Dolby showcases latest innovations at CES 2026, highlighting Chinese partnership

Dolby Laboratories, a leader in immersive entertainment experiences, showcased its latest innovations at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show, highlighting extensive partnerships with Chinese companies to bring immersive experiences to consumers across television, in-car entertainment and social media platforms.

The company presented Dolby Vision 2 during the tech show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Building on the success of Dolby Vision over the last decade, the technology is designed to meet the evolving opportunities of television experiences and advance picture quality across all entertainment and devices, from big to small screens.

Dolby Vision 2 delivers a "more authentic and uncompromising picture that unlocks the full capabilities of modern TVs," according to Dolby.

Hisense is the first TV brand to support Dolby Vision 2 in its lineup of premium televisions, including RGB-MiniLED TVs such as the UX, UR9 and UR8 models. Hisense will bring the technology to more MiniLED TVs via a future over-the-air update. TCL has also announced support for Dolby Vision 2 in its 2026 X QD-Mini LED TV Series and C Series.

"Hisense and TCL are really good partners of ours. They're always very keen to implement all the new technologies we bring to market," Javier Foncillas, vice-president of commercial partnerships and global sales at Dolby, told China Daily.

TCL has launched Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, a wireless speaker solution, which automatically detects and calibrates audio for optimal performance on compatible TCL TVs. Foncillas described the launch as "very successful".

"My role is managing partnerships worldwide. Each region has its own core skills, but I think China is very good at implementing some of the new technologies. I find for things like cars, mobile, social media, the most innovative people are always in China," he said.

Also on display at Dolby's booth was the NIO ET9, equipped with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. The electric luxury sedan by Chinese automaker NIO made its first CES debut at the show.

At least 35 automotive manufacturers now embrace Dolby Atmos, Dolby's immersive audio technology, spanning from luxury vehicles to entry-level models with baseline audio systems. More vehicles are adopting Dolby Vision as well.

Among the car models that work with Dolby, most of the new electric vehicle models are from China.

"I think they were very quick to adopt this. And I think one of the advantages they have is the companies, especially startups, are really quick to implement new technology and go to market," said Foncillas. "Sometimes their founders are very interested in implementing the latest and newest technology. So we find it's really good to partner with them."

Chinese brands also dominate among mobile phones and social media platforms that feature Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Chinese smartphone brands including Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi have adopted the technologies, while social media apps such as Bilibili and Douyin have also implemented Dolby Vision.

"That's why I love going to places like Shanghai. Every time I go to Shanghai, I learn something," Foncillas said, using his visit to the Auto Shanghai 2025 exhibition as an example.

"I spent a week there visiting some of our customers in Shanghai. There are a lot of music studios and gaming companies there, as we also work with eSports using Atmos technology. We've developed strong relationships with the eSports companies, and it's really a mutually beneficial relationship where we're all helping each other," he said.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com