The best gadgets and tech innovations of 2023 — Windows Central Tech Awards 2023
As another year comes to an end, it's time to take a look back on a fantastic year in tech.
This year was dominated by a vast expansion in AI tools, led by products like ChatGPT and Windows Copilot. We saw a huge range of refined ultrabooks, PC components, headphones, and much more hit the fray. We also saw the first foldable screen laptops, as the tech around flexible displays matures.
We came together as a team and thought we'd recap all of our favorite tech, accessories, gadgets, and beyond — all from products we've personally tested and used. Congrats to all the winners, and to everyone, have an epic holiday season from the Windows Central team!
Related: Also check out our Windows Central Game Awards for 2023!
Best Tech Innovation of 2023
ChatGPT 4
Tech Innovation of the Year 2023
2023 is the year AI truly emerged and OpenAI was a huge part of that with ChatGPT. It grabbed attention on a massive scale, but also helped redefine using the web. The idea that a simple text prompt can generate content, code, summarize document, help plan a vacation, and so many other things, ChatGPT has pushed the boundaries of what our online life can be. It even got into South Park, which really means it made it. OpenAI has continued to develop its tech (which also powers Microsoft Copilot) and with plugins, image generation, and custom GPTs just some of the more recent additions, 2024 is going to be an exciting year for generative AI, and ChatGPT will be leading the way.
See at: OpenAI
Best Laptop of 2023
HP Spectre Fold
Best Laptop of 2023
HP swung big with the HP Spectre Fold and while its $5,000 price puts it out of reach for many let’s get this straight: It NAILED the hardware design. The 17” OLED display is gorgeous, there’s barely a crease, the keyboard wirelessly charges, it has a pen, and when folded as a laptop the 12.5” display is PERFECT for plane flights. More surprising? Battery life is phenomenal thanks to its 94WHr battery. Speakers, keyboard, front-facing camera, overall build quality and design shows that HP did its homework and did not cut corners. If PCs with foldable displays become a thing the HP Spectre Fold was the first to get it right. It’s a game changer for people who travel and need the flexibility of three PCs in one.
See at: HP
Best Ultrabook of 2023
Best Business Laptop of 2023
Best Phone of 2023
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
Best Phone of 2023
As seen by many as a ‘minor’ upgrade, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the culmination of many tweaks that took me from returning the Fold 4 to keeping the Fold 5. Closing flat, slightly lighter, better display and longer battery life, it feels on par with the Samsung flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra in every way (save for the cameras, which are ‘OK’). I’ve had Pixels, iPhones, Flip 5, and the S23 Ultra, and I can’t give up that gorgeous 7.6-inch screen. While the aspect ratio is still weird, I appreciate the one-handed use of the narrower outer display, which I use much more often than I’d thought. Combined with the recent One UI 6.0 and Android 14, Samsung has firmly established the foldable phone for the masses. But let’s get that price down for the rest of us.
See at: Samsung
Best Desktop All-in-One of 2023
Best Tech Accessory of 2023
Best Mouse of 2023
Best Monitor of 2023
Best Webcam of 2023
OSBOT Tiny 2
Best Webcam of 2023
Webcams are a dime a dozen, and it can be hard to pick out the very best. Right now, OBSBOT handily earns that distinction with the Tiny 2, an incredible 4K HDR webcam with a 2-axis gimbal for smooth tracking, a premium and compact design perfect for travel, feature-packed software with plenty of AI tools and tricks, and optional accesories to make your experience even better. It's expensive, but the OBSBOT Tiny 2 can do it all for those that need it.
See at: Amazon
Best Windows PC App of 2023
Best Mobile App for Windows Users of 2023
Best Keyboard of 2023
Razer Blackwidow V4 Pro
Best Keyboard of 2023
Razer continues to refine its keyboard excellence year-over-year, and the BlackWidow V4 Pro is one of the best the company has ever made. The typing and gaming experience is phenomenal, the design is spectacular (and glistening with RGB lights), the wrist rest is extremely comfortable, and there's no end to the extra buttons, dials, and knobs you can customize. It's a gaming keyboard by trade, but it's just a great all-around keyboard no matter who you are, as long as you're willing to pay the price.
See at: Razer
Best Microphone of 2023
Best Gaming Laptop of 2023
Razer Blade 16 (2023)
Best Gaming Laptop
Razer is no slouch for premium gaming laptops, which is why it keeps winning awards from us. But its new Razer Blade 16, first announced at CES in 2023, brings all its best in laptop design into one device. The show's real star, however, is the dual-mode mini-LED display, which can instantly switch between UHD+ at 120Hz and FHD+ at 240Hz. Previously, you had to choose between a high-resolution (but slow display) or a fast display (but low resolution) when buying a gaming laptop. Razer solved that, making the perfect laptop for gamers AND creators who need a powerhouse laptop that is also flexible for modern workflows. Sure, going up to an RTX 4090 GPU, 64GB of RAM, 4TB SSD, and a beastly 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13950HX also makes it one incredible workstation or the perfect fragging machine for all the latest AA titles. With Razer’s signature design and style, Blade 16 has a bright future going into 2024 (trust me).
See at: Razer
Best Gaming Hardware of 2023
ASUS ROG Ally
Best Gaming Hardware of 2023
The ASUS ROG Ally and the Z1 Extreme is charting a new course for what it means to be a PC gamer. The ROG Ally is a device that my younger self could only dream of. Console-quality graphics in a true gaming handheld, a price point that is fair and affordable, overall hardware quality that doesn't compromise, and the full power of Windows. Thousands upon thousands of games dating back decades, old and new, anywhere and everywhere. What a dream. ASUS absolutely killed it, and we're hyped for the future.
See at: Best Buy | Amazon | ASUS
Best Gaming Display of 2023
Best Pre-Built Gaming PC of 2023
Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8)
Best Pre-Built Gaming PC
Lenovo may not be your first thought when searching for a high-quality gaming PC, but the company's Legion line has been proving people wrong for years. The Legion Tower 7i's latest iteration is immensely powerful, perfectly cooled, and provides plenty of avenues for users to upgrade it themselves in the future. It's a near-perfect pre-built gaming desktop, but be sure to up that RAM speed when setting it up. Overall, a great option from Lenovo, whose PC gaming efforts are really in full bloom lately.
See at: Lenovo
Best Gaming Input of 2023
Best Gaming Headset of 2023
Best Gaming Accessory of 2023
JSAUX Steam Deck / ROG Ally Dock
Best Gaming Accessory
If there's one company that hit the ground running when the new wave of PC gaming handhelds started dropping, it's without a doubt JSAUX. While you can use basically any USB-C dock with the ASUS ROG Ally or Steam Deck, JSAUX set about creating accessories that were truly fit for purpose, which is why the JSAUX Steam Deck / ASUS ROG Ally dock is taking home our best gaming accessory award this year. These docks are cheaper than the solutions offered by the original manufacturers, without compromising on quality and features. JSAUX's entire product range has been nothing short of excellent, and they definitely deserve your attention if you're a Steam Deck or ROG Ally user.
See at: Amazon
And that's a wrap!
2023 was a strange year in tech for a variety of reasons. As the pandemic becomes a memory, companies that went all-in on remote working are now having to course correct. The PC and accessory market slumped hard as demand for home offices dried up, and many of the biggest tech companies endured layoffs in its wake.
As we head into 2024, there's a huge amount of promise for chip innovation, as competition for low energy processing gets increasingly aggressive. Demand for servers to power AI innovations has never been higher, and for the first time ever, we've been able to get full-blown high-quality gaming PCs squashed into devices almost as svelte as a Nintendo Switch.
What are you most excited for in 2024? What was your favorite gadget in 2023? Hit the comments, let us know, and if you celebrate, have an awesome Christmas!
