Esquire Recommends: The 10 Most Innovative Gadgets of 2021

In celebration of our 10th anniversary, we at Esquire Philippines have rounded up our favorite products of the year, from cars to cocktails. As part of our annual Man at His Best (MAHB) event, we’re putting the spotlight on the brands and products that caught our eye. 

We present Esquire’s 10 Most Innovative Gadgets of 2021. 

2021 has been a strange year. People had to adapt to the new normal of living, and this has somehow translated to the kinds of gadgets that made the year a little more bearable. 

The following is Esquire Philippines’ list of the year’s top 10 most innovative gadgets that brought a semblance of comfort and cheer to our lives, whether it’s a super comfortable chair, a new phone charger, or even a beer machine. 

1| HyperX QuadCast S

There are plenty of condenser microphones out there that will give you high-quality audio, and the HyperX Quadcast S is one of them. But we are partial to the QuadCast S because of its badass look and ultra-crisp output. This one is specifically made for gamers, streamers, and podcasters, but it’s also great for remote work and online learning. 

The Quadcast S is engineered with an internal pop filter that cleans up those popping noises whenever you speak. It’s convenient for video conferencing apps; you no longer need to keep muting and unmuting the app. Just tap the mic’s surface with your finger, and the lights shut off to signify you are on mute. Tap it again to speak.  Whenever we use the QuadCast S, people would notice how clear our voice is when speaking online as if we were in a recording studio, and they’d ask what kind of mic we were using. You never have to repeat your words with the HyperX QuadCast S.

You can get your HyperX QuadCast S for P9,000 at their flagship store in Lazada.  

2| Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022

As an editor and gamer who sits in front of a computer for more than 12 hours a day, we just had to get a really comfortable chair. The Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 sets the standard for comfort in office chairs and gaming chairs. It’s easy to see how it became the gold standard in gaming chairs in the esports scene: it has the reassuring durability of a car’s driver seat, and adjusts to your body’s comfort, not the other way around. 

It has a two-way fully adjustable lumbar support on the backrest, and comes with a magnetized headrest pillow, eliminating that awkward strap on most gaming chairs. Armrests are also fully adjustable. 

The Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 is available on ??Shopee and Lazada. Discounts of up to P1,300 are available on all Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 and Secretlab 2020 Series in the flagship stores in Lazada and Shopee, plus free shipping for all Secretlab 2020 Series from December 16 to 29, 2021.

3| Rocketbook Smart Reusable Planner

We never thought we’d include a pen-and-paper tool in the 10 most innovative gadgets of 2021, but here it is. The Rocketbook started with a simple idea: to allow people who love low-tech pen and paper to keep up with high-tech organizational technology.  

Together with World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines), Rocketbook launched the Panda Planner—the world’s first reusable, digitally connected planner. Each page comes with a QR code embedded with Rocketbook's reusable technology, making it the last planner you’ll ever need to buy. The planner’s synthetic paper allows you to write smoothly with a Pilot FriXion pen, marker, or highlighter and then wipe the page clean with a damp cloth, enabling you to use the notebook again and again but not before you digitize your plans through the Rocketbook app for archiving purposes. 

The Rocketbook Panda Planner is available in a variety of colors on Atlas for P2,100 in executive size and P2,200 in letter size.

4| Samsung G9 Odyssey 

Demand for gaming peripherals soared throughout the pandemic as more people devoted more time for games and streaming. Samsung’s G9 Odyssey is by far the best gaming monitor we’ve seen in 2021, and it has become every gamer’s dream.  

At 49 inches, the Odyssey G9 fulfills the purpose of having three gaming monitors at once. The 1000R curved screen maximizes your field of view with the ideal curvature for the human eye. It allows deeper focus and immersion as you play. Boasting 240Hz refresh rate, it significantly reduces image lag, which is crucial when you run games with high frame rates.  

The 49-inch Odyssey G9 is priced at P77,299 at Samsung’s online store.  

5| SRS-NB10 Wireless Neckband Speaker

Relatively a new concept, Sony’s SRS-NB10 Wireless Neckband Speaker allows you to enjoy music without shutting out the rest of the world. This is ideal for when you’re jogging outside and have to mind traffic, or when you’re just at home but need to hear when there’s someone at the door. 

Don’t worry though because the sound of the speakers is optimized for your ears only: Sony designed the upward angle of speakers so the short-range soundwaves would travel to your ears and not to your surroundings. The neckband weighs only 113 grams, which isn’t a burden on your shoulder as it is light and comfy. 

You can buy the SRS-NB10 Wireless Neckband Speaker at Sony stores for P7,500.

6| Samsung The Frame

Why would a television pretend to be a framed painting? Because it can. Samsung’s The Frame is exactly that. The Frame is Samsung’s flagship lifestyle TV offering in 2021. It features a high-performance QLED panel with a smart platform that showcases Ambient Art Mode when the screen is idle.  

Images on the 55-inch 4K model look crisp and vibrant. It suffers no image lag or motion blur when playing high-speed, high-movement scenes thanks to its Quantum Processor 4K. It handles strong contrast well and has a true black display that is absent in many QLEDs of this size. 

The Frame 55-inch is available in all local Samsung dealers nationwide for P53,000. 

7| Heineken Blade

The past year was a challenge for people who liked going out to get a drink or two. Thankfully, Heineken has the Blade, a machine that serves fresh draught at sub-zero temperature in the comfort of your home. It comes with an eight-liter keg that serves up to 30 glasses. What we really like about this tap is how the beer tastes so different from canned and bottled beer: it is creamier and smoother. The kegs are filled with fresh draught from Heineken’s brewery and kept at a constant cool temperature even before it arrives at your place.  

You can save the weekend by renting a Heineken Blade with an eight-liter keg for three days for only P2,200 at Drinkies PH.  

8| Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde

Who would have thought that in 2021, people would be more conscious of the air they’re breathing—making sure that it’s free from viruses, toxins, and pollution? Dyson’s Purifier Cool Formaldehyde captures particles as small as PM0.1, including airborne viruses. According to Dyson, the purifier removes 99.95 percent of ultrafine particles in your room and is fully sealed to HEPA H13 standard so that what goes inside, stays inside. 

It easily eliminates scents and odors from molecules floating around your house, including household odors and cooking fumes, gases from cleaning products and candles, pollen and allergens, bacteria as small as PM5.0, and even industrial emissions the size of PM2.5.   

The Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde is available on Lazada for P40,500.  

9| Huawei Watch GT 3

Huawei is a tech giant that is remarkably underrated in the wearables division. With over 30 percent of its revenue invested in R&D, it’s not surprising that products like the Huawei Watch GT 3 perform so well. The watch combines elegance and intelligence, something not so common in many smartwatches in the market. But don’t be fooled: The GT 3 46mm can last 14 days with normal use. It is equipped with over 100 workout modes and has a built-in oximeter to accurately monitor your SpO2 levels and heart rate throughout the day. It has a full-screen touch screen so you can make calls, play music, and check messages through the watch. 

But what really wins with the Huawei GT 3 is its classic style, whether in leather or gold straps. The fact that it doesn’t look like a smartwatch is convenient since it can match any outfit, casual or formal.  

10| Ray-Ban STORIES Smart Glasses

Trust Ray-Ban to make smart glasses that don’t make you look like a Saiyan Warrior from Dragon Ball (Hello, Google Glass). The Ray-Ban STORIES is the most stylish pair of smart glasses on the market.  

Packed into this inconspicuous pair of sunglasses are an HD camera for capturing first-person-perspective content, near-ear speakers for music and phone calls, and a single-touch pad for controlling music and the camera. But the most important feature is the LED light that turns on to warn others that the camera is active. 

Currently, the Ray-Ban Stories Smart Glasses retails for around P16,000 on Ray-Ban’s flagship store. 

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