Samsung's mysterious 'First Look' event in January teases major reveals

Samsung has officially announced a special event titled “The First Look” on January 4 at 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM PST). The event kicks off two days before the official start of CES 2026 in Las Vegas.

What will Samsung announce?

Samsung says the keynote will outline the company’s vision for its DX (Device eXperience) Division in 2026, along with new AI-powered customer experiences. But beyond the corporate strategy talk, all signs point to what fans are really waiting for — the global debut of the Galaxy Z TriFold and possibly its official US pricing.

The event will be hosted by TM Roh, CEO and Head of the DX Division, with SW Yong, President of the Visual Display Business, and Cheolgi Kim, Executive Vice President of Digital Appliances. This indicates that Samsung will unveil a range of new devices and appliances at CES 2026. The company usually participates in the annual tech expo to announce its next-gen flagship TVs and display technology, smart home appliances and connected ecosystem upgrades, as well as AI-driven features across product categories.

However, given that Samsung recently announced the Galaxy Z TriFold without its own event or much fanfare, CES 2026 would be an ideal time for the company to strut the dual-folding phone in front of global audiences.

The Galaxy Z TriFold is expected to go on sale in the US in Q1 2026, which is why January 4 can be expected to be the moment Samsung reveals the phone’s US pricing and availability details.

What about the Galaxy S26 series? Don’t hold your breath. While Samsung could give us a subtle tease or two about its upcoming flagships, this isn’t a full-blown “Unpacked” event, thus we’re not expecting the new S series to take the stage just yet.

How to watch Samsung’s The First Look event live?

Samsung will stream the CES event live on its Samsung Newsroom and official YouTube channel. It will also be streamed on Samsung TV Plus, the company’s free ad-supported streaming service.