AI-induced psychosis, and countless horrid hallucinations, not to mention the hollowing out of all creative industries (with creatives themselves turning on the Quislings in their midst who maintain generative AI is just another valid tool).

So where next for the tech that promises so much? AI is in danger of becoming a kind of Brexit of the intellect, a carefully engineered departure from time-honoured ways of thinking, knowledge and creativity that's being boosted by nefarious parties with only their best interests at heart. Its supporters continue to claim that the sunlit uplands lie ahead, stalked by large language models, untold riches of information and the benevolent guidance of the elusive but brilliant AGI, provided the technology is freed from the cage created by inhumane legislation and pesky guardrails.

At the other end of the scale, we have the 'physical AI era' currently being frantically manifested by the likes of LG and Nvidia, which owes much of its $5 trillion valuation to its monopoly on the chips that power the algorithms that power the ‘intelligence’. For Nvidia, AI no longer means software; in addition to every mobile, desktop, laptop, watch and TV having software-driven AI superpowers, CEO Jensen Huan wants to see these abilities translate into the physical realm. For Huan, tomorrow's self-driving car will have a sophistication akin to where ChatGPT and Gemini are currently for conversational, query-based and generative AI.

We’re also seeing more and more tech company apologists trying to inveigle ‘AI power’ into the creative process. Nvidia recently announced a partnership with Universal Music Group, ostensibly to use AI to drive 'engagement and discovery', but also to encourage artists to 'test new AI-powered tools... serving as a direct antidote to generic, ‘AI slop’ outputs, and placing artists at the centre of responsible AI innovation.' Treat with extreme caution, especially after taking into account the relative value of the two partners (Nvidia, $5tr, UMG, $50bn) and Nvidia's ongoing research into its Music Flamingo platform.

For the time being, the misses are garnering more attention than the hits. The plaintive, overly patronising tone of ChatGPT, CoPilot's infuriating ability to pop up everywhere, the utter seediness of Grok, Gemini’s potentially negligent bedside manner, or the mind-chemistry altering love-bombing skills of Replika all suggests more pitfalls are on the way.

OpenAI.com, CoPilot.com, Grok.com, Gemini.Google.com, Replika.com

io: Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s Collaboration

The results of the OpenAI x LoveFrom love-in are due to come to fruition at some point this summer, with rampant speculation as to what the AI-enabled device from io actually is. Variously speculated to take the form of a pair of glasses, necklace, earbuds, pen, nose-ring, band, watch, pendant, ring or brooch, suffice to say no-one really knows what’s coming, or why.

OpenAI’s pivot to hardware is in line with the growing world of ‘physical AI’ espoused by the likes of Meta and Nvidia, but with each passing week, more and more doubt is creeping into the public perception of AI.

Despite the lack of clear information, the proposed device is being positioned as a counterpoint to the creeping ubiquity of tech. Altman himself described the vibe as ‘like, sitting in the most beautiful cabin by a lake and in the mountains and sort of just enjoying the peace and calm.’

Traditionally, such activities haven’t needed teraflops of persistent and ever-present computing, listening in the background and sifting through billions of scenarios to determine what we might want to happen next. Most of would rather our computers were out of sight, out of mind and definitely not eavesdropping, let alone offering helpful interjections.

Still, genies and bottles and all that. Can io conjure up some form of wearable smart device that’s as useful as the smartphone yet is intercised from its most horrifically addictive properties?

OpenAI.com, LoveFrom.com

The folding iPhone

Even the most diehard Apple fanboy would probably concede that Apple doesn’t always hit it out of the park. One device that’s remained steadfastly under the radar is the iPhone Fold. Could 2026 finally mark the arrival of this near-mythical beast? Part of the problem is that the foldable market is less than mature, with just over 20 million foldable handsets sold in 2025 (compared to well over a billion conventional devices).

That hasn’t stopped the folding screen from commanding a premium. Motorola recently joined the pack with the Moto Razr Fold, Samsung have their new Galaxy Z Trifold and Google, Honor, and more remain committed to the form factor.

At this year’s CES Samsung showed off a prototype of a creaseless folding OLED display. Given that Apple typically cherry picks the latest and greatest componentry for its flagship devices, could this be the final barrier between compromise and pure elegance that will enable an iPhone Fold to achieve the perfect look? It helps that Samsung Display is one of Apple’s key suppliers.

Motorola.com, Samsung.com, Honor.com, Apple.com

Rise of the Robots

Perhaps the ultimate embodiment of so-called Physical AI is a truly autonomous worker. Domestic robots were a notable draw at CES 2026, with most intended to fulfil relatively straightforward tasks like home security and entertainment.

LG’s CLOiD went a few steps further, part of the South Korean company’s drive towards a ‘Zero Labor Home’ (where have we heard that one before?), but there was also the T800 from Chinese company EngineAI, and the AEON robot from Hexagon. And isn’t it a little weird that domestic robots are still using wheels whilst it’s the robot vacuum cleaners that are starting to sprout legs, like prehistoric ancestral mammals crawling out of the ooze.

Of greater significance was the reveal of Boston Dynamics’s production-ready Atlas industrial robot. The company is now part of Hyundai, giving plenty of impetus to the idea of a non-unionised robotised worker with a broad range of core skills and inherent strength. However, the inevitable rise of the robots could still turn out to be one of technology’s great cautionary tales.

The rapid and deadly weaponisation of the drone industry was spurred partly by necessity and partly by affordability – an off-the-shelf metal humanoid still costs around $40,000. Still, you can guarantee that the military R&D labs of every government on the planet are looking into lethal applications.

BostonDynamics.com, Robotics.Hexagon.com

Taking Sight of Smart Glasses

Smart glasses reached a point of maturity in 2025, whether it was for watching, working or augmenting information onto your field of view. With Meta’s collaboration with Ray-Ban leading the field – and apparently so popular that the latest model, the Display, is being delayed in Europe due to demand – the sector is wide open for mass adoption.

But. What do you actually need Smart Glasses for? There are a plethora of different models out there, many of which do very different things, from those that simply exist to supply and augment audio, with perhaps a hotline to an AI assistant, like the Solos AirGo V2, products from Aether Audio and Nuance Audio, to the layered information approach taken by Meta Display, with imagery displayed on the lens itself.

Then there are those models that throw in a physical screen behind the actual lens, like the Xreal Air 2 Ultra and the Air 3S by RayNeo. Slightly clunkier and not exactly designed for walking around, these are essentially intended as monitor or TV replacements, bringing a big (over 200” equivalent) screen right in front of your eyeballs).

But it’s the Meta-stisation of tech that should concern us all most. Not all smart glasses contain cameras, but the Meta Display emphatically does, along with an on-wrist controller that removes the need to fiddle with the frames when you want to activate one of the many features – overlaying translated text on a menu, for example, or taking a short film.

We’re back to the ‘why’ of it all. Outside of workplace interactions and other spaces where information retention is crucial, what does the consumer get out of making and embracing such a visible statement of connectivity?

We’ve had bodycams and AR glasses for many years where such things really matter, and the humble smartphone has proven time and time again to be a trusty counterpoint to tyranny and overreach. Once we’re all wearing smart glasses, every interaction becomes an informational Mexican standoff, riddled with suspicion and paranoia.

Meta.com, Solosglasses.com, NuanceAudio.com, UK.RayNeo.com, UK.Shop.XREAL.com, Aether-Eyewear.com

Solid-State batteries in cars and bikes

On a more pragmatic note, the quiet introduction of Solid-State batteries promises another leap forward for electric mobility. Up until now, price and complexity have kept keep them out of consumers’ hands for the next few years. 2026 should see manufacturers exploring bridge technologies, like Nio’s ‘semi-solid’ battery, a 150 kWh battery pack designed for China’s many battery-swapping stations as an upgrade from regular 75 kWh or 100 kWh options.

Although it packs a range of over 1,000km, the new tech is still prohibitively expensive. At CES, Verge Motorcycles revealed the first bike with a true Solid-State battery, courtesy of American start-up Donut Labs.

Put simply, a Solid-State battery has no liquid or gel electrolyte; instead, charged particles move through the battery courtesy of a solid electrolyte, typically a ceramic. This allows for greater energy density but also ramps up costs due to the need for much more energy-intensive manufacturing. In addition to providing more power for less weight, Solid-State tech is also faster charging and less prone to combusting (Donut Lab’s battery can be fully charged in five minutes).

However, even conventional lithium-ion batteries represent a massive chunk of an EV’s value, but as the new tech scales up and costs come down, smaller EVs could become more commonplace and range anxiety – already waning – will be a thing of the past.

DonutLab.com, @DonutLabOfficial, VergeMotorcycles.com

eVTOL services take flight

In this litigation and liability-minded world, any new form of transportation is just one catastrophe away from cancellation. Safety is the paramount consideration for the raft of new eVTOL providers and services that have variously promised to be airborne by the end of the decade.

This year, eVTOL might finally take flight as a commercial prospect. Look to the Middle East for the very first commercial flights; it currently looks as if Joby Aviation’s proposed service from Dubai International Airport to the Palm Jumeirah could be up and running in months. The ten-minute flight will replace a 45-minute car journey.

Joby is also looking to initiate another airport transfer service in New York, running seven-minute flights from a downtown heliport to JFK. Archer Aviation, which counts Stellantis and United Airlines amongst its investors, is also looking to get in on the potentially lucrative Manhattan to JFK business.

In China, EHang is already running demonstration tour flights in cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen, while in South Korea, Supernal (part of the Hyundai Motor Group), is still aiming for a 2028 service launch despite some high-profile personnel and funding setbacks. And whether or not eVTOL will also usher in a new form of urban infrastructure – such as the Foster-designed ‘Vertiport’ concept for Dubai – remains to be seen.

The eVTOL industry is a dynamic one, with collective decades of R&D and the current absence of any commercial routes causing many companies to fall by the wayside. Still in contention are key players like Vertical Aerospace, Volocopter and Aridge (the new name for the what was originally known as the Xpeng Aero HT). Although take-off might finally be achieved in 2026, the long-term sustainability of electric flight is by no means secured just yet.

Archer.com, Vertical-Aerospace.com, Supernal.aero, Aridge.com, Volocopter.com, JobyAviation.com, EHang.com