Table of Contents
Had you asked me in early 2024 what our best gadgets list would look like, I would have guessed it would be filled with quirky AI-powered devices like the Rabbit R1 or the Humane Ai Pin. “Now with AI” is a phrase that dominated consumer electronics in the 1920s. These devices promised unadulterated access to the power of neural networks in ways that would integrate seamlessly into our lives without relying on phones or smart refrigerators. Then the devices came out. The software is slow and buggy, and the hardware is clunky. Maybe the standalone AI device still has its year, and we’ll look back and chuckle at these humble beginnings. In reality, Apple’s big breakthrough of 2024 came in the form of the long-rumored Vision Pro headset. The device has its own obstacles to overcome, but after just a few minutes of use it became clear that it is something different, important and, frankly, quite amazing. The list also includes Sony’s innovative professional camera, the most accessible drone we’ve ever used, and a not-fun phone – not fun in a good way, of course.
(Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from Popular Science’s 37th annual Best of What’s New awards. Be sure to read the full list of the 50 Biggest Innovations of 2024.)
Innovation of the year
Vision Pro from Apple: a new dimension for augmented reality
More information
Credible rumors about Apple’s VR circulated on the gadget blogs and technology sites for almost a decade. It was the sasquatch of consumer technology in that people claimed to have seen it, but no one knew if it even existed. Then in February, the Vision Pro emerged from the proverbial woods with a surprising design and a whopping $3,500 price tag. It also came with a new R-series chip and a special operating system intended for spatial computing.
From a hardware perspective, this headset offers a 23 million pixel display, providing more than 4K quality to each eye. It’s a true AR device, so external cameras pump a real-time image of the outside world to the screen. Virtual displays, AR game boards and other digital artifacts can be seamlessly integrated into your view of the real world. It’s actually shocking to take off the headset and see the real world without a floating UI. There are no controllers to use, buttons to press, or other obstacles between a user and the augmented space.
Although AR headsets have existed before, this one gets our nod because of the great potential it shows. It’s part of Apple’s overall hardware plan. The new iPhone cameras have a specific setup to record spatial video for use in AR. Well-known apps can provide enhanced experiences specifically for headsets. We expect the next version of the hardware to skip the creepy image of your eyes appearing on the outer screen. Still, we’re curious to see what Apple will do next, because a consumer-friendly price for an experience like this could be a real game changer.
A9 III from Sony: the first mirrorless consumer camera to eradicate shaky images
More information
Take a photo or video of a very fast-moving object with a typical digital camera (including your smartphone’s), and chances are you’ll notice the dreaded wobble effect. Digital camera sensors don’t capture every pixel at the same time; instead, they scan horizontal rows one after the other, which can make fast-moving objects look warped or distorted. Sony’s A9 III uses a global shutter, which means that every pixel is activated simultaneously. This allows it to capture images at shutter speeds of up to 1/80,000th of a second, without distorting objects in the image. The company achieves this with a newly designed stacked sensor, which means that the same chip that captures the light also has computer hardware built into it. Consequently, it can work faster than a typical camera system because everything is integrated together. The speed does require some compromises, such as slightly noisier images when shooting in low light, but that’s a small price to pay for the fastest consumer camera on the market.
DJI Neo: A sub-$200 drone that isn’t a toy
More information
Most cheap drones are little more than toys. They offer crappy cameras, barebones (if any) flight sensors, laggy controls, and cheap parts. DJI’s Neo drone weighs just 135 grams (well below the limit that requires pre-flight registration with the FAA) and can take off from a pilot’s hand. It takes commands from a smartphone app over Wi-Fi, making it accessible to super-green amateur pilots, but it’s also compatible with DJI controllers for retrofit upgrades. The drone can track and track a subject automatically or perform many pre-programmed flight paths, like much larger and more expensive models. The Neo feels like a real drone and not a toy. We recommend buying extra batteries if you buy your own (each cell realistically only provides 15 minutes of flight time), but this is a big deal for content creators who want to shoot 4K from the air before the brand deal dollars flow in.
Palma from BOOX: an e-ink phone that sucks in a good way
More information
Smartphones are too much fun. Those glowing, brightly colored screens lather our brains with dopamine, eat up our free time and make us painfully aware of things like The Rizzler. The BOOX Palma tries to solve these problems with its 6.13-inch e-ink display. It is a monochrome screen that refreshes slowly, just like an e-reader. It technically runs full Android, but you can’t do doom scrolling. Instead, it encourages users to navigate essential apps and information by creating simple widgets. Text looks fantastic on the 1200 dpi screen, and it’s a great way to consume information in a much healthier way. It won’t replace your phone in all situations, but it’s great for relieving yourself of those late-night TikTok marathons.
Snapdragon X-series chips from Qualcomm: an AI-powered brain built for Windows computers
More information
You probably know the major chip manufacturers that power almost every laptop. You choose from AMD, Intel or Apple. This year, Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon Both Intel and AMD split their chip cores into high-power and efficiency categories to balance overall performance with battery life. However, Qualcomm’s chips label all of their cores as “high performance.” That comes with the promise of long battery life without serious performance degradation when unplugged. The first generation of Copilot+ PCs has largely focused on thinness and performance, but we’re hoping this new chip will be the key to all the strange Windows form factor PCs we’ve been craving.
Win the holidays with PopSci’s gift guides