Top Gadgets & Tech Of 2013: Best Smartphone, Tablet, Laptop, App, Console, OS And More

2013 was the year when consumer technology really became part of our daily lives. Thanks to a confluence of hardware, software and infrastructure the devices we own can now help us with exercise, trips, dating, and even cooking! We’ve summed up 2013 in tech in our infographic featuring best smartphones, tablets and other gadgets.

We look at the consumer technology landscape of 2013 through four windows:

 

• Winners: They’re a cut above the rest. Best in class. Clear standouts.
• Contenders: Would have been winners, but beaten to the tape by millimeters.
• Game changers: There’s something to them that might upset the old order and start a whole new way of doing things.
• Clunkers: Bright ideas when they were rolled out, but consumers didn’t think so.

The players in this infographic are widely known. Who hasn’t heard of the iPhone 5s, for example, and wasn’t hyped by rumors of a champagne-tinged model? The long awaited retina display for the MacBook Pro 13” was also met with much enthusiasm, as was the impending double whammy of theXbox One and PlayStation 4 that were released just days apart. There’s the constant talk about Google Glass and how it will change that way we use technology, forever.

But this list also includes not-so-popular devices that have flown under the radar for many reasons. One example is the HTC One, perhaps the most beautiful smartphone ever designed. It has won awards from many tech sites and blogs for its outstanding design and is clearly an enthusiast’s phone but it never really caught the buying public’s fancy. Then there’s the highly praised Nexus 7, with a display that has the highest resolution ever in a tablet. It’s cheaper than the rival iPads, but isn’t making as much noise.

The year that was gave us a bumper crop of devices to choose from.

Which of the tech goodies in this infographic do think was the best one in 2013?