ICYMI: the week’s 7 biggest tech stories from CES 2026 to ChatGPT’s medical update
This week was a surprisingly quiet one in the world of tech. We just had this one small event called CES 2026, not sure if you’ve heard of it?
Joking aside, CES is the biggest tech show of the year, and as you’d expect, a lot of news came out from it. From Lego Smart Play to Samsung’s TriFold, it was something else and gives us a good taste of the biggest tech trends of 2026.
7. We picked our best gadgets of CES 2026
This week has been a fever dream of AI robot barmen and musical popsicles – and that’s all been thanks to CES 2026. The Las Vegas staple is still the biggest tech show of the year, but what are the best new products we’re actually going to buy?
Fortunately, our tech experts were on the ground at CES 2026 and have curated their highlights across everything from TVs to fitness trackers and robot vacuums. If you want to see the potential gadget stars of this year – or just get a taste of what’s coming – make sure to read our roundup below.
- Read the full story: The 25 best gadgets we saw at CES 2026 — smart Lego, big TV innovation, a robovac with legs, and much more
6. Lego got an upgrade
Lego announced a major upgrade to its bricks this week with the Smart Brick. This special block can detect special sensors inside certain minifigures and tile pieces to activate sounds, flash lights, and generally enhance the play features of Lego’s sets in a way we’ve not seen before.
The Smart Brick is debuting in Star Wars sets, and did so to fairly mixed reactions, but TechRadar’s Jacob Krol got to see the piece firsthand and thinks it could be a fantastic new option in Lego’s repertoire.
The first three Smart Brick sets are now available for preorder ahead of their March 1 launch, with the cheapest option starting at $69.99 / £59.99 / AU$99.99.
5. ChatGPT got a medical update
There are now so many people using ChatGPT for health advice (40 million people a day at the last count) that OpenAI has finally decided to do something about it.
ChatGPT Health is a dedicated Health section of the app, coming soon, where you can securely upload your medical records and receive in-depth answers tailored to your specific circumstances. It can also pull in personal health data from apps like Apple Health, if you allow it.
OpenAI envisions ChatGPT Health as a tool to assist in your diagnosis and treatment, rather than as a diagnostic tool, but for the hypochondriacs amongst us, it sounds like the perfect way to get a second, third, or even fourth opinion.
4. IKEA made a splash at CES
IKEA made its CES debut at this year’s event, and it was a roaring success to say the least. The company had quite the reaction to the new version of its Varmblixt donut lamp, which received a handful of new smart upgrades – but its Kallsup speaker was another stand-out.
One of the latest additions to the IKEA family of audio devices is an entry-level Bluetooth speaker that’s just $10. It comes in three bright colors, including lime green, pink, and white, and is set to arrive in April.
Though its size means that its audio isn’t the most powerful, it’s still a mighty speaker in other aspects. It supports Bluetooth 5.3 and lets you connect up to 100 devices with a simple tap, and it runs on rechargeable, replaceable batteries, allowing you to extend its lifespan.
3. Fujifilm debuted the weirdest Instax ever
Following the launch of the wonderfully weird, half-frame-inspired X half digital camera last year, Fujifilm has quickly delivered on its promise to introduce more concept cameras in 2026.
The latest surprise comes in the Super-8-style shape of the Instax Mini Evo Cinema, which is an instant camera like no other – the first that also shoots video, and which features a quirky ‘eras’ dial. With a setting for each decade dating back to the 1930’s, the Mini Evo Cinema replicates popular looks such as 1960s Super 8 and 1980s color negative.
We only have the Fujifilm Japan press release to go on, but fingers crossed, the quirky hybrid digital-instant film camera gets a global release; we’re eager to try it out!
2. We saw the latest robot vacuum with legs
Robot vacuums are evolving fast – last year, Roborock gave us one with a mechanical arm, and at CES 2026 this week, it showed off its first model with legs. Can the Saros Rover’s limbs do anything more than scare your dog? Well, yes, actually, as they’re also designed to help clean almost any home staircase.
According to Roborock, that’ll include not just straight staircases but spiral ones as well. The Saros Rover’s clambering powers should make it a strong contender for multi-level homes. Sadly, it’s just a prototype for now, but Roborock told us it is a real product that’s coming to market. Maybe give your dog a heads-up, just in case.
- Read the full story: I saw Roborock’s new robot vacuum with legs, and it promises to make no-go zones a thing of the past
1. We tried the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold
We got to try Samsung‘s TriFold phone, and it might finally be the pocket-sized tablet foldables have been promising to be since their inception.
Lance Ulanoff went hands-on with the phone at CES 2026 in Las Vegas and came away impressed by its thinness and the performance he experienced.
Now it’s still not perfect. The camera setup won’t wow everyone, there’s still no S Pen support, and the cost is expected to be very high, but this is definitely one of the phones to watch in 2026, and even at this early point in the year, it could be in contention for phone of the year.
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