Gadget lovers have had their money's worth in recent months. While two years ago I had a hard time finding five good devices for a similar list, this year I had a harder time narrowing it down to ten items. Here are my favorites for 2023.
Photo: Maxim Johnson
My biggest favorite of the year, the 15-inch MacBook Air M2, is, in my opinion, the best computer purchase for most people. It is powerful, light, its screen is large and its battery is indestructible. A success without false notes. However, buy a model with 16GB of RAM as the base 8GB model may not be enough over time. You can find a cheaper alternative to Windows in the new ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED.
Price: $1999
Photo: Maxim Johnson
The Pixel Watch 2 doesn't have all the features of the Apple Watch, but it does have the ones I need. And it is, at least for my taste, prettier than the Apple model.
Price: $479
Photo: Maxim Johnson
The Ooni Volt 12 electric pizza oven is a little too expensive and a little too bulky for my taste, but it is still very easy to use and allows you to bake wonderful pizzas. I use it every week. Now that the weather is colder, I certainly wouldn't say the same about a combustion model that needs to be used outdoors. To read my full review, it's here.
Price: $1199
Photo: Maxim Johnson
After more than six months of use, I'm still happy with the Hisense U8K (also called U88KM), a high-quality mini-LED TV that sells at a fraction of the price of OLED models. If you are looking for a high-end TV but your budget is not unlimited, you should definitely consider this model. And as a bonus, the price is down $200 since my test (and currently down $300 in some places like Costco).
Price: $1499
Photo: Maxim Johnson
I'm a big fan of Sonos speakers and their first Atmos model didn't disappoint. I wouldn't buy them as rear speakers in a home theater (they're too expensive for the improvement they offer over, say, the Sonos Era 100), but for listening to music in a large room, the Era 300 is excellent.
Price: $559
Photo: Maxim Johnson
I love this lovely barbecue smoker. The Konnected Joe is more complex to use than an electric smoker or propane grill, but it's a versatile device that allows you to accomplish absolutely anything without making any compromises. If you have the budget and space, this is definitely a purchase you won't regret. As I said in my review, this is the most connected grill on the market right now. For experienced grillers.
Price: $2499
Photo: Maxim Johnson
It's not the most exciting iPhone, but it's a complete device, of excellent quality and with all the features that seem sophisticated. Of course you don't have to pay that much for a phone, but this list lists my favorites, not the best value for money!
Price: $1449
Photo: Maxim Johnson
I wanted to include the PlayStation DualSense Edge controller on this list. But looking back, I realize that if I had to choose between the latter and the new PlayStation Portal player, Portal would win. It's a device that isn't for everyone, but if you're looking for a way to play your PS5 games without taxing your TV or watching anything else, it's a really nice device.
Price: $269
Photo: Maxim Johnson
I hesitated for a long time to include the Lenovo Legion Go, Asus ROG Ally and SteamDeck OLED in this list (here's my comparison again in case you missed it). The other two models objectively have several advantages over this one, but I ultimately chose the new SteamDeck OLED, which is closer to a console than a PC, which makes it more pleasant to use. .
Price: $689
Photo: Maxim Johnson
As I said in my review, the Meta Quest 3 has its flaws, but it remains the best virtual reality headset on the market and a true technological masterpiece. And like the Quest 2, I'm confident it will only get better with time.
Price: $649