Victoria Barrios | The Verge

The Verge picks the standout tech of 2025

2025-12-10T13:15:39-05:00

Welcome to the end of 2025. Given all the AI announcements in supercomputing, data centers, and company investments, one might say this was “the year of AI,” but this was also the year where we saw design upgrades come to so many smartphones and laptops that 2025 could be called “the year of the flippable, foldable, and rollable hardware.” Or was it “the year of the gaming handhelds,” because who could forget the Nintendo Switch 2 or the ROG Ally X? It all depends on who you ask, which, is exactly what we did.

The Verge video team gathered reporters from across the newsroom to hear which technologies from 2025 stood out to them the most. Watch to see which technologies made it in and read below if you want to learn more:

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Senior smart home reviewer
- The Matic robot vacuum is smarter, quieter, and gets the job done
- I tasked Alexa Plus with tackling my to-do list — it was hit or miss
Allison Johnson, Senior smartphone reviewer
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: stunning, bendy, and spendy
Andrew J. Hawkins, Transportation editor
- Rivian’s software-powered e-bike won me over with its adaptability
Victoria Song, Senior wearable reviewer
- With a Friend like this, who needs enemies?
Antonio G. Di Benedetto, Laptop reviewer
Ash Parrish, Video Game reporter
- Life with the Nintendo Switch 2
- Cloud streaming finally arrives on the PlayStation Portal
Hayden Field, Senior AI reporter
- I’ve fallen into Sora’s slippery slop

We took viral TikTok gadgets on the road

2025-10-09T11:04:48-04:00

A single-second pause over a social video can dismantle your algorithm. Even at my best, I can still hesitate over a poorly shot video demonstrating the “latest tech” that I simply “can’t live without” and later learn I really could have lived without it. However, by then my feed is already filled with duplicate videos trying to push the same product.

Every day, social media creators publish videos about Amazon finds and TikTok Shop deals, changing how we might want to consume activities like what we eat and where we travel to. This time The Verge’s video team decided to give in and actually see if any of these portable devices that go viral are worth the hype the influencers say they are.

Follow along with our video and audio producer, Andru Marino, as he takes a train to a destination that has been self-advertised online as the “Pancake Capital of the World.” Andru is equipped with products from our feeds that might help him work on his travels, such as a fold-out monitor, a foldable keyboard, or a sun hat with solar-powered fans attached. Let us know which one is your favorite.

Tour our smart home reviewer’s smart backyard

2025-09-19T10:12:05-04:00

Esther, the chicken, facing a Segway robot lawnmower. | Photo: Alex Parkin / The Verge

When The Verge’s senior smart home reviewer, Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, offered to give us a tour of her smart backyard, I was thrilled. Firstly, I have never seen a technologically advanced backyard curated by an industry expert before, and secondly, I wasn’t even sure what to expect. My vision of a smart home includes automated vacuums, a smart thermostat, and maybe one of those AI fridges that suggests recipes — all of which work within controlled environments and are built around making life inside more comfortable. So I found myself repeatedly asking, “How exactly do smart devices make something as unyielding as outside, comfortable?”

I quickly learned that my imagination simply wasn’t big enough. Outdoor smart tech includes products like smart sprinklers that check the weather before running, AI-powered smart grills that can cook meals for you, odorless automatic mosquito repellers, or (my personal favorite) smart chicken coops that can keep an eye on the hens and watch out for predators.

My biggest takeaway was that building a smart backyard is not for the faint of heart. It takes trial and error to figure out which devices you actually need and that will work in your environment, as well as an understanding of what kind of person you’d like to be outside. All the products that Jen tests in her backyard tell a story — like, she’s an environmentally conscious cook who, even though she gets eaten alive by mosquitoes, has a tremendous love for animals both big and small.

Watch the full video to get immersed in all the tech in Jen’s smart backyard, and if you want to know more, check out her reviews for more details.

Outdoor string lights: Smart string light showdown: Nanoleaf versus Lifx
Robot lawnmowers: I put four robot lawnmowers through a brutal backyard battle — and only one person got injured
Smart mosquito protection: This smart mosquito system actually works — for a hefty price
Outdoor Wi-Fi: Eero’s new product takes Wi-Fi beyond your walls

The Verge is nominated for two Webby Awards — help us win them!

2025-04-11T11:00:43-04:00

The time of year has arrived — Webby Award season. For the 29th annual Webby Awards, The Verge is nominated in two categories: best technology podcast and best technology video. The award show is basically a competition for “Best of the Internet,” and each nominee is up for two awards: the Webby Award and the People’s Voice Award. A panel of judges from the academy will determine if we receive a Webby Award, but the other is voted online by fans like you! You’ve helped us win before, and we’re feeling confident that we can do it together again. You can vote for The Verge in both categories, so visit the links below to cast your votes:

The Vergecast – Technology Podcasts: Official listing
The real reasons Apple won’t put macOS on the iPad – Video & Film Technology: Official listing

You have until 11:59PM PT on Thursday, April 17th to officially put your votes in, and winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 22nd. If we win, we also get a five-word acceptance speech, so let us know in the comments what your suggestions are! (We definitely read them.)