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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
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET
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.
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