We see a lot of products and ideas hit the market every year. Some are good, most are bad. But, up until now, we’ve never really looked at the year as a whole and really digest who did what well. Which is why this year, we’re changing that with an official SoyaCincau Awards ceremony.
There are a lot of categories to go through, but it is our way of officially recognising the truly remarkable effort, products, ideas, services and companies for each year. The awards will be split into several parts, so make sure you check them all out in the section below.
This segment is all about the smartphones, tablets and wearables that defined 2022. First, we had an open nomination process to gather the entries for this category from as many perspectives as possible. Then, we proceeded to compile and shortlist the nominations before a panel of experts made the final decision on the winners. The panel members consisted of Amin Ashaari, Alexander Wong, Najib Hamid, Raymond Saw, Jonathan Lee, Hanif Azrai, and Sudarshan Duke.
Read the rest of our Awards
- SoyaCincau Awards 2022: The best EV of the Year
- SoyaCincau Awards 2022: The best Laptop, Peripheral and Headphones of the Year
- SoyaCincau Awards 2022: The best Gadget, Tech Brand, Disappointment and Surprise of the Year
- SoyaCincau Awards 2022: The best Prepaid, Postpaid, Broadband, Mobile Telco and Fixed Telco of the Year
Phone of the Year
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max – GOLD WINNER
Turning an obvious eyesore in the middle of the screen into a feature that’s actually desirable deserves its props, and it is this creativity that earns the iPhone 14 Pro Max SoyaCincau’s Phone of the Year gold award. Couple that with its undeniable performance and you’ve got a killer device on your hands. Especially since even after all these years, the iPhone remains the only phone that’s able to maintain its image quality across all three of its cameras.
Learn more about iPhone 14 Pro Max here.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – SILVER WINNER
It is without question the best Android smartphone of the year. The only thing that really stops it from earning the Gold award is that its camera simply isn’t as generally capable as the iPhone’s. Still, if you don’t need that, the Galaxy S22 Ultra brings a host of other useful features, like the S Pen, that pushes it above its Android brethren.
Learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra here.
Read our review of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra here.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 – BRONZE WINNER
Although not a “significant” update over its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is certainly a more refined device with signature flagship phone features like wireless charging and IP68 water and dust resistance. Despite that, it still maintains its position as the folding phone for the people, and it is this democratisation of next-gen technology that propels the Galaxy Z Flip 4 onto the podium.
Learn more about the Galaxy Z Flip 4 here.
Value Phone of the Year
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S 5G – GOLD WINNER
Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 11S 5G is easily the best smartphone under RM1,000 that you can buy. Especially considering the fact that Malaysia’s finally making headway in the development of 5G, having this feature in an affordable phone is absolutely valuable in the long run. Coupled with great specs, and features like stereo speakers, 90Hz as well as 33W fast-charging, the Redmi Note 11S 5G sets a great benchmark.
Learn more about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S 5G here.
Poco M4 5G – SILVER WINNER
Although it took home the Silver award, it was an extremely close fight between the Poco M4 5G and the Redmi Note 11S 5G. Poco’s affordable phone brings 5G connectivity below the RM700 price point and even includes upmarket features like a 90Hz screen and NFC support.
Learn more about the Poco M4 5G here.
Honor X8 4G – BRONZE WINNER
Honor is back in the affordable smartphone market with a vengeance now that their phones have access to Google Mobile Services. The Honor X8 4G is a durable phone that has proven itself in our testing. It offers great performance with a Snapdragon 680 processor, a 64MP camera and a 22.5W fast charger—plus it also gets a leg up over its 5G sibling because this phone features a Full HD display instead. The only blemish is its lack of access to 5G which is growing in importance lately.
Learn more about the Honor X8 4G here.
Tablet of the Year
Apple iPad Air (M1) – GOLD WINNER
iPad OS is probably the best tablet operating system in the market right now. Combined with a capable processor, it’s just a great recipe for an excellent tablet experience. The reason the iPad Air (M1) won this specifically is because of its value for money. Its laptop-grade processor is more than enough for a tablet workflow, plus it has USB-C which just makes this way more versatile than its Lightning-enabled brethren.
Learn more about the iPad Air (M1) here.
Read our full review of the iPad Air here.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – SILVER WINNER
As its name suggests, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a monster laptop with a massive 14.6” display which makes it ideal for content creation. Yes, it’s the most expensive laptop on this list, but you need to remember that this includes a keyboard and stylus in the box. While the Tab S8’s software is certainly among the best on the Android camp, it simply isn’t as good as iPad OS in our opinions.
Learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra here.
Apple iPad Pro (M2) – BRONZE WINNER
The main thing stopping the iPad Pro (M2) from getting the Gold award is its price. For RM1,000 more than the iPad Air (M1) it just didn’t score strongly enough when it came to value. However, if you can afford it, it is the more capable tablet without question. It features the newer M2 processor, a USB-C port with support for Thunderbolt/USB 4 and WiFi 6E.
Learn more about the iPad Pro here.
Smartwatch of the Year
Apple Watch Ultra – GOLD WINNER
This is the most expensive Apple Watch, but it’s also the most revolutionary one in their lineup. If you want the ultimate wearable from Apple, there’s nowhere to turn to but the Apple Watch Ultra. It’s designed for the adventurous, to take on rugged watches like the Garmin Fenix Solar, but keep the convenience of a full-fledged smartwatch experience. It is this versatility that earns this smartwatch its award.
Learn more about the Apple Watch Ultra here.
Garmin Fenix 7 Solar – SILVER WINNER
While the Garmin Fenix 7 Solar doesn’t provide the full suite of smartwatch features like the Apple Watch Ultra, it is just the ultimate wearable to track your fitness. It is able to track an incredibly comprehensive spectrum of metrics, and its built-in solar panel ensures it keeps going long after something like the Apple Watch Ultra has run out of juice.
Learn more about the Garmin Fenix 7 Solar here.
Google Pixel Watch – BRONZE WINNER
The Pixel Watch is the “first” child to come out of Google’s acquisition of Fitbit. It features a sleek minimalist design and gives you quick and easy access to the Google Assistant and a lot of the Google goodies you’d want right on your wrist. Because it’s powered by Android, it’ll also work with a much wider variety of phones.
Learn more about the Pixel Watch here.
