Year ender. Best of 2022: Gadgets and Glitz

2022 was the year society slowly resurrected itself from the ashes of the pandemic, and so did the tech world!

After a few lukewarm years of online-only launches, no in-person events, and the shiniest new gadget far from feeling like a priority in our lives, 2022 finally saw a bunch of exciting releases.

Here I’ve picked the best of the lot across categories. 

Category: Smartphones

The one that really shines! — Google Pixel 7 Pro 

From a stellar camera to great battery life for a feature-heavy smartphone, the Google Pixel 7 Pro really stood out in a hyper-competitive flagship lineup. The best aspects of the phone are not only the tech specs but also the rich, varied user experience, and AI-driven functionalities that Google now offers.

Be it the effective ‘Photo Unblur’ or the ‘Magic Eraser’, the options to take your photography output to the next level hold a lot of appeal. Even the Cinematic Blur feature, which was originally offered by Apple, is rendered impressively on the Google Pixel 7 Pro.

Leaving almost no room for complaint except the glossy, slippery finish, the Pixel 7 Pro delivers in all other aspects, making it our favourite flagship of the year! 

The one for CXOs: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Fans of the Galaxy ‘Note’ who were sad at the discontinuation of the series, definitely found hope with this smartphone which comes with a nifty little stylus. This one’s well-suited for entrepreneurs on-the-go, multitasking maestros, or even those who happen to have a fair bit of money to spare for a top-of-the-line Android phone.

The company’s Galaxy Fold4 launched in August 2022 comes a close second as a productivity “phablet” that gets stuff done, if you can ignore that crease running down the middle! 

The one for (rich) Gen-Zs! — Samsung Z Flip4

If you’re an absolute head-turner and want one by your side too, then the Samsung Z Flip4 is for you! Not a single day went by when I used the phone and didn’t have people staring with anywhere ranging from mild to disconcerting curiosity!

Truly made for the selfie generation, the Flip4 is not only a compact flagship but comes packed with a great camera and user features that take your social media game to the next level. The Bora Purple colour really helps the smartphone stand out, although I was stuck with the boring black version. 

Category: Audio devices

The one for ardent audiophiles — Sony WH-1000XM5

| Photo Credit: sidmc

Audiophiles are a loyal lot, and it looks like, so is Sony. The Japanese company brought back the fifth-gen version of its flagship headset with meaningful improvements. With a new driver and more customisation EQ options on the app, streaming music and audio from TV shows on this was a treat.

It goes beyond to offer excellent active noise cancellation and super-crisp vocals on audio calls compared to all other headphones we’ve tried on this year!

Best TWS earbuds — Apple AirPods Pro 2

Firmly establishing itself as the OG of TWS earbuds, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 made an impact with its impeccable music playback quality. The active noise cancellation to help you really tune in is definitely one of the best we’ve tried this year.

The device, overall, is simply one of the best earbuds on the market right now — doing justice to design, comfort, and sound quality. 

Category: Laptops & Tablets

The best premium laptop — Apple MacBook Air M2

The thinner and lighter, more power-packed MacBook Air released this year delivered the best of both worlds — beauty and brains.

Weighing just above a kilogram, with a great display, powerful speakers, a decent webcam, and an amazing 15-hour plus battery life, there’s nothing about this machine that will leave you underwhelmed. 

Best value-for-money tablet — OPPO Pad Air 

The first-ever tablet launched by OPPO in India definitely took us by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to be charmed over this 10-incher, but it really did impress me with its consistent performance.

Super lightweight, despite its dimensions, the tablet is great to consume media on and comes with a whopping 7,100 mAh which means it went on for longer than I anticipated. An easy winner, here!

Category: Smartwatches

Best premium smartwatch — Apple Watch S8

Sleek, sophisticated, and a great companion if you’re already an iPhone user, the latest Apple Watch continues to impress.

With an increased focus on health, especially women’s wellness, the Watch ticks off all the boxes around general fitness, and phone-related functions, and disappoints a bit only when it comes to its battery life. 

Best budget smartwatch — Amazfit GTS 4 Mini

While the design isn’t exactly original, the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini still manages to look pretty elegant. The 1.65-inch HD AMOLED display is easily one of the best features of the watch — sufficiently bright, even under sunlight.

There’s an endless list of health and fitness trackers, more than you’d ever need! There were a few issues with Alexa-related reminders but nothing too worrying. The feature that really brings it home for me, and puts many other smartwatches to shame, is the endless battery life.

The GTS 4 Mini is akin to some of the older Kindles, which stayed on for easily almost two weeks without you having to worry about plugging it in. And, that’s something I can’t say is true for a lot of devices in 2022.