2018 was a rollercoaster of a year when it comes to tech. In India, it was the budget and mid-range mobile segment that saw the maximum action, innovation, and intense competition. At Gadgets 360, we documented each event as it happened through news stories, reviews, features, and, of course, videos. At the end of this glorious year, it’s time we take a look at the videos that caught your attention, based on the number of views they received on our YouTube channel, where all our videos go up first.
The results are not just interesting, but also give a glimpse of what the Indian phone enthusiasts were excited about in 2018. So these are our top 10 videos of 2018.
#10 – Nokia 6.1 Plus Unboxing and First Look
Nokia’s challenger to Xiaomi’s Mi A2 garnered a lot of attention from phone enthusiasts. The Nokia 6.1 Plus had great specs at a price that directly went up against Xiaomi’s Mi A2. No wonder our video unboxing and first look got so much attention
#9 – Poco F1 vs OnePlus 6 vs Asus ZenFone 5Z
It’s not often that we do a full comparison of three phones in one feature – performance, battery, camera, and all. But with mid-range powerhouses stealing the glory away from flagships this year, we knew you would want to know which of these would be the overall better choice. The answer lies in this video.
#8 – Samsung Galaxy J6 Review
It’s like our headline says – Infinity Display gets affordable. Samsung trickled down one of its best known flagship phone features to its most affordable phone – the 18.5:9 aspect ratio infinity display. It would make anyone curious to find out what makes the Galaxy J6 so special.
#7 – Vivo V9 Unboxing and First Look
Remember when phones didn’t have notches? It’s this year that started the notch trend on Android devices, and in India it was the Vivo V9 that gave us the first glimpse of this new future we live in. See what we had to say about it then.
#6 – Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Review
Two generations of Xiaomi’s Redmi Note devices launched in the same year in India. But as good as the Redmi Note 6 Pro is, it hasn’t made the kind of impact that the Redmi Note 5 Pro did earlier this year. Your feedback on this video says it all.
#5 – Oppo F7 First Look
After Vivo, it was Oppo to launch a selfie-focused phone with a feature that was a pretty big draw at the time – a notch. The best part is, it was even more affordable than its closest competitor, the Vivo V9. No wonder you wanted to know more.
#4 – Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Review
Getting rid of the ‘Pro’ moniker and shaving off some specs, made the Redmi Note 5 a more affordable option for the consumers. What’s not to like in that?
#3 – Vivo V9 vs Oppo F7
The battle of the Android notches as we internally called it back in the day. As different as their specs and price points were, they did have a number of things in common. Both had AI beautification modes, both launched around the same time in India, and of course, they both had notches. Which one do you think won?
#2 – Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Redmi Note 5 Pro
Two phones, same manufacturer, different operating systems. More than the devices, this is a test that decides what’s better – Mi UI or stock Android. Or does it?
#1 – Realme 1 Review
This is it, our most popular video of 2018. Oppo’s spin-off brand Realme took directly on Xiaomi’s budget phone domination in India, and offered the magical mix of good specs at a highly affordable price point. Surely enough, it got tech enthusiasts from around the country curious.
So these were our 10 most popular videos from 2018. Remember that you can always subscribe to Gadgets 360 on YouTube and click the bell icon, so you’re notified every time we have a new video out for you.
Bonus: Editors’ picks
While these videos didn’t grab as many eyeballs as the top 10 list, here are five videos that we really enjoyed making and bringing them to you. Give them a watch and let us know what you think.
How Amazon Delivers Packages in One of the Most Remote Corners of India
With a country as large as ours and many locations that are not easy to reach, the promise of timely delivery can be a hard one to keep. But Amazon claims that it even delivers to one of the most remote parts of India – Havelock, which a small island near Port Blair in Andaman. We decided to test this claim and here’s what we found about what goes behind the scenes.
5 Budget Apple AirPods Alternatives Tested: Are They Worth Buying?
Around two years ago, Apple introduced the world to a new and exciting category of truly wireless earphones with its AirPods. Since the release of the AirPods, the market has flooded with similar products, and high-profile brands as well as small startups are trying to outdo Apple. True wireless earphones offer unmatched convenience but are often very expensive. We set out to find out if there any decent AirPods alternatives out there for those on a tight budget. The answer may surprise you — or may not be surprising at all. Watch and figure out.
This Made-in-India Bowling Machine Can Hit 130kph Without Electricity
We love cricket as much as every other Indian, and it’s no surprise that this video is one of our picks of the year. Most bowling machines currently in use for professional cricket are electric ones that cost well over Rs. 1 lakh and can’t use real cricket balls. Here’s one from a Bengaluru-based startup that outscores the competition on both those fronts.
The Science Behind Ketogenic Diet
This one’s interesting as it’s pretty far removed from smartphones and gadgets. We all have been hearing about this new ‘miracle diet’ called keto, that sheds off weight as you gorge on high amounts of fatty foods. Many people swear by it, while others think it’s the worst thing you can do to your body. We asked various experts in the field of diet and nutrition and see what are the real pros and cons of keto.
Inside India’s Most High-Tech Retail Store
Long lines at big-brand retail outlets is one of the biggest downsides of shopping offline. But the Bengaluru branch of Decathlon seems to have a fix for this. The company come up with a self-check out system that eliminates the need for human interaction, or long lines at the payment counter. We try it — and a bunch of other cool stuff at the store — ourselves and see if it really works.