We’re getting close to one of the best times of the year for techies: The time when the new, cool gadgets we saw at the Consumer Electronics Show and Mobile World Congress start shipping.

This spring has plenty to look forward to, from flagship smartphones like the Samsung (SSNLF) Galaxy S5 to LG’s all-in-one Chrome OS-powered desktop PC.

There might be some unofficial arrivals, too. The tech rumor mill is working overtime on mystery devices like Amazon’s (AMZN) entry into the set-top box market in an expected attempt to take over your TV.

Hundreds of new devices are expected to hit store shelves over the next few months, and there are tough choices to be made for anyone who isn’t bringing in seven figures. So, here are my picks for some of the most interesting (and likely impactful) cool gadgets you can expect to see this spring, as well as their potential release dates.

Cool Gadgets Coming Out This Spring: Samsung Galaxy S5

Expected Release: April 11

Samsung probably makes more tech toys and cool gadgets than anyone else. But all those smart TVs, refrigerators, cameras and air conditioners represent a drop in the bucket compared to the profit SSNLF makes from selling mobile phones.

And no one smartphone is more important to Samsung than its flagship Galaxy S5, scheduled to hit the U.S. in April.

The Galaxy S5 has won early praise for ditching the shiny plastic case for a classier textured plastic, waterproof design, a brilliant 5.1-inch display and extras like an iPhone 5s-inspired fingerprint scanner and a heart rate sensor. It’s a nice phone, going up against tough competition.

The previous flagship Galaxy S4 set early sales records for Samsung — hitting 10 million in its first month — but the device faced criticism over a cheap appearance, software bloat and apparent gaming of performance tests. Ultimately, sales of the Galaxy S4 didn’t hit the levels Samsung was hoping for.

That makes the Galaxy S5 pivotal for Samsung. And as the best-selling Android smartphone, its success matters to Google (GOOG) too. So the Galaxy S5 might not just be one of the coolest gadgets to come out this spring — it also might be one of the most important.

Cool Gadgets Coming Out This Spring: HTC One M8

Expected Release: Available online; hits stores April 11

HTC is in trouble.

Despite its HTC One being almost universally declared the most attractively designed (and one of the most capable) Android smartphones of 2013, it failed to make a dent against the Galaxy S4. If nothing else, this proves cool gadgets aren’t guaranteed to be best-sellers.

HTC has a lot riding on the One M8 flagship smartphone, too. The company has endured corporate scandal, bailing executives, its first-ever quarterly loss and that disastrous Facebook (FB) phone — the one that ended up discounted to 99 cents just one month after it launched. So it’s really hoping to take a bigger chunk out of Samsung’s sales this year.

HTC sent me a One to try out, and I have to admit: This is one beautiful, high-performance smartphone. It packs the latest quad-core Qualcomm (QCOM) Snapdragon 801 CPU, a 5-inch full HD display and Android 4.4 (KitKat).

The key features are the extras. Its brushed aluminum case makes it stand out from the pack, while a pair of front-facing stereo speakers really blast sound. And the camera is very interesting. The HTC One M8 has dual rear-facing cameras, which work together so that you can change the focus of a photo … after you’ve snapped it.

I have the opportunity to play with a lot of cool gadgets, and the HTC One M8’s camera alone stands out as something special.

The HTC One M8 is available this week through online sales at carriers including AT&T (T) and will hit store shelves by April 11.

Cool Gadgets Coming Out This Spring: LG Chromebase

Expected Release: Sometime in April

Chromebooks — laptop computers running Google’s Chrome operating system — started slow but have quickly evolved into a runaway hit that’s eating into Windows and Mac laptop sales in a big way.

Thanks to lightweight hardware requirements for Chrome OS and use of Google’s web-based apps, these machines don’t need the latest muscle from Intel (INTC), and skip the graphics cards, stack of RAM and massive storage that traditional laptops relay on, helping to make them incredibly cheap.

When LG took the wraps off its Chromebase all-in-one PC at CES 2014, it raised the possibility that Chrome OS-powered desktops could repeat the Chromebook effect, stealing PC sales from education, homes and even business. This doesn’t just place the Chromebase on the list of cool gadgets, but it also makes it an important release.

Looking something like an Apple iMac, the LG Chromebase has a 21.5-inch full HD display, a full range of ports, Chrome-optimized keyboard and a mouse. It even features an HDMI input, meaning that if the Chrome thing doesn’t work out, it can be used as an external monitor for other PCs.

The Chromebase is expected to hit the U.S. sometime in April. The price hasn’t been confirmed (it’s likely in the $500 range), but if this first Chrome OS-powered desktop workstation is well received, it’s going to be yet another worry for Microsoft (MSFT), which will lose out on Windows and Office sales — not to mention yet another PC switching from IE and Bing to Chrome and Google search.

Cool Gadgets Coming Out This Spring: Samsung Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, Gear Fit

Expected Release: Sometime in April

If you don’t count Sony’s (SNE) early entry, Samsung was the first of the consumer tech giants out of the gates with a smartwatch with 2013’s Galaxy Gear. The company fumbled that one — too clunky, too expensive, limited compatibility (even with its own smartphones) and a wristband-mounted camera that made swapping bands horribly expensive.

At the Mobile World Congress, Samsung introduced its do-over, the Gear 2, along with a slick looking fitness band called the Gear Fit.

This time around, Samsung has trimmed the size slightly, moved the camera onto the watch body, offers a less expensive no-camera option (the Gear 2 Neo) and ditched Android for its own Tizen operating system.

Samsung’s new smartwatches are coming this spring, and even though this is its second shot at it, Samsung will beat Apple, Google and Microsoft to the punch. Wearable tech is tops when it comes to cool gadgets this year, so SSNLF is in a good position to reap the benefits of its lead.

The Gear 2 could be a contender in a year expected to see a flood of smartwatches released, while the Gear Fit could shake things up in a fitness and health tracking market that’s already packed with cool gadgets from companies like Fitbit.

Cool Gadgets Coming Out This Spring: Amazon Set-Top Box and iPhone 6?

Expected Release: N/A

While the latest, overdue version of Apple’s Apple TV set-top streaming box has been on everyone’s mind (we could see that this spring), rumors that Amazon is on the verge of releasing its own box — or Chromecast-like dongle — have taken over in recent weeks.

It might play games, it might just stream movies. It’s almost certainly going to interact with Kindle Fire tablets in some way. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and based on the volume and number of sources, it seems like there’s a good chance an Amazon set-top box or streamer of some sort will be competing for a spot among the cool gadgets in your living room this spring.

Finally, call this one a long shot, but Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference takes place starting June 10. Apple used to announce the new iPhone at WWDC — it was only with the iPhone 4s that it switched to the current fall schedule. Pressure is on the company to shake things up thanks to slipping sales over the summer months as people stop buying iPhones in anticipation of that fall reveal.

It’s possible that we could see a bigger, sapphire glass-protected iPhone 6 toward the end of spring.

As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.