It’s tempting for business technology leaders to dismiss consumer tech as simply gadgets and gadgets. But history has taught us the opposite.
The smartphone revolution, the adoption of cloud storage, and touchscreens have all come through the consumer door as employees demand the same intuitive experience they have at home at work.
The consumer tech trends of 2026 aren’t just about shopping lists and entertainment systems. They’re a foreshadowing of the capabilities, expectations, and workplace demands your organization will face in the next 2-3 years.
Understanding these trends now gives business leaders the opportunity to anticipate infrastructure needs, prepare security frameworks, and develop policies before these technologies invade your workplace without your permission!
Here are 10 consumer tech trends that will reshape enterprise technology, whether you’re ready or not.
1. The Transition from Smart Home to Intelligent Home
What’s the Difference? Smart home devices have been with us for a long time. But they’re not really that smart—they’re simply connected to the internet. (Examples: Internet-controlled light bulbs, heating systems, and kitchen appliances).
But true Intelligent Homes use AI to “think” for us, and make decisions. This means AI assistants act as virtual housekeepers, coordinating the activities of smart appliances, entertainment, and security devices.
What consumers experience as an “Intelligent Home” today will become the “Intelligent Workplace” of tomorrow.
The same AI coordination that consumers use to manage their home appliances will soon power large enterprises’ IoT (Internet of Things) business systems—from optimizing heating systems to automatically preparing meeting rooms.
2. Human-centric features emerge in consumer technology
This trend could include displays that resemble works of art. These could be designed to visually integrate into the home environment, or speakers that look like sculptures.
In addition, this includes sensory controls. This allows us to interact with technology in more human-like ways.
For example, Meta’s next-generation glasses and gloves, called Neural Controls and Haptic Gloves, will allow users to touch and feel objects in VR (Virtual Reality).
This technology, which represents a fusion of psychology and aesthetics, reminds us that humans are in control, and that we should interact on our terms. This will be a key consumer technology trend in 2026.
3. Home Robots and Drones
CES 2025 showcased a wide range of robots and autonomous devices designed to help with tasks ranging from loading dishes into the dishwasher to patrolling security and providing companionship.
In 2026, as we rely on technology to manage our increasingly complex lives, these devices could start to gain popularity.
Just as the consumer market is training its future workforce in human-robot collaboration, large enterprises are rapidly normalizing autonomous systems for warehouses, security, and hazardous environments.
4. Next-Gen TVs
TVs have been getting bigger and brighter in recent years, and with the arrival of the latest Micro-LED models, this trend looks set to continue.
While the technology has been around for a while, the falling production costs mean that popular consumer brands like Sony and Samsung are planning to include it in their 2026 lineups.
The fact that Micro-LEDs are much cheaper to build and much larger than current OLED displays means that screens larger than 100 inches will become more common in homes.
Additionally, Dolby Vision 2, which is expected to be released on next year’s top-of-the-line models, promises to deliver sharper, brighter images than ever before.
5. Smart Cars
We are still waiting for fully autonomous cars to become a reality. But car manufacturers are not stopping to add semi-autonomous and smart features to their latest models.
By 2026, we can expect more cars to be equipped with self-parking and advanced driver assistance systems. For example, hands-free driving, collision avoidance, driver fatigue detection, and in-car AI assistants.
6. Smart Glasses 2.0
After a few high-profile projects failed, device makers including Google and Meta are hoping that 2026 will be the year that smart glasses become popular.
What has changed since Google scrapped its original Glass project 10 years ago?
Screens have gotten smaller and lighter, and batteries have improved. But most importantly, AI has matured.
This maturity has made features like in-line language translations, augmented reality navigation (AR navigation), and hands-free access to AI assistants more practical.
7. Wellness Tech
Devices and online services designed to provide practical insights into our physical and mental health will continue to be big business in the coming year.
New developments that we may see regularly in our homes include:
- Smart mirrors that can measure heart rate and mental state and remind us to take medication.
- Mattresses that analyze sleep patterns and breathing rates, and optimize the firmness of the mattress, may also be on the rise.
8. More screens
In the past, office workers found that having multiple computer screens could boost productivity.
Today, those who prefer to be on the go and not be tied down by cables are also benefiting. This is because laptops with two or more screens are becoming more popular.
Laptop makers like Lenovo and Asus are bringing affordable models to the market. Phone makers are not far behind.
Dual-screen phones are becoming increasingly popular. Samsung is also reportedly working with Huawei to launch a triple-screen model before the end of the year.
9. Dumb Phones Are Making a Comeback
Proving that we’re not always in the hunt for newer, more capable technology, the market for dumb phones, which are limited to calling and texting, and have few features, is expected to grow by 2026.
These dumb phones are the perfect antidote for those who feel that modern smartphones encourage mind-numbing “doom scrolling” and other pointless mobile activities.
Don’t think of this as a rejection of technology—it’s more a rejection of negative and potentially harmful behaviors and practices.
10. Wireless Power
With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology spreading throughout our homes, power (electricity) is the last remaining source of power for wires in our homes. But even those wires could soon be a thing of the past.
Today’s wireless chargers require contact between the charger and the device. But scientists in Japan have used machine learning to develop the first wireless power transmission (WPT) system that can transmit power through the air.
While this technology will still be a few years away from reaching consumers, it’s likely to be something we’ll be hearing more about in 2026.
Final Thoughts
Consumer technology trends are not distractions from “critical” business issues. They are early warning systems for upcoming workplace transformations.
Each trend on this list represents the capabilities your employees will expect, the technologies your competitors will adopt, and the infrastructure decisions you will need to make.
Also Read: 6 Laptop Trends That Will Shape the Future in 2025
The question facing enterprise technology leaders is not whether these consumer trends will impact your organization. The question is whether you will anticipate and prepare, or react and be greedy.
Smart businesses are already testing these technologies, developing policies, and building relationships with vendors. They are treating consumer technology trends as intelligence for future business initiatives.
