SUMMARY
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2020 may have been a tough year. But surprisingly, the consumer tech industry has been able to chug along, releasing a number of devices worthy of being on your wishlist.
Or perhaps, it’s actually no surprise at all, given that we’ve become more reliant – and for better or worse, generally spent more time on screen – on technology and devices. Below are some of the best of them. These devices not only have novel features, they push for new levels of performance and give us a glimpse of where consumer tech may be headed in the future.
You don’t have to buy a device to appreciate it. This one, at P110,000, won’t get any awards for democratizing foldable phones. But it gets awards for polishing a foldable phone design that would make sense for deep-pocketed individuals who want the portability of a phone and the big screen of a tablet. It’s gorgeous.
This year, Samsung introduced its 5G flagships, the S20 and the Note 20. The Note 20 Ultra looks more sophisticated than ever, and far smoother with a 120Hz screen and an enhanced S-Pen that practically erases the input lag between the screen and its signature stylus. The definition of a flagship through and through.
When was the last time we had a mini iPhone? Far too long. Now, Apple users who may want a smaller phone have the 12 mini to consider with its 5.4-inch screen. It may be smaller but it packs the same A14 Bionic chip found in the bigger iPhone 12 models and the new iPad Air.
Realme is the fastest-growing smartphone brand in the Philippines this year. Since launching in 2018 – whose stablemates under parent company BBK Electronics include OPPO, Vivo, and OnePlus – Realme rose to the top of sales this year in the Philippines in Q3 2020. Their X3 Superzoom embodies their strategy: high specs, low prices. It’s only P25,990 but packs specs such as a 120Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 855+ chipset, and a quadruple rear camera setup.
In the past years, it’s been Xiaomi that’s been giving users value-packed offerings, but Realme has been giving it really tough competition.
Quick midrange suggestions: If you’re looking for some of the top performers in the sub-P20,000 brand, check out the Vivo V19 Neo or Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite.
Sony PlayStation 5
It’s the system that the majority of gamers want this Christmas. Unfortunately, thanks to short supplies (historically, every new PlayStation console has had low supply problems) and scalper bots on e-commerce sites, not everyone’s getting them.
For everyone who did, they know that it’s one of the cheapest ways now to get into 4K, high refresh rate gaming with ray-tracing features. Its new controller, the DualSense, with its new haptic feedback capabilities, feels distinctive and futuristic.
Nvidia RTX 3000 series
2020 is truly a solid year for gaming. With people locked down, gaming has become a bigger hobby. For PC enthusiasts, it’s also the year that Nvidia’s impressive new RTX 3000 graphics cards were released, featuring incredible performance-per-dollar increases from the older RTX 2000 cards released in 2018. Technically, a component, but one that should serve as the beating heart for many a modern gaming PC in the coming years.
With the PS5, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, and the RTX 3000 cards, next-gen gaming has arrived – hardware-wise at least!
AMD Ryzen 9 5900x
On the GPU side of things, Nvidia has the market cornered with the RTX 3000 graphics cards. But on the CPU end, AMD makes noise with the Ryzen 9 5900x with its powerful gaming performance – one that’s said to be better than the competing Intel Core i9’s but with a lower energy consumption.
ASUS Zephyrus G14
Popping up in multiple year-end lists is this value-packed gaming laptop from ASUS. It can be fitted with high-end Ryzen 9 processors, RTX 2060 GPUs, and comes with a 120Hz screen. It’s not exactly a budget laptop but if you’re looking for a powerful new gaming laptop that’s sensibly priced for its specs, the Zephyrus is a contender.
Apple Macbook Air with M1 chip
Macbook fans had a lot to celebrate with the arrival of the new M1 processor, which has caused many publications to crown the new Air laptop as the best of the year. The M1 is fast, can handle heavy multimedia projects, can handle some modern games respectably even with its integrated graphics unit, and energy-efficient. But the best part? It’s designed to run iPhone and iPad apps, which will make for an ever tighter ecosystem for Apple devices.
The M1 chip also made history by being the first computer processor to be made using a 5-nanometer (nm) process:
Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, on the other haand, was the first mobile device processor to be made using a 5-nanometer process.
Looking for a Windows laptop? Huawei’s Matebook 14 (2020) is very sleek, and has a 2K display.
Sony WH1000XM4
The old WH1000XM3 was known as one of the best noise-canceling headphones around. The XM4 reinforces that reputation, and improves upon its predecessor. It is now more comfortable as it is slightly lighter and has slightly bigger earcups; it has a new sensor that automatically pauses the audio when you’re not wearing it; and an enhanced QN1 chip that improves the noise-canceling and sound processing.
Oculus Quest 2
We wouldn’t say that VR has arrived for the mainstream even if the Oculus Quest 2 is more affordable than its predecessor. At $300 (down from Oculus Quest 1’s $400 launch price), it’s still a heavy ask for a platform that doesn’t have yet the killer apps that make people want to buy into a system. But, technologically, it holds its own: a fast processor, accurate motion tracking, a sharp display, and no wires!
Special mention: Blue-light glasses
With everyone increasing their screen time this year, a pair of blue-light glasses might do well in decreasing the eye strain you get over the course of the day. One brand that sells a pair with a very light frame to boot is Owndays for P2000. It’s a nice investment for the eyes, especially as we continue to rely on our gadgets as we await for the vaccine to arrive in 2021.
Future tech: OPPO X 2021 rollable smartphone concept
While the foldable screen still got the hype in 2020 thanks to the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, there’s a new kind of screen from OPPO that’s making some noise too: a rollable screen.
It looks like a regular phone but pull it from the sides, and it becomes a tablet seamlessly. We’re not sure just how the final product will look and how smooth the design will be, but we’re just glad to see these phone brands experimenting with the form using new materials and tech. – Rappler.com
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