We believe that there's a great electronic gift for every budget, so we're creating a series of guides with great products at or below $200, $100, $50, and even $25. Whatever your price range, we've got high-performing products that will make you seem like the Zen master of the holidays. This first guide focuses on gifts in the $100 to $200 price range.
1. Samsung UN28H4000 ($200)
Can you get a decent TV for $200? You can if you think small. This 28-inch LCD TV has very good HD picture quality, excellent color accuracy, and a wide viewing angle. It’s a 720p—rather than 1080p—set, but at this size you’d barely be able to tell the difference at a normal viewing distance. Sound is not so great, but smaller sets rarely have speakers that can do justice to Michael Bay-sized explosions. Regardless, this set is perfect for a small dorm or bedroom.
2. Bose FreeStyle earbuds ($130)
This iPod/iPad/cellphone-centric in-ear model from Bose delivers very good overall sound with a warmish character. And the "Stayhear" earpieces (which combine elements of in-ear and earbud-style earphones) provide a very stable fit, even with vigorous head movements. They come in two colors: ice blue and indigo.
3. Sonos Play:1 ($200)
This mono Wi-Fi speaker is the most affordable Sonos product yet. It delivers very good sound from a stylish, compact enclosure. It’s flexible, too. You can add a second Play:1 for a stereo pair, or you can use them as rear speakers in a multichannel home theater setup with Sonos’ Playbar. There’s no remote, you can just play music directly from your phone, tablet, or computer using the Sonos app.
4. Samsung Gear Fit ($150)
The Gear Fit is a creative and stylish departure from Samsung’s original Galaxy Gear. It's just as much an activity monitor as it is a smart watch, and it is slim, sleek, and light weight at .8 ounces. Its curved OLED touch screen lets it comfortably hug the wrist. It has limited smart watch functionality that lets you answer phone calls and receive text messages. Plus, it has a built-in heart-rate sensor. The downside? It only works with compatible Samsung smart phones.
5. Amazon Kindle Fire HDX; Wi-Fi, 16GB ($180)
A highly-portable, 7-inch tablet with an excellent 323-pixel-per-inch screen, the Kindle Fire HDX also delivers excellent performance from its 2.2-gigahertz, quad-core Snapdragon processor. Amazon’s app market is not as large as Apple’s or Googles, but Amazon Prime members get access to plenty of free movies and music.
Copyright © 2005-2014 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. No reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission. Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this site.
Get a daily look at what’s developing in science and technology throughout the world.
