The Biggest Fitness Trends at CES 2026 (and What I...

I simply bought again from CES 2026, and you may see my real-time stories on among the finest and weirdest issues I noticed in our CES 2026 live blog. I attempted on six(!) completely different exoskeletons, perked up my ears at any time when I heard a couple of new sensible strap, and regarded in useless for brand spanking new fashions of acquainted health tech like watches. Listed here are the most important developments I observed and a few notes on what was conspicuously lacking. I’ve included costs the place doable; something and not using a worth is probably going too removed from market to have one but.

The variety of non-Whoop sensible bands simply doubled

Luna band (underside)
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

It is a continuation of a pattern that basically bought moving into 2025. Whoop is now not the one participant within the screenless health strap house. Final yr we noticed straps from Amazfit ($99) and Polar ($199), plus a sleep band from Garmin ($169). At CES I discovered about two extra. 

The Luna Band is prone to be the subsequent one to market—the corporate’s reps stated to count on it to ship someday within the subsequent month or two. (I plan to evaluation it as soon as models can be found.) Will probably be $149, will not require a subscription, and it’ll use the identical app because the Luna Ring, which I’m at present reviewing. Its maker, Noise, is new to the U.S. wearables market however is without doubt one of the main smartwatch makers in India. 

In addition to the brand new {hardware}, Noise additionally introduced that the Luna app will quickly have a system to take voice notes to provide context to your well being knowledge. (That is coming to the app within the subsequent few weeks.) For instance, when you inform the app that you just had a number of glasses of wine, it is going to keep in mind this when it sees your poor sleep the subsequent morning, and it’ll alter its suggestions accordingly—say, reminding you to hydrate, somewhat than telling you to take a nap.

Speediance Strap prototypes
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

Speediance additionally introduced the Speediance Strap, though it doesn’t appear to be as near market. No worth has been introduced, and the models on the present have been clearly prototypes. The Strap will gather sleep and restoration knowledge, with out requiring a subscription to view it, though some extra superior metrics would require a premium subscription. 

Rings are in every single place

RingConn gen 3
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

Oura has had rivals for years (and has taken up suing them to stop sales), however it looks as if the variety of sensible rings out there may be simply exploding—although not all of them are health or well being oriented. In addition to Pebble’s Index 01 ($75), which is charmingly easy, there are many rings that pack in additional features—NFC funds, AI voice processing, haptic alerts, and extra. There are such a lot of I can’t give a full listing, however to call a number of: there’s the Muse Ring One ($323), the Dreame Ring, and the Vocci AI ring. 

RingConn introduced its third-generation ring, with blood strain insights (I’m skeptical) and haptic alerts, together with the flexibility to buzz for a wise alarm (I’m intrigued). This one isn’t available on the market but, and a rep on the sales space requested me what worth I thought it ought to go for. Within the meantime, RingConn gave me a gen 2 ring to match to Oura and others—look ahead to my evaluation quickly.  

Watches (principally) aren’t thrilling anymore

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

The businesses that make smartwatches and health watches are usually on their very own launch cycles, not essentially tied to CES. Apple definitely wasn’t going to announce a brand new Apple Watch; Google and Fitbit didn’t present up, both. Amazfit had a brand new watch, the Active Max ($169) in its lineup, however it was extra of a refinement to the product line than a brand new thrilling announcement.

The one actual exception I can consider is Pebble, however you’ve heard from me already on why it bucks the pattern. I bought to go hands-on with the Time 2 (introduced final yr) and the Spherical 2 (introduced final week), which was so skinny and glossy it made the Coros on my wrist really feel like a giant ol’ hunk of plastic. As a reminder, the Spherical 2 doesn’t have a coronary heart charge monitor and Pebble is attempting not to be a health watch model. (I’m nonetheless trying ahead to reviewing its watches anyway.) 

Pebble Time 2
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

I feel the principle purpose for the stagnation right here is that watches already have every thing they should have for health and well being monitoring. There’s not a whole lot of room left to innovate; both you give a tool barely higher battery life (good, however yawn) otherwise you stick one thing else into it simply to say you probably did—like a flashlight or a microphone. That is nothing towards flashlights or microphones, that are each nice in context, however we’re hardly in game-changing territory anymore. Corporations like Oura and Whoop are pivoting to services like blood tests that take the main target off their {hardware}. My colleague Stephen Johnson stated it finest: tech launches don’t feel magical anymore, partly as a result of we do not have many issues left that shopper tech can simply resolve, and partly as a result of each new recommendation provides a problem to your life.

And so Garmin’s predominant announcement this weekend was a nutrition tracking feature in its Join+ subscription. I assumed at the very least there was a great likelihood of a brand new watch from Garmin—nope. Garmin announced the Intuition 3 ultimately yr’s CES, however no new {hardware} this yr moreover a camera system for truckers (I’m completely satisfied for them). 

A couple of different firms used the excitement round CES to announce non-hardware developments as properly: Oura is finally shipping the charging case it promised final fall, and Ultrahuman introduced a limited-time free tier of its blood testing service with 20+ markers. Its different tiers provide you with 50+ markers for $99, or a 100+ marker take a look at adopted by a 60+ marker follow-up take a look at for $365. (Ultrahuman informed me that the precise blood exams it is capable of provide range barely by state, therefore the imprecise numbers.)

AI was current, however not heart stage

A prototype of Amazfit’s V1TAL digicam, which analyzes the meals in your plate
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

There have been, after all, loads of mentions that “AI” is baked into this or that health app. However the firms principally appeared to grasp that whereas AI may assist to create options their customers need, customers don’t purchase gadgets for the AI. (See additionally: Dell executives commenting that its customers don’t seem to want AI, and that it has adjusted the advertising for its computer systems to de-emphasize it.)

I heard at CES that apps are utilizing AI to establish meals from images (Garmin and Amazfit) or that AI helps to search out patterns in knowledge (principally everyone). Merach did say it could let me attempt an AI-powered treadmill, however a rep apologetically informed me the machine wasn’t out there in time to ship the prototype to CES. 

They’re attempting to make exoskeletons occur

The Sumbu hip-based exoskeleton
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

Exoskeletons have been the most important new-to-me pattern at CES. These are gadgets that you just strap on to your physique, and their motors give an added increase to what your muscle mass are doing. A number of of the businesses described them as being like an e-bike for strolling. 

I gave myself a facet quest of attempting each exoskeleton that was out there to demo. That ended up being a complete of six: 4 that assisted you on the hip, one on the knee, and one on the ankle. One machine made by Ascentiz ($1,299-$1,848) might be configured with mixed hip and knee motion, however the knee module wasn’t out there for me to check.

All six gadgets actually did give me a lift whereas strolling (or climbing stairs—a number of of the businesses properly included a mini staircase of their cubicles to check out). However I’ve to surprise who the exoskeletons are actually for. For those who’re not a severe hiker, an exoskeleton may aid you hike up a mountain and sustain with your mates. However I’d suppose that solely a severe hiker would have $1,000+ to spend on mountain climbing gear like an exoskeleton—and that they’d most likely favor to coach more durable and spend the cash on one thing else. 

If I needed to predict the place this tech goes, I feel the rental market makes essentially the most sense. Think about when you might borrow the Ascentiz for a scenic hike on trip with out having to coach for months forward of time, or strap on Dephy’s “powered footwear” ($4,500) to get you thru a day at Disneyworld.