Tech innovations gets impressive every year, and the ones in 2021 are no exception. We all love the arrival of a new gadget and gizmos, something that will make life more convenient and entertaining for yourself, or even makes a clever gift idea for a family or friend for this holiday season.
Technology has helped us speed up many processes and automated mundane tasks, thus making our lives much smoother. And now, with rapid advancements, we can look at new innovations that will benefit us in the long run.
Gadget geeks have welcomed a series of back-to-back smartphone launches from Apple, Xiaomi and most recently, Google so far.
Listed below are some of the latest gadgets to check out.
Google Pixel 6 Series
The Pixel 6 Pro is Google’s reinvigorated attempt to beat Apple and Samsung’s best smartphones, with powerful new cameras, custom chips and a standout design.
From the front, the Pixel 6 Pro looks like a standard top-end phone with a large 6.7in OLED screen that’s really good-looking, crisp, bright and smooth, with a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s a small hole punch at the top for the selfie camera and a good fingerprint sensor under the display for unlocking the phone.
Flip it over to reveal a much more unusual design. Instead of the cameras clustered in a lump down one side or in the top corner, the lenses are arranged in a large horizontal bar that stretches right across the back. It means the phone doesn’t rock around when placed on a desk or table like most other smartphones, which is a great advantage.
Apple Watch Series 7
The new Apple Watch Series 7 is an iterative upgrade over Series 6. Apple was already offering a large enough display in two sizes – 40mm and 44mm. The Series 7 gets a marginally bigger screen while maintaining the same form factor. Apple managed to do so by shrinking down the bezels, resulting in 20 percent more screen than the Series 6 and 50 percent more than the Series 3. Even the bezels around the slightly curved display are 40 percent thinner.
For one, it comes with a Always-On Retina display with curved, refractive edges that are designed to be easier on the eyes. The thicker front crystal is said to be its most crack-resistant yet, with IP6X dust-resistance and WR50 water resistance to boot. Health features remain unchanged from before, but the new watchOS 8 does offer an upgraded Fall Detection. Meanwhile, the battery lasts up to 18 hours with 33 per cent faster charging.
Nothing Ear (1)
This brand Nothing Ear (1) is founded in January this year. For the unacquainted, Nothing is a London-based startup founded by Chinese-born Swedish entrepreneur Carl Pei, who also co-founded OnePlus. Since debuting, the company has unveiled its first product in the form of the Ear (1) true wireless ear buds. First launched globally in July, Malaysians can now get a pair for themselves locally starting October 2021.
Unique branding aside, the Ear (1) instantly stood out when it was announced due to its transparent stem, which lets you take a closer look at the active noise cancellation (ANC) technology and sensors housed within. Weighing just 4.7g, each ear bud is designed to fit ergonomically in the ear with three liquid silicone tips included in the box to find your fit.
Sound engineered by Teenage Engineering, the buds feature a 11.6mm dynamic driver and spacious air chamber to provide advanced bass, mid and treble performance. Expect up to 5 hours of listening time on a full charge and up to 34 hours with the matching semi-transparent charging case, which supports both USB-C wired and Qi wireless charging. It is priced at RM499.
LG PuriCare Air Purifer Face Mask
The LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier is probably one of the best gadgets anyone can have amid the ongoing pandemic.
This “smart mask” uses the latest electronics and medical-grade filters to make sure that its user breathes clean air, sifting out pollutants, allergens, bacteria and even virus-carrying particles, according to LG.
The Korean electronics giant however does not claim that this gadget can prevent anyone from getting COVID-19. That’s probably the last thing any tech company would claim no matter how advanced their product may be but it does protect you comfortably.
It can last up to eight hours on full battery and takes about two hours to charge.
Jabra Elite 7 Pro
The Elite 7 Pro are a natural evolution of Jabra’s true wireless designs. They’re just as rounded and ergonomically shaped as the Elite 75t, yet smaller and lighter. When compared to Jabra’s flagship Elite 85t, the 7 Pro are downright tiny. The multifunction buttons now have a teardrop shape and occupy the entire outer surface of the earbuds, making them impossible to miss. The new design also affords much better water protection, with an IP57 rating (the Elite 75t were IP55), making them effectively waterproof.
But the most noticeable change has to be the charging case. Jabra has abandoned its distinctive, upright design with its flip-top lid for a more conventional clamshell shape. It’s ever so slightly larger now, but it also has wireless charging built-in, something you needed to pay extra for in the past. It is priced at RM999.
