In August 2025, Tom’s Guide unveiled its annual Hero Awards, celebrating the year’s most groundbreaking technologies across innovation, sustainability, design, and AI. These winners redefine how we interact with tech—both smart and mindful ([turn0news12]).
🌟 Best New Product: Gemini Live
Google’s Gemini Live earned the "Best New Product" award. This AI-powered video chatbot adapts to its environment, interpreting images, documents, and real‑world surroundings in real time. Users can share a scene or document, and Gemini Live responds by explaining or guiding—effectively turning your smartphone into an all-knowing assistant ([turn0news12]).
🧠 Innovation Award: Asus ROG Flow Z13
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 took the "Innovation Award" for breaking barriers in portable gaming. It combines an AMD Ryzen AI Max APU with a 180 Hz Mini‑LED display to deliver top-tier performance in a tablet form factor. Impressively, it handles high-frame-rate games like Cyberpunk 2077 at over 90 fps—showcasing power and portability in one device ([turn0news12]).
🏢 Best Company: Anthropic
Named "Best Company", Anthropic stood out for its AI safety-first approach. With models like Claude Sonnet 4 and Opus 4, it leads in responsible AI development. The company emphasizes transparency, explainability, and maintaining trust—making its AI among the most respected in the field ([turn0news12]).
🌿 Sustainability in Tech: Framework Laptop 12
The "Framework Laptop 12" won the sustainability award for its modular, repairable design. Users can upgrade or fix components themselves via embedded QR guides, boosting the device’s longevity and reducing e-waste—a powerful model for future tech education and repair culture ([turn0news12]).
🎨 Best Product Design: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 earned the "Best Product Design" award. At just 8.9 mm folded and 4.2 mm unfolded, it’s remarkably thin for a foldable. Its redesigned hinge minimizes crease visibility while increasing durability. Combined with premium materials and weight reduction, it's the sleekest foldable phone yet ([turn0news12]).
🔍 Why These Winners Matter
Tom’s Guide Hero Awards showcase the intersection of:
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Human-centered innovation (Gemini Live’s real‑time context awareness).
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Portable power and performance (ROG Flow Z13’s fusion of tablet form and gaming muscle).
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Ethical AI leadership (Anthropic’s emphasis on explainability and safety).
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Repair-focused hardware design (Framework Laptop’s modular ethos).
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Elegant foldable tech (Galaxy Z Fold 7’s refined mechanics and usability—but lightweight and practical) ([turn0search2], [turn0search4]).
🧒 Easy Summary for Class 3 Kids
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Tom’s Guide Hero Awards choose the best new tech of 2025.
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Gemini Live is a video AI buddy that sees what you show it and answers!
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Asus ROG Flow Z13 is a small tablet that plays big games fast.
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Anthropic is a smart AI company that cares about safety.
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Framework Laptop 12 you can open, fix, and upgrade yourself—helping the planet.
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Galaxy Z Fold 7 folds like magic—it’s super thin and fancy.
🔗 Helpful Outbound Links
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📖 Full Hero Awards coverage: Tom’s Guide lists top innovations like Gemini Live, ROG Flow Z13, Anthropic, Framework Laptop 12, Galaxy Z Fold 7 ([turn0news12]).
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📰 Overall Awards recap: complete winners from consumer tech, fitness, AI, gaming, and appliances ([turn0news14]).
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🧐 Additional list: top winners across 12 categories, from phones to home gadgets ([turn0search4]).