John Kanellakos’ 5 favorite things of 2025

• Surface Pro 12-inch
• Portal
• ROG Xbox Ally Series
• Dell UltraSharp U2725QE
• Mobile World Congress 2025

Somehow, we’re already nearing the end of the 2025 calendar year — and what a year it’s been. From new gizmos and gadgets, to major software updates, the tech industry has been teeming with excitement from January all the way through December.

Here at Pocket-lint, we’re carrying forward the tradition of highlighting our personal favorite things of the year, tech and otherwise. I’ve played around with a number of unique devices throughout the past several months, and I’m thankful to have also had the chance to experience a number of new things in both my personal and professional life, too.

And, so, without any hesitation, here are my five absolute favorite things of 2025.

Surface Pro 12-inch

Windows 11-based computing at its finest

For anyone who has been following my work, it’ll come as no surprise to hear that I’m a big fan of compact tablet PCs. I’m a firm believer in the tablet form factor’s merit, finding it to be superior to traditional clamshell laptops in the vast majority of instances.

The Surface Pro has been one of my personal favorite tablet lines for some time now, though, admittedly, I’ve always preferred the smaller chassis size of Microsoft’s more affordable Surface Go series. Thankfully, my wishes came true in 2025 with the release of the Surface Pro 12-inch.

…I expect the current model to remain my go-to Windows 11 PC well into 2026.

The Surface Pro 12-inch is precisely the hybrid tablet PC I’ve been waiting for, with a small footprint that doesn’t sacrifice on pro-level features. The computer is lightning fast with its ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chipset, and it’s ready for tomorrow’s world of AI with its Copilot+ certification.

Of course, there’s still room for improvement: I’d love to see the next-generation 12-inch Surface Pro adopt an OLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate, an anti-reflective panel coating, human presence detection, a removable SSD, and a full-blow Flex Keyboard accessory to call its own. Nevertheless, I expect the current model to remain my go-to Windows 11 PC well into 2026.

Portal

A tranquil app that helps keep my mind at bay

As a Features Writer here at Pocket-lint, I spend a good deal of time perusing through the hottest new applications to hit the Android, Windows, iOS, iPadOS, and macOS computing platforms. Over time, I’ve come across a great many high-quality apps from third-party developers — both indie and larger-scale — but the one that continues to stand out to me the most is an app called Portal.

In my eyes, Portal is a downright brilliant piece of software. Designed to aid in focus, sleep, and escapism, the app hosts a catalog of scenic nature backdrop ‘portals,’ complete with ambient sounds, including everything from the snowy highlands of Scotland to the scorching hot lava rivers of Iceland. There’s a sleep timer on deck, as well as synced LED smart lighting controls, 3D dynamic spatial audio on supported devices, and much more.

In my eyes, Portal is a downright brilliant piece of software.

I use Portal each and every day as a white noise and screensaver solution while typing away on my keyboard for work, and I also make good use of the Swiss fire log portal in the evenings as part of my wind down routine before bed. I’m a fan of the included ability to mix the app’s audio with other apps on my phone, and I love the app’s overall UI polish.

The one catch with Portal is that it’s an Apple exclusive application, meaning that there’s no Android or Windows support at the time of writing. As someone who switches between ecosystems and platforms on a regular basis as part of my job, I end up missing Portal every time I’m reminded that it’s nowhere to be found on, say, my Microsoft Surface Pro 12 or my Google Pixel 9 Pro.

ROG Xbox Ally Series

A step in the right direction for handheld PC gaming

• 

  Dimensions

  11.45 x 4.78 x 1.99-inches (290.8 x 121.5 x 50.7mm)

  Brand

  Asus

  Weight

  23oz (670g)

  Chipset

  AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor

  RAM

  16GB LPDDR5X-6400

  Storage

  512GB M.2 2280 SSD

  The ROG Xbox Ally is a handheld gaming PC from Asus that runs the Windows 11 operating system, designed in collaboration with Microsoft and Xbox.

• 

  Dimensions

  11.45 x 4.78 x 1.99-inches (290.8 x 121.5 x 50.7mm)

  Brand

  Asus

  Weight

  25oz (715g)

  Chipset

  AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor

  RAM

  24GB LPDDR5X-8000

  Storage

  1TB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade

  The ROG Xbox Ally X is Asus’ latest premium handheld video game console, running Windows 11 and being designed closely with Microsoft and its Xbox division.

In many ways, 2025 has been the year of the handheld gaming PC. Spurred on by the success of the hybrid Nintendo Switch console and its recently-released successor, as well as by the popular Steam Deck portable, we’ve seen new hardware from the Lenovo Legion series, the MSI Claw series, and a few other marquee competitors.

For my money, the most interesting PC handheld of the year is none other than the ROG Xbox Ally (as well as its higher-end ROG Xbox Ally X sister product). Made in collaboration between Asus and Microsoft’s Xbox division, the Xbox Ally series marks Microsoft’s first pseudo-foray into the world of portable gaming.

What makes the Xbox Ally so interesting is that it serves as a halo product for Microsoft’s all-new Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE), which is a new optimized game mode that runs atop of Windows 11. The FSE aims to reduce computational and memory overheads by slashing away startup apps and background services, while improving Windows’ game controller input experience by running the Xbox app in full screen and disabling parts of the OS Shell.

…the Xbox Ally series marks Microsoft’s first pseudo-foray into the world of portable gaming.

Prior to its release, I got to experience the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X first-hand at Gamescom 2025 this year in Cologne, Germany, and I came away rather excited about the future of Windows-based PC gaming as a whole. While it’s true that other PCs are set to receive the FSE in the coming months, the Xbox Ally series still maintains its status as a premier showpiece device.

With the rival Linux-based SteamOS platform continuing to expand in scope, Microsoft certainly has its work cut out for it. Windows is still its own worst enemy when it comes to providing a console-like experience for on-the-go gamers, and so I can’t wait to see further operating system optimizations make their way onto the Xbox Ally and other handhelds sometime in the new year.

Dell UltraSharp U2725QE

My first foray into the world of dual monitor desk setups

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always relied on a single monitor setup for all my desktop computing needs. From the days of big, bulky, and beige CRT tube displays, to the svelteness of my Apple M1 iMac, I’ve always been limited by the confines of four distinct screen corners.

Earlier this year, I finally decided to take the plunge and upgrade my home office. As someone who works from home full-time, it’s important that I optimize my environment to maximize both productivity and comfortability, and so I did my research and ultimately settled on the Dell UltraSharp 27 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor – U2725QE (now that’s a mouth full).

…the monitor’s IPS LCD does have a 3000:1 contrast ratio, which is rather impressive.

In my case, I sprang for the 27-inch U2725QE variant of the product, which offers a 3840 x 2160 4K UHD resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, a height-adjustable stand, and a full array of I/O ports. While not OLED, and thus not quite as vivid when it comes to black levels, the monitor’s IPS LCD does have a 3000:1 contrast ratio, which is rather impressive all things considered.

Of course, the U2725QE isn’t entirely a slam dunk — its plastic outer shell is creaky and wobbly, which is honestly a bit jarring when situated right next to my sturdy aluminum iMac. That being said, now that I’ve been living the dual-screen life, there’s truly no going back: I love having Canva, Google Keep, and Finder open on one display, which leaves me plenty of room to sprawl my CMS, Slack, and Asana windows out across my primary panel.

Mobile World Congress 2025

My first experience at a tech trade show was a memorable one

Back in March of this year, I had the privilege of attending my very first consumer tech industry trade show: Mobile World Congress (MWC). As in previous years, MWC25 took place in Barcelona, Spain, and specifically at the Fira Gran Via convention center near the heart of the city center.

Over the course of MWC25, I got to play around with some incredible and rather funky tech products, I networked and made several new industry connections, I got to meet YouTubers that I’d been watching online for years, and I learned some new tricks of the trade that I simply wasn’t privy to beforehand.

Attending MWC25 was a major milestone for me in both my personal and professional life. I came out of my shell and interacted with many people along the way, despite historically not being the biggest fan of crowded, confined areas. I also managed to overcome my poor sense of direction, finding myself shocked at my ability to zip around the Labyrinthian conference center and all its various zones and briefing areas.

Attending MWC25 was a major milestone for me in both my personal and professional life.

By visiting Barcelona, I also scratched my travel and architecture-loving itch, and I even managed to briefly sneak over to the absolutely phenomenal Basílica de la Sagrada Família located in the downtown area. As the single largest unfinished Roman Catholic cathedral in the world — one that’s been under construction since the 1880s — I found the structure itself to be equal parts visually striking and imposing.

Going into 2026, I hope to take all I’ve learned and experienced at MWC25 forward with me, and I can’t wait to hopefully experience additional trade shows in the future. If you had told me a year ago that I’d be walking across the halls and directly into Honor, Lenovo, and Samsung booths alongside other journalists and media professionals, I wouldn’t have believed you. It just goes to show that it’s always best to expect the unexpected.