Google’s Pixel: Phones AI meets Android
Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL were at first greeted with scepticism, bringing with them as they did, the end of the Nexus brand, beloved of the tech savvy. But if not with design, which was far from special, it was with a superb camera that Google lured users over to see the real heart of the Pixel experience — the Google Assistant. With that, Google showed us a glimpse of what phones and other products will be about — software that has AI and natural language understanding working together to assist with an increasing number of things on your everyday life. The Pixel phones work with a smoothness other Android phones, even those with top end processors and RAM, don’t manage to achieve. Although expensive, Google’s phones have elicited a great deal of interest. But there is recent news about issues cropping up with its camera showing a halo effect in some images. More disturbingly, there have been battery and connectivity issues and freezing up altogether.
Samsung Galaxy S7/Edge: Beautiful Android
If it weren’t expensive, the S7 (and S7 Edge) would probably be the best Android smartphone currently in circulation. Samsung refined the design of this phone until it’s beautiful to look at and great to hold. Some like the Edge while others find the rounding off of the display distracting, but all agree that it looks gorgeous. The phone has performed well with the camera being its highlight. Unlike its relative, the more recent Note 7, there was no tendency to explode though the odd device here and there may have had trouble. Samsung is probably hard put to better this device in the next S8, but one thing the company should look into is the scratches the beautiful device picks up, even inside its case.
Apple’s iPhone 7: Consistently good
Although much was expected of the two iPhone 7s, they still turned out to be the gold standard for smartphones. Outperforming others, the iPhone 7s are fast and consistent, working smoothly and safely. They haven’t been without their disappointments in the form of a vanquished headphone jack, which ended up being a preoccupation for users and the media for months. Software updates also brought fresh issues and problems, frustrating users. The camera on the iPhone 7 Plus remained a benchmark for others. Recent reports, however, show that there have been some serious problems cropping up with the camera, leading to phones being replaced. Apple fans now expect big things from the iPhone 8, if it’s called that, on its tenth anniversary in 2017.
OnePlus 3 and 3T: Changed the game
It failed the first two times but by the time they reached the third generation, OnePlus showed it can produce a ‘flagship killer’. With a little boost in specs and price, the iterated OnePlus 3T is as value-for-money as the 3. Both phones have been the talk of the town since June.
What the OnePlus 3s are offering is a a device that functions extremely fast without heating up or slowing down. The devices beat the most expensive phones on tests. The design has been something that nobody has needed to complain about — it is light, neat and minimalistic and fairly easy to hold for long periods. The icing on the cake is the super fast ‘Dash Charging’ that allows users to top up battery level in a mere 15 minutes. If anything lags a little behind the expensive flagships, it would have to be the camera but not by a lot.
GoPro HERO5 Black: Great action camera
While not all of GoPro’s offerings this year have been great (its Karma drone saw recalls for losing power abruptly during flight), the GoPro HERO 5 Black gets a lot of things right. It is waterproof without needing an external casing and is a tough little camera, making it a good gadget for water sports with a little bit of rough and tumble. The two-inch screen also lets you trim videos without having to connect it to a deskptop or phone. With 12MP pictures and 4K video recording and stabilisation, you can expect some good shots and videos. The voice control feature is an added advantage. Yes, the battery is underwhelming, but this HERO checks many of the boxes right.
Microsoft Surface Studio: Make the PC great again
This one hasn’t even made it to India, yet. But it is on the list simply because it has brought back the desktop PC in times when myriad obituaries have been written saying that PCs are on their way out. Microsoft unveiled a beauty of a machine with good specifications. It has a 28-inch screen that can be placed at a 20 degree angle to make it look like a drafting board, waiting for you to unleash your inner artist all over that gorgeous display. Add to that devices like the Surface Pen and the Surface Dial and you’re ready to go full Picasso on this one. The top-end model comes with a whopping 32GB of RAM space and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M 4GB GPU. Powered by Intel’s sixth generation i7 processor, the Surface looks a great gadget and we can’t wait for it to hit Indian shores.
Amazon Echo Dot: It’s always listening
The year saw quite some activity in the fairly recent smart speaker segment. Google launched its Google Home smart speaker, but Amazon’s latest version of its Echo, which was first released in 2014, makes it to our list. The Echo Dot, with seven “far-field” voice recognition microphones, is said to pick up your voice from several feet away, when you banter with it. The device has gathered rave reviews and those who have used it have talked about how they can get it to read them the day’s headlines, play their favourite music, use it to turn lights off and on and lock their front door, and even order a pizza and hail a cab. Sounds straight out of an Iron Man movie, doesn’t it? We thought so too. However, looks like we’ll have to wait till this one hits the Indian market.