Gallery: We Pick the Gear of the Year, From Phones to Drones
Josh Valcarcel/WIRED0101-Microsoft-Surface-Book-(Josh-Photo)
One of the best laptop designs we saw in 2015 came from a company that's never made a laptop before. Sure, Microsoft has the Surface and Surface Pro hybrid devices, which are still going strong. But those are kinda-tablets with snap-on keyboards. The [Surface Book](https://www.wired.com/2015/10/review-microsoft-surface-book/) is first and foremost a laptop PC. And a great one. The touchscreen does detach from the beautiful hinge if you want to get tablety, but here that's just a nice-to-have extra feature.
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The cameras in our phones are truly excellent these days, but sometimes we still feel the need to step up to something more capable. The [DxO One](http://www.dxo.com/us/dxo-one) lets you take that leap to large-lens photography without ditching the versatility of your phone. The portable camera snaps into an iPhone's Lightning port, instantly turning your Apple handset into the higher-quality shooter you've been itching for.
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Josh Valcarcel/WIRED0404-Bowers-&-Wilkins-Zepplin-(Josh-Photo)
Bowers & Wilkins has been making excellent wireless speakers for years, and the company's new [Zeppelin Wireless](https://www.wired.com/2015/10/review-bowers-wilkins-zeppelin-wireless/) is the jewel in the crown. B&W got eliminated the annoyances of Zeppelins past (the phone dock, the lack of Bluetooth) while keeping all the stuff we liked (the otherworldly sound, the conversation-starting shape). The result of this transformation is our favorite speaker of 2015.
Josh Valcarcel/WIRED0505-Master-&-Dynamic-MW60-(Josh-Photo)
New York-based Master & Dynamic created this year's best Bluetooth headset: the all-leather-and-metal [MW60 Wireless](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/review-master-dynamic-mw60-wireless-headphones/) headphones. The sound they produce is unmatched among wireless offerings on the market, the battery lasts 16 hours, and the powerful antenna provides listening sessions that are entirely drop-out-free. All that, and they look really, really sharp.
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Seeing that laptop design hadn't budged in years, Apple pulled a classic Apple move: it shook things up. The company's new [MacBook](https://www.wired.com/2015/04/review-apple-macbook/) is super-small, super-thin, has a strange new keyboard, and offers only one USB Type-C port for charging and for connecting peripherals. Like it or not, Apple knows when to give the industry a big nudge into the future, and its bold choice to make a weird and wonderful ultra-portable PC earns it our honors.
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The Oculus Rift and the Sony PlayStation VR are the best of the next-gen immersive video devices. But they're pricey and require external hardware to power them. The [Samsung Gear VR](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/review-samsung-gear-vr/) costs only $100 and uses nothing more powerful than the phone in your pocket. Play games in 3D space, watch Netflix in a virtual theater, and walk through the sand on faraway tropical islands, all with the same device you use to text your mom.
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We were excited about wearables before the [Apple Watch](https://www.wired.com/2015/04/the-apple-watch/), but it wasn't until Cupertino's tiny touchscreen arrived that we truly understood the impact this new class of devices can have. More than just an iPhone accessory, the Apple Watch has the potential to significantly alter our understanding of device interaction, software, mobile payments, and communications. It also happens to be the nicest-looking wrist-computer you can buy.
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The mania around curved TVs has subsided, and a handful of truly exceptional flat-panel 4K televisions has emerged. Chief among them is [LG's 65-inch Flat 4K OLED](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/the-best-television/) set, which destroys the competition in color representation, HDR capability, and the depth of its black level. The webOS 2.0 that comes pre-installed ain't half bad either. Our favorite television of 2015.
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Flying a drone used to involve a lot of practice and a lot of white-knuckle crashes. That's all changed thanks to the advancements in automation, GPS-based flight programming, and in-air stabilization. Few companies pack more features or a better camera into their drones than DJI. The [Phantom 3 Professional](https://www.wired.com/2015/06/review-dji-phantom-3-professional-drone/) is one of the top models on the market, and it's our pick for the year's best drone.
Ford1111-Ford-Shelby-GT350R-Mustang-(Ford-Photo)
Yep, the Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang. Probably not what you were expecting from WIRED. But [we drove it](https://www.wired.com/2015/09/ford-mustang-shelby-gt350r/), we lived to tell about it, and now we're telling you it's the best car of 2015. It's certainly the most brash Mustang ever built, a 526-horsepower track monster that'll add two points to your license every time you turn on the ignition. It's a ball; nothing on the road is this much fun.
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