I’ve been testing the best smart locks for years, and while there’s been a lot of advancements when it comes to entry methods and design, one thing has stubbornly remained more or less the same: battery life. Every four to six months, I always had to change the batteries in the locks, which isn’t time consuming, but it is annoying, and it generates e-waste.
That could all be changing. At CES 2026, companies are introducing smart locks that might never need to be recharged, while others are launching models with long-lasting rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. On top of that, we’re also seeing the Matter standard take over, and newer and smarter facial recognition added, so you may never need to remember a passcode again.
Lockin V7 Max
Lockin’s newest lock uses what it calls AuraCharge, an optical charging technology that harvests light (natural or artificial), converts it to electricity, and sends it to the lock.
The lock comes with a separate unit that gets plugged in inside your home. It then beams power to a panel on the lock, which can be as far as 12 feet away.
In addition, the V7 Max also has vein recognition (palm and finger), 3D facial recognition, and uses cloud-based AI to help identify family members, delivery drivers and others, and send you customized notifications and actions based on their behaviors.
The lock has two high-definition outer cameras with a wide-angle view and dual 5-inch touchscreens. This Matter-compatible lock works with Google, Apple, Amazon, and Samsung SmartThings.
Unfortunately for most U.S. consumers, the V7 Max is a mortise-style lock. However, Lockin says that the remote-charging capability is also coming to one of its other deadbolt locks.
Desloc V150 Plus
Desloc’s device has a perovskite solar panel, which the company says can help recharge the lock’s 10,000 mAh battery even in shaded entryways and overcast skies — which means you may never have to remove the battery to recharge it.
In addition, the lock has 3D facial recognition with “liveliness detection,” to help prevent it from being spoofed with a picture. It also has a fingerprint sensor, but the large solar panel on the front of the lock prevents it from having a keypad.
The lock is BHMA Grade 3 certified and IP65 water resistant, has built-in Wi-Fi, and will work with Alexa and Google Home. (Surprisingly, it’s one of the only locks that isn’t Matter-compatible. The lock will be available for preorder in the second quarter of 2026; the company says it will cost less than $300, which we’re taking to mean $299.
ULTRALOQ Bolt Sense
Like Lockin’s V7 Max, the Ultraloq Bolt Sense also uses 3D facial recognition with palm vein authentication to unlock your front door. This dual-method authentication should help prevent false identification, so that you — and only you — can unlock your door. The lock has infrared cameras and low-light technology, so that it will work both day and night.
If you don’t want to use your face, the lock also has a keypad as well as a traditional keyed lock. The Bolt Sense will pack a 10,000 mAh battery, which should last for several months on a charge. It also has Wi-Fi and is expected to support Matter when it’s released in April of this year.
Aqara U400
Yes, you can use your face or your palm or your fingerprint to unlock your door, but what if you could unlock it simply by walking up to it? The Aqara U400 uses Ultra Wide Band technology to detect when you — or more specifically, your phone or Apple Watch — is next to your door, and then unlocks it automatically. We reviewed the Aqara U400 before its launch, and found it worked great — we barely even touched the lock after getting it installed. At $269, it’s on the expensive side, but could be worth the price if you often arrive home with your hands full.
SwitchBot Lock Vision Pro
Switchbot’s smart locks are also incorporating facial recognition, but the company says that its technology — 3D structured-light facial recognition — means that it can reliably recognize your face even if you’re wearing a hat and glasses. Switchbot says the technology creates 3D maps of your face with other 2,000 infrared projection points, and uses “3D liveness detection” to help prevent spoofing.
The Vision Pro will also have contactless palm-vein recognition that uses near-infrared sensing, so that it can unlock your door if your hands are slightly wet or dirty. The locks will have built-in Wi-Fi and will be compatible with Matter. They will feature not one, but two batteries — a 10,000mAh rechargeable battery that will last for up to six months, and a backup CR123A battery that will work for up to five years and give you 500 emergency unlocks.
Lockly Affirm
Compared to some of the other smart locks being introduced at CES, Lockly’s Affirm series — a deadbolt and a latch smart lock — aren’t the most groundbreaking, but are the company’s first to have built-in Wi-Fi with Matter. The locks will have a numeric keypad and will also support NFC, allowing you to use either a physical or digital key card to unlock your door. Both models will be available in the second quarter of this year, and are priced at $179.
Eufy Smart Lock E40
The Eufy Smart Lock E40 has a 2K camera with head-to-toe video, and uses 3D facial recognition to unlock your door. This ANSI/BHMA Grade 2 lock will also use AI to detect if people are loitering in front of your door, and can detect such things as packages, too. Like Switchbot’s lock, Eufy’s also has two batteries — a main 15,000 mAh unit, as well as an 800 mAh backup battery. The lock is IP65 water resistant, has Wi-Fi built in, and supports Matter, Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home Assistant, and Samsung Smart Things. The lock is slated to launch in the first quarter of this year at Home Depot (online and in stores) for $299.
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