Some friendships are beyond words. And if they are truly special, they deserve a gift once in a while.
If you are the kind of person who is looking to make a grand gesture with a friend and have a sizeable budget, say around ₹35,000, this is the ultimate gadget gift guide for you.
Be warned, these are chosen for their price tag and features that make them value for money in that range. The best thing about them is that we did your research for you, so all you have to do is pick them, or get an equivalent to them—there, we saved you some mental bandwidth.
Then again, each friend is special and they have their own quirks. So why not gift accordingly?
The outdoor trekking/hiking/marathon friend
Garmin Instinct 2
Instinct 2
Garmin Instinct 2 is the ultimate rugged GPS smartwatch. Armed with a thermal and shock-resistant fibre-reinforced polymer case and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla glass, it helps your friend track their outdoor activities with a built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter, plus multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo). There are built-in sports/workout apps for running, biking, swimming (rated 100m), strength training, and for tracking VO2 Max, heart rate, sleep, Pulse Ox, respiration and more. And the best feature: battery lasts 28 days in smartwatch mode; up to 30 hours in GPS mode. Retails at ₹30,990 and a touch below with bank offers/discounts. Almost all features of the Instinct 3 at half the price!
The gamer/graphic-designer friend
LG 34-inch Curved Ultra Wide Monitor
The LG 34-inch 21:9 Curved Ultra Wide QHD (3440x1440) Monitor is the best one to buy for your graphic designer-cum-gamer friend. For photo editing and video editing, the monitor features HDR10 (high dynamic range), based on the sRGB 99 per cent colour gamut, supporting specific levels of colour and brightness. Moreover, the Picture By Picture (PBP) feature lets you see multiple content from two computers. The ergonomic stand with tilt gives your friend an optimal position for viewing. The Reader Mode and Flicker Safe tech provide eye comfort, reducing eye strain. And the icing on the cake: 100Hz refresh rate with 5 millisecond response time for the casual gamer. Retails on offer at ₹26,999 to ₹28,999 at e-commerce sites. For a ₹3K to ₹5K more, you can also step it up with the LG Ultragear Curved Gaming (with 160Hz and AMD Freesync Premium)—if you are serious.
The music aficionado/rockstar friend
Marshall Kilburn II 36W Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Kilburn II
The Marshall Kilburn II 36W is the ultimate portable Bluetooth speaker in this range. With up to 20+ Hours of portable playtime on a single charge, Kilburn II weighs just 3 kg and comes equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 aptX technology for wireless music play, with a range of up to 30 feet away from the speaker. The best feature? Kilburn II has multi-host functionality, so you and your friend can easily connect and switch between two Bluetooth devices and take turns playing what you want to hear. Retails at ₹22,999 to ₹24,999 at e-commerce sites.
The movie-maniac/house-party friend
JBL Bar 500 Pro Dolby Atmos Soundbar
The JBL Bar 500 Pro Dolby Atmos Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer is a 5.1 channel beast of a TV sound system with a 590W output, enough to impress your cinema paradiso friend. Two-year brand warranty (1+1 Year of extended warranty), check. WiFi with Airplay, check. Chromecast built-in, check. 10” wireless subwoofer with bass, check. HDMI eARC with 4K Dolby Vision and uncompressed Dolby Atmos surround sound, double check. Now available on sale at ₹37,999 at e-commerce sites. This one, however, is a bit above the promised 35K price range, but that extra ₹3K is worth it (or check for bank-linked card offers).
The silent music-loving traveller friend
Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth Headphones
QuietComfort
The Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth Headphones is the over-ear noise-cancellation beast it promises to be. Bose’s noise-cancelling headphones technology with passive features lets your friend shut off the outside world and quiet distractions. The premium plush earcup cushions softly hug their ears and keep the over-ear headphones in place. These wireless Bluetooth headphones come with Quiet and Aware Modes that let your friend toggle between full noise cancelling or full awareness of their surroundings. Plus, with high-fidelity audio, adjustable EQ, and 24 hours of battery on a single charge, what is not to love about this? Retails from ₹22,289 to ₹23,999 at e-commerce sites.
This article is for information purposes alone, and THE WEEK does not endorse any specific brand or offer. The fulfilment of the offers, discounts, and statements above lies with respective e-commerce retailers.
