Inside Dreame’s wild launch event — packed with products no one can buy

Hundreds of influencers, media folks, and a few C-list celebs (sorry, Woz) filled the cavernous halls of the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts last week. They were assembled for Dreame’s launch event, ostensibly into both America and a much bigger ecosystem of products. Across the four-day showcase, the Chinese robot vacuum company pitched an AI-wrapped future that extends beyond floor cleaning to smartphones, smart rings, smart cars, and more robotic arms than any cat would be comfortable with.

The event, called Dreame Next 2026, leaned heavily on spectacle and vaporware. While there were some actual launches in the vacuuming, air-purifying, personal care, and home appliance categories, the focus was on attention-grabbing concept gadgets. From a fridge with a robotic arm that puts your groceries away and a robot that folds your laundry to a rocket-powered EV, everywhere you looked was an ambitious new product.

What was harder to find were firm details about what was inside these products, when they would launch, or what they would cost. Dreame has grand plans that span from hypercars to humanoids, and at the very least, the event offered a glimpse of what it thinks that could look like.

The Verge sent a photographer to the event, which ran from April 27th to April 30th, to see what was real — and just how many influencers showed up.

Sparkly smartphone promises

A crowd follows Steve Wozniak as he demos haircare products at the Dreame Next event. The Apple cofounder was at the event to discuss personal computing as Dreame announced its new line of Aurora Smartphones.

The Aurora Nex LS1 was the most notable model in the launch. A modular smartphone that lets you attach different modules, including a 115mm-equivalent telephoto lens, an action camera, a fan, a satellite communications module, and a “Smart Agent Module.”

A model displays an Aurora Lux, a series of phones with bold designs, including gold plating and gemstones. There are 29 in total, and some of the specs are being thrown around — a 200-megapixel sensor, anyone? — sound impressive. But with no launch date and minimal hardware on display, it’s unlikely we’ll see these phones anytime soon.

A model shows off a gold-encrusted Aurora Lux, which will reportedly run Dreame’s own Aurora AIOS. This was demoed on other companies’ hardware at the event, and our global smartphone reviewer Dominic Preston called it “an Android skin with a load of AI tacked on.” Dreame says AIOS will arrive later this year.

Dreame’s first EV, the Nebula Next 01 hypercar, was on display. The company claims the four-door concept car will accelerate to 100km/h in 1.8 seconds, a claim The Verge’s transportation editor Andrew Hawkins calls “absurd.”

The Nebula NEXT 01 Jet Edition debuted at the event. The concept car is equipped with a pair of “rocket engines,” which the company claims can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 0.9 seconds.

Dreame’s new line of smart rings on display at the event. There were no detailed specs, pricing, or release dates announced.

The Dreame Glow Ring will feature heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring. The company also showed an NFC ring that can act as a digital key.

The Dreame AI Smart Ring is 2.5 millimeters wide and is designed to send vibrating alerts. The company says it will make its smart rings luxurious, featuring 18K gold and platinum finishes, paired with natural diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds.

A display of smart glasses.

The VitalGuard 1 Smartwatch.

The Z1 Embodied AI Laundry Robot uses a multi-joint robotic arm with an AI-powered camera to put laundry in a dryer. It is supposed to autonomously pick up clothing, sort it, wash, and dry it in Dreame’s L9 washer and dryer. A video demo showed a future version capable of folding clothes. The Verge saw the Z1 in (limited) action at CES this year, and the company told us it will launch within three years.

The Apex concept robot lawnmower with a robotic arm. It’s designed to deploy the arm to help clean up the yard and do other tasks, such as picking fruit and watering the yard. A similar model was demoed last year at IFA by Dreame’s sub-brand Mova. Dreame also showed off its new A3 AWD Pro lawnmower, which launched at CES and is now available to buy.

The INNIX Aura R8000F TV features robotic arms that extend and rotate its exterior speakers. Techradar reports that the speakers use AI to adapt the sound to your location in the room. The television is part of Dreame’s new mini-LED line, slated to arrive in the US this year.

Attendees demoing Dreame’s new line of Aero wet dry vacuums with steam: the Aero Pro Steam and Aero Ultra. The company also announced new entries in its lower-priced L60 robot vacuum series. Featuring up to 35,000 Pa suction, hot-water mopping, and the ability to climb over room transitions, these vacuums are available now.

The Cyber10 Ultra robot vacuum with an arm was first shown at CES 2025. This concept robot is designed to use its pincer arm to pick up objects and to clean surfaces with swappable tools. One robot vacuum with an arm that will ship this year is Dreame’s X60 Pro Ultra. It was on display at the event and features two robotic arms that extend its mop and side brush to reach into tight spaces.

Dreame debuted several new haircare products. These include the AirStyle Pro HI 8-in-one styling system and the Aero Straight Pro styler, which combines drying and straightening, just like the Dyson Airstrait. Tom’s Guide reports that both devices connect to an app that “builds a profile of your hair — its type, thickness and condition — and then adjusts heat and airflow accordingly.” Dreame has quickly made a name for itself in the haircare space with its Dyson dupes, prompting a lawsuit from the British company.

Influencers, including “Anastasile” (top), try Dreame’s new haircare products.