A number of unique gadgets were launched this year, especially around the holiday season, making it difficult for tech geeks to maintain their calm. New buyers were left wondering which of the slimmer and better-than-before bezels, faster processors and AI cameras should they opt for.
The later part of this year saw the launch of a host of high profile gadgets from tech giants such as Apple, Google, Huawei, OnePlus and many more.
Here is a list of the top tech launches of 2018:
Apple iPhone XR: The latest from the house of Tech Giant Apple Inc., iPhone XR came to the stores at the end of October. At the time of its launch, it was marketed as the more affordable version of XS and XS Max. Priced at Rs 77,000, XR offers most of the features of iPhone XS and XS Max. In contrast to the AMOLED display of XS and XS Max, XR has a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display with only one rear camera and no 3D touch. Its aluminium frame lacks the steel band of XS. But features like Face ID, dust and water resistance, wireless charging with Qi chargers, 12MP OIS rear and 7MP TrueDepth front camera and iOS12 with Memoji, Screen Time, Siri Shortcuts, Group FaceTime etc. make the XR the best buy in this price range by experts. It comes in 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB versions priced between Rs 76,900 to Rs 91,900. Available colours are black, yellow, white, red, coral and blue. For those who do not want to shell out a lakh for a phone but also do want to miss out the features, XR is their best bet.
Apple iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max: Launched around the end of September, XS and XS Max is a grand built-up on iPhone X that came out at the end of 2017. With the best in the market bezel-less Super AMOLED touchscreen, as large as 6.5 inches for XS Max, and storage option exceeding up to 512 GB, XS and XS Max ranks the highest among all iPhone versions when it comes to features. It has the latest iOS 12, with an upgrade to 12.1. The price of iPhone XS starts from Rs 94,321 and goes up to Rs 1,34,900 for the 512 GB version. XS Max is the most expensive iPhone in the market. The big screen phone comes with an even bigger price of Rs 1,07,769, which goes up to Rs 1,44,900 for the 512 GB version. It is available in only three colours – space grey, silver and gold.
Apple iPad Pro: A major built-up on the entry-level iPad, iPad Pro sports updates on all the standard features of the previous one including a storage option of 512 GB, and much slimmer bezels with a Liquid Retina LCD 10.5 inches display. Launched on 30 October this year, Apple marketed iPad Pro as a tablet that might replace MacBook. Albeit its A12X Bionic chip and USB-C make it a faster device to work on but reviewers do not really see it as convenient enough to replace Apple’s flagship laptop. The 11-inch model is priced at Rs 71, 900 and the 12.9 inch is at Rs 89,900.
Apple Watch 4: With a major update on design and display, Apple has launched the latest addition to its smartwatch series at the same time as iPhone XS and XS Max. The Apple Watch 4 has a bigger display and rounder edges with a number of health-related applications. If the heart rate goes too slow or too fast without any reason, the watch also stores an alert system that will alert you that something is not right. It is available in 40mm and 44mm with OLED screens and battery that lasts up to two days. The price is set at Rs 40,900 for the 40 mm and Rs 43,900 for the 44mm variant.
Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL: Google’s flagship Android Smartphone launched its latest built-up on the Pixel 2 and 2 XL of 2017, on 18 October, this year. Google’s Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL is an update in all possible sense. With a bezel-reduced P-OLED display that is as large as 6.3 inches in XL, and Snapdragon 845, Pixel is as good as android smartphones get. Although it might have lacked a bit in the design department, but the Pixel’s stock android and AI camera make up for it. A new ‘Titan M’ security chip is designed to secure data and passwords on the phone. The best part about Pixel is its dual front camera and a single rear camera with a dedicated AI button that gives the user undoubted quality in pictures. It is available in only three colours – Just Black, Cleary White and Not Pink. It is priced at Rs 71,000 for 64 GB and Rs 80,000 for the 128 GB variant. Pixel 3 XL is at Rs 76,900 for 64 GB and Rs 88,000 for 128 GB model.
Honor 8C: Chinese giant Huawei’s sub-brand Honor launched its latest built-up on Honor 7C at the end of November this year. Built on Snapdragon 632 octa-core processor that Qualcomm introduced in June this year, Honor 8C have been tagged as one of the best phones in the under Rs 15K range by tech experts. Its 6.26-inch FullView display, 4000 mAh battery and Kryo 250 CPU, boosting performance up by 40 per cent makes a steal for people on a budget. It also has dual SIM and an expandable storage of up to 256 GB. Available on the company’s website and on Amazon exclusive, the 32GB variant is priced at Rs 11,999 and the 64GB at Rs 12,999.
OnePlus 6T: Merely six months after the launch of the company’s most successful product Oneplus 6, that was launched in May, the Shenzhen-based Chinese smartphone manufacturer launched its upgraded version OnePlus 6T at the beginning of November. Although this upgraded version hardly has an upgrade from its predecessor except for a storage variant of 128 GB and slightly bigger battery life, still the 6T variant is regarded as the most accomplished product of the company. It has a display of 6.41inches AMOLED panel with a very tiny notch. It also sports the new in-display fingerprint sensor and a 16MP+20MP dual rear and 16MP front camera. The 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs 37,999 and the 256 GB is for Rs 45,999.