Microsoft surface book
Perhaps the most impressive execution of a laptop and tablet in one device would be the Surface Book. Microsoft took the idea from the Surface Pro and made it even better. And, they didn’t sacrifice performance either. It’s a real workhorse of a laptop and works a best as a standalone tablet with a usable stylus.
We were initially looking at the Dell XPS 13 and the new 12-inch Apple Macbook but both laptops took the backseat of our wishlist after Microsoft revealed the Surface Book.
Sony A7S II
Sony did really well with their new A7 series. The A7S II has support for 120fps at full HD 1080p resolution or go 4K at 30fps with impressive low-light performance (all the way up to ISO 409600). It also comes in a light a more compact for factor.
Whether you get the A7R or the new A7S II, you’ll never go wrong with either of them.
DJI Osmo
DJI is well known for making really good drones but when they introduced the Osmo, it became an instant hit.
The Osmo system from DJI combines the Zenmuse X3 camera/gimbal with a detachable handle so you can shoot a very stable 4K video. The Osmo is really more for people who shoot a lot of video but it can still be a great arsenal if you are a casual YouTuber or blogger.
What the Osmo provides is a great alternative for a near professional video recording device at a more affordable price.
Huawei Nexus 6P
There are so many great smartphones that came out this year. Samsung alone did four really great flagship devices (Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, Note 5, S6 Edge+), LG had two pretty good flagships in the LG G4 and the V10 while Sony put up an impressive line-up, headed by the Xperia Z5 Premium.
However, the biggest surprise from Google this year is the Nexus 6P by Huawei. It looks great, performs really well and you get the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow right out of the box as well as first dibs on future Android releases.
Devialet Phantom
Speakers don’t normally make it to our top list but when we had our first encounter with the Phantom from Devialet, we were literally blown away. The Phantom has digital-to-analog converter (DAC), processor, amplifier, loud speakers in one compact device.
It looks like a robot from a sci-fi movie that pumps out music at a gut-impacting 3,000-watt power output.