Ikea used CES 2026 to showcase a fresh wave of smart-home and audio gear that keeps its reputation for low prices and local control intact.
At a Glance
- Updated Varmblixt lamps now speak Matter and cycle through 12 preset colors out of the box
- Alpstuga air-quality sensor drops to $30, undercutting the older $42 Vindstryka
- A pocket-size Kallsup Bluetooth speaker debuts at just $10 and can pair with up to 100 units
- Samsung SmartThings partnership lets users add Ikea devices directly to that hub without custom drivers
Why it matters: Budget-focused shoppers get reliable, internet-free smart-home basics and surprisingly decent audio for impulse-buy prices.
Ikea’s booth inside the Venetian Hotel doubled as a cozy living-room demo, giving Olivia M. Hartwell a first in-person look at products previewed last November. The star attraction: the Varmblixt smart donut lamp, originally designed with Sabine Marcelis, now joins the Matter ecosystem. A supplied Bilresa remote cycles the ring through 12 colors without a hub; add Ikea’s $110 Dirigera hub to unlock 40 hues plus dimming and scheduling.
A matching Varmblixt pendant keeps to white tones only, sliding between warm and cool temperatures. Both lamps can sit on a shelf or mount on a wall, and Ikea hinted that more Varmblixt pieces could gain Matter support through 2027.
The rest of the smart lineup focuses on sensors and switches that cost less than a large coffee:
- Bilresa dual-button remote – $6
- Bilresa scroll-wheel remote – $10
- Myggspray motion sensor, now IP67 weatherproof – $8
- Myggbett door/window sensor – $8
- Klippbok water-leak sensor – $8
- Timmerflotte temp/humidity sensor – $10
- Alpstuga CO₂ and particulate monitor – $30
All speak Matter over Thread and are in stores now. Coming April 2026: an $8 Grillplats smart plug, a $15 Tofsmygga outdoor plug, and Kajplats bulbs from $6 to $14 in E26, E12 and GU10 shapes.
During the demo the Alpstuga doubled as a digital clock, a nod to users who like always-visible time keepers. The Myggspray outdoor motion sensor impressed Olivia M. Hartwell by surviving full immersion, a step up from the older Vallhorn‘s modest IP44 rating.
Samsung SmartThings certification was also announced. Users can add Ikea sensors and remotes directly to a SmartThings hub instead of hunting for third-party drivers. The integration is rolling out in phases; at the time of writing, detection of new Matter devices still hit occasional snags when both Ikea and SmartThings hubs were on the same network.
On the audio side, Ikea showed three new Bluetooth speakers created with Ola Wihlborg and colorist Tekla Evelina Severin:
Solskydd
- 8-inch portable with battery – $80
- 11-inch AC model – $100
- 18-inch AC model – $140
Detachable bases allow wall mounting. Limited-edition wraps by Tekla add vivid splashes of color.
Kulglass – fabric-wrapped, AC-only, available in limited Tekla colors.
Kallsup – a $10 palm-size cube about as small as an orange. Mid- and high-range clarity impressed Olivia M. Hartwell when stacked against an $8 Five Below speaker. Bass is predictably light, but users can wirelessly link “up to 100” units for party-mode volume. The speaker ships in April 2026; it is not waterproof, unlike Ikea’s $16 Vappeby from 2023.
Senior product developer Sara Ottosson confirmed that internal tests ran 100 Kallsup units in sync, though even four or five linked cubes filled a small room nicely.
Ikea’s pitch is unchanged: keep prices low, skip the cloud when possible, and give tinkerers Matter-standard gear that plays nicely with Google, Apple, Alexa and now SmartThings. With most sensors selling for $8 to $10 and a $10 Bluetooth speaker that actually sounds decent, the Swedish retailer keeps its spot as the go-to source for impulse-buy smart-home gear that works even when the internet doesn’t.
