How do we plan to do this? With the MUO Best Tech of 2022 Awards, of course! Without further ado, let’s look at what we think are the best devices to have released in the past twelve months. Check out Part 2 for even more fantastic tech.
MUO Best Wireless Headphones 2022: 1More Sonoflow
Following an over-ear configuration, the 1More Sonoflow headphones offer excellent ANC (active noise cancelling) capabilities for under $100. Now, if that isn’t something to shout about, we don’t know what is. There’s nothing worse than having external sound interrupting your music, so ANC is important if you value your personal audio space.
Not only do the Sonoflow boast great noise cancelling, they also come with a very impressive 70-hour battery life, meaning you can enjoy your music for days (literally). With excellent sound quality at this price point, the 1More Sonoflow are a fantastic candidate if you plan to purchase some new cans and don’t want to break the bank. Read our 1More Sonoflow review.
MUO Best Wired Headphones 2022: Audeze MM-500
Audeze’s 2022 release was the MM-500 studio headphones; a pair of audiophile grade studio cans that also make fantastic music-listening partners. Featuring Audeze’s patented planar magnetic driver tech, along with incredible craftsmanship, the MM-500 are a premium pick that any producer or audiophile needs in their life.
We’ve reviewed the Audeze LCDi3 in ear monitors, and the flagship LCD-5 headphones. Both of these blew our socks off when we tested them, and the MM-500 is yet another string to Audeze’s finely hewn bow. If you know someone who is serious about sound, then the MM-500 headphones represent a great choice.
MUO Best Projector 2022: BENQ X3000i 4K Gaming Projector
Before the BENQ X3000i ( read our BENQ X300i review here) arrived on the scene, calling a projector a “gaming projector” was somewhat of a misnomer, due to the latency experienced when displaying gaming content on such a device. Now, BENQ arrives with a fantastic gaming projector, which features super-low latency while still pushing out 4K video at 60Hz, and with HDR lumped in for good measure.
Gaming on a projector can be a truly immersive experience if you find the right device and BENQ’s X3000i can display an image up to 150 inches. As you can imagine, this can make the huge, open worlds in your games look even more impressive, and you get Dolby Atmos integration to, so it’ll sound amazing plugged into your home theater system.
MUO Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner 2022: Yeedi Vac 2 Pro
Pair the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro up with its Self Empty Station, and you’ve immediately freed up hours of your life, as you have a bionic butler to do all the vacuuming for you. A robot vac is a genuine time-saver, and Yeedi’s is a vacuum/mop hybrid, meaning it can take care of both tasks with the greatest of ease.
So what sets it apart from all the other robot vacuum/mops on the market? Well, it has an oscillating head that moves backwards and forwards as it mops, literally scrubbing your floor for you. This is unlike other robot vacuums, which use sonic mopping (which vibrates the mop head) or nothing at all, meaning your floors just end up looking like a streaky mess. Not with the Vac 2 Pro, which cleans your floor properly every time. Read our Yeedi Vac 2 Pro review for more info on its capabilities.
MUO Best Smartphone 2022: Honor Magic4 Pro
Honor hits the ground running with its first flagship handset, the Magic4 Pro. We can’t help but love the Magic4 Pro, which was launched at Barcelona’s MWC in 2022. Honor has gone all-out with its new handset, and it is enough to make it our daily driver of choice. It does everything you expect from a flagship smartphone, and it does it exceptionally well.
The device boasts one of the best camera setups we’ve seen in a debut flagship smartphone, period. Video capabilities are outstanding, and image stabilization is brilliant; you’re guaranteed buttery-smooth video content when you’re shooting with the Magic4 Pro. 10-bit 4K video shot at 60 FPS? Sign us right up for that. In all, this is an excellent smartphone and well worthy of our coveted Best 2022 Smartphone award.
MUO Best Home Security Device 2022: Ring Intercom
IFA 2022 saw Ring debut its excellent Ring Intercom device, which converts any bog-standard (i.e. not-smart) intercom into a Ring doorbell, essentially. While this might sound too good to be true, it works; we saw it with our own eyes at IFA this year (check out our IFA awards round-up for more info). So, if you live in a home that has an older intercom system, prepare to future proof it with Ring’s innovative gadget.
Combined with the Ring app, you can speak to people at your door from anywhere, using your smartphone. You can also use the app to then open and close the door. Think about it; you don’t even need to get up off the sofa to find out who is currently ringing the doorbell (or pressing the intercom buzzer), despite still having a standard intercom installed. Just brilliant.
MUO Best Maker Tool 2022: xTool M1 Laser Engraver and Blade Cutter
As our M1 maker tool review attests, this combined laser engraver and blade cutter is a superb device for the crafty among us. The name is a dead giveaway; the xTool M1 is capable of laser engraving and cutting, and you can swap the laser out in place of a blade, which is perfect for accurately cutting vinyl ready for your heat press. If you make your own t-shirts, tote bags, or accessories like keyrings and so on, this is the perfect device for you.
The xTool M1 comes with its own proprietary software to set up your engraving and cutting. There is a camera inside the device which means you don’t need to spend hours framing your design; just pop it into the software, resize and reposition, and you can start burning away to your heart’s content.
MUO Best Laptop 2022: Huawei MateBook 16S Notebook
An excellent all rounder with productivity very much at the forefront of Huawei’s design inspiration, the 2022 iteration of the MateBook 16S is a supremely capable workhorse, offering a 1TB SSD for storage and an Intel i9 12th Gen chip to power everything along lightning fast. If you’re upgrading your laptop and are hunting for a premium device, then pop the MateBook 16S at the top of the list. Check out our MateBook 16S review for a full rundown.
The 2.5K screen is great for viewing anything from documents to photographic images and video. Plus, with a 3:2 aspect ratio, Huawei has ensured that the MateBook 16S is ideal for working from. It is powerful enough to burn through your everyday tasks and then some, so you can use the notebook for work, and then it performs equally well as an entertainment device for video streaming and listening to music.
MUO Best Tablet 2022: Onyx Boox Note Air 2
The Onyx Boox Note Air 2 tablet is a slate with a difference. It is an e-ink tablet, so it has a screen more like a Kindle than an iPad, for those unfamiliar with the world of e-readers. This makes it perfect for reading and note-taking, the latter of which you achieve via the included stylus. If you are a student, or you perform a job role that requires a lot of note-taking, then the Note Air 2 should be sitting on your desk, no doubt about that.
If productivity is your aim, then the Note Air 2 is your game. Note-taking with the device is smooth and simple, and because you’re taking hand-written notes, you don’t need to speed type to keep up with whoever or whatever you’re taking notes from. Plus, you only ever need to carry one notebook around with you; no more multiple notebooks for different purposes. You’ll find more info in our Onyx Boox Note Air 2 review.
MUO Best Wellbeing Device: QuietOn 3.1
QuietOn makes earplugs. While, on the face of it, this doesn’t sound like a tech product at all, QuietOn proves that it is, by utilizing noise cancelling tech to make sure those nocturnal sounds that prevent a good night’s sleep are blocked out entirely. This obviously means that you’ve got a much better chance of having a restful night, rather than having seagulls, snoring, or clattering trash cans wake you up throughout the night.
The tech works by effectively counteracting external sounds with a sound signal that is the opposite frequency range. The result being that the QuietOn 3.1 cancels the external sound out entirely. Having tested the QuietOn 3.0, and being mightily impressed with these earplugs, we can say with confidence that you’ll get a better night’s sleep with the super-slim QuietOn 3.1 nestled in your ears.
The Best Tech of 2022
So, that is ten of the best devices we’ve seen throughout the past year. We’ve got another ten for you to pore over in Part Two of our MakeUseOf Best of 2022 awards, which you can read below, featuring e-Scooters, eBikes, and games consoles…
