Want to know what the biggest home tech trends will be in 2022? Senior Writer for Houzz Australia, Georgia Madden, spoke to the experts who predicted the nice biggest trends in home entertainment, below.

From televisions that allow you to host a virtual event to old-school, retro-style audio, tech trends in 2022 reflect the many ways our lifestyles and priorities have changed over the past couple of years – in particular, how much time we’ve spent at home. So, which products and features will be popular in the year ahead? Read on to see what the experts have to say.

1. Retro Revival

If the recent comeback of old-school wired headphones is anything to go by, we can expect to see a return to vintage styling in audio design this year, says Romy Roug, global marketing manager for handcrafted loudspeaker brand Dynaudio.

Roug has noticed that consumers are gravitating more towards brand designs typical of the early 2000s, which she believes may be part of a wave of nostalgia brought on by the pandemic – also evident in fashion and homewares.

2. Televisions That Do It All

Our new ‘home-centric’ lifestyles have seen home entertainment play a bigger role than ever in our lives, says Tony Brown, marketing manager of home entertainment at LG Electronics Australia. “The past two years have resulted in a renewed focus on the home. Consumers have adopted new behaviours as a result of the pandemic and, as we adapt to our ‘new normal’, people are looking to technology to support their new-found way of living.

“In response, LG technology is echoing these lifestyle changes through our home entertainment products,” he says. “Think a bigger range of television screen sizes – from 42 inches to 97 inches – and new app integrations that allow for watching movies, sport, gaming, doing a home workout or holding a virtual event from your living room,” he says.

“In addition, our 2022 webOS interface will introduce personal profiles where users can set up fast access to their favourite streaming platforms, receive personalised recommendations across streaming services, and receive real-time alerts for their favourite sports teams,” says Brown.

3. Bigger & Better Sound Bars

As televisions increase in size and functionality, it’s little surprise that we want the sound to match the picture quality. “As people purchase larger screen sizes, we’re seeing a shift towards bigger sound bars that are packed with smart features,” says Emma Van Vliet, product manager for audio at Sony Australia.

“Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and the integration of further proprietary surround-sound technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in the sound-bar market. The focus today is shifting away from just amplifying your TV sound to instead creating an immersive surround sound that replicates cinema quality at home,” she says.

“Gone are the days of the sound bar just acting as an additional speaker for your TV. Today, we’re seeing greater demand for its multi-functional use as a primary speaker within the home. Streaming music directly to your sound bar from your phone, without using the TV, is becoming increasingly popular. We’re also seeing a demand for the integration of sound bars with voice assistants such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa,” says Van Vliet.

4. Sustainable Tech

Expect to see more sustainable and earth-friendly tech products coming through in 2022, says Roug. “‘Cradle-to-grave’ is a buzzword that we’re increasingly hearing when it comes to the sustainability of materials and processes used when creating new products,” he says. “While it has been a recurring theme in most industries in the past few years, it’s predicted to make a big leap in the tech industry in 2022.”

5. Tech That Saves You Money

“Spending more time at home over the past year or two has catalysed a trend to make the places we live in more economical and entertaining,” says Jason Neophytou, lifestyle expert at Legrand Australia.

The 2021 Legrand Australia Energy Consumption Research Report identified that over half (57 percent) of Australians are looking to save money on their power bills. The commissioned report also found that 42 percent would be happy to pay more for household electrical products that would save them money in the long run.

“This year, we can expect to see consumers lean towards energy-saving technology for their homes, such as smart downlights, smart switches and LED fan-lights,” he says.

6. More Convenience

“From a home-entertainment perspective, we predict an increase in smart technology that optimises guest experience, making our homes more comfortable and convenient, such as Legrand Excel Life Smart, a voice-controlled system to turn your outdoor lights on and off, change the music volume and activate your fan with a spoken command,” says Neophytou.

7. Luxe Minimalism

We’ll be seeking out audio products that don’t just sound good, but look great too in 2022, says Jesse Ross, chief technology officer at audio distribution firm BusiSoft: “Expect to see luxe materials and tech designs that match the aesthetic of your home”.

And you can forget boring black and grey – colour is also set to be a feature in tech products. “The warm neutrals and earthy greens and yellows we’ve seen in the design world will filter into the consumer tech market this year,” says Ross.

Meanwhile Nick Renshaw, PR manager for UK hi-fi brand Q Acoustics, predicts that top tech brands will be inspired by the idea of reductionism, which involves creating tech products with a minimalist look by reducing the number of factors that go into the design.

8. Investment Pieces

As with other areas of our homes in 2022, there’s a growing willingness among consumers to spend more on quality audio products that will perform year after year rather than on disposable products – a shift that’s far better for the environment.

“Convenience will remain key, but with a greater appreciation for superb performance and built-to-last design – an investment in authentic musical experiences for years to come rather than throwaway products,” says Clare Newsome, head of PR at audio brand Naim.

9. A Return To Portable

And now that things are beginning to open up, it might be time to dust off those portable appliances stored in the back of the cupboard – or splash out on some new ones.

“Consumers have been upgrading their work, entertainment and audio systems to adjust to the impacts of lockdown over the past couple of years. But as we return to normal living and begin to move around more, we will likely see the demand shift back to more portable products,” says Ross.

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