Stuff’s best tech of 2021 – Meet our Gadget Award winners

It happens every year. Actually, most things happen every year. But this specific thing belongs to Stuff, and it’s therefore special. You know, kinda like how you’re super-fond of your kids but everyone else just sorta tolerates them. We’re talking, of course, about Stuff‘s Gadget Awards. Which, unlike the aforementioned kids, are welcome everywhere they turn up. Because the Gadget Awards have actual, tangible value.

Before this takes an even darker turn than it already has, how about we introduce you to the 2021 crop of tech high-achievers? You know, the tech that made everything else in the class look slow-witted and dull by comparison. The tech that turned heads. The tech that impressed everyone over the past academic year. The tech you secretly wish your tech was more like when you’re alone and your tech can’t hear you sobbing. Let’s meet ’em.

Affordable Phone of the Year – Xiaomi 11T Pro

These days, practically any smartphone under R15,000 is classed as affordable. When the top of the range costs R30k or more (thanks for nothing, Apple), fifteen grand is just the halfway mark. That’s normally a fiercely contested price point but this year, Xiaomi knocked it out of the park. It dropped its 11T Pro, with a Snapdragon 888 5G, 8GB of RAM, 120W fast-charging and 128GB of storage for far less than the price of Samsung’s stock Galaxy S21. How on Earth did they manage that? We… don’t actually care, we’re just happy they did.

Tablet of the Year – Apple iPad Mini 2021

Apple makes such good tablets that they’re in a class of their own. And not just because they’re the only slates that run iPadOS (though that’s technically true too). This year, the refreshed (at long bloody last) iPad Mini 2021 took top honours. It’s easy to see why — the screen is better than ever, there’s an A15 Bionic, and Touch ID is part and parcel. The inclusion of USB-C charging, a better camera and the fact that it’s the ultimate in Apple portability didn’t hurt either.

Smartphone of the Year – Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Samsung took home the gold early this year. The Galaxy S21 Ultra really justified the name this time around. But if Samsung would just get over the whole ‘100x zoom’ thing, that’d be great. There was some improvement in the 20 – 30x region that really was noteworthy, however. And then there was the very best in smartphone tech that Samsung ladled into the Ultra. That certainly helped Samsung’s chances. Yes, there was loads of competition in this segment — mostly from Apple — but Samsung managed to hang onto its lead for just about the entire year.

Smart Home Gadget of the Year – Amazon Echo Show 8 2021

Is there an Echo in here? And no, we’re not talking about the Greek Oread who really, really dropped Zeus in the dwang. Stuff‘s smart home gadget of the year was Amazon’s Echo Show 8. An excellent display with video calling smarts. Don’t forget Alexa voice control for asking the great AI up in the cloud to confer its knowledge upon you — all of these were fantastic reasons to nab one of these Echos… echos… echo… eco-… You get the idea.

Streaming Service of the Year – Netflix

Sometimes, all you want to do is chill. And since Netflix has that association all sewn up, it was a foregone conclusion that the streaming service would be Stuff’s winner in 2021. It’s not the first time they’ve stood on this pinnacle, but they’re likely to be in for a tougher race in 2022. It won’t be a two-horse race between Netflix and Showmax this year — Disney+ is due out before the end of the year. Everyone else had better try a little harder this time around, it won’t be enough to just turn up.

TV Gadget of the Year – Roku Express 4K

There’s some interesting TV tech around in South Africa if you know where to look. And we know where to look. Case in point: Roku’s Express 4K streaming box. It costs less than a grand, it supports all of the (international) services available in SA and will stream up to 4K HDR. If your internet connection is up to it, of course. You don’t need to splash out on a smart TV if you’re packing a Roku Express 4K, but in the event that a smart TV is a thing you think you might need…

TV of the Year – Samsung 65QN90A

…Samsung’s QN90A range of TVs were the best to cross Stuff‘s collective TV stands in 2021. And, like the Galaxy S21 Ultra, they turned up pretty early in the year. Combining a slick price with even slicker smarts, as well as the company’s Neo QLED tech, we’ve finally encountered a set that gives LG’s OLED panels a run for their money. Except these are a little cheaper than a comparable OLED screen. Competition will be a little fiercer in the 2022 period, but that’s because there are all sorts of new tech inbound. It’s a very good time to be a couch potato.

Camera of the Year – Sony A1

You’ve heard that you get what you pay for, yeah? In Sony’s case, that’s literally true. The Sony A1, at R128,000, is one of the most expensive items we encountered in 2021 overall. Literally everything else in our award winner’s list is cheaper, bar one item. And that’s a car. So why on Earth would we give it an award? Well, because for your money you’re snagging Sony’s best camera to date. A full-frame sensor, Sony Bionz ZR engine, and the ability to track human and animal eyes are just the start of this little parade of awesome. 30fps stills snaps, 8K video recording (at 30fps) and 4K video (120fps), five-axis stabilisation, and a completely weatherproof design just complete the package.

Gaming Laptop of the Year – MSI GE76 Raider

Remember what we were saying about money buying quality? That certainly applies to MSI’s GE76 Raider. This was, hands-down, the single most powerful gaming notebook we encountered in 2021. Perhaps there was something with more than a Core i9-11980HK processor, an RTX 3080, and enough backing specs to make sure those worked correctly, but we didn’t get to play with it. Boasting the kind of power you’d expect from a desktop machine, and capable of 100fps on even the awful Battlefield 2042 at launch, the Raider took the crown for 2021. Oh, year, and that front RGB bar was slick as hell.

Headphones of the Year – Microsoft Xbox Wireless Headset

Because we couldn’t give this award to Sony’s WH-1000XM4 over-ears for a second year in a row, we had to make another plan. Apple’s AirPods Max are great, but the price far outstrips their worth unless you’re a card-carrying member of the ecosystem. We eventually settled on these gaming headphones, because, well, they’re attractive, affordable, multitalented, and worth investing in. Make no mistake, you can get better headphones. But not at this price, and not with this sort of versatility.

In-Ears of the Year – Sony WF-1000XM4

This award didn’t even merit a discussion. There was absolutely no contest when it came to 2021’s best in-ears. Sony’s all-rounders can be beaten in one category or another by competitors, but nobody does everything as well as these excellent audio providers manage. The fit is perfect, the battery is excellent, the audio is absolutely fantastic, and noise-cancelling is just about ethereal. If there’s a set of in-ears that need to be in your possession, it’s these. It’s just annoying that nobody in 2022 is likely to outstrip these, but that’s a later problem.

Speaker of the Year – Sonos Roam

Another auditory no-brainer for 2021, Sonos’ Roam portable Bluetooth speaker took our speaker of the year category with absolutely no trouble at all. Sonos is known for its excellent audio tech, but it wasn’t until the Sonos Move that the range was about to easily move around. But it’s Roam that finally released this excellent brand from the shackles of a wall connection. Sound that belies its compact shape, support for Bluetooth and WiFi, and integration with any Sonos ecosystem (if you decide to leave it at home) made this one a perfect speaker for 2021.

Smartwatch of the Year – Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic

Smartwatch of the year was a two-horse race. It could have gone to Apple’s Watch Series 7, but the lack of any real innovation there saw it heading to Samsung’s new software-sporting Watch 4 Classic. The partnership between Google and Samsung has resulted in Wear OS, which will soon turn up powering Fitbit devices. But, in 2021, the Watch 4 was the one to beat. Hardware and software smarts came together to be just a little more innovative than Apple managed last year.

Fitness Gadget of the Year – Fitbit Charge 5

Does Google make everything better? Well, Loon, Cardboard, YouTube Originals, and a whole mess of others would disagree with that. But when it comes to the Fitbit Charge 5 (which, yes, is a Google product now), there’s definite improvement to be seen. The colour OLED display is fantastic, heart and sleep tracking are slick and there’s enough workout tracking to get you through anything shy of a triathlon. ECG and stress tracking are also handy items to have. And then there’s the software, which is still the best in the business.

Gaming Gadget of the Year – Xbox Series X with Game Pass

2020 was the year of the PlayStation 5, but 2021 was Microsoft’s turn. We’re not going to explore that whole Activision thing (2022 might belong to M$ too, though), but when it comes to gaming kit, the Xbox Series X really came into its own last year. The vast amount of content offered by Game Pass makes Microsoft’s console the value option, while the stable of new games has reached a critical mass. Long story short, if you’re not playing games on a Series X yet, you’ve only got yourself to blame.

Game of the Year – Deathloop

Arkane Studios makes a very specific sort of game, and they do it awfully well. Just how well was proved by Deathloop, which sticks players into a rather weird scenario. They’re tasked with assassinating (or otherwise removing) several targets who are responsible for a time loop. Die, and the day starts over. Fail, and the day starts over. Time advances when moving between areas, and opportunities change depending on the time of day. It’s… quite something to experience.

Laptop of the Year – Apple MacBook Pro 14in

Apple didn’t really know what its MacBook Pro notebooks were for in recent years. Until, that is, in 2021, when the series regressed as it went forward. This was a very good thing. The TouchBar disappeared, the ports came back, and a new 14in size was debuted. Apple’s M1 Pro processor was also introduced to the world, and it’s one seriously powerful bit of computing kit. The MacBook Pro 14in is massive overkill for people who don’t actually need its power (in other words, basically everyone), but that doesn’t mean we can’t want one.

Drone/Action Cam of the Year – DJI Air 2S

Funny how it’s always the drone that wins our Drone/Action Cam award every year. It’s probably because one of them straps to your chest and can cave in your ribs if you come short on the halfpipe, while the other one can fly around. DJI’s Air 2S offers 5.4K video shot with its 20MP sensor, a flight time of 30 minutes or so, and is small enough that you can smuggle it in your underpants. Please don’t actually do this, though, because that’s a whole different sort of video production.

EV of the Year – Mini Cooper SE

Electric vehicles are all the rage, but in a country like South Africa where the power supply is a little broken (and it’s no longer under warranty), they’re still few and far between. Even so, there were a few choices when it came to EVs. The winner, in our opinion, was the Mini Cooper SE, a stealth EV that looks like the petrol version from the outside. Mostly. It’s also the one EV from a big brand that’ll cost you less than a million bucks. It’s a town runabout, given its limited range, but it’s awfully fun to drive. That counts for a lot.

Overall Gadget Awards Winner for 2021 – Xiaomi 11T Pro

This was quite a turnup for the books, as some cliche writer once said. Xiaomi’s 11T Pro might be an affordable device, but it’s also one heck of a value proposition. It’s the best bargain we’ve seen in ages — a R14,000 smartphone that packs the sort of spec you’d expect from a device that starts from about R10k more expensive. This shoots people in the foot in both directions. The high-end phone makers have to drop their prices without lowering quality, and the lower-end manufacturers have to scale up what they’re offering at this price point, also without lowering quality. Yes, there are a few cut corners but Xiaomi’s mid-ranger only occupies its position as a result of the price. Internally, it’s far more high-end than you’re expecting. So yes, meet our winner.