Diwali 2025 gift guide: The best tech treats for every budget

Gaming handheldsBudget Nintendo Switch OLEDI am not a big fan of Nintendorsquos closed ecosystem and its anticonsumer policies They do know how to make amazing consoles and I know the Switch 2 is the latest console but for me the OLED at this price makes complete sense Thanks to the new console release these have fallen in price significantly and a large number of secondhand Switch games are now available While the library for Switch 2 is mainly its backward compatibility with a few exclusive titles out as of now I should also remind you that this Switch just happens to have the best screen as well If your pockets feel a bit lighter then you can also look at the Switch Lite which is around Rs 10000 cheaper than this one Price Rs 28990Pro Xbox ROG Ally XMicrosoft has finally put their Xbox name on an external device not manufactured by them and itrsquos a big deal With a completely revamped Windows Handheld mode optimised for performance and a redesigned chassis featuring a few minor upgrades the Xbox ROG Ally X is the device to have this Diwali if you can manage to snag one from the limited quantities reaching our shores It might already be too late In any case if you do manage to get one you are in for a treat as it has the best specs in handheld PCrsquos and battery life Price Rs 114990Sasta R36 S CloneI personally own one of these devices and it is fantastic for retro gaming For this lowlow price you get a Linuxrunning beast that can easily be upgraded with a 512GB MicroSD and filled to the brim with games In the package you already get more than 20000 games most of them of questionable origin copyrightwise However if you do own the original games having them on this device is completely legal It can play most games up to PSP however with PSP and even some heavier PS1 titles it may struggle to play You can upgrade the OS and there is a whole community of tweakers and enthusiasts online to help you along the way However it must be noted that this is a Clone and not the actual R36S Price Rs 3499 approx3D printerBudget Elegoo Centauri CarbonThis one is a beast for the price it sells at there is no reason why this printer is so good It is equivalent to Bambulabs P1P in my opinion Full review soon For now all you need to know is that this sets itself up just like the Bambulabs and prints flawlessly 99 per cent of the time The Centauri Carbon is designed to print carbon fibre and materials with carbon fibre in it are notoriously hard to work with Ready to go above bare minimum Price Rs 39000Pro Bambulabs H2DOther printers like the Centauri Carbon from Elegoo have caught up to Bambulabs However the company has recently launched a new lineup of 3D printers and the greatest one in their lineup is H2D This printer has a larger print volume than the previous offerings and yes itrsquos bigger than the Centauri There is an option to include a laser too The price in India is a little steeper than it should be but with multiple retailers you might be able to find a deal and is almost always on backorder Price Rs 419999Sasta Bambu Lab A1 MiniThe A1 Mini is our budgetfriendly recommendation but some printers are even cheaper such as the Creality Ender 3 However Bambu Labs has managed to make the experience of this 3D printer very intuitive Itrsquos a superb 3D printer for anyone thinking of getting into the hobby This one doesnrsquot have all the bells and whistles like the AMS but itrsquos excellent for PLA a popular cornbased plastic If you are willing to tinker around the Creality Ender 3 is almost R3000 lower than the A1 Mini Price Rs 16599ToysSasta Toyrama Walky Talky SetA walkietalkie set is always fun especially if itrsquos as detailed as this one For this price having options like channel selections voice activation and the ability to communicate with a large group provided you buy multiples is a great deal This is as close as it gets to the real thing without incurring significant expenses These are just as much fun for adults as they are for kids Price Rs 1849Budget RCSHOBBY P51 Mustang RC PlaneDrones might be new but if you really want to have fun nothing can beat an RC plane Of course you will need to find an open area to fly it in but there arenrsquot many restrictions on an RC plane unlike those on a drone This one is on the more expensive side but it has a nice classic plane look and can perform many stunts just like its real counterpart This one also has some chip magic inside that makes it easier to stabilise the plane Unlike drones flying an RC plane takes more skill but is very rewarding Price Rs 24741Pro LEGO Technic McLaren P1For a technology and car enthusiast this is the ultimate block set where you not only get to build one of the most legendary vehicles in the world but also construct a V8 piston engine with a 7speed gearbox The car is a 1118 scaled model of the original and each kit has a unique serial number The kit has 3893 blocks and you can guarantee that you wonrsquot spend any time with the extended family during Diwali Itrsquos a bit rich but something this exclusive is worth it Price Rs 43999ProjectorBudget Lazervision LV1040 SunNative 4K on a cheap projector is hard to find but the Lazervision LV1040 Sun actually delivers on the 4K projector experience Mind you itrsquos in the same quality as the Happrun which means it does what it says but with some caveats and some adjustments However if you are looking for 4K resolution on a tight budget the LV1040 is a great choice The sound is not the best but itrsquos loud and the colour reproduction is also not bad Price Rs 44091Pro Formovie Theatre 4kI really love shortthrow lasers which can project a giant screen possibly 100 inches or more while being just a few inches away from the projection wall It uses three different coloured lasers to render the video very different from the cheaper projectors listed here This device is essentially the gold standard of how laser projectors are intended to function For this price though yoursquod better be a serious enthusiast Price Rs 339289Sasta HAPPRUN H1If you donrsquot mind doing a little bit of legwork to get your projector up and running perfectly The Happrun H1 is a great deal for a native 1080p projector It lacks keystoning ability which means you will need to place your projector as low as possible to get the best clearest picture and you cannot adjust every corner to fit the wall Other than that the contrast saturation and brightness need to be adjusted After adjusting and finding the best spot for this projector it doesnrsquot disappoint Itrsquos very bright and very loud both in terms of audio and fan noise I have had this projector for over a year and it runs without any issues It features Bluetooth and USB connectivity options which work seamlessly with a Fire TV Stick Price Rs 10999Karaoke machineBudget JYX Portable KaraokeThis Chinese brand seems to be everywhere with its Karaoke machine There are several models but I would suggest looking at the reviews before choosing one This particular model works well the output is good better and louder than our sasta option You can also record your sessions and it features 10 builtin sound effects as well as the option to remove vocals from almost any song The vocals cutting is not very effective but it will work in a pinch when the song isnrsquot available on YouTube Price Rs 10623Sasta Humble KaraokeIndians love to sing and what better occasion than Diwali to sing a few songs on your brandnew Karaoke machine This one is a very generic Bluetooth speaker that comes with two wireless microphones each featuring four voice effects which are essentially changes in pitch The karaoke set naturally seems to produce reverb through the mics and it sounds surprisingly good This is a great lowpriced gift that is a lot of fun for everyone regardless of age or musical taste Price Rs 629Pro Sony ULT Tower9If you are a party enthusiast who enjoys heavy bass and also needs karaoke look no further than the Sony ULT Tower 9 This thing is a beast comes with two mics and it will make sure your neighbours know that you canrsquot really sing all that well This speaker features a battery that provides 25 hours of backup accompanied by a quick charge option for extending the party beyond that It also features light projections for an extra touch of glitz and glamour It features a 20inch speaker but donrsquot worry about the RMS output as those specs are only available in select listings Itrsquos an impressive 153W if you are interested Price Rs 84990