Our Favorite Home Tech Gear That Everyone's Talking About at CES 2026

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Tech-enthusiasts' favorite week of the year is here. CES 2026 has officially kicked off, and with it comes a slew of innovative and sometimes ground-breaking technology that may change the way we live. Our on-the-ground team has already gotten first looks at some of the items, but there's still plenty more to come.

Here is everything that has wowed us so far in the home tech world at CES 2026.

A wireless smart lock that requires no charging ever

Wireless smart locks are a great solution for those who can't or don't want to run wire to the door, but those types of locks typically require batteries that need to be changed often. Not anymore. At CES 2026, Lockin unveiled the wireless V7 Max and Veno Pro locks, which never require recharging. The locks stay charged due to AuraCharge, or optical wireless charging, the company's CEO announced. They will be available for preorder after CES.

Learn more about the state-of-the-art locks from our reporter who's at the event.

Worthwhile washer-dryer combos

Although washer-dryer combos aren't too common or a pick right now, LG may be the brand that's about to change that fact. LG's new Signature washer-dryer ventless combo machine was unveiled at CES 2026, promising to complete a 10-pound load of laundry in under 90 minutes. This is noteworthy because its previous model took up to two hours to do the same task.

Laundry-folding robots

Speaking of laundry, we've all dreamed about never having to fold a piece of laundry again, haven't we? Now that dream is coming to fruition -- well, maybe.

Well-known brand LG unveiled CLOiD at CES 2026, and it says it can fold laundry, unload the dishwasher and handle light cooking tasks, but after a demonstration, let's just say it doesn't move too quickly, so if you're in a rush, this might not be the bot for you.

When CNET shared the demo on Instagram, viewers seemed unimpressed with the speed as well. "He's moving at the speed of my husband," one commenter wrote.

Govee's new ceiling lights can take your smart home up several notches

Govee's smart ceiling light shifting colors at CES 2026.

Regular, color-changing smart lights aren't anything new, but the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra and the Sky Ceiling Light definitely are. The Sky Ceiling Light has the ability to make your ceiling look like a skylight and have a natural transition into daytime, while the Ceiling Light Ultra is endlessly customizable.

"They showed me one, which was a map of the world, and I could see myself using it in a living room or foyer as more of an art statement rather than just a light," CNET's editor Ajay Kumar said. "It's also a lot bigger than I expected in person, and could easily cover a larger room."

A launch date and pricing have not yet been announced.

Cordless vacuums from Bosch

Bosch recently unveiled the Bosch Unlimited 9 and Unlimited 10 cordless vacuum and Kumar got a first-hand look at them, stating they may become a good competitor to the well-known Dyson and Shark vacuums. You can read his full thoughts here and see his current round-up of the best cordless vacuum cleaners.

A robot vacuum with legs

If a new lineup of cordless vacuums doesn't impress you, maybe this stair-climbing one will. The Roborock Saros Rover features legs that help it seamlessly climb and clean stairs.

Kumar watched the vacuum in action and said it can make sudden stops, turns and hops. Pricing and availability have not yet been announced.

No installation needed for this water monitor and leak detector

Installing a water monitor and leak detector has never been easier than now. That's because Droplet, unveiled at CES 2026, requires no installation whatsoever. Instead, it clips onto the pipe and uses ultrasonic sensors to collect 50 water flow samples per second, according to the brand. It can detect leaks, bursts and monitor water usage. It is available for $200.

A breakthrough in gluten and dairy detection

The Allergen Alert mini lab on a table next to a laptop.

Every now and then, we come across an item that could truly be life-changing for some people. This could be one of them. Allergen Alert is said to be able to detect gluten or dairy in any food, and it's pocket-size, so you can take it with you to restaurants or while traveling. It is currently in development, but is being tested by professional chefs. The company behind the device stated that it hopes to expand to other allergies in the future as well.

The world's first ultrasonic knife

Seattle Ultrasonic has created the first-ever ultrasonic chef's knife, which can cut through tomatoes, potatoes and more with almost no effort. Watsky got to test it out at CES 2026 and stated that it vibrates more than 30,000 times per second. It's available for $399.

A fridge with barcode scanning capabilities

You may wonder why a fridge would need a built-in barcode scanner, but the answer is simple: to help you keep track of the grocery items you're running low on, making your trip to the grocery store as seamless as possible.

GE Profile unveiled the new fridge at CES 2026, and in addition to the barcode scanner, it also has a live camera that's meant to help reduce food waste, and an accompanying app can give you recipe suggestions based on the contents of your fridge.

A self-sufficient robot pool cleaner

Although it's not quite pool season in most of the US, we always welcome exciting news for pool owners, so here it is: the first-ever self-emptying robot pool cleaner is here.

The Beatbot AquaSense X ecosystem can empty itself once it is docked in its station, eliminating an exorbitant amount of labor for pool owners. Learn more about how this groundbreaking pool cleaner works here.

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