As both Connor MacLeod and Sean Connery once said, there can be only one. That applies to more than just Stuff‘s 2025 Gadget Awards winners, of course. But there really can only be a single Gadget of the Year in any given year. Directly below, you’ll find out which one knocked Stuff’s socks off enough to nab the spot.
You’ll also find a pair of other Gadget Awards winners in categories that are a little murkier than smartphones, tablets, gaming, or anything else so easily categorised. The best design and the biggest innovation are a little more ephemeral and harder to lock down. We, obviously, reckon we’ve done okay. But then, we would.
The race for next year’s Stuff winners is already well underway. Loads of tech has launched onto the market, but it’s only around the third part of the year that we’ll really, properly have a sense of who the contenders are. After that, it’s round-up-and-vote time. Stick around, we’ll nail the very best of 2026 to the wall just as soon as we can.
GADGET OF THE YEAR
NINTENDO SWITCH 2
Nine years ago, Nintendo saved handheld gaming from obscurity. Last year, it did something arguably harder: perfecting what already worked brilliantly. The Switch 2 is refinement elevated to art form – proof that sometimes the boldest move is confidently iterating rather than recklessly reinventing. And we couldn’t be more impressed by what it achieves.
It’s Nintendo’s best-built hardware to date. That 7.9in Full HD 120Hz screen transforms portable play entirely, while DLSS upscaling finally brings 4K gaming to your television. Cyberpunk 2077 running smoothly on Nintendo hardware? We never thought we’d see the day. And backwards compatibility ensures your entire library can come with you – often enhanced.
Yes, battery life isn’t great. And storage expansion costs too much. But these compromises fade against what the Switch 2 achieves: seamless hybrid gaming. The Steam Deck offers power, sure, but Nintendo’s transitions between modes are a kind of invisible magic that makes console-quality gaming truly portable for the first time.
DESIGN OF THE YEAR
SIGMA BF
Some products appeal to your logic, while others speak directly to your soul. The Sigma Bf sits firmly in the latter camp. This full-frame mirrorless camera is the most strikingly minimalist we’ve seen in years – a sleek aluminium block that makes even Leica’s famously restrained M11-D look over-engineered.
It’s all about sharp lines, with virtually no buttons and no flaps or doors – just beautifully clean metalwork that turned heads everywhere while we tested it. That uncompromising aesthetic demands sacrifice, and there’s no viewfinder or hot shoe, with slightly awkward ergonomics that kept us worried about dropping it… but the Bf isn’t engineered for practicality – it’s crafted to inspire composition. Sometimes heart should trump head, and this soul-stirring piece of Japanese elegance shows exactly why.
from R43 000 / sigmaphoto.co.za
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Apple iPhone Air
SHORTLISTED
Nikon Z6 III ● Bose SoundLink Max
INNOVATION OF THE YEAR
HUAWEI MATE XT
A 10.2inch tablet that slips into your jeans pocket isn’t just clever engineering – it’s sci-fi made real. The world’s first tri-fold smartphone transforms through three configurations: 6.4in phone, 7.9in book-style device and full tablet. That Z-shaped dual hinge achieves something genuinely innovative: tablet-sized screen real estate minus the bulk.
At just 12.8mm thick when folded, the Mate XT proves tri-fold needn’t mean chunky. Yet Huawei has crammed in proper flagship cameras, 16GB of RAM and 66W rapid charging. The 16:11 aspect ratio even lets you run three apps side by side for unprecedented multitasking.
Of course, ‘the Huawei issue’ remains, and battery life can’t quite match rivals. But this is less about perfection and more about pushing the idea of what a phone can be.
R70 000 / consumer.huawei.com
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Apple CarPlay Ultra ● Sony RGB LED
SHORTLISTED
Eufy MarsWalker ● Porsche Wireless Charging
