Smart gadgets to buy or gift this Diwali:  For the young and those young at heart

With the festive season on, comes the list of gifts you may be thinking of buying. We try and help you get a list of useful gadgets across a number of categories that may brighten up the day of your near and dear ones.

Realme Power Bank: Carrying a power bank for your phones and accessories has become quite common these days, and Realme provides one of the better looking and functional options out there. The Realme Power Bank has a 10,000 mAh battery unit that can quick charge your phone at 18watt and can also recharge quickly. It has a USB type C port and a full USB A port along with input surge protection for safety and longer life. It comes in three colour options, weighs less than 240 grams and is a nifty little add-on for your work or personal handbag.

Price: ₹ 1,299

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: If you are looking for just for one device that not only makes your TV smarter but also gives you an all-round experience for entertainment, the Fire TV Stick 4K is the name. Running on Fire OS, you can consume content from plenty of domestic and global OTT platforms or cast from your phone including YouTube. Why specifically the 4K model? Firstly, it’s a lot smoother and responsive than the regular model, secondly, even if you don’t have a 4K TV right now, it kind of future-proofs you for that upgrade already.

Price: Rs. 3,999

Google Nest Hub: If you’re looking for a smart display to check your calendar updates, view a few YouTube videos, check on Email, then the Nest Hub is a simple and elegant looking option. The device carries no battery and has to be plugged into a power source.

The fabric back looks sleek and the 7-inch screen seems ideal for placing it in your kitchen for your recipe needs or for controlling your smart connected devices at home when your hands are not free. You can also set it to view your saved Google Photos and art images or just clock when idle.

The Nest Hub’s audio output is also pretty decent for YouTube videos and Google Assistant when used in a cosy space. Once you have set it up with your Google Account, you can link your other entertainment apps like SonyLiv, Hotstar, etc. to glance over its content and play it on your TV via Google Assistant on the Nest Hub. On the back, there’s also a physical switch to turn off the mic, if you aren’t using the device or just don’t want it to pick on anything for the time being.

Price: ₹8,999

JBL Live 500BT: If you know somebody looking for a pair of nice looking headphones that can be used wired or wirelessly over Bluetooth, then JBL’s Live 500BT are a solid option. What makes this pair excel is not only its long battery life when used wirelessly, but also Google Assistant and Alexa integration. One tap, and you can interact with your preferred smart voice assistant without having to take your phone or any other device out.

You can pair and setup the headphones from your Android or iOS device without too much hassle using the My JBL Headphones app. The headphones are quite heavy on the bass, handle vocals well, are able to play Bollywood and EDM tracks well enough, but Rock and Metal aren’t its speciality. Though there’s no active noise cancellation on this mode, it sort of makes up for it with its Talk Through and Ambient Aware features that allow you to lower the volume with one tap and adjust background noise level, respectively. The around-the-ear pair is comfortable to wear and carry along for your daily commute or brisk walk.

Price: ₹6,999 (for a limited time)

Nokia 7.2: There have been quite a few great smartphones launched in this price range lately, but what sets the Nokia 7.2 apart is its simple and effective design to go with its clean Android 9.0 OS.

The company, as often, has given stock Android for its users with minimal bloatware and smooth performance for day to day tasks. The triple camera on the back includes a 48 MP camera, ultra-wide camera and depth sensor that can take decent shots in daylight and are quite quick to complete the shot with not much shutter lag.

There’s also a dedicated Google Assistant button on the left to switch on Google Assistant even if the screen has been turned off previously. The best part about it is its dependable 3,500 mAh battery unit that often lasted a whole day and then some. Though Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 isn’t the highest chipset for a phone, it’s more than good enough for most consumer apps and tasks. Oh, and users also get 1 year of 100 GB storage space under Google One program, which is a nice addition.

Price: ₹18,599

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro: This one is probably Xiaomi’s best phone launched till date; the phone’s performance and specifications on paper make it an excellent device. Not only it looks and feels nice to hold in the hand, the K20 Pro, with its 6.39-inch full HD+ AMOLED screen, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset along with at least 6 GB of RAM, the phone is more than capable of playing intensive games or full HD videos on the go without breaking a sweat.

The on-screen fingerprint scanner is also not that bad, while the pop-up camera for selfies gives it a bit of a wow factor, especially with its glowing LED. The 48 MP rear camera with 8MP telephoto and 13 MP ultra-wide camera also take relatively nice and sharp photos including portrait shots, making it a recommended package at the price tag.

Price: ₹27,999

Audio Technica ATH-S200BT: Audio-Technica is one of the popular names in the audiophile scene, and its ATH-S200BT is one such known pair of Bluetooth headphones that also doesn’t cost a bomb. The headphones has 40mm drivers for better sound output, and can go over a day of playback over a single full charge. Comfort-wise, the headphones cannot be folded for carrying along but, when you have them on, you can control playback from the on-cup control buttons instead of having to sue your source device. These are over the ear headphones that aren’t too uncomfortable compared to many other pairs available at this price point.

Price: ₹5,990

Amazfit Verge: This is a smartwatch with a host of useful features like Amazon Zlexa integration, To-Do list updates, phone calling, and sports scores.

The Amazfit Verge looks nice and isn’t very heavy either. It’s water-resistant and sturdy, so you don’t have to worry about its wear and tear. Combined with its multi-sports and activity modes for more accurate tracking and feedback, the Verge makes for a compelling smart value for money device for your wrist.

Price: Rs. 10,999