10 Of The Coolest New Gadgets You’ll Want For Your Desk – BGR

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For those of us who spend a lot of time in front of computers, our desks need to be organized, functionally useful, and have reliable everyday products on them. There are plenty of useful USB gadgets out there to level up your workspace, but sometimes you need gear that brings a bit of personality and high-tech edge to the setup. When your desk feels uninspired, the daily monotonous work can start to feel like even more of a slog.

This is why we’ve rounded up some of the coolest new desktop gadgets of the year. The idea here is to help you find products that turn a standard workstation into a setup that actually gets you excited to sit down and start your day. Of course, the novelty will wear off eventually, which is why we’re including products that serve a real purpose long after the honeymoon phase is over.

When it comes to useful products, the term “cool” shouldn’t be synonymous with “gimmicky.” This is why most of the products on this list are essential tech accessories, and our reasons for choosing them can be found at the bottom of this article. Since we’re focusing on new releases, these gadgets aren’t expected to become outdated anytime soon.

There is plenty of research out there that supports the idea that optimal lighting improves productivity. However, lighting your desk directly, especially over the keyboard and mouse area, can be difficult. A traditional lamp can often be too harsh, but something like the Benq ScreenBar Halo 2 can be the perfect solution.

According to How-To Geek’s review, the ScreenBar Halo 2 is one of the best monitor light bars out there. It works with a wide variety of monitors, compatible with displays ranging from 0.17-inch to 2.36-inch thick. Once attached to the top of your monitor, it provides flicker-free illumination that helps reduce glare and eye strain. The Halo 2 can get incredibly bright, a bit over 1000 lux, and it features a proximity sensor that turns the light on automatically when you sit down.

Compared to the original Halo, the ScreenBar Halo 2 has a better clamp, wider coverage, and significantly better rear backlighting. That rear backlight adds a soft ambient glow behind the monitor, adding more light to your workspace. It also comes with a wireless controller that provides adjustments to brightness and color temperature. It’s expensive, but if you don’t care about the backlighting feature, the ScreenBar Pro is a more affordable option.

The Logitech MX Master series is the gold standard when it comes to productivity mice, and the MX Master 4 is no different. It features a new silicone build, which, as we mentioned in our review, appears to be more rugged and built to last longer. The previous MX Master mice featured a rubberized coating, but this textured hard plastic shell with silicone grips on the MX Master 4 feels premium in the hand.

Logitech added a new customizable thumb button, sitting directly in front of the back/forward side button. You can use this new button to create macro shortcuts, customizable through the Logitech Options+ software. The MX Master 4 also adds an Actions Ring and haptic feedback. The Actions Ring gives you a customizable dial on your screen for quick shortcuts to apps or other controls, while the haptic feedback adds some tactility to the experience.

Other than all these flashy new features, it’s the same reliable mouse brand we know and love. Both the main and horizontal scroll wheels are high-quality, and the MagSpeed scroll with its precision ratcher mode and high-speed free scrolling is just as good. Finally, you can connect it to three devices at once and switch between them with the press of a button.

Mechanical keyboards are all the rage among gamers and tech enthusiasts. However, because of their often loudness, they can be distracting in an office environment. The Satechi SM3 doesn’t have this problem, as it features low-profile brown switches that are satisfying yet relatively quiet.

We praised the aesthetics and typing experience of this keyboard in our detailed review, and the battery life can last for months if you disable backlighting. It comes in two colorways: white-and-gray or black-and-gray, with both options having dual-tone keycaps. We like the overall unique and sleek appearance, as it fits perfectly into any office environment without being boring.

The stabilizers under the delete, return, space bar, and shift keys feel solid, and the overall typing is very comfortable for long sessions. You can connect the Satechi SM3 to up to four devices and switch between them instantly with keyboard shortcuts. It even works with iPads and iPhones. The only thing missing here is Touch ID, as seen on Apple’s Magic Keyboard. Otherwise, it provides a better typing experience by a long shot.

The Baeus Inspire XH1 are some of the best budget wireless headphones you can buy. With active noise cancellation enabled, these headphones can last up to 65 hours, and up to 100 hours with ANC off. The headband features soft vegan leather, and the earpads sit soft and deeply over your ears.

One of the major features highlighted by Baseus here is “Sound by Bose.” This translates to a V-shaped sound, with exaggerated bass and a bit of a midrange dip. They sound enjoyable out of the box, working well with hip-hop, rock, and bass-heavy music. If you prefer a more neutral sound, though, you can tune the EQ with the app for clearer treble and mids.

In our review, we noted that while the active noise cancellation works well enough, it’s not the most effective at cutting out something like engine noise on a flight. However, it’s great while working at a desk, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better overall package at this price. Anker’s Soundcare Space One Pro headphones come close, but they’re pricier and don’t have the excellent battery life of the Baseus Inspire XH1.

Charging isn’t exactly the most “exciting” aspect of any desk space, but the Anker Nano Charging station certainly makes things more interesting. This all-in-one solution is unique because it features up to 100W of power from all USB-C ports/cables and a sleek LED display at the front. This screen shows the amount of power going to connected devices, current charge, and temperature.

However, the more useful design element here is the inclusion of two retractable USB-C cables. With up to 100W of power, these can fast charge your phone, wireless earbuds, mouse, and anything else you have on your desk. When you’re done with them, they retract neatly into the side of the station. On the right, you’ll find a USB-C port and a USB-A port that you can plug your own cables into. Finally, you get three AC ports at the back to plug in your monitors, speakers, or even a lamp.

Apart from the overall usability, it’s a sleek-looking addition to the desk. It has a glossy finish, minimal branding, and a soft-touch material on top. This one doesn’t have any video passthrough outputs, so you’ll want to consider something like the Anker 568 Docking Station if that’s what you’re looking for.

MagSafe accessories always make for cool iPhone gadgets, and it just so happens that a lot of them are also made for the desk. The ESR 3-in-1 Charging Station can charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods all at the same time, with a dedicated charging spot for each device. It supports the Qi2.2 wireless charging standard, meaning it can charge your iPhone wirelessly at 25W. The MagSafe charging spot for your phone also has a CryoBoost feature, an active cooling solution that prevents overheating. It also supports the iPhone’s underrated StandBy Mode.

This charging station comes with a 50W wall charger and a Type-C cable out of the box. At the base, you’ll find a 5W magnetic charging pod for your AirPods, and a 5W charging module for the Apple Watch that sits behind the iPhone charger. Conveniently, this Apple Watch charging module is detachable and plugs into any USB-C charger, and you can even plug it into a MacBook’s Type-C port. A great feature for those who travel often.

The ESR 3-in-1 Charging Station is available in black and white finishes. ESR also makes a 100W 6-in-1 version that can charge more devices — your iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, iPad, MacBook, and even a power bank.

Leather desk mats can look incredibly clean, but they’re often not the best for mouse performance. If you care about gaming, a leather desk mat won’t be the best for accurate mouse tracking, and they often have issues with handling heat. The TopMade Mouse Pad is a more classic and hassle-free solution for most people, and it has some cool, useful features.

TopMade makes a few versions of these, but the one we’re recommending has dedicated spots for wirelessly charging your earbuds and phone. The phone charger folds up to hold your phone vertically, and while it’s not magnetic, the slight lip at the edge keeps the phone in place. Other than that, it has a smooth top surface, anti-slip rubber coating at the bottom, and anti-fray stitching.

The extra-large size means there’s more than enough space for your mouse and keyboard, even with the wireless chargers. It’s also relatively easy to clean because of the anti-spill, water-resistant coating.

Most picture frames are designed for the living room, but the Divoom Timesframe is built as eyecandy for the desk. It features a large 10.1-inch vertical display, 64GB of built-in storage, and a highly unique design. The appearance is a blend of steampunk and cyberpunk: adjustable LED-lit tubing, exposed screws, functional dials that control brightness and backlighting.

Using the Divoom app (no subscription required), you can browse through clock faces, artwork, widgets, and plenty of pre-built dashboards to keep your desk from feeling stagnant. A big draw for content creators is the ability to display real-time social media stats, like a live YouTube subscriber count. It can even be used to keep an eye on stock market tickers, crypto prices, live sports scores, or even just the weather.

Another cool feature is that if you’re buying this for your partner, you can send them instant notes to the display from the app. It’s expensive ($200), but it offers a lot of versatility beyond the striking design.

The Obsbot Tiny SE is a part of the new wave of “AI webcams,” but before you disregard it after hearing that buzzword, give it a chance. It features advanced hand tracking, multi-person group tracking, and customizable zone tracking, all of which are dedicated to keeping you (and others) in the frame without having to touch the camera.

While the output is limited to 1080p, PCMag’s review praised it for its stellar image quality. The design is sleek and modern, and it can sit on top of any monitor while staying out of your way. Its camera sensor sits on top of a gimbal, which supports mechanical pan and tilt. The auto-framing features work well, and you can use the Obsbot Center software to control auto focus, exposure, white balance, and more.

At just $100, it’s a great investment if you’re involved in a lot of meetings, and it’s not too shabby for streaming either. Obsbot also makes 4K versions, namely the Tiny 2 and Tiny 2 Lite. If you don’t care about the gimbal, the Meet 2 4K is also a good value.

The Marshall Middleton II is a great Bluetooth speaker for anyone who cares about good soundstage and long battery life. Similar to the original Middleton, it has a rectangular design, but with a more rugged exterior this time around. It has an IP67 rating, meaning it can handle dust and water splashes without much issue. Due to its form factor, it can blend in seamlessly on most desks.

In our review, we praised the overall sound quality and long battery life. The Middleton II sounds great across a wide variety of genres, and it gets plenty loud even at just 50% volume. Marshall claims over 30 hours of battery life, and we found that it can last the entire week. Using Marshall’s app, you can choose from the many EQ presets or even make your own. The speaker also supports Auracast, a new Bluetooth feature that lets you add additional supported speakers for more sound sources.

If outdoors, you can use the speaker as a power bank to charge your phone. You also get a built-in microphone for phone calls. Overall, while the Middleton II may not be as impressive in sound as the Marshall Killburn III, it’s more portable and has better durability.

Rather than just grabbing items that look “cool” from Amazon, we enforced some strict editorial filters to make sure the included products are worth the cash and desk space. First, we established the “New” rule. Every single item on this list has a release date somewhere between late 2024 and 2025. This was to ensure that we were focusing on what contemporary gadgets have to offer.

As for the “cool” factor, each gadget has at least one unique point. We specifically looked for gadgets that have at least one killer feature that justify it over their counterparts. For example, the ESR 3-in-1 Charging Station has active cooling, and the Divoom Timesframe has a bold, unique design distinct from other digital picture frames. 

After vetting for release date and uniqueness, all gadgets were judged on core utility and function. Each gadget has tangible, non-gimmicky utility that either solves a real problem or offers reliable functionality for everyday use. Finally, the scope focuses on accessible desk gadgets, ignoring expensive investments like monitors or ergonomic chairs. Those are bigger investments that deserve their own separate discussion.