The Best Devices of October 2025

October was stuffed with frights, however a minimum of the tech on provide proved to be an occasional delight. We began off the month with a brand new slate of handheld gaming PCs from Lenovo and the twin may of Microsoft and Asus. Then, Apple got here alongside and dumped an entire gaggle of devices on our doorstep, all sporting its new M5 chip. In between that, we had the possibility to take a look at extra wi-fi earbuds, wearables, and means too many AR good glasses, some which might be value sporting and others of doubtful high quality.

Nothing got here by means of asserting its most controversial cellphone but, the budget-end Phone 3a Lite which comes preinstalled with a number of apps you may’t utterly delete. DJI launched product after product, none of which may come to the U.S. because of its upcoming federal ban. Microsoft’s Xbox model is struggling after quarter after quarter of declining {hardware} gross sales. But, hey, a minimum of we are able to say good candles are a factor, lastly.

But if you happen to actually wish to see how October compares to the remainder of 2025, try Gizmodo’s Best Tech of 2025 awards. Don’t fear, there’s extra to come back as we crunch alongside the leaf-strewn path towards the tip of the yr.

Apple has a penchant for dropping its huge chip launch late within the yr, however this October was much more “Scary Fast” when it launched a refresh of the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and 14-inch MacBook Pro, all with the M5 chip. Both the laptop computer and pill are nonetheless prime of their class with category-leading efficiency and construct high quality. Each gadget additionally packs shocking upgrades. The new MacBook Pro options terribly quick storage learn and write speeds. Meanwhile, the Vision Pro now helps third-party peripherals, particularly the Logitech Muse stylus and the PlayStation VR2 controllers, which can present a brand new slate of fascinating apps on Apple’s growing old visionOS.

While we needed to wait a protracted whereas for the primary novel Xbox gaming {hardware} in 5 years, what arrived was extra of a PC than any console sharing the identical branding. However, for PC gaming, it confirmed up in model with further snug controller-like grips and a brand new SoC (system on a chip) that managed to carry out nicely in our benchmarks. The extra essential side is the brand new Windows UI for handhelds, dubbed the “full screen experience.” This makes it simpler to entry your sport launchers and the video games themselves on the comparatively small, 7-inch show. The FSE nonetheless has a number of lingering points that want addressing, however it’s nonetheless a greater expertise than base Windows was once.

We too are oh so bored with the usual hockey puck-shaped robovac design. That’s why the Matic robotic vacuum proved way more engaging and—dare we are saying it—enjoyable than the normal robovac we’ve come to anticipate. The gadget stays quiet regardless of its surprisingly stable vacuum energy. Plus, in our exams it proved to be excellent at navigating a house, although it isn’t constructed to slip beneath the 2-inch hole beneath your sofa. If we are able to return to when designers had been pondering of creating robots look cute with out shedding out on cleansing capabilities, we’d be higher off.

Don’t run round a busy road sporting the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), greater than different noise-canceling units. These cans proved to sport a number of the finest lively noise cancellation (ANC) capabilities of any headset we’ve used this yr—sufficient to tune out the “literal armageddon,” as Senior Writer James Pero aptly put it in his evaluation. As for sound high quality, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) have high quality bass that loses out barely within the midrange tones. It’s nonetheless probably the greatest pairs of headphones we’ve used all yr, and it’ll have stiff competitors in that vein when the Sony WH-1000XM6 has made such a reputation for itself.

Google’s extra reasonably priced wi-fi earbuds might not finest the Pixel Buds Pro 2 in pure sound high quality, however for the $100 value level, you’ll nonetheless get some surprisingly stable lively noise cancellation. The buds match comfortably even in ears that often reject overseas objects due to their plastic wings that assist hold them in place. And earlier than you ask, sure, these buds desperately need you to speak to Google’s Gemini Live, however it’s the form of “feature” that may be simply ignored. They embrace most of what you need from a pair of wi-fi earbuds with out demanding you fork over lots of of {dollars}.

Let’s say you’re on the lookout for a stay-at-home, “desktop replacement”-level laptop computer that isn’t some 18-inch behemoth. That’s the place the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is available in. It’s not a skinny or mild laptop computer by any metric. It comes with an enormous 400W energy brick that’s virtually half the scale of this 16-inch gaming machine. And but, it’s one of the crucial feature-packed laptops we’ve used this yr, with a gorgeous OLED show, a great-feeling keyboard, and sufficient ports for all of your extraneous dongles. It can’t be your cellular battlestation, not with that demanding energy brick and proprietary port, however it’s the proper gadget if you happen to don’t wish to lug round a whole gaming desktop PC room to room.

Finally, the Google Pixel Watch can sit amongst Apple’s and Samsung’s newest wearables with out feeling prefer it lacks in any key space. The Pixel Watch 4’s domed show helps the smartwatch really feel distinctive, however Google has lastly nailed the fundamentals, like a stable battery life and correct health-tracking sensors. We additionally appreciated the redesigned quick charging dock that shows the watch face if you should look on the time or verify your battery stage. Sure, Google might have changed Google Assistant with Gemini, which suggests it could sometimes deceive you with the kind of confidence that might make Saul Goodman nod in approval. Gemini might sometimes show helpful, although a minimum of the smartwatch is significantly better extra of the time.

The Lenovo Legion Go 2 shouldn’t be the hand held PC we’d advocate to anyone as an awesome all-rounder. It’s too huge and costly for the mannequin with one of the best specs ($1,350). At the identical time, it’s the one that may make your video games look their finest with its huge 8.8-inch OLED show. By subsequent spring, the Legion Go 2 may additionally help the Xbox full display screen expertise (FSE) that’s presently unique to the ROG Xbox Ally. However, with some tinkering you will get each the FSE working on the gadget, which helps therapeutic massage a number of the ache factors of utilizing Windows on a handheld.

Meta Ray-Ban Display

Meta’s first actual pair of true AR glasses has surprised your entire tech world. Voices keep it up the wind whisper, “Wait, they actually did it?” After spending a while with the Meta Ray-Ban Display. It’s develop into clear the good glasses with shows are one of the crucial promising devices of the yr. The display screen high quality is fairly good contemplating there’s little to no mild bleed on the opposite aspect of the lens. More importantly, the Neural Band is without doubt one of the most original and surprisingly efficient management choices we’ve seen for one of these wearable. The present drawback is that it lacks sufficient apps to indicate off every little thing the good glasses are able to. We’ll see what might change in a era or two.