The best gadgets of 2021- PCs: Back in relevance
The iMac combines a surprisingly good 24-inch screen with more than capable performance (all thanks to the M1 processor) and has a 1080p webcam that makes it more than relevant in the pandemic year.
By Anuj Bhatia, Shruti Dhapola & Nandagopal Rajan
iMac M1
The new Apple iMac is an all-in-one desktop computer that takes cues from the original iMac of the late 90s but is still the most forward-looking device for your work space. The iMac combines a surprisingly good 24-inch screen with more than capable performance (all thanks to the M1 processor) and has a 1080p webcam that makes it more than relevant in the pandemic year.
Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the most powerful laptop Apple has ever created. If you are willing to pay the price, you will not be disappointed. Not only is the 16-inch MacBook powerful enough for heavy computing tasks, it also fixes all the issues the creator community had with the previous generation model. Configurable with either the M1 Pro or M1 Max, the 16-inch MacBook Pro becomes a poster boy of Apple’s latest silicon. The new MacBook Pro promises plenty of ports, a great keyboard, and a bright and colourful Liquid Retina XDR display that can reach 1,000 nits when playing HDR content.
Dell XPS 13
Dell’s XPS 13 has consistently been ranked high among the premium laptops. The bezel-free 16:10 display is gorgeous, the design is top-notch, performance is unmatched, and the keyboard and the battery are its strengths. It can cope with everything from web browsing to light video editing and everything in between. Although the XPS 13 is the benchmark in the high-end Windows laptop segment, its port selection is a bit disappointing and the 720p webcam is meh. The 2021 XPS 13 is a sign of Dell making things right.
HP Pavilion Aero 13
The Pavilion Aero 13 is one of the best ultrathin-and-light Windows laptops on the market, finding a perfect balance between business and fun if you are still working remotely. Although the Pavilion lineup is largely limited to value-for-money notebooks, the Aero 13 gets a lot of premium features including magnesium-aluminum chassis, long battery life, the performance from the AMD Ryzen 5 5600U is impressive, and bright and colourful display. It makes us wonder how HP packed in so many features in a notebook that weighs just 970 grams. In a way, HP has made a MacBook Air rival and it succeeds to some extent.
