HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2017: Editor's Choice - Part 1

Tech Awards 2017: 77 awards presented to celebrate the best in tech

The 8th annual HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards was held on February 17, and it served to honor the best in tech products and services that were introduced between January and December 2016. A grand total of 33 Editor’s Choice and 44 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 aim to recognize innovative products and cutting-edge technologies that have emerged during the eligibility period.

A little while back, we posted the 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.

A focus on Editor's Choice results

For the Editor's Choice awards, a total of 135 products introduced between January and December 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 second year the Tech Awards have included video gaming merit categories, presented in collaboration with GameAxis.com. There are six Editor’s Choice video gaming categories, namely Best PC Game, Best PlayStation 4 Game, Best Xbox One Game, Best Gaming Console, Best Online Game, and Game of the Year.

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 2017 event, you can refer to the following links:

• Tech Awards 2017: Readers' Choice Results
• Tech Awards 2017: Editor's Choice Results - Part 1 (this article)
• Tech Awards 2017: Editor's Choice Results - Part 2
• Full list of winners: HWM+HardwareZone Tech Awards 2017 microsite

Best Mid-range Interchangeable Lens Camera

Bridging the professional and enthusiast segments, these mid-range interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs) have all the features you need for photographic "work" while being small enough to take out for "play". They also serve as a perfect back up camera for the pro or a great starting point for the serious enthusiast looking to turn pro.

Nominees:

• Canon EOS M5
• Fujifilm X-T2
• Nikon D500
• Olympus EM-1 Mark II
• Sony A6500

And the winner is...

The Fujifilm X-T2 consistently turned in better images with better detail and less noise than the competition in all the situations we put it in. We like that it got both the internal and interface upgrades from the X-Pro2; for example, the focus-selector joystick certainly helps in terms of selecting focus points and during menu navigation.

The inclusion of the focus-selector joystick also helps it to bridge the gap in usability, compared to the competition. And while it doesn’t have the biggest buffer, the ability to go for 42 frames at 14 fps is more than sufficient, especially when you add the scary accuracy of the camera’s autofocus system. It’s also able to produce 4K video with support for output to external monitors and audio monitoring, making it a better all-rounder. To top it all off, the X-T2 is also S$400 cheaper than the next best Nikon D500, which means you can use the savings for a couple of extra batteries to even out the better battery capacity on DSLR cameras.

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 Professional Interchangeable Lens Camera

2016 finally saw the release of new top-of-the-line cameras from Canon and Nikon, two long-time stalwarts of professional photography. Rather than push resolution limits this time, both companies took the approach of increasing the overall usability of the cameras by increasing their continuous shooting capabilities, low light powers, and of course, autofocus performance. Certainly, both the Nikon D5 and the Canon EOS 1D X Mark II are well primed to handle any situation a professional photographer might find himself in. If you need to be absolutely sure you can get the shot, these cameras are for you.

Nominees:

• Canon EOS 1D X Mark II
• Nikon D5

And the winner is...

Both DSLR cameras offer an extremely wide range of ISO settings and are matched with sensible 20MP sensors for optimal noise performance; but the Nikon D5 stood out in terms of the quality of its autofocus system. Lock on to a subject with the Nikon D5, and the camera will track it as long as it doesn’t leave your viewfinder. That, and the more-than-respectable 12fps continuous shooting speed and the inclusion of a buffer that can take up to 200 frames mean you’re unlikely to miss your shot. The Canon 1D X Mark II is no slouch of course, and it's also a tad more affordable (relatively speaking).

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 360 Camera

As social media sites evolve to support 360 photographs and videos, so too have the number of 360 cameras grown (i.e., cameras that can shoot a 360-degree view of the surrounding). In a nutshell, these cameras feature dual lenses in a single unit and have the ability to be controlled remotely, so that you can easily take photographs and videos of everything around you - literally putting your audience in your world.

Nominees:

• LG 360 Cam
• Ricoh Theta S
• Samsung Gear 360

And the winner is...

The Ricoh Theta S stood out easily thanks to its great image quality. It gives you great images in low-light, and handles flaring from bright sources fairly well. In-camera blending also is very well handled, with consistent exposure across images from both front and back cameras. While it is a bit more expensive than the other two nominees, the Theta S makes up for it by including 8GB of internal memory, meaning you literally pick it up and start shooting straightaway.

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 4K TV

Compared to a couple of years back, buying a 4K UHD TV today makes much more sense. For one, most of the newer models have HDMI 2.0 inputs, which means they support 4K up to 60/50 frames per second. And the even better ones have HDMI 2.0a to support HDR. A wider range of screen sizes is now available as well, and prices are dipping. Of course, one of the reasons for the more wallet-friendly prices is because manufacturers are churning out models with smaller screen sizes, such as small as 40 inches. In our experience, buying a 4K TV below 65 inches to play 1080p content is a waste of money; you’re better off buying a 1080p set of the same size. Assuming you’ve 4K content, buying a small 4K TV doesn’t make a lot of sense either, since you’ve to sit very close to it to notice the improvement.

For this category, we've looked at various 65-inch 4K TVs from the likes of LG, Panasonic, 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 OLED G6T
• Panasonic Viera DX900
• Samsung KS9000
• Sony Bravia Z9D

And the winner is...

In short, the LG G6T OLED TV's design is super sleek, its WebOS system is speedy and fun to use, it’s filled to the brim with features (UHD Premium-certified, HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, Smart Remote, Harman Kardon speakers), and its picture quality is top drawer. Until HDR content becomes commonplace, for most other content and most surroundings, the G6T is hard to beat. If there's any complaint, it'll be the TV's eye-popping S$12,999 price tag (for the 65-inch model), which puts it out of budget for most consumers.

As such, it’d be remiss of us to not point out that there are several very fine 4K HDR LCD TVs out there today, such as the Samsung KS9000 SUHD TV, the Panasonic Viera DX900, and the Sony Bravia Z9D. The Z9D is the priciest of the trio, but even that only costs S$8,999. So if you're shopping for a high-end TV, there’s certainly a good case to consider these premium LED-LCD TVs from a cost perspective.

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 Noise Canceling Headphones

Noise-canceling headphones are most seen on commercial flights, where everyone tries to drown out the drone of the plane to get some sleep or watch a movie in peace. But they’re not just for travel only; good noise canceling also enables you to listen to your music at lower volumes, while drowning out nearby chatter. These year's contenders have even upped the ante, with some offering wireless capabilities and the ability to fine tune the audio signature by a companion app on your smartphone.

Nominees:

• AKG 60NC
• Audio Technica ATH-MSR7NC
• Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H8
• Beats Studio Wireless
• Bose QuietComfort 35
• JBL Everest Elite 700
• Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 SE
• Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless
• Sony MDR-1000X

And the winner is...

Noise-canceling headphones are always a crowded segment, with new models coming out from an increasing number of brands each and every year. For the longest time, Bose held the crown as the headphones best able to cancel out ambient noise, but this year we were pleasantly surprised to find that Sony had upped their noise-canceling game to match Bose, and in some situations, surpass the noise-canceling capabilities of the well-regarded QuietComforts. In terms of audio quality, the Sony MDR-1000X was again amongst the best in the group, with only the Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless offering slightly better quality overall. The combination of great noise-canceling performance and audio quality is what propelled the MDR-1000X to this win.

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 Headphones

Light, compact, and designed for travel, on-ear wireless headphones are perfect companions to your mobile phones. With Apple famously removing the 3.5mm audio jack, you can be sure more efforts will be thrown behind quality wireless options. And as evidenced from this year's group, they'll come packed with the latest technologies to ensure that the quality of audio over wireless doesn’t fall far behind what you can get with a traditional cable connection.

Nominees:

• Beats Solo2
• JBL Everest Elite 300
• Onkyo H500BT
• Parrot Zik3.0
• Pendulumic Tach T1
• Sennheiser Momentum Wireless On-ear

And the winner is...

The Sennheiser Momentum On-ear Wireless stood out from the group with its great overall audio quality and features. Its sound packs great detail, especially in the mid-range, and it provides ample bass oomph as well. We love how it handled classical and jazz pieces, and were surprised at how well it worked with rock pieces. These headphones feel luxe enough to justify its price tag, offer the comfort to allow for many hours of comfortable listening, and with the battery life to match too.

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 Mid-range Smartphone

Smartphone breakthroughs in technology and materials move at a fast pace. Mid-range phones these days are every bit as capable as their flagship counterparts, save a few frills and over-the-top features that are reserved for the very best models. Here are seven such phones vying for the top spot within the S$600 - S$800 price bracket for the best mid-range smartphone.

Nominees:

• Huawei P9
• Motorola Moto Z Play
• OnePlus 3T
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
• Sony Xperia XA Ultra
• Xiaomi Mi 5
• ZTE Axon 7

And the winner is...

The original OnePlus was one of the best phones of last year, and the refreshed 3T version keeps it as relevant as ever. While it isn't an upgrade for existing OnePlus 3 owners, it keeps OnePlus right at the head of the pack in the tightly contested S$600-800 price bracket, with benchmark performance and battery life that rivals and exceeds more expensive phones from the likes of Huawei, LG and ASUS. 

*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 Premium Smartphone

The high-end smartphone category is one of the most competitive consumer markets out there. It’s the place where manufacturers get to showcase their latest and greatest research and development and most luxurious designs. For this category we’re looking at benchmark performance, battery life, camera performance, display quality, audio quality, design and build, handling, as well as any other extra features like a water resistant build.

Nominees:

• Apple iPhone 7 Plus
• ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe
• HTC 10
• LG V20
• Huawei Mate 9
• Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
• Motorola Moto Z
• Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
• Sony Xperia XZ

And the winner is...

While the iPhone 7 Plus may not look that different from its predecessor, Apple has upgraded nearly everything on the phone: the display is brighter, the processor is faster, it has stereo speakers and a waterproof build, useful dual rear cameras, and a larger battery. If you can get over the lack of a headphone port, no phone offers more.

*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 Smartwatch

The right smartwatch can help you exercise better, get more organized, and sleep better (perhaps even all three). But with so many choices out there, how do you know which is the best for you?

Nominees: 

• Apple Watch Series 2
• ASUS Zenwatch 3
• Fitbit Blaze
• Motorola Moto 360 Sport
• Samsung Gear S3

And the Winner Is...

The Apple Watch Series 2's feature set is the most comprehensive amongst all smartwatches and its two case sizes, and choice of finishes means there’s an Apple Watch to suit all styles. In terms of software, Watch OS 2.0 is both functional and easy to navigate, and there are thousands of third party apps available for it.

*Note: Prices listed in this article are accurate at the time of 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 Sports Activity Tracker

With fitness bands pushing out more ways to monitor your fitness along with an increasing selection of aesthetic choices, it's getting harder to pick one that suits your lifestyle. We can, however, determine the best tracker based on their user-friendliness, accuracy, and generally about how seamless they can be.

Nominees: 

• Fitbit Charge 2
• Samsung Galaxy Gear Fit2
• TomTom Touch
• Xiaomi Mi Band 2

And the Winner Is...

The Fitbit Charge 2 pulls ahead with a clean execution in features and accuracy. We consider Fitbit’s features as well-rounded, accessible, and sensible because of how it’s presented, on top of how users can easily find out more about their features through Fitbit – this helps to appeal to a broader range of fitness behaviors and it eases people into adopting a healthier outlook, beyond the gamification of personal high-scores.

*Note: Prices listed in this article are accurate at the time of 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 Mobile Chip 

Your mobile chip is the brains of your smartphone or tablet. 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 A10 Fusion (represented by Apple iPhone 7 Plus)
• Huawei Hi-Silicon Kirin 960 (represented by Huawei Mate 9)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (represented by OnePlus 3T)
• Samsung Exynos 8890 (represented by Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge)

And the winner is...

Apple's A10 Fusion quad-core processor was easily the best benchmark performer of the year, leaving all other smartphones in the dust. The processor is also power efficient due to its two low-power, high efficiency cores that only use 20 percent of the power of the other cores. Gaming performance was also unbeatable thanks to the A10 Fusion’s powerful hexa-core graphics chip.

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

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 six key segments - Best PC Game, Best PlayStation 4 Game, Best Xbox One Game, Best Gaming Console, Best Online Game, and Game of the Year. Here then are the nominees and winners of each segment.

Best PC Game

There is never a better time to be a PC gamer. The PC gaming segment have had a good run of games, pushed on by the release of NVIDIA’s affordable and powerful GTX 10-series graphics cards in the middle of 2016. No longer are PC games mediocre and lazy ports of their console counterparts, and in fact, one could even say that PC gamers can now boast that the platform has claimed back its gaming master race title.

Once again, the Best PC Game category nominees are not necessarily PC exclusive. But they do offer the best visual fidelity and in some cases, superior gameplay too.

Nominees:

• Battlefield 1
• Civilization VI
• Doom
• Overwatch

And the winner is...

2016 was a wonderful year for shooters, and a big reason for that is everyone tried something different. DICE’s Battlefield 1 is a prime example of that. The franchise has been faltering for a while, but the studio took its technical know-how to World War I, and focused on personal stories to do something that is fresh in this genre. The result is a brilliant game that recreates the visceral feeling of being in the war.

Best PlayStation 4 Game

There was a whole lot of PlayStation 4 games to go around in 2016, and the breadth and scope of the PlayStation portfolio this year is arguably the best yet. This also made our choice of winner from an excellent list of nominees more difficult than usual. Each nominee below represents the apex of their respective game genre. For instance, Final Fantasy XV marks the glorious return of the beloved RPG franchise and Naughty Dog showed why they are still one of the best story-tellers with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

Nominees:

• Dark Souls III
• Final Fantasy XV
• The Last Guardian
• Titanfall 2
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

And the winner is...

Uncharted 4’s thematic strength is supported by technical marvels accrued through Naughty Dog’s time with the series. Facial animations are stirringly human, maps are open and gorgeous, yet level design always points you towards your goal. The entire journey is a lesson in greatness. An impeccable farewell to an iconic adventure series, Uncharted 4’s brilliant direction and unmitigated reflection will be remembered for years to come, and is bravely worthy of being the Best PlayStation 4 Game of 2016.

Best Xbox One Game

It certainly doesn't feel like it, but it's been nearly three years since the Xbox One was first launched in Singapore. Since its release, the console has seen some great games for it and has also proven itself as a great home entertainment system into the bargain. Thanks to exclusives like Gear of War 4 and Forza 3, and buoyed by third-party developers, such as EA for FIFA 17, the Xbox One’s library of quality games continue to expand.

Nominees: 

• FIFA 17
• Forza Horizon 3
• Gears of War 4
• Titanfall 2

And the winner is...

Forza Horizon 3 is the culmination of Turn10 and Playground Games’ recent efforts to offer the finest racing game to date. Its impeccable level of detail, plethora of events – from the outrageous to the more grounded – and extensive roster of cars are but a few of the masterfully crafted components that make it the ultimate racing game on the Xbox One.

Best Online Game

Our selection of online games is not limited to the traditional gaming platforms of PC and Consoles. Online games are now a popular genre even on mobile platforms too. Online games are as its name imply - games that require an online connectivity and have multiplayer components. They are split into the F2P (Free-to-play) and Subscription/Paid categories, and we also took that into account when choosing the winner from our nominees.

Nominees:

• Overwatch
• Pokémon Go
• World of Warcraft: Legion

And the winner is...

Overwatch is a complex, but accessible, team shooter that made a big impact this year. The near-future, paramilitary, pseudo-superhero world of Overwatch that Blizzard chose to tell us about was exhilarating. One of its greatest strengths is its presentation. It’s as clean and colorful as a Pixar movie (with murder), with expressive animations in every character, gun model, and ability effect. There’s no corner of any map that hasn’t been made to feel like a cohesive part of Overwatch’s politically fraught cartoon world. And oh, those Loot boxes.

Game of the Year

The Game of the Year award is quite self-explanatory as it is prestigious. There can be many criteria or reasons to choosing a game of the year, but our choice goes to a title that we felt represented the pinnacle of gaming achievement for the year of 2016.

Nominees:

• Battlefield 1
• Overwatch
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

And the winner is...

Blizzard is without equal when it comes to taking a complicated genre and making it accessible. They did it with MMOs (World of Warcraft) twelve years ago, and now they've done it for the team-based shooter. At its core lies and elegant competitive design that allows everyone to find a place for themselves. This is a shooter where you don't really need to be good at shooting, a competitive game with dozens of different ways to successfully compete. That they've managed to pull this off without substantially limiting the skill ceiling for the best players is a testament to the skill of the designers behind this ostensibly-simple game.

Best Gaming Console

The console gaming landscape is changing. Where the typical life cycle of a game console used to be four to five years, Microsoft and Sony are now releasing incremental upgrades of their current generation consoles rather than full scale revisions. If you’re after a game console right now, you’ve got more choices than ever. There is of course Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One – and now there is also the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One S, both being supercharged versions of their predecessors with 4K and HDR capability.

Nominees:

• Microsoft Xbox One S
• Sony PlayStation 4 Pro

And the winner is...

The PlayStation 4 Pro is without a doubt, the most powerful console in the world right now. Besides supporting native 4K and HDR that the original console could not, the PS4 Pro also brings along other tangible benefits such as improved framerates and visual improvements even for older PS4 games. It’s also worth knowing that many renowned third-party developers such as Bioware (Mass Effect: Andromeda) and Kojima Production (Death Stranding) will be creating games that are best experienced on the PS4 Pro.

References

For a full list of content related to the HWM and HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2017 event, you can refer to the following links:

• Tech Awards 2017: Readers' Choice Results
• Tech Awards 2017: Editor's Choice Results - Part 1 (this article)
• Tech Awards 2017: Editor's Choice Results - Part 2
• Full list of winners: HWM+HardwareZone Tech Awards 2017 microsite

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