The best gadgets of 2016

It was the year of virtual reality.

The best gadgets of 2016

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Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar|@devindra|December 22, 2016 12:00 PM

A year ago, virtual reality felt almost like a pipe dream. But during 2016, we saw the launches of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR and Daydream, a new mobile platform from Google. VR is here, and it's very much . . . well, real. We're still waiting for more games to appear and for the price of truly immersive platforms to fall, but it's an auspicious start for a category that's sometimes felt overhyped.

Of course, there was even more great stuff this year beyond VR. We've seen the steady evolution of smartphones with Google's Pixel devices, the iPhone 7 Plus and Samsung's Galaxy S7 line (with the Note 7 being the obvious exception). Both Dell and HP delivered some of the most refined laptops we've ever seen (sorry, MacBook Pro). And we can think of a few more standouts too. Find all of our favorite gadgets of 2016 in the gallery below.

Gallery: The best gadgets of 2016 | 13 Photos

  • Oculus Rift
  • HTC Vive
  • PlayStation VR
  • Google Daydream View
  • PlayStation 4 Pro
  • Google Pixel and Pixel XL
  • Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
  • iPhone 7 Plus
  • HP Spectre 13.3
  • Dell XPS 15
  • Amazon Echo Dot
  • Anki Cozmo
  • Chevy Bolt
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Check out all of Engadget's year-in-review coverage right here.

The best gadgets of 2016