Tech Infection Best Buy

Best Buys 2011

Along with meeting friends and family, eating tons of sweets and bursting a megaton of firecrackers, Diwali is a time when you will probably want to buy a new gadget (for yourself or as a gift). While you may be in the mood to shop, we know that you want every purchase you make during the festive season to be completely worth your money and time.

Over the year Tech Infection review hundreds of gadgets from the most high-end gaming laptops to the most basic 2GB USB drives. Every so often we come across products that impress us with their looks, features, performance and with their overall value-for-money quotient. These are the products that we think are worth your money and this is us doing what we are best at- giving you technology advice you can trust. Read more after the jump.

Here are the 15 products across 5 categories and 12 sub-categories that make up the 2011 Tech Infection Best Buy list:

Mobile Phones

High-End Phones

If you aren't particularly shy of spending the big bucks on the best smartphone in the market, then these are the best choices for you:

Samsung Galaxy S II: Undoubtedly, the best smartphone in the market, the Galaxy S II combines a massive screen, ultra-speedy processor and fantastic usability in a single device. If you're also looking for excellent multimedia performance in terms of audio and video playback and imaging, then the Samsung Galaxy S II won't disappoint you.

Killer Features:
- Very fast performance
- Beautiful massive 4.3-in display
- Probably the slimmest & lightest phone in the market
- 8MP Camera doesn't disappoint
- Impressive battery life

Best Price: Rs. 27,790

Apple iPhone 4S/iPhone 4: With the new iPhone 4S hitting stores in the U.S. and other countries, it is clearly the best iPhone to buy. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't offer universal warranty on iPhones which means that buying an iPhone 4S from abroad is a risk without warranty cover in India. However, the iPhone 4 is officially available in the country and is still a damn good phone to own.

Killer Features:
- Unmatched usability
- Probably the best looking display on a smartphone
- Access to the Apple App Store and thousands of quality apps
- iOS 5 unlocks great new features in the iPhone 4
- Excellent battery

Price: iPhone 4 (16GB)- Rs. 34,500, iPhone 4 (32GB)- Rs. 40,900; iPhone 4S (16GB Unlocked)- USD 649, iPhone 4S (32GB Unlocked)- USD 749, iPhone 4S (64GB Unlocked)- USD 849

Mid-Range Phones

The mid-range segment of smartphones gives you the perfect mix of performance and value. That's why we think the best phone in this segment should be reasonably priced without compromising on performance. Here's our choice:

Samsung i9003 Galaxy SLCD: The more tempered version of the original Samsung Galaxy S, the Galaxy SLCD represents superb value for money for features, specs and performance that belong on a phone much more expensive than it. The Galaxy SLCD has everything going for it including a great display, a powerful processor and a price-tag that's not going overboard.

Killer Features:
- 4-in SLCD display
- Very Slim
- 1GHz processor gives great performance
- Very capable video playback
- Good battery life

Best Price: Rs. 16,790


Budget Phones

The primary objective of budget phones is to make you feel the least possible pinch when buying a new phone. These phones may not offer you the best performance in the market, but they certainly give you excellent value for money. This phone is a perfect example:

LG Optimus One P500: At one point the Optimus One was just a good mid-range smartphone but now with a new anorexic price-tag, we can't help but recommend this phone. The Optimus One is a great example of how Android can work on inexpensive phones without taking a massive chunk out of usability. 

Killer Features:
- GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G support
- UI looks good and has decent usability
- Good camera
- Build quality is solid

Best Price: Rs. 9,700