John Kanellakos’ 5 favourite issues of 2025

Someway, we’re already nearing the top of the 2025 calendar yr — and what a yr it has been. From new gizmos and devices, to major software updates, the tech trade has been teeming with pleasure from January during December.

Right here at Pocket-lint, we’re carrying ahead the tradition of highlighting our private favourite issues of the yr, tech and in any other case. I’ve performed round with quite a lot of unique devices all through the previous a number of months, and I am grateful to have additionally had the possibility to expertise quite a lot of new issues in each my private {and professional} life, too.

And, so, with none hesitation, listed here are my 5 absolute favourite issues of 2025.

Floor Professional 12-inch

Home windows 11-based computing at its most interesting

For anybody who has been following my work, it’s going to come as no shock to listen to that I am a giant fan of compact pill PCs. I am a agency believer within the pill type issue’s advantage, discovering it to be superior to traditional clamshell laptops within the overwhelming majority of situations.

The Floor Professional has been one among my private favourite pill traces for a while now, although, admittedly, I’ve all the time most well-liked the smaller chassis dimension of Microsoft’s extra reasonably priced Surface Go sequence. Fortunately, my needs got here true in 2025 with the discharge of the Floor Professional 12-inch.

The Floor Professional 12-inch is exactly the hybrid pill PC I have been ready for, with a small footprint that does not sacrifice on pro-level options. The pc is lightning quick with its ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chipset, and it is prepared for tomorrow’s world of AI with its Copilot+ certification.

In fact, there’s nonetheless room for improvement: I might like to see the next-generation 12-inch Floor Professional undertake an OLED show, a 120Hz refresh price, an anti-reflective panel coating, human presence detection, a detachable SSD, and a full-blow Flex Keyboard accent to name its personal. Nonetheless, I anticipate the present mannequin to stay my go-to Windows 11 PC effectively into 2026.

Portal

A tranquil app that helps hold my thoughts at bay

As a Options Author right here at Pocket-lint, I spend a great deal of time perusing by way of the most well liked new functions to hit the Android, Home windows, iOS, iPadOS, and macOS computing platforms. Over time, I’ve come throughout an excellent many high-quality apps from third-party builders — each indie and larger-scale — however the one which continues to face out to me essentially the most is an app known as Portal.

In my eyes, Portal is a downright good piece of software program. Designed to assist in focus, sleep, and escapism, the app hosts a catalog of scenic nature backdrop ‘portals,’ full with ambient sounds, together with every part from the snowy highlands of Scotland to the scorching scorching lava rivers of Iceland. There is a sleep timer on deck, in addition to synced LED good lighting controls, 3D dynamic spatial audio on supported gadgets, and rather more.

I take advantage of Portal each day as a white noise and screensaver answer whereas typing away on my keyboard for work, and I additionally make good use of the Swiss fireplace log portal within the evenings as a part of my wind down routine earlier than mattress. I am a fan of the included capability to combine the app’s audio with different apps on my telephone, and I really like the app’s total UI polish.

The one catch with Portal is that it is an Apple unique software, that means that there is no Android or Home windows help on the time of writing. As somebody who switches between ecosystems and platforms frequently as a part of my job, I find yourself lacking Portal each time I am reminded that it is nowhere to be discovered on, say, my Microsoft Surface Pro 12 or my Google Pixel 9 Pro.

ROG Xbox Ally Collection

A step in the suitable path for handheld PC gaming

• 

  Dimensions

  11.45 x 4.78 x 1.99-inches (290.8 x 121.5 x 50.7mm)

  Model

  Asus

  Weight

  23oz (670g)

  Chipset

  AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor

  RAM

  16GB LPDDR5X-6400

  Storage

  512GB M.2 2280 SSD

  The ROG Xbox Ally is a handheld gaming PC from Asus that runs the Home windows 11 working system, designed in collaboration with Microsoft and Xbox.

  
  

• 

  Dimensions

  11.45 x 4.78 x 1.99-inches (290.8 x 121.5 x 50.7mm)

  Model

  Asus

  Weight

  25oz (715g)

  Chipset

  AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Excessive Processor

  RAM

  24GB LPDDR5X-8000

  Storage

  1TB M.2 2280 SSD for simpler improve

  The ROG Xbox Ally X is Asus’ newest premium handheld online game console, working Home windows 11 and being designed carefully with Microsoft and its Xbox division.

  
  

In some ways, 2025 has been the yr of the hand-held gaming PC. Spurred on by the success of the hybrid Nintendo Swap console and its recently-released successor, in addition to by the favored Steam Deck transportable, we have seen new {hardware} from the Lenovo Legion sequence, the MSI Claw sequence, and some different marquee opponents.

For my cash, essentially the most fascinating PC handheld of the yr is none apart from the ROG Xbox Ally (in addition to its higher-end ROG Xbox Ally X sister product). Made in collaboration between Asus and Microsoft’s Xbox division, the Xbox Ally sequence marks Microsoft’s first pseudo-foray into the world of transportable gaming.

What makes the Xbox Ally so fascinating is that it serves as a halo product for Microsoft’s all-new Xbox Full Display screen Expertise (FSE), which is a brand new optimized recreation mode that runs atop of Windows 11. The FSE goals to cut back computational and reminiscence overheads by slashing away startup apps and background companies, whereas bettering Home windows’ game controller enter expertise by working the Xbox app in full display screen and disabling components of the OS Shell.

Previous to its launch, I got to experience the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X first-hand at Gamescom 2025 this yr in Cologne, Germany, and I got here away relatively enthusiastic about the way forward for Home windows-based PC gaming as a complete. Whereas it is true that other PCs are set to receive the FSE within the coming months, the Xbox Ally sequence nonetheless maintains its standing as a premier showpiece machine.

With the rival Linux-based SteamOS platform persevering with to broaden in scope, Microsoft definitely has its work lower out for it. Home windows remains to be its personal worst enemy with regards to offering a console-like expertise for on-the-go players, and so I am unable to wait to see additional working system optimizations make their means onto the Xbox Ally and different handhelds someday within the new yr.

Dell UltraSharp U2725QE

My first foray into the world of twin monitor desk setups

For so long as I can keep in mind, I’ve all the time relied on a single monitor setup for all my desktop computing wants. From the times of massive, cumbersome, and beige CRT tube shows, to the svelteness of my Apple M1 iMac, I’ve all the time been restricted by the confines of 4 distinct display screen corners.

Earlier this yr, I lastly determined to make the leap and improve my residence workplace. As somebody who works from residence full-time, it is essential that I optimize my setting to maximise each productiveness and comfortability, and so I did my analysis and finally settled on the Dell UltraSharp 27 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor – U2725QE (now that is a mouth full).

In my case, I sprang for the 27-inch U2725QE variant of the product, which affords a 3840 x 2160 4K UHD decision, a 120Hz refresh price, a height-adjustable stand, and a full array of I/O ports. Whereas not OLED, and thus not fairly as vivid with regards to black ranges, the monitor’s IPS LCD does have a 3000:1 distinction ratio, which is relatively spectacular all issues thought of.

In fact, the U2725QE is not totally a slam dunk — its plastic outer shell is creaky and wobbly, which is truthfully a bit jarring when located proper subsequent to my sturdy aluminum iMac. That being stated, now that I have been dwelling the dual-screen life, there’s really no going again: I really like having Canva, Google Keep, and Finder open on one show, which leaves me loads of room to sprawl my CMS, Slack, and Asana home windows out throughout my main panel.

Cellular World Congress 2025

My first expertise at a tech commerce present was a memorable one

Again in March of this yr, I had the privilege of attending my very first shopper tech trade commerce present: Mobile World Congress (MWC). As in earlier years, MWC25 occurred in Barcelona, Spain, and particularly on the Fira Gran By way of conference middle close to the guts of town middle.

Over the course of MWC25, I bought to mess around with some incredible and rather funky tech products, I networked and made a number of new trade connections, I bought to fulfill YouTubers that I might been watching on-line for years, and I discovered some new tips of the commerce that I merely wasn’t aware about beforehand.

Attending MWC25 was a serious milestone for me in each my private {and professional} life. I got here out of my shell and interacted with many individuals alongside the way in which, regardless of traditionally not being the largest fan of crowded, confined areas. I additionally managed to beat my poor sense of path, discovering myself shocked at my capability to zip across the Labyrinthian convention middle and all its numerous zones and briefing areas.

By visiting Barcelona, I additionally scratched my journey and architecture-loving itch, and I even managed to briefly sneak over to the completely phenomenal Basílica de la Sagrada Família situated within the downtown space. As the only largest unfinished Roman Catholic cathedral on this planet — one which’s been beneath development for the reason that Eighties — I discovered the construction itself to be equal components visually putting and imposing.

Going into 2026, I hope to take all I’ve discovered and skilled at MWC25 ahead with me, and I am unable to wait to hopefully expertise further commerce exhibits sooner or later. In case you had informed me a yr in the past that I might be strolling throughout the halls and instantly into Honor, Lenovo, and Samsung cubicles alongside different journalists and media professionals, I would not have believed you. It simply goes to indicate that it is all the time finest to anticipate the sudden.