HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2019: Editor's Choice - Part 1

Note: This article was first published on 28th February 2019.

Tech Awards 2019: 72 awards presented to celebrate the best in tech

The 10th annual HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards was held on February 28, and it served to honor the best in tech products and services that were introduced in 2018 and the best tech brands as determined by the editorial team and readers of HWZ/HWM/GAX respectively.

A grand total of 29 Editor’s Choice and 43 Readers’ Choice awards were presented this year, in categories ranging from computers and consumer electronics to digital entertainment, communications and services. Included in the Editor's Choice segment are also 4 Innovation awards that recognize innovative products and cutting-edge technologies that have emerged during the eligibility period.

Earlier, we posted the comprehensive results of the Readers' Choice polls; so do check out the results if you've not already done so, and see if any of your favorite brands won and how well the winners fared ahead of the competition. Alternatively, you can go to our Tech Awards microsite for a condensed version of all the results.

More about the Editor's Choice awards

For the Editor's Choice awards, a total of 116 products introduced last year were shortlisted. After many months of evaluation by the HWM and HardwareZone.com editorial team, winners were chosen based on the performance, features, value, and quality of experience they brought to their users.

This is also the fourth year the Tech Awards have included video gaming merit categories, presented in collaboration with sister publication GameAxis.com. New awards we've this year include Editor’s Choice for Best Gaming Smartphone, Editor’s Choice for Best Gaming Headset, Editor’s Choice for Best Gaming Notebook, and Readers’ Choice for Best Gaming Headset Brand.

Due to the sheer number of categories, we've split the Editor's Choice results article into two parts - consumer electronics (this article) and computing (Part 2, coming soon). In this article, we start off by taking a look at the best in consumers electronics. For individual scores and breakdown for each product category, just hit the appropriate jump in the drop list located at the top or bottom of the article.

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

 

For a full list of content related to the HWM and HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2019 event, you can refer to the following links:

• Tech Awards 2019: Readers' Choice Results
• Tech Awards 2019: Editor's Choice Results - Part 1 (this article)
• Tech Awards 2019: Editor's Choice Results - Part 2
• Full list of winners: HWM+HardwareZone Tech Awards 2019 microsite

Best Full-Frame Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera

Mention "full-frame", and you instantly think great image quality. Certainly, the larger sensor makes for cameras with higher higher resolutions and resolving power. Going mirrorless also means these cameras can use an electronic shutter method to capture images silently and push the continuous rate of capture higher than cameras with a mechanical shutter.

2018 saw the market for full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras heat up, with the likes of Canon and Nikon releasing new cameras in this format to challenge the offerings from Sony. Given that both companies have previously only released smaller-sensor offerings that didn't really challenge their existing lineups of traditional DSLR cameras, 2018 has certainly been an exciting year if you're into photography.

Nominees:

• Canon EOS R
• Nikon Z6
• Sony A7 III

And the winner is...

It’s curious to think of Sony having a historical advantage over DSLR heavyweights Nikon and Canon in terms of cameras, but that’s where we find ourselves with the Alpha series. Sony has a much wider range of native full-frame lenses for the A7 series for now, and the series as a whole is just more mature too.

With the A7 III, you get dual card slots, 4K recording without pixel binning, excellent in-body IS and autofocus that’s both fast and accurate. That’s especially evident when you take face detect performance into account. Ironically, battery life is now a strong suit for the A7 III too, as Sony has managed to fit in a larger battery in a form factor that’s not much larger than the competition. All this at a lower price makes the Sony A7 III an easy winner. 

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

Best 4K TV

If you're buying a new TV today, chances are you'd be buying a 4K TV instead of a 1080p set. Compared to a couple of years back, buying a 4K UHD TV today makes much more sense. The recent ones all sport at least HDMI 2.0, which means they will support 4K up to 60/50 frames per second. And the even better ones have HDMI 2.0a to support HDR. In fact, TV tech is moving so fast that come later this year, 8K TVs will be a common sight in retail stores.

For this category, we've looked at various 65-inch 4K TVs from the likes of LG, Samsung, and Sony. Since we're trying to determine the best of the best, both flatscreen and curved models, as well as LCD and OLED technologies were considered.

Nominees:

• LG Signature W8 OLED TV
• Samsung Q9F QLED TV
• Sony Bravia A9F OLED TV

And the winner is...

Let us be clear that all the three 4K TVs features here are top-notch TVs, which means you should be perfectly happy with any of them. But if you must choose one, we recommend that you understand your priorities first.

The Samsung Q9F QLED TV is the brightest TV of the trio, and is great if you watch a lot of HDR content and/or do most of your viewing in a bright living room. Using the Q9F in a room with ambient light also helps to show off its strengths better (high brightness, wide colors) and mask its less-than-perfect black weakness. While the Q9F is by no means a cheap TV, it is the most affordable of the three.

The LG Signature W8 and Sony Bravia OLED TVs trump the Q9F in the picture quality department. If you watch a lot of movies in the dark and are seeking super-deep blacks and high contrast, look no further. Both OLED TVs also work with Dolby Vision content, and we fully enjoyed watching HDR on them despite their lower peak brightness compared to the Q9F.

However, our vote went to the Bravia A9F. Like the LG W8, the Sony A9F’s wide color gamut performance is excellent, covering nearly 100% of the DCI-P3 uv space. While its color volume can’t reach the heights of the Samsung Q9F, it's better than the LG W8. This basically means that it’s able to display more colors accurately at different brightness levels. We also observed fewer instances of “banding” (i.e., rough transitions between shades of a single color, like in scenes with a large patch of sky) on the A9F than the W8.

We were also impressed by Sony's Acoustic Surface tech and think that Sony has nicely balanced design and practicality with the A9F. If you don’t think you’d be upgrading your audio setup, then go ahead and get the wall-mounting-only W8 because its price also lands you an Atmos soundbar.

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

Best Home Theater Projector

Have you heard? 4K TVs are getting bigger and 8K sets are hitting the market. The problem is, when good TVs cost upward of S$10,000, it makes you wonder if you should be looking at a projector, especially if you're looking to re-create the cinema experience at home.

For this category, we've looked at two 4K home theater projectors from BenQ and Sony, each of them coming well under S$10,000 and are the newest in the market for this category.

Nominees:

• BenQ W11000H
• Sony VPL-VW270ES

And the winner is...

Featuring a 1,500-lumen brightness, Sony’s VPL-VW270ES produces its 4K images using native 4K (4,096 x 2,160) SXRD panels. While being “true 4K” will definitely please purists, pixel count isn’t the only reason why the VPL-VW270ES is the winner. After all, the BenQ W11000H, with its pixel-shifting tech, also puts out 4K worth of pixels on screen, which means it too gave us a picture that was noticeably more detailed than 1080p.

The VPL-VW270ES wins because it has a better overall picture quality. In a nut, its images are sharper, cleaner, and resolves more details. Motionflow works well too to reduce blur, though in our opinion, it works better for sports than for 24p content. (For the latter, we recommend either the True Cinema setting or turn the frame insertion setting off altogether.) The BenQ W11000H is also capable of producing a solid image, just that we could still occasionally see this “rainbow effect” that’s common with 1-chip DLP projectors.

Like the BenQ projector, the Sony VPL-VW270ES supports the HDR10 format. On paper, the W11000H, at 2,200 lumens, is the brighter of the two - but in reality, the difference is negligible. Overall, the VPL-VW270ES is also the better HDR projector, thanks to its high contrast and wide dynamic range.

Finally, the VPL-VW270ES is a heavy but well-put-together piece of kit. It’s equipped with a 2.06x motorized zoom lens with lens shift function as well as two HDMI ports that play nice with 4K/60fps content. And with a 1.36:1 to 2.16:1 throw ratio, you just need 3 meters between the projector and screen to get a 100-inch image. And oh, like the BenQ W11000H, the Sony VPL-VW270ES is capable of 3D playback - a feature that’s started to disappear on 4K TVs.

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

Best Premium Headphones

Driven by smaller homes and the ever increasing prices of loudspeakers and its accompanying components, traditional audiophiles are turning to headphones in droves. Coupled with improvements in headphone research and driver technology, headphones have never sounded better than they have today. As such, headphones are now one of the biggest market of growth not just in the audiophile space but also in the entire consumer technology industry.

To make the cut for this category, the headphones must employ planar magnetic drivers and must be in their respective company’s flagship range.

Nominees:

• Abyss Phi-1266
• Audeze LCD-MX4
• Final D8000
• Hifiman Susvara
• Kennerton Thror
• Meze Empyrean
• MrSpeakers Ether 2

And the winner is...

On first impressions at least, it's tempting to dismiss the Hifiman Susvara. It's very expensive - obscenely so - and the build quality isn't the best. Even though it uses premium materials like aluminum and wood, it feels somewhat flimsy when compared to its rivals. And then there is its insane power requirements. The Susvara is woefully insensitive and so it requires a very powerful - and often equally expensive amplifier - to run. However, if you get past all that and put it on and play some music, you will see why the Susvara is so highly rated and you'll start to appreciate its astronomical price tag. It might not have the best bass or the sweetest highs, but no other pair of headphones does everything as well as the Susvara does, and that's a rare feat. No other headphones is as tonally correct and balanced, and no other headphones combines hard-hitting bass with luscious mids and sparkly highs. If your wallets are fat enough, the Susvara will transport you to headphone heaven.

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

Best Wireless Neckband Headphones

Yes, wireless neckband-style headphones are now a thing. Other than added battery life and the convenience of being able to easily and comfortably keep them around your neck at all times, that extra space in the band also allows manufacturers to add in other features like active noise canceling. This year, we have no less than seven entries to this segment. 

Nominees:

• 1-More Triple driver BT
• Audio Technica ANC40BT
• Beats X
• Jabra Elite 45e
• Plantronics BackBeat Go 410
• RHA MA390 Wireless
• Sony WI-C600N

And the winner is...

Plantronics' BackBeat Go 410 fought off strong competition from the likes of RHA and 1-More by basically turning in the best sound overall. Whether it's crisp highs or rumbling lows you're looking for, the BackBeat Go 410  delivers. This is one pair of headphones that works well regardless of the genre of music you're listening to. The fact that it uses the latest Bluetooth 5.0 tech, comes with active noise-canceling, and has a good battery life of eight hours with a fast charging feature are further icing on the top. Sure, it's the most expensive pair of the group, but in this case, the quality of performance and all the added features you get easily justify the cost. Meanwhile, RHA's MA390 Wireless is a great value option if you can live without the frills and advantages of the Plantronics BackBeat Go 410.

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

Best True Wireless Earbuds

Once considered a Kickstarter gimmick, true wireless earbuds are now truly a category in their own right, with offerings from pretty much every headphone/earphone brand. Case in point: this year, we have no less than nine contenders for the title of best true wireless earbuds. As the name implies, true wireless earbuds are in-ear headphones that consist merely of two earbuds, communicating wirelessly with each other and with your chosen audio source.

Nominees:

• B&O Play E8
• Bose Soundsport Free
• JBL Free
• Jabra Elite 65t
• Plantronics BackBeat Fit 3100
• RHA TrueConnect
• Samsung Gear Icon X (2018)
• Sony WF-SP700N
• Yevo Labs Yevo 1

And the winner is...

With true wireless earbuds, the biggest issue almost always revolves around connection strength. It's apparent RHA has spent a good deal of time on this aspect, as the earbuds served us one of the best true wireless experiences to date, with dropouts the exception rather than the norm. The full-bodied sound the TrueConnect delivers makes listening a pleasure no matter the genre, and the earbuds manage to provide the sense of excitement we look out for when listening to faster moving tracks. There’s also a generous amount of ear tips thrown in - helpful when you're trying to get the best possible fit. Battery life is also sufficient considering the case brings the total listening time up to 25 hours on the go, and it also has a handy quick-charge feature. So for now at least, the TrueConnect is the one to beat.

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

Best Gaming Headset

If clothes make the man, then experience makes the game - and audio will always be an integral part of that. We cast our eyes and ears toward all the surround-sound capable gaming headsets that 2018 had to offer, judging them on key criteria such as audio quality, build quality, and comfort. After all, we could be wearing these for hours straight!

This year’s top candidates not only excelled in the above, but also introduced nifty features that aim to take the gaming experience as we know it to new heights.

Nominees:

• ASUS ROG Strix Fusion 700
• Alienware Wireless Gaming Headset (AW988)
• Razer Nari Ultimate
• SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless Headset

And the winner is...

After nearly a decade since their last headset, Alienware returns with a product that simply blows past skeptical expectations. Its robust build is matched to supremely comfortable ear pads and cushioning, and the rich bass tone makes it perfect for the everyday gamer. You don’t have to baby it, you don’t have to excessively tinker with it, and once it’s on – oh, you’ll be going on and on.

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

Best Mobile Chip 

Your mobile chip is the brains of your smartphone. Each system on a chip contains the processing cores, graphics processing unit, cache memory and all the other electronics necessary to provide mobile computing functions within a single physical package. But which mobile chip is the best?

Nominees:

• Apple A12 Bionic (represented by Apple iPhone XS Max)
• Huawei Hi-Silicon Kirin 980 (represented by Huawei Mate 20 Pro)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (represented by many phones)
• Samsung Exynos Octa 9810 (represented by Samsung Galaxy Note9)

And the winner is...

Apple wins this category for the third year in a row with the A12 Bionic inside the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR easily the most powerful processor of the year.

The A12 Bionic packs a hexa-core CPU (two performance cores + four efficiency cores), a quad-core GPU, as well as a ‘next-generation’ octa-core neural engine (up from dual-core on last year's A11 Bionic) that handles all the machine learning and AI tasks. The added power of that neural engine allowed it to process 5 trillion operations per second, a huge leap compared to the A11 Bionic’s 600 billion.

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

Best Smartphone

The best smartphone category is always tightly contested, and this year is no different with great phones from every brand.

For this category we’re looking at design, build, benchmark performance, battery life, camera performance, display quality, audio quality, handling, as well as any other extra features like advanced biometric security and AI capabilities.

Nominees:

• Apple iPhone XS Max
• ASUS ROG Phone
• Google Pixel 3 XL
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
• LG G7+ ThinQ
• Oppo Find X
• OnePlus 6T
• Razer Phone 2
• Samsung Galaxy Note9
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
  
   

And the winner is...

As the price of flagship smartphones continues to soar, Huawei has managed to make a phone that costs less than many of its rivals, but that still boasts a refined, classy design, a gorgeous AMOLED display, the most versatile rear camera setup out there, the best combination of biometric security you can get, expandable storage (albeit with a proprietary format), fantastic battery life, and super fast charging.

In past years, Huawei's Achilles' heel has been its weak benchmark performance, but that's no longer the case, as the Kirin 980 is superior to Samsung's Exynos 9810 and just as capable as Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 845 processor. Apple's A12 Bionic still holds the edge here, but the Mate 20 Pro isn't that far behind.

Huawei has also shown that it won't just sit back and push iterative upgrades either, and there's something very likable about that. It could have easily taken the P20 Pro's already excellent triple rear camera and stuck it in the Mate 20 Pro, but instead, it redesigned it with a new, and very useful, ultra-wide angle lens. The result is a highly versatile camera kit suitable for practically any situation, equally capable of shooting stunning normal photos as it is to tricky macro shots, ultra wide-angles and long range telephotos with great clarity.

Huawei improved its own fast charging standard too (which was already the best out there) - after all, what's the point of a massive battery if it takes forever to charge. The Mate 20 Pro's 40W charging is far faster than anything else out there, and its 15W fast wireless-charging is a great addition too.

Huawei has been threatening to challenge Apple and Samsung’s smartphone dominance for years now, but it's no longer just a threat. With the Mate 20 Pro, Huawei has surpassed the competition. This is the best smartphone of 2018 and even at the point of publishing this 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 in the References section at the end.

Best Value Smartphone

Entry-level phones used to be drab plastic affairs with limited features, boring designs, and barely usable cameras. But all of that has changed in recent years, and budget phones today offer much of the same experience you’ll find on a high-end flagship phone, including bezel-less displays and dual camera setups.

For this category we're looking for the phone that offers the most bang for your buck. We're taking into account build, performance, battery life and any other features that exceed what you normally find in this price range.

Nominees:

• ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
• Huawei Nova 3i
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
• Xiaomi Mi A2

And the winner is...

The ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 punches well above its weight with an attractive 'Wave Design' that looks, feels, and handles like a much more expensive device. Its large Full HD display, mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, and huge 5,000mAh battery all also exceed what you normally expect at this price range. To seal the deal, the Max Pro M2 also runs on stock Android, providing a clean and lightweight user experience.

*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 in the References section at the end.

Best Smartwatch

Over the past five years, the smart wearable category was clearly split into three camps: full-fledged smartwatches, connected watches (either analog or digital watches with some form of connected app that allowed simple notifications and settings to be changed), and activity trackers. It was only when Apple launched the Apple Watch in 2015 did the smartwatch category find its North Star as a fashionable companion device to the smartphone.

Today, activity trackers are getting smarter with more features, smartwatches are getting more sensors and the industry as a whole has embraced a lifestyle design mindset, so you can take a smartwatch to the gym, the boardroom or the ballroom with equal ease.

For this category, we look at smart wearable devices that combine both health and activity tracking, as well as advanced smartphone and app integration with full notification and control capabilities.

Nominees:

• Apple Watch Series 4
• Casio ProTrek WSD-F30
• Fitbit Versa
• Garmin fenix 5S Plus
• Huawei Watch GT
• Samsung Galaxy Watch

And the winner is...

There’s a lot to like about the Samsung Galaxy Watch. Among all the smartwatches reviewed in this shootout, its repertoire of features on a single device is matched only by the Apple Watch Series 4. And rightly so. If you're an Apple user, we would still recommend the Apple Watch as the best smartwatch for you, as it will be the only device capable of bringing out the best user experience within the Apple iOS ecosystem.

However, there is no denying the strides Samsung has made in smartwatch development. Barring that one EKG functionality of the Apple Watch Series 4 (which comes with its own operational caveats), the Samsung Galaxy Watch is more durable (MIL-STD-810 certification), much longer lasting (up to 5 days on average), more affordable (starting at S$398), and has greater device compatibility than the Apple Watch, which ultimately makes it the better overall smartwatch in our books.

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

Best Gaming Smartphone

It’s no exaggeration to say that gaming smartphones went through a golden age. From desktop-level processors, crystal-clear displays, and even powerful overclocking and dedicated accessories, 2018 has certainly set many new benchmarks for mobile.

As such, picking out the best and brightest among them was no easy feat. It was only after intense deliberation and testing that we were able to narrow down the list.

Providing excellent benchmark performance, battery life, product design, in-game graphics, audio quality, and of course gaming experience, these nominees are fully equipped to push the limits of mobile gaming. 

Nominees:

• ASUS ROG Phone
• Huawei Mate 20X
• Razer Phone 2

And the winner is...

How much different could a gaming smartphone be? We saw the hardware overclocking and we saw the software optimization, but what we did not expect was the design considerations and innovations that ASUS brought to the table. It demonstrated serious thought and investment behind it and playing on it genuinely enriched some mobile games. Now if only more games took advantage of it. Diablo Immortal and The Elder Scrolls: Blades, anyone?

Game of the Year

Video games are immensely complex undertakings, no matter the scope of the project or the size of the team. With so many parts, interconnected systems, and tight deadlines, it is absurdly hard to weave narrative and gameplay such that the experience resonates with audiences all around the world.

Finding 2018’s Game of the Year, like any other year, has been a challenge. We’ve seen so many accomplished teams releasing great products, sometimes under dire circumstances and controversy. Many have competed for the spot, and many still have come close.

We weighed gameplay, visual presentation, and audio design. We engaged in comparative discussions. While we congratulate all the nominees, and encourage everyone to try them, only one can be said to have left an indelible mark on the industry and in our memories.

Nominees:

• Assassin's Creed Odyssey
• Dragon Ball FighterZ
• God of War
• Marvel’s Spider-Man
• Red Dead Redemption 2

And the winner is...

God of War revitalized an action-adventure series with lovingly crafted characters, performances, and gameplay moments. That it succeeded without ignoring its past, and without bowing to prevalent monetization trends, speaks volumes about the force of vision behind the project. Treasure this today, for its the sort of game that’ll feel increasingly rare in the years to come…boy.

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

References

For a full list of content related to the HWM and HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2019 event, you can refer to the following links:

• Tech Awards 2019: Readers' Choice Results
• Tech Awards 2019: Editor's Choice Results - Part 1 (this article)
• Tech Awards 2019: Editor's Choice Results - Part 2
• Full list of winners: HWM+HardwareZone Tech Awards 2019 microsite

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