As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve been looking back on some of my favorite products of the year, with two standouts in particular. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Pixel Watch 4 are far and away my favorite products of the year. What were yours?
During our recording of an upcoming Pixelated episode, the 9to5Google team dove through the year’s notable hardware and software releases, and I quickly came to the realization that two products earned the title of “favorite.”
The first, undoubtedly, is the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
I’ve been personally buying Samsung foldables almost every year since I first picked up 2020’s Galaxy Z Fold 2. It’s safe to say I’ve been all-in on the form factor, but as other brands improved their own foldables, the amount of time I actually spent on my Galaxy device lessened. Last year, for instance, I used the Pixel 9 Pro Fold from our review in place of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 I’d purchased just months earlier. A privileged position for sure, but Samsung’s device simply didn’t rise to the challenge of beating Google’s software, something it’s never done, and being better than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold on a hardware front.
So why did the Fold 7 win out this year?
Well, it should be rather obvious.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is full of drastic hardware improvements. The main one, of course, is that it’s much thinner. I’ve never really cared about thickness in this form factor, but it does make the device so much easier to use in day-to-day life. The thinner profile just feels “normal” both in the hand and in the pocket. Combined with Samsung’s usual ineffably charming industrial design, it’s just so nice to use. Throw in that One UI 8 is a solid overall experience, the cameras are good, and acceptable battery life, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 very much instantly solidified daily driver status for me, and that’s been the case ever since. This is the foldable I’ve always wanted, and it’s clear I’m not alone in that.
The other product that really stood out to me this year is the Pixel Watch 4, and it’s for a similar reason.
The Pixel Watch 4 is, on paper, a moderate year-over-year upgrade over prior generations. The general design is about the same, the battery life isn’t all that different, and it still tracks all of the same core health metrics. Yet, this feels like a huge upgrade for a couple of key reasons. Firstly, there’s the charging system. I was very skeptical of Google’s new charging pins on the side of the watch, but it all worked out well enough. The pins and the new dock deliver super-fast charging that has alleviated any remaining battery anxiety on the Pixel Watch. If it’s low, just minutes feel like enough to give me the needed boost to get through the end of the day, or through a night of sleep tracking. While I don’t need that often, it comes in handy from time to time, and more than outweighs the minor frustration from adapting to Google’s third charging system in four generations of smartwatches.
The other hardware aspect that won me over is the curved display panel. It’s still almost impossible to explain if you’ve not seen it in person, but the curved display under the domed glass just feels like it belongs on a smartwatch. It adds some depth to the experience, and gives the Pixel Watch 4 some legitimate “timepiece” vibes, at least for me. It’s the software you’re interacting with that sealed the deal for me. Wear OS 6’s Material 3 Expressive redesign is a delight in day-to-day use, and aspects such as the color accents that match your watch face just make the Pixel Watch 4 feel so personal – something that matters on a smartwatch perhaps more than anything else. But “Raise to Talk” with Gemini is really my killer feature, as the hotword-less interaction delivered what is the first truly worthwhile feature on a smartwatch besides health tracking and notifications in perhaps the past 5 or more years. It’s a game-changer for me, and I’m unsure if I’ll ever be able to go back.
Of course, there are some runner-ups.
The base Pixel 10 in particular has been a favorite for me this year, both because of its delightful compact(-ish) size and Google’s excellent Material 3 Expressive redesign in Android 16. Qi2 was just the cherry on top. Nothing Ear (3), despite missing some clear opportunities, also continues to be a product I pick up on the regular, while Phone (3) and Phone (3a) are two more I also look back on fondly.
But what about you?
If you had to pick one or two products released in 2025 to be “the best,” what would those be? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
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