CES 2026 live: we’ve got the inside scoop on new OLED TVs, Dolby Atmos treats and more
Our team is on the ground reporting live on CES 2026’s biggest audio and TV announcements
Vinyl fans, rejoice! There's a new Audio-Technica turntable in town
Audio-Technica has launched the new AT-LP7X record player at CES 2026, and it's a minimalist deck that hides plenty of versatile features under its matte black finish.
You get a switchable, built-in phono stage that works with both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, and an adjustable tonearm that can be updated to work with a wide variety of cartridges.
The LP7X comes fitted with a J-shaped aluminium tonearm and is pre-mounted with the AT-VM95E cartridge, but can be updated down the line should you wish.
The deck can be plugged straight into active speakers for a compact setup, or be used within a more traditional hi-fi separates system. The LP7X is yours for £679 / $999, sitting just under the £859 / $1299 AT-LP8X turntable we reviewed (and enjoyed!) last year.
Read the full details: Audio-Technica's new AT-LP7X turntable offers ample versatility in a sleek, modern design
Onkyo's Muse series is great news for hi-fi fans
Onkyo is kicking off its 80th anniversary celebrations with a brand-new Muse series of streaming amplifiers, which aims to offer amplification and streaming talents in one sleek box.
All you need to do is add speakers to the Muse Y-50 or Muse Y-40, which boast Class D amplification, Spotify/Qobuz/Tidal Connect hi-res streaming, and ample connectivity including HDMI eARC and moving magnet phono stage.
The new Onkyo streaming amps feature a large display screen for track information and the compulsory VU meter display, and are due out in May 2026. The Y-50 is set to cost $1499, while the Y-40 will cost $999, with UK, AUS and other pricing TBC.
A special edition Muse 80th model with a retro finish is also on the cards, with limited availability of 1000 units worldwide – that's due out in summer.
Read the full story here: Onkyo celebrates its 80th anniversary with all-new Muse streaming amplifiers
TCL promises to go one better than the latest crop of RGB Mini LED TVs
While most other TV makers are getting into bed with RGB Mini LED, TCL is going its own way, opting for SQD Mini LED as its technology of choice for its flagship TV this year.
SQD stands for Super Quantum Dots, and refines how light is filtered at the colour level, reducing colour crosstalk and maintaining colour accuracy.
It will feature in the X11L, which launched in China late last year and will be TCL's flagship TV in Europe and the US in 2026. Other TCL TVs with the tech will be announced later in the year.
Want to see what else it can do? Read our full story: Forget RGB Mini LED – TCL has just announced SQD Mini LED TVs
We've been hands-on with Samsung's new Sonos Arc Ultra rival
It's only just been announced, but we've already had hands-on time with Samsung's new Dolby Atmos soundbar. Twice, in fact!
Samsung is making no secret of the fact that it's gunning for the Sonos Arc with its new HW-QS90H model. As such, unlike the HW-Q990F system-in-a-box, the QS90H is a solo bar with all of the drivers built in.
The focus has been on the bass, and Senior Staff Writer Lewis Empson reports that the QS90H sounds very deep and weighty indeed.
Check out his Samsung HW-QS90H hands-on for his early impressions.
Xgimi's latest 4K home cinema projector is challenging the likes of Hisense and Epson
Next up, Xgimi has announced the release of its latest 4K home cinema projector – the Titan Noir Max. This follows on from Xgimi’s Titan projector that was announced late last year, but Xgimi says this flagship model boasts, “precision-tuned optics [to] bring out the kind of depth, contrast, and colour nuance once reserved for post-production studios.”
We are still waiting to learn how much this model will cost as well as its connectivity options. But we do know that the 4K model is employing the “most advanced dynamic IRIS system to date” with a native contrast of 10,000:1.
It looks to be in direct competition with the five-star Epson EH-LS9000, as well as Hisense's new XR10 model that was announced late last year. We will have to wait to see how Xgimi's latest entry compares with such stiff competition...
Read our full Xgimi Titan Noir Max story
Samsung's new wireless speaker range offers hi-res audio, and works with Samsung TVs
Samsung's new wireless speakers are both quite different propositions. The larger Music Studio 7 offers hi-res audio and spatial audio, but no Bluetooth, while the lower-end Music Studio 5 (pictured) does have Bluetooth for local streaming, but no hi-res or spatial audio.
The 7 can also wireless pair with other units to provide stereo sound, or Samsung TVs via the brand's Q-Symphony tech. Handy if you're considering one of Samsung's 2026 TV lineup...
Read our full Samsung wireless speaker story
Cambridge's first-ever active wireless speaker systems land
Cambridge Audio is striding out into uncharted territory with its new L/R series. Consisting of two active wireless speaker systems, the L/R X and L/R M, alongside the L/R S powered speakers, the new range represents a first for the British brand.
Central to the L/R X and M models is Cambridge's new 'Torus' tweeter which utilises a ring-shaped design with a tapered horn inside the rear chamber. The Torus employs a dual radius configuration, with a flatter top and steeper sides, alongside a large rear chamber for better clarity and direction.
All three models offer RCA line-level inputs, while the X and M models house twin USB-C ports – one for handling audio and the other for the speaker interconnect link – as well as digital optical inputs. You also get an HDMI eARC input and a moving magnet phono stage if you go for the L/R X or L/R M models.
The L/R X and M's streaming powers are driven by the fourth generation of Cambridge’s StreamMagic platform, offering support for the likes of AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Amazon Music, Deezer and Qobuz Connect. The smaller, cheaper L/R S, meanwhile, still offers built-in amplification alongside standard Bluetooth streaming.
We’ve already had listening time with the largest member of the family, so check out our L/R X hands on review if you want to hear our early impressions.
We're into day two!
We’re into day two of our CES 2026 live hub. And while we may have gotten more than a few treats yesterday, our AV experts at the show have a choker block full calendar of yet more hardware to get a hands-on look, or listen, to at the show today.
But as ever, we want to hear from you. If you’ve spotted a product launch we missed and are keen to learn more about it, or have a burning question about one we’ve already covered, let us know in the comments section of this page. Our team on the ground will then do their level best to get you an answer ASAP.
The LG Wallpaper TV has finally returned – and now it's wireless
After a five-year hiatus, LG's Wallpaper OLED TV series is back in the form of the new W6, and it's got some lovely new tricks up its sleeve.
The loveliest is the switch to wirelessness. While the original Wallpaper OLEDs were tethered to a very large soundbar, which also handled the picture processing and connections, the new W6 comes with the new version of LG's Zero Connect box, which can wirelessly transmit picture and sound from a position out of sight, up to 10m away.
While the W6 isn't wafer-thin in the way that the old models were, it's still just 9mm thick, yet it boasts the same flagship panel and processor as the new G6.
That means it uses second-gen Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel tech, complete with new anti-reflection tech that apparently delivers deeper blacks and more vibrant colours in bright ambient light, plus the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 AI chip.
And while the W6 will certainly be a very premium TV, rumour has it that the price gap between it and the G6 won't be huge. We're predicting a price of about £4999 for the smallest, 77-inch model.
Expect more on this, including hands-on impressions, in the next day or so.
Read the full LG W6 Wallpaper OLED TV story
The projector market is one that’s in a state of flux right now. While cinephiles will generally insist on getting a full-fat, incredibly expensive, long-throw, many people are starting to invest in the growing “coffee table” category – and for good reasons.
Simple to set up, small in size and, when done well, surprisingly capable, they’re a great option for people looking for a unit to power impromptu, big-screen movie nights. And if that sounds appealing, you’ll be happy to hear Samsung has just unveiled a new dinky, The Freestyle+, projector designed to deliver just that.
A direct rival to the likes of the Xgimi Mogo 4, the unit is a tiny beamer with a fancy new built-in AI powers designed to let it optimise its picture to deliver a decent movie watching experience, even in sub-optimal conditions – like when it's projecting onto a naked, painted wall, not a proper screen.
Considering how much we liked the original Samsung The Freestyle, which earned a four-star rating from our reviewers, we have high hopes for the new unit despite the fact it’s still 1080p and, as requested by our staff writer Robyn Quck, doesn’t have a built-in battery.
We’ll try to get a proper hands-on preview session with the new Freestyle+ at CES, so stay tuned for further details!
New wireless headphones and speakers from a guitar legend
In guitar circles, there are few brands as iconic as Fender. Whether it’s Jimi Hendrix shredding on a strat, The Boss armed with his iconic telecaster or Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain smashing his mustang on Smells Like Teen Spirit, its axes have been an integral part of music for generations.
But, despite dabbling in headphones, it’s never fully conquered the regular consumer audio world. Which is why we were surprised, and cautiously excited, to see it make moves to do just that at CES 2026 where Fender unveiled new consumer-focused wireless headphones and speakers.
The new Bluetooth speakers fall into a new ELIE brand and consist of two options: the E6 and E12. Fender’s making a load of bold claims about both, claiming its "world-first Waves SOC [system-on-a-chip] implementation" will let them offer much better clarity and higher volume than rivals.
With pricing starting at $300 (around £220 / AU$450) for the ELIE 6 and going up to $400 (around £300 / AU$600) for the 12, that’s a bold claim considering the strength of competition at that level.
The Fender MIX over-ear wireless headphones are similarly bold with their aspirations, being set to retail for $300 (around £220 / AU$450).
Eager to separate them from the sea of competition at that level, the headphones come with a clever FWD Tx USB-C transmitter.
This reportedly enables lossless (LHDC-V), low-latency (LC3), and Auracast transmission modes when plugged into source devices. Fender’s quoting higher quality wireless playback up to 24-bit/96kHz lossless when the headphones and transmitter are connected.
It had some Bluetooth speakers too...
LG’s bright start to 2026 goes beyond the world of home cinema. The Korean brand made a big push in the world of Bluetooth speakers last year with its Xboom Bluetooth speaker range, and now it’s added four new models to the lineup in a bid to keep up with the likes of Bose and JBL.
That expanded roster boasts four new additions – the burly Blast, the compact Mini, the durable Rock and the karaoke-ready Stage 501 – all of which have once again been tuned by Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.
We reviewed the hefty Xboom Go XG8T last year, and while we weren’t blown away by its bold yet unrefined sound, there were hints that LG could compete in this ultra-competitive market if it continues to refine its portable sonic formula.
Who knows, maybe 2026 will be the year it cracks that particular nut.
A load of treats from LG
Never a company to be one-upped by its Samsung arch-rival, LG also used CES 2026 as the springboard for its new OLEDs. The headline entry is its new LG C6 step-down model.
This is the first C-series we’ve seen to feature the firm’s brightness boosting RGB Tandem OLED tech, which made its debut on last year’s flagship, five-star LG G5.
We haven’t had any hands-on time with the set yet, but the tech’s appearance has piqued our interest. We’ll try to get a demo of the LG C6 at the show, so make sure to keep checking this page.
On top of that, LG also unveiled its new lifestyle set, The Gallery TV. Pitched as a direct rival to the Samsung Frame range, the set is designed to look as unassuming as possible and double as a digital art frame when not in use.
On the audio side, the biggest thing that caught our eye is LG’s new wireless Sound Suite system.
The wireless Dolby Atmos system is one of the first we’ve seen to feature Dolby’s FlexConnect technology – a custom tech designed to let you create a fully wireless Atmos set-up that doesn’t require careful placement the way most current systems do.
The tech also lets you pair the wireless LG M7 and M5 satellite speakers with a compatible TV, using the set’s speakers as its central channel rather than a soundbar.
We haven’t heard Sound Suite yet, but the idea is a compelling one, especially for home cinema fans tight on space.
Samsung’s giant new TV
Samsung always uses CES as the launchpad for its next line of OLED TVs, and that remains the case this year.
At CES, the Korean TV giant unveiled several new sets, including its new flagship S95H OLED – which is one of its most interesting to date.
The set features a completely new design that’s more akin to the Samsung Frame range than past OLED sets, including last year’s five-star Samsung S95F.
Despite this, it still has improved specifications, with Samsung reporting its new QD-OLED panel can go brighter and offer improved colour accuracy.
While it’s too early to offer any final judgments, our experts at the show walked away impressed after a hands-on demo session, reporting:
“The S95H wants to be a statement piece, and while we have thoroughly approved of the last two iterations of this TV, in some ways we wish they stood out a bit more. The S95H is here to rectify that, but only time will tell if it will succeed in this mission.”
Meet the team
Lewis is our senior staff writer and an expert on all things home cinema. Since joining What Hi-Fi? some years ago, he climbed the ranks and has helped us review some of the biggest TVs, projectors, surround systems and AVRs currently available. This CES, he’s been tasked to lead the charge when it comes to getting hands-on demos with the show’s biggest new products. Make sure to follow him for all of our early, hands-on thoughts about this year’s big launches.
With nearly 20 years of experience, Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. Over his career, he’s covered everything from flagship OLED TVs to the arrival of new HDR standards and wireless codecs. He’ll be on hand throughout CES, updating this hub.
Tom is in charge of What Hi-Fi?’s home cinema team. An expert on everything from cutting-edge RGB Mini LED to entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbars, he’ll be on hand over CES offering expert insight on all the show’s big home cinema news.
Kash is in charge of our hi-fi and audio section. With an expert knowledge of everything from top-end turntables to entry-level Bluetooth speakers, throughout CES she’ll be offering her insights on the show’s big audio announcements.
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