My last post for 2021, and – unlike in previous years – a post that I’ve been dreading. On account that I’d been continuing to pick-up a few tech toys this 2021 year, but had not been posting my notes and comments on any of them at all. So, unlike in previous years where my year-end retrospective post requires me only to write summary notes of each item, for this year, I’d have no such source material to work from.
That aside, here’s the list of toys we’ve bought this year, and whether they have been good or bad buys.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra – win: Samsung’s 2021 flagship phone. There were a whole bunch of flagships released from Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo and OnePlus early this year – and all of them had the same broad specs; large AMOLED screens, support for higher refresh rates, the fastest processors, and decent cameras. What finally differentiated one to the other for me was battery life, camera performance, and local support. The S21 Ultra wasn’t the cheapest flagship at the point of my making a decision in April was that I’ve had pretty good luck with Samsung phones – having used and owned a large number of them – and that it was, if arguably, the best all-round device of the lot with a battery that was capable of keeping the phone running the longest, relatively even if its advanced and power-hungry internals. I did have that initial fear whether the S21 Ultra – with its 6.8″ screen – is finally at a size that’s just unwieldy. But over time, I’ve indeed gotten quite used to the phone’s girth. It’s really not too bad if you get a slim-fit casing, as I have now. The phone’s gorgeous display does not disappoint, and having experienced the 120Hz display, it’s just no longer possible for me to return to lesser screens now. With good and affordable foldable phones still some time away, it’s likely I’ll continue using the S21 Ultra well into 2022.
iPad Mini 6 – win: I’ve had the older iPad Mini 4 for five years now, and while the device is still in fairly good shape, its battery life is no longer where it used to be – I’m lucky to get five hours out of the thing now in light use – and the old processor struggles to keep up with modern content. I skipped 2019’s iPad Mini 5 on account that it was, physically in dimensions and display, more of the same – and those thick bezels from the early Minis were not something I wanted to spend money on again. Thankfully, the 2021 refresh of the iPad Mini did not disappoint that much; the screen size has increased from 7.9″ to 8.3″, the bezels have shrunk – but are still quite there – and the internals have been beefed up to include new processing silicon. What was finally missing was a higher refresh rate that I’ve enjoyed on my two iPad Pros, and the screen also isn’t as contrast-y as either too. And I reckon the display size could had been still larger – e.g. to 8.6″ – if Apple had reduced the bezels further. Still, this new Mini has been an absolute joy to use, and after a year of carting around the huge iPad Pro 12.9 in my messenger bag whenever I’m out of the house, my shoulders area likewise thankful too!
iPad Air 4 – win: Ling had been using an iPad Gen 8 from her school this year, and had come to love the device. As she was transferring to a different school come 2022, she’d need to return this iPad – so I decided to get her one as a replacement. The Air 4 is, essentially, the iPad Pro 11 for the most part, excepting the screen. Still, it can be had for a great price. Oddly though, the tablet has now become a shared-used device between the missus and the daughter, with the latter now using it a lot to watch croquet videos haha.
Huawei Watch GT 3 – win: this new wearable was a last minute purchase in the last couple of days of 2021. The missus had bought me for Christmas the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic – you know, that expensive, top-dog and best in its class Android Wear watch. The only problem was that having used Android Wear watches before, and also being kept abreast of that the new Wear OS 3.0 watches are still limited by battery life days that can be counted on just a few fingers, I’d already resolved not to return to Android Wear watches again until a manufacturer makes one whose battery life runs up to a week at least. So, the Christmas present got sold away (with permission from the missus), and its place, I chose the Huawei Watch GT 3, the current iteration of the Huawei line of very popular and successful pseudo-smartwatches. I might do a longer review of this in the new year once I get more wrist time on it – but my initial impression is very positive.
What about 2022? Well, there isn’t anything particularly pressing that I’d need to pick-up this coming year. Though I’ve been keeping an eye out for a good 14″ ultra-portable, on account that the daughter will likely need her own laptop soon and the Dell XPS 13 will probably go to her then!