CES 2026 had a surprising phone presence — here are 5 of my top picks | Daily Reports Online
Usually, CES isn’t really a big showcase for phones and other mobile-centric tech, but this year’s show bucked the trend a bit. While not awash with smartphones, CES 2026 had a few worth paying attention to.
To anyone who’s been reading TechRadar over the past few months, you’ll know that the Samsung Galaxy TriFold has been stealing the headlines, and it’s worthy of attention. But there are a selection of other phones that I feel are also worth a closer look.
So below you’ll find my picks for the phones that stood out at CES this year. And for a beat-by-beat rundown of what grabbed TechRadar’s attention in Las Vegas, check out our live coverage of CES 2026; also, read our picks for the best gadgets we saw at CES 2026 here.
Samsung Galaxy TriFold — a new foldable frontier
- An uncompromising folding phone that turns into a 10-inch tablet
- It has the specs to match its big screen space
Let’s start with the big one: the Samsung Galaxy TriFold was basically the best phone at CES 2026, with its large 10-inch display packed into a frame that’s not really that much thicker than some of the earlier Galaxy Z Fold phones.
It’s set to be a rather impressive foldable phone-meets-tablet when it gets released, though there’s no word on pricing yet.
Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff went hands-on with the Galaxy TriFold and noted: “The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is an uncompromising and remarkable feat of engineering that offers the potential of truly pocketable big-screen tablet productivity. We didn’t spend much time with it, but what we saw, tried, and touched impressed us.”
Motorola Razr Fold — a new challenger has entered the foldable arena
- Motorola’s first book-style foldable phone
- It has an 8.1-inch internal screen, with a 6.6-inch cover display, and boasts 5 cameras
After generations of flip-style foldable phones, Motorola has finally entered the book-style foldable fray to jostle with the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and OnePlus Open.
The Motorola Razr Fold is a bi-folding phone sporting a 6.6-inch cover display that, when opened, reveals an 8.1-inch screen with an LTPO panel, which means it can go from 120Hz down to a power-saving 1Hz. A trio of rear cameras in the standard configuration of main, ultra-wide, and telephoto – all with 50-megapixel sensors – are joined by a sizable flash, while there’s a 20MP camera on the internal display and a 32MP front-facing camera embedded on the cover display.
While we’re lacking many specific details, and Motorola isn’t doing anything particularly new in the foldable phone space, if it’s priced well, the Razr Fold could be a compelling device that undercuts many of the best foldable phones.
Honor Robot Phone — arming cameras
- Honor’s Robot Phone adds a robotic arm and gimbal to a rear-camera system
- Some much-needed creativity in the smartphone arena
Announced back in October 2025, Honor’s bizarre Robot Phone was on display at CES 2025. And while people couldn’t go hands-on with the phone, it was still an intriguing device.
What looks like a fairly run-of-the-mill smartphone actually has a camera system on a gimbal-meets-robot-arm assembly. The idea here is that such a system should enable more dynamic photography and video. And while details are still scarce, there are hints that an AI system will be able to track interesting things smartly.
While I’m not sure anyone asked for such a feature on a phone, it’s still interesting to see some innovation and creative thinking in the smartphone space, which has become increasingly iterative in recent years. And I, for one, am looking forward to getting a closer look at this Robot Phone.
Motorola Signature — Moto is back in the flagship fight
- A full-fat flagship phone from Motorola, but at a compelling price
- But the chipset could let it down a little
Back to Motorola as the brand revealed the Motorola Signature. While Motorola is usually known for mid-range phones at competitive prices, the Signature is a proper flagship smartphone.
There’s an assortment of high-end specs like four 50MP cameras, a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate, and a 5,200mAh battery with 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. Plus, there’s 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
Where the Signature might come unstuck is with the use of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip. Hardly a slow chipset, it’s still not likely to be up there with the Snapdragon 8 Elite feature in the Samsung Galaxy S25 series.
However, at £899.99 (roughly $1,210 / AU$1,800), it’s not priced at the top end of flagship phones, so Motorola may be targeting a flagship phone that aims to compete with the power-and-value might of the OnePlus 15.
Clicks Communicator — BlackBerry mourners rejoice!
- A new Android phone with a physical keyboard
- For people who miss the days of BlackBerry phones
I was never into BlackBerry phones, but I appreciate that some people adored them. And phone keyboard accessory brand Clicks must have some BlackBerry fans, as the company revealed the Clicks Communicator.
With a physical keyboard and a 4.03-inch AMOLED display, this Android phone looks a lot like a BlackBerry from yesteryears. But it has a few tricks up its phone sleeves, one being that it runs a custom version of the Niagara Launcher that puts productivity apps front and center. Other things like cameras are put aside for a focus on getting stuff done, which is why the phone only sports a single 50MP camera.
Available to reserve right now for $399 (about £295 / AU$595), and launching with a full price set at $499 (around £370 / AU$740), I could see the Click Communicator appealing to people who just want a phone as a work tool rather than a bells-and-whistles pocket computer.
TechRadar has been extensively covering this year’s CES. Head over to our CES 2026 live news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.
You can also ask us a question about the show in our CES 2026 live Q&A and we’ll do our best to answer it.
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