Tech wrapped 2025: From browser wars to slimmer flagships, everything that defined the year

2025 was the year we got to witness Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its glory, smoothly integrating into our work and personal lives. However, alongside AI, several tech moments defined the year, such as hype for slim and compact phones, the introduction of smart glasses in India, and much more. Alongside the new services and products, what caught our attention was AI image generation across AI tools. Now, on the final day of 2025, we recap the standout moments in tech from the year.

Tech recap 2025

AI image generation: This year, several tech companies, specifically OpenAI and Google, launched their AI image generation models for their chatbots, ChatGPT, Gemini or X-owned Grok. These AI models created a huge wave of AI image generation, starting with Ghiblification of photos, retro-saree and Bollywood looks, 3D figurines, portraits, and whatnot. The youth embraced the tool with enthusiasm, quickly turning it into a popular trend across social media platforms.

Slim and compact phones: Another tech trend that kicked off this year was the era of slim and compact phones. At the start of the year, we witnessed the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and the Tecno Pova Slim. Later, Apple launched the iPhone Air, which was the slimmest iPhone ever, measuring 5.5mm. On the other hand, compact phones like the OnePlus 13s and Vivo X200 FE also made headlines for offering flagship features in a smaller form factor.

AI agents: Apart from resolving user queries and simplifying tasks, AI has gained autonomous capabilities to plan and execute tasks. Some of the key highlights were Agents like Claude 3.5 Sonnet and OpenAI Operator, with the ability to book travel, shop, and fill out forms. We also witnessed the rise of specialised assistants like Manus and Google's Project Astra for smart glasses. Now, in the coming years, we may see deeper integration of AI agents in day-to-day tasks.

Rise of smart glasses: In 2025, smart glasses went mainstream with the Meta Ray-Ban series. In addition, these AI glasses also gained multimodal capabilities with AI understanding input with voice, images, and possibly gestures. Google also previewed Project Astra, where an AI assistant is integrated into the future smart glasses.

AI browsers: Another AI trend which viral or became the talk of the town was the AI browser putting Google Chrome in tough spots. We witnessed the launch of Perplexity Comet and OpenAI Atlas, which created a huge wave of excitement around AI-driven search experiences. However, it also created debate around Chrome having a traditional browsing experience, despite integrating AI Mode into its search interface.