Tech Guide’s Best of 2017 awards – the products we judged as the best of the year
It’s been a big year in technology and as 2017 draws to a close, Tech Guide has decided to hand out its awards for the best products we’ve seen throughout the year across all categories.
We have seen a few trends emerge including the rise of smart Internet of Things devices, smarter speakers, smart appliances and smartphones fitting larger screens into smaller devices.
Tech Guide has gone through the many categories of products and awarded what we believe to be the best product in that class.
We have also included other products that might not have been the best but that deserved an honourable mention.
BEST SMARTPHONE
iPHONE X
Apple really hit it out of the park with the iPhone X. It was a huge departure from the iPhones we been seeing for the last 10 years and a move in a bold new direction.
READ TECH GUIDE’S COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE iPHONE X
Honourable Mentions
BEST SMARTPHONE UNDER $1000
HTC U11
HTC produced a top tier device and intelligently priced it at under $1000. The device ticked all the boxes when it came to screen size and quality, camera, audio and smart features.
READ TECH GUIDE’S COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE HTC U11
Honourable Mentions
BEST SMARTPHONE UNDER $500
NOKIA 6
Nokia impressed with its new Android powered smartphones in what was viewed as a comeback of sorts. The $399 Nokia 6 certainly punched well above its weight.
READ TECH GUIDE’S COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE NOKIA 6
Honourable Mentions
Alcatel A3
BEST TABLET
iPAD PRO 10.5-INCH
The iPad Pro was already a powerful device and the 10.5-inch delivered all of that power in smaller form factor with 20 per cent more screen but only a minimal increase in the device’s size.
READ TECH GUIDE’S COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE iPAD PRO
Honourable Mentions
BEST CAMERA
PANASONIC LUMIX GH5
Panasonic’s Lumix GH5 puts a lot of powerful features in the hands of photographers including a 20.3-megapixel sensor for incredible pictures and stunning 4K video.
READ TECH GUIDE’S REPORT OF THE LUMIX GH5
Honourable Mentions
Nikon D7500
Canon EOS M5
Sony a9
BEST GAMING DEVICE
XBOX ONE X
The Xbox One X is the most powerful gaming console in the world which can handle 4K HDR games and movies. It has 40 per cent more power than any other console on the market and there are a range of games to showcase its amazing performance.
READ TECH GUIDE’S REPORT ON THE XBOX ONE X
Honourable Mention
Nintendo Switch
BEST E-READER
KOBO AURA H2O EDITION 2
The waterproof Kobo e-reader can go anywhere so you can keep reading your books anywhere. The refreshed 6.8-inch anti-glare e-ink screen means it’s as sharp as a printed page in any lighting conditions.
READ TECH GUIDE’S REPORT ON THE KOBO AURA H2O EDITION 2
Honourable Mention
BEST WINDOWS LAPTOP
HP SPECTRE X360
The HP Spectre X360 is thin, light and powerful with plenty of connectivity. It also has a touchscreen and can be folded into different modes to use as a tablet or to view content.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE HP SPECTRE X360
Honourable Mention
Alienware 13 R3
BEST COMPUTER
iMAC
Apple’s iMac has no rival in the desktop computer space and it is now brighter, faster and more powerful than ever before. It is an amazing all-in-one solution that can be used as a family computer or to run your business.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE iMAC
BEST TV
LG SIGNATURE WALLPAPER OLED TV
This is a TV that has to be seen to be believed. It is mounted just like wallpaper thanks to being just 2.57 mm thick and connects to a sound bar with Dolby Atmos.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REPORT OF THE LG SIGNATURE WALLPAPER OLED TV
Honourable Mentions
BEST TV UNDER $5000
SAMSUNG SERIES 7 65-inch QLED TV
Samsung’s incredible QLED TVs provide amazing contrast and stunning colours with brightness that blows the competition away.
BEST TV UNDER $2500
HISENSE SERIES 7
Hisense has had a remarkable year thanks to products like the Series 7 TV which is loaded with patented technology to offer superb picture quality and connectivity.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE HISENSE SERIES 7
BEST SOUNDBAR
SAMSUNG MS750 SOUNDBAR SOUND+
The Samsung MS750 Soundbar Sound+ is a sleek and unobtrusive soundbar that adds amazing sound to your TV viewing experience. The all-in-one unit packs in 11 speakers and a subwoofer to elevate your home theatre experience.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE SAMSUNG MS750 SOUNDBAR
Honourable Mention
BEST SMART HOME DEVICE
RING 2 DOORBELL
The Ring 2 Doorbell let you know who’s at your front door and allows you to talk to them even if you’re on the other side of the world. It is not only a convenient product but it will also provide security to give users peace of mind.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE RING 2 DOORBELL
Honourable Mentions
BEST SPEAKER
BOSE SOUNDLINK REVOLVE
The Bose SoundLink Revolve delivers amazing sound in all directions thanks to its cylindrical design and the Bose audio technology under the hood.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE BOSE SOUNDLINK REVOLVE
Honourable Mentions
BEST HEADPHONES
SONY WH-1000XM2
Sony’s WH-1000XM2 headphones are a complete package with wire free connectivity, stunning audio quality and amazing noise cancellation put these head and shoulders above the competition.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE SONY WH-1000XM2
Honourable Mentions
Bose QC35 II
AKG N60NC BT
Plantronics BackBeat Fit 500
BEST EARPHONES
AUDIOFLY AF100W
The Audiofly AF100W earphones are the result of an Australian company’s audio expertise in designing pro-musician and recording headphones with multi-driver technology. They’ve brought that to the consumer in stunning fashion.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE AUDIOFLY AF100W
Honourable Mentions
Blueant Pump Air
Fitbit Flyer
Plantronics BackBeat Fit 305
BEST FITNESS WEARABLE
FITBIT ALTA HR
The Fitbit Alta HR is the world slimmest exercise band and also includes a heart rate monitor. It has a display to show you steps, calories burned and distance and can automatically recognise what exercise you are doing.
Honourable Mentions
Garmin Vivofit 3
BEST SMARTWATCH
APPLE WATCH SERIES 3
Apple Watch Series 3 went to another level this year thanks to its built-in eSIM which you replicate your iPhone’s number so you can make and receive calls even if you leave your phone at home.
And with the latest update it’s become an incredible fitness device as well.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE APPLE WATCH SERIES 3
Honourable Mentions
BEST TECH TOY
LENOVO JEDI CHALLENGES
And Star Wars fans who have dreamt of wielding a lightsaber and facing off with an opponent can now do just that with the Lenovo Jedi Challenges. The augmented reality experience is incredible and the lightsaber replica is worth the $399 price on its own.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE LENOVO JEDI CHALLENGES
Honourable Mentions
BEST IN-CAR DEVICE
ZUS SMART CAR CHARGER
The Zus Smart Car Charger is one of the most versatile devices you can have in your car. It can charge all devices, remember where you park your car, remind you when you’re parking metre is about to run out, check your car battery health and even log your trips.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE ZUS SMART CAR CHARGER
Honourable Mentions
Laser Navig8R X817 F+R Crash Camera
Belkin Road Rockstar 4-port Charger
BEST SMALL SMART APPLIANCE
ECOVACS DEEBOT OZMO 930
The Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 930 is a robot vacuum cleaner with a difference. It can map and vacuum your carpet and mop the hard floors as well. It has built-in sensors to get into every corner of your home for a surprisingly good clean.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE ECOVACS DEEBOT OZMO 930
Honourable Mentions
Breville Sommelier
Evasmart Personal Air Conditioner
BEST MODEM/ROUTER
D-LINK COBRA
The D-Link Cobra is a modem router built for the modern home with a built-in VDSL2 and ADSL 2+ modem making it ideal for NBN customers. It can also deliver fast Wi-Fi speeds with a combined speed of 5.3Gbps.
READ TECH GUIDE’S FULL REVIEW OF THE D-LINK COBRA
BEST HOME Wi-FI
NETGEAR ORBI RBK50
The Netgear Orbi RBK50 creates a solid wireless network to achieve consistent connection speeds in every corner of your home. The router and satellite work together to create a network that could handle our daily demands.
Honourable Mentions
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