Examined: 12 Best Tech EDC Necessities of 2025

It’s no secret that expertise has essentially modified what we stock every single day. Twenty years in the past, EDC meant nothing however analogue gear — we’re speaking wallets, pens, knives, and so on. And whereas we nonetheless love that analogue gear (maybe much more so right now), loads has modified prior to now few many years.

Now we’re carrying literal computer systems in our pockets, backing up terabytes to drives the scale of bank cards, and carrying cameras on our faces with out considering twice about it.

And right now we wish to hone in a bit extra on this tech-powered on a regular basis carry gear, a information stuffed with devices which are price a re-evaluation. As at all times, this isn’t a prescribed equipment. Just a quick-hitting assortment of EDC devices we’ve really used and suppose you may recognize too.

So with out additional ado, let’s dive into a few of the tech EDC  available on the market.

GRAMS28 173 Vertical Sling

This week’s sponsor GRAMS28 approaches carry gear like an engineer designing a modular system, and their 173 Vertical Sling places this philosophy on full show. And, it was designed particularly for hauling your tech EDC.

Today, we obtained hands-on with Version 2.0, which is GRAMS28 as soon as once more listening to person suggestions to assist excellent their packs. The sling obtained a pleasant little measurement bump and a redesigned inside with higher pocket group. 

At 5.2″ broad by 7.8″ tall by 3.3″ deep, it’s dimensioned particularly for contemporary carry — your iPhone 16 Pro Max slides into the entrance buckle-secured pocket, whereas the dual-zip essential compartment was designed for different tech accesses like a digital digital camera, transportable chargers, and naturally further objects like your pockets, passport, and different each day necessities. The inside format contains slip pockets of various depths, a small mesh pouch, and a drop pocket that’s sized completely for an AirTag.

The leather-based comes from Gruppo Mastrotto’s tannery in Adria, Italy, which is a carbon-neutral operation that’s constantly gold-rated by the Leather Working Group. We’ve at all times appreciated the manufacturers use of this Italian pebbled bovine conceal, because it breaks in superbly with out shedding its construction, and the pure grain variations patina properly over time. 

The Cobra-inspired buckle out entrance encompasses a brass quick-release mechanism that permits quick access to the entrance pocket whereas additionally serving as a strong design signature.

The included 38mm strap adjusts from 105cm to 165cm with a smooth-sliding buckle system, and the 360-degree swivel hooks are useful for stopping tangling whenever you’re continuously shifting. 

If you wish to take the modularity additional, GRAMS28 presents the 38mm Basic Strap Plus with an extra D-ring for chest-level equipment, and their Strap Attachment Kit Plus provides digital camera anchor hyperlinks, keychains, and telephone strap plates that flip the entire system right into a customizable carry hub.

Each sling is backed by a lifetime guarantee, and is out there in both black pebbled leather-based, navy blue, or darkish inexperienced.

Plaud Note Pro

While many people use AI software program for recording digital conferences, AI voice recording continues to be looking for its footing in {hardware} kind — and Plaud’s Note Pro makes a compelling case for why this class deserves to exist. The San Francisco-based firm took its credit score card-sized voice recorder idea and added the one factor the unique Note was lacking: a display.

The Note Pro measures 3.37″ x 2.13″ x 0.12″ and weighs simply 1.06oz, sliding into any pockets slot or attaching magnetically to your telephone’s again. The 0.95-inch AMOLED show with Gorilla Glass safety offers you recording affirmation, battery standing at 600 nits brightness, and playback controls with out ever having to tug out your telephone. A characteristic that we had been a bit skeptical about, however discovered to be fairly handy in observe.

The {hardware} facilities on 4 MEMS mics plus a VPU that delivers sensible dual-mode recording. Enhance mode captures voices from 16.4 ft away for 30 hours straight. Endurance mode scales again to 9.8 ft however pushes runtime to 50 hours on the 500mAh battery. The Plaud Note Pro can even mechanically distinguish between in-person conversations and telephone calls, switching seamlessly when magnetically hooked up to your system.

Where this separates out of your telephone’s voice memo app is on the backend. Plaud Intelligence runs on GPT-5, Claude Sonnet 4, and Gemini 2.5 Pro to generate transcriptions with speaker tagging, summaries, thoughts maps, and AutoFlow workflows that deal with transcription, summarization, and supply in 27+ codecs mechanically. And, the “Ask Plaud” characteristic turns recordings into searchable databases.

One factor price noting is that it does run on a freemium mannequin, so your first 300 minutes are free, however you’ll need to discover subscriptions choices after that. 

G-SHOCK DW-H5600-1

Casio’s G-SHOCK has spent 4 many years proving you possibly can’t kill a sq. case with resin armor, and you’ll depend us amongst the cohort of sq. fanatics for this very purpose. The DW-H5600 is what occurs when the model lastly drags the beloved 5600 collection into the health monitoring period. This is G-SHOCK Move — a “smart” watch made doable due to their partnership with Polar, bringing coronary heart price monitoring, sleep monitoring, and exercise metrics to the indestructible kind issue so many know and love.

Right off the bat, you’ll discover the dial is tremendous crisp and legible in actually any situation, together with direct daylight. And that comes courtesy of the Memory in Pixel (MIP) LCD show, which replaces the normal LCD with a display. It additionally options an auto-illuminating LED backlight that, like many different G-SHOCKS, might be prolonged to 5 seconds. The case measures 44.5mm throughout with a 51.1mm lug-to-lug and 17.4mm thickness at 59g, and might be seen right here on our wearer’s 6.75” wrist. It’s constructed from bio-based resin with Carbon Core Guard construction, and naturally it’s each shock resistant, and 200m water-resistant.

The sensor array tracks wrist-based coronary heart price (30-220 bpm with zone indicators), sleep restoration throughout six phases, blood oxygen ranges, and step depend through 3-axis accelerometer. Multi-sport modes cowl working, strolling, fitness center exercises, and interval coaching with auto-lap and auto-pause. The exercise log shops as much as 100 runs with 200 laps every. And on the restoration finish, sleep measurement breaks down restoration phases and assigns sleep scores from 1 to 100.

Power comes from a solar-assisted rechargeable battery that makes use of a cool, proprietary clip charger that feels virtually like a mini jumper cable. With steady coronary heart price monitoring enabled, you possibly can anticipate about 5 to seven days between expenses. The Bluetooth smartphone hyperlink handles auto time adjustment, notifications, moon information, and world time throughout 38 cities.

Nothing Ear 3 earbuds

It’s no secret we’re massive followers of London-based Nothing, and their not too long ago launched Ear 3 pushes their flagship buds into extra refined territory. The signature see-through aesthetic everyone knows and love stays intact, however the case now makes use of 100% recycled aluminum for the bottom layer. And whereas it does add some extra heft to the bundle, they do really feel a bit extra premium. 

The standout addition is the Super Mic, which is basically a dual-microphone system constructed into the charging case that prompts through a devoted Talk button. And as we’ve mentioned in earlier movies, the decision high quality rivals utilizing your telephone’s built-in mic, and Nothing claims it isolates your voice in environments as much as 95dB. Each earbud additionally packs three directional MEMS mics plus a bone-conduction VPU that detects jaw vibrations for voice pickup. 

Sound comes from upgraded 12mm dynamic drivers with a patterned diaphragm delivering 20% bigger radiating space, which interprets to a 4-6dB increase in bass with treble as much as 4dB. The tuning skews V-shaped and punchy out of the field, however the Nothing X app presents an 8-band Advanced Equalizer with frequency worth choice and Q issue management. Adaptive ANC caps at 45dB and adjusts each 600 milliseconds, although as we’ve beforehand talked about, it’s not fairly Sony WF-1000XM5 territory.

Connectivity runs Bluetooth 5.4 plus Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair. Battery life is strong, hitting 10 hours per cost with ANC off (38 hours complete with case), dropping to five.5 hours with ANC on. And to make sure this will take some actual world abuse, the buds and case are each IP54-rated.

Ridge Magnetic Power Bank

At this level, everybody within the EDC area is aware of Ridge. The model made its title with minimalist wallets, however over the previous few years, they’ve began increasing extra aggressively into new classes.

The Magnetic Power Bank brings that very same minimalist method to transportable charging. It’s a ten,000mAh battery that principally tries to deal with all the pieces — MagSafe wi-fi on the entrance, built-in USB-C and Lightning cables, an Apple Watch charging pad, and a kickstand that props your telephone up whereas it expenses.

The case measures 4.13″ × 2.69″ × 0.64″ at 7.37oz with a matte end. MagSafe delivers as much as 15W wi-fi (although it does really feel nearer to 10W in observe), whereas the built-in cables push 20W through USB-C and 12W by way of Lightning. There’s a USB-C port on the underside for recharging the financial institution, plus an LED show displaying battery share.

It works effectively in case your gadgets line up with what Ridge designed for — that lightning cable is a little bit of wasted actual property in the event you’ve already moved to USB-C all the pieces. The magnetic grip holds robust, the kickstand angle is strong for watching movies, and having cables inbuilt means you’re not digging by way of your bag. You’ll get about two full telephone expenses from the ten,000mAh capability, perhaps three in the event you stretch it.

Nomad Goods ChargeKey V2

Nomad Goods has fairly the attention for well-designed tech gear, and the ChargeKey V2 is their reply to the everlasting downside of by no means having a cable whenever you want one. It’s a USB-C to USB-C cable that’s been shrunk down to suit in your keyring — primarily 4.72″ of usable cable size with a complete peak of three″ when closed.

The building makes use of braided nylon for the cable itself with electroplated zinc housings on each ends. Those zinc ideas have built-in magnets so that they snap collectively whenever you’re not utilizing it, holding the cable from flopping round in your keys. The end is satin {smooth}, and the entire thing weighs virtually nothing.

The ChargeKey V2 helps USB 3.1 information switch at 10Gbps and charging as much as 240W. That means you possibly can really use this for critical work – capturing ProRes video on an iPhone and modifying immediately from an exterior SSD, or shifting high-res picture libraries with out ready round. It’ll additionally quick cost your telephone simply nice, nevertheless it’s constructed to deal with extra than simply emergency top-ups.

Analogue Pocket

We’ve lengthy admired Analogue’s method to gaming, placing fashionable, minimalist design on the forefront whereas nonetheless offering that nostalgic expertise we love about taking part in all of our favourite childhood video games.

The model has been reverse-engineering traditional gaming {hardware} since 2011, and the Pocket is their reply to transportable retro gaming. And this isn’t emulation working on generic chips — it’s really constructed round two FPGAs (area programmable gate arrays) that recreate unique Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance {hardware} on the silicon stage. Straight out of the field, it performs your entire 2,780+ cartridge library from these methods, plus it really works with adapters for Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, TurboGrafx-16, and Atari Lynx.

The centerpiece is that lovely 3.5-inch LCD with 1600×1440 decision at 615 ppi — it’s 10x the decision of an unique Game Boy. Gorilla Glass protects it, and the show modes can simulate unique {hardware} quirks like backlight LCD results, pixel grids, and subpixel patterns in order for you that genuine look. For GB and GBC video games, the readability is unmatched. GBA video games get letterboxed as a result of display’s facet ratio, which bothers some individuals, however the kind issue prioritizes the sq. Game Boy format.

The {hardware} feels premium in hand, the minimalist design accessible in black or white with a mint inexperienced energy button accent that doubles as a espresso desk accent whenever you’re accomplished taking part in. It additionally options USB-C charging, 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo audio system, and an original-style Game Boy hyperlink port for buying and selling Pokémon the way in which we did within the ’90s. Battery hits 6-10 hours relying on utilization, and the sleep mode helps you to pause mid-game with out attempting to find save factors.

It is price mentioning that no Bluetooth means you’re caught with wired headphones or shopping for Analogue’s $120 Dock for wi-fi controllers and TV output. The Pocket additionally contains Nanoloop, a built-in digital audio workstation for music creation, which is a bonus in the event you’re into that scene.

At $220, the Analogue Pocket is essentially the most premium approach to play unique cartridges. And whereas it’s perpetually bought out, it’s legitimately lovely {hardware}, and for us, it’s one of the best retro handheld on the market.

Rolling Square AirCard Pro

Bluetooth trackers solved the issue of shedding stuff, however Apple’s AirTag created a brand new one — it’s spherical. Rolling Square’s AirCard Pro fixes that by making a tracker that’s really formed just like the factor you’re making an attempt to place it in: your pockets. It measures 2.13″ x 3.37″ x 0.09″ – principally bank card dimensions however about twice as thick, and it weighs 0.71oz.

The black model works with Apple’s Find My community (there’s a white model for Android’s Find Hub), so it pings close by gadgets to point out you its final identified location. Unlike an AirTag, there’s no Precision Finding to information you inside inches, however the built-in speaker is noticeably louder, making it simpler to trace down in crowded locations. The Find My app triggers the tone, and from there it’s simply following the sound.

Construction makes use of CNC machined aluminum body with G10 epoxy fiberglass resin. The see-through design exhibits off the internals, and there’s a 220mAh battery inside that expenses wirelessly on any Qi pad. Rolling Square claims 12 months of battery life per cost, and early testing backs that up. Drop it on a MagSafe charger as soon as and also you’re set for the yr.

The QR code on the outside hyperlinks to a Sherr.it digital ID the place you possibly can retailer contact data — primarily turning it right into a enterprise card that additionally tracks your pockets. The NFC tag beneath does the identical factor, although it’s inconsistent and sometimes requires a number of faucets to register. The QR code works each time. And, it additionally contains RFID blocking, which is helpful in the event you’re anxious about card skimming.

SAMSUNG T9 2TB

Samsung’s T7 has been the workhorse transportable SSD for content material creators (ourselves included) for years, and the T9 takes all the pieces that made it nice and pushes it additional. The two massive upgrades are each safety and sustained velocity beneath load.

At a fast look, you’ll discover the T9 provides a rugged, rubberized body with a textured wave sample that’s drop-rated to 9.8ft. We’ve skilled first-hand the T7’s slick steel housing sliding out of your hand and smacking onto the closest floor with nothing to cushion it. And this new coating provides grip and actual safety right here. It is barely greater although, measuring in at 3.5″ x 2.4″ x 0.6″ and 4.3oz, however we predict the tradeoff is well worth the sturdiness.

The velocity ceiling doubled to 2,000MB/s learn and 1,950MB/s write over USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, although most laptops don’t assist that commonplace but. What issues extra is the way it handles warmth throughout lengthy transfers. The T7 would drop to 400-500MB/s as soon as it warmed up. The T9 makes use of Dynamic Thermal Guard to handle temps and holds speeds above 900MB/s even on a MacE-book Pro over Thunderbolt 3 – which is effectively above what the T7 might maintain.

It ships with USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables, works throughout Windows, Mac, and Android out of the field, and contains Samsung Magician software program for drive well being monitoring. AES 256-bit {hardware} encryption is inbuilt with a five-year guarantee.

It’s additionally accessible in your selection of 1TB ($140), 2TB ($240), and 4TB ($440) choices.

Leica Sofort 2

Look, everyone knows Leica’s the actual deal — utilized by legends from Cartier-Bresson to Walker Evans.  So we undoubtedly perceive how recommending what fanatics name a reskinned Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo on the double value can really feel a bit unusual at first. But right here’s the factor: the Sofort 2 is a number of enjoyable, and in the event you’re a Leica fanatic, it’s laborious to argue the worth proposition. Because on the finish of the day, you’re nonetheless shopping for the Red Dot.

This is a hybrid shooter — it captures 4.9MP digital recordsdata whereas supplying you with the choice to print on Leica prompt movie or Fujifilm Instax Mini packs. The Sofort 2 measures 3.43″ × 4.84″ × 1.73″ at 11.29oz, constructed from polycarbonate with a 3-inch LCD and a Leica Summar f/2 lens at 2.4mm (28mm equal). The 1/5-inch CMOS sensor works in ISO 100-1600 vary with shutter speeds from 1/4 to 1/8000 second, focusing all the way down to 10cm. Internal storage holds 45 photos, which can be expandable through microSD.

Using the digital camera is lifeless easy; you shoot the picture, evaluation it on the LCD, then pull the guide lever to print. It takes about 16 seconds for the picture to eject and two minutes to develop. You get 10 movie kinds and 10 lens kinds (vignette, fisheye, double publicity) that bake into the ultimate picture. The Leica FOTOS app connects through Bluetooth for distant management or sending photos out of your telephone to print.

Battery life hits round 100 prints per cost with USB-C recharging. The picture high quality undoubtedly gained’t compete along with your iPhone — delicate edges, noise in low mild — however that’s additionally not likely the purpose. One to notice is that the prints do look higher than the digital recordsdata.

At $400, it’s actually on the premium finish of the spectrum for this form of digital camera, and Leica’s prompt movie will set you again one other $30 for 20 sheets. But, in the event you can come to phrases that it’s primarily an costly toy (and it’s nonetheless a Leica), then it’s undoubtedly cash effectively spent.

Moft Snap Phone Tripod Stand Wallet MOVAS

Moft’s been making origami-inspired telephone and laptop computer stands for practically a decade, and the Snap Phone Tripod Stand Wallet took residence a Red Dot Design Award final yr for packing pockets, stand, and tripod performance right into a compact 0.37″ of MOVAS vegan leather-based. 

Unpacking that performance right here, the tripod mode unfolds right into a secure platform for video calls, vlogging, and even hands-free capturing. Floating mode works nice for watching content material, stand mode handles FaceTime calls, and vlogging mode offers you that elevated perspective for filming. We discovered the hinge is strong sufficient to carry place on laborious surfaces, although uneven floor does create a little bit of wobble.

The pockets nonetheless holds two playing cards with tap-to-pay assist by way of the quilt. It is price noting that getting playing cards out and in is a bit tight — by design — and based mostly on our expertise with different Moft merchandise through the years, we’re hopeful the pocket gained’t stretch out a lot over time. MagSafe attachment is robust sufficient to maintain the telephone safe throughout angle changes, and Moft even features a steel ring with 3M adhesive for non-MagSafe telephones or circumstances.

Weighing in at 3.32oz, it’s heavier than the usual pockets model however provides actual tripod functionality with 8 inches of elevation and 0° to 85° angle adjustment – which is nice for filming on the go. Unfortunately ,as with different Moft MagSafe wallets, wi-fi charging doesn’t work with it hooked up – there’s merely an excessive amount of materials between your telephone and the pad.

At $50, it’s $20 greater than the usual Moft pockets however justified in the event you’re capturing content material recurrently. It competes extra immediately with Peak Design’s MagSafe tripod, which presents extra stability and peak however much less on a regular basis portability.

Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarer Gen-2 Sunglasses

Smart glasses have been a punchline since Google Glass, however Meta’s Ray-Ban Wayfarer Gen 2 is making an attempt to make the case for cameras and AI in your face. These seem like the common Wayfarers everyone knows and love — matte black frames with gradient graphite polarized lenses — however pack a 12MP ultra-wide digital camera, discreet open-ear audio system, a 5-mic array, and 32GB of storage into 51 grams.

The massive improve from Gen 1 is battery life. Meta doubled it to eight hours of combined use, with the charging case including 48 extra hours. The digital camera shoots 3K Ultra HD video at 30fps plus 1080p at 60fps, with stabilization. Photos hit 3024×4032 pixels, which isn’t going to rival your iPhone high quality, however nonetheless a cool characteristic nonetheless. A small LED mild additionally exhibits whenever you’re recording.

As you might have guessed, Meta AI runs voice instructions — you possibly can ask about landmarks, get reside translation between six languages, determine objects, or get whispered instructions. The 5-mic array blocks 90% of background noise on calls, and the open-ear audio system are loud with out bleeding a lot audio whenever you’re carrying these in public. And, contact controls on the appropriate arm deal with playback.

The glasses work with the Meta AI app for managing settings and importing images. App integration is at present restricted to Apple Music, Spotify, Meta’s apps, and some others — there’s no broader telephone entry but. We discovered the AI to be fairly inconsistent; it’ll appropriately determine one factor then fully guess mistaken on the subsequent. The frames are additionally prescription prepared as effectively.

At $409 for matte black with polarized gradient graphite lenses, these are $80 greater than Gen 1 nevertheless it feels justified by the battery improve. You are placing Meta in your face although, which comes with all the information privateness issues that may entail.

On-The-Fly: 12 Best EDC Travel Gadgets

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