My SXSW 2026 tech information

Annually, among the largest names in expertise, media, movie, TV, and music head to downtown Austin for SXSW. They collect to speak concerning the future, image what it could deliver, and ask how quickly that future might arrive. SXSW 2026 provides you a spot to satisfy, carry out, join, and share concepts.

Music pulls me in first. I battle to call one other competition the place hundreds of artists play reveals throughout a whole metropolis. Nonetheless, my tech at SXSW 2026 information goals to indicate that expertise stands by itself right here. From Rivian to MKBHD and Nothing, there’s loads of content material to discover.

Electrical SUV: Rivian R2

Rivian has teased the R2 for fairly a while. The corporate presents it as a smaller and extra attainable model of the well-loved R1S. From what I’ve learn, the R1S feels intuitive to drive and provides a cabin with house and luxury, even in case you place a few youngsters within the third row. That observe file units excessive expectations for the Rivian R2.

The R2 begins at $48,490 for the bottom Customary trim and rises to $57,990 for the Efficiency trim with the Launch Package deal. That worth nonetheless calls for a stable funds, but the specs make a powerful case. The SUV can ship as much as 656 horsepower and attain 0–60 mph in 3.6 seconds. Freeway acceleration from 50–70 mph can take as little as 1.55 seconds. These numbers might tempt drivers who need sturdy efficiency with on a regular basis use.

I regulate how automakers use AI, and the business appears to face at a turning level. Many individuals assume AI in vehicles means self-driving automobiles. The bigger impression occurs behind the scenes.

The R2 makes use of an AI-ready structure that mixes 5G-connected processing with offline functionality and tactile {hardware}. Rivian positioned haptic dials on the redesigned steering wheel. These massive scroll wheels allow you to alter quantity, fan velocity, and temperature whereas your eyes keep on the path.

Some new vehicles place each management on a contact display. Easy duties, akin to reducing the fan velocity, might require a number of menu steps whereas the display responds. That design feels unusual to me. Automakers warn drivers about cellphone use, but many vehicles place massive tablets on the dashboard. Rivian retains bodily controls inside attain, so you’ll find a button by contact and maintain your concentrate on the street.

Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast Dwell

Marques Brownlee is among the many largest tech reviewers on this planet. His channel, MKBHD, has greater than 20 million subscribers. Viewers tune in for detailed video opinions of the newest expertise and devices. Once I await a brand new product to ship to my residence nation, Armenia, I typically test his movies first to get an preliminary impression.

Within the Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast Dwell, Brownlee and co-hosts Andrew Manganelli and David Imel dive into many matters. Anticipate discussions about Apple units, the HONOR Robotic Telephone, and privateness issues round Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

Featured Session: A Dialog with Nothing’s CEO and Co-Founder Carl Pei

Nothing Telephone (4a) Professional

True-blood midranger with 140x extremely zoom

Carl Pei began Nothing in 2020 with the objective of constructing client expertise much less monotonous. He argues that smartphones have change into boring, with small enhancements in batteries, screens, and cameras. I can see how the Nothing workforce responds to that problem.

I like the economic design of Nothing telephones. Once I first noticed press photographs of the first-generation Nothing Telephone, the design appeared uncommon and unfamiliar. Over time, I grew to understand it. The London-based firm now releases among the best-looking telephones I’ve seen. If you wish to study the place Nothing is heading, be a part of Carl Pei on the JW Marriott, Salon 6–8 on March 18.

Associated: Nothing Telephone (4a) Professional vs. Google Pixel 10a: Which midrange cellphone wins for you?

Carl will mirror on how the buyer expertise business turned closed and predictable, and why the following period requires a unique mindset. He’ll share his perspective on main shifts throughout the business, together with the rise of AI-native {hardware} and the function AI now performs within the product expertise. The dialog can even cowl Nothing’s subsequent chapter, from its continued push into audio to the model’s increasing retail presence with new shops deliberate throughout New York Metropolis, Tokyo, London, and India.

What’s subsequent

The 2026 South by Southwest (SXSW) Convention & Festivals takes place from Thursday, March 12 to Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Austin, Texas. This 12 months, all main elements—Music, Movie & TV, and Innovation—run concurrently over the seven-day interval.

Parting ideas

SXSW all the time leaves me with a way that the long run sits nearer than we predict. As I look throughout every little thing at SXSW 2026—from Rivian’s subsequent electrical SUV to expertise conversations on stage—I see an occasion that mixes creativeness with actual merchandise.

I take pleasure in how the competition blends massive concepts, design, and efficiency throughout your complete metropolis. While you stroll by means of Austin throughout SXSW, you possibly can transfer from a live performance to a tech speak and really feel the identical inventive vitality in each areas. When you attend, it’s possible you’ll go away with recent concepts, new inspiration, and a clearer view of the place expertise might head subsequent. For me, that blend of curiosity, dialogue, and discovery makes SXSW one of the crucial thrilling occasions of the 12 months.

Grigor Baklajyan is a copywriter masking expertise at Gadget Stream. His contributions embody product opinions, shopping for guides, how-to articles, and extra.