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This year was great for tech lovers and enthusiasts alike. We saw slimmer and lighter foldable phones, smart glasses gaining momentum, and flagship audio gear receiving some quality-of-life improvements. I tested at least a few dozen products, but there were exactly five devices, including smartphones and earbuds, which surprised me in the best ways.
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I went in with low expectations due to their predecessors or underwhelming rivals in the category, but I loved using them after the review period. Instead of sitting in the drawer after my testing, I found myself living with these five gadgets for a prolonged period. Here's why:
1. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
I stuck with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 for a few months, despite its limitations. That's because it is the Samsung foldable I've wished for for a long time. The last three generations were minimal iterations of the Galaxy Z Fold 3, I was caught by surprise in the first week of my review period, thanks to Samsung and Qualcomm's optimizations on its chipset. I didn't expect the 4,400mAh cell to last me as long as it did on a single charge.
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The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is my favorite foldable phone of 2025, thanks to its lightweight design and intuitive user interface. It feels like a regular phone in the hand, and One UI 8.0 remains smooth as ever, even when multitasking. While I wish the phone had a larger battery and a better telephoto camera, it does well as a dependable all-rounder.
2. Huawei FreeClips 2 earbuds
The only open-ear earbuds I've used frequently are my Meta Ray-Bans -- because they sound excellent. I didn't want to carry another pair of open earbuds alongside my ANC headphones, but the Huawei FreeClips 2 made sure that I did. They are stylish, lightweight, and sound great.
There have been instances where I forgot that I was wearing them for hours because they're so comfortable. These earbuds not only sound fantastic in their category but also look elegant while doing so.
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The FreeClips 2 are a fashion accessory that clips onto your ear, with the speaker part sitting just outside your ear canal without actually touching it. They have an impressive bass response for the size, and you also get touch controls on the stem to play/pause music, increase/decrease volume, and more. They are compatible with Huawei phones and Apple iPhones, but not with Android devices.
3. RedMagic 11 Pro is almost too cool for me
RedMagic 11 Pro's liquid cooling at the back in action
The RedMagic 11 Pro's cool design and under-display selfie camera made me stick to it even after the review period. It introduces several interesting design choices to the now-boring slab phone market. The RedMagic 11 Pro is also one of the few phones remaining with an uninterrupted full-screen experience and a completely flat back panel, featuring no camera protrusions.
Also: I switched to an Android with liquid cooling for a week - now I wish every phone had it
You get the usual suspects of shoulder trigger buttons, a high refresh rate screen, and a big battery on a gaming phone, but the new RedMagic device has a unique liquid cooling trick. It is the first mass-market smartphone to feature a functional liquid cooling system that's visible to the user.
The 11 Pro features a blue liquid cooling system in the center, forming a circle underneath the glass. I might not like its cameras, and the UI is a bit much, but this is my new go-to gaming phone for the fancy yet pocketable design and raw prowess.
4. 360-degree action cameras are legit
I didn't know I needed a 360 action camera until I started using one. In the middle of 2025, I was hooked to the new Insta360 X5, thanks to its improved battery life, elongated design, and easy-to-edit app. I could just record anything and edit it in the post to either have a 360-degree view or a more traditional PoV footage.
I switched to the GoPro Max 2 later in the year and loved the color science. After playing around for a week, I realized it was like carrying a GoPro Hero 13 and a 360 camera in a single device. Both of these action cameras allowed me to get PoVs that were impossible to get from a phone -- and made my trips more memorable in the process.
5. Poco F8 Ultra takes it for best audio
The Poco F8 Ultra is the best-sounding phone of the year. Its Sound By Bose partnership caught me off guard. The F8 Ultra ensured that I use a regular slab phone instead of my folding phone for content consumption by adding a speaker to its back.
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Poco's F8 Ultra comes equipped with three speakers: a top and bottom speaker, along with an additional Bose-branded subwoofer located alongside the rear camera module. It allows for a full 2.1 stereo output, which adds a pleasant amount of depth and bass to the audio. This speaker setup features a denim-like finish on the back that feels like a pair of jeans. I love the in-hand feel and audio prowess of the Poco F8 Ultra.
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