While I’m constantly upgrading my tech—this year, I’ve already gotten a new CPU and GPU, and I’ll likely upgrade my TV and add a couple of PC handhelds to my collection—there are some devices I find so good, I have zero desire to ever replace them. I’ll use these gadgets until they disintegrate.
10Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
I’ve been using the first-generation Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro for almost four years now, and I still adore them. I’ve tried about a dozen different wireless buds since, including some heavyweights such as theGalaxy Buds Pro 2and 3,Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, and theAirPods Pro 2, and none have offered a high enough jump in sound quality to warrant replacing my original Buds Pro.
Theiractive noise cancellationis serviceable for my needs (long strolls and bus rides), I’m a rare person who finds them super comfy, and while I’m a bit disappointed with the level of degradation of the battery inside the case, it’s still in good enough shape to top up the buds three times before itself needing a charger. While I’m not a fan of their glossy finish, I’ll use my Galaxy Buds Pro as long as they live.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are the company’s newest flagship earbuds, featuring AI smarts like interpreter mode and voice detection. Expect top-notch audio quality with 10.5mm dynamic drivers paired with 6.1mm planar drivers.
98BitDo Ultimate 2.4G
My 8BitDo Ultimate 2.4G is the best controller I’ve ever used. I love its size and ergonomic design. Its D-pad is one of the best on the market, andI find its bottom paddles handyin most games I play with a controller.
I don’t even know how long it can hold a charge because I always place it on its charging dock when done using it. I don’t need a fancy controller with swappable D-pads and thumbsticks, and I’m positive I’ll use the 8BitDo Ultimate until it falls apart.
8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller
PC and Android gaming controller with TMR joysticks, a tactile D-pad, tactile bumpers, trigger locks, and mappable L4/R4 bumpers and back paddles. It also includes a gyroscope for motion controls.
8Logitech MX Master 3S
A stapleon many tech enthusiasts' desks, the MX Master 3S isan outstanding workhorse mouse. Its ergonomic design makes it one of the most comfortable mice I’ve had the chance of using, and I appreciate its silent clicks when working or browsing the web.
The mouse boasts an impossibly long battery life. It allows me to seamlessly switch between my Windows PC, Mac Mini, andSteam Deckwith the press of a button, and its infinite scroll feature is useful when scrolling through lengthy web pages and articles I reference in my writing.
The MX Master 3S is a nigh-perfect mouse for my work-related needs, and I don’t see myself getting a new one as long as this one is able to keep moving its mouse pointer.
Logitech MX Master 3S
The Logitech MX Master 3S takes a great mouse and makes it even better. Keeping the comfortable form factor that will fit the needs of every user, as long as they’re not left-handed.
7Pulsar Xlite V3
Now, I’m also a pretty serious PC gamer, so I need a gaming mouse in addition to a workhorse. For years, I’d used a Logitech G305, but after trying anultralight gaming mouse, I knew I had to get myself one of those.
Enter the Pulsar Xlite V3, hands down the best andmost comfortablegaming mouse I’ve had the chance to flick around the deskpad.
Its featherweight design and ultra-smooth feet make me feel like I’m aiming directly with my hand. The optical switches found below the buttons are extremely responsive, and the 10-day battery life threw me for a loop in the most positive way possible. I’m never going to replace it.
Pulsar Xlite V3 Mini Gaming Mouse
The Xlite V3 gaming mouse redefines ergonomics with a focus on right-hand palm grips, providing unparalleled comfort for marathon gaming sessions. Connected via 2.4Ghz Wireless, the mouse has a 1ms Report rate thanks to Pixart’s flagship low-power sensor that manages over 100 hours battery life.
6Lofree Flow84
I’ve been a fan of mechanical keyboards for almost a decade now, and if you had told me five years ago that my endgame keyboard would be a low-profile model, I’d have burst out laughing. Yet here we are. TheLofree Flow84is a standout low-profile mechanical keyboard I love to type on. I’ve been using it for over a year, and I still can’t get enough of it.
The PBT keycaps are sculpted in a way that improved my WPM (words per minute) score by about 10, the thocky sound of its full POM Kailh Phantom switches is music to my years, and the keyboard’s top-notch build quality, metal casing, and considerable heft make it feel as premium as any high-endcustom mechanical board. It’s a splendid endgame keyboard.
Lofree Flow
The Lofree Flow is a low-profile mechanical keyboard that features RGB side and back lighting, hot-swappable switches, and an all-aluminum design.
5Apple M4 Mac Mini
The M4 Mac Mini was my entry ticket into the world of macOS, and while I have my share of gripes with Apple’s OS, I find it more stable than any version of Windows, which is important considering the Mac Mini is my primary work machine. But the hardware, the hardware is near-impeccable.
The tiny powerhouseis whisper-quiet no matter what I throw at it. It only uses about 10W of power during my usual workflow (typing in Google Docs and researching the interweb), spiking north of 20W only during batch photo editing in Lightroom Classic.
I love its understated design and condensed footprint, and I’m fairly confident that the amount of power the M4 base chip delivers is ample enough to continue using my M4 Mac Mini as my primary work machine as long as Apple supports it with new OS versions.
Apple Mac Mini (M4)
Powered by an impressive M4 chip, the redesigned Mac Mini starts with 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, a 10-core CPU, and a 10-core GPU.
4Two DIY External SSDs
I’ve never owned an off-the-shelf external SSD, but I’ve built twoDIY external drivesthat perform well enough to use them till they croak.
The first is based on an old Samsung 512GB 850 Evo drive that I retired from my desktop years ago. I needed to back up my Steam Deck when I installed Windows on it (whichI do not recommend doing), so I got myself a $10 external SSD enclosure, and the drive has been chugging along without issues for a couple of years now.
The second is a much beefier unit, combining a 512GB Samsung 980 Pro with a speedy Delock USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 enclosure I assembled to use in my hardware reviews. The thing’s a beast, as long as you’ve got an appropriate USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port to use it with.
I’m impressed with the performance of both units. The slower one works great with my Mac Mini, and the faster one is perfect for transferring game ROMs and other large files between my Desktop PC, Mac Mini, and my PC handhelds. The duo performs like clockwork and covers all my external storage needs.
3Xbox 360
I was itching to play the Xbox 360Forza Motorsportgames, soI snagged a used Xbox 360in early 2025. While I’ve owned the console for less than six months, I’ve already fallen in love with it.
I got an Xbox 360 E variant that remedies every issue found in previous hardware revisions. It’s inaudible even when playing games, packs an overkill cooling setup, and features a 250GB hard drive that can host dozens of X360 games.
I’m still slowly chipping away atForza Motorsport 2(what a humongous game!), andTop Spin 4’sCareer mode and I have more than a dozen games in the backlog. I hope the console will stay alive until I finish every Xbox 360 game I plan to check out, which will take me at least half a decade if I keep at it at the same pace.
2HyperX Cloud II
When I want to listen to some music while my partner’s around, I always reach for my Galaxy Buds Pro, and I nearly always prefer using my computer speakers over my headset when gaming or watching videos.
But every few months, I get an itch for someCall of Duty, Battlefront II, orBattlefield, and that’s when my HyperX Cloud II headset takes center stage.
The sound quality is stunning for a pair of cans that can be considered a budget gaming headset. The mic is serviceable enough for my needs, and the build quality is so high that I have no doubt the headset will outlast most of the gadgets mentioned here.
In all honesty, I don’t need anything better than this, since I’m not a frequent multiplayer gamer or someone who puts on the headset as soon as they sit at their computer desk. Even this headset was overkill when I bought it, but I wanted something well-made, and the HyperX Cloud II more than delivered.
1UGREEN 9-in-1 Steam Deck Docking Station
The UGREEN 9-in-1 dock is one of thebest PC handheld docksyou can get, and it does its job commendably. It packs a massive selection of ports, works great even with thick devices such as the ROG Ally X, and I don’t need anything beefier when docking one of my handheld PCs to my monitor.
It supports up to 100W ofUSB Power Delivery, so it will keep pace with any future handheld PC I might get, and its HDMI 2.0 port can push 100Hz at my monitor’s native 3440x1440p resolution.
That’s overkill for my needs, which include occasionally hooking up a PC handheld to the monitor for troubleshooting or performing tasks that are much easier to do with a mouse and keyboard, so I hope the dock will outlive my current crop of PC handhelds.
