TheEE Pocket-lint Awardstook place on 09 November, crowning the best tech of the past 12 months. Whittling down from hundreds of product reviews - as well as including some seminal products from previous years - the task of identifying and awarding the top devices of the year is no mean feat.
But the highlight of the Awards is the coveted Product of the Year. This goes to the product that surpasses all others, the absolute must-have. In 2023, that product is theSonos Era 300, a speaker that got the judges excited and rightly so.
Here’s the rundown of the previous winners of the Pocket-lint Awards Product of the Year. How many have you owned?
Product of the Year 2023 - Sonos Era 300
Sonos doesn’t refresh its speakers too frequently and when it does, it does so with good reason. And the reason for the Era 300 - and its unique design - is to give you standalone spatial audio from this single speaker. The quality of the design and build is great, while the sound is superb, of course linked into that smart connected Sonos experience. It’s also an interesting piece to look at, giving you a treat for the eyes as well as the ears.
Sonos Era 300
Product of the Year 2022 - Sony WH-1000XM5
The latest iteration in a successful family of headphones, Sony’s 1000XM5 is a great update, offering excellent sound quality and active noise cancellation.
The Sony 1000X family of headphones has been hugely successful and the 2022 update - with a fresh new design - took the Pocket-lint Award 2022 Product of the Year Award by some margin. These are great headphones, offering great comfort over long periods, outstanding noise cancellation and great music performance.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphones
Product of the Year 2021 - Sony PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 has not only become the fastest selling games console of all time, it has been served with some of the finest games we’ve ever seen.
The mighty PlayStation 5 is the Pocket-lint Awards 2021 overall product of the year and for good reason. Not only has it proven to be the fastest selling console of all time - even during a global chip shortage - it has been home of the finest array of exclusive games so far. Now you just have to try to get your hands on one.
Sony PlayStation 5
Product of the year 2020 - Zoom
It changed the way we communicated around the world. Without Zoom, the lockdown of 2020 would have been a lot harder for many.
Let’s face it, who hasn’t used Zoom over the last year-and-a-half? It came from almost nowhere to be the king of video calling and conferencing durung lockdown. And, by constantly adding new features and being as consumer-friendly as it is essential for businesses, it thoroughly deserved to be our product of the year for 2020.
Product of the Year 2019 - Nissan Leaf e+
The transition to electric began, and kicking off the new wave of EVs was the Nissan Leaf e+.
The most popular product amongst all the winners in 2020 was the Nissan Leaf e+. Not only did it set the standard for a more conscientious, greener future, it’s still a superb looking car. Splendid.
Product of the Year 2018 - Huawei P20 Pro
A fantastic smartphone that blew away the competition, making this the best smartphone and best product to get in 2018.
The Huawei P20 Pro was the Pocket-lint readers' and judges' favourite smartphone of the year for 2018. It was also the product of the year, full stop. In many ways, that came as a surprise, but it was an incredible device for its price and a real indication that Huawei had grown to be one of big boys in this field.
Product of the Year 2017 - Nintendo Switch
Having failed with the Wii U, Nintendo finally struck gold again with its handheld/home console hybrid.
The Switch is still a revolutionary console. With an amazing selection of games that continues to grow, it redefined on-the-go gaming, not just at-home gaming, thanks to top first-party titles.
Product of the Year 2016 - Amazon Echo
The era of the smart assistant kicked off in 2016 and Amazon has been dominating the industry ever since.
The very first Echo was more about Alexa, Amazon’s personal assistant, than a straightforward Bluetooth speaker. We wished at the time that the quality of audio was better and there was a built-in battery, but it still set the stall for a new wave of technology.
Product of the Year 2015 - Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Apple’s dominance didn’t last long, though. By 2015, the award went to Samsung with its S6 Edge device.
When design is done correctly it fuses aesthetics with functionality. The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge did exactly that; it was a phone that turned heads, rightfully reinforcing its position as the most enticing flagship on the market.
Product of the Year 2014 - Apple iPhone 6
A much bigger display and new smarts meant this was the smartphone to get in 2014.
When the iPhone moved to a metal body and to a new, larger, selection of sizes, it became a sublime combination.
