CNET’s Editors’ Choice Awards: The Best Products and Services for 2023

For more than two decades, CNET editors have poked, prodded, tested, retested, intentionally dropped and even stayed up all night to assess the new products and services that promise to change the way we live and work.  

In 2022, our team of experts found 81 products and services in seven categories that we believe are worth celebrating and — most important — are worth honoring with a CNET Editors’ Choice Award. 

From the smartphones, laptops and tablets we use daily to stay in touch to the routers, monitors and other nuts-and-bolts gear that make our digital ecosystems work, we continue to rely on tech to make sure we’re communicating and collaborating as easily and effectively as we can. 

We also did deep dives to find the best TVs, Bluetooth speakers, kitchen appliances, robot vacuums, software and online services, including VPNs to keep your data private and language apps as many of you are traveling again.

The result of all that work has led to our picks for the CNET Editors’ Choice Awards, which we’re honoring this year with a new badge that we’ll use to identify those standouts in our reviews, best lists, product comparisons and other stories across our site.

Our mission, as always, is to help you navigate our changing world, whether you’re looking for top-of-the-line gear or more affordable options. And we back up these choices with extensive tips, explainers and how-to guides. Note that these products and services were evaluated in 2022 to help guide you as you decide which gear to add to your life in 2023.  

One other note: In terms of innovation, 2022 was overall a modest year, with an emphasis on evolving products to make them better rather than blowing up new categories. 

Even so, we were happy to find four products that we thought pushed the envelope and were worth another CNET honor: our Innovation Award, which recognizes tech that brings new and noteworthy ideas to the market. Check out our list below. 

We’re happy to continue CNET’s tradition of rewarding products that offer the best combination of performance, design and value. We’d love to hear about your favorites, too. Find CNET on your favorite social media channel and tell us what you think.

Phones, smartwatches, headphones

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Google Pixel 6A

Google Pixel 7 Pro

Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus

Apple AirPods Pro 2 

iPhone 14 Pro/14 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

Google Pixel Watch

Apple Watch SE

Apple Watch Ultra

Garmin Venue 2 Plus

Withings ScanWatch Horizon

Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2  

Computers

Acer Chromebook Spin 714

MacBook Air M2

Dell XPS 8950 Desktop

HP Chromebase AiO 22

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus

Lenovo Yoga 7i (Gen 7, 14-inch)

iPad Air 2022

Gaming 

See the Innovation Awards below for more.

Meta Quest 2

Nintendo Switch OLED

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

GeForce Now

Apple Arcade

Home entertainment

HBO Max

Spotify

TCL 6 Series TV (2022)

Disney Plus

Epson Home Cinema 5050UB projector

Netflix

YouTube TV

Chromecast with Google TV 4K

Roku Express 4K Plus

BenQ CineHome HT2050A projector

Anker Nebula Mars II Pro projector

Roku Streambar

Soundcore by Anker Motion Boom Plus

Software and services

Duolingo

Bitwarden

Procreate

Zoom

ExpressVPN

Home

Arlo Pro 4

Apple HomePod Mini

D-Link EaglePro AI Range Extender

TP-Link RE605X

Eero 6 Plus

TP-Link Archer AX21

Dyson V15 Detect

Tineco a11 hero

Roomba s9

Roborock S7

Ninja Air Fryer

Panasonic Flashxpress Toaster

Ninja Twisti Blender

Asus RT-AX86U

SimpliSafe

Wyze Video Doorbell Pro

Amazon Smart Thermostat

TP Link Deco W7200 Mesh Router

Ring Alarm Pro

Wyze Home Monitoring

Xfinity Home Security

Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)

Wellness

Tonal

Lululemon Align High-Rise 6-inch Shorts with pockets

Layla Hybrid Mattress

Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid

Bear Original Mattress

Zero Water

EveryPlate

Sunbasket

Mosaic Foods

Fresh N Lean

HungryRoot

Innovation Awards

Recognizing products that bring new and noteworthy ideas to the market.

Steam Deck

Panic Playdate

HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook

Sony Xperia 1 IV