What a year! What a lot of gear! Struggling to remember what’s hot and what’s not? Our annual Gadget Awards have done the hard work for you – join us in celebrating the very best tech to have come out in the previous 12 months. Out of all our category winners, this pair came out on top. Of course, as the Highlander is known to say, there can be only one. You’ll find that one below.
INNOVATION OF THE YEAR
SNAPDRAGON X ELITE COPILOT+ LAPTOPS
Qualcomm is well known for its Snapdragon mobile chips, based on ARM designs, and it has long been eager to challenge the Intel/AMD duopoly that’s ruled the Windows ecosystem for decades. Microsoft, meanwhile, has been trying to get Windows on ARM off the ground for over a decade. But it’s not until now that things have really started to shift, in no small part because Apple has proved that ARM-based chips are the future of laptops with its own M range.
Copilot+ PCs are the blanket term for this next generation of Windows machines, and some of these are now being made with Intel and AMD silicon. But it’s the Snapdragon-based computers that are really showing huge leaps forward in battery life and always-on performance. It’s a great fit for ultraportables, in other words. And that’s just in its debut year – we can expect these processors to get even better as time goes on.
Various prices / qualcomm.com
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Apple iPhone Camera Control
ALSO SHORTLISTED
Samsung Galaxy AI ● Google Gemini
2024 GADGET OF THE YEAR
FUJIFILM X100VI
Our pick for the overall Gadget of the Year could have been any one of those in our ‘highly commended’ section below, but in the end we just had to plump for this absolute triumph of a rangefinder compact camera.
It’s a treat to use and it takes stunning stills with in-body stabilisation – a hugely welcome addition. The Leica Q3 may have a full-frame sensor and manage 8K video recording, but it lacks Fuji’s fantastic hybrid viewfinder – and costs three times the price. This camera’s extensive selection of film simulations is also fantastic for creative expression.
The TikTok-trending X100VI did more to get people excited about photography (using something apart from their phone) than any camera released in recent memory, and that deserves our highest commendation.
Runners Up
Apple iPhone 16
It’s the first year in a long time that the Pro series has looked like overkill – but the standard iPhone 16 really is that good this time around, with the 2x telephoto mode especially welcome.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8
Smaller and more comfortable, yet with an even more sublime sound and a much smarter charging case, B&W’s latest wireless earphones have truly lifted the standard.
Samsung QA77S95D
Samsung’s brilliant TV is one of the best sets ever. This ultra-bright and super-saturated flagship model raises the bar of what’s achievable with an OLED television.
Honor Magic V3
This is the phone that makes owning a foldable seem natural. It isn’t much thicker than a normal high-end handset, and in terms of the cameras it’s right up there too.
