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Welcome to ZDNET’s “Breakthrough” Awards for 2025, our newest custom that celebrates probably the most progressive 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 means of the lens of recent good glasses and VR headsets, and benchmarked extra robots than ever, from ones that may ideate and pull context by means of 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 essentially modified the dialog, set a brand new bar for innovation, and confirmed us a glimpse of the know-how that can outline the remainder of the last decade.
In no specific order, listed here 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 cellphone that left the most important footprint in 2025. The Huawei Mate XT Final launched globally again in February and noticed quick fanfare. We witnessed the hype in particular person at Cellular World Congress in Barcelona, as a whole bunch of journalists, analysts, and tech fanatics flooded the Huawei sales space to get a really feel of the Chinese language tech large’s shape-shifting handset.
Additionally: I examined Huawei’s $3,600 tri-foldable cellphone – now I am questioning why Samsung hasn’t made this but
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 machine 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 function 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 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 function in hundreds of households, however is there room to develop past vacuuming and mopping? Roborock put its cash on “actually transferring obstructions” in 2025 with the Saros Z70 mannequin, and it left an enduring impression on ZDNET’s good dwelling skilled, Maria Diaz.
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The Saros Z70 featured an OmniGrip mechanical arm able to detecting and choosing up light-weight objects, reminiscent of socks, tissues, and sandals, as long as they weighed beneath 300 grams. From our assessments, the motorized function was profitable more often than not, although the automation required time and observe.
Due to a built-in digicam, 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 subsequent degree in robotic vacuum know-how, and it is pioneering the thought of a purposeful, multipurpose family robotic which you can actually depend on,” stated Diaz, and that is why it is earned a spot on ZDNET’s record 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 big development in LCD backlighting and shade 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 total spectrum of the BT.2020 shade commonplace.
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We noticed Samsung’s 115-inch Micro RGB TV in particular person, and the excessive degree of shade 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 an alternative, the newest TV employs particular person backlights (LCD) to show shade. Though complicated, our takeaway from seeing the TV in particular person was that the implementation is nicely price it.
In the end, the Samsung Micro RGB TV is a lovely paradox. It’s each a wonderful closing chapter for the age of the backlit LCD and an excellent, 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 subsequent frontier of good glasses
Driving on the recognition of Ray-Ban-branded good glasses, Meta went for a homer this yr when it launched the Ray-Ban Show at Join. Whereas the good glasses retained important options like hands-free photograph and video capturing, additionally 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 obtained me excited for the post-smartphone period
By a companion accent, an EMG neural wristband, customers might 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 grew to become 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 some extent of power, promoting for $799. Inside the first weeks of launch, the newest good 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, a sub-brand of in style digicam 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 just 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 consumer with a first-person view of the drone’s sensors as they drift by means of the sky. Due to the goggles’ micro-OLED shows and commendably low-latency video streaming, Cadenas was left impressed with the total flight expertise.
“Sure, it is costly [at $1,599], however I might nonetheless advocate the A1 to anybody thinking about drones. Its ease of use makes it nice for newcomers, and creators shall be impressed by the video high quality,” stated Cadenas.
