iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 Pro Max, Apple Watch SE, PlayStation 5, MacBook Air M1, iMac, Apple One, Nvidia GeForce 2060, Intel Core i7-10700K, Ikea office chair — the gadgets Gadgets 360 staff is hoping to buy for themselves in 2021.
2021 is going to be a historic year in some ways, as the world embarks on the largest vaccination drive of all time. It’s impossible to say how well that process will go and how many of us will be inoculated by the end of this year, but given the sheer size of the objective, right now it looks like we’ll be spending 2021 largely indoors as we did for most of 2020. And that in turn means even greater dependence on the gadgets that sustain us, entertain us, and at times, isolate us. The staff at Gadgets 360 is hoping to pick up new gadgets in 2021 that would help their lives in and out of work. That includes better laptops, faster graphics cards, office chairs, and home workstations — or gaming consoles, cordless vacuums, and guitar equipment. A lot of us the picks are from the Apple ecosystem, and no, this piece was not sponsored by Apple we promise. What gadgets do you have on your new year’s wishlist? Tell us in the comments section. After the year that’s been, I’m keeping a hold on my wishes for 2021. I got things I hadn’t initially planned or wished for in 2020, and maybe next year, I’ll derive every ounce of value I can from those purchases. While I could name past wishlist gadgets that I haven’t yet managed to invest in — like a VR headset — I don’t plan to spend on anything that’s not vital in 2021. I have been using the MacBook Air since 2017 and it has made my life a lot easier. I get a lot of work done on it and the battery life too was impressive. But now its slowing showing its age and I might be in the market soon for a new laptop. I’m used to macOS now, so the upgrade has to be a MacBook. The recently launched M1 MacBook Air looks like the perfect upgrade for me. It is a lot more powerful than my machine and offers improved battery life as well. I find the current price to be slightly on the higher side, so I might just wait for some good offers on ecommerce sites before taking the plunge. Read: MacBook Air M1 review Buy: MacBook Air Last year, I said that I would happily pick up the Xbox Series X if Microsoft launched Forza Horizon 5 as a next-gen exclusive. Well, that didn’t happen, Microsoft hasn’t even announced Forza Horizon 5. In such a scenario, I was (more than) happy to pick up the PlayStation 5 too, not just as a safer bet but to replace the older PlayStation 4 Slim. (Context: I have an Xbox One X, so that should last me a bit longer.) But that didn’t happen either, as the PS5 hasn’t launched in India yet. My third (and the sanest option) was to save the money for an upcoming holiday. And I did. I’d bought tickets in the Euro 2020 lottery too, but then stupid COVID-19 happened. And those plans evaporated overnight. I ended up using the money to upgrade my home theatre system, which has boosted my movie-watching experience — and laid the groundwork for making the most of next-gen consoles. Now all I need is the PlayStation 5 to actually launch here. I’ve spent a good part of the last decade building up an ecosystem of Apple products, helped along by my access to review units and my office-issued MacBook Air. However, the one Apple product range I’ve consciously kept away from is the iPhone, choosing instead to stick to the familiarity and more open nature of Android. It seems 2021 may finally change that; I’d like to get myself an iPhone 12 mini in the coming year. A number of factors contribute to my decision to finally take the plunge, including having all the right gadgets to go with the iPhone such as the AirPods Pro, MacBook Air, iPad mini (2019), and HomePod mini. Another major consideration is the size of iPhone 12 mini itself; a lot of people suggest that it might be TOO small, but I don’t think I’d have a problem with that at all. As I get older, I even see the iPhone’s simplicity as a major draw to the ecosystem. Although I’d likely also be on Android using a second connection, I think 2021 will finally be the year when I cross over to the iPhone life, and the 12 mini seems like the right way to get started. Read: iPhone 12 mini review Buy: iPhone 12 mini After the introduction of the iPhone 12 Pro this year, I was positive that I am sitting this one out. I currently use the iPhone 11 Pro and so, why would I have much of the same phone? This brings me to the tech purchase I am aiming for in 2021, the iPhone 13 Pro Max or whatsoever Apple decides to call its biggest and baddest. I am someone who appreciates little details more than the general things that you get in every phone. And I might sound stupid when I say this, but the only reason I did not purchase the iPhone 12 Pro Max is the 60Hz screen. I know, it otherwise has great cameras, great features, great battery life etc.; basically, it ticks all the right boxes, but genuinely speaking, the only reason I will buy the next generation iPhone Pro Max is simply because I am waiting for Apple to put that 120Hz “Pro Motion” high-refresh rate screen on their upcoming iPhone Pros. Don’t get me wrong, but these days, almost every other flagship out there is damn good, and if you put in your hard-earned cash, you’ll most likely be satisfied. It’s just that, for me, the little details matter a lot. So, iPhone 13 Pro Max with a 120Hz display, see you soon! I’ve managed to go without owning a desktop for many years now, but the endless work from home has made me realise that this wasn’t the best move for my back and my eyes. A 13-inch laptop is great when you have to keep traveling for work, but if you’re stuck at home, it makes sense to have an actual computer you can sit down in front of.
