Apple's latest iPhones have landed in India. This year, the Cupertino company offers iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone R. Out of this lot, the iPhone Xs Max is the most expensive one. If you are planning to go for the 512GB model, prepare to shell out a whopping sum of Rs 1,44,900. Yes, you read that right. We are talking about almost one-and-a-half-lakh rupees! I'm sure, many will justify the price by citing the phone’s superior performance, built quality, and whatnot. But, without getting into that argument, spending around one and half lakh rupees on a phone is way too much money for me or for most people out there. In fact, a friend of mine, for whom buying an iPhone is an annual ritual, decided to give it miss this time around too. Apart from being an Apple fanboy, he likes to watch movies. Therefore, he chose to buy a huge 65-inch smart TV set — I say that's a clever move. And if you too are open to suggestions, here are some other ways to put 1.5 lakh rupees to good use:
Student
In academic life, a good laptop is a must to prepare the assignments. It needs to look sleek too, so that you can show off in the library. Therefore, let's go with the latest Macbook Air. Next up is Kindle, because carrying all those books is so outdated. You also need a portable drive to share data with your friends and a digital notepad to take notes. And unless you want to line-up in front of a shady shop for photocopies, add HP's 419 all-in-One printer to your cart. And to help you kill the boredom during the commute, get JBL's wireless earphones. After such a shopping spree, you are still left with enough cash to buy the OnePlus 6 and throw a decent party.
Damages: MacBook Air Rs 62,990 | Kindle Rs 5,999 | Portable hard drive 4,000 | Wireless Printer Rs 14,100 | OnePlus 6 Rs 40,000 | Portable RuffPad E-Writer Rs 1,800 | JBL Free Wireless Earphones Rs 10,000 = total Rs 1,38,889. Balance Rs 6,011 – give back to Dad!
Fitness freak
If you don't want to end up looking like bean bag, read on. Get yourself a well-built elliptical cross trainer. It is guaranteed to keep you in shape. If you have a spacious room or a balcony to spare, then Powermax's UrbanTrek TD-M4 compact treadmill is another great buy. Be very careful when choosing shoes though. For more rigorous activity, go for the good old home gym kit that includes a bench, plates, rods, and pulley. Throw in Fitbit's Ionic to keep track of your progress. And a smart scale that plays nice with your fitness tracker. To complement the leaner you, go for a slim and incredibly powerful Asus ZenFone Z5.
Damages: Fitbit Ionic Rs 24,999 | Fitbit smart scale Rs 7,590 | Welcare Elliptical cross trainer WC6020 Rs 28,000 | Powermax UrbanTrek TD-M4 compact treadmill Rs 37,000 | Bodyfit 20IN1 home gym kit Rs 10,000 | Asus ZenFone 5Z Rs 30,000 = total Rs 137,589. Balance: Rs 7,311 – Give back to Mom!
Gamer
Here comes the category I belong to. Gamers are obsessed with powerful computers. And while PC gamers remain the master race, for the sake of convenience I would suggest going for a console. And since PlayStation has better exclusives, I would recommend going with the PS4 Pro. Of course, you can hook it up to your crappy LCD TV. But, for the best experience, get yourself a projector that can effortlessly project up to 100-inch screen. If that's not immersive enough for you, add an explosive home theatre system to the list. With a monstrous setup that will put most cinema halls to the shame, you can still afford the Poco F1, which is perfect for mobile gaming.
Damages: PlayStation 4 Pro Rs 40,000 | Epson EH-TW650 home projector Rs 59,000 | Sony HT-IV300//M-E12 home theatre Rs 20,000 | Poco F1 Rs 24,000 = Total Rs 1,43,000. Balance Rs 1,900 – Buy popcorn, chips!
Wanderer
Instead of spending your hard earned cash on yet another tool of digital fatigue, get a bike, and get a life. Plan a ride into the countryside. For around Rs 90,000, you can get the Yamaha FZ FI. Although a commuter bike, the FZ FI can comfortably see you through a short road trip. It is good idea to purchase the latest GoPro Hero to record your journeys. Apart from capturing the memories, action cam footage can also get you out of trouble if you are falsely accused of rash driving. Of course, always wear a top-quality helmet when riding. However, I will refrain from suggesting which one to buy due to the legality of internationally certified helmets in India. With the remaining money, you can get LG's G7+ ThinQ. This powerful phone is dust and water proof. Makes up for an ideal GPS unit on your bike.
Damages: Yamaha FZ FI Rs 91,000 | GoPro Hero (2018) Rs 15,800 | LG G7+ ThinkQ Rs 40,000 = Total Rs 1,46,800. Negative balance Rs 1,900 — Borrow from Didi!
— by Chandrakant Isi. (Images - representational - via Pixabay)
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