LEGO is launching a whole new way to interact with its famous toys, and it could be one of the biggest hits of 2026. It’s called the Smart Brick, and I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on it ahead of an official release in March. From the outside, this piece of plastic appears pretty unassuming – in fact, it looks just like any normal lump of LEGO. But don’t be fooled, as it’s packed with some very clever tech. In fact, the new platform features more than twenty patented world-firsts within its technology.

Tucked inside the Smart Brick is a processor, sensors and even tiny speakers that blast out sound effects as you play.

To make things feel even more interactive, colour-changing lights are also embedded into the plastic, which then flash and glow with movement. Where the Smart Brick really shines is its ability to adapt to the set you pop it into. Despite being very complex – it’s taken LEGO years of development to bring it to market – the concept is simple.

Each compatible “SMART Play” toy will ship with a Smart Tag and Smart Minifigure.

These accessories seamlessly connect with the Smart Brick and transform the experience without requiring additional apps, annoying downloads or fiddling with endless settings.

For example, I had the chance to whizz the upcoming SMART Play: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing around the testing room, which features the famous Rebel Alliance spaceship along Luke Skywalker and R2D2 characters.

Once the Smart Brick is popped onto the unique X-Wing Smart Tag, the set starts lighting up and emitting sounds, such as engine noise, laser cannons blasting and the refuelling truck doing its job.

Placing Luke and R2D2 near the Smart Brick, switches things up again with voices and robot sounds, then blasting out of the toy.

Using Bluetooth connectivity, it’s even clever enough to know when the ship has been hit in virtual battles with lights and noise mimicking the action in the room.

Then it was onto the next set – the SMART Play: Throne Room Duel & A-Wing.

To keep the fun going, I simply lifted the Smart Brick out of the X-Wing and popped it into the Throne Room.

In a flash, the Smart Brick started mimicking Darth Vader and adding lightsaber sounds to my battles. It’s really clever, a lot of fun and totally hassle-free.

As time goes on, Smart Brick compatibility will no doubt come to other ranges such as LEGO City, LEGO Friends and more.

The best part is, one Brick will do it all and will constantly evolve. Just switch in those Tags and Minifigures and it does the rest automatically.

LEGO has even considered power, with the Brick getting a battery refill via a supplied wireless charger. Sadly, it won’t charge via standard Qi pads, but that seems to be its only flaw.

It’s nice to see LEGO moving away from app-powered sets and things like augmented reality, which I’ve never been a fan of as it means kids have to pick up screens to play.

Despite being hugely technical, it feels like the Smart Brick takes things back to basics – just build, play and have some fun.

There are three sets available now to pre-order, which all come with a Smart Brick and charger included.

There’s the SMART Play: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing (£79.99), SMART Play: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing (£139.99) and SMART Play: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter (£59.99).