The best new gadgets of 2026 include smartphones and wireless microphones with innovative display technologies, audio gear with incredible noise cancellation, and practical products for the home. There's just one problem.

Thanks to RAMageddon, it's not a good time to be an early adopter. A lot of the year's best tech products arrived with higher-than-usual prices. Fortunately, we've also seen established tech firms like Apple, Nothing, and Xreal prioritizing more affordable products, at least so far.

As we await a Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event in July and Apple's iPhone launch (where we expect to see the first foldable iPhone) in Septembers, here are our favorites from the year's first half.

Apple MacBook Neo

• Release date: March 11, 2026

• Price: Starts at $599 ($499 with education discount)

• Mashable score and awards: 4.8/5, Mashable Choice Award

The MacBook Neo is the colorful new budget laptop from Apple, which burst onto the laptop scene in March. There's nothing in the Windows laptop market that even comes close to matching its feature set and design at this price point. Haters were skeptical of its A18 Pro Chip — but as we noted in our MacBook Neo review, it performs surprisingly well and offers everything you expect from a MacBook.

Sony WF-1000XM6 noise-cancelling earbuds

• Release date: Feb. 12, 2026

• Price: $329.99

• Mashable score and awards: 4.6/5, Mashable Choice Award

The newest flagship Sony noise-cancelling earbuds were a long time coming, and arrived with a price increase over their predecessor. Still, these are some of the best wireless earbuds in the world for sound, active noise cancellation, and comfort. Read our full review of the Sony XM6 earbuds.

GoPro Mission One series

• Release date: May 28, 2026

• Price: Starts at $599.99

• Mashable score and awards: 4.6/5, Mashable Choice Award

GoPro decided not to release a GoPro Hero 14 Black, instead offering an entirely new line of cameras. The GoPro Mission One series were designed to bridge the remaining gap between the best action cameras and true cinema-grade cameras, and based on our intitial testing, GoPro has succeeded.

The Mission One introduces a new and larger sensor, as well as a new processor, and the result is more flexibility for capturing professional-grade footage under any conditions. Read our hands-on with the GoPro Mission One Pro camera.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

• Release date: March 11, 2026

• Price: $1,299.99

• Mashable score and awards: 4.6/5, Mashable Choice Award

The new flagship Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone from Samsung has a powerful Snapdragon processor that outperforms Apple's latest A19 Pro chip. Add to that a stunning display, a full suite of AI tools, a 5,000mAh battery, and impressive cameras, and you have the best phone of the year so far. Samsung also introduced an exciting new hardware feature: the innovative Privacy Display.

Samsung Galaxy TriFold

• U.S. Release date: Jan. 30, 2026

• Price: $1,299.99

• Mashable awards: Best of CES 2026

The Galaxy TriFold finally made it to the U.S. market in January, and was gone almost as soon as it arrived. Reports suggested Samsung was losing money with each unit it sold, given its advanced flexible display. Still, after trying out this one-of-a-kind phone at CES 2026, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Hopefully, we'll see something like it in the near future.

Insta360 Mic Pro

DJI has had the wireless microphone market on lock in recent years, but this recent release from Insta360 made us do a double-take. The lapel mics in this kit feature a customizable e-ink display, something we've never seen before in the category. It's a genius idea, and we expect to see more brands find unexpected ways to use displays like this in the future.

We're still testing these microphones, but they've already earned a spot as one of the best new gadgets of 2026 for creators.

Motorola Razr Ultra

• Release date: May 21, 2026

• Price: $1,499.99

• Mashable score and awards: 4.4/5, Mashable Selects

Here's a phone you can and should buy: The new flagship flip phone from Motorola. If you're a fan of the classic clam-shell design or just miss phones that can fit in your pocket, you'll appreciate this beauty. The Motorola Razr Ultra 2026 is a fantastic foldable with gorgeous displays and impressive performance, and its only real flaw is its price tag. Read our full review of the Motorola Razr Ultra.

Nothing (4a) Pro phone

• Release date: March 13, 2026

• Price: $499.99

• Mashable score and awards: 4.25/5, Mashable Selects

We've seen some solid mid-range phones released so far this year: the iPhone 17e, Google Pixel 10a, and this new handset from British brand Nothing. What makes the Nothing (4a) stand out is the Glyph Matrix on the back of the phone. Expect to see more brands making use of the back of phones for features like this in the near future.

In an age where all smartphones look pretty much the same, credit Nothing for its unique designs. Read our full review of the Nothing (4a) Pro.

Shokz OpenFit Pro

• Release date: Jan. 22, 2026

• Price: $249.95

• Mashable score and awards: 4/5, Mashable Selects

The best new tech should feel a little bit like a magic trick, and that's what it was like trying these earbuds for the first time at CES 2026. The best open earbuds keep you in touch with your environment, yet Shokz found a way to add genuine noise-reduction (not noise cancellation).

They don't totally block out the world, which would defeat the whole purpose of open earbuds. But they do offer noticeable noise reduction so you can fully appreciate your music. Read our full review of Shokz OpenFit Pro earbuds.

DJI Osmo Pocket 4

• Global release date: Apr. 16, 2026

• Price: n/a

Among creators, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is a sequel years in the making. For the last few years, whenever I attended an event with a lot of creators, the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 was a common sight. Here's the bad news: Thanks to the U.S. DJI drone ban and the Chinese company's issues with the FCC, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 isn't officially available in the U.S. yet. We have a review from Mashable's Australian team in the works, but for now, U.S. shoppers can only get this device through third-party sellers, typically with a markup.

Lego Smart Bricks

• Global release date: March 1, 2026

• Price: Sets start at $69.99

• Mashable awards: Best of CES 2026

Mashable reporters and editors were on hand when Lego debuted its new Smart Play system at CES 2026, and again in June when the company unveiled its upcoming Pokémon smart sets. Lego calls its smart bricks and mini figures the biggest evolution to the brick in 50 years, and we think they have a lot of potential as screen-free tech for young people.

Asus Zenbook A14 and A16 laptops

• Release date: April 7, 2026

• Price: Starting at $1,349.99

• Mashable score and awards: 4/5, Mashable Selects

Looking for a MacBook Pro alternative in the Windows world? This year it comes down to two choices: the Asus Zenbook A14 or A16. These Asus stunners are featherlight, as our review revealed. Thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip, they're some of the only Windows laptops that beat M5 MacBooks in both single- and multi-core tests.

Xreal 1S AR glasses

• Release date: Jan. 4, 2026

• Price: $529

I've been testing a ton of smart glasses in 2026, but nothing released this year has been as exciting as the new Xreal 1S. As much as I appreciate the brand's just-released ROG Xreal R1 Gaming AR Glasses with a 240Hz refresh rate, they're designed for use with handheld gaming consoles — which have become outrageously expensive thanks, of course, to RAMageddon.

The Xreal 1S offer a lot of the best features of the brand's best-in-class augmented reality technology, at a more accessible price point.

TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro

• Release date: March 4, 2026

• Price: $299

Speaking of accessible smart glasses, the TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses debuted at CES 2026. These glasses offer a brighter and more colorful display than competing AR glasses, and at a significantly lower cost. If you want to try smart glasses, the $299 price tag is much more beginner-friendly. Read our full review of the TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro.

Shark Blast Boss

• Release date: March 31, 2026

• Price: $149.99

• Mashable score and awards: 4.7/5, Mashable Choice Award

There are some spots that a vacuum just can't reach. And that's exactly what the Mashable award-winning Blast Boss was designed for. This handheld blower cleans out all of those nooks and crannies, and our resident vacuum tester gives it high marks for performance. Our advice? Catch this one on sale during Prime Day 2026.

Shark Chill Pill

• Release date: March 10, 2026

• Price: $149.99

Here's another excellent new release from Shark: The Chill Pill. This little personal fan can be a lifesaver at outdoor concerts and sporting events during the summer, and it has numerous fans on the Mashable tech team — not least because of the misting function. Read our full review of the Shark Chill Pill.

Durobo Krono mini e-reader

• Release date: January 2026

• Price: $149.99

• Mashable score and awards: 4.3/5, Mashable Selects

Who doesn't love a Kickstarter success story? Mini e-readers are trending in the book world in 2026, and our e-reader reviewer loved this mini Kindle alternative. This adorable tablet fits in the palm of your hand. Read our full review of the Durobo Krono e-reader.

Hisense S5 DécoTV Series QLED FHD Fire TV

• Release date: Dec. 9, 2025

• Price: Starts at $249.99

• Mashable score and awards: 4.4/5, Mashable Choice Award

The 32-inch version of this TV was released in December 2025 — but the new 43-inch version just dropped this month, so we're sneaking it onto this list. Our reviewer praised this TV for its affordable price tag and unique design. It's also a budget-friendly alternative to Samsung's The Frame art TVs — and in a year of high prices, we really appreciate brands prioritizing lower-cost products.

HP Omnibook 3 laptop

• Release date: January 2026

• Price: Version with Intel Core 5 processor starts at $849.99

Finally, check out this affordable mid-range laptop from HP, which set a new record in our battery rundown tests. Our reviewer was able to squeeze over 40 hours out of this new Windows laptop, which is mighty impressive. It's also on sale at Best Buy at time of writing.