The Best Devices of December 2025

The time for gift-giving is over. Now, all that’s left is the few days till New Year’s revelries and the ensuing hangover. So whereas we’ve all been spending time with family and friends, the parents on Gizmodo’s shopper tech desk have additionally had the prospect to reminisce on the 12 months’s finest, wackiest, wildest, and worst tech merchandise. Thankfully, there have been just a few standout merchandise which have saved issues fascinating at the same time as we slide into the brand new 12 months.

Long-promised devices, together with pop-out cell controllers and 360-camera drones, lastly noticed the sunshine of day in December. In the identical month, we went hands-on with some nice, inexpensive earbuds and even an at-home facial gadget. December’s devices additionally proved that you could’t belief all the things firms inform you, particularly concerning newfangled AI units. Senior shopper tech reporter James Pero examined out a purported “AI translator” that proved so bogus, the corporate that made the gadget requested us to not overview it.

Next 12 months shall be a standout for devices. Come January, CES 2026 will unleash a deluge of tech merchandise on our heads. Companies like LG, Samsung, and extra are already promising all-new TVs and displays to showcase your reveals, paintings, and even the occasional bit of wierd 3D gaming content material. We anticipate to see extra laptops, audio system, AR glasses, chook feeders, and much too many devices promising AI will change all the things. At the identical time, the continuing RAM scarcity attributable to the proliferation of AI information facilities will inevitably spike costs for all computing merchandise, from desktops to laptops to recreation consoles. We can already inform that 2026 will—in some way—be much more chaotic than 2025.

Shark’s facial gadget is constructed to maintain you from spending extra cash on the salon for one thing you are able to do simply as simply at dwelling. The gadget consists of a number of attachments that may assist exfoliate your pores and skin, tighten pores, and increase circulation. There are just a few too many shifting elements to get it working, however really utilizing the gadget is comparatively simple and enjoyable.

See Shark FacialPro Glow at Amazon

The Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ show you don’t should spend effectively over $200 to get glorious moveable audio. The $130 earbuds have a cushty match and an extremely clear, even sound contemplating the value. The ANC on the earbuds was additionally surprisingly strong, partially aided by the tight, snug match.

See Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ at Amazon

There isn’t any drone just like the Antigravity A1. It’s bizarre, sometimes perfunctory, and simply probably the most modern drone to reach in years. Instead of a single gimbal-mounted lens, the drone makes use of a 360 digital camera. Combined with the AR headset, this allows you to expertise the skies like the great witch Glinda from The Wizard of Oz, floating in a large bubble within the sky. The drone additionally makes use of a novel aim-and-fly controller that’s simpler to understand for any drone novices.

See Antigravity A1 at Best Buy

Mobile controllers are higher when they’re—effectively—cell. MCON takes that concept and runs with it due to its MagSafe disc that connects to your telephone. A single button press pops open to disclose a full suite of recreation controls, TMR joysticks and analog triggers included. Sure, it gained’t really feel as ergonomic as a daily controller or different Backbone-like cell controllers, but it surely’s actually probably the most moveable of the bunch.

There are just a few large causes you don’t need the Boox Note Air 5C e-notetaker. Its shade E Ink show gained’t look as sharp as a daily iPad display with its limitation of solely 4,096 colours. It’s not as quick as different, non-E Ink units, both. But for studying and taking notes with a wider shade spectrum out there, you gained’t discover many extra units for cheaper, not less than not one with E Ink. It helps that the Boox Note Air 5C feels good in hand and comes with a unbelievable stylus.

See Boox Note Air 5C at Amazon

The similar firm that introduced us the superb GB Operator now has a brand new strategy to allow you to play bodily Super Nintendo or Super Famicom cartridges in your PC, Mac, or Steam Deck. Like the same $50 gadget constructed for Game Boy video games, the $60 SN Operator hooks as much as your PC after which makes use of software program emulation to allow you to play your retro titles. The gadget will allow you to rip your recreation recordsdata to the PC, and it’ll assist your saves on console or PC. In addition, the SN Operator has additional advantages, like checking for the authenticity of your cart. The linked app additionally helps RetroAchievements.

MP3 gamers can have their day within the solar as soon as extra, judging by how large audio nostalgia has develop into as of late. The Snowsky Disc is an MP3 participant with just a few fashionable facilities, together with a round touchscreen for controls. Otherwise, the digital audio participant has ports for a 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone jack alongside USB-C. It helps as much as a 2TB microSD card, so there’s no scarcity of songs you may probably pack into this pint-sized audio gadget. The MP3 participant could finally come to the U.S., and we’re hoping it does quickly so we are able to lastly escape the hell that’s Spotify.

There’s one large cause to concentrate to JLab’s newest ANC earbuds: battery life. The Epic Pods value $100 and promise round 13 hours of battery life when exterior the case. When charging repeatedly with the case, JLab guarantees that you could get a complete of fifty hours of run time with out having to plug the pod in. The sound will not be the height of high quality, and there are many strong earbuds that are available at cheaper costs. Still, for longevity, the Epic Pods have many beat for that worth.

See JLab Epic Pods at Amazon

Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky’s first non-watch product for his revived model was sure to be controversial. The Index 01 is a quite simple product with a easy premise. It is a stainless-steel ring constructed for providing customers an opportunity to document ideas when on the go. The small button prompts the microphone, and fortunately there’s no web connection or subscription wanted. There’s additionally no signal of pointless AI integration like on so many different sensible wearables. The catch is that the gadget doesn’t have any rechargeable battery. When you’re carried out, Pebble expects customers to ship it again to the corporate to be recycled.

Ever since Robosen debuted its first Transformers self-transforming package with its Optimus Prime determine, we’ve puzzled how lengthy it will be earlier than we might get the fan-favorite communications lieutenant for the dastardly Decepticons. Robosen lastly confirmed off its Soundwave determine that may routinely collapse right into a tape deck. Here’s the necessary half: it gained’t play your outdated cassettes, however it should act as a Bluetooth speaker. The determine will value an astronomical $1,400, so simply know there are far cheaper speaker choices out there elsewhere that—sadly—don’t rework right into a cool robotic.