Readers’ Favorite Products of 2017

Every year has a shopping personality. Some years are elegant. Some years are practical. And then there was 2017: the year people asked Alexa to set timers, cooked dinner in a pressure cooker that seemed to have its own fan club, chased down Nintendo Switch restocks like rare birds, and bought tiny spinning toys that somehow became a full-blown cultural weather event.

The readers’ favorite products of 2017 were not just expensive gadgets or shiny holiday gifts. They were products that solved small problems, sparked conversations, or simply made people say, “Fine, I get the hype.” From smart speakers and multi-cookers to DNA kits, beauty tools, robot vacuums, streaming sticks, and fidget spinners, the year’s biggest hits reveal a lot about what American shoppers wanted: convenience, personalization, portability, and a little bit of fun.

This guide looks back at the best products of 2017 through a reader-first lens, blending sales signals, search trends, editor-tested awards, retailer data, and cultural momentum. It is not a dusty museum tour. Think of it as opening a time capsule and discovering that, yes, everyone really was talking about the Instant Pot.

Why 2017 Was a Big Year for Reader-Favorite Products

In 2017, the modern shopping internet felt like it had fully matured. Readers were no longer relying only on glossy ads or store displays. They were reading reviews, watching unboxings, comparing deal alerts, scrolling social media, and checking what other shoppers were buying before clicking “add to cart.” Products became popular not only because brands promoted them, but because communities adopted them.

Three forces shaped the year’s favorites. First, smart devices moved from “tech enthusiast toy” to “normal kitchen counter object.” Second, everyday appliances became more exciting because they promised time savings. Third, social media made quirky products explode overnight. A gadget did not need a Super Bowl commercial if it had enough people filming it on YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook.

The result was a year when practical products became oddly emotional. People were not merely buying a pressure cooker; they were joining an Instant Pot recipe cult, in the friendliest possible sense. They were not merely buying a speaker; they were inviting a voice assistant into the living room. And they were not merely buying a game console; they were carrying The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild onto airplanes, couches, and lunch breaks.

Smart Speakers Became the New Household Helper

Amazon Echo Dot

If 2017 had a tiny electronic mascot, the Amazon Echo Dot would be a strong candidate. Compact, affordable, and powered by Alexa, it became one of the year’s most talked-about and purchased tech products. During Amazon Prime Day 2017, Amazon reported that the Echo Dot was the most popular purchase among Prime members and the best-selling Amazon device. By the holiday season, it was also widely reported as Amazon’s top-selling product across categories.

Why did readers love it? Because the Echo Dot made smart-home technology feel less intimidating. You could ask for the weather, set a timer, play music, control lights, or settle a dinner-table argument without touching your phone. It was small enough to fit almost anywhere and cheap enough to buy as a gift without needing a family budget meeting.

The Echo Dot also showed how voice assistants were changing expectations. Readers wanted devices that did not just sit there looking sleek; they wanted gadgets that talked back, helped out, and made daily routines smoother. In 2017, “Hey Alexa” became a household phrase, occasionally followed by “No, Alexa, stop playing that.”

Google Home Mini and the Smart Speaker Race

Amazon was not alone. Google Home Mini arrived in 2017 as a compact, lower-cost way to bring Google Assistant into the home. Smart speakers were no longer novelty products for early adopters. They were moving into bedrooms, kitchens, dorm rooms, and living rooms. Readers liked the idea of voice search, hands-free control, and simple smart-home commands.

This category mattered because it connected several reader interests at once: music, convenience, home automation, and curiosity. Smart speakers were also gateway products. Once someone owned a voice assistant, smart bulbs, smart plugs, thermostats, security cameras, and streaming devices suddenly made more sense.

The Instant Pot Was the Kitchen Star of 2017

The Instant Pot did not merely sell well in 2017. It inspired devotion. This multi-cooker combined pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice cooking, steaming, sautéing, warming, and more into one countertop appliance. For busy readers, that sounded like a miracle with a stainless-steel insert.

The appeal was easy to understand. The Instant Pot promised faster dinners, fewer dishes, and the ability to turn dry beans, tough cuts of meat, rice, soups, stews, and weeknight meals into something edible without hovering over the stove like a nervous contestant on a cooking show.

What made it especially reader-friendly was the community around it. Facebook groups, blogs, recipe sites, and comment sections turned Instant Pot ownership into a shared hobby. People swapped cheesecake tips, chili recipes, hard-boiled egg methods, and warnings about sealing rings that smelled suspiciously like last week’s curry.

The Instant Pot also reflected a bigger 2017 trend: shoppers wanted products that saved time without making life feel joyless. It was practical, but not boring. It made home cooking feel achievable, especially for people who wanted real meals but did not want to spend Tuesday night negotiating with a Dutch oven.

Nintendo Switch Won the Fun Vote

The Nintendo Switch was one of the defining gadgets of 2017. It offered something readers immediately understood: a console you could play on the TV, then lift from the dock and keep playing anywhere. That hybrid design felt fresh, and it arrived with an incredible software lineup, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and later Super Mario Odyssey.

Readers loved the Switch because it respected modern life. Not everyone has three uninterrupted hours to sit in front of a television. The Switch made gaming more flexible. You could play on the couch, in bed, during travel, or while pretending to be social in the same room as other humans.

The console’s popularity also came from its broad appeal. Families liked it. Hardcore gamers liked it. Casual players liked it. Tech reviewers liked the clever hardware concept. Retailers struggled with demand. In a year packed with impressive gadgets, the Switch stood out because it made technology feel playful rather than merely powerful.

iPhone X and the Premium Phone Moment

Apple’s iPhone X was another major reader favorite of 2017, though “favorite” sometimes came with a side of sticker shock. Released for the iPhone’s tenth anniversary, it introduced a nearly edge-to-edge OLED display, Face ID, no home button, wireless charging, and the now-famous notch.

The iPhone X mattered because it gave readers a glimpse of where smartphones were headed. Facial recognition, gesture navigation, portrait photography, and premium screen design became mainstream talking points. Even people who did not buy it wanted to read about it, compare it, and decide whether the future of phones was exciting or just very expensive.

For many shoppers, the iPhone X was aspirational. It was not the most practical purchase for every budget, but it was one of the year’s most discussed products. It represented the luxury side of 2017 consumer tech: polished, ambitious, and perfectly capable of making your older phone feel like it had suddenly aged 40 years.

Robot Vacuums and Smart Home Gadgets Got Real

iRobot Roomba

Robot vacuums were not new in 2017, but they felt increasingly normal. The Roomba remained the best-known name, and reader interest kept climbing as shoppers looked for ways to automate chores. A robot vacuum offered a simple promise: less time pushing a vacuum, more time doing literally anything else.

For pet owners, busy families, and anyone with crumb-producing roommates, the appeal was obvious. Robot vacuums were not perfect, and they still occasionally trapped themselves under furniture like confused turtles. But they were good enough to become a serious household upgrade.

Nest, Smart Thermostats, and Connected Security

Smart-home products also gained momentum in 2017. Nest thermostats, security cameras, smoke detectors, smart plugs, and connected lighting helped readers imagine homes that could be adjusted from a phone or controlled by voice. The category benefited from the growth of Alexa and Google Assistant because smart-home gear became easier to use.

Readers were especially drawn to products that offered clear benefits: lower energy waste, better security, convenient lighting, or remote monitoring. The best smart-home gadgets of 2017 were not just futuristic toys; they solved recognizable problems. Adjusting the thermostat from bed may not be civilization’s greatest achievement, but on a cold night it feels pretty close.

Streaming Devices Made Cord-Cutting Easier

Streaming sticks and boxes were reader favorites because they helped people simplify entertainment. Roku Streaming Stick+, Amazon Fire TV devices, Apple TV, and Chromecast-style products gave viewers easier access to Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Video, and other streaming services.

In 2017, cord-cutting was becoming less of a niche move and more of a mainstream household decision. Readers wanted affordable hardware that made old TVs smarter and new TVs easier to navigate. A good streaming device was small, giftable, and immediately useful. It did not require a personality quiz, a contractor, or a 47-step installation process.

The Roku Streaming Stick+ was especially praised in year-end tech coverage because it delivered 4K streaming in a compact package with a user-friendly platform. For readers, that combination was gold: better picture, less cable clutter, and fewer reasons to yell at the remote.

Fidget Spinners Were the Weird Little Toy That Took Over

No list of readers’ favorite products of 2017 would be complete without the fidget spinner. It was small, cheap, everywhere, and somehow controversial. Kids loved them. Parents bought them. Teachers confiscated them. Offices discovered them. Gas stations sold them. The internet spun them into memes.

Fidget spinners became a major search trend in 2017, and “what is a fidget spinner?” became one of those questions that made adults feel both informed and ancient. Claims about focus and stress relief were widely debated, and many experts cautioned that the science behind those claims was limited. Still, as a product phenomenon, the fidget spinner was undeniable.

Its success showed how quickly a low-cost item could explode in the social media era. It did not need advanced software or luxury packaging. It just needed to spin, sparkle, and appear in enough videos to make everyone curious. For a few months in 2017, the humble fidget spinner was the king of checkout counters.

Beauty Products Readers Could Actually Use

Beauty was another major category for reader favorites in 2017. Awards and testing programs from major publications highlighted skincare, makeup, haircare, cleansers, moisturizers, lip products, foundations, beauty tools, and drugstore standouts. The best beauty products of 2017 were not only about glam; they were about performance, inclusivity, and everyday usability.

Readers gravitated toward products that solved specific problems: long-wear foundation that did not feel like wall paint, cleansers that removed makeup without punishing the skin, moisturizers for different skin types, and hair products that respected texture instead of pretending everyone had the same head of hair.

The Beautyblender and similar makeup sponges remained heavily searched and discussed because they made makeup application feel more approachable. Eyebrow and eyelash trends also dominated beauty searches, proving that in 2017, tiny facial details could command enormous attention. Never underestimate the cultural power of a brow.

DNA Test Kits Turned Curiosity Into a Gift

Consumer DNA kits from companies such as 23andMe and AncestryDNA became popular gifts and conversation starters in 2017. Readers were intrigued by ancestry composition, family connections, genetic traits, and the simple drama of mailing saliva to a lab and waiting for identity-related revelations.

The appeal was personal. A DNA kit was not another sweater or candle. It promised a story. It could spark family conversations, answer long-held questions, or raise brand-new ones. That made it one of the more memorable products of the year, especially around the holidays.

At the same time, DNA kits raised important questions about privacy, health information, and data use. Smart readers approached them with curiosity and caution. The product was fascinating, but it also reminded shoppers that personalization often comes with fine print.

Wireless Audio and Portable Speakers Had a Moment

Wireless sound was another reader-friendly category in 2017. Apple’s AirPods, Bluetooth speakers like the UE Wonderboom, and smart speakers such as Sonos One reflected the shift away from cords and toward portable, connected listening.

AirPods looked unusual at first, but they quickly became one of Apple’s most recognizable accessories. Their appeal was convenience: open the case, connect, listen, move. For commuters, runners, students, and office workers, that frictionless experience mattered.

Portable Bluetooth speakers also found a loyal audience because they made music easy to bring outdoors, into bathrooms, onto patios, and anywhere else people decided silence was unacceptable. The best audio products of 2017 were not just about sound quality; they were about freedom from tangled cables and terrible built-in laptop speakers.

What These Favorite Products Had in Common

Looking back, the readers’ favorite products of 2017 shared several traits. They were easy to explain, useful quickly, and enjoyable to talk about. A great 2017 product often had a clear “before and after.” Before the Echo Dot, you tapped and typed. After it, you asked. Before the Instant Pot, dinner took forever. After it, dinner took less forever. Before the Switch, console gaming stayed near the TV. After it, gaming followed you around.

Many of these products also encouraged sharing. People posted recipes, gaming clips, makeup tutorials, ancestry results, smart-home setups, and fidget spinner tricks. Reader favorites became social objects. They gave people something to recommend, debate, review, and occasionally complain about with passion.

Price also mattered. Some favorites, like the iPhone X and premium TVs, were expensive. But many of the year’s most beloved products were affordable or frequently discounted. The Echo Dot, fidget spinner, beauty tools, streaming sticks, and countertop gadgets worked because they felt accessible. Readers could try them without needing to sell a kidney, which is generally a strong purchasing strategy.

Buying Lessons From the Best Products of 2017

The biggest lesson from 2017 is that hype is not always empty. Sometimes a product becomes popular because it genuinely improves daily life. The Instant Pot really did help people cook faster. The Nintendo Switch really did make gaming more flexible. The Echo Dot really did make smart-home technology easier to try.

But 2017 also taught shoppers to separate fun from proof. Fidget spinners were entertaining, but many therapeutic claims around them were exaggerated. DNA kits were fascinating, but privacy deserved attention. Smart cameras and voice assistants were convenient, but they brought new questions about data and always-on devices.

The smartest readers treated products as tools, not magic spells. They asked: Does this solve a problem I actually have? Will I use it after the novelty fades? Is it worth the money? Does it make life easier, better, healthier, cleaner, tastier, or more fun? If the answer was yes, the product earned its spot.

Personal Experiences and Everyday Reflections on Readers’ Favorite Products of 2017

The funny thing about the readers’ favorite products of 2017 is how many of them moved from “interesting” to “daily habit” almost immediately. The first time someone used an Echo Dot to set a kitchen timer, it felt slightly unnecessary. The tenth time, it felt natural. By the hundredth time, pressing buttons like a 2016 peasant seemed outrageous.

The Instant Pot created a similar shift. At first, many people opened the box and stared at the buttons as if they had accidentally purchased a small spaceship. Pressure cooking sounded intimidating. Steam release valves sounded dramatic. But after a few successful meals, hesitation turned into confidence. Suddenly, people were making soups, rice, pulled pork, yogurt, and cheesecakes with the energy of someone who had discovered fire but with better silicone accessories.

The Nintendo Switch offered a different kind of experience: flexibility. It fit into real life better than many consoles before it. A reader could play for 15 minutes, pause, dock it, undock it, share Joy-Con controllers, or bring it on a trip. That made gaming feel less tied to a specific room and more like a portable escape hatch. For families, it became a shared entertainment device. For solo players, it became a reliable little portal to Hyrule, Mushroom Kingdom chaos, and couch-friendly competition.

Beauty products from 2017 also had a personal quality. The best ones were not necessarily the flashiest; they were the products people actually finished and bought again. A cleanser that did not strip skin, a foundation that matched better, a sponge that blended quickly, or a hair product that worked on a rushed morning earned more loyalty than any overhyped miracle jar. Readers learned to value products that performed quietly and consistently.

Even the fidget spinner had an experience attached to it. For some people, it was a harmless desk toy. For others, it was the soundtrack of every classroom in America until teachers collectively said, “Absolutely not.” Its popularity was brief but intense, and that was part of the charm. Not every favorite product needs to last forever. Some exist to define a moment, annoy authority figures, and then retire to a junk drawer with dignity.

The smart-home products of 2017 also changed expectations. Once someone adjusted a thermostat from a phone or watched a robot vacuum patrol the living room, ordinary home devices started to feel a little lazy. Of course, these products were not flawless. Voice assistants misunderstood commands. Robot vacuums ate cords. Smart devices needed updates. But the experience hinted at a more automated home, and readers were ready for it.

Looking back, the best experiences came from products that reduced friction. They saved a few minutes, simplified a routine, made entertainment more flexible, or gave people a story to share. That is why these reader favorites still matter. They remind us that great consumer products do not have to be perfect. They simply have to fit into life in a way that feels useful, delightful, or just weirdly satisfying.

Conclusion: The Products That Defined a Shopping Year

The readers’ favorite products of 2017 captured a year when convenience, connection, and curiosity shaped buying behavior. The Echo Dot brought voice assistants into everyday rooms. The Instant Pot turned weeknight cooking into a community sport. The Nintendo Switch made gaming portable without making it feel watered down. The iPhone X pushed smartphone design forward. Smart-home gadgets, robot vacuums, streaming sticks, beauty tools, DNA kits, wireless earbuds, and fidget spinners each reflected a different side of what readers wanted.

Some of these products became long-term staples. Others became nostalgic snapshots of a very specific year. Together, they show that reader favorites are not always about luxury or novelty. They are about usefulness, emotion, timing, and the joy of discovering something that makes life a little easieror at least more entertaining.

In 2017, shoppers did not just buy products. They bought shortcuts, conversations, experiments, and tiny upgrades to daily life. And occasionally, they bought a plastic spinner because everyone else had one and resistance was futile.