Podcast #1236: 2026 CES Award Winners

On this week’s show we have compiled a list of home theater and home automation/smart home products that received notable awards or honors at CES 2026. 

News:

• Amazon has started automatically upgrading Prime members to Alexa Plus
• Apple Reveals ‘Record-Breaking’ Year For Apple TV And Other Services
• Bears vs. Packers on Prime Video sets streaming record

2026 CES Award Winners

• Samsung S95H (OLED TV with enhanced brightness, anti-burn-in art display, wireless features) Awarded Best TV or Home Theater (CNET) and Winner in Home Theater category (ZDNET/CNET Group awards).
• Samsung Music Studio 5 (Compact smart speaker with artistic design, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity for whole-home audio) Winner in Best Audio category (CNET) and Winner in Audio category (ZDNET/CNET Group awards).
• Samsung 140” Micro LED - The Samsung 140” Micro LED TV creates a seamless, immersive 3D-like experience by using AI to extend on-screen content onto innovative Micro LED Mirror bezels that blend with the image. When not in use, it folds in half via a hidden hinge to function as an elegant art frame, eliminating the traditional "black box" appearance and blending beautifully into home décor. CES 2026 Best of Innovation in Video Displays
• KLIPSCH THE 9S II -  The Klipsch The 9s II powered speakers feature Onkyo audio processing and an updated Tractrix horn for wide dispersion and precise clarity, while supporting both two-channel music and Dolby Atmos content with versatile connectivity including AirPlay 2, USB-C, HDMI, and XLR inputs.They include Dirac Live auto-room calibration and deliver exceptional sound quality, though the pair carries a premium price of $2,399. Tom’s Guide Best Audio
• LG H7 FlexConnect soundbar (Dolby Atmos soundbar with modular FlexConnect surround extension to any TV, part of LG Sound Suite) Best Audio category (CNET).
• LG W6 (Ultra-thin "wallpaper" OLED TV, flush wall mount, bright display, supports Dolby Atmos FlexConnect) Best TV or Home Theater category (CNET).
• LG CLOiD - The LG CLOiD is a wheeled household robot that connects to LG ThinQ smart appliances and uses its two arms, cameras, sensors, and voice recognition to autonomously handle tasks like loading laundry, folding clothes, organizing the fridge, tidying up, running errands, and assisting with cooking. By learning the user's routines, understanding context and emotions, and proactively acting with gestures, voice, and expressions, it reduces household labor and enhances quality of life and emotional well-being. 2026 Honoree in Smart Home
• Hisense 116UXS (Massive 116-inch mini-LED TV with advanced RGB + cyan backlight for wide color gamut)
  Highlighted in Best TV or Home Theater category (CNET) and CES 2026 Best of Innovation in Video Displays
• Hisense 163MX The Hisense 163MX is the world's first 163-inch MicroLED TV to use a four-primary RGBY (QuadColor) pixel design, which adds a yellow subpixel to achieve 95% BT.2020 color coverage—a 5% improvement over traditional RGB MicroLED systems. This self-emissive technology delivers perfect blacks, infinite contrast, precise brightness control, and stunning visual quality in any lighting without a backlight. 2026 Best of Innovation in Video Displays.
• Samsung EdgeAware AI Home - processing sounds, videos, and data from Samsung and third-party devices locally on your Samsung tech to generate detailed event summaries, contextual recommendations, and health insights displayed on your TV—all without sending private data to the cloud.  It detects 12 distinct sounds (like running water or breaking glass), provides actionable suggestions such as launching telemedicine for persistent coughing or triggering emergency services for intrusions/fires, and enables fast AI-driven searches for moments like “doorbell rang.” 2026 Honoree in Smart Home
• Doma Intelligent Door - Doma is pioneering secure home intelligence by integrating advanced technology directly into the front door, starting with keyless entry, intruder protection, and real-time awareness of activity inside and around the home. Founded by the team behind August and Yale smart locks, it delivers a holistic system that elevates the home experience, monitors health and safety, senses surroundings, and takes personalized actions to provide true peace of mind. 2026 Honoree in Smart Home
• Roborock Saros Rover (Advanced two-legged/smart robot vacuum with stair-climbing, AI navigation for multi-level homes) Winner in Smart Home category (ZDNET/CNET Group awards).
• AQARA U400 - Thanks to its use of Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology, it can sense when you (and your iPhone or Apple Watch) are approaching your door, and will unlock it automatically. No fuss. And, the technology is good enough that it can recognize if you’re merely walking past your door rather than to it, or if you’re inside, rather than outside your house. Tom’s Guide Best Smart Lock
• JBL Tour One M3 Smart Tx JBL Tour One M3 Smart Tx delivers all the powerful features of the Tour One M3 headphones such as world class noise cancellation, crystal clear calls and legendary Hi-res certified JBL Pro Sound. The Smart Tx audio transmitter connects you to almost any audio source and elevates your wireless experience. Connect wirelessly to digital devices using the USB-C connection, or analog devices with a 3.5mm audio jack, such as in-flight entertainment systems. No need to pull out your phone and search for the app. Full access to all controls is right there on the touch screen of the transmitter. 2026 Honoree in Headphones & Personal Audio. $450
• Timekettle W4 AI Interpreter Earbuds The Timekettle W4 AI Interpreter Earbuds are the world's first in-ear translation device to use Bone-Voiceprint Sensor technology combined with LLM-powered, context-aware AI, achieving 98% accurate, noise-immune speech recognition with just 0.2-second latency across 42 languages and 95 accents.Designed for all-day comfort with up to 18 hours of battery life, sleek styling, one-flip sharing, automatic mode switching, and audio/video translation capabilities, the W4 delivers natural, real-time multilingual conversations and is now available for purchase. 2026 Honoree in Artificial Intelligence, Headphones & Personal Audio, Mobile Devices, Accessories & Apps. $350