I’m a smart home expert – here are 3 trends I’m hoping to see at CES 2026

As 2025 draws to a close, things are a little quiet on the smart home news front. We’ve just come out of the chaos of Black Friday, and with CES taking place next week, most brands are keeping their cards close to their chest until then.

All of that got me thinking about the kinds of things I’d love to see in the smart home world next year – the trends, features and improvements I’m hoping finally make their way into our homes. I could be completely wrong, but I’m feeling optimistic, so have a read below and let me know if you agree.

1. Seamless smart home integration

With Matter continuing to evolve, 2026 could finally be the year more brands jump on board and make it the true industry standard. I personally think Matter has been one of the best things to happen to the smart home space, especially with all the updates we’ve seen over the past year, so seeing it become the default would be incredible.

I’m even tempted to say that no smart home product should launch without Matter support, but I’ll save that debate for another day.

2. Built-in maintenance features

This one came to me recently whilst I was mildly irritated that my video doorbell still wasn’t defrosted by 11am during a recent cold spell. I’d love to see CES bring smart home devices with handy maintenance features built in, including things like automatic defrosting or a self-wipe feature for security camera lenses.

Some gadgets are starting to head in this direction, but I’m hoping 2026 gives us a lot more of it.

3. More affordable "basic" gadgets

Another big trend I’m rooting for is more simple, affordable smart gadgets – devices that do exactly what they say on the box and don’t cost a fortune. IKEA absolutely nailed this in 2025, especially with the 21 Matter-compatible products it released at the start of November.

Things like water-leak detectors, motion sensors and tiny LED lights that cost just a few pounds are incredibly popular because they let people on smaller budgets enjoy the benefits of a smart home. I’d love to see more brands follow IKEA’s lead and create low-cost, entry-level devices across their ranges.