One year ago today, Google unleashed Stadia, their ambitious game streaming platform, onto the world. In the time since then, my gaming has been done almost entirely through Stadia alone. Over the course of 2020, Google Stadia has grown in many ways, stagnated in some others, but a special something about it has always shined through.

Whether you’re trying to save on energy usage, set a schedule, or just make it more convenient to adjust the temperature of your home, the Nest Thermostat line has been available for years to do it all. Now, the Nest Thermostat (2020) has hit the market with a new design, updated software, and the most affordable price to date. Here’s what you need to know.

Smartphone design over the past few years has hit a bit of a plateau. There’s only so much you can do with a glass slab after all. While other OEMs are pushing foldables as the future, LG had the bright idea of coming up with some unique designs and throwing them at the market to see if they stick. The LG Wing is the first of those devices with its wacky swivel design and… it’s quite something.

OnePlus might be going through a transition phase right now, but they’ve still managed to crank out a number of new devices plus another affordable pair of wireless earbuds in the form of the OnePlus Buds Z.

The Nokia 8.3 5G is a reasonably solid device that is massively let down by its release timing. Announced in March 2020, had it hit the market then, it would have been a far more enticing smartphone.

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro has been released into a very different landscape to that of its predecessor, the Mate 30 Pro. Restrictions have tightened, but that hasn’t dulled the Chinese firm’s enthusiasm for flagship smartphone releases.

The OnePlus 8T is probably the best OnePlus smartphone to date in a number of key areas. It also falters in a few, simply to justify the existence of the OnePlus 8 Pro.

As gaming on phones has slowly become less and less casual — thanks to both native games like Fortnite and cloud gaming from Google Stadia and Xbox Game Pass — so too have the gaming accessories. We got a chance to play with the Razer Kishi to see if it holds up to the rigors of “hardcore” phone gaming.

For better or worse, the Pixel 5 is not like previous flagship Google smartphones. It’s a very different proposition for buyers as a result — but is it actually a good device?

2020 has been quite a year, but outside of the obvious things, it’s also been notable for the barrage of streaming services that have changed how we consume TV shows and movies online. There have been perks, sure, but it’s only made finding our favorite content more confusing. In steps Google with its new watchlist feature, a new platform, and a brand-new piece of hardware to watch it all on — Chromecast with Google TV.

Flagship smartphones are ridiculously expensive in 2020, and frankly, people are tired of it. No one wants to spend over $1,000 on a phone, but Samsung’s entire Galaxy S20 lineup demanded four figures. After those devices failed to gain traction, though, Samsung has responded with the Galaxy S20 FE, a $699 smartphone that has everything a buyer actually needs for a fraction of the cost.

For a few years now, Google has maintained three sizes of smart speakers: small, large, and just right. With the new Nest Audio speaker, Google has taken “just right” to a whole new level.

The first thing you probably think of with Google’s Chrome OS platform is a cheap laptop. That’s understandable — the platform has built its popularity on super-affordable laptops that don’t suck. However, there’s a whole other side to the Chrome OS coin. Premium Chromebooks offer the simplicity of Google’s platform with killer performance and premium features. Lately, I’ve been testing out two premium Chromebooks from HP — the HP x360 14c and the HP C640 Pro. Here’s why they’re some of the best “high-end” Chromebooks you can buy, and possibly better than Google’s Pixelbook Go.

It’s hard not to be tough on Wear OS and feel guilty, but the advent of new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear chipsets really does hint at a bright future for the platform — and the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 helps prove that.

Over the last few years, Chromebooks have become useful to more than just students. Thanks to support for Android and Linux apps, Chromebooks are great for productivity and even app development. Now Chromebook makers are rising to meet the needs of power users and developers, and the Acer Spin 713 is one of the best and most affordable high-performance Chrome OS devices.

The Poco X3 NFC may not officially come to the US, but boy is this an impressive smartphone that feels like it could be an instant hit.

Google’s Pixel Buds are really good wireless earbuds and one of the most attractive features is the excellent case. If white isn’t your thing, though, Nomad makes a leather case for the Pixel Buds that is definitely worth considering.

In lieu of an IFA launch event, Huawei has held a slightly delayed annual Developers Conference and used that as the vehicle to launch some new products including the FreeBuds Pro, Watch GT 2 Pro, and some other notable hardware.

For the past few years, Xiaomi has been one of the few sellers of Android TV set-top boxes in the United States and, this year, the company is finally delivering something that so many asked for — a streaming stick. One of the first Android TV-based streaming sticks has arrived with the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, but is it any good?

Earlier this year — but what feels like a century ago — Samsung debuted its Galaxy Buds+, a pair of truly wireless earbuds that refined a traditional design with new features and truly killer battery life. Just a few months later, the company has another new pair of earbuds to offer, and they’re the polar opposite in so many ways. Let’s talk about Samsung Galaxy Beans Buds Live.

In the Android world, it’s hard to find a smartwatch as compelling as what Apple offers to its iPhone users. Samsung has tried to fill that void with its Galaxy Watch lineup, and for 2020, the Galaxy Watch 3 is the name of the game. For Android users, this is pretty much the complete package when it comes to a smartwatch, but is it worth the $399 starting price? Let’s talk.

If you want an affordable fitness band then the Xiaomi Mi Band series has provided a sort of “go-to” option ever since the first iteration. The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 continues that tradition with some notable — but minor — hardware improvements all without needing a major price bump.