One person’s gadget is another’s essential work tool, so perhaps we shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the genre as an irredeemable source of excess consumption. The ten products selected below should all serve you well, even if they’ve been acquired for all the wrong reasons.
Top 10 gadgets of 2023
01. reMarkable 2 e-ink tablet
Expect this genre to expand even more in 2024; for now, reMarkable’s second gen e-ink tablet is our firm favourite, buoyed by excellent hardware design and software that keeps getting better.
02. Are flip phones actually back?
OPPO Find N2 Flip
Despite our enthusiasm for their ability to deter you from constant phone fiddling, flip phones haven’t taken the market by storm. That hasn’t stopped manufacturers from pushing the form factor in increasingly sophisticated ways.
03. Google Pixel Tablet
Google Pixel Tablet
Google’s first ever Pixel Tablet was a winner straight out of the gate. Used as a portable media centre, the hub of your smart home, or just as secondary laptop, the Pixel Tablet offers power and flexibility.
04. Meticulous Espresso machine
Meticulous Espresso machine
The most intriguing and elegant device from our round-up of home working tech, Meticulous’ Espresso machine promises to keep perfect cups of coffee flowing all day.
05. Polyend Tracker Mini
Polyend Tracker Mini
One for the incorrigible gear collector, Polyend’s Tracker Mini is a hardware iteration of very old school audio software. Patience and practice are required to get results.
06. Sky Live
Sky Glass and Sky Live
Sky’s Live service captured our attention. An add-on to the broadcaster’s Glass TV set, the onboard camera offers communications, sharing, games and even fitness.
07. Google Pixel 8 Pro
Google Pixel 8 Pro
Although its baked-in AI might make many baulk, Google’s newest Pixel stays at the top of its sector with smart synergy between hardware and software.
08. Zoom R4 MultiTrack
Zoom R4 MultiTrack
The latest digital recorder from Zoom serves as everything from a dictaphone to a pocket recording studio.
09. Fender Tone Master Pro
Fender Tone Master Pro
Fender’s first foray into the all-in-one guitarist’s pedalboard might upset the purists, but it’s been taken to heart by pros the world over. Excellent sounds and solid hardware design make this a sound choice.
10. The Computer, Taschen
The Computer: A history from the 17th Century to Today, Taschen
Finally, a traditional book that represents a fine example of how to archive such fast-moving history. Depending on your age, it’s a rich source of nostalgia or wonder.
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Designer Marta de la Rica’s elegant Madrid studio is full of perfectly-pitched contradictionsThe studio, or ‘the laboratory’ as de la Rica and her team call it, plays with colour, texture and scale in eminently rewarding ways
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‘Nothing just because it’s beautiful’: Performance artist Marina Abramović on turning her hand to furniture designMarina Abramović has no qualms about describing her segue into design as a ‘domestication’. But, argues the ‘grandmother of performance art’ as she unveils a collection of chairs, something doesn’t have to be provocative to be meaningful
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A local’s guide to Los Angeles by defiant artist Fawn RogersOregon-born, LA-based artist Fawn Rogers gives us a personal tour of her adopted city as it hosts its sixth edition of Frieze
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Layer conceptualises a next-gen AI-powered device: introducing the PiAPiA, the Personal Intelligent Assistant, is a conceptual vision of how AI might evolve to dovetail with familiar devices and form factors
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Point, shoot and process with Lomography’s two new colourful Instax camera editionsWith the Pemberley and The Blues editions, the Lomo’Instant Square Glass camera provides stylish and pocketable analogue photography
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We put the new ultra-compact Dyson Car+Boat handheld vacuum through its pacesA cordless handheld vacuum pitched at a plethora of tasks, Dyson has tasked the new Car+Boat with far-reaching functionality without compromising performance
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The Century Series, Philips goes retro to celebrate over 100 years of audio innovationDutch audio brand Philips has drawn on its extensive archive to shape the form of the five Century devices, all of which offer stylish ways to enjoy vinyl, radio and more
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E-ink comes of age: the best new tablets for distraction-free reading and writingWe explore the world of E-ink tablets to find the best device for handwriting input, editing, sketching and light computing duties
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Loop’s quiet revolution: design-conscious earplugs that really workThe makers of Loop earplugs offer ever-more colourful and functional options to allow anyone to turn life down a little
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Leica’s SL3-S is its newest camera, an upgrade of its pro-grade full-frame systemPhotographers and videographers are catered for by the Leica SL3-S’ performance upgrades and expanded compatibility
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Shine on: Yaber brightens home entertainment with two new compact projectorsYaber showcased new projectors at CES 2025 – its first ultra-short-throw device, as well as an ongoing collaboration with the estate of Keith Haring
