Best Gadgets for the Home: Tech Awards 2024 Editor’s Choice

If you are looking to deck out your home in the latest and greatest, we’ve got you covered.

Read on and find out who the winners are in each category!

Other segments include the Best devices for the Home (this article), Best of Mobile Gadgets, Best of Gaming. Not to forget, our Readers’ Choice results for the Best Tech Brands. 

For this segment, we begin with the centrepiece of all living rooms – TVs.

Best OLED TV

Still the centre of our home entertainment system

The TV still takes pride of place in our homes as the centre of our home entertainment system. No matter how much the price of a 4K projector has dropped, it is still the humble TV that we choose to gather around to keep us entertained. 

Given the level of technology that the top TV manufacturers incorporate into their devices, from processors to improve graphics and video clarity to AI to enhance and make audio more realistic to bonus enhancements like Game Modes, almost any technology that can improve the viewing experience has been made a part of the modern TV.

This makes determining which TV is better a difficult task that often boils down to mere degrees of difference. That makes it all the more important for us to consider each screen's capabilities and performance to give you our definitive buying recommendation. 

This year, we are comparing the latest, top-of-the-line, 65-inch OLED TVs launched within our qualification period (Q2 2023 to Q2 2024), making them the greatest releases possible from the leading TV brands.

Nominees:

• LG OLED G4
• Samsung S95D OLED
• Sony Bravia A95L OLED

Note: While Sony recently launched newer screens, they are not on the same playing field as its top offering, the Bravia A95 OLED using a QD-OLED panel.

And the winner is…

Overall, we felt the Sony Bravia A95L OLED performed the best. It lacks some features in its gaming department, but it puts up a stunning screen performance, delivering the right brightness, contrast, colours, and tones while also delivering crisp, direct, and rich audio. 

Beyond its Sony-added proprietary video features, the A95L comes with a gamut of support for high-quality visuals through HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision standards, as well as enhanced audio quality through Dolby Audio, Dolby Atmos, DTS Digital Sound, and event DTS:X, leaving no stone unturned.

In our dark room test, we observed no loss of black depth in our test scenes with shadows detailed, and colours reproduced remained distinct while keeping skin tones accurate and life-like.

In brighter scenes, like those in The Mandalorian set under Tatooine's sun, the Sony shone brightest among the three tested. Sony showed superior colour reproduction among the three TVs tested, best conveying the director's intent. The A95L's contrast was outstanding, making scenes more realistic while objects more believable with sharp and clear definitions. We observed the same results when watching the fine detail in Avengers: Infinity War. Sony displayed consistently warmer colours, finer detail, and more accurate skin tones, as expected of the test scene.

On the audio front, the Sony A95L features a 60W 2.2 channel setup, but figures don't really convey what the TV is capable of. The TV's outstanding audio prowess stands out with its excellent Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology implementation, where the audio comes directly from the screen, creating a more immersive audio-visual experience. During our Top Gun: Maverick movie test, the jets' roar followed the action across the screen, making it feel like a live event. Despite the immersive background audio, dialogue remained clear and detailed, making accents easy to discern.

Sony was the only TV of the three to offer Google TV as an operating system and coincidentally, we also found it to be the least cluttered TV interface, with only apps that are important to you. Running Google TV also means that the Sony comes with seamless integration with Google services and access to a vast app library through the Google Play Store, complemented by Sony’s Pictures Core streaming service, which is yet another bonus. Even Sony's remote felt like it had the best design and usability, coupled with auto backlighting when used in the dark. It doesn't have a number pad like LG's remote, but it was, otherwise, our perfect wand.

At S$8,079 (before any deals or discounts), the Sony A95L is certainly not cheap, but it is a stunning TV.

Not only is it capable of producing bright and accurate colours, but it is also one of the best-sounding TVs you can buy without the obligatory soundbar/sound system purchase if you're short on space. What makes it even better? It's often priced competitively in retail along with our other competitors, thus making it an easy pick. Don't forget that it also has an optional Bravia Cam add-on feature to facilitate video calls, control your TV using gestures and even turn off the screen when you're not present. 

Note: You can buy the Sony A95L from the official Sony online store, Sony's official stores on Shopee and Lazada, Courts, Harvey Norman, and Gain City.

Scoring Breakdown

*Note: Official prices and ratings listed are accurate during individual product evaluation. Street prices are, however, much lower, especially for Sony and Samsung, which often have ongoing offers. Due to large differentials between list and street prices, we've indicated them here for reference, as this will play a big role in what one would purchase.

For more details on how we rated our nominees and to learn about our experience with each device, check out the full reviews and articles listed in the References section below. In the meantime, here's how the other nominees fared in a snapshot.

LG OLED G4 - Best Value and Best for Gamers

LG's claim to fame in the TV world is undoubtedly its OLED TV goodness and more notably, making it reasonably accessible through a wide range of models without a steep price tag. Their very latest model launched continues the good work and foundation laid in the past, but now steeply enhanced with AI processing power.

On its own, the LG OLED G4 delivers excellent colour volume and deep blacks, but comparing it with the best of the best screens under one roof in our test lab, we repeatedly observed that its AI processing was a tad over-aggressive. For example, LG tends to smooth out the film grain effect or elements onscreen that have grain-like patterns too much, which sometimes results in slightly washed-out colours and a loss of detail. In terms of its audio delivery, we felt that the LG G4 seemed to focus more on audio separation, so you get a sense of surround, especially when you engage the surround audio modes. However, the core audio delivery is nothing to shout about and was pedestrian. It also can't go too loud, and it sounds tinny. In the end, it seems our personal preferences won out over the TV's AI. 

The TV's proprietary operating system, webOS, is the most cluttered home screen of the three TVs we tested. It has three lines of apps and program recommendations with what LG calls Q-cards in its pride of place on the top line. These Q-cards allow users to use various services by themes. But scroll down, and there is yet more for a total of 11 lines of apps and programs!

Then there's the LG Magic Remote, which doesn't feel as magical as it used to be. For one, TV apps have improved much over the years in several-minute ways that other than browsing the web, you don't really need its gyro-activated cursor control. Secondly, it's unwieldy and large compared to the slim bars its competitors offer.

If you're a console or PC gamer, the LG G4 is perfect for you due to its advanced gaming features. It comes with VRR, ALLM, and supports both FreeSync and G-Sync. It's also the only TV to offer quad HDMI 2.1 ports to plug many inputs supporting all these advanced features. Plus, when gaming, the refresh rate goes up to 144Hz. 

The LG G4's big win is its price. At S$5,399, you get the newest 65-inch OLED smart TV that delivers most of what one expects out of a modern TV and all the positive traits of an OLED TV. Plus, there is a boatload of gaming features to satiate the picky fans.

Note: You can buy the LG G4 from the official LG online store, LG's official stores on Shopee and Lazada, Harvey Norman, and Gain City.

Samsung S95D OLED - Most Versatile and Best Glare-free OLED TV

Like Sony, the Samsung S95D employs a QD-OLED panel, which offers bright and enhanced colour vibrancy thanks to its Quantum Dot technology. 

One of the stand-out features of Samsung's OLED TV entry this year is its anti-glare coating, which convincingly handled glare and reflections from the room's lights while still offering stunning overall picture quality. It's a seemingly understated feature but an important one which consumers will appreciate, considering TVs are often placed near windows or balconies in the context of flats and condominiums. Despite the anti-glare coating, we often found the Samsung S95D delivered brighter and more vibrant colours than the LG G4 while still being true to life and without over-saturation or loss of detail.

Interestingly, the lack of Dolby Vision support didn't really detract from or upset our viewing experience compared to the other TVs tested with such supporting source materials. Considering most of the top streaming content is best optimized for Dolby Vision, we were frankly surprised to see the Samsung S95D compete with Sony and LG on almost equal footing. It's likely that HDR10+ and HDR10+ Adaptive are more pervasive than expected, as these open standards adopted by Samsung are supported by a wide variety of production houses and streaming channels.

The Samsung TV's audio delivery was only average and a tad disappointing, considering the specs list. It delivered a narrower sound field and couldn’t handle a busy scene well, resulting in audio that sounded messy and unpleasant. Speech delivery was, however, its strong point, as it can boost dialogue during times when the overall volume needs to be kept low, but you still want to hear what is being said on the screen.

When it comes to flexible screen placement, Samsung is still the reigning champ, now made better with the above-mentioned anti-glare coating. The S95D offers a One Connect box, just like its past high-end TVs, which houses all of the TV’s connections and processing. This means that you only need a single, thin, translucent cable to deliver power, audio and video to the TV panel resulting in a lot less clutter. It also gives you a far more flexible placement consideration, doesn't mess up your feature wall design and helps you easily manage your input/output connections.

Then there's the remote, which while it has a rather run-of-the-mill minimalist look and feel about it, is now manufactured more sustainably and is solar-charging friendly, the only such remote in the market. Plus, you can also charge it via USB if necessary, so no batteries are ever wasted.

Its list price of S$6,199 puts it squarely in the middle between the LG G4 and Sony A95L (even when it's on sale). And that seems like the best place for the Samsung S95D OLED. While it has some strong niche points, there were also just enough quibbles to place it firmly in the middle when looking across the board. However, if Samsung's unique features are what you need, you should look no further, as most of those aren't offered anywhere else.

Note: You can buy the Samsung S95D from the official Samsung online store, Samsung's official store on Lazada, and Harvey Norman.

References:

• LG OLED G4 review (coming soon)
• Samsung S95D OLED review
• Sony Bravia A95L OLED (coming soon)

Best Cordless Vacuum Cleaner

Best Cordless Vacuum Cleaner

A first for the Tech Awards, we're progressively opening up the Editor's Choice segment to more lifestyle and home electronics categories, starting with Best Cordless Vacuum Cleaner. When we started researching this category, we quickly realised that there were too many brands and contenders, with a wide range of features and prices, making it difficult to qualify everyone on equal grounds.

We eventually settled on qualifying only flagship models that must have both vacuum and powered mopping functionality (as opposed to those with just a static mop pad). If a brand has a model that's sold with and without a docking station, the model with the docking station will be considered. We also wanted to limit the main vacuum unit to under 3.5kg for usability and manoeuvrability purposes. As this is the first year this award is introduced, we have made some concessions to highlight technological variety as well. Lastly, we're only qualifying models launched between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024 for the local market.

Here are the nominees for Best Cordless Vacuum Cleaner:

Nominees:

• Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine
• LG A9T-Steam CordZero A9 Kompressor
• Samsung Bespoke Jet AI
• Xiaomi Truclean W10 Ultra

Note: While the list of brands competing in the cordless vacuum space is rather exhaustive, many of them didn't make the cut after considering our above qualification criteria. Meanwhile, a few other brands, like Phillips and Roborock, do have qualifying options; however, they were unable to send us a test unit. 

And the winner is… 

They say that the devil's in the details, and we found this to be true with the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI. Outside of our official testing, this was the vacuum we always reached for first when the need to clean arose. Maybe it was the ergonomics of its motor and bin placement; maybe it was because its brush heads were just the right size to fit between furniture; maybe it was how its mopping pads glided through our floor like a performance of Disney on Ice; maybe it was its long battery life that managed to vacuum and then mop our home within a single charge. Or maybe, it was all of the above. The Samsung Bespoke Jet AI was a joy to use, felt light on the hand, and could reach all the nooks and crannies better than any of the other vacuums on this list. And for that, it certainly deserves the win.

Check out our full review for more details.

Note:  You can get the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI series of vacuums from the Samsung Store.

For more details on how we rated our nominees and to learn about our experience with each device, check out the full reviews and articles listed in the References section below. Prices are listed based on the original suggested retail price to maintain consistency of scoring. Price changes through ongoing sales and promotions are not reflected.

In the meantime, here's how the other nominees fared in a snapshot.

Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine - The hybrid wet mop

Dyson vacuum cleaners need no introduction, and many see them as the "end game" machine to own. Don't even try to deny it. We know you want one. Fortunately, the criteria for winning an Editor's Choice Tech Award isn't based on branding. The V12s Detect Slim Submarine is unique because it is Dyson's very first wet mop vacuum. But unlike the recently announced WashG1, the V12s achieves its wet mop function via the Submarine head attachment. The rest of the vacuum is actually based on an older V12 model. And that's the main reason it lost to the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI.

The Submarine head, its star feature, feels incomplete. The mopping experience could be improved, as it is prone to leaving water streaks and requires gentle handling while in use due to an unsealed waste tray. Furthermore, the accessory is incompatible with all Dyson vacuums except the V12s, leaving even existing V12 owners in a lurch with no upgrade path other than buying a whole new vacuum. Check out our full review for more details.

Note: You can find the  Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine on Dyson's online store, Lazada, and Shopee.

LG A9T-Steam CordZero A9 Kompressor - If looks could kill clean

The LG A9T-Steam is perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing vacuum that we've tested to date. LG's All-in-One Tower design is a masterpiece of hidden compartments and storage, while also boasting advanced docking features such as secondary battery charging, auto bin emptying, and UVC sterilisation. However, the docking station doesn't clean your home. The main cordless vacuum does a good enough job but comes with a few caveats that prevent it from being great. As a flagship model, the A9T-Steam features new, advanced, and unique brush heads like the slim roller brush, steam-powered mop, and an upholstery puncher. On paper, these are all upgrades over conventional brush heads. In practice, they're very situational and may not always be the best brush for the job.  Check out our full review for more details.

Note: You can get the LG A9T-Steam CordZero A9 Kompressor from the LG store, Lazada, Shopee, and Amazon.

Xiaomi Truclean W10 Ultra - King of the kitchen

Never have I entertained the idea that I would want a dedicated kitchen cleaner before testing the Xiaomi Truclean W10 Ultra. This wet mop vacuum cleans in a similar fashion to the Dyson V12s with the Submarine head, except it's not just a brush head, but an entire vacuum cleaner committed to the task. If you're looking for a multi-purpose vacuum for your whole house, you would do better with any of our other nominees. Comparatively, the W10 Ultra is bulky, not very manoeuvrable, has pretty low battery life, and doesn't really do small spaces at all. However, when it comes to those saucy kitchen mishaps, I wouldn't mind letting the W10 Ultra do all the dirty work. Check out our full review for more details.

Note: You can find the Xiaomi W10 Ultra on Shopee and Lazada.

References

• Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine review
• LG A9T-Steam CordZero A9 Kompressor review
• Samsung Bespoke Jet AI review
• Xiaomi Truclean W10 Ultra review

Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Robot vacuum cleaners are the ultimate machines for keeping homes clean with minimal effort. But not all of them are the same: Some models have dry and wet cleaning, and some even empty their own dustbins. There’s always a robot vacuum for different budgets, but if you’re looking for the best one that we at HardwareZone will not hesitate to recommend, then stay a while and read on.

Personal needs and wants of a robot vacuum cleaner vary, but in our “Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner for 2024” category, we are looking out for not only features, performance and ease of use but also design and innovation. The last two criteria are key because, in a new smart home era where modern robot vacuum cleaners can be hard for us to differentiate between one another in looks and functions, our best robot vacuum pick must truly stand out from its peers. For this year’s awards, we are only considering models released between April 2023 and April 2024, and have a minimum suction power of 5000Pa or greater to qualify.

Here are our nominees:

• Dyson 360 Vis Nav
• Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni
• Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20
• Roborock Q Revo
• Dreame X30 Ultra

Note: While the list of brands competing in the robot vacuum space is rather exhaustive, many of them didn't make the cut after considering our above qualification criteria. Meanwhile, a few brands, like Xiaomi and Roborock were unable to send in their flagship models, while others were unable to send us a test unit. 

And the winner is…

The Dyson 360 Vis Nav might seem to be the unlikely winner in a category full of robot vacuum models that could do more, such as wet mopping and auto cleaning. But there are quite a few things that we felt make this machine deserving of the top spot at the podium.

The first is simple: It’s really a darn good robot vacuum cleaner that does best at what it was built to do. This is thanks to its brush bar, which spans the full width of the machine and is positioned right at the front. Conventional robot vacuums (i.e., every other model here) use a side sweeper, and this tends to flick debris away as they clean. It’s just not a very good or efficient way of cleaning, not to mention how bad that is for people with a sensitive nose.

The 360 Vis Nav also has many more well-thought-out and innovative features, such as the extending side duct that can capture dust and debris right up to the wall and the built-in HEPA filtration system. It’s obvious Dyson has spent considerable R&D resources on the 360 Vis Nav’s development, unlike most brands that use ready-made designs from ODM (original design manufacturers) partners. 

Perhaps the elephant in the room is the 360 Vis Nav’s pricing. At S$1,199, it’s a very premium price point for a robot vacuum that only does just that – it does not mop nor self-clean with a docking station like other similarly-priced models out there. But there’s no denying that this Dyson machine not only looks good but is also the best at what it does – getting dust and dirt out of the way – thanks to its innovative design features.

Check out our full review for more details.

The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is available at Dyson’s e-store, the official Dyson LazMall store and Amazon.

For more details on how we rated our nominees and to learn about our experience with each device, check out the full reviews and articles listed in the References section below. 

Here are the other nominees and how they fared in a snapshot.

Dreame X30 Ultra - Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner with mopping features

The X30 Ultra is Dreame’s top of the line robot vacuum and while it bears many of the type of features you’d expect from a flagship model that does wet and dry cleaning – such as auto cleaning and drying of the mopping pads and a dust bag in its docking station that collects dirt from the vacuum – there are a couple of things that set it apart.

First, the vacuum roller brush comes with cutting heads that Dreame calls the anti-tangle tricut brush and helps to remove tangled hair so it can be deposited into the dust bag. It does not work quite as well as the Dyson 360 Vis Nav roller brush, but it’s a far, far better solution than the other robot vacuums. But we are most impressed by how the docking station not only scrubs but also washes the mopping pads with water heated to 60-degree Celsius. All these features add on to the X30 Ultra’s jaw-dropping price tag of S$1,899 though.

Like the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni, the Dreame X30 Ultra also allows you to view a live feed from its camera using the Dreamehome app – turning it into a navigable home security camera. Whether this function is important to you is a matter of personal choice. We do think of it as more of a novelty feature though.

The X30 Ultra is available on Dreame’s e-store, official Dreame LazMall store and .

Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20 - Best Budget Robot Vacuum Cleaner

The Robot Vacuum X20 is an interesting model from Xiaomi because it’s not the company’s flagship model (we did ask Xiaomi to send in their best model, though). That title belongs to the Robot Vacuum X20+, and the key differences between it and the X20 is that the flagship features a robot vacuum with a more power suction fan blower (6000Pa versus 5000Pa) as well as a dust bag in its docking station that the machine can self-empty dirt into.

Otherwise, the X20 is atypical of many contemporary robot vacuum cleaners with a docking station: It can do dry and wet cleaning and dries its wet mops after each session. Oddly, it dries by rotating the mop heads on the attached cleaning tray and not by hot air. We found that the mops take longer to dry this way, and although there’s no lingering smell after using the X20 daily for a week, we feel that hot air just does a better job from a hygiene point of view. Vacuum wise, the X20 is arguably the weakest here too. Its rollers are extremely prone to hair entanglements, making maintenance a frustrating (and icky) affair.

Overall, the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20 is a no-frills robot cleaner and its S$469 price tag reflects it as so. It may not have much in the way of features or cleaning performance compared to the other nominees here, but that price tag surely makes the X20 attractive for buyers with a tighter budget.

The Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20 is available at Amazon, Lazada and Shopee.

Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni

The Deebot X2 Omni is Ecovacs’ flagship robotic dry and wet floor cleaner. It comes with a full docking station that not only empty the vacuum cleaner’s dustbin automatically, but also clean and dry the machine’s mopping pads. Its vacuum roller bar brush is also only second to the Dyson 360 Vis Nav in width, thanks to its square chassis design. This design also enables the robot to reach corners better and clean along walls.

In our tests, the Deebot X2 Omni does its job well in cleaning dirt and small debris left on the floor. However, we found that its AI Navigation is erratic at best, as it makes the X2 Omni navigate the floor inconsistently and seemingly without a clear direction. While it ultimately seems to cover the whole mapped area at the end, it’s hard to understand what its algorithm is doing. Even in open areas without obstacles, it makes odd turns and seemingly random pathing. However, we do like that the docking station has hot air drying for when the vacuum returns, which helps reduce mould growth and odour from the mopping pads.

As a flagship robot with a docking station, the X2 Omni does come with a steep price tag of S$1,799, making it one of the most expensive robot vacuum cleaner with a docking station here.

The Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni is available at Amazon, Lazada and .

Roborock Q Revo

The Roborock Q Revo is an upper mid-range robot vacuum that occupies a somewhat unconventional niche in Roborock's lineup. While it's far from budget-friendly at S$1,099, it does offer many of the same features that you can only find in its pricier brethens – the Roborock Q Revo MaxV and the S8 Pro Ultra.

Essentially, the Roborock Q Revo is hybrid robot cleaner that is adept at both vacuuming and mopping. Like all of the models here (sans the Dyson 360 Vis Nav), it has an auto-empty station that takes care of disposing of the collected dirt and manages the cleaning, drying, and refilling of the mopping components.

The Q Revo's design allows the mopping pads to lift 7mm off the ground – where 5mm seems to be the most common in most other robot vacuums. This allows it to move from, say, a hard floor to carpeted areas as well as higher-than-usual obstacles such as sliding door rails on the floor.

However, its suction power doesn't quite match the prowess of other vacuums – perhaps only better than the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20. Yet, it compensates with a more methodical approach to navigating around household objects, sparing the chaotic “robot banging” movements I've seen in some other models. Although the side brush struggles somewhat with corners, it's sufficient for light cleaning.

The Roborock Q Revo is available on Roborock’s website, official Roborock LazMall store and

References:
 

• Dyson 360 Vis Nav review
• Ecovac Deebot X2 Omni review
• Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20 review (Coming soon)
• Roborock Q Revo review
• Dreame X30 Ultra review (Coming soon)

The humble home printer

As a parent, I find myself printing even more at home than in the office, as my kids seem to be bringing home numerous digital forms and assessment papers that need to be printed out for their homework submissions. As such, I find myself turning to my trusty home printer more often as I try to keep up with my children’s educational assessments. 

The modern printer isn’t a one-trick pony in that it needs to do more than just print. While many of us have moved beyond faxing, we still like our printers to be an all-in-one device that can print, copy, and scan. 

Personal and office needs will vary greatly, but this year, we looked at four printers and divided them into home and SOHO (small office, home office) usage based on their price, features, size, performance, cost of printing, and whether they were available in Singapore within the last 12 months (our qualification period is between Q2 2023 to Q2 2024).

Best Home Printer

For this year, we looked for new home printing options priced below S$300, as most general home printer buyers are cost-conscious these days. Unless one has specific needs, such as A3 printing or the need to print photos often, it's unlikely one would dish out for a more expensive printer in the current climate.

While this year's contenders both happened to be ink tank printers, they are also rather similar in nature. Both were rather feature-deficient, lacking an ADF (automatic document feeder) and a paper cassette. In this day and age, certain functions are expected to be present and not be withheld for the sake of differentiation. Unfortunately, this is what the market offers, and we've marked them down accordingly. Even the build quality was rather basic. So, given their similar design, it boiled down to performance to really set them apart.

Nominees:

• Canon Pixma G3770
• HP Smart Tank 580

Note: While Brother and Epson do have printers of this class, they do not have newer models to meet our Tech Awards' segment qualification.

 

And the winner is...

In our tests, we found the HP Smart Tank 580 was able to deliver solid results in the print and scan quality tests, despite being a fraction slower than its competitor. Its blacks were darker and clearer, with well-formed and smudge-free serifs. Test image colours turned out to look crisp and sharp without being oversaturated or looking too rich. Its scan results were also colour-accurate with deep blacks. 

Additionally, while both printers use an ink tank system, the HP Smart Tank 580 has slightly lower running costs compared to the Canon Pixma G3770.

Note: You can buy the HP Smart Tank 580 from the official HP online store, Amazon, Shopee, Lazada, Courts and Challenger.  

*Note: Prices and ratings listed are accurate during individual product evaluation. Street prices might be lower at the time of awards recognition.

A few words about the other contender...

One feature we liked about the Canon Pixma G3770 is that it had a small, but still serviceable LCD.

In terms of print and scan speeds, the Canon Pixma G3770 performed reasonably well. At no time did we feel like were were waiting too long for the results. However, while the print results for the Canon Pixma G3770 weren’t bad, we felt that the text printed was just a bit too light when compared to our reference test text. We noticed the same on our image test print where we felt that the colours were slightly muted compared to HP's output. On the other hand, the scan test came out looking too rich, with the colours bleeding into each other.

Note: You can buy the Canon Pixma G3770 from the official Canon online store, Shopee, Harvey Norman, Courts and Gain City.

Best Value SOHO Printer

While there may seem to be little difference between the needs and requirements of a home and SOHO printer, there are some small variations. 

An ADF is required for a SOHO-class printer. Automatic duplex printing and scanning are appreciated if present, but they are not mandatory in our value-class SOHO printer segment, which we're assessing this year. What's more important is the ability to scan multiple sheets at once without the need to change sheets manually. SOHO usage would also mean there's a decent level of print activity and thus the printer should also have a paper cassette that can hold a ready supply of paper for everyone's printing or copying needs. It also needs a reasonably sized LCD screen to facilitate print or scan options and to connect to wireless networks easily. Lastly, we wanted them to be priced at less than S$600 to meet the Value SOHO segmentation. 

Fortunately, the two we tested have these and more.

 

Nominees:

• Canon Maxify GX2070
• HP OfficeJet Pro 9130E

Note: While Brother and Epson do have printers of this class, they do not have newer models to meet our Tech Awards' segment qualification.

And the winner is...

Our pick is the Canon Maxify GX2070 printer.

Both of the printers in our Best Value SOHO printer category could print, copy, scan, and fax. They each had an ADF, an LCD screen, and a paper cassette tray, in addition to the rear input option for feeding thicker paper on an ad hoc basis.

While both printers performed well in our print test, the Canon Maxify GX2070 was just a hair behind the HP OfficeJet Pro 9130E in terms of speed, but its print quality was in no way inferior. Our test image was sharp and crisp, with rich, accurate colours that were true to life without being too saturated. The printed text was black, sharp, and crisp, with serifs clearly formed without any signs of splotchiness.

In terms of scan quality, there was little to tell apart in our text scan test, but the image test scan outcome of the Maxify GX2070 was found to be slightly 'too rich' or vibrant than the expected input we gave it for scanning. 

Unfortunately for the HP OfficeJet Pro 9130E, it doesn’t come with refillable ink tanks, which means that the overall running costs for the Canon Maxify GX2070 worked out so much cheaper resulting in its win due to a strong value proposition. 

Note: You can buy the Canon Maxify GX2070 from the official Canon online store, Lazada, Harvey Norman, and Gain City. 

*Note: Prices and ratings listed are accurate during individual product evaluation. Street prices might be lower at the time of awards recognition.

A few words about the other contender...

We liked that the HP OfficeJet Pro 9130E came equipped with two 250-page paper cassettes meaning that you could print large volumes easily if needed. Additionally, its LCD was also large and easy to navigate. 

In our print tests, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9130E’s test image colours were a tad too rich but not over-saturated or with any overt signs of bleeding. Its text was black and crisp, with no smudges around the serifs. During our scan test, it performed well, with the test image being colour-accurate and true-to-life with text that was clear and easy to read.

However, its running costs were too high. The individual colours of cyan, yellow, and magenta ink cartridges cost S$39.90 each, while an individual black ink cartridge costs S$62.10. This means it would cost S$181.80 to replace all four at once. Even then, their print yield is up to 800 pages, according to HP. This printing cost really hurts the overall proposition of the HP OfficeJet Pro 9130E.

Note: You can buy the HP OfficeJet Pro 9130E from the official HP online store, Lazada, Shopee, Challenger, and Courts.

(This article is one of 16 parts in our Tech Awards 2024: Editor's Choice content series.)

Best Ultraportable Laptop

Unrelenting advances in processor and material technologies have made ultraportable laptops incredibly portable and capable machines. Laptop manufacturers are also paying more attention to other aspects of a laptop. For example, more laptops these days have high-quality OLED displays. Speakers are also steadily getting better and so is connectivity. Because of their blend of performance, features, convenience, and price, many have chosen ultraportable laptops as their primary computing device.

To make the cut for this year’s awards, the laptops must be one of the slimmest and lightest in the brand’s lineup, and it must have been announced in our qualifying period (Q2 2023 to Q2 2024). It can be a traditional clamshell-style design or a convertible or detachable. As for the processor, it must be powered by a full Intel Core processor (that means no ultra-low-voltage variants) or an equivalent AMD processor. For graphics, it can be integrated graphics or an equivalent entry-level discrete solution. Finally, we are only considering Windows laptops because anyone who needs a MacBook and macOS won’t need a comparison like this.

Nominees:

• Acer Swift Go 14
• ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED UX3405
• Dell XPS 13
• HP Spectre x360 14
• Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1
• LG gram 14

Note: Aftershock and Razer did not have laptops that met our criteria, while MSI couldn't send us a review unit to test.

And the winner is …

Although the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED UX3405 may not be the fastest, lightest, or thinnest laptop, it’s a strong performer in every category, making it the best all-around laptop we’ve tested.

As its name suggests, it comes with an OLED display, and boy, is it a good one. It supports touch, has a resolution of 2,880 x 1,800 pixels, and has a high refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It also has a maximum brightness of 600 nits, is VESA True Black 600 certified, and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. It’s one of the most high-end displays we’ve seen in a laptop. 

Performance is also good thanks to a high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, and Intel Arc integrated graphics. Also impressive is its battery life. Thanks to the efficiency of the Core Ultra processor and a large 75Wh battery, it lasted over 12 hours in our battery life – which is one of the longest times we’ve ever recorded.

It also has one of the best connectivity. Though it misses out on Wi-Fi 7 support, it still supports Wi-Fi 6E and also has a good selection of ports that include two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A port, and even a full-size HDMI 2.1 port. And when you consider the fact that it’s just 14.9mm thick and just 1.2kg light, you’ll start to see that the Zenbook 14 OLED UX3405 is truly strong in all aspects. As a result, it’s the winner of our best ultraportable laptop category.

Note: You can find the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED UX3405 on Lazada, Shopee, and the ASUS Online Store.

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For more details on how we rated our nominees and to find out our usage experience of each laptop, check out the full reviews and articles listed in the References section below. In the meantime, here's how the other nominees fared in a snapshot.

Acer Swift Go 14 – Best Value

The Acer Swift Go 14 has the distinction of being the only laptop that costs under S$2,000. It may only be a dollar under that mark, but that still makes it the most affordable laptop we’ve tested by some margin. What’s more remarkable is that you are not really missing out on much despite the price. It’s missing some features, like a touchscreen and facial recognition, but the basics are all there. It has a nice OLED display, and a good selection of ports, and it even supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard. Furthermore, put up some of the highest numbers in our benchmarking tests. Its only glaring shortcoming is its below-average battery life. On the whole, the Acer Swift Go 14 is easily the laptop here that offers the most bang for the buck.

Note: You can find the Acer Swift Go 14 on the Acer Online Store, Amazon and Lazada

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Dell XPS 13 – Most Stylish

With its strong lines and wedge-shaped silhouette, few would argue that the Dell XPS 13 is the best-looking laptop. It’s certainly one of the most portable, measuring just 14.8mm thick and weighing under 1.2kg. It’s not lacking in features too, boasting a high-resolution OLED touchscreen display, Thunderbolt 4 ports, and support for Wi-Fi 7. The keyboard and trackpad look great, but it doesn't work as well in practice. Dell chose a “zero-lattice” design and flat keycaps. It looks aesthetically pleasing but can be tricky to type on. Likewise, the seamless trackpad makes the XPS 13 look as if it has a giant trackpad, but in actual fact, it’s hard to tell where the trackpad actually starts and ends. Yes, you could probably say that the XPS 13 is style over substance, but even so, there’s no denying that it's the most visually striking.

Note: You can find the Dell XPS 13 on the Dell Online Store.

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HP Spectre x360 14 – Most Versatile

The HP Spectre x360 14 is a convertible laptop, and therefore it’s the ideal choice for folks who need the practicality of a traditional clamshell laptop and the convenience of a tablet. Despite being a convertible laptop, it remains relatively slim and light – measuring 16.9mm thick and weighing 1.44kg. As a convertible laptop, you can choose to use it in a multitude of ways – including folding the keyboard all the way back as a tablet or inverting the display to form a tent. This flexibility lets you use the Spectre x360 14 comfortably on your lounge chair as a large-screen reader or at your dining table during meals as a way to catch up on shows. What’s more, as you can see from the charts, it’s a capable performer with a long battery life too. There’s almost nothing the HP Spectre x360 14 can’t do. 

Note: You can find the HP Spectre x360 14 on the HP Online Store, Lazada and 

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Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 – A cheaper convertible laptop

If your budget can’t quite stretch to the abovementioned HP Spectre x360 14, the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 is a decent and more affordable alternative. It may be cheaper, but it doesn’t lose much in terms of features. Like the HP, it has a high-quality OLED touchscreen display with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,800 pixels and a high refresh rate of 120Hz. It also has two fast USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, and even a microSD card reader. It’s also roughly the same size and weight as the Spectre. Sadly, the Yoga 7i 2-in-1’s performance is clearly a step down from the Spectre’s. Furthermore, despite having a slightly larger battery, it lasted nowhere near as long as the Spectre. I guess the old adage that you get what you pay for is very true in this case.

Note: You can find the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 on the Lenovo Online Store, Amazon, Lazada and Shopee

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LG gram 14 – Longest battery life

LG’s gram laptops have also prided themselves on portability, and the latest gram 14 continues this proud tradition. To start, it’s thin and light, measuring just 15.7mm and weighing a scant 1.12kg. And to ensure its users have enough juice on the go, it has a large 72Wh battery. As a result, it has the longest battery life by a mile, clocking in at over 14 hours – nearly two hours more than its closest rival. Sadly, the gram 14 is not perfect. To achieve such a long battery life, LG decided to outfit it with a relatively 'low-resolution' WUXGA display. Its performance was also underwhelming – it consistently recorded the lowest numbers in our benchmark tests.

Note: You can find the LG gram 14 on the LG Online Store, Amazon, Lazada and 

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References

• Acer Swift Go 14 (tested and scored internally)
• ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED UX3405 (review coming soon)
• Dell XPS 13 (tested and scored internally)
• HP Spectre x360 14 (tested and scored internally)
• Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (tested and scored internally)
• LG gram 14 (tested and scored internally)

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