Did your smart thermostat creep you out, or your new washing machine ruin your best jeans? These are the most loved and hated gadgets people purchased last year.
That slow cooker may have saved the day when it came to making dinner, but did your fitness tracker make you depressed? Did you get angry at your food processor?
Some popular products consumers bought in 2021 included sleep masks, ear buds, tv sticks, dog jackets, posture correctors, air fryers and massage guns, according to published reports.
And apparently, some of the gadgets people bought in 2021 elicited strong emotions, if emojis are any indicator.
Discovering that your new food processor isn’t water tight or that there’s really nothing to watch on Apple TV might send you to Facebook or elsewhere to gripe about your purchase.
That spurred the data pros at RentCafe, an apartment search website, to analyze 747,000 Facebook emoji reactions (excluding likes) to around 2 million articles regarding more than 70 popular home gadgets and electronics in order to uncover the items that stirred the strongest emotions in 2021.
They ranked the items by the highest percentages of Facebook reactions (love 😍, sad 😢, angry 😠, funny 😂 and wow 😲, to the articles in which the purchases were mentioned in the past year.
It should be noted that in 2021 the 😂 emoji was declared uncool by younger generations, according to CNN. Many Gen Z-ers, those born between 1997-2012, use the 💀 emoji (as in dying of laughter) which was not included in this ranking.
These are the most loved and hated gadgets.
Most Loved Gadgets
Of all items analyzed, the following gadgets gathered the highest percentage of “love” reactions on Facebook:
Gel nail kit
96% 😍
For those who don’t know, gel-based nail polish uses a UV light to cure the polish and lock it onto your nails so they last longer, but the American Academy of Dermatology says gel polishes can cause nail brittleness, peeling and cracking.
Most Loved Gadgets
Graphic tablet
92% 😍
Keeping your kid occupied for just $298 more than the cost of a paper and crayon—it’s a hit.
Most Loved Gadgets
Kindle
89% 😍
Most Loved Gadgets
IPL hair remover
89% 😍
Intense pulsed light is a technology used by cosmetic and medical practitioners to perform various skin treatments, including hair removal. Now you can buy one of your own.
Most Loved Gadgets
Smart air fryer
88% 😍
The ‘smart’ version allows you to control the fryer through an Alexa or other assistant, or remotely from your phone.
Williams-Sonoma
Most Loved Gadgets
Slow cooker
88% 😍
Most Loved Gadgets
Vinyls
86% 😍
Most Loved Gadgets
Curling iron
86% 😍
Most Loved Gadgets
Electric kettle
85% 😍
Most Loved Gadgets
Flat iron
83% 😍
Gadgets That Brought Joy
The following gadgets gathered the highest percentage of “haha” or “tears of joy” reactions on Facebook:
Anti-snoring device
89% 😂
They run the gamut from chin straps and lavender oils to nasal strips and CPAP machines.
Gadgets That Brought Joy
Beard trimmer
89% 😂
Gadgets That Brought Joy
Smart light bulb
83% 😂
It’s another thing you can control with your phone or home assistant to brighten, dim or change colors.
Wyze
Gadgets That Brought Joy
Hair clipper
68% 😂
Gadgets That Brought Joy
VR headset
65% 😂
Gadgets That Brought Joy
Wifi router
60% 😂
Gadgets That Brought Joy
Soap dispenser
59% 😂
Gadgets That Brought Joy
Apple Airtag
59% 😂
Ever wish there was a ‘search’ command or ‘control-F’ for the elusive inanimate objects in your life? As they should have done 10 years ago, Apple has come up with a totally not-at-all-creepy tracking device designed to act as a key or wallet finder. Apple says your stalker or jealous spouse can’t use one against you—your iPhone will notice if someone else’s Airtag is traveling with you and send you an alert.
Shutterstock
Gadgets That Brought Joy
Airpods
56% 😂
Gadgets That Brought Joy
PlayStation 5
52% 😂
Saddest Gadgets
The following items gathered the highest percentage of “sad” reactions on Facebook:
Pet camera
77% 😢
The sight of our own pets whining with loneliness when we’re away is a tear-jerker.
Saddest Gadgets
Fitness tracker
49% 😢
Some research has found that trackers are judgy, can lead to anxiety, can actually reduce motivation, and in one study, 30% of users felt that Fitbit was an enemy and made them feel guilty.
Saddest Gadgets
Washing machine
38% 😢
Was it the lost socks? The red shirt that got mixed into the whites? Or was it that the price of washer and dryer sets are up nearly 20%? 😢
Saddest Gadgets
Memory card
19% 😢
Saddest Gadgets
Electric scooter
19% 😢
Most Infuriating Gadgets
The following gadgets gathered the highest percentage of “angry” reactions on Facebook:
Food processor
38% 😠
Most Infuriating Gadgets
Smart thermostat
31% 😠
Maybe it gives you the feeling that you’re not home alone, but problems that can arise from these devices include software glitches and dead batteries, as well as “power stealing” smart thermostats that can cause your HVAC system to malfunction, according to one HVAC company in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
Most Infuriating Gadgets
Memory card
29% 😠
Most Infuriating Gadgets
Fitness tracker
23%😠
Most Infuriating Gadgets
Apple TV
19% 😠
Some of the gadgets that elicited the most ‘wow’ reactions 😲 included:
smart doorbells- 44% 😲smart thermostat- 39% 😲baby monitors- 32% 😲memory cards and smart refrigerators, both 28% 😲
Check out the methodology for this ranking at RentCafe.
