In a world where mega sales events and enticing discounts dominate the consumer landscape, it’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of bargain hunting. Mega sales, such as ASUS eShop Anniversary, Amazon White Friday, Noon Yellow Friday, and other seasonal promotions, promise unbeatable deals and jaw-dropping discounts. However, the pursuit of bargains often leads to impulsive purchases and buyer’s remorse. In this article, we’ll explore the concept of smart shopping strategies, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing value over the mere thrill of finding a good deal.

The Psychology of Bargain Hunting
Bargain hunting is deeply ingrained in human psychology. The idea of getting more for less triggers a sense of achievement and satisfaction. Retailers capitalize on this psychology during mega-sales events, employing various tactics to create a sense of urgency and scarcity. Limited-time offers, flash sales, and door-buster deals are designed to prompt consumers to make quick decisions without thoroughly evaluating the actual value of the products.

While snagging a great deal can undoubtedly be gratifying, it’s crucial to recognize that not all discounts are created equal. The true value of a purchase lies not just in the amount of money saved but in the overall satisfaction and utility derived from the product over time.

Prioritising Value Over Discounts
Smart shoppers understand the distinction between a good deal and a valuable purchase. Instead of succumbing to the allure of massive discounts, they focus on products that align with their needs and preferences. Prioritising value involves considering factors beyond the price tag, such as product quality, durability, and long-term utility.

One effective strategy is to create a shopping list in advance, identifying the items that genuinely enhance one’s lifestyle or meet specific needs. By approaching mega sales with a clear plan, consumers can avoid impulse purchases and allocate their budget to items that bring lasting value.

Comparing Prices and Researching Products
In the age of information, ignorance is a choice. Smart shoppers leverage the power of the internet to compare prices and research products before making a purchase. Online reviews, expert opinions, and user experiences provide valuable insights into the performance and reliability of a product.

During mega sales, retailers often promote exclusive bundles or package deals. While these may seem tempting, it’s essential to assess whether the bundled items are genuinely necessary. In some cases, retailers use bundle deals to clear out excess inventory, leading consumers to buy products they wouldn’t have considered otherwise. Researching individual items and their reviews can help shoppers make informed decisions, ensuring they get the best value for their money.

Setting a Realistic Budget
One of the most fundamental aspects of smart shopping is setting a realistic budget. Mega sales events can be overwhelming, with the sheer volume of discounted products tempting consumers to overspend. By establishing a budget and sticking to it, shoppers can avoid financial strain and make more intentional purchasing decisions.

A well-defined budget should account not only for the cost of desired items but also for potential additional expenses such as taxes, shipping fees, and warranties. This comprehensive approach prevents surprises at the checkout and allows consumers to stay within their financial means while still taking advantage of valuable deals.

Embracing Technology and Price Tracking
Technology has revolutionized the way we shop, offering tools and apps that empower consumers to make informed choices. Price tracking apps, for example, allow users to monitor the historical pricing of products and determine whether the current discount is genuinely significant. By understanding the price history of an item, shoppers can avoid falling for false discounts and make purchases when the prices are genuinely reduced.

Additionally, many retailers offer price-matching policies, allowing consumers to get the best price available. Smart shoppers take advantage of these policies by presenting evidence of lower prices from competitors, ensuring they pay the lowest possible amount for their desired products.

Understanding Return Policies
No matter how diligent a shopper is, there’s always the possibility of a purchase not meeting expectations. Understanding the return policies of retailers is a crucial aspect of smart shopping. Some mega-sales events have more restrictive return policies, making it essential to read the fine print before completing a purchase.

Smart shoppers prioritise retailers with transparent and customer-friendly return policies. This ensures that if a product doesn’t live up to expectations or if there are issues with the purchase, they have the flexibility to return or exchange the item without unnecessary hassle.

Sustainable Shopping
In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the environmental impact of consumerism. Smart shoppers are increasingly prioritising sustainability in their purchasing decisions. Mega sales provide an opportunity to invest in high-quality, eco-friendly products at discounted prices.

By choosing products that are built to last and have a minimal environmental impact, shoppers contribute to a more sustainable and responsible consumer culture. Some retailers also use mega sales events to promote sustainable practices, offering discounts on eco-friendly products or providing incentives for recycling old items.

Here then, are the top offers available through the ASUS Extravaganza…

On-the-Go Multitaskers

ASUS Vivobook Go 14 Flip (TP1400)

The Vivobook Go 14 Flip is a flippable laptop that gives you 360° perspective on everything you do. At just 16.9 mm thin and weighing only 1.5 kg, it’s no fuss to take anywhere, and its zippy Intel Pentium Silver processor gets everything done quickly, whether for work or play. With its trendy Quiet Blue colour and tough 360° hinge, the versatile Vivobook Go 14 Flip is your laptop, your tablet — or anything in between.

To provide exceptional remote-working and video-conferencing experiences, Vivobook Go 14 Flip features ASUS AI Noise-Canceling Technology that employs machine learning in order to isolate unwanted noise from human speech. This technology helps to filter out ambient noise for optimum group conference call quality. The 360° ErgoLift hinge on Vivobook Go 14 Flip undergoes a 20,000-cycle open-and-close test for durability.

ASUS Vivobook S 14 Flip (TP3402ZA-LZ409W)

The ASUS Vivobook S 14 Flip allows you to experience ultimate flexibility. This convertible adapts seamlessly to your work or play style. It elevates your performance with the latest Intel Core processors and speedy SSD storage while treating your eyes to the stunning 14-inch 2K NanoEdge touchscreen.

Whether conquering daily tasks or unwinding in style, this laptop has you covered. You can stay connected effortlessly with an array of ports, including the convenient USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port. In terms of the colour, you can choose between the chic Quiet Blue or the sleek Cool Silver. It also features 16GB of RAM, an efficient ASUS IceCool cooling system, spacious 1TB SSD storage, and a lightning-fast WiFi 6E connection.

Modern Professionals and Creative Individuals

ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (M6500VX-MA071W)

The ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Processor and the potent NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 laptop GPU. Thus, this laptop guarantees peak performance, supported by an efficient dual-fan cooling system. Your imaginative creations will shine on the stunning 3K OLED display, boasting a super-smooth 120 Hz refresh rate and ultra-accurate, vivid colours.

The laptop comes packed with a gorgeous 15.6-inches 3K 120 Hz OLED display. It boasts a 16:9 aspect ratio, a high resolution of 2880-by-1620 pixels, and an impressive 120Hz refresh rate. It also comes with a 3-sided NanoEdge design with an 84% screen-to-body ratio, a rapid 0.2 ms response time, and 100% DCI-P3 coverage.

Gaming Enthusiasts and Power Users

ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (FA507XI-LP018W)

Dive headfirst into the gaming excitement with the TUF Gaming A15. Boasting Windows 11 right out of the box, this powerhouse is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor and up to 32GB of lightning-fast 4800MHz DDR5 RAM, ensuring seamless streaming and multitasking. You can unleash the full gaming potential with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU and a dedicated MUX Switch. As your game library expands, the convenient empty M.2 NVMe SSD slot makes storage upgrades a breeze.

Stay on par with professional standards with a QHD 165Hz display. G-SYNC seamlessly synchronizes the display’s refresh rate with the GPU’s output, minimising lag, reducing stuttering, and eliminating visual tearing, delivering ultra-smooth and lifelike gameplay. The QHD panel covers 100% of the DCI-P3 colour space, accurately reproducing colours as intended by the creator. All packed into an impressive 80% screen-to-body frame, videos and games become more immersive without compromising on portability.

ASUS TUF Gaming F15 (FX506HE-HN018W)

Tailored for dedicated gaming and showcasing a sleek new design, the TUF Gaming F15 stands as a Windows 11 Home gaming laptop loaded with features to propel you to victory. The state-of-the-art GeForce RTX 3050Ti GPU ensures seamless gameplay on a 144Hz display, complemented by the robust Intel Core i7-11800H CPU, which benefits from enhanced cooling for amplified CPU performance while maintaining stealthy acoustics. A durable 90Wh battery, coupled with TUF’s military-grade durability, ensures that you stay at the top of your game wherever you go.

You also get a superfast NVMe PCIe SSD with 1TB speed upload times, while an open SSD slot makes it easy to add terabytes more space for all your games. Experience professional-level gaming speed with a rapid 144Hz, 100% sRGB IPS-level panel. Thanks to Adaptive-Sync, the display’s refresh rate syncs seamlessly with the GPU’s frame rate, diminishing lag, minimizing stuttering, and eradicating visual tearing for an ultra-smooth and immersive gaming experience. The ultrafast Thunderbolt 4 ensures convenient on-the-fly connectivity, enabling powerful external GPUs or external monitors to enhance your multitasking capabilities. Additionally, enjoy playing 4K Ultra HD movies, videos, and games on large-screen TVs with HDMI 2.0b.

When shopping for a gaming keyboard, focus on key factors: latency, switch types, and comfort. Consider extras such as RGB, media controls, and software customisation. Most gamers prefer mechanical keyboards for lower latency and more features. We’ve tested a wide range of keyboards and here are our recommendations for some of the best gaming keyboards we have reviewed so far!

ASUS ROG Azoth Wireless Gaming Keyboard

ASUS’ Republic of Gamers has a reputation for producing high-quality gaming products, including gaming gear, peripherals, PCs, laptops, and smartphones. Their latest offering, the Azoth Wireless Gaming Keyboard, is no exception. This keyboard is loaded with features and connectivity options and takes it a step further by offering a fully customisable experience.

Review: ROG Azoth Wireless Gaming Keyboard

Every key on the keyboard is hot-swappable and the board itself is designed to provide the best tactile experience for gamers. Additionally, the ROG Azoth comes with a DIY Switch Lube kit to ensure consistent performance. The Azoth aims to satisfy both gamers and keyboard customizers by providing a comprehensive package. The build quality of the ROG Azoth keyboard is impressive. Its three-layer system ensures a comfortable and responsive typing experience that surpasses many keyboards we have tested in the past.

The Azoth also comes packed with a 2-inch OLED display that can be customised to display information about system operations, control multimedia functions, and manage certain keyboard functions. It comes with a small knob and button controller that makes it quite practical to use. It essentially creates a shortcut menu for some basic functions, saving the hassle of loading up the Armory Crate software. The ASUS ROG Azoth Wireless Gaming Keyboard is thus the ultimate gaming keyboard around.

Corsair K70 RGB TKL Champion Series Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

Corsair’s K70 RGB TKL Champion Series Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is an excellent gaming keyboard that comes in a tenkeyless form factor. For those uninitiated, Tenkeyless is a term used to describe keyboards that do not have a 10-key numeric keypad on the right side. The tenkeyless design is absolutely amazing for gaming, doing away with the Numpad. This, in turn, gives your mouse a lot more room to manoeuvre, since you usually get little use out of a Numpad in most gaming situations. The reduction in size also means a reduction in weight, making it easier to lug your mechanical keyboard around.

Review: Corsair K70 RGB TKL Champion Series Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

The keyboard also comes with a “Tournament Switch”, just next to the USB Type-C, which when flicked, makes the keyboard competition-ready. What this means is that it changes the backlighting on the K70 RGB TKL to a single static colour for less distraction and disables custom actions and macros. The keyboard is very well-built and the design is top-notch. You get a sort of a brushed metal look up top, while the keys themselves are quite nice. Underneath the keyboard, you get the anti-slip pads and the flip-out keyboard legs. In terms of polling rates, at default, the keyboard is at 1000Hz. However, if speed is what you need, you can change it to 8000Hz using the iCUE software.

Ducky One 3 Mini Classic RGB Keyboard

Fancy switches and LCD screens are no longer enough to stand out in the keyboard market. To excel, manufacturers must offer sought-after features such as high-quality stabilisers, durable (preferably PBT) keycaps, and even hot-swap PCBs, which are becoming increasingly demanded by users. The Ducky One 3 Mini Classic RGB Keyboard also introduces QUACK Mechanics, a series of improvements that earned its name in a lighthearted manner.

Review of the Ducky One 3 Mini Classic RGB Keyboard in the UAE

As a 60% keyboard, its compact size contributes to its enhanced rigidity, making it feel like a keyboard designed for durability and resilience. The design team at Ducky truly crafted a keyboard ready for any challenge. Since this is a 60% form factor keyboard, it only retains the essential keys and sheds all the extras. It leaves out the function row, number pad, arrow keys, navigation buttons, and media keys.

Razer Huntsman Mini Analog

Razer’s new Huntsman Mini Analog is a new version of its compact 60% gaming keyboard. The standout feature on the Huntsman Mini Analog is optical switches with variable actuation, which let gamers assign two functions to a single keystroke depending on how hard the key is pressed.

The keyboard is designed for “LAN players, fans of minimalist gaming set-ups, or those looking to save space, whilst giving users the fine control and precision demanded by today’s games.” Note that to use dual-step actuation on the keyboard, you’ll have to run the Razer Synapse software. Dual-step lets you press a key lightly and hold it until you’re ready, then press all the way down to initiate a follow-up action. It can be used, for example, to combine actions like equipping an item and then using it.

SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL

SteelSeries’ esports-ready TKL design allows for a cleaner desktop space whilst also giving more room for large sweeping mouse movement, ensuring game-winning moments go unimpeded. For the first time, the Apex Pro TKL will be untethered and available with next-gen high-performance Quantum 2.0 Dual Wireless technology.

With the Apex Pro TKL, users can take advantage of OmniPoint 2.0 technology to switch between agile 0.2mm actuation and deep and purposeful 3.8mm key presses. The TKL design gives users more desk space, for clutch plays while still being transportable to LAN events. A built-in OLED smart display allows gamers to see the game system and chat information as it happens, making the need to minimize games a thing of the past. Double shot PBT keycaps ensure the keycaps last just as long as the 100m keystroke-rated switches.

Logitech G715

Logitech’s new G715 Gaming Keyboard from the Aurora Collection delivers low-key vibes with high-key performance so you can express yourself and play your way. You can float away with its dreamy white design and comfy, cloud-shaped keyboard palm rest. With a tenkeyless layout and adjustable height, this is an ideal compact mechanical keyboard for gaming that gives you that good game feeling, all day long.

The G715 release arrives with a slick white design that comes backed by per-key RGB backlighting and GX Red tactile switches. The wireless form factor works over both Bluetooth and the 2.4GHz wireless receiver and also features other fun inclusions like a dedicated volume scroll bar, media controls, and a customisable top plate.

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Are you looking to buy a new smartwatch this year? If so, you should pay attention to some key features that will make your purchase worthwhile. The design is the first thing to look for in a watch because a watch is, first and foremost, a part of your outfit. The battery life and charging speed are also essential because you don’t want your smartwatch to run out of juice and miss any notifications or calls. Then, of course, the health and fitness tracking features, which help you monitor your well-being and stay in shape.

Huawei promises all of these and more in its latest smartwatch, the HUAWEI WATCH GT 4. It is, in fact, a fashion accessory that can complement any outfit and personality while also being a smart companion that helps you stay healthy and productive. So, if you are looking for a smartwatch this season, look no further than the HUAWEI WATCH GT 4.

Groundbreaking Design, Unlimited Personalisation
The HUAWEI WATCH GT 4 serves as a testament to Huawei’s design philosophy of seamlessly blending fashion and innovation. This flagship smartwatch will take your breath away with its meticulously crafted design and offer endless possibilities to personalise your style.

It comes in two sizes: 46mm and 41mm. The 46mm version boasts a unique octagon-shaped watch body, which is a tribute to the classic style of luxury watches but with a modern twist. The WATCH GT 4 marks the first time such a design is adopted by a smartwatch.

The 41mm version, on the other hand, is all about grace and sophistication. It will be the perfect accessory for any occasion and the centrepiece of every conversation with its pendant-like design. It’s fashionable, slim, and well-balanced, from the beautiful lugs that enhance the crown to the metal outer edge that adds a touch of refinement.

The watch also offers you a variety of colours and watchbands to choose from so that you can match your mood and outfit. The 46mm version comes in Black, Brown, and Green, and the 41mm version comes in Black, White, and Light Gold.

Up To 14-Day Battery Life
The WATCH GT 4 has exceptional battery life, with up to 14 days of usage on the 46mm and up to 7 days on the 41mm. This extended battery life ensures that you can rely on your watch for continuous usage without frequent recharging. The watch supports wireless charging and features reverse charging capabilities.

Upgraded Health Management
The HUAWEI WATCH GT 4 comes equipped with a newly upgraded TruSeen 5.5+ heart rate monitoring technology, which brings precision and efficiency for analysing workout performance and daily health in the most scientific and intelligent way. Leveraging the power of AI algorithms, TruSeen 5.5+ ensures the most accurate heart rate readings possible, even in the most challenging situations.

The watch also introduces the Sleep Breathing Awareness feature, which detects interruptions in your breathing while asleep. Frequent interruptions to sleep can cause you to wake up a lot during the night, make you feel tired during the day, and affect your memory. Thanks to the TruSeen 5.5+ and TruSleep 3.0, the watch can detect sleep interruptions and detect changes in blood oxygen levels and heart rate throughout the night. When you wake up, you can see how well you slept on the HUAWEI Health App. You can use this information to work on improving your sleep.

Smart Workout Coach
The WATCH GT 4 introduces the innovative Stay Fit app, which helps you control your calories and manage weight. It counts your calories, shows you how much you need to burn, and gives you weight control plans to achieve your health goals. It includes a calorie alert to keep you on track with your calorie targets.

If you are a Padel fan, here is some good news for you: the HUAWEI WATCH GT 4 supports Padel in its sports modes. In addition to padel, you can choose from over 100 different sports modes and workout types, such as indoor and outdoor walking, running, cycling, swimming, soccer, basketball, and esports. Meanwhile, the brand-new intelligent GNSS solution on the HUAWEI WATCH GT 4 46mm can track your workouts more accurately.

Bluetooth Calling and Message Quick Reply
The WATCH GT 4 features an Enhanced Bluetooth Calling feature that improves the Bluetooth calling distance of up to an impressive 100 meters from the paired smartphone. That means you can answer calls and view messages without taking out the phone.

Price and Availability in the UAE
The new HUAWEI WATCH GT 4 will be available in the UAE for pre-orders starting September 27th at a starting price of AED 899. All pre-orders in the UAE will come with a gift package worth AED 298, including HUAWEI FreeBuds SE earphones and more.

The HUAWEI WATCH GT 4 works seamlessly across smartphones, enabling everyone to enjoy the innovative features and chic design of the watch regardless of what phone they use. It is the fashion on your wrist.

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