With the many options available, it can be a tad baffling to separate the grain from the chaff. Here are the best gizmos across categories for your year -end spluring and gifting purposes. Yes, you’re welcome.
SMARTPHONES
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 8
Last year, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 ran into controversy for having a battery that was quite unreliable. You’d think that the company would stop production of the model, but they didn’t, and we couldn’t have asked for a sweeter comeback. The Galaxy Note 8 doesn’t explode, but that’s not why we love it. It has a neat design coupled with a huge 6.3 inch display, and the S Pen stylus makes sure that you have a smooth experience. But what makes this phone a real rockstar is its camera — it has dual 12 MP rear cameras which are the first ones to use dual optical image stabilisation (OIS).
Price: Rs 67,900
APPLE IPHONE X
We couldn’t pick just one smartphone, and leaving out the Apple iPhone X would be a cardinal sin. So if you’re someone who can do without Android and are willing to shell out serious moolah, the iPhone X will give you the ultimate performance and bragging rights. What makes this phone a real beast is its A11 Bionic processor, which delivers better performance than Apple’s latest Macbook. We also love its sleek face recognition unlocking system, which makes it an extremely secure phone to own.
Price: Rs 89,000
LAPTOP
DELL XPS 13
A real winner in every sense of the word, the Dell XPS 13 stands out for its design — from the beautiful aluminium lid and base to the smooth keyboard made from carbon fibre, it’s hard to pick a fault. On top of that, the 13.3 inch QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800) InfinityEdge touch display provides you the sharpest image quality you can hope for.
Price: Rs 86,990 – Rs 1,48,990 depending on your preferred configuration
TV
LG C7 OLED SERIES (2017)
With several awards already in its kitty, the LG C7 OLED Series offers you serious bang for your buck and has almost everything going for it. It’s USP, which is probably the most important thing to consider while buying a TV, is its display. “Each OLED self-lighting pixel turns on and off on its own in order to exhibit the richest details in a surreal picture quality that was never thought imaginable,” reads LG’s description of the product.
Price: Rs 3,34,990
GAMING CONSOLE
PS 4 PRO – 4K HD TV SUPPORT
Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s xBox have been duelling in this segment for some time now, with the pendulum swinging both ways over the years. Presently though, the PS 4 Pro steals a march over its competitor by generating images at a higher resolution (thanks to smarter upscaling, as both consoles support 4K). Also, in our opinion, the range of games available for the PS 4 Pro is better than those on offer for the xBox One S.
Price: Rs 43,494
DSLR
NIKON D850
It doesn’t matter whether you are into fashion, wedding or nature photography, the Nikon D850 will allow you to bring your A game. With 45.7 megapixels, with 8K UHD for photos and 4K UHD for videos, it makes sure that awe-inspiring is an understatement when it comes to picture quality. It also offers you true view through the lens, making it seem like the camera is an extension of your vision.
Price: Rs 2,54,950 (Body only)
SMARTWATCHES
APPLE WATCH 3
Luxury watches are works of art, and we don’t think smartwatches will replace them. That doesn’t mean we are against the concept, and we’re seriously gushing over the Apple Watch 3, which has some amazing health and fitness features, among other things. For example, the Heart Rate monitor tells you your current heart rate, your resting heart rate and your walking rate. The only catch is that it doesn’t work that well if you don’t have an iPhone as well.
Price: Rs 29,990
FITBIT SURGE
If you don’t have an iPhone, but still need a fitness tracker that works like a charm, the Fitbit Surge is extremely efficient. You can track everything from your heartrate, steps taken, distance run, pace and calories burned. All in all, a simple, no-frills solution for people who eat, think and sleep fitness.
Price: 17,990
VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET
HTC VIVE
With HTC Vive, you get stunning graphics coupled with a 110-degree field of view that makes sure you have the best immersive gaming experience money can buy. For example, you can play a table tennis match (actually using a racket, not just keys) where you feel like you are in a post-apocalyptic future, right from the comfort of your home. Isn’t that trippy?
Price: Rs 76,990