Tech over the last 12 months has gone from strength to strength, with names big and small making their mark in delivering devices that entertain, inform and make our lives better each and every day.
The T3 Awards 2023 in association with ROG Ally is this year's annual celebration of the best-of-best products across the site's core pillars – Tech, Active, Home – and the quality of products across tech has, frankly, been mind-boggling – making it extra tricky for the T3 Awards 2023 judges to pick their winners from the extensive shortlist.
But winners there are! In this round-up we're delighted to reveal the winners of the best phone, video streaming service, camera, laptop, 4K monitor, webcam, gaming laptop, gaming chair, and VPN. In separate pieces we cover the TV triumphs, and separately the headphones & audio award-winners.
Best Phone: Google Pixel 7 Pro
Often seen as 'the big one' when it comes to any technology awards, the top-dog phone for 2023 in the T3 Awards goes to an Android device extraordinaire: the Google Pixel 7 Pro.
No, it's not the priciest phone you can buy; no, it's not got the most camera lenses strapped onto its rear; but, yes, it's a slab of design elegance that looks the part, acts the part (thanks to Google's own Tensor chipset), and can take cracking images thanks to expert computational photography features.
There's no doubt the phone market is bustling in 2023; there are certainly plenty of competitors from major players – many with potentially bigger features than Google's own handset champ, as you can see from the shortlist below – but the Pixel 7 Pro just feels like the perfect balance of what a desirable and future-facing handset should look be.
Highly Commended: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Best Phone shortlist:
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Google Pixel 7 Pro, Xiaomi 13 Pro, Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max, OnePlus 11, Motorola Edge 30 Ultra, Oppo Find N2 Flip
Best Camera: Panasonic Lumix S5 II
When the review of the Panasonic Lumix S5 Mark II rolled into the T3.com cutting room, the expert reviewer summed up its 5-star score with a "best in class" comment in the submission email. This is one serious upgrade for Panasonic's premier full-frame mirrorless camera.
So why is it the 2023 winner in among such a wide range of top picks from established brands? It's really two-fold: one, the access to Leica-mount lenses opens some superb doors on the optics from; and, two, the advancements in Panasonic's autofocus system now put it up there among its peers as an accomplished piece of kit for all manner of shooting.
While this might be the second-generation model in Panasonic's S5 lifespan, it feels like a revolution compared to the original camera – and a well-deserved T3 Awards winner that anyone looking to seriously up their photography game should consider.
Highly Commended: Canon EOS R7
Best Camera shortlist:
Panasonic Lumix S5 II, Sony A7 IV, Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon EOS R7, Nikon Z9, Nikon Z30
Best Laptop: Apple MacBook Air (M2)
Of all the categories in the T3 Awards 2023, none was as crammed full of top options in its shortlist as the best laptop – simply because so many outstanding models have been released throughout the past year, including options with Intel, AMD, Apple, MediaTek, and Qualcomm chipsets that have further diversified the market.
There's been much discussion around Apple's silicon advancements in particular and the appearance of the M2 has revved up an already impressive original platform and taken it to the next level. Which is exactly why the latest MacBook Air takes the top spot in this category: it's the most obvious go-to laptop purchase that's sensibly price, deftly designed, and a cool-yet-quiet operator despite this much power under the hood.
Sure, the Windows competition has been strong – arguably stronger than ever before – but Apple is onto a winner with its silicon and timeless design. The Apple MacBook Air M2 is a masterclass in its category.
Highly Commended: Dell XPS 13 Plus
Best Laptop shortlist
Apple MacBook Air (M2), Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M2 Pro/Max), Dell XPS 13 Plus, Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon, Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, LG Gram 16, Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, HP Spectre x360 14, Microsoft Surface Pro 9, Huawei Matebook X Pro, Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED
Best 4K Monitor: Apple Studio Display
Even if you own the best laptop you're still going to want the best monitor to make it excel for desktop work. This category contains a huge variance of entries, from ultra-wide gaming monitors, to those with new display technologies, arching a broad gamut of asking prices, but it came down to the one model that's best balanced in what it delivers – whilst looking the part too.
That's the Apple Studio Display, a true designer-looking monitor, which actually features a 5K resolution that's ideal for those who want pixel-for-pixel 4K editing on screen with their editing tools around the main visual event. It's a glorious visual master that will please casual users and pros alike – and it's very much a T3 Awards 2023 deserving badge-winner.
Highly Commended: Samsung Odyssey Neo G8
Best 4K Monitor shortlist:
Samsung Odyssey Neo G7, AOC U27P2CA, Dough Spectrum 4K 144Hz, Samsung Odyssey Ark, BenQ EX3210U Mobiuz, Samsung Odyssey Neo G8, Apple Studio Monitor, Asus ROG Swift OLED PG48UQ
Best Webcam: Insta360 Link
In the age of hybrid working, having the best webcam to broadcast from your home office is an essential – especially when laptops and monitors rarely to never cut it. That's where this year's winner, the Insta360 Link, comes into play.
Described in T3's review as "one of the most intelligent 4K webcams", the super-high resolution and reliable-to-focus features were two plus points for this clip-on 'cam. "Once you've tried a premium model like the Insta360 Link, it's difficult to go back," continues the review. Well, now there's no going back, as Insta360 Link is a well-earned T3 Awards winner.
Highly Commended: Obsbot Tiny 4K
Best Webcam shortlist:
Insta360 Link, Jabra PanaCast 20 ,Obsbot Tiny 4K, Logitech Brio 500, Dell Pro Webcam
Best Gaming Laptop: Razer Blade 14
Gamers in 2023 are spoilt for choice when it comes to not only incredible games, but also amazing platforms on which to play them. The best gaming laptops aren't merely vessels of power, though, there are deep considerations to their design and aesthetic which also bolster their appeal.
The T3 Awards 2023 winner is one that surfs the line of style and performance unlike anything else on the market. Whether used as a day-to-day 'normal' laptop with heaps of power in reserve, or unleashed as a portable powerhouse for on-the-go gaming, it's the Razer Blade 14 that tops the style and substance rankings, making it our award-winning choice.
Highly Commended: Alienware x14
Best Gaming Laptop shortlist:
Razer Blade 14, MSI Pulse GL76, Acer Predator Triton 500, Alienware X14, Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Best Gaming Chair: Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 Softweave
In among this year's shortlists are some stellar gaming kit options, from monitors to laptops, but if you're not sat comfortably in the best gaming chair that you can buy then, well, your gaming career might be short-lived.
Fortunately, we've put behinds on seats and done the testing that matters, using various gaming chair staples for months at a time. And one rises out of the ranks beyond all others: the Secretlab Titan Evo, here in its SoftWeave Plus version, to take a deserved gaming crown.
Highly Commended: Boulies Master
Best Gaming Chair shortlist:
BraZen Phantom Elite, Secretlab Titan Evo SoftWeave Plus, Razer Iskur, AndaSeat Kaiser 3, Boulies Master
Best VPN: ExpressVPN
The internet today is in many ways a safer place than it was 20 years ago, but then again in others, such as the ability to have your personal data mined by hackers, it is not. Protecting your privacy is actually now harder than ever, with not just hackers but private companies actively looking to pry into people's private lives for financial gain.
That's why having a personal VPN is so important, and also why the winner of this year's Best VPN award is ExpressVPN, who the T3 Awards 2023 judges thought offered the best all-round VPN package to help the average person stay safe online. This makes sense, too, as in T3's best VPN guide ExpressVPN is currently in the number one position.
The judges voted for ExpressVPN due to its ease of use, rapid speeds and ability to run on basically any device, including some routers for whole home coverage.
Highly Commended: NordVPN
Best VPN shortlist
ExpressVPN, Surfshark, NordVPN, ProtonVPN, Private Internet Access, StrongVPN
