Chinese firms sweep awards at CES

Chinese companies have received prestigious Innovation Awards at CES 2026, including Best of Innovation designations, as the world's largest technology show witnessed record-breaking submissions with over 3,600 entries across 36 product categories.

The Consumer Technology Association announced the CES Innovation Awards 2026 honorees ahead of the show being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Chinese companies maintain a strong presence and are poised to impress global audiences with innovative products and solutions. The show runs from Tuesday to Friday.

Among the Chinese winners, Shenzhen-based Yingling Co earned the Best of Innovation award for its 8K 360 drone. Netvue Technologies, another Shenzhen-founded company specializing in smart bird feeders, claimed the same honor for its smart birdbath. Zettlab, also based in Shenzhen, received the award for its AI-powered storage solutions.

The awards program saw unprecedented growth this year, with the robotics category witnessing a 32 percent increase in submissions compared with 2025, while submissions in the AI and drones categories grew by 29 percent and 32 percent respectively, according to the Consumer Technology Association.

Chris Pereira, a CES Innovation Awards judge for 2026 and president and CEO of iMpact, told China Daily that Chinese participation reflects a significant evolution in the country's technology sector.

"What distinguishes many of the China-based entries today is less 'low-cost manufacturing' and more end-to-end execution: tight integration of hardware and software, mature industrial design, and faster iteration cycles that turn emerging components into polished consumer-ready products," Pereira said.

The strong showing by Chinese companies at CES 2026 is a continuation of a trend of growing influence at the global technology event. At CES 2025, China was reported as the largest foreign participant with more than 1,300 companies attending.

"Chinese participation has been consistently strong in recent years, and this year's honoree mix reflects that momentum," Pereira said. "The public 2026 honoree list includes many China-based brands across categories, including multiple Shenzhen-based firms, which reflects both scale and breadth of innovation."

Beyond the Best of Innovation winners, Chinese companies garnered a substantial share of the CES Innovation Awards this year. An analysis of the honorees directory, based on company locations and recognized Chinese brands, reveals that more than 100 of the 247 total entries are from China.

These include EcoFlow for its DELTA Pro Ultra X Whole-Home Power Solution in the sustainability and energy transition category, and Anker Innovations for its Anker Prime Charger in computer hardware and components.

"These are good illustrations of where Chinese brands are combining engineering, manufacturability and user-centric design into globally competitive products," Pereira said.

According to Pereira, Chinese companies are excelling in three areas at CES 2026.

"In robotics and smart home automation, China-based companies are pushing practical robotics forward. This includes better perception, better navigation and better 'whole-system' reliability in real homes," he said.

He also highlighted Chinese advances in "energy and power solutions". "There's clear progress in battery ecosystems, energy management and resilience. These include smarter systems that integrate with apps and the home," he said.

The third standout area is user experience and industrial design, where "products are increasingly designed for global users, with a cleaner UI (user interface), better onboarding and more consistent cross-device experiences", Pereira said.

The evolution of AI technology marked a significant shift in this year's submissions across all participating countries. "The biggest shift I'm seeing is AI moving from a 'feature' to the product's foundation. AI itself is no longer the primary selling point for leading brands," Pereira said.