CES 2026 was probably the best way to start the New Year for SOFTECH, our software development team from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Between 6 and 9 January, SOFTECH joined the Romanian Pavilion organized by ARIES TM at the prestigious technology event, the Consumer Electronics Show – CES, from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The event created an unparalleled momentum around what is actually possible across the contemporary industries and the audience enjoyed touching and feeling real products and solutions.
CES 2026 in Numbers
The actual exhibition grounds included multiple and renoun venues and areas of 2.6 million square feet, that welcomed + 148000 participants from all over the world. They visited the stands and pavilions prepared by +4100 exhibiting companies and organizations, including +1200 startups!
Also of special importance is the fact that 55% of the attendees were senior-level executives, proving the great interest that CES rises among tech industry owners and leaders.
Romania in the Ocean of Technology
Located in the beautiful expo of The Venetian hotel, the Romanian pavilion and our small booth was part of the world’s largest technology innovation stage! By far, one could observe the incredibly high competition among tech regions, tech companies and tech ecosystems. Even if Romania IT pavilion hosted 14 tech companies, we must objectively declare that nor our no other country pavilions could keep up with the gigantic tech companies leading the change in the field. What we loved about CES 2026 is that it gave a real feel of the scale of the tech industry.
Meeting and observing the leading tech companies from Northern America, Southern America, Western Europe and Asia, we can only wish that Eastern European companies reached that development stage. The gap of investment in innovation, research and development activities is visible, but we trust that at some point, with a common regional effort, maybe Romania and Eastern European countries will open their wings.
The Future Is Here
During the four days event, we have witnessed the rise of industrial-scale AI, the expanding role of Physical AI and robotics, emerging health and wellness ecosystems, increasingly intelligent smart homes and the latest mobility and energy solutions.
Our colleague, Norbert Kandó – Department Manager, resumed it with a nice twist: “Physical AI is the new trend – AI is stepping into the real world. Self –driving cars are getting closer to mass adoption, robots are taking on household chores and Wi-Fi 8 (at least in theory) already powers smart homes.
NVIDIA Rubin represents a massive leap in AI computing power. And yes (!), LG’s Wallpaper TV is unbelievably thin (9 mm, only!). On top of that, there are more cool devices on show: Hisense’s wine cooler, vacuum cleaners that climb stairs, exoskeletons that help people move better and faster.”
Of course, there are far more things to be added that support the idea that what sometimes seemed science-fiction, now has become reality. While walking around the exhibition halls, what was striking is that the previously clumsy robots, too big household devices and appliances, raw vehicles, strange wearable designs, now became thinner, more elegant, more mobile and more integrated in the landscape. They will become the new norm and will pass unobserved in our daily life! This equals more integration and tangible progress.
The Show Stealers
Six days have passed after CES 2026 and it seems still overwhelming to think about what we have seen on stage. Yet, we must share all the novelties that grabbed the public’s attention.
- Robotics & Physical AI Extravagance: An incredible number of functional robots (LG CLOiD for example) and humanoid robots were on display, as well as an impressive set of exoskeletons to help humans with movement and heavy lifting. Robot vacuums were all over the show, pointing the imminent growth of this segment.
- AI Chips & Compute: The much awaited NVIDIA Rubin is designed for large-scale AI systems, while Interl Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” and next gen AMD Ryzen AI processors push AI performance in laptops and personal computers.
- Mobile & Foldable Devices are always the prim ballerinas: We noticed the rollable and expandbale laptop from Lenovo and we had a particular spark with Motorola’s book-style foldable smartphone.
- Smart Home & Connectivity: the next-gen WI-FI 8 prototypes and mesh systems promise lower latency and broader coverage. An entire army of smart appliances blending AI with sensors and connectors overwhelmed us, daily.
- Displays and TVs transposed us in the future: LG Wallpaper OLED TV with ultra-thin screen (9mm) was one of the most applauded designs on show. We appreciated the LG monument built up from thin screens. Massive Samsung Micro-RGB and next gen display tech, such as glass free 3D gaming monitors caught our attention.
- Gaming& Productivity: The HP Elite G1A reimagines the desktop, while revamped DELL XPS laptops are incredibly slim and promise dazzling quality.
- Quirky Fun Tech: we were totally blown by the LEGO Smart Play with sensor-equipped interactive bricks, the Lollipop Star that plays music using bone conduction tech (!) and the super intelligent hair dryer with robotic arms.
The above summary is non-exhaustive, given the fact that we could not literally cover the entire exhibition area. Nevertheless, we think they are good examples of what was on display.
Las Vegas: More than Entertainment
Before heading to Vegas, we have researched the location and wandered why and how it happens that CES – Consumers Electronic Show is being organized in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. After spending a few days at the event and exploring the city, we have quickly understood why it is the best venue to do it. Las Vegas is the world’s capital of entertainment, thus the capital of innovation in the field of entertainment. We have seen it live!
On the other hand, we had the chance to meet the International Business Development Department at the City Hall, facilitated by Ms. Lia Roberts, Honorary Consul General of Romania in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the official meeting with the entire Romanian tech delegation, we have understood that Vegas is also developing in three new directions: health, advanced manufacturing and top technology.
SOFTECH’s Takeaways from CES 2026
Thinking back about the week at CES 2026, we have gathered so many ideas and have tasted a bit of the new trend. From a software development company’s perspective, we have understood that:
- AI is no longer a bonus feature, it is something that should be integrated deeply into user workflows and experiences, working continuously in the background;
- Efficiency and performance at the edge are a top priority;
- Consumer want IoT that works instantly, thus interoperability and exemplar user experience are the focus;
- Solutions that solve daily problems and respond to human needs will be the winning ones.
Thank you for reading our CES 2026 story and we hope that we will meet in the nearest future to develop together software that is capable to prepare your business for these new times! We will be happy to hear from you directly on contact@softech.ro or on our message form.
