The year is about to end and it is the best time to look at some of the products that made headlines throughout the year in the country. There were products that made us go wow while some fizzled out quickly after promising the world to us. Here are a few of them:
THE BEST OF 2019
Flagship smartphone of the year Apple iPhone 11
The latest generation iPhone is probably the most improved smartphone of the year. The line-up comes with three devices – iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Apart from the best in class A13 Bionic processor, improved battery, spatial audio and one of the best camera performances easily make iPhone 11 the best flagship of the year. While it's not always the case but the pricing of the iPhone 11 is also one of the highlights and at least with the iPhone 11 which starts around 64,000, its time to put those kidney jokes at rest.
Runner-up – Huawei P30 Pro
Among the zillions of Android devices announced this year, Huawei P30 Pro is one of the best overall smartphones this year. It comes with lightning-fast charging tech, long battery life, stellar hardware specifications and probably the best camera performance on a phone in 2019. It is no slouch at gaming too. Though the ongoing trade war between the US and China was a dampener there is no denying the fact that the Huawei P30 Pro is a stellar device.
Asus ZenBook Pro Duo
Asus unveiled the ZenBook pro duo earlier this year and it is a beast of a laptop. With up to 32GB of RAM, dual 4K touchscreen displays, a ton of horsepower with the latest Intel i9 processor, 6GB graphics card, 1 TB SSD and almost everything that you’d ask from a Windows powerhouse. Though not the most portable and affordable laptop, but the Pro Duo does offer a sneak-peak into the future of computing hardware.
Bose 700 Noise Cancelling Headphones
This is just the case of improving what is the best. Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones are among the best already and with the Bose 700 Headphones, the company went from strength to strength. These come with improved noise cancellation both on calls and music, well balanced audio quality, touch-sensitive controls, and sleek new design. Slightly on the expensive side, Bose 700 Headphones offers the best audio experience and looks very elegant too.
Galaxy Fold
The Samsung Galaxy Fold deserves a special mention since it is the first foldable device available in India and one of the only few available to purchase, globally. Its launch was delayed initially due to concerns over the durability of the display; however, the Fold has only come back stronger and better. While we enter into the next decade, the Galaxy Fold leads us into the next generation of smartphones.
DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 2019
There were a few products which created a lot of hype and a lot was expected when first announced, they just failed to live up to the expectations. Have a look at a couple of them below:
Google Pixel 4
The Google Pixel range of phones is the most sought-after device by any Android enthusiast. These phones are the first in line to get the latest Android and also have the best camera on any smartphone. Google launched 2 variants of its Pixel 4 this year however none of them are making it to India because it houses a motion sensor radar that is not allowed for public use in India. A flagship smartphone in 2019 with just 2800 mAh battery is another huge disappointment. The Pixel 4 comes with some well-thought design changes and offers amazing camera performance, unfortunately, you just can’t buy one in India.
JioFiber
The service started off with the name GigaFiber and with an intent to revolutionize our internet usage. Soon both changed – first the Giga went off from the name and with the commercial launch, the promise of blazing fast internet at extremely affordable rates too diminished. The service can be termed as a missed opportunity with a lot of limitations including a capped upload limit, paltry data limits and a lot of confusion around the services bundled as a package. Jio is aiming at offering a plethora of services which are normally not available to the masses but with these limitations, it is practically impossible for the users to even use any of the marquee features.
