Apple's Vision Pro also took Popular Science's top innovation prize this year.Image: Popular Science composite. Apple/Qualcomm/BOOX/DJI/Sony ShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more Had you asked me at the beginning of 2024 what our best gadgets list would look like, Id have guessed it would be filled with quirky AI-driven devices like the rabbit R1 or the Humane Ai Pin. Now with AI is a phrase that has dominated consumer electronics in the 2020s. These devices promised unadulterated access to the power of neural networks in ways that would seamlessly integrate into our lives without relying on phones or smart fridges. Then, the devices came out. The software is slow and buggy, and the hardware is clunky. Maybe the stand-alone AI device will still have its year, and well look back and chuckle at these humble beginnings. In reality, 2024s big breakthrough came from Apple in the form of its long-rumored Vision Pro headset. The device has its own hurdles to clear, but after just a few minutes of using it, it was clear that its something different, important, and honestly pretty amazing. The list also includes Sonys innovative pro-grade camera, the most accessible drone weve ever used, and a no-fun phoneno fun in a good way, of course.(Editors Note: This is a section from Popular Sciences 37th annual Best of Whats New awards. Be sure to read the full list of the 50 greatest innovations of 2024.)Innovation of the YearVision Pro from Apple: A new dimension for augmented realityCredible rumors of Apples VR bounced around the gadget blogs and tech sites for nearly a decade. It was consumer techs sasquatch in that people claimed to have seen it, but no one knew if it even existed. Then, the Vision Pro emerged from the proverbial forest in February with a surprising design and a massive $3,500 price tag. It also came toting a new R-series chip and a dedicated OS meant for spatial computing.From a hardware perspective, this headset offers a 23-million-pixel screen, which dishes out more than 4K quality to each eye. Its a true AR device, so external cameras pump a real-time view of the outside world into the display. Virtual displays, AR game boards, and other digital artifacts integrate seamlessly into your view of the real world. Its actually jarring to take the headset off and see the real world free of floating UI. There are no controllers to use, buttons to press, or other obstacles between a user and the augmented space.While AR headsets have existed before, this one gets our award because of how much potential it shows. Its part of Apples overall hardware plan. The new iPhone cameras have a specific arrangement to shoot spatial video for consumption in AR. Familiar apps can offer augmented experiences specifically meant for headsets. We expect the next version of the hardware will skip the creepy image of your eyes that shows up on the exterior screen. Still, were curious to see what Apple does next, because a consumer-friendly price on an experience like this could be a true game changer. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.A9 III from Sony: The first consumer mirrorless camera to eradicate wiggly imagesTake a photo or video of a very fast-moving object with a typical digital camera (including the one in your smartphone), and theres a chance youll notice the dreaded wobble effect. Digital camera sensors dont capture every pixel at the same time; rather, they scan horizontal rows in sequence, which can cause fast-moving objects to look warped or distorted. Sonys A9 III employs a global shutter, which means it fires every pixel simultaneously. As a result, it can capture images at shutter speeds up to 1/80,000th of a second, without distorting objects in the frame. The company achieves this with a newly designed stacked sensor, which means the same chip that captures the light also has computing hardware built into it. Consequently, it can operate faster than a typical camera system since everything is integrated together. The speed requires some trade-offs, like slightly noisier images when shooting in low light, but thats a small price to pay for the fastest consumer camera on the market.DJI Neo: A sub-$200 drone that isnt a toyMost cheap drones are little more than toys. They offer lousy cameras, barebones (if any) flight sensors, laggy controls, and cheap parts. DJIs Neo drone weighs just 135 grams (well under the limit that would require registration with the FAA before flight) and can take off from a pilots palm. It takes commands from a smartphone app via Wi-Fi, which makes it accessible for super-green amateur pilots, but its also compatible with DJI controllers for upgrading down the line. The drone can automatically track and follow a subject or perform many pre-programmed flight paths like much bigger and more expensive models. The Neo feels like a real drone and not a toy. We recommend getting extra batteries if you buy one yourselfeach cell only realistically gets you 15 minutes of flight timebut this is a big deal for content creators who want to shoot aerial 4K before those brand deal dollars start pouring in.Palma by BOOX: An e-ink phone thats no-fun in a good waySmartphones are too much fun. Those glowing, brightly colored screens lather our brains in dopamine, soak up our free time, and make us painfully aware of things like The Rizzler. The BOOX Palma attempts to remedy those issues with its 6.13-inch e-ink display. Its a monochrome screen that refreshes slowly like an e-reader. It technically runs full Android but wont allow you to doom scroll. Instead, it encourages users to navigate essential apps and information by creating simple widgets. Text looks fantastic on the 1,200 dpi screen, and its a great way to consume information in a much healthier way. It wont replace your phone in all situations, but its great for weaning yourself off those late-night TikTok marathons.Snapdragon X series chips by Qualcomm: An AI-powered brain built for Windows computersYoure probably familiar with the big chip makers that power almost every laptop. You choose from AMD, Intel, or Apple. This year, Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon X Elite chip, which is meant to extend the companys approach to mobile hardware into full-fledged PCs and powerful tablets like the Microsoft Surface Pro. Both Intel and AMD split their chips cores into high-power and efficiency categories to balance overall performance with battery life. Qualcomms chips, however, designate all of their cores as high performance. That comes with a promise of long battery life without serious drops in performance when unplugged from a power adapter. The first generation of Copilot+ PCs have largely focused on thinness and performance, but were hopeful this new chip will be the key to all the weird form factor Windows PCs weve been wishing for.