These Tech Gadgets Impressed Us—and These Let Us Down
Every year, the nextpit editorial team tests hundreds of products for you and attends and accompanies dozens of trade fairs and events. And every year there are a few products or trends that stick in our minds. At the end of the year, we therefore want to take a look back at the past eleven and a half months and ask the editorial team: What were your tech highlights and disappointments of the year? And which gadget did you particularly like? Let's go!
Antoine Engels
My tech highlight of 2024
The use of Auracast technology. This is a Bluetooth technology that allows many different headphones, headsets and hearing aids to connect to a single audio stream, a bit like a radio 2.0. And the potential applications are fascinating. Silent parties where everyone listens to music or watches a movie/series together without making any noise. An audio tour of a museum without having to lug around an extra device. Not to mention the impact on opportunities for the deaf and hearing impaired.
My tech disappointment of 2024
The miserable extension of Black Friday. One day became a week with Black Week and even a whole month with Black Month. I found that unbearable. Especially as the tech media (and everyone else) almost feel compelled to play the game and spam their audiences with “bargains”. As a journalist, I think this makes you lose credibility.
My gadget of the year 2024
Definitely Tecno Pocket Go (hands-on). I was able to test the gadget at IFA 2024. It's a portable console PC in the shape of an Xbox controller—no built-in screen, just a controller. But you can connect it to any TV and even AR glasses to play anywhere on a big screen—physically or virtually. This is THE product I'm most looking forward to seeing released.
Carsten Drees — Casi
My tech highlight of 2024
My highlight of the year? Probably the AI race, which has brought us so many sensational tools, AI-supported functions and competing chatbots. I fear that this development will rapidly fill the internet with content. But I try to see the positive side and the incredible possibilities.
My tech disappointment in 2024
The Rabbit R1 was supposed to be a device that heralded the end of the smartphone era. A new level of human-machine interaction was to be achieved, but it didn't work out. Neither the AI nor the hardware itself lived up to the hype and the negative headlines piled up. For me, the loser of the year.
My gadget of the year 2024
For me, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (review) is the gadget of the year. It's my personal daily driver and combines everything I value in a modern cell phone: It looks sexy, takes very good photos, is powerful and also has the best Android overlay and AI combo currently available with Galaxy AI and One UI. The S24 Ultra is my constant companion and my hardware gadget of the year!
Dustin Porth
My tech highlight of 2024
I can only choose Gamescom 2024 as this year's highlight. Like every year, it attracted thousands of visitors to Cologne and this year it was once again a huge nerd spectacle where I felt absolutely at home. In addition to numerous new games, the absolute highlight of the year is the annual meeting of friends you usually only hear through your headset.
My tech disappointment of 2024
The year 2024 held many surprises in store—both negative and positive. The biggest flop, however, was the rollout of AI functions in Europe. Many functions of flagship devices, such as the Apple iPhone 16 Pro (read review) or the Google Pixel 9 Pro (read review), could only be used to a limited extent for a while. They had to go through various instances before we could even use them in Europe. Hopefully 2025 will pave a new way here.
My gadget of the year 2024
The device of the year 2024 is for the Pixel 9 series from Google. I've been a fan of the Google cult for years, and Gemini convinced me to go straight for the compact Google Pixel 9 Pro. The AI functions, the camera, and even the performance don't have to hide behind the competition—although the prices have risen considerably this year.
Jade Bryan
My tech highlight of 2024
I believe that the Snapdragon X series, including the Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile processor, is one of the standout highlights of 2024. The new Snapdragon X chips challenge Intel's dominance in consumer computers with its x86 processors. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for cell phones has delivered significant leaps in performance to rival Apple's powerful custom chips.
My tech disappointment 2024
After considerable delay, Apple's Apple Intelligence failed to live up to the hype with its new suite of AI features. The iPhone 16 was delivered without any AI tools. Even worse, the first wave of Apple Intelligence features only included a few additions, while the really exciting features continue to be delayed.
My gadget of the year 2024
The Meta Orion smart AR glasses are still a prototype, but could be the best gadget of this year due to its advanced features such as holographic micro-LED projectors and support for an EMG wristband for control. In addition, they provide eye and hand tracking. This is also an indication of how the popular Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses could develop in the future.
Rubens Eishima
My tech highlight 2024
Chip technologies! After a slow start to the "3 nm" era with the Apple A17 Pro (which only the iPhone 15 Pro duo is equipped with), both Qualcomm in Hawaii and MediaTek announced chips with the new technology somewhat less glamorously in London in 2024. And that's not all: both companies took advantage of the improved areal density and better energy efficiency to use only power cores.
The result should be faster and more efficient chips in the flagships of 2025. Even if you're not into flagship phones, these chips switching to TSMC's N3 process should free up capacity in the previous generation N4 and N5 (4 and 5 nanometer) factories for better mid-range chips. So we all win.
My tech disappointment 2024
Qi2 wireless charging is my big disappointment of 2024. After its introduction in 2023, there was only one Android phone compatible with the standard in 2024: the HMD Skyline (read review). Sure, Qi2 makes smartphones pricier, and it takes time to develop, but I was really convinced that at least a few flagship models with this technology would come onto the market in mid-2024…
My gadget of the year 2024
Flagship action cameras, anyone? After years of monopolizing the high-end action camera market, 2024 saw many models from Insta360 and DJI challenging the stagnant GoPros. The pioneers may still reign supreme, and the low-end market is still dominated by generic throwaway crap, but both challengers are rapidly building their hardware, software and accessory ecosystems to topple the market leader and its mostly boring upgrades.
Stefan Möllenhoff
My tech highlight of 2024
The rise of generative AI has sent pretty much every industry into a frenzy—especially tech companies. Google, Amazon and Microsoft are buying nuclear power plants for AI's gigantic energy requirements. At the same time, the technology is available to (almost) everyone, and so start-ups are springing up whose products often feel like magic. The benefits? Often still as unclear as where the whole AI journey is going in the first place. But there has hardly been a more exciting time in human history than now. And that, unfortunately, brings us to the next point.
My tech disappointment in 2024
Over the course of 2024, it became widely apparent how generative AI is changing the internet. Psychedelic AI remixes of "America's Got Talent" scenes spread virally and pandemically on short video platforms. Entire subreddits are filled with AI-generated texts—or were they human after all? And Character.ai, a service for creating AI-powered chatbots modeled on real or fictional characters, has an entire generation hooked and delivers a mind-boggling 20,000 messages per second. To put this into perspective: Google also “only” has 100,000 search queries per second. Where will 2025 take us?
My gadget of the year 2024
I had my gadget experience of the year with the Apple Vision Pro. Although I have already tried many VR/MR/XR glasses from Pico, Meta and the like, this was the first time I had the feeling that a coherent system was really being created. Even if the road to a mass product is certainly still a long one. But: Apple has the market power to solve the chicken-and-egg problem of the new ecosystem around the glasses and VisionOS.
Thomas Kern
My tech highlight of 2024
My highlight of 2024 is the development of robot vacuum cleaners. In my eyes, household helpers have developed incredibly in just one year. Whether it's extendable brushes and mops or the integration of cleaning agent containers—the devices are getting better and better. And at IFA, Dreame showed off a robot that can climb stairs. A lot is happening in the industry, and we can get lazier and lazier.
My tech disappointment of 2024
After Google showed Gemini, as an iPhone user I was really looking forward to Apple Intelligence. The fact that AI won't be available in Germany until April 2025 is the negative point for me personally in 2024.
My gadget of the year 2024
My gadget of the year 2024 is the "Anker Prime 100 W" charger with a foldable design. Never having to think about different plugs again is really a blessing for me. The fact that the charger is also incredibly compact is the cherry on the cake.
And now you!
What were your tech highlight and tech disappointment of the year? And which gadget impressed you the most in 2024? I look forward to your opinions in the comments!
