Foldable smartphones are becoming mainstream, laptops are equipped with dedicated artificial intelligence chips, and Europe is imposing new rules on generative models. This year’s high-tech trends are not just a list of spectacular gadgets. They reflect a deeper shift in how we use our devices daily.
AI PCs and integrated NPUs: hardware catches up with software
Have you noticed that your word processor or photo editing software now offers “smart” features? Behind these options lies the need for computing power. Until recently, this power came from remote servers in the cloud. The problem: latency, network dependency, and privacy concerns.
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The novelty is the arrival of a specialized chip directly in the laptop. It’s called NPU, for Neural Processing Unit. Its role is to execute artificial intelligence tasks locally, without sending your data to a remote server.
Microsoft has formalized this trend with the “Copilot+ PC” category, which sets a minimum threshold for embedded AI performance for manufacturers. Tech enthusiasts following these developments on geekosys.fr have noticed that major brands (Lenovo, Dell, HP, Asus) now offer complete ranges of laptops equipped with an NPU, whether they are Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm chips.
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What does this change in practice? Three uses are already emerging:
- Real-time translation during a video conference, without a stable internet connection, directly on the device.
- AI-assisted photo and video editing (background removal, sharpness enhancement) that works offline, even on a long-haul flight.
- Local assistants capable of summarizing a document or sorting files without transmitting the content to a cloud service.
The AI PC is no longer a marketing concept; it is a standardized hardware category. This shift towards local processing redistributes the cards among processor manufacturers and raises questions about the obsolescence of current machines.
European AI Act: the regulation that changes tech products in France
When we talk about innovation, we rarely think about regulation. Yet, this year, it is a legal text that is reshaping the tech offerings available in Europe.
The AI Act, formally adopted in 2024, will gradually come into effect in 2025. This European regulation imposes specific obligations on publishers of AI systems intended for the general public. Generative models (those that produce text, images, or sound) must now comply with transparency and risk management obligations.
For companies developing these tools, this means documenting how their models work, clearly indicating when content is generated by AI, and implementing safeguards against high-risk uses. Several major players are already adjusting their offerings for the European market with specific configurations.
What this means for a user in France
An AI generative tool sold in Europe will not operate quite like its American or Asian version. Some features may be restricted or accompanied by mandatory notices. Europe is becoming a tech market with its own rules.
This regulatory framework also encourages French and European companies to develop sovereign alternatives. The term “digital sovereignty” frequently comes up in discussions around cloud and AI systems, translating into concrete investments in local infrastructures.
Foldable smartphones and transparent screens: beyond the gadget
Why talk about screens in 2025 when we discuss them every year? Because this generation is reaching a level of real usage.
Foldable smartphones, notably led by Motorola (with the Razr 60 Ultra) and Honor, are no longer reserved for wealthy early adopters. Prices are dropping, and above all, the hinges and screen folds are becoming more durable. A well-designed foldable now lasts several years without a visible mark in the center of the screen.
On the side of transparent screens, LG made an impression at CES with its Signature OLED T model. The idea: a television that, when off, resembles a window. The integration into an interior becomes invisible. This type of product remains expensive, but it illustrates a design direction where technology fades into the decor rather than imposing itself.
Connected health: the sensor that goes unnoticed
In the same logic of miniaturization, connected health devices are advancing. Withings has introduced the Beamo, a compact device capable of measuring temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and performing an electrocardiogram.
What is new is not each sensor taken in isolation. It is their convergence into a single accessible consumer device. We are moving from a collection of specialized gadgets to a unified health tracking tool that can be used without medical training.
Tech trends to remember: sovereign cloud and enhanced physical security
Two more discreet movements deserve attention this year. The first concerns the cloud. European companies are investing in distributed infrastructures to reduce their dependence on American hyperscalers. This movement, accelerated by the European regulatory framework, is also affecting French SMEs that are rethinking their data hosting.
The second concerns physical security. Surveillance and access control systems now integrate AI analysis layers capable of detecting abnormal behaviors in real-time. Physical security is becoming a tech domain in its own right, with its own cycles of innovation and challenges related to personal data protection.
These two trends share a common point: they concern less the end consumer than the systems on which their digital daily life relies. We do not see them, but they condition the reliability, speed, and confidentiality of all the services we use every day.
This tech year stands out less for a star product than for the simultaneous maturation of several layers: hardware (NPU), software (local AI), regulation (AI Act), and infrastructure (sovereign cloud). The most sustainable innovations are often those we end up not noticing because they just work.