The term “gadget” is interesting for its wide, inclusive wingspan that can bundle so many different devices into a tech mosaic. Smartwatches, tablets, soundbars, headphones, and knockoff battery packs bought off of AliExpress all exist side-by-side to compose the image. So many gadgets are developed and produced every year that it becomes a task just to sift through everything, but the cream always rises to the top in the end.
In 2023, the best came familiar names, with some of them doing unfamiliar things, in an effort to continue setting themselves apart. Here are Paste Tech’s best gadgets of 2023.
Google Pixel Watch 2
There will always be growing pains when entering a new market, even when you get a good amount right on your first go-around. Even more important is addressing the issues with that initial offering. The Google Pixel Watch 2 does that thanks to improved fitness and workout tracking, stress monitoring and, most importantly, much better battery life. Google utilized its advantage as the developer of Android to streamline its smartwatch with a new processor and better sensors to make those improvements and maintain the newly created competition with Samsung in the Android smartwatch market.
Apple Watch Series 9
The smartwatch that started it all remains the standard even if the Apple Watch Series 9 doesn’t completely rethink the wheel (or digital crown). Powered by Apple’s proprietary S9 chip, the Apple Watch Series 9 gets sizable bumps in processing power and near-all-day battery life with tweaks to its health and fitness tools. The addition of the Double Tap feature, which allows users to control the device’s primary input by pressing their thumb and index finger together, is a big win for accessibility and signals the expansion of thought on how we interact with wearable tech that Apple and several other tech firms view as a major area of future innovation.
Samsung Galaxy Watch6
Sometimes all you need is a rotating bezel to get people excited about a new smartwatch. It can’t be just me, right? Bringing it back was a talking point around the Samsung Galaxy Watch6, but the tech giant’s 2023 iteration brought plenty more welcomed updates: an expanded suite of health monitoring features, a larger display and better connectivity with Samsung smartphones. It wasn’t the largest leap forward, but the work Samsung put into the Galaxy Watch6 shows that it isn’t wavering as Google builds its position in the market.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
Staying on Samsung, the Galaxy Tab S9 feels like the sweet spot for the company’s 2023 tablet lineup. Sure, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra boasts an impressive 14.6-inch display and the Galaxy S9 Plus offers cellular connectivity, but the Galaxy Tab S9 presents a better complete package while keeping a good amount of the changes present on its more expensive siblings. The new Qualcomm processor is a major reason why, but its IP68 water and dust resistance rating makes it one of the more durable tablets out there.
Google Pixel Tablet
Google finally got back into the tablet market this year with the Pixel Tablet, and while it isn’t quite on-to-one comparable with other Android tablets, it shows the company’s focus on flexibility of use as a point of differentiation. That isn’t to say that it does pack a processing punch. The Pixel Tablet features Google’s Tensor G2 chip, but its included speaker dock makes it easy to use as a smart home hub, media machine and/or light productivity device while charging or on the go straight out of the box. It’s a unique approach that set it apart this year.
OnePlus Pad
OnePlus built a reputation for smartphone development over the better part of the last decade, but it isn’t just a phone company anymore. The OnePlus Pad is the first tablet introduced by the developer, and it is a solid first step in what is hopefully a field it will continue to work within. It isn’t the most powerful tablet on the market, but it packs impressive specs for a sub-$500 device. OnePlus is definitely onto something. Check out our full review for more.
Sony WF-1000XM5
Sony isn’t ever the most boisterous voice in the wireless earbud field, but they continue to run at the front of the pack right alongside the more marketable names. The WF-1000XM5 earbuds are the latest example, employing a smaller design with the best noise cancellation in the market and improved sound quality and spatial audio over its predecessor. It doesn’t hurt that they’re visually appealing as well.
Nothing Ear (2)
Nothing continues to impress as it sets its foothold in various device markets, with the Nothing Ear (2) earbuds serving as a fine example. The company’s second crack at wireless earbuds delivers some of the more comfortable on the market while providing a wide array of sound customization options via the device’s accompanying app. People who love to fiddle with EQs or set levels for different listening situations will find a proper offering with great battery life and a bit of style in the Nothing Ear (2).
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
The smart glasses dream finally manifested tangibly thanks to the latest collaboration between Ray-Ban and Meta. There were plenty that came before it, but the two companies’ second attempt at creating smart glasses that don’t swing the sacrifice pendulum too far toward either style or functionality proved fruitful. The glasses are durable, feature better camera quality, improved speakers and microphones and noticeably weigh less than 2021’s Ray-Ban Stories. More importantly for Meta, the improvements are significant as it keeps its fingers in multiple pies regarding wearable tech, AR, VR, AI computing and the Metaverse pipe dream.
Meta Quest 3
Speaking of that buzzword that died a slow death throughout 2023, Meta’s new VR headset presented the most accessible and intelligible example of the Facebook owner’s mixed reality promise. The promise Mark Zuckerberg displayed in the hubris-laden announcement for the Meta Quest Pro last year feels real via the Meta Quest 3 at much less cost. The technology is still in its infancy and one’s interest in plopping a virtual keyboard into your living room while wearing a headset (though it is more comfortable) will go a long way toward long-term buy-in. That said, it is still impressive in many ways and inspires hope that more focus will be put on mixed reality versus the empty promise of the Metaverse.