Our Favorite Gadgets of the Year

Of the many devices we discovered in 2022, these ones stuck with us

By John Elliot, Michael Kaminer & Jennifer TzesesOriginally Published Dec. 20, 2022

Photo: Gitamini

Photo: Gitamini

2022 was another shining example of our wonderful technological future.

From Wi-Fi-controlled cold brew coffeemakers and robots that will carry your groceries to rotating TVs and couches with built-in surround sound, we saw the gamut of clever, connected and convenient gadgets this year.

Whether you’re looking for a late Christmas gift, or some high-quality tech to enjoy in the new year (and beyond), here are our favorite smart-home devices we discovered this year.

From Brains and Beans: High-Tech Espresso Makers for Your Home:

Miele

Offering 20 drink specialities at the tap of a button, including single and double-shot espressos and espresso macchiatos, the Miele CM 7750 CoffeeSelect is a masterpiece of modern coffee-making technology that sits on your countertop.

In addition to offering on-demand espressos (and cappuccinos and americanos, etc.), the CM 7750 puts a premium on quality with three separate bean containers (ensuring that whatever you order will be prepared with the proper bean); an innovative grinder system that grinds the beans fresh for each order; and a descaling process that automatically prevents the build of limescale in your machine. All that and Miele's WiFiConn@ct technology that allows owners to operate and monitor their machine remotely from their smartphone.

The Miele CM 7750 CoffeeSelect is available for $5,999.

Miele

Miele

Spinn

Spinn

From Smart Iced Coffee Makers Perfect for Summer:

Spinn

Looking like something out of "Star Trek"—and equally futuristic when it comes to features—the Spinn is the perfect coffee maker for those whose beverage of choice is a cold brew. This cylindrical coffee maker uses centrifuge technology and G-forces to extract full flavor and produce different styles of beverages—but that extreme engineering is just the start of its smarts. Using the accompanying Spinn app, owners can simply take a picture of their coffee bag and the Spinn will automatically adjust its brewing process to prepare the drink as the roaster intended. Better still, users can control the Spinn entirely from the app (or by voice command via Alexa), which means owners can order their froth cold brews or rich iced coffees from the comfort of their bed.

The Spinn is available for $999.

From Wine Online: High-Tech Fridges for Your Vino:

E-Cellar

The ECellar 185 is like having a sommelier in your home, only you don't have to pay or feed them. Built to hold up to 185 bottles, the French-built ECellar 185 comes with multiple temperature zones, with operating ranges between 5 and 20 degrees Celsius (complete with visual and audio temperature alarms), regular cooling cycles paired with evaporator thermodynamic technology and Silent Block anti-vibration technology.

The ECellar's true sommelier-esque attributes, however, come downto its sensors and smartphone integration. Working in conjunction with the Vinotag app, the ECellar allows you to keep track of what is in your sizable collection by simply snapping a picture of the label—and, better still, logs exactly the bottle is in your fridge through the ECellar's sensor-outfitted, connected shelves that detect when a bottle has been added (or removed). Later, when you’re looking for a specific bottle, you need only select it in the app, and the spot where it is located within the ECellar will light up, allowing you to easily and efficiently locate your wine. If all those brains aren't enough, the ECellar will also send owners push notifications when one of their bottles has reached its peak dates.

The ECellar 185 is available for $4,242.

E-Cellar

E-Cellar

GE

GE

From Take Your Home Bartending up a Notch With Some High-Tech Help:

GE

GE touts the "soft, crunchy, restaurant-style" ice of its Profile Opal Ice Maker as an alternative to those "hard ice cubes" that the unschooled serve to unsuspecting guests. The beautifully designed countertop unit produces chewable ice nuggets that are ideal for chilling cocktails, sodas and other beverages. Equipped with a water tank on the side for maximum capacity, the ice maker keeps a constant supply of pellet ice on hand, recirculating melted ice to make even more. Wi-Fi functionality is built into the machine—it's part of GE's SmartHQ app—so you can request fresh ice from your device and have some cold ones ready when you get home.

GE Profile Opal Nugget Ice Maker is available for $579.

From Brains & BBQ: Smart Gadgets for Grilling:

Masterbuilt

If BBQ for you means smoked meats, then you may want to invest in the Digital Charcoal Smoker from Masterbuilt. The first of its kind—a marriage between digital tech and charcoal in a smoker—the Masterbuilt features four racks for a total of 1,320 square inches of cooking space and can reach 225ºF in eight minutes or 400ºF in 17 minutes, allowing users to quickly cook a substantial amount of food. And Masterbuilt owners can do it all from the palm of their hand. The Masterbuilt can connect to your preferred smart device, allowing you to control the smoker's DigitalFan to maintain or alter temperatures, or monitor food's readiness, via the built-in meat probe thermometers.

The Masterbuilt Digital Charcoal Smoker is $349.

Masterbuilt

Masterbuilt

Samsung

Samsung

From Smart TVs to Buy in 2022:

Samsung

The Samsung Sero is a screen built for the smart phone super user. Why? Because it swivels. Yes, that's right, the Samsung Sero, which is also equipped with Tap View, automatically rotates from landscape to portrait view as you turn your phone (and back again when you flip it horizontally). The Sero's mobile-optimized mirroring means that whether you are watching TikToks or playing Wordle you’ll have a high fidelity, seamless experience on the Sero. But the Sero does more than offer the ideal smartphone screen experience. Compatible with just about every A.I. assistant (Google, Amazon, Bixby), the Sero can serve as your smart-home hub, allowing you to control your abode's many connected devices via voice command.

The Samsung Sero is available for $1499.

From High-Tech Monitors Perfect for Your Home Office:

Samsung

Can one monitor be all things to all people? The Samsung M8 Smart Monitor tries—and possibly, succeeds. This 32-inch, HDR monitor has connections covered, allowing users to easily attach laptops, desktops, tablets and phones via USB-C, Micro HDMI, Wireless, Bluetooth, AirPlay and more, to mirror or extend displays. Better still, the M8's Auto Source Switch+ feature automatically detects when a new connection has been made, offering to immediately display the device, saving you the hassle of having to root around in settings to find what you just attached. And when you’re done for the day—or just want to catch up on your stories—you can simply connect your M8 to your Wi-Fi network and start streaming your favorite shows, as the monitor has Netflix, YouTube and more apps built right in. Also built-in? A video camera for great-looking and simple setup video calls—and Bixby and Amazon Alexa, allowing you to talk to your monitor whenever you need something.

The Samsung M8 Smart Monitor is available in four colors and priced at $699 or $729, depending on shade.

Samsung

Samsung

Logitech

Logitech

From Smart Accessories to Optimize Your Home Office:

Logitech

Anyone who has to use multiple machines for work can tell you the annoyance that is multiple mice. Leave that headache in the past and instantly upgrade to a power user with the MX Master 3S from Logitech. This multi-device mouse features an elegant, ergonomic design, Quiet Clicks technology and an 8,000 DPI sensor—but what really separates this beauty is how it transitions between your devices, which is to say, seamlessly. Unlike most other multi-device mouses which require the user to assign specific computers, tablets, etc. to specific buttons on the mouse, which are then clicked to switch devices (the MX Master has this option as well), 3S users can simply drag their cursor to the edge of their screen and it will automatically hop to the next aligned device—regardless of make or operating system. The MX Master 3S runs for 70 days on full charge and comes with a USB-C charging port that makes keeping the mouse powered a simple proposition.

The Logitech MX Master 3S is available for $99.

From Smart Sofas Offer Comfort and Convenience:

Love Sac

Behold, a couch built for the modern living room. The Love Sac StealthTech Sound + Charge Series is a sectional sofa that is swimming in smart features—you just can't see them. Hidden within the fine quality fabric of your Love Sac couch is immersive 4-D Dolby Digital surround sound audio, built by Harman Kardon, and multiple wireless charging stations, seamlessly integrated into the sofa, so you can experience them without immediately being aware they exist. Movies, games and music will all take on a new dimension as you feel it all from the comfort of your couch. Love Sac owners can control every aspect of their smart sofa via an accompanying app, pairing to different devices, altering volume or bass levels, and easily optimizing audio for their current configuration after rearranging these sectionals (or as Love Sac calls them "Sactionals"—get it?).

Prices vary from $6,050 to $15,750, depending on size and fabrics.

Love Sac

Love Sac

LG

LG

From How to Build a High-Tech Laundry Room:

LG

Those with a more refined taste may need a more delicate device to launder their garments, and that's where the LG Studio Styler steps in. This steam-cleaning closet stands at over six feet tall, with a full length mirror finish, and is capable of refreshing, deodorizing, sanitizing and drying all those delicate clothes you don't want to send through the washer and dryer. All that and it doubles as a dehumidifier, able to eliminate any musty odors, common to laundry rooms, created by damp air. In addition to its many intelligent features the Studio Styler is also Wi-Fi-enabled, allowing users to keep tabs on their garments as they progress through their cycles, ensuring their best apparel will be ready for that evening's festivities.

The LG Studio Styler is available for $2,199.

From Invite a Robot Into Your Home:

Gitamini

The Gitamini is something like a shopping cart, only it follows you—automatically. Offering a cargo-carrying capacity of 20 pounds, seven hours of continuous travel (which works out to about 21 miles) and a top speed of 6 miles per hour, the Gitamini is the perfect companion for lugging clothes around the house, garden supplies around the yard, or even for popping down to the shops to pick up groceries. Yes, you shouldn't be shy about bringing your Gitamini out in public, as the two-wheeled helper has been precisely programmed to follow your lead without rolling over the toes of your fellow citizens. And carrying is just one of your gitamini's capabilities. The mobile machine can also stream music and track how far you’ve walked as you stroll about town.

The Gitamini is available for $1,850, and a Gitaplus, with 40 pounds of carry capacity, is available for $3,475.

Gitamini

Gitamini

VARRAM

VARRAM

From Smart Tech for Pets:

VARRAM

If your pet is more of a couch potato than an active pooch or cat, this robot pal has 16 different motions to keep those paws and claws moving. Through the app, you can customizable a play schedule, monitor sleep time, track daily activity and dispense treats. It makes sounds and zooms around the room like a furry friend in robo form. It's even smart enough to know when to avoid obstacles in its wake. Though you can enable it from anywhere, you can also turn the controls into manual mode to directly engage. Consider boredom officially busted.

VARRAM Pet Fitness Robot, $107.

From High-Tech Golf Simulators for Your Home:

HD Golf

The golf simulator for those who want to play the same courses as the pros. Using patented image processing software and a combination of high-res digital imaging, satellite, and geophysical data, HD Golf recreates nearly 40 championship golf courses (like Pebble Beach and St. Andrews) with unflinching accuracy—right down to the tree, bunker and hazard-level. But HD Golf is more than just a pretty face. The HD Pro Instruction Studio uses shot data in conjunction with swing analysis and pressure mapping to offer tips on form, while the device's advanced computer vision technology ensures seamless communication between man and machine for a pinpoint-accurate simulation.

Pricing for installing an HD Golf simulator in your home is available at hdgolf.com

HD Golf

HD Golf

Ciclotte Teckell

Ciclotte Teckell

From Sweat Smarter With Tech-Driven Workouts:

Ciclotte Teckell

Friends may ask about the museum piece in your living room. But this elegant stainless-steel-and-crystal assemblage is actually the world's most beautiful exercise bike, and one of the most advanced. Italy's Ciclotte is already known for its one-wheeled stationary bicycles in smart materials like carbon fiber. To kick it into even higher gear, the company teamed with compatriots Teckell, which designs home-gaming tables, for this transparent marvel. The bike adopts five spinning positions, and you can control resistance via Bluetooth technology. Ciclotte syncs with the Kinomap app, which tracks your progress and offers hundreds of virtual routes.

Ciclotte Teckell is available from $20,500.