Samsung Galaxy Fold
The South Korean electronic giant managed to create a category despite delays. The idea of a phone that on opening becomes a tablet caught the attention of many, allowing the tech experiment from Samsung to sell way more than what the company had initially expected. Foldable phones can have plenty of use cases and the world’s top smartphone brand knows it well enough to give the segment a big push in 2020.
Motorola Razr
Motorola rebooted the Razr but instead of the ultra-thin clamshell design of 2004, this one is a foldable. The new phone looks sleek and comes with a hinge mechanism that leaves zero gap when the phone folds. We are not sure about the phone’s battery life but we will soon find out.
The rise of TikTok
The Bytedance-owned social app became a phenomenon. Over the past 12 months, the app has been downloaded more than 750 million times, more than Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, according to the research firm Sensor Tower. Yes, it is the place for silly dance moves but it certainly has given Facebook much more than something to think about.
Switch Lite
After winning people over with Switch, Nintendo decided to mix things up and give us Switch Lite, which is the portable version of the full device. It’s a device for those who don’t dock the device to play on TV and are constantly on the move.
OnePlus TV
After teasing us for months, OnePlus TV finally landed, which has upped the game among QLED competitors. The best thing about the TV is the 50-watt, eight-speaker set-up that OnePlus says provides a “surreal surround sound experience” through Dolby Atmos support. And the remote is another runaway feature.
iPhone 11
Apple proved its mettle yet again by giving us the iPhone 11, which has won hearts for its sweet price points. Yes, the shape of the three cameras generated enough trypophobia memes but it also made it a style statement and celebrities went all out to post pictures taken in the mirror. Perfect size, great battery life and superb camera capabilities.
Foldable Surface Duo
Yes, Windows Phone has been dead for long but that hasn’t stopped Microsoft from innovating. This year the company announced a foldable Surface Duo phone that runs Android. It features two 5.6-inch displays that can rotate 360 degrees, allowing it to be fully unfolded as a mini tablet. And it is expected to be in the market next year.
AirPods Pro
Only three years ago, Apple’s wireless earbuds were ridiculed by tech journalists, making it fodder for memes. But Tim Cook and his team have proved critics wrong by launching the noise-cancelling AirPods Pro, which has brought about a shift in fashion and culture. People now have zero complaints about sporting white dongles and there are plenty of imitations in the market.
LG’s roll-up TV
The TV is there when you want it and abracadabra, it rolls up when you don’t want it. At the push of a button, it drops slowly into the base and another push of a button will bring it up.
Huawei P30 Pro
In spite of all the talks around US-China trade war, Huawei has delivered one of the best cameras on a phone in the form of the P30 Pro, which has a fun 20MP 0.6x ultra-wide-angle camera, the main 40MP camera and a cool periscopic 5x optical zoom camera that gets you closer than any other smartphone.
Alexa goes from ‘hi’ to ‘namaste’
Alexa now not only understands Hindi, it responds in Hindi too. The launch has enabled the huge base of Alexa customers in India to interact with the voice assistant to ask for music, get Bollywood or sports updates and much more in Hindi/Hinglish.
Apple Arcade
Apple changed the gaming industry by introducing a subscription-based gaming service, which already has 100-odd titles and each one of them is brilliant. India found its place on Arcade thanks to the Lucid Labs-developed game titled Possessions while the winning title of the year is Sayonara Wild Hearts.
