HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2016: Editor's Choice - Part 2

Note: This article was first published on 24th February.

Honoring the very best in tech

Last week, we published the results of our Readers' Choice polls, and Part 1 of our Editor's Choice articles, which focuses on the best in consumer electronics products, like digital cameras, smartphones/tablets, 4K TVs, and headphones. In this third and concluding part, we turn our attention to the best in computing products such as PC components, notebooks, and routers. Also featured in this article are the winners of our Innovation awards category, which is set up to recognize innovative products and cutting-edge technologies that emerged over the past year. And last but certainly not the least, the four new video game category awards we've presented this year with our sister publication, GameAxis.com.

But before that, here's a highlight video and some pictures of the awards ceremony that took place on February 16:

Play

Best Desktop CPU

The 6th generation ‘Skylake’ Intel Core processors were launched in early September 2015. In what was one of the most ambitious rollout of microprocessors, the Skylake family span four, broad product segments; desktops, notebooks, convertibles and tablets. For desktops alone, there were over 20 Skylake S-series CPUs, and at the top of the list is the quad-core, Intel Core i7-6700K.

For the AMD camp, there isn’t a desktop CPU equivalent as the company has chosen to focus on its Heterogeneous Systems Architecture (HSA) initiatives. As a result, the A10-7870K was added to the existing Kaveri APU family in mid-June 2015; however, the newer APU is branded under the Godavari series. Due to our criteria of comparing products that were launched within the Tech Awards qualification period, we had to corral this latest AMD ‘Godavari’ APU against the top Intel ‘Skylake’ desktop CPU.

In order to create a more level playing field, we included a discrete graphics card for our respective CPU test systems. Since our criteria for Tech Awards is to only qualify products the debuted in 2015, we had to contest AMD's ‘Godavari’ APU against the top Intel ‘Skylake’ desktop CPU. In order to create a more level playing field, we included a discrete graphics card for our respective test systems. We tested each system with the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti G1 Gaming graphics card to determine each processor’s performance in a high-end desktop system environment that's also used for gaming.

Nominees: 

• AMD A10-7870K
• Intel Core i7-6700K

And the winner is...

This quad-core, unlocked processor has a base clock of 4.0GHz, and a Turbo boost clock speed of 4.2GHz. With its support for HyperThreading, it’s capable of operating multiple threads on each core to improve processor throughput.  In terms of iGPU graphics compute capabilities, the AMD A10-7870K is a decent contender, but for our award category consideration, we aren't focusing on iGPU performance as highlighted earlier. Here's a quick snapshot of the total set of results obtained:-

In terms of gaming, on 3DMark the Intel Skylake CPU-powered rig was about 12% faster than the AMD-powered one at the most taxing test run. This gap widened to as much as 80% for the standard Fire Strike test.

With the Intel’s chip support for HyperThreading, the Intel system pulled way ahead of the AMD APU rig in the Cinebench rendering test. Even if we half the scores by not factoring HyperThreading capability, Intel would still have a very big lead.

The Intel Core i7-6700K is ideal for building a high-end gaming system where every inch of performance gain counts. The processor is also well equipped to handle productivity, content creation and multimedia jobs, especially if it involves multi-threaded computations and time is of the essence. The AMD A10-7870K is a great general purpose processor and its price point makes it a value catch. However, as the popular saying goes, what you get is what you pay.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Motherboard for Intel

Intel’s Z170 chipset is a major milestone in many ways. At long last, DDR4 support has arrived on a mainstream chipset. PCIe 3.0 lanes are also finally available through the chipset itself, because the processor is now connected to the chipset’s Platform Controller Hub (PCH) by the upgraded DMI 3.0 protocol. A total of 20 PCIe 3.0 lanes are now exposed through the chipset, compared to just eight PCIe 2.0 lanes on Z97. Furthermore, while M.2 was a new addition on Z97 boards, that feature has now become commonplace on Z170 motherboards from various manufacturers. Thanks to PCIe 3.0 now being supported on the chipset, Z170 boards can now have more M.2 sockets than before. Other features like USB 3.1 Type-C sockets are also found on the majority of the boards, and manufacturers have worked to distinguish their offerings with value-added features like improved onboard audio and metal-reinforced PCIe slots.

Another standout feature of Intel’s Z170 chipset is the flexibility of its HSIO layout, which gives motherboard manufacturers considerable freedom in implementing the desired selection of expansion card slots, ports and storage connectivity options. While the Z97 chipset had 18 such ports that could switch between the PCIe lanes, USB 3.0 ports and SATA 6Gbps ports, Z170 now has 26 ports than can be implemented in a variety of ways. This flexibility means that board manufacturers are able to implement a wide range of connectivity options to appeal to their target audience. 

For this year's Tech Awards, we've rounded up the flagship boards from various brands to see which one comes out on top.

Nominees: 

• ASRock Z170 OC Formula
• ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme
• ECS Z170 Claymore
• Gigabyte Z170X Gaming G1
• MSI Z170A Gaming M9 ACK

And the winner is...

At the end of the day, it was the ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme that impressed us the most. It topped the majority of our test benchmarks, and was always among the top two performers for the tests it didn’t win. Furthermore, its blend of gaming- and enthusiast-oriented features is quite compelling as it manages to appeal quite successfully to both crowds, setting it apart from the other boards that often look like they are sacrificing one for the other. In addition to being the best board for overclocking, it also offers a range of hardware buttons – the ReTry button for instance – that speak to ASUS’ efforts to make the overclocking process as smooth as possible. It is this attention to detail and user experience, combined with its stellar performance and attractive design, that lead us to unreservedly declare it the winner. It will also cost you a pretty penny, but what you get is an exceedingly feature-rich board that performs great and looks the part as well. Here's a small snapshot of the performance results from our detailed shootout:-

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Graphics Chip

For the purpose of our Best Graphics Card title, we pitted the AMD Radeon R9 Fury X against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, the finest single GPU graphics cards in the industry. While the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is not NVIDIA's most powerful single-GPU card (that honor goes to the GeForce GTX Titan X), we've selected it because it goes head-to-head against the Radeon R9 Fury X in terms of their US$649 launch price as well as the fact that it is their top consumer graphics card. Furthermore, considering the former card's June 2015 launch, it's likely that NVIDIA timed it to pre-empt the impending release of the Radeon Fury X and tighten its hold on the upper echelons of the graphics card market.

Nevertheless, the Radeon R9 Fury X has a lot going for it. It is the first card to feature High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), and its compact size and stellar liquid-cooling loop makes it an extremely compelling choice. However, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is a force to be reckoned with as well. Although it uses more conventional GDDR5 memory, it packs 6GB of that and boasts a cutdown GM200 GPU (the same as that used on the top-end GeForce GTX Titan X), effectively setting it up to deliver performance close to NVIDIA's flagship.

Nominees: 

• AMD Radeon R9 Fury X
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti

And the winner is...

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti outperformed the AMD Radeon R9 Fury X in all the 3DMark benchmarks. It edged ahead in Tomb Raider and Crysis 3 as well, showing that it's able to maintain its lead even in real-world gaming benchmarks. Its lead is especially commanding at 1080p resolutions, which is still the resolution that the majority of gamers play at. As a result, despite the Radeon R9 Fury X's use of HBM and liquid-cooling, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti still comes out on top because it performs better, and still costs about the same as AMD's flagship. From a performance and value standpoint, there's no beating a GeForce GTX 980 Ti, which offers close to the Titan X's performance at a far more attractive price. Here's a small snapshot of the full performance results:-

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Portable External HDD

Thanks to rapidly falling prices of flash memory, SSDs are steadily replacing mechanical spinning hard disk drives as the weapon of choice for OEMs and many DIY system builders. However, hard disk drives are still the go-to choice for consumers when it comes to backups and transferring large files between machines. And to entice consumers, hard disk drives are only getting bigger and larger in capacity. 2015 saw hard drive manufacturers cramming 3TB and later 4TB into a single 2.5 form factor drives, which is certainly impressive, and exceeds what any consumer SSD can offer. To make cut for this year’s awards, the drive must be released in the past year and must offer at least 3TB of storage.

Nominees:
 

• Seagate Backup Plus 4TB
• Western Digital My Passport Ultra 3TB 

And the winner is...

The Western Digital My Passport Ultra 3TB offers less capacity than its rival, and also costs more per gigabyte. However, it redeems itself in a few key areas. First of all, its offered in a variety of colors, but more importantly, it has better performance. That’s not all, it comes with a variety of bundled apps that adds more functionality. The WD Backup app lets users easily schedule, program and perform backups; while the WD Utilities app is useful for monitoring the drive’s status and run tests to detect bad sectors and drive failures. Most useful of all is the WD Security app which password protects the drive and provides hardware 256-bit AES encryption. Its superior performance and better features makes it the winner here.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Solid State Drive 

It’s no secret at this point that SSDs are seriously quick, and that if you are still using a mechanical hard disk drive, you’ll get the biggest performance boost simply by switching to an SSD. And for a couple of years now, the SATA interface has been the limiting factor in SSD performance, and 2015 was the year that SSD manufacturers finally got serious about faster interfaces. To make the cut for this year’s Tech Awards, the SSD must be offered with a PCIe interface and must come in 480GB, 500GB or 512GB capacities.

Nominees: 
 

• Intel SSD 750 Series
• Kingston HyperX Predator
• Plextor M6e Black Edition
• Samsung SSD 950 Pro

And the winner is...

For the past two or so years, Samsung has done a stellar job in cementing its position as the world’s foremost purveyor of SSDs. Thanks to its enviable position as one of the few truly integrated SSD manufacturers, Samsung has been able to provide innovative solutions and products like no other SSD manufacturer can.

For 2015, the highlight product was the Samsung SSD 950 Pro. It’s offered in an M.2 form factor and uses the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface for blazing transfer speeds. If that’s not all, it also uses V-NAND and supports the latest NVMe protocol. What this means is that the Samsung SSD 950 Pro is blazing fast, and it was the fastest drive we have tested this year. Points were also awarded to the accompanying Samsung Magician app that is used to monitor and manage the drive as it is easy to use. Our only gripe with the drive is that support for NVMe is still somewhat patchy as write performance in high queue depth scenarios were below expectations. Here's a quick snapshot of the full set of results from our shootout:-

*Note: Prices and ratings listed are accurate at the time of evaluation.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Gaming Monitor

A few years ago, picking a gaming monitor was much easier. The higher response rate and refresh times on IPS displays easily made TN screens the choice for most gamers. However, IPS screens have steadily gotten better in recent years, with quicker response rates and faster refresh times. While this is definitely great news for gamers, it makes picking a definitive gaming display that much harder.

This year, the finalists come from both sides, we have a TN display and two IPS ones. To make the grade for this category, the monitors had to be 27 inches in size, be released in 2015 and have refresh rate control capabilities to stay in sync with the rendered output from the graphics card such as AMD FreeSync or NVIDIA G-Sync, since we're looking for gaming monitors. The monitors were then judged on performance, features, and value to determine the winner.

Nominees: 

• Acer XB270HU
• ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQ
• Dell S2716DG

And the winner is...

The Acer XB270HU comes out tops in the best gaming monitor category for a couple of reasons. The IPS display used in the monitor displayed bright and crisp colors, which puts it ahead of the TN screen on the Dell S2716DG. Couple that with its QHD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) screen resolution, a 4ms response time and its 60Hz refresh rate. While it only accepts a DisplayPort input, that's no issue actually as G-Sync (the primary reason one might want to get the monitor), can only be used through DisplayPort connections. On top of that, the monitor also two easily accessible USB 3.0 ports on its side, great if you need to plug something in a hurry.

It all adds up to the Acer XB270HU monitor to being a great monitor with great value, which is why it's our pick for the best gaming monitor of the year.

*Note: Prices and ratings listed are accurate at the time of individual product evaluation.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Gaming Notebook

2015 was certainly a great year for mobile gaming. Not only did NVIDIA's G-Sync technology finally make the leap to mobile displays, the company also managed to cram their GeForce GTX 980 desktop GPU into certain high end gaming notebooks. On top of that, the release of Skylake processors with new energy efficiency technology meant that notebooks can last longer on the go as well.

With all these technologies falling in place, 2015 saw a number of formidable gaming notebooks that were in the 15-inch class as opposed to the usual case where only the best in technology appeared on 17-inch class notebooks. For once, true gaming notebooks need not be bulky machines like those of the past. To mark this change, for this year, our gaming notebook category will only focus on the best of the best 15-inch gaming notebooks that have a high-end GPU onboard. The notebooks were then judged on performance, portability, features, and value to determine the winner.

Nominees: 

• Acer Predator 15
• Aftershock S-15 (2015)
• Alienware 15
• Gigabyte P35X V5
• Lenovo Ideapad Y700
• MSI GS60 Ghost Pro

And the winner is...

While 2015 saw some notebooks equipped with the  new mobile version of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 GPUs, none of our finalists had the desktop GPU in it as we were going for 15-inch machines. Instead, we focused on portable machines that had the power to game hard, but can still be easily transported when required.

Of the six machines that made it to the finals, none fit the criteria more than Gigabyte's latest refresh of their venerable P35X, the P35X V5. The P35X V3 was one of the finalists for last year's best gaming notebook, but it's only this year that the refreshed model clinched it. The Gigabyte P35X V5 is nearly the perfect gaming machine. It has a 15.6-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) display, an Intel Core i7-6700HQ (2.6GHz, 6MB cache) processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (8GB VRAM), and a 256GB SSD with 1TB HDD for storage. Those specs combine to make the machine a truly formidable gaming beast, only surpassed by the best of the high-end machines (which are 17-inch or larger).

On top of that, the Gigabyte P35X V5 comes with a whole host of connectivity options. It has multiple USB 3.0 ports with a single USB 3.1 Type-C port. While it's sad that it's not a Thunderbolt 3 port, it's still a boon to those who have USB Type-C devices. Other connections include a single HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, D-Sub VGA and a card reader. It also comes with a Blu-Ray writer and has Dolby Digital Plus Home Theater certification to power its audio output. Best of all, the notebook is one of the lightest machines in the shootout - it's just 2.4kg. All these attributes combine to make the Gigabyte P35X V5 one of the most versatile 15-inch gaming machines you can buy right now.

Here's a quick snapshot of its performance from our shootout:-

*Note: Prices and ratings listed are accurate at the time of individual product evaluation.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Ultrabook

The launch of Intel’s latest sixth-generation processors means that various manufacturers have just now begun to roll out a slew of ultrabooks equipped with Intel’s newest processors. Skylake promises faster overall performance while offering improved power efficiency, which also translates into better battery life for the mobile road warrior. For this year’s Tech Awards, we narrowed our focus to 13.3-inch Ultrabooks – both convertibles and more conventional form factors – featuring the latest Intel Skylake processors. However, we did not exclude Broadwell models entirely because certain brands did not have a Skylake-equipped Intel Core notebook available at the time of testing.

Nominees:

• Acer Aspire R13
• ASUS ZenBook UX305
• Dell XPS 13
• HP Envy 13
• Lenovo Yoga 900

And the winner is...

As it turns out, design trumps all else at the end of the day. Even though the Dell XPS 13 is among the most expensive ultrabooks we tested at S$2,299, its compact size, good battery life, and stunning edge-to-edge display helps it edge ahead of its cheaper rivals. It features the same 3,200 x 1,800 pixels resolution display as the other ultrabooks, but Dell has managed to cram it into the body of an 11-inch notebook, effectively making it the smallest notebook of the lot. And when combined with its light weight, slim tapered profile, and good battery life, it gains huge points in the design and mobility departments. Compared to the considerably cheaper but similarly specced HP Envy 13, the Dell XPS 13 offers additional features like a touchscreen display and a USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 port, but what really helps it take home the prize is its stellar, eye-catching design. Here's a quick snapshot of performance standings from our shootout article:-

*Note: Prices and ratings listed are accurate at the time of individual product evaluation.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Affordable 2-in-1 Detachable Notebook

Small, low-powered notebooks are enjoying a bit of a resurgence. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the two most important ones are perhaps the availability of inexpensive flash memory and also the royalty-free Windows 8.1 with Bing. This meant that these kinds of notebooks are no longer slouches and as slow as you might think. And because Windows 8.1 with Bing is free to manufacturers building low-cost systems, this helps keep prices even lower. As a result, there has never been a better time to shop for cheap, low-powered notebooks.

To make the cut, the device must be a 2-in-1 detachable notebook, meaning it must have a detachable display that doubles up as a tablet and a keyboard dock. It must also be priced under S$600.

Nominees:

• Acer Switch 10E
• ASUS Transformer Book T100 Chi
• HP Pavilion x2

And the winner is...

The HP Pavilion x2 is the winner because it does the most things well and makes the best of what it has. Though it doesn’t an aluminum chassis, the Pavilion x2 still manages to look good thanks to its excellent application of paint and funky colors. We also like that it manages to cram a full-sized USB port as well a newer USB Type-C port into the tablet display without much sacrifice on thickness or portability - it’s the only one to have a full-sized USB port. Finally, its performance was decent and it offered good battery life. Here's a snapshot of its performance from our full shootout article:-

*Note: Prices and ratings listed are accurate at the time of individual product evaluation.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Business Projector

Getting a bright projector is important if you’re buying it as a presentation tool. So for this business projector category, we requested for projectors with a minimum brightness of 3,200 lumens. We also narrowed down to those designed for conference room and classroom use, and which are priced around S$1,200. While they can either be using 3LCD or DLP tech, they all must have at least a WXGA native resolution (that is, 1,280 x 800 pixels).

Nominees:

• Canon LV-WX320
• Epson EB-W31
• NEC M323W
• Panasonic PT-LW362

And the winner is...

One advantage of DLP projectors is that you don't need to change their filter as often as 3LCD projectors. While the Panasonic PT-LW362 is a 3LCD projector, the good thing is Panasonic has designed it in such a way that you only need to do it when you replace the lamp. If you were to use the most energy-saving Eco 2 mode, that's a long 10,000 hours.

Equipped with one HDMI, two D-sub, and one composite video inputs, the PT-LW362 has you pretty much covered video-wise. For more bang for the buck, Panasonic even manages to squeeze in a LAN jack, two USB ports (for functions like USB Display and USB memory viewer), and a monitor output. For admins, the LAN jack is compatible with PJLink control, which is useful if you need to manage different brands of projectors.

In our tests, the PT-LW362 was a very bright projector, not a surprise since this is a 3,600-lumen-rated projector (when Dynamic mode is used). Arial at 7.5 points looked really crisp and colors punchy. Video performance wasn’t too shabby either, with sufficient details and a high-enough contrast. The Epson EB-W31, another 3LCD model, also showed high brightness and vivid colors, but it had a weak speaker. If you prefer a more flexible lens, the DLP-based NEC M323W stands out with its 1.7x zoom lens; the others are either 1.1x or 1.2x.

Ultimately though, the PT-LW362 gets our nod for its good overall balance of data/video performance and features. The attractive price tag makes recommending it all the more easier.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best AIO Color Inkjet Printer

While laser printers still lead the way in terms of print speed and throughput, today’s inkjets are no slouches either. Volume of print notwithstanding, nothing quite beats an inkjet when it comes to printing photos and graphics. And when you add more functions like scanning, copying and faxing, an all-in-one (AIO) inkjet printer can be a very useful addition to home and small businesses. We put two such inkjet multi-taskers to the test, basing them on specific criteria: besides print, copy, and scan, they must also do fax, introduced to the market in the year of 2015 and cost under S$500.

Nominees:

• Canon Maxify MB5370
• Epson WorkForce Pro WF-5621

And the winner is…

In our opinion, the greatest strength of the Maxify MB5370 is its fast print speeds and very decent image quality. And its appeal gets stronger if its business features (e.g., Settings Restrictions, Operation Restrictions, scan/fax to network folder) are exactly what you're looking for. It also comes with two 250-sheet paper trays, which saves the hassle for frequent paper loading; for the WF-5621, you need to buy the second tray separately.

While the Epson WF-5621 is slightly ahead in terms of color print speeds, the MB5370 is ahead when it comes to black-and-white printing. Also, the MB5370 has a twin-CIS (contact image sensor) ADF that allows for double-sided scanning in a single pass, a very useful feature that the Epson model lacks. That and its slightly better print quality seal the deal at the end of the day. 

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best SOHO Color Laser/LED MFP

For business users who care more about document print quality and print speed and don't give two hoots to other features, a laser or LED printer is still the way to go. In fact, in many cases, the print quality and print speed from an entry-level laser printer are still better than those of a high-end inkjet printer. For this category, we took it upon us to suss out the best sub-S$600 laser or LED multi-function printer for small office or home office use that was launched in 2015.

Nominees:

• Canon Imageclass MF628Cw
• Fuji Xerox DocuPrint CM225 fw

And the winner is…

The Fuji Xerox DocuPrint CM225 fw is a PCL5e/6 and PostScript 3-compatible printer with a 18ppm print speed claim (both mono and color), additional copy, scan, and fax functions, and Wi-Fi support, including the ability to work with Apple's AirPrint and Google's Cloud Print for wireless and over-the-web printing. Versus the Canon MF628Cw, it's slightly more compact and has a bigger touchscreen control panel (4.3-inch vs. 3.5-inch); however, the MF628Cw has a roomier 50-sheet ADF (15 sheets for the CM225 fw). Unfortunately, both printers lack a duplexer, and neither sports a single-pass scanning ADF.

When put to the test, we got print speeds of between 16.6 and 18.2ppm for the CM225 fw, very close to Fuji Xerox's claims. This is also faster than what we recorded for the Canon MF628Cw, which is about 13.8ppm. While print quality for both were very good, the CM225 fw exhibited slightly better color accuracy. These print quality and speed advantages, coupled with an attractive price, are the main reasons that contributed to the CM225 fw's win in this category.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Wireless Router

2015 was the year of tri-band routers. Tri-band routers are generally preferred over dual-band routers mainly because they broadcast three separate networks and were primarily designed to serve households with multiple connected devices. The first tri-band routers supported a maximum throughput of 3200Mbps - 1900Mbps each on its two 5GHz networks and 600MHz on its single 2.4GHz network.

In the later part of 2015, we saw the next wave of tri-band routers in the form of AC5300 routers. These AC5300 routers are part of the 802.11ac Wave 2 movement and also support a new Broadcom technology callled NitroQAM. What this means in terms of throughput is that each of its 5GHz network can now offer a maximum throughput of 2150Mbps, while the 2.4GHz network tops out at 1000Mbps - add it all up and you get 5300Mbps.

To make the cut, the router must be released in 2015 and must be a tri-band router belonging either in the AC3200 or AC5300 class. Essentially the best that each networking brand has to offer.

Nominees:

• ASUS RT-AC5300
• D-Link DIR-890L
• Linksys EA9200
• Netgear Nighthawk X8
• TP-Link Archer C3200

And the winner is...

One brand that has been especially dominant in the realm of high-end performance routers is ASUS, and they didn’t disappoint in 2015. At IFA 2015 in Berlin, they unveiled the RT-AC5300 router and it took the networking world by storm with its impressive specifications and unworldly, radical design. It looked more like a concept router, so you can imagine our surprise when it went into sale shortly after IFA 2015 with its outrageous design wholly intact. 

However, it wasn’t just its bold design that won us over, because the ASUS RT-AC5300 performed where it matters and it provided outstanding speeds and offered a wide coverage. Finally, the RT-AC5300 router also offers a rich list of features including two aggregated LAN ports, remote router management, cloud storage functionality, AiProtection, GameBoost, and even a free life-time subscription to WTFast GPN.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Innovation Awards

Four Innovation awards were also given out in this year's Editor's Choice segment, with the aim of recognizing innovative products and cutting-edge technologies that have emerged during the eligibility period. The winners are AMD, Apple, DJI, and Sony.

1.) AMD HBM Technology

As display manufacturers begin to push out more and more quad HD and 4K monitors, the demand for higher bandwidth cards that can handle these ultra-high resolutions is only going to grow. Unfortunately, GDDR5 memory, the type that has traditionally been used on graphics cards for a while now, is quickly running up against a power wall that is making it unsustainable to continue to attempt to squeeze out additional bandwidth.

That's where High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) comes in. It is a potential game-changer, possibly ushering in a new generation of cards that offer huge amounts of bandwidth and are more compact than ever. In a nutshell, it involves stacking memory chips on top of one another to save space. These HBM towers are in turn arranged around the GPU die, both of which sit on top of an ultra-fast silicon-based interconnect called an interposer. Furthermore, because it is positioned so close to the GPU die, it enables extremely wide memory bus widths and significant power savings. In fact, for first-generation HBM, we're looking at around a 3.5x improvement in bandwidth per watt over GDDR5 memory.

Additional read: High Bandwidth Memory: What it is and why you should care

2.) 3D Touch technology in Apple iPhone 6s

This year Apple introduced a revolutionary new technology called 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. 3D Touch uses a layer of  capacitive touch sensors under the display that register varying levels of pressure. This means you can press harder on the display to register a different input, giving you a completely new way to interact with your phone - think of it like a right-click for your phone. On the iPhone, you can use this 'hard press' input to jump straight to your favorite features inside an app, or to preview web pages, messages, maps or images. Apple has cleverly integrated 3D Touch into every part of iOS 9, so that whatever you're doing, 3D Touch can make it quicker and easier.

Like the fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5s that came before it, we won't be surprised if 3D Touch, or a similar version of it anyway, becomes a staple feature in every smartphone over the next few years.

Additional read: Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus review

3.) DJI Osmo

The DJI Osmo is perhaps the most interesting "camera" to come to market in a long time. It takes the gimbal-stabilized camera from their flying drones and places it on a stick with controls that you can easily access. The camera itself has a highly capable 1/ 2.3-inch 12.4MP CMOS sensor with an ISO range of 100-3200 (video), true 4K (4,096 x 2,160 pixels) 24/25p recording capabilities, and also the ability to record timelapse videos and Slow Motion at 120 fps. Everything is controllable from your smartphone via a simple app interface, so you get a much larger screen by which to control your camera with. The end result, is steady videos from literally any angle in a compact package that’s extremely portable. It’s a combination that works so well, you wonder why no one else has done it before.

Addition read: Hands-on with the DJI Osmo

4.) Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II packs an astonishing number of innovations into a compact body.

To start with, it has a 42.4MP full-frame sensor. It’s not just the sizable megapixel count that impresses, it’s also the fact that this sensor is among the first series of backside-illuminated (BSI) full-frame sensors in the world.

BSI sensors capture higher quality images, especially in low-light, and while they’re commonplace in smaller cameras and smartphones, Sony’s 2015 series of A7 cameras, including the RX1R II, mark the first time that full-frame BSI sensors have been produced.

The RX1R II’s variable optical low-pass filter is also the first of its kind. Optical low-pass filters reduce the fine detail you can capture, but they also reduce the appearance of moire artifacts. Every other digital camera either has one or not, but the RX1R II is the first to come with an optical low-pass filter that you can either turn off or turn on, with two intensity settings, for maximum detail or moire reduction.

And if that’s not enough, the RX1R II hybrid auto-focus (AF) system features 399 phase-detection AF points, which cover nearly half of the entire frame and is the widest AF coverage on a full-frame sensor. The RX1R II complements that with 25 contrast-detection AF points, for even faster focus.

Each feature would be hailed as ground-breaking in any other camera, but to have all three in a single product is game-changing. It’s not perfect, but the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II is one camera that solidly deserves our Innovation Award.

Additional read: Hands-on with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II

Gaming Awards

New this year is a section of gaming oriented awards in collaboration with our partner publication GameAxis. In this inaugural set of gaming awards, we pay homage to four key segments - Best PC Game, Best Console Game, Best Online Game and the Game of the Year. Here then are the nominees and winners of each segment.

Best PC Game

It was not too long ago that naysayers were predicting the death of PC gaming, amidst the rise of mobile gaming and console title exclusives. Yet PC gaming today is truly well and alive, and thriving in fact. While the games of yesteryears were lazy and shoddy ports of their console versions, developers these days have focused on making their PC versions the crème de la crème of their multiplatform titles.

This year’s inaugural Best PC Game category nominees may not be PC exclusive titles, but they represent some of the best gameplay and visual technology that PC gamers now enjoy and that’s not a bad thing.

Nominees: 

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• Fallout 4
• Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
• Grand Theft Auto V

And the winner is...

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was one of 2015’s greatest open-world games, in scope and content. What’s also brilliant about the game was its near perfect sense of balance between giving players things to do and allowing them spaces to breathe. The game developers also took the unprecedented step of providing free, and meaty, additional downloadable content for the first few months after the game’s release.

Best Console Game

Console gamers have had a pretty good run of games on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for 2015. And let’s not forget the Wii U too, which also had some gold Nintendo games, even if it must be on its last legs. While the early game releases were mostly remastered titles from the previous console (PS3 and Xbox 360) generation, there were still plenty of quality and original games.

One big criteria for choosing our nominees were that they had to be exclusive titles on their respective platform or released for consoles only. (Editor’s Note: Rise of the Tomb Raider was a timed exclusive, and the PC version was released earlier this month).

Nominees: 

• Bloodborne - PS4
• Forza Motorsport 6 - Xbox One
• Rise of the Tomb Raider - Xbox One
• Xenoblade Chronicles X - Wii U

And the winner is...

There are no games quite like developer From Software’s Bloodborne for the PlayStation 4. The game is incredibly difficult, technical and punishing. Yet it also gives players a sense of fulfilment and awe unlike any. Quite simply, there are no games that matches what Bloodborne has to offer with its capable and confident game play.

Best Online Game

Online games are as its name imply; games that require an online connectivity and also have multiplayer components. This can be either PvP (Player vs Player) or PvE (Player vs Environment). Usually a domain of the PC platform, online games are also now a popular genre in mobile and console platforms as well. Online games can also be split into the F2P (Free-to-play) and Subscription/Paid categories. For our nominees, we also took that into account when choosing the winner.

Nominees: 

• World of Warships - PC
• Heroes of the Storm - PC
• Star Wars Battlefront - PC/PS4/Xbox One
• Subterfuge - iOS

And the winner is...

World of Warships continued the same F2P model of Wargaming’s critically successful World of Tanks. Although there are technical similarities between the two, World of Warships features a more open map system, and requires a more deliberate style of play. World of Warships also features a brilliantly balanced scissors-rock-paper rule for its unit classes of Battleships, Cruisers, Destroyers and Carriers. Unlike many F2P games in the market, and even Paid ones, the game follows Wargaming mantra of not requiring its player base to ‘pay to win’.

Game of the Year

The Game of the Year can be awarded to a single title for many reasons (e.g., the game’s vision, technical development, visuals, etc) but we want to do so only for a title that we felt represented the pinnacle of gaming achievement for the year, and in this case, 2015.

And the winner is...

Bloodborne is a satisfying exploration of repetition, thematically and mechanically. It’s a single, endless night of executions where nothing can truly die, since your own death resurrects nearly every enemy in the world. The idea of a place stuck in time is a classic fantasy convention, but it’s especially effective here because you spend so much time enacting the cycle yourself.

It’s an open-world game with direction, a hard game that’s accessible, and a narrative game that balances exposition and play. In a good year for video gaming, it still stands out as the rare piece of work that feels truly, perfectly well composed.

References

For a full list of content related to the HWM and HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2016 event, you can refer to the following links:

• Tech Awards 2016: Readers' Choice Results
• Tech Awards 2016: Editor's Choice Results - Part 1
• Tech Awards 2016: Editor's Choice Results - Part 2 - this article
• HWM+HardwareZone Tech Awards 2016 Microsite 

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