Let’s take a look back at 2021 through 10 high-tech products that marked the year.
The Apple keynote poster on a MacBook Pro 13 M1 // Source: Frandroid
The year 2021 is finally over! This was marked on the one hand by a sawtooth health crisis and on the other hand by shortages for many sectors, starting with high-tech products. Some have been canceled, others postponed, while prices have soared in certain categories. And yet, it was a good year for tech fans!
Whether for fans of computers, smartphones, headphones, e-bikes, gaming consoles and more, 2021 has seen the dawn of products that have driven the market forward in the right direction. Let’s retrace a year into 10 outstanding products.
The MacBook Pro M1 (Pro / Max)
After the MacBook Air and the Mac mini, it is the MacBook Pro range that was entitled to Apple’s new M1 chip. First at the end of 2020 for the 13-inch model, then in 2021 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro which accompanied the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
We already suspected after seeing the MacBook Air M1, the MacBook Pro under ARM is a racehorse that lays the groundwork for the next computer decade. By changing its architecture, Apple has taken a great step ahead of its competition and today clearly offers the best laptops for professionals, whether in terms of performance or autonomy, not to mention the few to -sides that do not (directly) result from the SoC such as the quality of the screen tiles or the chassis with exemplary finishes.
We knew Apple very good on PCs, now the Cupertino company will now force all its competitors to reinvent themselves very quickly. Last flat: we would like to see this power adapted to video games.
GeForce Now RTX 3080
But precisely ! For those who want to play on MacBook, there is a solution: cloud gaming. However, this still has many drawbacks. List of games sometimes limited, obligation to be dependent on an internet connection, uneven performance … If the technology has been available for a long time and has really taken off in 2019 and 2020, it is perhaps in 2021 that we have given the most significant development, although still discreet.
GeForce Now offers an offer with RTX 3080 cards // Source: Nvidia
This evolution, we must see it on the side of Nvidia and its GeForce Now with its RTX 3080 subscription. So certainly, it is not a product strictly speaking, rather a service, but we thought that this novelty had its place. in our list. Not for the graphical improvement brought by the switch to an RTX 3080 equivalent in game servers, but for the addition of Adaptive Sync to better synchronize the images generated by the server and those displayed by your screen.
It doesn’t fix all problems, and if your connection isn’t holding up, it won’t be the silver bullet. But it does give the impression of playing locally when the conditions are right, which makes competitive online games possible (to a certain extent, of course, pro gamers will avoid).
Xbox Series X… or rather the Game Pass
Gaming always. One year after the launch of the new consoles, while it is still very difficult to get hold of them, players are generally very satisfied with them, especially while waiting for the big launches of 2022 (if they are not postponed to 2023). But we can still say that if PlayStation wins the battle of the numbers, Microsoft achieved a flawless performance over the year.
Not only is the Xbox Series X a success on its scale, but the Xbox Series S is also finding its audience. But let’s be honest, it is especially the Game Pass that made the talk this year.
The games expected in Xbox Game Pass by the end of 2021 // Source: Xbox
Some call it “the Netflix of video games”, certainly with good reason. This subscription gives access to a huge catalog of games, including all the exclusives of Microsoft Studios, on PC, consoles and even in cloud gaming. At the end of the year, subscribers were thus able to discover Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, Back 4 Blood, Age of Empires IV and many others. The quality of service speaks for itself and word of mouth is having an effect: the number of subscribers is increasing, to the point where Sony is even considering launching a competitor …
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
But back to physical products. Have you heard of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra? Ask anyone in the writing of Frandroid and we will tell you for sure that it is the smartphone of the year (or at least the Android smartphone of the year …), while it was released very early in 2021 and that he therefore had time to be dethroned. For Omar, it’s a crush!
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra in hand, seen from the back // Source: Frandroid
And there is something. If we can find smartphones that are more enduring, more efficient, or with more gadgets, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has no weakness. It is not only very well balanced, but also very versatile, especially in photography. Suffice to say that unless you hate Samsung and / or One UI, anyone should find what they are looking for with the S21 Ultra.
In itself, this is not a revolution, but over a year without Galaxy Note, we have here a very fertile ground which prepares the ground for the future Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Galaxy Z Fold 3 … and the Z Flip 3 surprise
Let’s stay at Samsung, but on the side of foldable smartphones. Admittedly, the Galaxy Note range died out in 2021, but the second half was an opportunity for Samsung to present its Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3. After first generations of folding smartphones “goods, but nothing more», We finally saw an excellent alternative to the traditional smartphone … in different formats, what is more. It must be said that the screen is now much more resistant, making it usable on a daily basis without being afraid of scratching it suddenly. ‘nail.
Taking notes on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 with the S Pen // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Frandroid
We will not hide from you that when writing Frandroid we tend to prefer the Z Fold 3 for its versatility, but the Z Flip 3 created a surprise with its very good (deserved) sales figures.
Xiaomi pad 5
The tablet market has been a roller coaster ride. Since the announcement of the iPad in 2010, they have experienced a huge boom before becoming anecdotal. In the end, only a few manufacturers still managed to offer an alternative to the iPad which still largely dominates the market. And yet, this year we had the Xiaomi Pad 5. So beware: it does not completely shake up the market, but it arrives at the right time, at the right price and with the right arguments.
The Xiaomi Pad 5 in hand // Source: Frandroid
This very good product that Omar (again) already recommends to his whole family is above all a strong symbol for the market. Is this finally the long-awaited return of tablets? With Android 12L coming out in 2022, we can hope for greater attention from the various Android players (Google, manufacturers and application developers) in order to finally offer an ecosystem that can compete with that of Apple. And in the meantime, the Xiaomi Pad 5 is a great product at a reduced price!
Nothing ear (1)
And since we’re talking about a reduced-price product, let’s take a look at Nothing. This new company founded by Carl Pei (co-founder of OnePlus) launched its first product this year: Bluetooth ear headphones (1).
Are these the best headphones available today? No… but we have to put the context: these are headphones launched at 99 euros and which have even already experienced a drop in price to 79 euros at the end of the year. And this is also a strong symbol!
Remember … a few years ago, or quite simply in 2020, to have quality wireless headphones, you had to easily go up to more than 250 euros. Below 200 euros, the results were clearly mixed, at best. Nowadays, it is no longer necessary to shell out a fortune for good wireless headphones, and Nothing ears (1) are the best proof of this.
Tesla Model Y
To say the Tesla Model Y was expected is an understatement. From the day of its release, this new electric SUV has become a must with its more compact format than that of the Model X. With its ease of use, its ultra comfortable interior volume (trunk included) and the network of Tesla Superchargers , this Model Y is the perfect companion for large families, all at a relatively affordable price since it is offered as standard at less than 60,000 euros and therefore still benefits from the ecological bonus of 2,000 euros, which is rather rare on this range of electric cars.
The Tesla Model Y // Source: Frandroid
So yes, we advise you to wait before buying a Tesla Model Y… But when we know to what extent the American company led by Elon Musk imposes its codes on the electric vehicle market (we saw it recently again with Honda’s copy of the Cybertruck), the release of a new model is always striking.
iweech
The car is not your main means of transport? We have what you need ! As for electric bikes, it is the iweech from the Marseille start-up Bellatrix that caught our eye in 2021. Of all the bikes we have tried this year, it is surely the one that we have the best. more appreciated (which is reflected in its price…).
Source: Anthony Wonner – Frandroid
It might lack a small control screen, but you just have to use it to realize that those who designed it are real fans of cycling. It is nervous, dynamic, powerful, it has some under the pedal for an exemplary driving pleasure. You feel safe on it, it is equipped with a GPS tracker… but above all it is particularly compact and its rotating stem allows it to be stored easily.
When you see the price drops in the competition from the second or third generation, there is no doubt that Bellatrix is to be kept in mind, because its first model is already excellent.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (with Wear OS 3.0)
And finally to finish this selection, the last highlight of 2021 is… the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. In itself, this connected watch does not revolutionize the market and it still suffers from certain faults which will be crippling for a certain number of users. And yet, it is the first watch from Samsung for a long time not to run on Tizen and especially the first watch to embed Wear OS 3.0, the new version of the operating system from Google.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic // Source: Samsung
This is an important step for both Samsung and Google (but especially for Google), and perhaps the last chance for Google to offer with Wear OS a multi-brand ecosystem capable of competing with the Apple Watch. In this sense, the Galaxy Watch 4 therefore remains a product marking a milestone in the development of the OS.
And you, what is the high-tech device of 2021 that marked you?
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