Tag: Best of Gizmodo

No other phone packs as many features as Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra. It’s a chonker of a phone for sure, but that’s only because it has everything and the kitchen sink (including a stylus).

You don’t need to spend $1,000, or even $800, to get a solid smartphone these days, and Google’s Pixel 9a is proof of that. The OLED screen is big (but not huge), the cameras take solid photos, the battery lasts a day, and the performance is responsive. It even runs Gemini and AI features fairly well thanks to its Tensor G4 chip.

Unlike the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 Pros have no compromises. Everything about these models is there for the sake of function. Of any iPhones ever released, they have the best screens, the most powerful performance (with vapor chamber cooling, so they don’t overheat easily), the longest battery life, and the best-quality cameras on the front and back.

Motorola really pulled ahead of the foldable flip phone competition this year with the Razr Ultra. Nearly every feature—folding screen, performance, battery life, and cameras—outguns those of similar flip-style phones. It was great to see the iconic phone brand return with such a strong showing.

Samsung knocked the Galaxy Z Fold 7 out of the park. It’s everything a foldable should be: super thin unfolded, about as thick as a regular phone when closed, and super light. It’s not cheap, but overall, this is the best book-style foldable that’s widely available for purchase globally.

The pinnacle of Apple’s tablet range is, once again, the iPad Pro. Not only do you get a beautiful tandem OLED display, but the M5 chip can also output laptop-level performance for all your creative apps. There are versions with 11-inch and 13-inch screens available as well.

The OnePlus came out of left field, and we’re glad it did, because there’s a lot to like about this 13-inch tablet. Notably, the battery life outclasses that of similar-sized Android tablets, the 8-speaker system pumps out Dolby Atmos sound, and the software’s multitasking is well executed. It’s easily the best alternative to an iPad Pro, and it costs a lot less.

A more pocketable version of the beloved Paper Pro, the Paper Pro Move is easier to reach for when you need to jot down notes or fleeting ideas. It has the same color E Ink screen as its bigger sibling, comes bundled with a stylus, and includes an assortment of practical AI features for lovers of notetaking and reading. The Paper Pro Move is like a modern reporter’s notebook—only your handwritten and hand-drawn content is synced digitally to the cloud and accessible on devices like your phone and laptop.

The MacBook Pro remains as good as it ever was, but it’s slightly more future-proofed with the M5 chip. An M4 Pro or M4 Max may offer better performance, but for the average user, the M5 will be sufficient for most necessary tasks on the latest macOS 26 Tahoe.

If you’re looking for a laptop with “everything,” Acer’s Predator Triton 14 AI has even more. The notebook includes an RTX 5070 GPU and a higher-end Intel Core Ultra 288V CPU. It even lets you use a stylus on the trackpad (though not the touchscreen) when you feel creative.

For a laptop that has a little of everything and can still run all day, you don’t need to look further than the Asus Zenbook S16. It feels good on your fingertips, is light enough that it slips into a backpack with ease, and still has adequate performance for all but the most hardcore tasks.

If you were wondering just how powerful a Chromebook could get, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 may beat your expectations. The 2K-resolution OLED display is sharp with inky blacks, the keyboard is clacky, the trackpad is smooth, and battery life lasts pretty long. Few apps can take advantage of the NPU, or neural processing unit, today, but coupled with 16GB of RAM, the Chromebook Plus 14 is future-proofed for tasks down the line.

The best bang-for-buck graphics card of 2025 is AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT. It not only achieves impressive metrics for 1440p and 4K gaming, but also costs less than competing cards at a similar price point.

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When it comes to gaming, there’s simply no match for the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D desktop CPU. AMD’s special 3D cache, which adds extra memory just below the CPU’s main processing cores, is still proving itself to be the thing you want for any desktop gaming rig.

There’s nothing quite like the Framework Desktop; it’s the most customizable, modular, and performative small-form desktop PC out there. It features an AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 CPU, which delivers exceptional performance for both work and gaming on a single chip, and includes swappable USB-C-based I/O ports, as well as interchangeable decorative tiles, on the front.

The Nintendo Switch 2 continues to surprise us months after launch. The dockable handheld console takes what made the original Switch great and beefs up the performance and screen size, while adding unique features like mouse controls. Of course, you buy a Nintendo console for the games, and there are also plenty of great titles to keep you occupied.

Microsoft and Asus pushed the ROG Xbox Ally X as an enhanced PC, with its new UI dubbed the “full screen experience.” It performs very well, especially at lower wattages, and you still have access to all your favorite PC games across the most popular launchers.

Lenovo’s Legion Pro 7i has the performance and amenities of an 18-inch gaming laptop in a 16-inch shell. You’ll want a version of this laptop with at least an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU to really push frame rates in games.

If you want to use a single controller with both a Switch 2 and PC, you need look no further than the 8BitDo Pro 3. The controller includes pop-out face buttons you can rearrange for the traditional Xbox layout. You can also swap the A and B buttons if you prefer to game on Switch 2.

Lego’s Game Boy is easily the toy of the year. The nearly 1:1 replica of the iconic Nintendo handheld released in 1989 is extremely fun to build and has two brick-ified game cartridges you can insert into the back slot, pressable buttons, and lenticular screens that mimic the monochrome green screen. You’ll be smiling with every brick you snap into place.

Improving on the AirPods Pro 2 was no easy feat, but Apple has done just that with the AirPods Pro 3. Everything from sound quality to active noise cancellation, to fit, to continuous battery life is better. Extra features, like an accurate, built-in heart rate sensor and live translation, only cement them as best-in-class.

You don’t have to go premium to get solid sound, and CMF is a testament to that. This subbrand of Nothing puts out quality audio in an affordable price range, and while you won’t get the best in any category (ANC or sound), these wireless earbuds are incredibly well-rounded. A wide range of colors and solid ANC don’t hurt, either.

Sony is no stranger to being king of the castle when it comes to headphones, and with its WH-1000XM6, it takes the crown again. The XM6 improve on the XM5 in pretty much every way, delivering great sound, excellent ANC, and solid battery life—the most important qualities in a pair of wireless headphones.

There are gaming headphones that may help you pick out footsteps or gunshots to trounce noobs in multiplayer, but the Sony Inzone H9 II simply have the best audio of any headset this year. They’re comfortable and include a quality microphone, so you’re not missing out on much for the sake of feeling truly immersed.

Bose is known for its pricey audio products, and while the SoundLink Plus doesn’t shirk that trend, the bass, sound, and overall look make it worth every penny.

Canon’s PowerShot V1 may be the best vlogging camera ever. With excellent image quality from its 22-megapixel sensor, a versatile 16-50mm zoom lens, and superfast autofocus, this compact point-and-shoot and its flip-out display are perfect for amateur creators looking to level up their content.

There’s no better option among instant cameras, offering such classic-looking prints, than the Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+. Along with the camera’s usual sensor, you can take selfie photos or connect a phone or SD card to print personal photos as well.

If the usual GoPro is looking too standard, the Insta360 Go Ultra offers better portability with its magnetic, pop-out 4K pod. You can attach the pod to your shirt or bike and expect solid footage up to 4K and 60 fps.

Bang for buck, the Apple Watch SE 3 delivers—hard. It’s got the greatest hits features from the last 10 years of Apple smartwatches, and even some from its pricier Series 11 sibling, like the S10 chip, double tap and wrist flick gestures, a more durable glass screen, and optional 5G cellular support.

Google crept up from last to first place in the Android smartwatch rankings this year. Sure, there’s a convenient raise-to-talk Gemini feature, but it really nailed fundamentals like a bigger and brighter domed screen, longer battery life, redesigned charging stand, improved health and fitness tracking, and better-optimized Wear OS 6 with the bubblier and more animated Material 3 Expressive design language. For Android phone users, the Pixel Watch 4 is the best there is.

For those who don’t want to wear a smartwatch or tracker, the Oura 4 Ceramic includes robust physiological data, including heart rate variability, sleep analysis, shifts in body temperature, and blood oxygen rates, as well as new features like reproductive health and smart sensing. The newest ceramic model is also less prone to scratching and color fading.

The Polar Loop is the serious athlete’s ideal tech companion: a comfortable, no-screen, no-subscription wearable that gives athletes exactly what they need and want and nothing more. The Loop provides 24/7 activity tracking and insights into fitness progression—all from a company known for first-class heart-rate technology.

The screenless Whoop 5.0 provides more data than almost any other wearable. It tracks everything from step count to heart rate variability, to sleep metrics, and more, and spins out a daily strain score, all of which are displayed cleanly in its accompanying app. The subscription-based, tiered model is an added cost, but it allows for plenty of customization.

There’s no shortage of Wi-Fi 7 routers to choose from. But if you want a mesh network that’s simple, stable, delivers fast downloads, and won’t clash with your home decor, the Eero Pro 7 is our go-to. It’s one of those “it just works” products.

The Matic isn’t your typical disc-shaped robot vacuum; it’s full of personality like a Pixar character. It sucks up dirt quietly and never bumps into walls or furniture, and it mops well, too. If this is what it’s like to have a droid at home, bring it on.

The push to hook up home security cameras to the cloud opens them up to convenient features like backup and AI computer vision, but it also puts your footage at risk. Reolink’s Altas captures high-quality video and includes a solar panel for sun-fueled power, but the best thing is that it works without an internet connection, with recordings saved to a microSD card. Maybe every gadget doesn’t need to be “smart.”

Functional and portable, Xgimi’s MoGo 4 is half projector and half vibes. The cylindrical device can project a 1080p screen at up to 200 inches in size, doubles as a Bluetooth speaker with its 6W Harmon Kardon drivers, and is fully portable thanks to its built-in battery. But what truly makes it unique is the attachable magnetic filters that can spray a pattern like a sunset, water ripple, or dreamy effect onto walls or ceilings, just to set a mood.

Meta was first to popularize AI glasses, and its lead is showing. The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 might not be an explosive upgrade over the last generation, but they improve in all of the areas that matter, including battery life and video capture, making them an easy pick if you’re in the market for non-display smart glasses.

If the Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses Gen 2 are an easy pick, the Meta Ray-Ban Display are even easier. With a bright display and “Neural Band” for controlling the UI with precise finger pinches and gestures, these are the AR smart glasses that will make you feel like you’re actually living in the future.

The Xreal One Pro are hands-down the best way to watch movies and TV while flying. They plug directly into any compatible device, such as a phone, laptop, or tablet, via USB-C and let you see a 171-inch virtual display that’s bright and sharp. There’s a whole spatial computing aspect to them, but we’d just stick with using them as awesome video glasses.

We were spoiled for choice for a 240Hz QD-OLED monitor this year, but in the end, the Alienware AW2725Q stood out the most. This 27-inch square display offers a beautiful picture with a monitor stand that looks unique without sacrificing stability.

Incredible doesn’t even begin to describe this portable battery bank. It’s got three USB ports (2x USB-C and 1x USB-A) capable of supplying 300W of combined power to charge two laptops and a phone, or pretty much any modern device. With a 26,250mAh capacity, you could go a whole weekend without needing a wall outlet.

Logitech struck gold with its MX Master series of wireless mice, so it didn’t need to do much to make the MX Master 4 the best mouse of the year. It feels comfortable, has a free-spinning and side-scrolling wheel, and now supports haptics to add a little rumbly in your thumbly.

Laifen’s P3 Pro is the kind of product that Apple would make if it designed grooming products. Its aluminum body and satisfying, reversible magnetic razor attachment system scream Apple-inspired. Its compact footprint is deceptive—this razor is powerful enough to mow down even the bushiest of beards.

Almost every power brick that comes with a laptop is huge and heavy. Using the latest gallium nitride (GaN) technology, Anker’s Prime Charger (160W, 3 Ports, Smart Display) is barely larger than an AirPods Pro 3 case and can charge one device at up to 140W (perfect for even a 16-inch MacBook Pro) or three devices totaling up to 160W. The built-in screen is handy for showing how much power each port is outputting.