It’d be easy to misconstrue August as the calm before the storm when it comes to gadgets. Next month ushers in new iPhones, a deluge of smart home gadgets from IFA 2026, and most likely new smart glasses by way of Meta Connect, which is a lot, to be sure. But just because September is going to be an onslaught doesn’t mean August is a flyover.
This month, we ended up with a few fun surprises, including Pokemon tie-ins, flashy robovac updates, and one of the most fun phones we’ve seen in a long time. Here are all the gadgets you may have missed if you were conserving your energy and attention span for September.
Matic Robot Vacuum
The Matic isn’t totally new hardware, but an impressive update compels me to put it on this list anyway. Thanks to a new feature called Matic Cues, the Matic robot vacuum gains the ability to act on voice commands. Those commands go beyond your typical “run the vacuum,” too.
With Matic Cues, you can spot clean by pointing to a location and saying “clean this.” You can even have Matic’s robot vacuum follow you to a location to show it something by saying, “Hey Matic, follow me.” I haven’t had a chance to test it for myself, but Matic says the voice commands work across more than 70 languages and even different dialects.
Voice commands have been around for a long time, but we’ve not quite seen them show up in robot vacuums like this before. It’s a bright spot in the U.S., too, where the future of robot vacuums is a little less than bright.
Polaroid x Pokémon
Polaroids are already pretty cool, so adding Pokémon into the equation just feels unfair for our wallets, but that’s exactly what happened this month with the Polaroid x Pokémon collection.
With these instant cameras, Polaroid is giving its Polaroid Go cameras a Pokémon twist. My personal favorite is the Pikachu version that is, of course, bright yellow and comes with a strap that looks like Pikachu’s tail. If that doesn’t quite catch you, there’s a Sylveon edition that’s blue, pink, and white, and a red-and-white Poké Ball version that pairs nicely with a Poké Ball-shaped case you can buy for an additional $25.
I don’t know what else to say, guys; it even has a Poké Ball shutter button. I’m helpless against the cute, battle monster nostalgia.
See Pokémon Pikachu Edition at Polaroid
Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)
The QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) might not have “Ultra” in the name, but they still hammer home the appeal of Bose’s QuietComfort line. The active noise cancellation (ANC) is formidable, the sound is good, and they are as comfortable as the name suggests.
For me, the highlights are the color (I love the two-tone “Dewdrop Mint”) and the size. These are a bit smaller than the QuietComfort Headphones Ultra (2nd Gen), and they fit my head perfectly. They’re still a bit pricey at $360, but the ANC is still better than a lot of other wireless headphones around the same price range, so if cancelling noise is a big priority, then these wireless headphones are worth a look.
See Bose QuietComfort (2nd Gen) at Amazon
Insta360 X6
The king is back with Insta360’s new X6 360 camera. Thanks to excellent low-light quality, battery life, and tons of gimbal modes, we gave this action camera high marks. As Gizmodo staff reporter Kyle Barr notes, this camera isn’t breaking new ground; it just does everything a bit better than the competition.
That being said, this is a $700 action camera, so for that price, you’d better hope that it impresses. If you have the money, though, the improved 1/1.1-inch sensor and the great 360-video processing make this a top option in the action camera space.
Viture Pro 2
AR glasses are hot right now, and the competition has been fierce. While the space is dominated by Google’s involvement with Aura—its upcoming XR glasses with Xreal—lesser-known companies like Viture are proving to be formidable. For proof, look no further than the Viture Pro 2.
At $299, these AR glasses are a great mix of sharpness, brightness, and functionality. Thanks to a companion app, you can take advantage of some spatial-esque computing and can even convert videos and pictures to 3D. One unique addition you won’t find from RayNeo or Xreal is built-in diopters, which can adjust the display for your vision—this is especially useful for nearsighted people.
Vitre might not be the biggest name in the space right now, but to me, they are a dark horse worth considering.
CMF Clip Pro
There are a ton of ear clip headphones out in the world at this point, so it’s getting hard to tell one from another, but the CMF Clip Pro—the company’s first clip-style wireless earbuds—makes its presence felt with a compelling mix of features, quality, and price.
For $99, you get decent audio, comfort, and even some unique features. The CMF Clip Pro’s case, for example, has a Smart Dial on it, which lets you control playback and volume. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s a quirky twist that helps these clip-style wireless earbuds stand out in an increasingly crowded field.
Plus, did I mention the price? That’s a sum you can justify, especially if these are a second pair of wireless earbuds you intend to use for exercise.
Dreame A3 AWD Pro
Robotic lawnmowers are still imperfect on the whole, but a dose of LiDAR makes the A3 AWD Pro a cut above. Thanks to LiDAR, you can place the dock anywhere without worrying about a satellite signal, which is not something that every homeowner is lucky to have. Lawn mapping works well, too (or at least better than most), though the A3 AWD Pro can be a bit conservative at times.
There are still some issues with object avoidance—in our testing, it had a run-in with a fence—but on the whole, it performed well, leaving an even cut save for some bald spots. At $3,200, this option is overkill for people with smaller yards, but if you’ve got a bigger space, not a great satellite connection, and most importantly, you can spare thousands of dollars, this could be the mower for you. Bonus points if you like Battlestar Galactica.
See A3 AWD Pro Robot Lawn Mower at Amazon
See A3 AWD Pro Robot Lawn Mower at Dreame
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
It’s not often phones feel genuinely exciting anymore, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 really makes its mark on the market. This wide-boy foldable is thin and light, has an awesome AMOLED screen, and the crease is as thin as you’ll find in the foldable phone world.
Not everyone needs or wants a foldable, but if you like to game on your phone or like the idea of multitasking, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is objectively a polished and fun way of doing so. I’ll probably never switch from the iOS ecosystem, but if I were to cross over, it’d be for this phone specifically.
See Galaxy Z Fold 8 at Samsung
Framework Laptop 12
Framework, the company now synonymous with modularity in the laptop world, is giving its Laptop 12 an all-around upgrade. The new Framework Laptop 12 comes with Intel’s Series 3 processors—Core 3, Core 5, or Core 7—and boasts significant improvements to battery life. Framework says the Laptop 12 gets a 70% boost to battery life for video playback compared to older models. There’s also a Linux version this time around, if you’re sick of Windows 11.
