CES 2026: Motorola is entering the wearable AI game

For the past couple of years, tech companies have been pushing to make a wearable AI companion that actually breaks into the mainstream. Whether that company ends up being Motorola remains to be seen, but the smartphone maker is clearly angling for a shot. At CES 2026, Motorola debuted a new wearable AI proof of concept for guests and press during its Lenovo World Tour event.

I had the chance to see the device in action a few days earlier at a private media preview, where company spokespeople were careful to stress that this is very much a proof-of-concept device. What they showed us works largely as you’d expect this category of hardware to function right now. Powered by Motorola’s new AI assistant, Qira, the wearable can identify and explain objects in front of you, summarize information, and even navigate to events by launching apps on a paired phone.

The device itself is small and minimalist, resembling a chunky pendant more than a traditional gadget. It’s encased in a glossy, pearl-like shell with softly rounded edges and hangs from a thin necklace chain. A subtle Motorola logo sits near the center, while a small camera lens and sensor array are positioned at one end. Aside from a narrow speaker slit and tiny pinhole microphones, there are no visible buttons or displays.

In practice, it teeters on the edge of being an agentic AI. Rather than just spitting out directions, the device actually opened Google Maps on the demo phone and entered the destination on its own. Some of the demos, however, felt redundant — including one where a spokesperson held up an event flyer, and the device more or less repeated the text verbatim, with only minimal added context about the speakers.

Still, Motorola may have an opening here. The bar for minimalist, wearable AI remains unsurprisingly low. Humane’s AI Pin flamed out almost immediately, criticized for its limited usefulness and high price. The Friend necklace followed, drawing immediate backlash for allegedly borrowing its design from someone else.

Motorola was clear that this wearable is still a long way from any commercial release.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.