The Top Fitness Trends at CES 2026 (and My Take on Them)
I just returned from CES 2026, and you can check out my live reports on the best and weirdest things I saw in our CES 2026 live blog. I tried on six (!) different exoskeletons, listened warily to news of new smartbands, and searched in vain for new models of familiar fitness tech like watches. Here are the most notable trends and a few notes on what was noticeably missing. Prices are included where possible; anything without a price is likely too far from market launch for a price to be determined.
The number of smart bracelets that do not support Whoop has doubled.
This is a continuation of a trend that really gained momentum in 2025. Whoop is no longer the only player in the screenless fitness tracker market. Last year, we saw trackers from Amazfit ($99) and Polar ($199), as well as a sleep tracker from Garmin ($169). At CES, I learned about two more.
The Luna Band is likely to be next on the market—company representatives have stated that shipments will begin within one to two months. (I plan to write a review once the devices are available.) The device will cost $149, requires no subscription, and uses the same app as the Luna Ring , which I’m currently reviewing. Its maker, Noise, is new to the American wearables market but is one of the leading smartwatch makers in India.
In addition to the new hardware, Noise also announced that the Luna app will soon feature a voice memo system that will complement your health data. (This feature will be rolling out to the app in the next few weeks.) For example, if you tell the app you’ve had a few glasses of wine, it will remember this when it sees your poor sleep the next morning and adjust its recommendations accordingly—for example, reminding you to drink more water instead of advising you to take a nap.
Speediance also announced the Speediance Strap , although it appears it’s not quite close to market launch. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, and the devices showcased at the show were clearly prototypes. The Strap will collect sleep and recovery data, which can be accessed without a subscription, though some more advanced metrics will require a paid subscription.
Rings everywhere
Oura has had competitors for years (and even sued them to stop sales ), but it seems the number of smart rings on the market is rapidly growing—though not all of them are focused on fitness or health. Beyond the charmingly simple Pebble Index 01 ($75), there are plenty of rings with advanced features—NFC payments, AI-powered voice processing, haptic alerts, and more. There are so many that I can’t provide a complete list, but here are just a few: Muse Ring One ($323), Dreame Ring , and Vocci AI ring .
RingConn announced a third-generation ring with blood pressure monitoring (I’m skeptical) and haptic feedback, including the ability to trigger a smart alarm (I’m intrigued). This model isn’t available yet, and a company representative at the booth asked me what I thought the price should be. Meanwhile, RingConn provided me with a second-generation ring to compare with the Oura and other models—look out for my review soon.
Watches (for the most part) no longer attract much interest.
Smartwatch and fitness watch companies typically release their products on their own schedule, not necessarily tied to CES. Apple, of course, wasn’t planning to announce a new Apple Watch; Google and Fitbit didn’t show up either. Amazfit had a new watch, the Active Max ($169), but it was more of a refinement to the product line than a major new announcement.
The only real exception I can think of is Pebble, but you’ve already heard me explain why they buck the trend. I personally tested the Time 2 (announced last year) and Round 2 (announced last week), which were so thin and sleek that the Coros felt like a giant piece of plastic on my wrist. As a reminder, the Round 2 doesn’t have a heart rate monitor, and Pebble is trying not to be a fitness watch brand. (Either way, I’m still looking forward to testing their watches.)
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I think the main reason for the stagnation here is that watches already have everything you need for fitness and health tracking. Innovation is practically nonexistent; you either improve the device’s battery life a little (nice, but boring), or you add something just for fun—like a flashlight or a microphone. This isn’t a criticism of flashlights or microphones, which are fine in their own right, but we’re hardly in revolutionary territory anymore. Companies like Oura and Whoop are shifting their focus to services like blood testing , which take attention away from the hardware. My colleague Steven Johnson said it best: the launch of new technologies no longer feels magical , partly because we don’t have many problems left that consumer technology can easily solve, and partly because every new tip adds hassle to your life.
Garmin’s biggest announcement this weekend was the nutrition tracking feature as part of its Connect+ subscription. I thought there was at least a chance of a new Garmin watch, but no. Garmin announced the Instinct 3 at last year’s CES, but this year, other than a camera system for truckers, there haven’t been any new devices (which I’m glad about).
Several other companies took advantage of the CES buzz to announce non-hardware developments: Oura finally began shipping the charging case it promised last fall , and Ultrahuman announced a limited-time free tier of its blood testing service with over 20 markers. Other tiers offer a test with over 50 markers for $99, or a test with over 100 markers followed by a repeat test with over 60 markers for $365. (Ultrahuman told me that the exact list of blood tests they offer varies slightly by state, hence the approximate numbers.)
Artificial intelligence was present, but did not play a central role.
Of course, there were repeated references to “artificial intelligence” being built into this or that fitness app. But companies seemed to largely understand that while AI can help create features sought after by users, users don’t buy devices for AI. (See also: Dell executives commenting that their customers don’t seem to want AI , and that the company has adjusted its product marketing to de-emphasize it.)
At CES, I heard about apps using AI to recognize products in photos (Garmin and Amazfit) or that AI helps find patterns in data (almost everything). Merach said it would let me test an AI-enabled treadmill , but a company representative apologized and said the device wouldn’t be available by the time the prototype was sent to CES.
They are trying to bring the idea of exoskeletons to life.
Exoskeletons were the biggest new trend for me at CES. These are devices that fit on the body, and their motors provide additional muscle support. Several companies described them as e-bikes for walking.
I set myself the task of testing all the exoskeletons available for demonstration. I ended up with six: four with hip support, one with knee support, and one with ankle support. One device from Ascentiz ($1,299–$1,848) can be configured for combined hip and knee function, but I wasn’t provided with a knee module for testing.
All six devices truly gave me confidence when walking (or climbing stairs—several companies thoughtfully included mini-stairs in their testing setups). But I wonder who exoskeletons are really for. If you’re not a seasoned hiker, an exoskeleton might help you climb a mountain and keep up with your friends. But I think only a serious hiker could afford to spend over $1,000 on hiking gear like an exoskeleton—and they’d probably rather train harder and spend the money on something else.
If I had to predict where this technology will go, I’d say the rental market is the most promising option. Imagine being able to rent an Ascentiz for a scenic stroll on vacation without having to train months in advance, or donning a pair of Dephy electric shoes ($4,500) for a day at Disneyland.