The race to buy tech gadgets, with the Black Friday promotions, has involved millions of Italians in recent days and surely there will be those who have seized the right opportunity, online or in electronics stores. Others, probably, have already tasted the effects of the chip crisis on the actual availability on the shelves, and in digital showcases, of some specific models. Not bad, in any case, because the purchase of technology can be “low cost” regardless of discounts for particular periods. With a necessary basic premise: in consumer electronics, the lowest prices are often due to the use of lower quality components that affect the performance of the device.
Let’s start with the tech gadget par excellence, namely the smartphone. By setting the bar at the limit of 250-300 euros, you can fish between various models of the mid-range and on the most equipped with the “entry level” one. The advice, in general, is to pay attention not only to the most recent products but also to the oldest ones (12-18 months maximum), coming from higher price segments.
The case of smartphones and tablets
The reason? The technical specifications of these smartphones are often very competitive in relation to their cost. The parameters to be taken into consideration are essentially the screen, the camera package and the battery life while the performance (the CPU) is for obvious reasons lower than the top-of-the-range models. The eligible models? All or almost strictly Android and made in China: from Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 10 to Realme’s 8 series passing through Poco (M4 Pro 5G), Honor (50 Lite), Oppo and Motorola (with the new motoG 41 and 51). ‘purchase of a “low cost” tablet, under 300 euros, follows more or less the same principles. Assuming the price as the first criterion of choice, the selection is in fact limited to devices based on the Google mobile operating system and to some with Windows on board (the iPads are out of competition). Thinking about the display, generally from 7 to 10 inches, tablets with a smaller screen are perfect for those who need great mobility and do not think about the tablet for watching movies or TV series. In fact, much of the price factor plays on the quality of the screen. : the Lcd Ips panels are the most widespread and economical, the Amoled ones boast a constructive quality and a superior visual yield but have a decidedly higher cost, which is reflected in the price list.
How to choose the TV
Panel size and quality are also the main factors that determine the cost of a TV. Today you can buy a 32-inch for less than 200 euros and a medium-small format Smart TV for less than 350 euros. In general, it is not necessary to spend mind-boggling figures to take home a device that can offer a more than acceptable viewing experience but it is good to be aware that an economic model does not have screens with recent technologies. Therefore, it is better to immediately forget about the new generation OLED display and settle for a LED backlit liquid crystal device, even if not 4K (Full HD resolution is enough and advances). And if you really don’t want to give up the idea of a connected TV, just spend a few tens of euros to buy a key (such as Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV Stick) and transform a traditional device into a smart device. Which brands to focus on? Hisense, Tcl, Haier, but also older models from Samsung, Philips or Lg could represent a good opportunity. Finally, the pleasure of a “low cost” purchase is absolutely practicable even for those who do not have a five-star budget to allocate to earphones and smart speakers. The voice commands of an “entry level” smart speaker are in fact sufficient today to interact with the device in a functional way even in the absence of an integrated screen.
A few tens of euros are enough, in a nutshell, to enter the world of Google Assistant or Alexa, contenting yourself with an audio quality that certainly cannot be that of high-end speakers but that can give appreciable sounds by finding the right characteristics in terms of woofer and tweeter. . One final thought on Bluetooth headphones. The offer is really wide and the parameters to consider to find the right product are both technical, see the presence of AAC (for iPhone) and aptX (for Android terminals) codecs to guarantee the transmission of the audio signal from the source device, and functional ones, see for example resistance to sweat and rain. And then the autonomy, cross and delight of any digital gadget.