Here at Men’s Health HQ, we trial a lot of tech. From the latest smartwatches and waterproof earbuds to next-gen sleep gadgets and recovery tools, if you’ve seen it, we’ve probably taken it for a lap of the block.
But we can be a sceptical bunch, too. After all, if there were half as many ‘game-changers’ as the marketing suggests, we’d all be elite athletes by now, right?
That said, some stuff does impress us. And over the past 12 months, we’ve been compiling a list of our favourite bits and pieces. Welcome to the 2025 instalment of the Men’s Health Tech Awards.
Best GPS Sports Watch
Garmin Fēnix 8
Now 25% Off
Garmin’s smartest ever multisports watch has everything you need to train for, track and boss any sporting challenge. With tools such as offline Spotify, contactless payments and new messenger comms – all behind a bright, pin-sharp Apple Watch-esque touchscreen – it’s good for daily life, too.
The laceless, spray-on uppers on these groundbreaking running shoes are ultra-thin and shape perfectly to your foot. Plus, a plated, superfoam midsole makes for a fast, high-energy ride.
Best stationary bike
Zwift Ride with Kickr Core
This all-in-one indoor cycling set-up throws you into Zwift’s virtual worlds in seconds. You get a real-ride feel with quiet, customisable gear shifting and automatic in-game gradient changes.
Part tracker, part coach, these goggles count your strokes and laps, then beam your stats HUD-style over the lenses. They also monitor form and serve up real-time technique tips for your stroke.
Multigym, spotter and PT: Vitruvian’s space-saving resistance system offers tailored, video-guided, total-body workouts. Clever algorithms adjust your sessions based on performance.
Best budget-friendly smartwatch
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro
Now 15% Off
A stylish smartwatch with real fitness credentials. The GT 5 Pro’s new suite of biosensors provide detailed intel on everything from workout performance to sleep and general health.
Shokz bone-conduction headphones keep you tuned into the outside world and locked into your workout with boosted bass, a secure earhook fit and 12 hours’ playback.
Best headphones
Sennheiser HD 620S Headphones
Brilliantly comfortable for lengthy commutes, these closed-back cans serve up airy, detailed, smooth sound. Perfect ear gear for cutting distractions when you need to tune in or zone out.
Best android tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Now 25% Off
The closest you’ll get to a total laptop replacement, Samsung’s powerful, bigscreen iPad Pro alternative is blazing fast and makes light work of your to-do list and streaming flicks.
Lumie’s dimmable, SAD-busting lamp sits sleekly on your desk, pumping out 10,000 lux, mimicking regular daylight to boost your mood and focus, and keep the dark-day blues away.
Best compact coffee machine
Smeg BCC13 Bean to Cup Coffee Machine
This neat bean-to-cup machine preps 10 different coffees at a single press – everything from espressos to macchiatos. It even froths your milk and tells you when it’s time to descale.
The smartest iPhone yet with the largest ever display is not just a pretty face. Apple Intelligence powers smarter SIRI, voice transcription and photo clean up while new camera controls and a second 48MP Ultra Wide camera snaps even better stills and Reels.
Good sleep is the ultimate health hack. This smart mattress tracks your sleep, then uses your nightly vitals to tweak the temperature and help you kip better.
Best shake maker
NutriBullet Portable Blender
Now 20% Off
A fuss-free way to shake up your recovery nutrition, Nutribullet’s 71g battery powered blitzer is portable enough for your gym bag.
Strap this to any part of your body and let red light therapy help reduce joint pain and inflammation, and boost your body’s bouncebackability.
More discreet than a watch and crammed full of clever biotech, this ring serves up daily reads on activity balance, sleep efficiency, recovery and much more.
Best Portable Cold Plunge
Want the ice bath benefits without bringing your own ice? This small footprint plunge connects to a phone-controllable chiller, swallows humans up to 6’ 9” and still folds down for easy porting. You can get a heater, too.
Weighing only 39g andshooting 4K video with voice and gesture control, this tiny action cam is brilliantly versatile.
Meta’s streamlined headset blends real and virtual worlds. Get lost in more than 500 games and studio fitness sessions.
Best new portable speaker
The new Beats Pill has a bigger woofer for boosted bass, better sound and rocks 24 hours of playback – all in a super-durable package.
Best new console
PlayStation PlayStation 5 Pro
It’s pricey, but PlayStation’s specced-up Pro console is built for ardent gamers who want blazing-fast load times and silky-smooth 120fps.
Drones don’t come easier to carry or operate than this 125g, foldable flying movie maker. Launch it in seconds from the palm of your hand and snare high quality killer aerial and follow shots in 2.7k Ultra HD.
Best Table Tennis Table
Cornilleau Play-Style Origin Table Tennis Table
A perfect piece of analogue tech, Cornilleau’s outdoor ping pong table has enough subtle styling to seamlessly double as your garden dining set-up and the toughness to withstand the British weather.
A 53-time marathon finisher, 14-time ultramarathoner (including a top 100 position in the Marathon des Sables) and cofounder of The Run Testers, a YouTube running gear reviews channel, Kieran has been testing the latest running gear for more than a decade. A sub-3 marathon runner, you’ll find him covering everything from virtual reality and smart scales to the latest health trackers. Kieran is also passionate about using the latest technology to hack his health in search of marginal gains and you’ll always find him with a running watch on either wrist.
Scarlett Wrench is the Senior Editor at Men’s Health UK.
With more than 12 years’ experience as a health and lifestyle editor, Scarlett has a keen interest in new science, emerging trends, mental well-being, and food and nutrition. For Men’s Health, she has carried out extensive research into areas such as wellness in the workplace, male body image, the paradoxes of modern masculinity, and mental health among school-age boys.
Her words have also appeared in Women’s Health, Runner’s World and The Sunday Times.
The editors of Men’s Health are your personal conduit to the top experts in the world on all things important to men: health, fitness, style, sex, and more.
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