7 Cool New Gadgets to Keep on Your Radar

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the company’s new “best of the best” smartphone. On the surface, it’s quite similar to last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra, although it does have a better camera system (thanks to a new 5x optical zoom lens) and an advanced cooling system for better mobile gaming. The real upgrade, however, is that it has a bunch of new AI-powered features enabled by Galaxy AI.

Price: $1, 300+

The Samsung Galaxy S24 (shown) and S24 Plus both look similar to their predecessors, the S23 and S23 Plus, but have each been updated with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a brighter and faster (120Hz) display, and a new titanium frame. Like the Ultra, they also support Galaxy AI and have a bunch of AI-powered features.

Price: $800+ (S24); $1,000+ (S24+)

The DJI Mic 2 is a wireless microphone system for creators. It consists of two mic transmitters, a receiver with a 1.1-inch touchscreen, and a charging case. It’s an all-around upgrade over the original DJI Mic, with improved recording capabilities, but this biggest upgrade is that you can wirelessly connect a mic to your smartphone over Bluetooth.

Price: $349 (Kit)

The Yamaha Seqtrak is an all-in-one portable music-making device — it’s a synth, drum machine and sampler that has a built-in battery, speaker and microphone. It supports both wired and wireless connections, works with a companion app (for further customization) and has fun retro design that looks straight out of the ’80s.

The KEF LSX II LT is a more affordable version of the fantastic LSX II active speaker system. The LTs have most of the same wireless and wired capabilities. The big difference is that all the power and amplification is built into the primary LT speaker and thus the two speakers need to be tethered to each other at all times. That’s a welcome tradeoff considering these new speakers are $400 cheaper.

The Kanto Ora 4 are new powered computer speakers — they’re essentially slightly bigger versions of the company’s acclaimed Oras. They work exactly the same, connecting to your computer via USB-C and also supporting built-in Bluetooth (for streaming from your smartphone), but have a larger woofer, more power output and cost $50 more.

The surprise announcement from Samsung’s big Unpacked event was the Galaxy Ring: the company’s first smart ring. Other than its name, Samsung didn’t really reveal anything about it. All we know is that it’s going to be a health tracking device that’ll work well with Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones. There’s no price or expected release date yet.

Price: TBD

The Rabbit R1 is an adorable AI-powered device (designed in collaboration with Teenage Engineering) that’s meant to help you do simple tasks while keeping your smartphone in your pocket. It has its own virtual assistant that can help you answer questions, call friends, play music and even do app-based tasks like ordering food or a rideshare.

Price: $199

The LG Signature OLED T is a 77-inch OLED TV with a contrast panel that can raised or lowered. When raised, the OLED T looks like a normal TV. When lowered, it creates this 3D floating effect. It’s LG’s first transparent OLED TV.

Price: wildly expensive

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is the company’s most high-end turntable to date and, like the Stream Carbon, it works natively with Sonos. This new model is has more premium components and more wireless streaming capabilities; in addition to Sonos, it supports Roon and UPnP, and is capable of streaming lossless FLAC audio files (up to 24-bit/48kHz).

Mophie is bringing back its Juice Pack battery case after several years in limbo. The new cases will fit the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max — but not the (less popular) iPhone 15 Plus, unfortunately. Each case will add protection and give your iPhone hours of extra juice.

Price: $100

Clicks is an iPhone case that adds a physical keyboard a la Blackberry. The case connects to iPhone via Lightning or USB-C (depending on the model) and supports passthrough power.

Price:$139

Samsung’s Music Frame is a wireless speaker that you hang on your wall and it disguises itself as a framed piece of artwork. It supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi streaming. If you have a Samsung TV or soundbar, you can configure it as a surround sound speaker, as well. Samsung will sell a variety of different prints for it. No price has been revealed.

The BeamO is an 4-in-1 wellness device — a thermometer, digital stethoscope, oximeter and EKG — that’s loaded with sensors for monitoring the health of your heart and lungs, as well as general health with body temperature. It’s expected to be available this summer (likely June) assuming that it’s cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Price: $250

The Sennheiser Momentum TW 4s it’s new flagship noise-canceling wireless earbuds. They look virtually identical to their predecessor, the 2022-released Momentum TW 3s, but have improved battery life, more powerful noise-cancellation and upgraded sound (thanks to aptX lossless support). Available in February.

Price: $300

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is a standout 2-in-1 that’s capable of switching between Android and Windows operating systems. When its detachable keyboard is connected and it’s in laptop mode, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid runs Windows. When the keyboard is detached, it switches to Android.

Price: $2,000

Asus’s new Zenbook Duo has two 14-inch OLED touchscreens that can be rearranged in a number of form factors. You can use it in tablet or laptop modes, with or without its detachable keyboard, or as a dual-screen laptop (with the two screens stacked on top of each other).

Price: $1,499+

Samsung its next generation Neo QLED 8K and 4K TVs, which are its most advanced TVs with Mini LED backlighting. The big news with the 2024 models is that they are decked out with a new processor that enables some advanced AI features for upscaling, eliminating motion blur and delivering a better overall picture.

Price: TBD

Last year, Hisense announced the first mini-LED in its most high-end ULED X series. It was 100 inches. This year, the company has added 98-inch and 110-inch (shown) sizes to the series. The larger 110UX ULED is the standout because it has 40,000 dimming zones and a super 10,000 nits of brightness — it might just be the brightest TV to date.

Price: TBD

The FiiO R9 is an upgraded version of last year’s GP100-winning R7. Like its predecessor, the R9 is an all-in-one desktop hi-fi solution, but it packs a new Qualcomm Bluetooth chip, improved twin DACs (now ESS Labs 9030PRO) and a twice-as-powerful amplifier. It also adds an HDMI ARC port in case you want to connect it to a TV.

The Tapo DL130 is a smart video doorbell that is HomeKit-compatible and can be controlled with any of the major smart voice assistants: Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri. There are a number of ways to unlock it other than a voice assistant, including a keyboard, fingerprint scanner, a physical key or even your Apple Watch.

Price: TBD

The HP’s new Spectre x360 features an Intel Core Ultra processor, a larger 14-inch OLED display, a new touchpad with haptic feedback, and a 9-megapixel webcam that can capture 4K video. It also has a smoother, more refined overall design.

Price: $1,650+

The UltraGear OLED (model 32GS95UE) is a 32-inch 4K monitor with 240Hz refresh rate. It’s also the first UltraGear monitor to support Dual-Hz; with a click, you can quickly switch to an HD picture with an even higher refresh rate, up to 480Hz, which is ideal for fast-paced FPS games.

Price: TBD

The AirVision M1 is a wearable display that (sorta) looks like regular eyeglasses. They connect to your smartphone or computer (via USB) and, thanks to a 1080p Micro OLED display, create a virtual screen. Effectively, this eyewear aims to be a streamlined and budget-friendly alternative to Apple’s Vision Pro.

Price: TBD

Philips’s upcoming smart deadbolt lock is pretty unique in that it’s integrated with palm-reading technology; when you get home, it scans the palm of your hand and unlocks your door when recognized (cool!). It comes with built-in Wi-Fi, making it easier for you to control it remotely, and it supports both Alexa and Google Assistant.

Price: $360

Satechi announced several wireless chargers that support the new Qi2 wireless charging standard; basically, Qi2 offers the same benefits as MagSafe — fast iPhone charging and a magnetic connection — but doesn’t cost quite as much. This 3-in-1 charger has a unique design that allows it to fold flat so it looks less like a stand.

Price: $130

The Samsung HW-Q990D is the company’s new flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar system and successor to the much-lauded HW-Q990C. Like before, it’s an 11.1.4-channel system (with 22 total drivers) that connects wirelessly to a compatible Samsung TV. The big upgrade is that it now has a built-in HDMI 2.1 port, making it much better for connecting next-gen consoles or 4K streamers. No price has yet been announced.

The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7s are the company’s new midrange noise-canceling wireless earbuds. They have the same 5.8mm drivers as the company’s flagship ATH-TWX9s ($299), but are considerably cheaper — just don’t expect their noise-canceling to be as good. One notable upgrade is that these new earbuds support LDAC streaming (up to 24-bit/96kHz).

The Pro Series is Roku’s most premium smart TV line to date. They feature a Mini LED display, a more premium build quality and a superior speaker system. They’ll come in 55-, 65- and 75-inch models, all available this spring.

Price: Less than $1,500

Focal’s Aria Evo X series of loudspeakers are the next-generation of its decade-old Aria 900 series. The new speakers has been integrated with a number of flagship technologies, including the TNF tweeter or Flax cone, and each model has an updated look and finish. The prices range from $999 (center) to $5,998 (floorstanding/pair).

Audio Pro’s C20 is a minimalist wireless speaker that can just about do it all. It supports Wi-Fi (AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect) and Bluetooth streaming. It has an HDMI ARC input so you can use it as a miniature soundbar for your TV, and it has a built-in MM phono stage for connecting a turntable.

The TCL QM891G is a 115-inch mini-LED with 20,000 local dimming zones and peak brightness of 5,000 nits. At nearly 10 feet from corner to corner, it’s the company’s largest mini-LED to date and can rival the screen size created by a projector.

Price: TBD

This is Satechi’s first-ever mechanical keyboard. It has an aluminum enclosure, backlit keys, removable keycaps and is decked out with brown switches. The ​​SM1 Slim is compatible with both Mac and Windows PCs, and it can connect to up to four devices at the same time.

Price: $100

This is a refreshed version of Samsung’s flagship OLED TV, the S95D, and it has two big upgrades. First, it will get roughly 20 percent brighter. And second, it’ll have a new anti-glare coating to eliminate reflections when in brighter rooms.

Price: TBD