By the numbers: Gearburn’s top ten articles of 2017

We’re less than a week away from the end of the year, so it seems like a no-brainer to look at the most popular articles of 2017.

We used Google Analytics to figure out the ten most popular stories of the year, so let’s get on with the countdown.

10) MTN reveals Nokia 3, Nokia 5 prices

HMD brought the Nokia name to Android phones in 2017 (well, we don’t count the Nokia X), starting with the Nokia 3, 5 and 6. Featuring great specs for the price and pure Android, these phones quickly made a name for themselves.

South Africa, a traditional Nokia stronghold, also seemed to welcome the phones with open arms. In fact, our first pricing news was the tenth most popular story of the year.

9) Exclusive: Sony Xperia XZ Premium to hit SA in July, price in tow

Sony and South Africa also go well together, but the firm’s 2016 crop of devices weren’t quite mindblowing. Fortunately, 2017 brought a rather innovative device to the table in the form of the XZ Premium.

Featuring a 4K HDR screen and the slowest slow-mo around, the XZ Premium certainly stands out. So news of a local release and price tag saw plenty of views as well.

8) Cell C reveals prepaid price for Nokia 6

Our number ten story saw MTN quietly reveal Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 pricing, but no Nokia 6 price. Fortunately, Cell C’s listings revealed the latter.

Again, it’s clear that South Africans were really curious about the return of Nokia, if not outright excited.

7) What’s new on Xbox One backwards compatibility list?

Bizarrely enough, newly backwards compatible Xbox 360 games proved to be a popular subject on Gearburn as well.

This particular article, from January, highlighted Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Battlefield 3 as newly compatible.

6) Update: PS4 gets performance buff, new icons with version 4.70 firmware

A PS4 firmware article getting tons of views? Well, it’s not as strange as you think, as Andy Walker was also quick to cover user reports of issues.

The version 4.70 firmware update resulted in myriad issues for some PS4 owners, such as bricked consoles, disconnections and more. Clearly, concerned owners were trawling the web to see if they were the only ones.

5) 7 really cheap phones for WhatsApp [Tech Savvy SA]

One of our most popular articles ever was a guide to cheap phones for WhatsApp. So we thought an update was in order after all these years.

Coming as part of our Tech Savvy SA series, we looked at the sub-R2000 category for our picks.

4) Camera comparison: Huawei P10 Plus vs LG G6 vs Samsung Galaxy S8

When it comes to photos, the quality gap among high-end smartphones is as small as ever. Don’t believe us? Then take a look at our most popular photo comparison of the year.

The P10 Plus, G6 and Galaxy S8 all fare really well. Sure, there’ll be variations in sharpness, app speed and dynamic range, but none of these phones are actually bad.

3) 3 smartphones that feature e-ink displays

Here’s an odd one: a listing of smartphones that pack secondary e-ink displays, allowing users to eke out massive battery savings.

It’s a pity we haven’t seen any of these devices launch in South Africa. Sure, they might not be very successful, but I do love quirky phone designs.

2) Android Nougat update: here’s when your phone will get it

Sure, the world (and Gearburn) has gone on Oreo alert since then, but our number two article was a rolling guide to the Android Nougat update.

From Alcatel to ZTE, we updated users on Android 7.0 coming to their device. Here’s hoping that Project Treble means more Android updates in the future.

1) Kingdom Hearts: play them in this order

Graham van der Made wrote a few play guides that proved to be pretty popular, but the most popular of all was also the number one Gearburn article of the year.

Yep, Graham charts the Kingdom Hearts series in play order, ideal for newcomers and series fans alike.