Tom’s Guide Awards 2020: Here are the nominees!

Tom's Guide Awards 2020
(Image credit: Future)

The Tom’s Guide Awards 2020 will honor the best products of the tech world, from hot new smartphones and 8K TVs to the apps and services that make everyday life easier and more fun. And after weeks of sifting through the hottest gadgets and software, we’ve settled on our shortlists for every key category.

All of the finalists for the Tom’s Guide Awards bring something exciting to the table, whether it’s a groundbreaking foldable display, a smartwatch with critical health tracking features, or simply a really gorgeous design. We’ve also nominated products that are simply a great value, as being able to find great tech for a bargain is more important than ever right now.

Read on for our full lists of nominees for the Tom’s Guide Awards 2020, including headline categories such as Best Innovation and Best Design as well as product-specific categories such as best smartphone, best TV and best streaming service. 

Wondering if your favorite product will win? Be sure to check back on June 22 for a full list of winners for the first-ever Tom’s Guide Awards. 

Headline awards

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Best Innovation

Apple AirPods Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
Google Nest WiFi
OnePlus 8 Pro
Google Recorder app
Samsung Galaxy Fold

Best Value

Disney Plus
Apple iPhone SE
Dell G5 15 SE gaming laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook
JBL TUNE 220TWS wireless earbuds
Sony HT-S350 soundbar
OnePlus 8

Best Design

Dell XPS 13
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
Amazon Echo Dot with Clock
Google Nest Hub Max
Logitech MX Master 3
Disney Plus
Nintendo Switch Lite
Bose 700

Mobile

iPhone SE 2020 review

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Best Phone

Apple iPhone 11
OnePlus 8 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
Google Pixel 3a
Apple iPhone SE
Motorola G Power

Best Budget Phone

Apple iPhone SE
Motorola G Power
Motorola G Stylus
Nokia 7.2
Samsung Galaxy A51
TCL 10 Pro

Best Smartwatch

Apple Watch Series 5
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
Fitbit Versa 2
Garmin Vivoactive 4
Garmin Venu

Best Fitness Tracker

Fitbit Charge 4
Garmin Fenix 6
Garmin Forerunner 245 music
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active

Best Wireless Carrier

T-Mobile
Visible
Verizon
AT&T
Republic Wireless
Mint
Google Fi

Best Laptop

Dell XPS 13
MacBook Air 2020
Samsung Galaxy Book Flex
Google Pixelbook Go
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 7th Gen
MacBook Pro 2020 (13-inch)
Lenovo Chromebook Duet 

Best Tablet

Apple iPad 7th Generation
Amazon Fire HD 10
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Apple iPad Pro 2020
Microsoft Surface Go 2
Amazon Fire 7

TV & Audio

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Best TV

LG C9 OLED
Sony Master Series A9G OLED
Vizio P-Series Quantum X
Samsung Q90 QLED
LG 88-Inch Z9 8K OLED
TCL 8-Series QLED Roku TV
Sony Bravia A8H OLED
LG CX OLED 

Best Bluetooth Speaker

Sonos Move
Bose Portable Home Speaker
Anker Soundcore 2
UE Megaboom 3
Amazon Echo
JBL Boombox 2

Best Soundbar

Sonos Arc
Sennheiser AMBEO
Yamaha YAS-108
Sonos Playbase
VIZIO SB2920-C6
Polk MagniFi Mini
Bose Soundbar 500

Best Headphones

Bose 700
Sony WH-1000XM3
Sennheiser Momentum
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2
Jabra Elite 85h

Best Wireless Earbuds

Sony WF-1000XM3
Apple AirPods Pro
Beats Powerbeats Pro
Jabra Elite Active 75t
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2
Google Pixel Buds 2
Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus

Entertainment

disney plus

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Best Streaming Services

Netflix
Hulu
Disney Plus
HBO Go
Amazon Prime Video
Sling

Best Streaming Device

Roku Streaming Stick+
Google Chromecast
Nvidia Shield TV
Amazon Fire Cube
Apple TV 4K

Best Gaming PC

MSI Trident X 10th-gen
Alienware Aurora R11
Corsair One i164
CyberPowerPC Gamer Extreme VR
HP Omen 25L
Dell G5 5090

Best Gaming Laptop

MSI GS66 Stealth
Alienware M15
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Razer Blade 15
Dell G7 15

Best Gaming Headset

SteelSeries Arctis 7
Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero
Astro A40
HyperX Cloud Alpha
Logitech G Pro X

Best VR Headset

Oculus Quest
Valve Index
PlayStation VR
Oculus Rift S
HTC Vive Cosmos
Nintendo Labo VR Kit

Software and Services

How to change your Zoom background

(Image credit: Zoom; Fox)

Best Antivirus

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (Windows)
Kaspersky Total Security (multiplatform)
Norton 360 Deluxe (multiplatform)
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac (Mac)
Kaspersky Security Cloud Free (Windows, free)
Bitdefender Mobile Security (Android)
Norton Mobile Security (Android)

Best VPN

Mullvad
Windscribe
Private Internet Access
ExpressVPN
NordVPN
CyberGhost
Hotspot Shield
TunnelBear

Best Password Manager

LastPass
Dashlane
Keeper
1Password
EnPass
RoboForm

Best App

Zoom
Houseparty
WhatsApp
TikTok
DarkSky
Headspace
Google Recorder
Quibi

Home

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Best Smart Home Device

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock
Google Nest Hub Max
Amazon Echo Dot with Clock
We-Mo Mini
Wyze Scale
Nanoleaf 

Best Router

Google Nest WiFi
Eero Mesh
Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 (RS400)
Linksys Max-Stream MR8300
TP-Link Archer A7
TP-Link Archer C2300 

Best Camera

Sony a6100
Canon EOS Rebel SL3
Canon EOS Rebel T8i
Sony a6600
Fujifilm X-T3 

Best Monitor

Acer PEO Series ProDesigner PE320QK
Alienware AW5520QF 55-Inch OLED Gaming Monitor
LG 38GL950G UltraGear Gaming Monitor
Dell UltraSharp 27 4K USB-C Monitor
Samsung Space Monitor
Dell SE2719HR
Lenovo ThinkVision M14
MSI Optix MAG272CQR 

Best Printer

Canon Pixma TS8320
Brother INKvestment MFC-J995DW
Epson EcoTank ET-4750
HP Smart Tank Plus 651
Canon ImageClass MF743Cdw Color Laser Printer
Brother INKvestment MFC-J805DW
Xerox B215

Michael Andronico

Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored. He was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide, where he wrote extensively on gaming, as well as running the show on the news front. When not at work, you can usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.