The 5 biggest hardware innovations of 2024

If you asked me at the beginning of 2024 what our best gadgets list would look like, I would have thought it would be filled with quirky AI-powered devices like the rabbit R1 or the Humane Ai Pin. “Now with AI” is a buzzword in consumer electronics in the 2020s. These devices promised unfettered access to the power of neural networks in ways that would permeate our lives without relying on smart phones or refrigerators. Then, the tools came out. The software is slow and buggy, and the hardware is clunky. Perhaps the autonomous AI tool is yet to have its year, and we’ll look back and laugh at this humble beginning. In fact, the biggest breakthrough of 2024 comes from Apple in the form of its classic Vision Pro headset. This tool has its drawbacks to clear, but after just a few minutes of using it, it became clear that it is something different, important, and honestly very surprising. The list also includes Sony’s new pro-grade camera, the most affordable drone we’ve ever used, and an uncomfortable phone — not in a good way, of course.

(Editor’s note: This is part of Popular Science’s 37th annual Best of What’s New awards. Be sure to read the full list of the 50 biggest news of 2024.)

Annual Update

Vision Pro from Apple: A new standard for augmented reality

Apple’s credible VR rumors have been circulating on gadget blogs and tech 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 ever existed. Then, the Vision Pro appeared in the proverbial forest in February with an amazing design and a huge price of $ 3,500. It also came to feature a new R-series chip and a dedicated OS meant for space computing.

From a hardware perspective, this headset offers a 23 million pixel screen, which delivers more than 4K quality per eye. It’s a true AR device, so the external cameras pump a real-time view of the outside world onto the display. Virtual displays, AR game boards, and other digital artifacts integrate seamlessly into your view of the real world. It’s amazing to take off the headset and see the real world without a floating UI. There are no controls to use, buttons to click, or other obstacles between the user and the added space.

While there have been AR headsets before, this one gets our award for the capabilities it showcases. It is part of the overall design of Apple devices. The new iPhone cameras have a special setting for shooting spatial video for use in AR. Common applications can provide additional experiences designed specifically for headsets. We’re expecting the next generation of hardware to ditch the weird eye-catching visuals on the external screen. However, we’re eager to see what Apple will do next, because a price that matches consumers to an experience like this could be a real game changer.

A9 III from Sony: The first consumer mirrorless camera to eliminate blurry images

Take a photo or video of a fast-moving object with a standard digital camera (including the one on your smartphone), and chances are you’ll see the terrifying effect of motion. Digital camera sensors do not capture every pixel at once; instead, they scan horizontal lines in sequence, which can cause fast-moving objects to appear distorted or distorted. Sony’s A9 III uses a global shutter, meaning it fires every pixel at the same time. As a result, it can capture images at shutter speeds up to 1/80,000th of a second, without distorting the objects in the frame. The company achieves this with a newly developed sensor, which means that the same chip that captures the light also has computer hardware built into it. As a result, it can work faster than a normal camera system since everything is integrated together. The speed requires some trade-offs, 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: The sub-$200 drone that isn’t a toy

Most cheap drones are little more than toys. They offer lousy cameras, barebones (if any) flight sensors, laggy controls, and cheap parts. DJI’s Neo Drone weighs just 135 grams (well under the limit that would require registration with the FAA before flying) and can fly from the pilot’s palm. It takes commands from a smartphone device via Wi-Fi, which makes it accessible for green pilots, but it is also compatible with DJI controllers for updating over the phone. A drone can track and follow a subject or perform multiple pre-planned flight paths like larger and more expensive models. Neo feels like a real drone and not a toy. We recommend getting extra batteries if you buy one yourself – each cell gets you 15 minutes of flight time – but this is a lot of money for videographers looking to shoot 4K aerial footage. before those business dollars start rolling in.

Palma by BOOX: An e-ink line that’s not fun in a good way

Smartphones are great. These flashy, brightly colored images flood our brains with dopamine, occupy our free time, and make us painfully aware of things like The Rizzler. BOOX Palma tries to solve those problems with a 6.13-inch e-ink display. It’s a monochrome screen that refreshes slowly like an e-reader. Technically it works perfectly with Android but it won’t allow you to run a trial. Instead, it encourages users to view important apps and information by creating simple widgets. Text looks great on a 1,200 dpi screen, and it’s a great way to consume information in a healthy way. It won’t replace your phone in every situation, but it’s great for relaxing in late-night TikTok marathons.

Snapdragon X series chips by Qualcomm: A powerful AI brain designed for Windows computers

You’re probably familiar with the major chip manufacturers that power nearly every laptop. You choose from AMD, Intel, or Apple. This year, Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon X Elite chip, which is intended to expand the company’s line of mobile devices to full PCs and powerful tablets like the Microsoft Surface Pro. Intel and AMD both divide their cores into powerful and efficient categories to balance overall performance and battery life. Qualcomm’s chips, however, designate all cores as “high performance.” That comes with the promise of longer battery life without a significant drop in performance when connected to a power adapter. The first generation of Copilot+ PCs focused heavily on thickness and performance, but we hope this new chip will be the key to all the amazing Windows PCs we’ve been dreaming of.

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