2024/Favorites

It has become an annual tradition around here to look back across the year and reminisce on our personal favorite releases, the best gear we had a chance to go hands-on with for review, and share some of the gear we purchased for ourselves. Head below for a closer look at the staff’s favorite gear of 2024 – Find My gear, pizza ovens, pool robots, Bose headphones, smart home upgrades, our favorite e-bike release, battlestation gear, and more.

Justin’s favorite things of the year

Nomad Tracking Card

I have spoken about it before and I’m going to do it here again – the Nomad Tracking Card is hands-down one of the best and most useful pieces of gear I have come across this year. The brand’s Traditional Leather iPhone 16 case is a very close second when it comes to my favorite releases from Nomad across 2024, but the Tracking Card is a must. It’s not the only rechargeable Apple Find My card out there to slide into your wallet, but it is easily one of the best. 

The Tracking Card works seamlessly with Apple’s Find My network on your iPhone, features a super slim form-factor to easily slide into my card holder or wallet, and has been an invaluable addition to my EDC. Best of all, and a feature you don’t always see from the competition, it has wireless MagSafe charging. That means, when iPhone tells you the battery is getting low on the Tracking Card, you can just slide it out of your wallet and drop it down on one of the wireless Qi pads or a MagSafe chargers you already have to juice it back up again. 

A complete rundown of the user experience awaits in our hands-on review. 

Satechi Find My Passport Holder

I love Nomad’s 2024 full-grain leather Passport wallet, but it doesn’t have the Find My location tracking tech I think all passport holders (and everything else) should have. The Satechi model that debuted back in September however, definitely does. It might trade the full-grain leather treatment for a vegan vibe, but it is still quite nice to the touch, passes my vegan leather eye test with flying colors, and, most importantly, features Apple Find My with wireless MagSafe charging. 

I admittedly would have chosen Nomad’s if it had built-in Find My, but only because of my penchant for real leather that lasts a lifetime – Satechi’s is even slimmer, just as nice otherwise, and Find My…enough said. 

I’ll never leave my house without a wallet Find My tracker and I’ll never travel again without the Satechi Find My-equipped Passport Wallet. As of right now, Satechi’s is the absolute best Find My passport solution out there and an easy recommendation for anyone who cares about keeping tabs on their most important travel document while abroad. 

Here’s my hands-on review for more details on the user experience. 

Simon’s favorite thing of the year

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Nothing makes me happier than having my family in the same room, even if we’re all doing our own thing. I really enjoy playing games on my PC and Nintendo Switch, but when there’s noise from a different screen in the background, the immersion fades, and so does the fun. After trying several pairs of ANC headphones, I found the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones to have the most impressive noise cancellation I’ve used. Yes, they’re pricey, but if you’re looking for a way to truly block out just about everything, I think these are the headphones to beat.

It’s also worth mentioning that the ear cups are as comfortable as they get, in my opinion. The only negative thing I have to say is that Bose has done a poor job showcasing the true color of these headphones. I purchased the Diamond colorway and found it to be a true white color, but the packaging and official images would have you believe they look gold (and they do not). And if you like the acrylic stand or wall-mounted fireplace in the background, you can find those right here.

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Rein’s favorite things of the year

MOD Bikes Easy 3/Easy SideCar 3 e-bike

There are plenty of great e-bike options in our current market, like the many models of Lectric e-bikes, for instance, but there is one that has had my attention since I first saw it, namely the MOD Easy 3 e-bike and its Easy SideCar 3 variation, which I got to experience first-hand in our in-depth review. You’re getting quality parts mixed with iconic style here, as the motorcycle-inspired e-bike boasts two colorways, a 28 MPH top speed, and 50-mile range to start. There are five levels of PAS support here that utilize an upgraded torque sensor for lightning-fast pickup, along with several other high-grade features like the dual suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, multi-terrain tires, a 7-speed ALTUS derailleur, and LED headlights/taillights with brake light functionality too, among many others. One nice feature for those worried about theft is the password protection that can be accessed through the upgraded S3 smart color display.

• Easy 3 e-bike: $2,199 (Reg. $2,399)
• Easy SideCar 3 e-bike: $3,499 (Reg. $3,899)
• Easy SideCar Sahara e-bike: $3,499 (Reg. $3,899)
  • sidecar upgraded with storage rack, headlights/taillights, and doggy door

2024 Ring Battery Doorbell

Securing the home and keeping a vigilant eye on your door doesn’t have to be a costly endeavor, and with discounts dropping the costs to its $60 low, it makes scoring one for your home even more of a great decision right now. You’ll get 1080p live feeds through the smart device of your choice, with the option to two-way talk whenever you need. This newer model (and its higher-end flagship Pro model) provides longer battery lifespans and increased viewing coverage on top of the new push-pin mounting, customizable motion zones, and real-time alerts whenever anyone or anything is detected. You can even connect it to an Echo Dot for custom notifications and to allow you to hear at the opposite end of your home, with a connection to an Echo Show taking things one step further to include hands-free viewing controls.

Karthik’s favorite things of the year

UGREEN Uno Qi2 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand

There’s no shortage of Qi2-certified MagSafe chargers on the market in 2024, and I’ve tried a handful of them myself, but none of them managed to hold a spot on my desk besides the UGREEN Uno Qi2 2-in-1 wireless charging stand. I’ve recommended this particular model plenty of times now and I’ll continue to do so unless there’s a better alternative or an upgraded version with more features. It’s a small and compact charging dock that uses MagSafe technology for fast 15W charging and has strong magnets to hold your phone securely. You can adjust the angle of the dock to see your phone screen easily.

What makes this charging dock special is its cute display that uses emojis to show you the charging status of your devices. It’s a clever feature that makes a rather basic accessory a bit more interesting to complete your setup. You can learn more about this charging unit in my Tested with 9to5Toys review in which I had a lot of good things to say about it after having it on my desk for a while. This playful robot is still sitting on my desk, charging my devices and it’s definitely one of my favorite accessories of the year. Other highlights of this charger include a secondary charging pad to top up your AirPods case, and an additional USB-C port for charging devices like your Apple Watch.

GravaStar Mercury M1 Wireless Gaming Mouse

I stumbled upon the Mercury M1 while searching for something — literally anything — different from the usual suspects from the likes of Logitech and Razer. It immediately stood out to me thanks to its sci-fi aesthetics with a glowing scarab at the heart of the chassis. I was initially unsure how well the design would hold up with regular use, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The mouse feels sturdy and comfortable to use, and the Gunmetal Grey color I chose looks fantastic on my desk. The finish has remained in good condition after all these months of every use.

There’s more to the GravaStar Mercury M1 mouse than just its looks. It comes packed with the tried-and-tested PAW3395 sensor with support for up to 26,000 DPI, and it also offers tri-mode connectivity with a 2.4GHz receiver, Bluetooth, and USB-C connectivity. You can also pick up an optional 4K dongle for this model or get the Silver Mist variant that comes with it out of the box, though I’ve been using the variant without the 4K dongle. Other highlights here include customizable RGB lighting, five programmable buttons, and bundled skates and grips among other things.

I’d say the GravaStar software needs a bit more time in a oven, but it doesn’t take much away from the overall experience of using this mouse, and I have no qualms recommending this to anyone looking for a reliable and a unique-looking gaming mouse for their battlestation.

Ali’s Favorite Thing of the year

Solo Stove’s Outdoor Pizza Oven

I chose the Solo Stove’s Outdoor Pizza Oven Bundle as my favorite thing that I love this year. It heats up quickly and features a lightweight design that makes it effortless to bring to any gathering so that you can chef up fresh, hot pizza for the whole crew.  This pizza oven features a powerful demi-dome heating technology to turn out artisan-level pizzas in as little as 90 seconds. It also comes with a nice shelter to protect it from elements and store when not in use. Better yet, it’s currently on sale for $330, which is $20 off the regular rate.

Scooter’s favorite thing of the year

Aquasense Pro 5-in-1 pool cleaning robot

A clean and balanced pool is vital to truly enjoying days in your backyard, and Beatbot’s Aquasense Pro robot made that maintenance process easier than ever for me. Beatbot’s proprietary operating system, which includes high-performance CPUs and advanced memory chips, controls its unique and multifaceted pool cleaners that utilize intelligent mapping and sensors to “see” and “understand” their aquatic environment.

As a 5-in-1 pool cleaning robot, the Aquasense Pro has plenty to offer users, whether they own an in-ground or above-ground pool, and can safely navigate several surfaces below the water, including concrete, ceramic tiles, vinyl, and fiberglass.

Overall, I was genuinely impressed with Aquasense Pro from Beatbot. I previously had an older robot vacuum from another brand that was a constant pain in my side and never seemed to work that well. The Aquasense Pro offers significantly more functions and is easier to use. Plus, managing everything from an app adds to its appeal. I recommend this pool cleaning bot for anything with a pool that would prefer to set it and forget it for a few hours.

If you’re interested in purchasing an Aquasense Pro from Beatbot, be sure to use the following link, which is consistently updated with BeatBot’s latest sale prices.

9to5Toys readers favorite things

AirPods Pro 2

Alongside our personal favorites of the year, we also like to quickly touchdown to mention the 9to5Toys readers favorite things as well. At least in terms of numbers, readers loved their ultra-affordable Anker wall chargers and cables (we do too!) and Apple’s AirTags, but this year it was all about Apple AirPods Pro 2.

Despite the fact that Apple unleashed the new AirPods 4 this year, the AirPods Pro 2 held strong as the most popular item in terms of purchases among 9to5Toys readers and staffers this year. Folks love their Pro 2s and did again in 2024. Considering AirPods Pro 2 dropped down to the best price ever a couple times this year, Black Friday included, it’s no surprise that over 1,500 pairs were scooped up by readers across 2024.

Let us know what your personal favorite things of 2024 are in the comments below…