Technology didn’t try to impress us in 2025, but it learned how to live with us.
This year’s most memorable gadgets, vehicles, apps, and everyday essentials earned their place by fitting into routines, powering long workdays, supporting creative escapes, and making small moments feel easier.
The GadgetMatch Lifestyle Favorites of 2025 celebrate technology that understands real life. These are the tools that kept pace with how we move, work, travel, rest, and recover, and in many cases, they blended in so well that we only noticed them when they were missing.
Favorite Automotive Technology: Ford Co-Pilot 360
Beyond the shared safety suite such as stability control, traction control, hill assist, and 360-degree cameras, the Ford Territory Hybrid adds layers of luxury that matter.
For an athlete, the adaptive cruise control and lane-centering features are a blessing when exhaustion hits. Meanwhile, the Blind Spot Information System and Rear Cross Traffic Alert feel like having an extra pair of eyes.
When your body’s too tired to think, all you need is a reminder that even when you can’t see what’s behind or beside you, the car’s got your back.
Favorite Hybrid Vehicle: BYD Seal 5 DM-i
The BYD Seal 5 DM-i proved itself as a road-trip certified machine and a fuel-efficient hybrid. It’s a comfortable long-distance cruiser with the ability to handle tight turns, steep climbs, and even heavy city traffic.
Aside from daily drives, it’s built for adventure, efficiency, and everything in between.
Favorite Electric Vehicle: Kia EV9
The engaged life is fraught with challenges, but it doesn’t have to be an unnavigable nightmare. With the right support and the right mindset, love will always find a way to rise to the top.
That said, the Kia EV9 was a loyal steed, like Pegasus to Hercules. You can push the car to the limit, and it will deliver everything you needed.
Favorite Smart Appliance: Samsung Compact Window-Type Inverter Air Conditioner
When your space supports you, everything feels more manageable.
For anyone living solo and trying to build a home that feels calm, functional, and genuinely supportive, the Samsung Compact Window-Type Inverter Air Conditioner 1.5 HP fits naturally into that story.
Favorite Short-Throw Projector: HiSense L9Q
The Hisense L9Q is a showpiece in itself. Unlike most TVs that are an eyesore when turned off, it’s designed to be seen, not hidden.
At US$5,999, it’s an investment for sure, but it’s the kind that transforms every movie, game, or cozy night in into something worth remembering.
Favorite Travel Camera: Fujifilm X-E5
The Fujifilm X-E5 feels like a companion for people who want to see the world in stories, not just snapshots. It’s compact enough to slip into your everyday life, yet powerful enough to turn fleeting glances into memories that last.
Favorite Travel Gear: Alpaka Bravo Tote
Getting the Alpaka Bravo Tote might cost a hefty sum, but it’s worth investing properly in the stuff you carry your precious devices with. That’s something we had to learn hard with some of our bag purchases in the years before.
Favorite Travel Accessory: Sony WH-1000XM6
Often, wireless headphones today ask you to sacrifice either noise cancelling or audio quality. The Sony WH-1000XM6 is a rare breed that wants you to have both. If you’re looking for the best of the best, look no further!
Favorite Luggage: CASETiFY Bounce 21-inch Carry-On Roller
The CASETiFY Bounce 21-inch Carry-On Roller has lived through countless gates and flights, cramped overhead bins, and handled being tossed around. It’s still standing and ready for the next adventure. With this carry-on, it’s proof that the right gear can help you carry your experiences home.
Favorite Smartwatch: Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch8 Classic blends timeless watch aesthetics with modern smartwatch intelligence. This is for users who want health tracking and smart features wrapped in a design that still feels traditional and refined.
Favorite Productivity Device: M5 iPad Pro
The iPad Pro is, without question, a device for professionals. Every part of its hardware shines: from power, performance, fast connectivity, studio-quality cameras and mics.
It’s almost as if Apple is saying “this isn’t just a tablet. It’s a new kind of computer.” One powerful enough for work, creative enough for play.
Favorite Creator Camera: Canon EOS R50 V
There’s something sacred about filming yourself with a “real” camera again. Not for content or clout, but just to remember.
The Canon EOS R50 V makes it easy to do that. It’s light, intuitive, and built for how we shoot today.
You can record vertically, film on the fly, and rely on its automatic settings when life moves too fast to set things up. But when you’re ready to create something more, it has the tools to help you go there.
Favorite Creative Hobby Device: instax mini 41
If you’re in a season of starting over, or gently letting someone new into your frame, the instax mini 41 might be your GadgetMatch.
It’s classic, easy to use, and beautifully unintrusive. It’s a camera that doesn’t demand a moment but honors the one choose to keep.
And if you’re not quite ready to write the next chapter, that’s okay. Sometimes all you need is a Wednesday to begin again, a little black camera, and a maybe that makes you smile again and walks you home in the rain.
Favorite Action Camera: DJI Osmo Action 6
The DJI Osmo Action 6 excelled in every environment and handled everything with ease. The clips and collected footage — filled with emotion and energy — remained steady and sharp, and felt complete even before editing.
If you live an active life and thrive outdoors, the Osmo Action 6 will meet your needs. You will appreciate how quick it is to use, and you will love the size, durability, and picture quality.
Favorite Drone: Antigravity A1
The Antigravity A1 isn’t trying to compete with traditional drones. It’s trying to change the way we capture the world from above. And in many ways, it succeeds.
It’s not the smallest setup. It’s not the easiest to pack. And its wireless transfer issues are frustrating. But once you’re in the air, flying through its goggles, seeing a spherical 8K world you can reframe later, it becomes an entirely different creative experience.
The kind that makes the weight worth carrying; the kind that makes you want to go out and try something new.
Favorite Digital Bank: Maya
Maya proved to be a reliable partner in helping “manage” expenses. And when we say “manage” in quotes, it’s because it wasn’t about strict budgeting. It was more like tracking your behavior and knowing what to improve next time.
Plus, there’s Maya Black — a credit card ideal for someone who travels for work, doesn’t obsess over budgeting, but wants to be more mindful of spending.
Why these picks matter
These lifestyle favorites represent thoughtful design and a clear understanding of how people actually live today.
Whether it was something that traveled with us, trained with us, lived in our homes, or stayed in our pockets, each pick on this list made life feel more manageable and more human.
As we move into a new year, these are the products that set the standard. Not by promising more, but by doing exactly what they needed to do, every single day.