12 Cool New Gadgets to Keep on Your Radar

Before his tragic passing in 2021, Virgil Abloh, the late artistic director at Louis Vuitton and founder of Off-White, started developing an artistic proposal for McIntosh, with the hope that it would lead to a special series of hi-fi components. As a tribute to Abloh’s legacy, McIntosh taken Abloh’s vision and special version of the New York brand’s MA8950 integrated amplifier (which was released in 2022 and currently sells for $10,500). It’s a one-of-a-kind piece in bold orange, a color that McIntosh claims Abloh “used to signify energy, creativity, and disruption.” There’s no price tag and it’s not for sale.

The Google Home Speaker is the company’s next-gen $100 smart home speaker. Google redesigned it both inside and out so that it looks very similar to Apple’s HomePod mini, thanks to its rounded design and 3D knit fabric covering, and improved its 360-degree sound. Most notably, the speaker is integrated with Gemini for Home and a new service (Google Home Premium) that’s powered by Google’s Gemini AI. This means that, in a nutshell, the smart assistant should be way more conversational (and smart) than Apple’s Siri. The speaker will come in four different colors (Jade, Berry, Porcelain, and Haze), but you’ll have to wait to buy — it won’t be available until “spring 2026.”

The Logitech MX Master 4 is an updated version of the brand’s widely popular MX Master 3S, which was released in 2022. The new model looks and works almost identically to its predecessors — it even has the same ultra-quiet buttons — but the big upgrade is that Logitech added haptic feedback sensors into the thumb rest. This allows the mouse to vibrate when you scroll, select, and perform various tasks, such as moving a photo/item/document into a folder or app (like Photoshop or Lightroom). It’s a subtle, but cool upgrade to one of the best wireless mice for pro users and creative professionals.

The Powerbeats Fit are new and improved versions of the 2021-released Powerbeats Fit Pro. The workout earbuds have a nearly identical earwing design, which grips the inside of your ears, but Beats has updated them to provide a more secure and comfortable fit. They pack Apple’s H1 chip, which gives them AirPods-esque features. They also support active noise cancellation and transparency modes, as well as features like Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking and Adaptive EQ. Beats and Apple are offering the Powerbeats Fit in four color options: jet black, gravel grey, spark orange and power pink.

The Denon AVR-S270BT is an entry-level AV receiver — in fact, it’s the brand’s most affordable current offering — that’s designed for those building a home theater surround sound system for the first time. It’s a 5.1-channel AV receiver, so it can be the central hub of a surround sound system featuring a center channel, two front-side speakers, two rear-channel surrounds and a wired subwoofer. The amplifier inside is capable of delivering 70 watts per channel (into 8 ohms). According to the brand, the AVR-S270BT is “designed to make home theater more accessible without compromising performance.” It costs $399, but Costco sells it for $100 less.

Google has introduced updated versions of its Nest Indoor and Outdoor smart home cameras. Both have the same design as their predecessors, but are now available in new color options. The big upgrade is that each supports a higher resolution picture (now 2K HDR) with a wider field of view. They also have a new cropping feature that zooms in on whatever prompted the alert (be it a person or a pet). Additionally, these cameras come with twice as much storage for free video clips — the 10-second motion-activated clips can be viewed for up to 6 hours after they were recorded, instead of three.

Google’s third-generation video doorbell looks much like its 2022-released predecessor, but the new model has an upgraded lens and sensor, allowing it to record 2K HDR video for the first time and have a wider field of view. It also has a convenient new zooming feature where, if there’s a motion-activated alert, the camera will zoom in on the subject (person or animal) that triggered the alert. It costs $180, just like before, and is available now.

Amazon announced two new smart speakers at its big hardware event this year: the Echo Studio and the Echo Dot Max. The Echo Studio, which has been Amazon’s biggest and beefiest speaker for several years, has been completely redesigned with a new look and new drivers; it’s also roughly 40 percent smaller than its predecessor. The Echo Dot Max shares a similar new design, featuring a 3D knit fabric and a front-facing light ring with on-device controls, but it is roughly half the size of the new Echo Studio.

Jony Ive, founder of LoveFrom (and Apple’s famed product designer for over two decades), has teamed up with Gen Terao, the founder of Balmuda, the iconic Japanese design and manufacturing company, to create this Sailing Lantern. Inspired by classic maritime design, the Sailing Lantern is crafted from precision-ground, polished glass and stainless steel, featuring mirror and electroplated finishes. It packs dual LEDs, a rechargeable battery, and a single dial that controls both brightness and color temperature. According to the brands, this portable lantern is meant to create a light that “feels like an ancient flame captured in modern form — both romantic and enduring.”

Fosi Audio is fast becoming one of the most prominent names in budget hi-fi — and the IM4 is the brand’s first pair of in-ear monitors. The earbuds have an open-back design and feature 10mm beryllium-coated diaphragm drivers. According to the brand, they’re designed to bring a “spacious, natural sound and all-day comfort to the portable hi-fi category.” And at $100, they’re an accessible entry point for aspiring audiophiles.

The Fiio Snowsky Tiny is a portable DAC and headphone amplifier that works with most USB-C devices — including smartphones, tablets, and computers — and provides an audio boost for your connected wired headphones. It supports high-resolution audio files, including PCM up to 32-bit/384 kHz and DSD256 decoding, which Fiio claims makes it compatible with a wide range of source devices, from smartphones to laptops to game consoles. It also features a built-in audiophile-grade DSP chip, which, when paired with the brand’s companion app, provides listeners with access to a 10-band parametric equalizer. It comes in two models, Tiny A or Tiny B, with different combo headphone jacks. Both are just $20.

Fosi Audio’s ZH3 is a 3-in-1 desktop hi-fi component. It combines a DAC, headphone amplifier and preamplifier into a compact body. And thus, it can be used with wired headphones, powered speakers or integrated into a larger hi-fi system. It’s equipped with a wide range of inputs and outputs — including USB, optical, coaxial, RCA, 4.4mm, 6.35mm, XLR and RCA pre-outs — to ensure that it can work in a multitude of setups.