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The 6 next big things in consumer tech for 2026
Business & Technology
Fast Company TechnologyEN
October 6, 2026

The 6 next big things in consumer tech for 2026

Consumer technology is at its best when it’s solving problems that exist outside of the tech world. This year’s honorees include better ways to clean your floors, put on your shoes, hear the conversation around you, and practice music effectively. There’s also a less-intrusive smart lock, a refreshingly simple microwave oven, and—if you’ll allow one solution to a problem caused by technology itself—a way to spare your smartphone screen from prying eyes. JBL/HarmanFor giving guitar practice an AI upgradeWhile the modern musician will find no shortage of backing tracks on YouTube for practice purposes, they’re seldom as fun to jam with as the original material. JBL’s BandBox Solo and Trio guitar amplifiers can play music from streaming services over Bluetooth but with AI audio separation that controls the volume of individual instruments. Users can mute a song’s guitar track while playing along themselves, or turn down the vocals and drums to better hear the notes in a tricky solo. Software tools such as LALAL.AI and Moises have long allowed aspiring musicians to create backing tracks from recorded music, but by building this capability directly into the hardware, JBL is adding a new layer of convenience. KizikFor making footwear hands-freeFor nearly a decade, Kizik has been making shoes you can squeeze your heels into without having to use your hands. But while the company has expanded into new categories such as snow boots, running shoes have always been a major challenge because of the need for a stable fit with no performance compromises. The company finally cracked the problem this year with its Freedom Run line, with a heel design that compresses when you step into it but then snaps into a rigid position that prevents slippage. Tests at Brigham Young University confirmed that the shoe’s heel stability while running is comparable or better than that of leading brands. The company’s parent, HandsFree Labs, is also working with Nike and New Balance and plans to expand into other areas of active footwear, such as hiking and winter sports, with the eventual goal of making every shoe hands-free. LegatoFor using smart eyewear to enhance what you hearWhile Big Tech companies like Meta and Google hoover attention with their smart glasses platforms, Legato is building frames for a more practical purpose. Its Legato Frames use on-device AI audio processing to enhance human speech while quieting background noise, serving as a stylish and smarter alternative to traditional hearing aids. The company has a big rival in EssilorLuxottica, whose Nuance Audio glasses serve the same purpose. Still, its team of former Bose engineers figured out how to solve some key problems, such as amplifying the voices of others without unnaturally boosting the wearer’s own voice. Frames remains on a waitlist, though Legato has raised $12 million to help bring the product to market by year-end. Level HomeFor making smart locks look less dumbSmart locks tend to be eyesores, with bulky enclosures to house all the necessary motors, sensors, and connectivity. With the Level Lock Pro, Level managed to fit all of those components into a smart lock no larger than a standard deadbolt. The company says it’s 62% smaller than traditional smart locks. Corporate parent Assa Abloy laid off most of Level’s staff in June, according to The Verge, but the Swedish lockmaker intends to maintain Level as a separate brand. Even if the Lock Pro ends up being Level’s swan song, here’s hoping it inspires the next generation of rival smart locks to shrink down. RoborockFor literally bringing robot vacuums to the next levelClimbing stairs has always been a holy grail for robot vacuums. So Roborock naturally made a stir at CES in 2026 with its Saros Rover, a prototype robot vacuum with a pair of retractable wheels on legs. They allow the device to make its way up a staircase, cleaning each step on the way. While Roborock has not shared concrete launch plans, the company says it’s a “real product in development.” And with rival Dreame developing its own stair-climbing concept (albeit one that can’t clean the stairs itself), the race to solve robot vacuums’ multistory problem is well underway. SamsungFor offering a solution to shoulder surfingSamsung’s Privacy Display is the first new smartphone feature in years that feels like a truly practical breakthrough. Debuting on the company’s flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra, the feature applies a matrix to the display that narrows the beams of light emitting from each pixel, making the screen harder to read from off-angles. This can prevent strangers from peeking at your phone’s contents in public places such as trains, planes, and elevators. Unlike aftermarket privacy-protecting screen protectors, the Galaxy S26 Ultra lets users toggle the feature on and off or limit it to specific apps. This allows the screen to remain bright and shareable when you’re not worried about who might be looking. The companies and individuals behind these technologies are among the honorees in Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech awards for 2026. Read more about the winners across all categories and the methodology behind the selection process.

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Curated from Fast Company Technology. Classified as Business & Technology by AI, which sometimes makes mistakes.

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