AFFORDABLE PHONE OF THE YEAR
XIAOMI 11T PRO
We didn’t really see this coming at the beginning of 2021. A relatively late entry, Xiaomi’s new Pro fair gobsmacked us a) with what hardware it was packing, and b) how cheap that hardware was. There’s a full-fat Snapdragon 888 5G throbbing at the heart of this 6.67in slab of phone, 128GB of storage and at least 8GB of RAM. For any other company, that’s flagship territory. For Xiaomi, apparently, that’s just the mid-range. The X11T Pro is nigh-on ten grand cheaper than any other flagship on the market, and there’s a 108MP main camera sensor, some serious visual trickery, and 120W fast-charging to play with. We can’t wait to see what they do for an encore.
R14 000 / vodacom.co.za
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Poco X3 Pro
SHORTLISTED
● Samsung Galaxy A52 ● Oppo Reno 5 ● Redmi Note 10 Pro
TABLET OF THE YEAR
APPLE iPAD MINI (2021)
For a long time the iPad Mini felt a lot like the runt of Apple’s tablet litter. Not only was it the smallest, but it regularly seemed to get overlooked when other iPads were updated and upgraded with newfangled tech. It turns out Apple was just biding its time, because the sixth-gen Mini is a real stunner. Redesigned to look like an iPad Pro that shrunk in the wash, its 8.3in screen is the sharpest of any iPad, the A15 Bionic chip handles any task you care to throw at it, and there’s now Touch ID, a 12MP ultrawide front camera, and USB-C connectivity that opens it up for use with a load of accessories – all in a premium, uber-portable form factor that makes it very hard to put down.
from R10 000 / istore.co.za
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Apple iPad (2021)
SHORTLISTED
● Apple iPad Pro (2021) ● Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 ● Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus
PHONE OF THE YEAR
SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 ULTRA
Samsung’s S21 Ultra was one of the first high-end phones to launch in 2021. Turns out, it won the race before anyone else even turned up. The Exynos 2100 was the company’s most powerful processor to date, and everything else inside it was finely tuned and equally speedy. But it is Samsung’s camera that stole the show. Not the 100x zoom – that’s still a gimmick, no matter what they
