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Welcome to ZDNET’s “Breakthrough” Awards for 2025, our newest custom that celebrates probably the most revolutionary and forward-thinking applied sciences to cross our editors’ desks this yr.
Over the previous 12 months, we have spent numerous hours difficult the utility of foldable telephones that dominated the cellular dialog, lived total work weeks by the lens of recent sensible glasses and VR headsets, and benchmarked extra robots than ever, from ones that may ideate and pull context by the lenses of our telephones, to ones that may sweep, vacuum, mop, and achieve each chore in between.
Additionally: The 40 greatest merchandise we examined in 2025: Editors’ picks for telephones, TVs, AI, and extra
Amidst this relentless wave of maturing — but, always innovating — product classes, figuring out a real ‘Breakthrough’ has by no means been more durable. These awards do not simply go to the quickest chipset or probably the most premium design; they go to the merchandise that basically modified the dialog, set a brand new bar for innovation, and confirmed us a glimpse of the know-how that may outline the remainder of the last decade.
In no explicit order, listed below are the recipients of the ZDNET Breakthrough Award for 2025.
1. Huawei Mate XT Final: The primary tri-foldable of many
Whereas Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z TriFold continues to dominate the headlines on the finish of the yr, it was a competing tri-foldable telephone that left the largest footprint in 2025. The Huawei Mate XT Final launched globally again in February and noticed speedy fanfare. We witnessed the hype in particular person at Cell World Congress in Barcelona, as a whole bunch of journalists, analysts, and tech lovers flooded the Huawei sales space to get a really feel of the Chinese language tech large’s shape-shifting handset.
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In contrast to conventional foldable telephones that may solely bend on the middle, the Huawei Mate XT Final options two inward-folding hinges, changing a single 6.4-inch display screen into a bigger, tablet-like 10.2-inch show. The result’s a real multimedia consumption gadget that may match into pants pockets, backpack sleeves, and extra.
Whereas the dearth of Google providers was a notable caveat of the Huawei foldable, we discovered its common performance and in any other case uncompromising characteristic set admirable.
ZDNET’s Prakhar Khanna put it greatest: “The Huawei Mate XT Final units a brand new benchmark for tri-fold telephones, exhibiting they’re now not simply experimental — however a daring step towards the way forward for cellular computing.”
2. Roborock Saros Z70: Actually a serving to hand
Robotic vacuums proceed to play a necessary position in 1000’s of households, however is there room to broaden past vacuuming and mopping? Roborock put its cash on “actually shifting obstructions” in 2025 with the Saros Z70 mannequin, and it left a long-lasting impression on ZDNET’s sensible house knowledgeable, Maria Diaz.
The Saros Z70 featured an OmniGrip mechanical arm able to detecting and selecting up light-weight objects, similar to socks, tissues, and sandals, as long as they weighed beneath 300 grams. From our assessments, the motorized characteristic was profitable more often than not, although the automation required time and follow.
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Because of a built-in digital camera, customers may also remote-control the Saros Z70 from their telephones, driving the vacuum whereas working the mechanical arm like a claw machine.
“The Saros Z70 is the following degree in robotic vacuum know-how, and it is pioneering the thought of a purposeful, multipurpose family robotic that you could actually depend on,” stated Diaz, and that is why it is earned a spot on ZDNET’s listing of Breakthroughs this yr.
3. Samsung Micro RGB TV: A color-perfect future
A number of TV producers launched their first micro-scale RGB LED TVs in 2025, marking a major development in LCD backlighting and coloration accuracy. The basic know-how is exceptionally small RGB LEDs — with Samsung’s iteration measuring at lower than 100 micrometers every — that enable the TV to cowl the complete spectrum of the BT.2020 coloration customary.
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We noticed Samsung’s 115-inch Micro RGB TV in particular person, and the excessive degree of coloration precision, distinction, and brightness made even OLED units pale compared. Notably, the Samsung Micro RGB doesn’t make the most of the model’s personal self-emissive MicroLED show; as a substitute, the most recent TV employs particular person backlights (LCD) to show coloration. Though complicated, our takeaway from seeing the TV in particular person was that the implementation is properly value it.
Finally, the Samsung Micro RGB TV is a fantastic paradox. It’s each an excellent last chapter for the age of the backlit LCD and a superb, complicated prelude to the period of true mini LED. Anticipate to see extra competitors within the area within the years forward.
4. Meta Ray-Ban Show: The following frontier of sensible glasses
Driving on the recognition of Ray-Ban-branded sensible glasses, Meta went for a homer this yr when it launched the Ray-Ban Show at Join. Whereas the sensible glasses retained important options like hands-free photograph and video capturing, in addition they launched a waveguide, full-color show that projected contextual data — realizing the true multimodal capabilities of AI wearables.
Additionally: I attempted the Meta Ray-Ban Show glasses, and so they received me excited for the post-smartphone period
Via a companion accent, an EMG neural wristband, customers may navigate the floating interfaces with varied hand gestures. Our group was capable of be taught and familiarize itself with the controls inside minutes of testing. From then on, the Ray-Ban Show turned a car for ambient data, starting from reside captions throughout conversations to Meta AI responses and incoming notifications.
The Meta Ray-Ban Show’s bundle worth stays a degree of power, promoting for $799. Inside the first weeks of launch, the most recent sensible glasses noticed reservation demos pushed again by months. The query now’s how rivals like Google, Samsung, and presumably even Apple will reply in 2026.
5. Antigravity A1: A drone that by no means misses a shot
Antigravity, incubated by standard digital camera maker Insta360, launched this summer time, and its first product set the bar excessive. ZDNET’s Cesar Cadenas examined the A1 drone in Los Angeles and located its 360-degree video recording to be a game-changer for content material creation. Successfully, you’ll be able to by no means miss a shot with the A1’s 8K sensor, and its 249-gram weight falls slightly below the US authorities’s 250-gram restrict for leisure drone-flying.
Additionally: I changed my journey video gear with this 360-degree drone inside minutes of testing it
The Antigravity A1 works in tandem with a Grip Controller and Imaginative and prescient Goggles, the latter of which gives the person with a first-person view of the drone’s sensors as they drift by the sky. Because of the goggles’ micro-OLED shows and commendably low-latency video streaming, Cadenas was left impressed with the complete flight expertise.
“Sure, it is costly [at $1,599], however I might nonetheless suggest the A1 to anybody fascinated by drones. Its ease of use makes it nice for newcomers, and creators will probably be impressed by the video high quality,” stated Cadenas.
