In 2025, a lot of IEEE Spectrum‘s high consumer electronics tales had been about about creating the expertise you need with expertise. Open-source software program supplied extra customization for laptops and shows, units with much less distracting design obtained recognition with a brand new certification, and smart glasses producers cast paths to determine what customers actually need within the wearable tech.
Different tales highlighted the fascinating basic tech in our smartphones, like how your new iPhone stays cool and the potential for its digicam to collect info past what the human eye can see. And we thought of the consequences of U.S. tariffs from the Trump administration.
We’re gearing up for a 2026 stuffed with many extra thrilling developments. Within the meantime, learn on for IEEE Spectrum’s hottest client digital tales of the 12 months.
Supply picture: Modos
When hours of our days could also be dominated by screens, e-paper shows provide an possibility simpler on the eyes. Traditionally, these shows have been too gradual for on a regular basis computing. However this 12 months, a small Boston-based startup known as Modos created a monitor and growth package for a show with a refresh charge of 75 hertz—akin to some primary LCD screens. That’s even quick sufficient for video.
“Modos has a not-so-secret weapon,” contributing editor Matthew Smith writes. Particularly, an open-source show controller is vital to the show’s pace. Modos accomplished its crowdfunding marketing campaign and pre-orders are scheduled to ship in late January 2026.
IEEE Spectrum; Supply photographs: Apple
With out the right cooling tech, high-end smartphones danger burning a gap in your pocket—actually. Within the newest technology of Apple smartphones, launched in September, the iPhone 17 Professional and Professional Max contain thin chambers of water that assist dissipate warmth via evaporation. Cooling telephones with water vapor isn’t completely new although: Excessive-end smartphones from Samsung and Google additionally use the approach.
For extra on easy methods to hold our electronics cool, try IEEE Spectrum’s current special report, The Hot, Hot Future of Chips. Our editors and skilled authors break down how lasers, liquid cooling, and diamond blankets may all contribute to thermal management for more and more advanced and succesful chips.
DeepComputing
Most laptops can solely be custom-made a lot. When you get right down to the extent of particular directions for the way the pc executes directions—the instruction set structure—laptops normally function on proprietary expertise like x86 and Arm.
Earlier this 12 months, repairable pc maker Framework launched a laptop computer that can support a RISC-V mainboard, bringing open-source structure to the plenty—or not less than, builders and early adopters focused on straying from mainstream closed architectures. Later within the 12 months, Framework additionally made information when it launched a swappable laptop graphics module, permitting customers to decide on between the AMD GPU the laptop computer initially shipped with and Nvidia’s RTX 5070.
Vincent Walter/Purdue College
An image is value a thousand phrases, because the cliché goes. However the photographs taken by your smartphone digicam comprise extra info than you may notice. Whereas the human eye is delicate to a restricted vary of seen gentle wavelengths, the pixels in a normal smartphone digicam sensor are probably delicate to a a lot wider vary of wavelengths.
Researchers at Purdue College developed a method to capture hyperspectral information by putting a card with a colour chart in body. With this system, an abnormal smartphone may function a “pocket spectrometer” and establish particular chemical compounds for medical diagnostics, analyzing pigments in paintings, and extra.
Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/Alamy
Shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn into workplace for his second time period in January, he started enacting new tariffs on overseas items. In April, Trump introduced important adjustments, together with a common 10 % tariff on all imports, in addition to a 125 % tariff on Chinese language items (now lowered to a a lot decrease 10 % baseline).
To learn the way these tariffs may have an effect on the U.S. electronics market, senior editor Samuel Moore interviewed Shawn DuBravac, chief economist of the World Electronics Affiliation (previously IPC, or the Institute of Printed Circuits). Amidst ongoing adjustments, they spoke about predicted worth will increase, shifting provide chains, and the impact on lower-priced electronics.
Spectrum additionally lined how tariffs affect hobbyists and students, who typically depend on elements sourced from suppliers exterior of the United States. And hold a watch out for extra tales on the connection between tech and authorities from technology policy editor, Lucas Laursen.
Mui Lab
With the sheer amount of eye-catching tech displayed on the annual Shopper Electronics Present (CES), it’s becoming that the occasion is hosted in Las Vegas. However at CES 2025, some units took a unique method. The Calm Tech Institute issued a brand new certification to a number of units proven at CES which might be designed to be much less distracting and command much less of our main consideration.
As an illustration, an e-ink pill and a wood-like smart-home interface had been among the many first batch of units that obtained the certification. Whereas on a regular basis units bombard us with notifications, calm technology defaults to the minimal essential notifications and extra naturalistic design.
Supply photographs: Xreal; Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Photos
Rounding out the record, this characteristic article thought of a basic query in client tech: What do customers truly need? With good glasses lastly on the verge of mainstream use, contributor Alfred Poor compares two paths ahead for the wearable tech. “Ought to a head-worn show replicate the pc screens that we presently use, or ought to they work extra like a smartwatch, which shows solely restricted quantities of knowledge at a time?” Two smaller firms, Xreal and Halliday, provide AR glasses that characterize the 2 design ideas, and the tradeoffs between them.
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