The Most Innovative Tech Products Of 2022

At Digital Trends, we spend a lot of time obsessing over the best tech products on the market, but just because something is the best doesn't mean it pushes the boundaries or advances the tech world in any way. whether it be. So instead of rounding up the best products of 2022, we wanted to take a moment to highlight those who did something cool, different, and transformative in their categories. With that in mind, here are our picks for the hottest new tech products of 2022.

© Powered by Digital Trends Asus ROG flow z13 laptop

The ROG Flow Z13 shouldn't be able to do that. By category, it's a 2-in-1 gaming laptop, which means it's a Surface Pro with custom RGB lighting and a custom GPU inside. It was the first of its kind, but as a concept, I wasn't sure I understood the premise. This compact gaming rig is serious about its small size. But as soon as I got my hands on this thing, I realized how complicated the design was.

Yes it's beautiful. slim bottles, a comfortable keyboard and a neat "window" on the lid through which you can look. It's also a true marvel of engineering, considering its 0.47-inch thickness or 0.69-inch with the detachable keyboard. The RTX 3050 Ti inside doesn't make it a gaming powerhouse, but that was never the goal. You can play real PC games on this little 2-in-1 device. That 's the point.

But what I love most about the design is how it draws heat away from the hand. Every gaming laptop struggles to keep your palms and fingers from getting hot while gaming, and the ROG Flow Z13 takes a back seat because all of those hot parts are behind the screen. He's really smart. In summary, 2-in-1 tablets do what no other gaming laptop can to help you understand why 2-in-1 tablets can be a great form factor for gaming PCs.

The ROG Flow Z13 uses Asus' PCIe port to connect to an external XG Mobile graphics card. Buying both together makes the purchase more expensive, but you can use the graphics potential of the little machine to make it a versatile docking station. It's pretty amazing and that's the kind of creativity I want to see more of.

- Luke Larson, IT Writer

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© Digital Trends Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 with ultraviolet background

This year, Samsung decided it was time to "step up" in its tablet lineup. With an impressive 14.6-inch diagonal, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra rivals Apple's classic 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a device that has long been considered the benchmark among large tablets.

The Tab S8 Ultra combines the best of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series and more. The large 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display with 2960 x 1848 resolution delivers vibrant colors and deep blacks with a 120Hz refresh rate. In short, it's a great canvas for everyone, including digital artists, media editors, and anyone who needs more space to multitask.

This is not a tablet for people who plan to travel a lot and just want to read books or watch movies about something. However, productivity is a breath of fresh air for creative users looking for power. The large screen, combined with Samsung S Pen wireless magnetic charging, support for a laptop-style keyboard cover, and dual 12MP selfie camera provide the best possible viewing angles for video.

This Ultra tablet is bigger than its size. Plus, there's no shortage of power under the hood. As you'd expect, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is powered by Samsung's high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 octa-core processor, but it comes with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM, which is huge for a Android tablet. Of course, you can add a microSD card for additional storage, and it supports the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards. It's the biggest and most powerful Android tablet on the market, and it can definitely give Apple a run for its money.

- Jesse Hollington, mobile editor

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© Digital Trends Phone number 1 on purple background

These days, it can be difficult for a new smartphone to include features that make us smile or give us second glances, and it's especially difficult for a new company trying to grab our attention. That's exactly what the tech brand founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has managed to do with the None Phone 1.

At first glance, the phone looks like any other. a high refresh rate display, rear cameras loaded with Android and a design millions of miles from an iPhone. But to focus only on that is to intentionally ignore what makes the Nothing Phone 1 so special. The flashing taillights serve a purpose beyond appearance, there are no redundant 2MP macro cameras here, and the software is a remarkably clean version of Android.

The Nothing Phone 1's Glyph interface is wild, but the rest of the phone is neatly understated, and that's what makes it shine. No crappy macro cameras (just two decent cameras), no fancy but unnecessary Android skins, and a very reasonable price. The backlight means you won't mistake the Phone 1 for anything else, even if it looks like an iPhone. The transparent back means it blends seamlessly with the clean design language of the Ear 1 and Ear Stick.

It does something different than any other phone. Great for everyday use, nice to look at, and not a first phone at all. There are brands that don't even label these boxes as 10th edition. We're very interested to see what the future holds for the Phone 1.

— Andy Boxell, lead mobile app author

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© by Digital Trends Apple Watch Ultra, purple background

After constant rumors that Apple is working on a more "ruggedized" Apple Watch, Apple finally introduced the Apple Watch Ultra this year. Although the Apple Watch Ultra is designed for people who need more power, it really is for everyone, not just deep diving, mountaineering or other extreme activities.

Apple Watch Ultra has an all-new design and is larger (49mm) than previous Apple Watch models. Designed for intense workouts, it's made from titanium for maximum strength and incredibly light weight (so it doesn't get in the way). There's a brand new action button that works by default to launch exercise mode, but you can customize it to launch other actions. The function button activates the new emergency alarm audible up to 180 meters away, very useful when you are stuck in the middle of the desert.

Working with the Apple Watch Ultra isn't much different from working with other models, including the Apple Watch Series 8. However, it has L1 and L5 GPS antennas that provide more accurate location information. This comes in handy with Satellite's new SOS emergency and disaster location features, as well as the Compass app's Backtrack feature. Another handy tool is the Wayfinder watch face, which includes latitude and longitude information.

Finally, the Apple Watch Ultra's larger size means the battery is 76% larger than the Series 8 and SE 2 models. That gives you around 36 hours on a single charge without cell service, and can last up to 60 hours on watchOS. 9. in low power mode Although the starting price of $799 is a little high, there is a big advantage here in terms of design and materials, as well as functionality and, of course, long life of battery.

- Christine Romero-Chan, Editor-in-Chief, Mobile

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The most innovative headphones: Sony Linkbuds

© Digital Trends Sony Linkbuds on purple background

People love wireless headphones and for good reason. They're comfortable these days and sound so good you'll never lose a cable. Add in handy new features like noise cancellation, multipoint Bluetooth, and access to your voice assistant, and you'll see why these devices are everywhere.

But the problem with wireless headphones being blocked from the outside world. And with a better voice, they usually clog our ears. Transparency mode can help, but only temporarily. best used for quick conversations. Sony thought it could give us the best of both worlds. headphones that look great and allow us to hear the world around us not just sometimes, but all the time. His solution: the unique LinkBuds.

By designing the Link Buds with a donut-shaped audio driver, Sony has managed to create great sound that doesn't stop even the quietest sounds from reaching our ears. It also features Wide Area Tap, one of the coolest features we've seen on a headset, which turns the area of ​​your cheek directly in front of the headset into touch controls.

Unfortunately, Sony's clever formula means you'll have to compromise. Attack the buds, although small, do not conform to the shapes of the ear. Fit always plays a part in the sound quality of headphones, but with the LinkBuds it's even more important. Battery life is far less than we're used to, and listening to the outside world is something we don't always want to do, but there's no way to block it.

However, despite these issues, a lot of effort and effort has gone into creating the LinkBuds, and we appreciate Sony's efforts to fix a very real problem.

- Simon Cohen, Editor-in-Chief

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© Powered by Digital Trends QD-OLED panel technology

The QD-OLED panel technology developed by Samsung Display, introduced in the award-winning Samsung S95B and Sony A95K QD TVs, stands out as the most innovative step in TV technology in 2022. By the time I saw CES 2022 for the first time behind closed doors, I knew it was going to be an exciting year. At first glance, QD-OLED may seem like a simple and straightforward approach to combining quantum dots with OLEDs, but the practical implementation is quite complex and therefore fascinating.

In QLED TVs, quantum dots amplify the light output from the LED backlight, which is then processed by a color filter that separates the light into red, green and blue sub-pixels. In QD-OLED, quantum dots have high lifting power, acting as sub-pixels themselves. This means that the red and green light they emit must be independent. In combination with the OLED blue light that activates them, quantum dots are responsible for two-thirds of the image seen on a QD-OLED display.

And what a picture! QD-OLED technology increases color gamut and color brightness to levels unattainable by QLED or OLED technologies. Thanks to QD-OLED, we can see colors never seen before on televisions. OLED's deep black levels are combined with brightness levels only seen on QLED TVs, giving us the best of both worlds. Unsurprisingly, QD-OLED TVs like the S95B and A95K are widely considered the best on the market.

- Caleb Dennison, Editor

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© Provided by Digital Trends Alienware 34" QD-OLED display.

No other display this year has impressed us as much as the Alienware 34 QD-OLED. Despite being released six months ago, it's still the only QD-OLED gaming display. It gave this Alienware monitor time to shine in the light and demonstrate just how good its QD-OLED technology is.

Samsung's Quantum Dot OLED panels combine the best of both worlds: the precision of Quantum Dot color with the extraordinary contrast ratio of OLED. The result is a beautiful gaming display with exceptional HDR performance. We've been working all year to find the best PC monitors for HDR gaming, and it all started with the Alienware 34 QD-OLED.

Naturally, this impressive screen is available in the increasingly popular 34-inch curved screen form factor. We've never seen an OLED gaming monitor designed to sit on your desk, and the Alienware 34 QD-OLED demonstrates just how awesome that experience can be. With the introduction of LG's 27-inch OLED display in 2023, PC gamers will have more options, which is a very good sign.

— Jacob Roach , Principal Secretary, IT

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The most innovative streaming device: Apple TV 4K

© Provided by Digital Trends Apple TV 4k (2022) with purple background

From the outside, the new Apple TV 4K looks identical to the 2021 model. Thanks to the removal of the active fan, it's much smaller (yes, previous versions had a fan that you've probably never heard of), but you'll find some minor but major upgrades to this bland exterior. .

Notably, Apple bought this year's model with the A15 Bionic processor. In other words, the Apple TV was once full of power, and it's still as much as you want for things like watching videos. Simply because it's simple (and it's a bit old and ugly for Apple to use this processor. It could include the Thread and Matter standards, which would allow the Apple TV to act as a better hub smart home. Players introduced are: .)

Or maybe something entirely different. Maybe one day we'll see Apple TV get serious about game streaming. Or not?

Another small improvement. The remote now charges via USB-C instead of Apple's Lightning cable. That's a good thing, because Apple's proprietary standards should be gone, especially since you can only charge something twice a year. (Leave iPhones and AirPods be Apple for now.)

Plus, it's a great workout partner with Apple Fitness+.

And yet, you won't find any ads anywhere on your home screen. (Don't make us regret, Apple!)

- Phil Nickinson, AV Editor

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The most innovative gaming device, Steam Deck

© Digital Trends vapor floor on purple background

For some gamers, the PC is the only way to play. Unlike consoles, PSCs offer more flexibility when it comes to customizing an individual game to your liking. However, PCs can be restrictive, requiring you to be tethered to a desk to use an expensive device. If you want to game on the go, you need to spend more money on a good gaming laptop. In the era of Nintendo Switch and cloud gaming, lack of portability makes the PC less attractive as a gaming platform .

Valve fixed this with Steam Deck. Unlike the Switch, the oversized device is a PC in a traditional laptop form factor. This gives players access to all of their Steam libraries and also allows the Linux browser to act as an emulator. Most notably, however, Steam Deck still offers the customization that makes PC gaming so appealing. It's not a static device like the Nintendo Switch, but flipped with different settings.

The steam floor has a lot of problems that need to be solved the second time around. Its massive form factor leaves a lot to be desired and has a few issues that make gaming sessions frustrating. Even if the experimental technology is supposed to develop such diseases. After all, Steam has revolutionized the way I play games on my PC like no other gaming technology since the Switch launched five years ago.

- Giovanni Colantonio, game editor

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