We’ve encountered some stunning gadgets this year that provided loads of innovative features to make our lives more convenient. However, there has also been terrible gadgets in 2018, from useless phones to disappointing chip sets to a wearable baby monitor that managed to cause eczema outbreaks. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the biggest tech fails for 2018.
Facebook Portal and Facebook Portal+

On paper, the Portal devices from Facebook seemed like they were worth every penny. With 15.6 and 10 inch smart displays, along with a camera that follows you around the room while you talk, it offered the ideal video chat service for those that use Facebook Messenger. The problem with these devices was the timing of their launch as they arrived when the company was facing scrutiny when it came to data privacy issues. The Portal and Portal+ devices collected data, including frequency of calls and length which Facebook used to target ads across their platforms.

Palm Phone

This device was developed to limit smartphone usage which was a huge theme in 2018. The Palm Phone offered a smaller, secondary phone which people could use instead of their primary phones while away from home. However, it fell quite short of this plan as it was firstly a Verizon exclusive which couldn’t work with iPhone’s and it was too small for most people, making it extremely difficult to use.

Snapdragon Wear 3100

There wasn’t much hope for smartwatches in 2018. However, when Google and Qualcomm introduced their chip set, we were mightily intrigued. The Wear 3100 was released two years after their initial Wear 2100 chipset and it promised ambient watch faces and a longer battery life to make it look like a real timepiece. However, when the Wear 3100 was finally launched, the longer lasting battery was nowhere to be found and the additional features it promised is still not available.

Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti

The Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti is both a winner and a loser in 2018. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a significant improvement on the 10 series that was produced before it, and is considered the fastest graphics card ever on a consumer front. However, the main issue with the Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti was the enormous price tag and the unfulfilled promise. At the time of writing, you can literally count all the games that can successfully support its features on one hand.

HTC U12+

At first glance, the HTC 12+ looked like a phenomenal phone, which is the company’s only flagship phone for 2018. It offered a high-resolution display, the specs were truly impressive, and it came equipped with several cameras for added convenience. However, using the phone on a daily basis turned out to be a disaster. The phone features pressure-sensitive sides which is something no phone company has managed to perfect in 2018. Even the volume and power-button are pressure-sensitive nabs which means they essentially had a mind of their own.