To help make sense of everything LEGO SMART Play — from how SMART Bricks work to how their batteries hold up — Blocks has complied a list of the five most essential questions, with answers straight from the LEGO professionals behind the new products.
LEGO SMART Play has SMART Bricks, SMART Minifigures, Star Wars tie-ins… there’s a lot happening with the launch of the new tech-infused LEGO sets. Blocks has organised some of the most important information and most-asked questions to help you understand everything you need to know about LEGO SMART Play before the first sets arrive on March 1.
What is LEGO SMART Play?
LEGO SMART Play is centred around the SMART Brick. The tiny technological piece has the footprint of a 2×4 brick and stands a plate or two taller; on the inside are all sorts of sensors and lights and speakers that fuel the SMART Play experience.
Using those sensors, the brick will detect SMART Minifigures and Tags. “[The minifigures and tags] have magnetic technology in them that allows the brick to interact with them,” explains Federico Begher, SVP Product Group, New Business. “When you place them in proximity of the brick, it tells the brick what to do and how to behave. If it’s a car, a plane, or an X-wing.” The tags are special 2×2 tiles and the minifigures are the same as regular ones, albeit with identifying printing on their backs.
The SMART Brick will produce lights and sounds based on what it detects, such as engine sounds for an X-wing or lightsaber sounds for Luke Skywalker when he’s battling Darth Vader. If you’d like to read about the nitty-gritty tech details, you can do so here.
Is an app required to use LEGO SMART Play?
The LEGO Group’s previous technological tie ins have been heavily app based (Hidden Side, NEXO KNIGHTS, VIDIYO), but SMART Play offers an app-free play experience. “We wanted to make sure this really enhanced creativity and imagination of physical play,” Federico says. “When kids are able to focus on physical play, it makes the imagination and the fun bigger and better for them.”
This is good news for parents and children looking to cut back on screen time, but the SMART Brick isn’t entirely without a companion app. The LEGO SMART Assist app will provide firmware updates and diagnostics as well as volume controls. It can also tell the exact battery percentage of a SMART Brick.
So the app is entirely unnecessary on a child’s end when it comes to play but will come in handy for parents looking to help manage the experience.
Learn about how tech-infused LEGO bricks have been decades in the making! Issue 135 of Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine, deep dives into the long quest for interactive elements.
How is SMART Play’s battery life?
As a tech toy, SMART Play sets will naturally have to have a bit more of a charge than a regular LEGO set. Though the SMART Brick is the only element that needs to be charged; minifigures and tags will work with no power.
“With a fully charged brick, you can have a nonstop experience, with sounds and lights going all the time for 45 minutes,” Federico says. “Once the battery runs out, it takes about two hours to fully charge again.”
SMART Bricks are charged via a charging pad included in the box. The pad is plugged into a regular power source, then the bricks are charged wirelessly when placed on the pad. Two SMART Bricks can be charged wirelessly on the same pad at the same time.
“When you put [a SMART Brick] on the charger, it will show you red, yellow or green,” says Senior Interaction Designer Rina Shumylo. “So it will not show its exact battery percentage, but you can understand approximately how far you are with your charging.” The app can share the specifics, but the lights should convey enough information to children when playing.
In terms of longevity, the batteries are designed in such a way that they will still be functional after years of inactivity, so play sessions across an entire childhood should all be able to utilise SMART Play. How long the battery lifespan will be with heavy use has not been shared.
Are all SMART Play features in every LEGO SMART Play set?
75423 Luke’s Red Five X-wing, an “all-in-one” set 
75427 Throne Room Duel & A-wing, an “all-in-one” set 
75421 Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter, an “all-in-one” set
Yes and no. The three LEGO Star Wars sets that are releasing on March 1, 2026 (which you can check out here), are described by Rina as being “all-in-one sets.” This means that each set will come with a SMART Brick (or two), a charger, at least one SMART Minifigure and at least one SMART Tag.
- 75421 Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter
- 75423 Luke’s Red Five X-wing
- 75427 Throne Room Duel & A-wing
Future SMART Play sets, some of which have already been teased, appear to veer away from being “all-in-one” and only include SMART Minifigures and Tags. This means that while some sets offer the full experience right out of the box, for others you will need to own an “all-in-one” set with a SMART Brick.
How will SMART Play affect future LEGO sets?
Fans of the old-fashioned way of playing needn’t fret over SMART Play replacing regular LEGO sets. “On March 1, we are launching the SMART Play LEGO Star Wars sets,” says LEGO Product Group Core Senior Vice President Lena Dixen. “But we will also continue to launch LEGO Star Wars sets that are non-SMART Play so we can cater to all fans’ build and play needs.”
SMART Play also won’t be limited to just LEGO Star Wars. Teaser and explainer presentations shared by the LEGO Group show the SMART Bricks working with models of airplanes, trucks and ducks as well. The focus on Star Wars is just for the launch wave. “It will continue to evolve. We will continue to have updates and other themes. More to come. I can’t be specific yet, but more to come,” Lena clarifies.
Have more questions? Blocks is here to help.
That’s the basics of LEGO SMART Play ahead of its launch in March 2026. If you’d like to learn more about the SMART Play platform, you can read Blocks’ in-depth look at how the SMART Brick works; coverage of the big announcement; and analyses of the upcoming March 1 SMART Play sets (plus some more teased ones). You can also check out relevant videos on Blocks’ YouTube channel.
If you’re interested in reading some different takes about how LEGO SMART Play will affect LEGO sets, you can check out Blocks Editor Graham E. Hancock’s outlook on the future of the SMART platform as well as Block News Writer Ryan Everleth’s thoughts on the prices of the sets.
To find out when new LEGO sets are announced, sign up to our free newsletter. Of course, if you really want to upgrade your LEGO hobby for the true insider experience, take out a subscription to Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine for fans. Upcoming issues will feature everything SMART Play, including exclusive articles and reviews of all the launch day sets.
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