The best tech products of 2022: Insta360 X3 action camera, nReal Air portable display, M2 MacBook Air, Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) and more
- It was a year of incremental improvements in already great gadgets, from Apple’s new MacBook and AirPods Pro to Insta360’s latest action camera for adventurers
- One that caught the eye was nReal Air, glasses with micro-OLED displays that project HD-quality cinema. No more airline video screen woes for this reviewer
This year didn’t bring any one headline-grabbing innovation in consumer technology. Instead, we got a lot of excellent products that were more efficient, portable, and affordable than their predecessors.
With the world continuing to open up after the Covid-19 pandemic, gadgets that are portable and powerful are proving increasingly useful. These are my top seven of 2022.
Insta360 X3
If you follow travel vloggers, action-sports people or adventurers on Instagram, there’s a chance you have seen them run around with one arm extended and a lens seemingly hovering above them. They are not using a drone, but an Insta360 action camera.
Based in Shenzhen, southern China, Insta360 has for years been behind the best reviewed consumer-grade 360-degree cameras. The devices’ ability to reframe a 360-degree video as a dynamic “normal” video with pans, tilts and zooms has proved extremely useful for those who want to film themselves on the go.
The X3, released this year, improves on previous models by increasing the screen and battery size significantly, and these changes are enough to make what was already the best one-person self-filming tool even better.
HK$3,648/US$449, available at most online and offline consumer electronics retailers, including the Apple Store
nReal Air
The nReal Air is a pair of glasses with micro-OLED displays built in that pumps out vibrant, hi-res visuals projected in front of the wearer’s face.
The ultimate goal is for the eyewear to serve as an augmented reality headset, providing heads-up displays that overlay on the real world. But that future is not here yet, as AR software (and data speeds) simply aren’t advanced enough for such use cases.
Instead, the hardware right now is best used as a portable display that one can take anywhere.
The micro-OLED displays, which use a display technology known as “bird bath”, can project a single screen equivalent to a 130-inch display in the real world. And with speakers built into the glasses’ arms and easy connectivity to most smartphones or laptops, the nReal Air is essentially a wearable, on-the-go media consumption machine.
This has been a must-carry item for me on flights in 2022 – instead of dealing with the cramped, low-res aeroplane screens, I have full HD cinema that spans my entire field of vision.
HK$4,399/US$379, available via online retailers
Xiaomi Mix Fold 2
Ever since foldable phones became a thing in 2019, there have been a fair number of detractors bemoaning their high prices, bulkiness, and supposed fragility.
Xiaomi has addressed at least two of these with its most recent foldable, the Mix Fold 2. Priced at 8,999 yuan (US$1,289) in China, the Mix Fold 2 is no more expensive than a typical flagship smartphone, and is just 5.4mm thick unfolded and 11.2mm thick when closed.
In fact, the Mix Fold 2 is barely thicker than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and significantly slimmer than the rival Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
The naysayers’ one remaining issue, durability, is something no one can vouch for yet, as the device has only been on the market a few months. Still, I’ve been testing foldables heavily for years and haven’t broken one yet, so I wouldn’t be too concerned.
8,999 yuan (US$1,289), available officially only in mainland China
M2 MacBook Air
The MacBook Air is one of the most popular laptop lines in the world, and the 2022 model is obviously the best one yet.
The improvements don’t come just from the internal processor upgrade – though the M2 silicon here is indeed extremely powerful and efficient. The 2022 model is also an upgrade over previous generations, with a new design featuring thinner display bezels and an improved webcam.
The M2 chip is as powerful as any Intel processor while being significantly more energy efficient. This is a light (1.24kg) and thin (11mm) machine that is powerful and efficient enough to be a full-time workstation for most people.
HK$9,499/US$999, available at most online and offline retailers
Vivo X90 Pro Plus
The just-released Vivo X90 Pro Plus smartphone has the most advanced camera hardware in the mobile space right now.
Its quad-lens main camera system is anchored by a Sony IMX989 1-inch sensor which produces near DSLR-quality bokeh effects, and it has a pair of very good zoom lenses covering the 50mm and 90mm focal lengths, and a sweeping ultra-wide lens. All four rear camera lenses have Zeiss’ T-Coating for reduced lens flare.
In terms of hardware, Vivo’s camera sensors are among the largest and most pixel-dense. The X90 Pro Plus also backs it up with really good software processing, courtesy of its own dedicated imaging chip – the V2.
Take it from someone who has tested every flagship phone in 2022 and enjoys street photography, there is no better phone camera system right now.
6,499 yuan, available officially only in mainland China, but a global launch is coming in January 2023
Apple AirPods Pro (Second Generation)
Apple’s AirPods are ubiquitous for a reason – they offer excellent audio quality and work well with all devices, even non-Apple ones.
The newest and best, the second-gen AirPods Pro, deliver even better audio thanks to redesigned drivers, and superior active noise cancellation (ANC). The latter is impressive, considering the first generation AirPods Pro already boasts some of the best ANC around.
They’re relatively pricey, but if you can afford them the second-generation AirPods Pro are the best wireless earbuds.
HK$1,849/US$249, available at most online and offline retailers
Anker 733 Power Bank
Portable power banks are a dime a dozen, but Anker’s 733 Power Bank has been one of my favourites of 2022 – and something that is always in my bag when I go out – because it is both a power bank and a wall charger.
With 10,000 mAh battery capacity and three ports (2x USB-C and 1x USB-A) the Anker 733 can charge three devices at once, and top up smartphones or tablets several times over.
For large laptops the power bank by itself won’t be enough, but this is where the wall charger functionality comes in. Just plug it into a socket and it can top up laptops at 65W speed.
Of course there are larger, more powerful power banks that can charge laptops on their own, but these are also much bulkier; the Anker 733 offers the best combination of size and functionality.
HK$780/US$99, available at select online retailers
