The EE Pocket-lint Awards took 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 the Sonos 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.
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 / Pocket-lint
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.
Product of the year 2020 – Zoom
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+
Pocket-lint
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
Pocket-lint
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
Pocket-lint
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
Pocket-lint
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
Pocket-lint
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
Pocket-lint
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.
Product of the Year 2013 – Apple iPad Air
Pocket-lint
Two years after an iPad snagged a Product of the Year award it did so again. This time with a slimmed down model.
Apple did it again in 2013, creating a tablet that was a lot better than its last. It was light, thin, fast and simply amazing.
Product of the Year 2012 – Microsoft Windows 8
Microsoft
Yep, an operating system came out as the big winner in 2012. The first and only time it did so.
Windows 8 won our product of the year in 2012 because it really set the standard in how computing should go. Of course, it seems archaic now, but it really changed PCs forever.
Product of the Year 2011 – Apple iPad 2
Pocket-lint
The second generation iPad was the device that impressed the Pocket-lint judges the most in 2011.
We loved the iPad 2. Similar to the first iteration, it added extra power which was essential for the time.
Product of the Year 2010 – Amazon Kindle
Amazon
The Kindle showed us a future where we could download a book on the beach and get reading straight away.
Offering astonishing value for access to the best ebook ecosystem around, this Kindle was a game changer when it came to reading books on the go.
Product of the Year 2009 – Spotify
Spotify
Music streaming services are very much the norm today but back in 2009, Spotify showed us how we listen to music would change forever.
Some minor foibles didn’t detract from what was and still is a great music service,
Product of the Year 2008 – MSI Wind
MSI
Netbooks were all the rage in 2008 and the MSI Wind was the one to get.
With a great screen and fantastic keyboard for its time, this mini-notebook didn’t compromise on usability or features.
Product of the Year 2007 – Nintendo Wii
Nintendo
This console turned around Nintendo’s fortunes. It proved a smash hit, as we danced and bowled our way around the living room.
Although the graphics weren’t up to comparisons with the Xbox 360 and PS3 , the gameplay and interactivity has us all jumping around the living room with joy.
Product of the Year 2006 – BlackBerry Pearl
BlackBerry
A game changer for BlackBerry at the time, this phone introduced something that was much more appealing to general consumers.
Where this phone succeeded was with those looking for more messaging, but not prepared to go for the full Qwerty keyboard option already offered by RIM. It also makes us sad that BlackBerry is no more.
Product of the Year 2005 – Apple iPod nano
Apple
The nano took the popular iPod at the time and made it smaller, opening music on the go up to more people.
This was truly revolutionary at the time – an iPod that was much easier to pop in a pocket.
Trending Products
