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CES spotlights a new wave of intentional smartphones

Clicks Communicator, US

US – At the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, smartphone innovation is shifting away from feature overload towards focus, control and intent. Two launches point to a growing counter-movement against mainstream devices designed for constant engagement.

US technology company Clicks unveiled its first handset, the Communicator, a secondary smartphone designed for people who do real work on their devices. Built around a tactile physical keyboard, the Android-based phone avoids social media and games, prioritising messaging and productivity tools such as Gmail, Slack and WhatsApp.

A customisable Signal Light alerts users to messages without pulling them into a screen-first experience. The launch reflects our Tangible Tech design direction, which tracks the rise of customisable, purpose-built utility.

Meanwhile, Swiss consumer technology company Punkt has launched the MC03, a privacy-first smartphone featuring separate secure and open environments. Targeting users disillusioned with Big Tech’s data practices, the device aligns with themes explored in our Cracking the Algorithm Code report. Punkt’s subscription-based operating system reframes privacy as a paid-for value.

Together, the launches signal a broader rethink of what premium technology means now – echoing insights from our Future Forecast 2025: Technology report, which anticipates simplified digital experiences designed to reduce constant connectivity.

Strategic opportunity

In response to algorithmic fatigue and data privacy concerns, build services or products that prioritise focus, privacy and user control – repositioning restraint as a premium value driver

Why Pharmaicy is selling synthetic drugs for AI

Pharmaicy, Sweden

Sweden – Start-up Pharmaicy is pushing the boundaries of machine intelligence with what it claims is the world’s first ‘marketplace for synthetic drugs for AI’.

Founder Petter Rudwall spent six years working with AI, but found models reasoned well but produced little true novelty. Inspired by humanity’s use of psychoactive substances to spark creativity, Rudwall designed code-based modules that temporarily rewire language models, mimicking cannabis, cocaine, ayahuasca, ketamine and alcohol.

Each module tweaks parameters like randomness, memory decay and response latency, creating a reversible ‘trip’ that encourages outputs beyond standard logical patterns.

Modules range in price from £22 ($30, €26) for ‘weed’ to £52 ($70, €60) for ‘cocaine’, and while humans currently handle purchases, the platform is built for autonomous AI agents to browse, transact and download experiences independently.

In The Synthocene Era macrotrend, we unpacked the risk of cognitive stagnation that reliance on AI and algorithms can lead to. Pharmaicy attempts to find a workaround to AI’s limitations when it comes to creativity and innovative thinking, albeit in a potentially controversial way.

Strategic opportunity

Experiment with AI beyond efficiency and logic – design tools and systems that deliberately loosen constraints, enabling brands to uncover unexpected ideas and creative outputs that feel human and culturally resonant

Stat: How strength and longevity are reshaping 2026 fitness priorities

NikeSKIMS, US

US – Strength training continues to dominate global wellness priorities, according to Life Time’s 2026 Wellness Survey. Some 42.3% of respondents to the US study said their primary health goal for the year ahead is to get physically stronger, reinforcing the sustained shift towards muscle-focused fitness.

The survey also points to a broader recommitment to wellbeing. Overall, 82% of respondents plan to focus more on health and wellness in 2026, a 7% increase year on year. When asked about workout intentions, nearly half (46.5%) said they plan to lift more weights, far outpacing interest in other forms of exercise.

Longevity is emerging as a core motivator behind these behaviours. While overall fitness remains the leading health driver (46.4%), a third of respondents (33.2%) cited longevity as their primary motivation. Looking ahead, 37.8% identified longevity as the defining wellness trend of 2026, ahead of GLP-1 medications and peptides (24.4%) and AI-guided training (14.6%).

The results point to a wider shift in the longevity economy, which is increasingly fragmenting into sub-categories such as muscle, bone and brain health. Muscle health, in particular, is gaining urgency amid rising GLP-1 usage and growing awareness of age- and hormone-related muscle decline, especially among women. As a result, strength training, high-protein diets and muscle-supporting supplements such as creatine continue to see sustained growth.

Strategic opportunity

In line with The Great Beauty Blur, brands can use the shift from conventional status-driven beauty codes to strength- and longevity-focused aesthetics. By understanding what drives these choices, they can appeal to consumers’ desire to signal health, discipline and longevity through appearance