My Personal Top 5 Best Buys of 2025
I did not write a best-buys entry in 2024, but if I had, it would probably have been the Vision Pro. That personal interest continued, and in 2025 I bought many accessories and related items around XR. So here are my top five best buys of 2025.
5th Place: Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds
Fifth place is the Apple AirPods 4. Specifically, the version with noise cancellation. I bought them during Amazon's Black Friday sale. Until now I had stubbornly kept using EarPods, but I started going to the gym this year, so I chose AirPods 4 for that. After using them, the noise cancellation turned out to be very effective and makes it easier to concentrate. Sometimes I wear them during work without playing music. I feel like I should have bought them sooner, but maybe now was the right time.
4th Place: Raymay Fujii Keyword A5 Slim Brown System Planner
Fourth place is a system planner, and not an especially expensive one. I bought it at Loft. The size and thickness are just right for me, so it is easy to carry around. I use 2 mm grid refills. I have bought paper planners in the past and repeatedly given up on them, but I think that was because I was unclear about what I wanted to write in them. This year I started journaling. I have already kept it going for several months, and I think I am able to record fuzzy things there. I have continued managing day-to-day work tasks in Notion for several years.
3rd Place: Even G1
Third place is the Even G1. At the start of 2025, this was not a product line I planned to buy at all. But in the end, 2025 became a year of smart glasses / AI glasses. I bought it fairly early and was also able to build my own app for it early on. It also awakened me to the direction of using Web Bluetooth, so in the end I can say it was a good device to buy.
2nd Place: PGYTECH OneGo Lite Camera Backpack
Second place is PGYTECH's OneGo Lite camera backpack. It was a gift from my wife. The thing I had been struggling with when bringing the Vision Pro and a VR180 camera to events was the bag. The PGYTECH OneGo Lite has separate upper and lower storage areas, and both can protect devices with padding. The lower section also lets you use dividers in detail, so putting the camera below and the Vision Pro above makes everything very easy to handle. You can also take the camera out from the side. It can store a tripod as well, which is convenient. On top of that, it looks casual and not too much like a camera bag, which is also good.
1st Place: EOS R5 Mark II + RF5.2mm F2.8 L DUAL FISHEYE
First place is the EOS R5 Mark II + RF5.2mm F2.8 L DUAL FISHEYE. This was my most expensive purchase of the year. It was not something I originally planned to buy either, but as my interest in exploring VR180 video grew, I happened to receive an opportunity to buy it from an industry colleague. If I had not bought this, the EOS R50 V would probably have been my best buy. Since it is a high-end model, the body is bulky and heavy. I only bought it recently, so I hope to get more used to this camera in 2026.