7 New Smart Appliances Actually Worth Buying In 2026

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Smart appliances are only just starting to find their footing. For years, most of them had features that consumers really didn't need and only existed to add a splash of flair to a kitchen or laundry room. There are reasons why you wouldn't have smart appliances, like shorter lifespans, security issues, and potentially obsolete tech in an appliance that's supposed to last a decade or longer. However, in recent years, smart appliances have started bringing real value to the equation, and that means some newer smart appliances might actually be worth buying. 

There are some good examples of this in the wild already, like LG dishwashers and laundry appliances with downloadable wash cycles that tune the machine's cleaning capabilities to your specific dirty dishes or clothes. People should always double-check they're not making any of the common smart appliance purchasing mistakes, like needing a subscription for the features they like, but other than that there's some great products out there. 

So, if you're in the market for a new appliance in 2026 and you're thinking of smartening things up, there are a host of brand-new products released this year that are well worth a look. 

Ice makers do one thing and that's make ice. It's a nice thing to have if you throw a lot of parties or simply use a ton of ice. There are plenty of ice makers on the market but some are better than others. The GoveeLife Smart Countertop Ice Maker 2 Pro is toward the top of the list. This 40-pound hulking monster of a machine makes ice until the cows come home, and you can control it all from the comfort of your smartphone through the Govee Home app, or via Google and Alexa smart assistants.

You can directly control the size of your ice — small, medium, or large bullets — and how much ice it makes, down to a few ice cubes for your dinner drink in as little as three minutes. It makes as much as 13 pounds of ice in a single refill, and up to 47 pounds of ice per day. The control is what makes it worth considering. GoveeLife stores water in the appliance, which is chilled down to near-freezing and then when you call for ice, it only has to cool it a little further to actually make the ice. 

Reviews for the GoveeLife ice maker are positive, and praise the machine for its flexibility, limited noise, self-cleaning function, and the sheer amount of ice it can make in a short time. There are other ice makers on the market, but this one might be the best one.

You can't walk more than nine steps in a department store without running into an air fryer. They're popular because you get the functionality of a convection oven but in a smaller package, making it better for smaller meals. Smart tech has invaded the air fryer space, and it hasn't been all bad. The Cosori Iconic Air Fryer is a good example of this. It features a stainless-steel and ceramic design that mostly avoids plastics (and therefore, PFAS), while also adding some light smart features. And yes, you can toss the ceramic-coated cooking surfaces straight into your dishwasher.

Cooking temperature ranges from 90F to 450F, so you can use it for proofing dough, cooking up French fries, or reheating last night's pizza. The smart functionality is light, once the air fryer is hooked up to Wi-Fi you can control the cooking time and temperature from the VeSync app — although for safety, you do need to visit the appliance and press start yourself. Helpfully, you can scan grocery barcodes to automatically program in the suitable cooking instructions. There's also support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice controls, and plenty of recipes in-app to try.

The only downside to the Cosori, aside from the stainless-steel finish showing fingerprints like a display at a museum, is the price. It is a reasonably expensive air fryer at $250, but it is backed by a 5-year warranty, which is way more than the usual one or two years.

Robot vacuums are becoming impressive. While the first few generations were mostly gimmicky tech demonstrations, today's versions are practically useful. The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete is the manufacturer's slimmest ever model, at only 3.13 inches high, allowing it to easily clean under furniture. It moves around using two AI-assisted cameras — you can access these remotely to check on cleaning progress, or pet misbehaviour — which Dreame says can detect tiny objects and obstacles in a fraction of a second. 

The X60 Max Ultra offers what you'd hope for from a flagship robot vacuum, including great suction at 35,000 Pa, brushes to get into corners, two mop pads capable of using hot water — with one extendable mop arm, and best-in-class threshold climbing ability, according to testing by Vacuum Wars. Beyond that, it excels in picking up pet hair, and deep cleaning carpets.

The DreameHome app is user-friendly and walks you through the device's advanced functions and features. You can customize your cleaning schedules, maps, modes, power, mop washing frequency, and more. The fast charging dock takes only 80 minutes to bring the vacuum back to full power, and handles most of the maintenance, such as emptying the dustbin, replenishing the water, and cleaning the mop pads. All of this advanced functionality does cost, though. Dreame charges a whopping $1,700. 

LG says that its brand new, high-end washer and dryer combo is 52% more energy efficient than its prior model. Not only that, but the Signature 5.8 cubic foot Ventless Washer Dryer Combo can also apparently take a 10 lb load through the entire wash dry cycle in only 89 minutes — far outstripping those models that often took forever and a day. At $3,499, it's rather expensive, but it's regularly offered at a significant discount. 

The combo machine comes with an AI function that detects the size of the load, soil levels, and fabric textures to automatically tune the wash cycle accordingly. You can use the LG ThinQ app to download additional wash cycles, monitor energy usage, and get notifications about when your clothes are done. It also integrates directly with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. 

It's known that LG's washers and dryers are among the best in the market, so while this high-end product does cost the price of one, its huge capacity, dual action, and energy efficiency may prove it to be worth it. 

Microwaves have taken a backseat in recent years to high-end air fryers. One of Samsung's big releases of 2026 was a device that might be the best of both worlds. The Samsung Bespoke Air Fry Max is an over-the-range microwave that also doubles as an air fryer. You can pop a bag of popcorn or bake a plate of fries with the appliance, and it doesn't take up an inch of countertop space.

It doesn't require preheating and can be synced to your Samsung range to turn on the fan or light up your cook surface. As with all Samsung smart appliances, it can connect to the SmartThings app so you can control, customize, and monitor the appliance as you please, or integrate it with Amazon Alexa for voice commands. 

The microwave and air fryer combo costs $600, but early reviews suggest that it's a promising double duty unit. 

Initially, the big screens of smart refrigerators didn't do much other than add a touch of high-tech flair to the kitchen. They're now more useful, and the GE Profile Smart Refrigerator with Kitchen Assistant is an excellent example of this. It has one of those flashy screens — an 8-inch interactive touchscreen — but alongside some great features.

One of these is Kitchen Assistant, which utilizes a barcode scanner that allows you to record, share, and shop for anything running low. This grocery list tracking syncs with the SmartHQ app, so you can reference it while shopping, and Instacart for home delivery. There's also FridgeFocus, which allows the household to remotely check on perishables, to see if they need to buy fresh or avoid duplicates — greatly cutting food wastage.  

The smart water feature can fill up a water bottle automatically to its limit, or give you precise measurements for cooking. The app can further monitor energy and water use, update your fridge's firmware, and personalize the screen. It's a smart fridge that's really clever, though it should be for an MSRP of $4,899. 

The Dreame X60 isn't the only new robot vacuum. Eufy has released the Omni S2 Robot Vacuum, and it's right up there with the best in functionality and performance. The new model comes with several upgrades over the old, including new roller style mopping, a water electrolyzing system in the fast charging dock that helps disinfect your home, improved suction for the vacuum — delivering 30,000 Pa — and an AI sensing and navigation system. It also houses an industry-first aromatherapy capability to freshen your house even further.

The reviews for the flagship Omni S2 praise the machine for its strong vacuuming, with the five-layer filtration system making the difference. In testing by Vacuum Wars, the S2 performed significantly better than the S1 in the deep clean carpet test, and when picking up pet hair. Plus, obstacle avoidance was said to be "flawless."

The smart features are solid as well. You can see and edit the 3D map the robot makes of your home — adding no-go zones and no-mop zones, adjust the cleaning schedule, and customize cleaning settings. Furthermore, the device can be integrated with the typical voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google.

This list only includes appliances released in 2026, and only the ones with a real benefit to its owner's life were chosen. The selection was based on a variety of factors, including professional reviews, customer reviews, the brand's reputation within that appliance segment, and how much of an improvement an appliance offers over prior models. Each model also needed to have smart features that weren't just gimmicks and provided value to a person's daily routine.