Picking a gift for anyone from any category is generally not an easy feat, and technology is no different. From Samsung to Apple, with Google, Amazon, and Sony in between, there has been a barrage of new tech unveiled this year.
That, coupled with all of the gadgets from years past that are still cooking, can make gifting or giving tech a daunting feat. But fear not--I’ve spent the entire year testing many gadgets, and ahead, I’m sharing 50 surefire pieces of technology that will delight.
From more affordable gadgets that double as terrific stocking stuffers to more luxury pieces of tech, read on for the best tech gifts to give (or let’s be honest, receive).
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While this is the entry-level iPad, it’s capable of any conceivable task you may want to use it for. The 9th Gen kicks things off with a vibrant 10.2-inch Retina display that is great for streaming, FaceTimes, or gaming and powers through with plenty of speed from the Apple-made A13 Bionic chip.
Some wall plugs can be boring, but I promise you the Anker 735 Nano II isn’t it. It’s the charger I trust the most with three ports—two USB-C ports and one USB-A—and it pushes out a full 65 watts. This means you can charge a phone, earbuds, and a tablet or a laptop all at once.
Whether you love Lego or you love Captain America, you can never go wrong with the shield. This one is even better though as you’ll build it out of 3,128 pieces and it’s life-size. Either display it with the included stand you’ll build or hold it proudly.
The latest folding flip-phone from Samsung is honestly the best on the market yet. It boasts a larger cover-screen that can run a bevy of apps and lets you do more without folding open the phone. It also gets upgraded cameras and improved battery life in the fifth generation.
A custom phone case is the perfect gift any time of year, and one from Casetify not only looks dynamite but adds a tremendous amount of protection. The Impact and Boost models all offer multiple feet of drop protection and can be customized in hundreds of thousands of different ways.
Shopping for an iPhone user? An AirTag is likely the most affordable and the most perfect gift. At just $29.99, this circular item-finder effortlessly pairs with your iPhone for an easy set up and syncs with the broader FindMy ecosystem. In terms of everyday use, AirTags deliver an accurate location, and the Precision Finding feature is very neat.
Smart projectors are just as in now as they were when they were promised in some futuristic action film many years ago. The Freestyle Gen 2 is a small canister with a built-in stand that lets you place a 100-inch screen on any surface—inside or outside- wall, floor, or ceiling—and even supports streaming games.
Drinking water is pretty darn important, and this water bottle lets you do it in style. This 21 oz. version is made from insulated stainless steel and holds plenty of liquid. Even cooler, though, it can track your water intake thanks to a sensor built into the bottom. It even integrates with Apple Health and can glow fun colors to tell you when to drink.
Amazon’s Echo Dot isn’t a surprise entry on a gift guide. But the fifth generation makes some nice improvements, especially for those with an older model. It still provides surprisingly loud sound for its size, and this model features an LED dot matrix display to show the time and weather.
Dyson’s latest cordless vacuum cleaner keeps an ultra-maneuverable design in a bold shade of purple. It steps things up with even more cleaning power, and like most things in tech, some AI-infused features to auto-detect which cleaning mode should be used.
Looking for an affordable, but highly functional gadget to give? Look no further than Anker’s Powerline III Flow Lightning cables. They come in a range of fun shades like Coral Pink, offer a fast Lightning charge thanks to USB-C, and are plenty durable.
If you’re simply after a portable screen to stream your favorite TV shows or movies, play some games, browse the web, or communicate with friends or family, Amazon’s Fire 7 does a surprising amount for a price of just $60.
Not all tech has to come in more neutral tones, and Courant’s Catch:3 wireless charger is a functional, statement piece that’s perfect for your counter or bedside table. Available in a few different shades, our favs are Forest or Natural; it pairs a wireless charger with a tray for all your other pocketable items. From sunglasses to a wallet to keys, you can easily charge and stay.
While the holiday season is just around the corner, we still have plenty of time left for outdoor gatherings. And that’s where the Sonos Roam comes in as a pint-sized Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speaker that integrates with other Sonos speakers but is roadworthy. It lasts for hours, is water and dust-resistant, and delivers superb audio.
This might seem weird, but if you’re shopping for someone who loves Apple and already has most of the gadgets, consider the official Apple Polishing Cloth. It’s safe for use on iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, Macs, Studio Display or Pro XDR, and even iPods.
If you or the person you’re shopping for loves cold coffee, keep scrolling. If not, the Ember Mug 2 is a coffee cup in 10- or 14-oz that will keep your drink warm to an exact temperature for hours on end. Need I say more?
Whether you like iced or hot coffee, if you’ve been on TikTok you know about the elegant and epic Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine. It lets you make all sorts of drinks at home, from lattes to an extra strong cup with shots of espresso in between. Best of all, it’s all contained in one unit with a built-in grinder, tamper, and milk frother.
From Silicon Valley execs to celebrities, many folks are opting for the Oura Ring. It’s like an Apple Watch or Fitbit for your finger that also doesn’t come with distractions. Available in two styles and a range of colors, pick your size and slide it on. The Oura Ring tracks activity-like steps but goes further with a readiness and sleep score along with heart rate and SpO2 monitoring.
Want a wearable that does more than just health and activity monitoring. In our testing, the Apple Watch SE, delivers the best value of any smartwatch currently on the market. You can track nearly any workout and track health metrics like heart rate and blood oxygen levels. You can pick from a 40mm or 44mm and you make calls or text from your list.
Yes, a TV is a pretty extravagant gift, but Samsung’s The Frame pairs a vibrant QLED 4K picture with the aesthetics of a work of art. With a bezel that is sold separately, the TV will look like a frame and with Art Mode, you can display a famous piece like the Mona Lisa or a picture of your family dog for all to see. This way, when the TV is off, it’s not an eyesore but a talking point.
Another excellent stocking stuffer would be the Fire TV Stick 4K. It’s a simple piece of tech that plugs into a TV via HDMI and gives you access to a bunch of streaming services. Plus, since it’s Amazon, you can control it all with Alexa.
The smallest iPad is one of my favorites, thanks to a zippy experience in an ultra-portable form. It's an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display that's great for games, web browsing, reading, streaming, and even writing. When you pair it with a second-generation Apple Pencil, it's like a modern-day notebook.
Chances are you’ve seen Marshall speakers onstage at concerts, and the Willen puts that sound and design in the palm of your hand. This small square speaker can last over 12 hours of listening and is water resistant, meaning you can bring it on your next adventure. Via the companion app, you can customize the sound from the radiators and full-range driver to your liking.
Shopping for an aspiring content creator? Look no further than the Pivo Pod Lite as you can place your phone in, and the automatic rotating pod will keep you in the frame as you do your best ASMR or dance across the floor.
Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro are some of the best earbuds on the market—and if you have an iPhone, they are the best earbuds for you. They stick with a compact build that properly seals off your ears and offer immersive, wide audio with support for Spatial Audio. But best of all, the active noise cancellation mode is class-leading, and the new adaptive transparency mode is pretty epic. Simply, it’s a piece of tech that will delight this holiday season.
Yes, Apple’s Vision Pro headset will drop in 2024, but if you want to spend a little less or just can’t wait to dive into VR the Meta Quest 2 will delight you, your friends, and your family. It comes bundled with controllers and has a massive library of apps ranging from games to fitness classes.
Ereaders have been around for a while, and the category leader is the Amazon Kindle. The newest entry-level model features a 6-inch super sharp display (at 300 pixels per inch) that features backlighting and is the most portable in the Kindle family. It can last for weeks and is an excellent gift for someone who loves reading or wants to read more. See our full review here.
Most wireless chargers are boring, but this PowerPic from Twelve South gives you a classic photo frame with a wireless charger built-in. It’s even neater if you set your phone wallpaper to the image in the frame.
I’m a big fan of AirPods Max, mainly for the premium build, immersive audio quality, and class-leading listening modes. And while they’re a bit pricey than some other options—and other picks on this list—they’re well worth the price. They’re cozy for hours on each with soft earcups, a headband that doesn’t increase pressure, and you can turn out the world with ANC or let it in with transparency. They’re also the chicest headphones on planet earth right now…according to my TikTok feed.
For folks working remotely or maybe trying to become TikTok famous, the Logitech Litra Glow is dual-purpose. It’s a set of LEDs housed in a sleek square that can easily attach to a monitor or a tripod. You can control the overall brightness or the tone to make sure you’re looking your best.
Sony’s LinkBuds S offers fast pairing with Android and regular Bluetooth pairing with Apple devices like iPhone. After the fast start, the LinkBuds S can auto-switch between different listening modes based on devices. These earbuds also deliver excellent audio quality along with strong active noise cancellation to get in your zone.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 is like the Apple Watch of Android in terms of features and integrations with Galaxy phones. It boasts advanced health tracking and an advanced sleep tracking mode, but we’d go for the Watch 6 Classic, which has a rotating bezel.
Know someone who wants a massage gun? For $150, the Theragun Mini is an ultra-portable option that packs a ton of power to help post-workout or help one get ready for the next sweat session.
Apple’s iPad Air isn’t the entry-level or the flagship but the sweet spot in the middle. With a vibrant 10.9-inch display and the M1 chip inside, any task looks great and runs blazing fast here. It also comes in a range of fun colors and is the best all-around iPad for work and play.
Jacob Krol/TheStreet
Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, the Beats Studio Buds will quickly pair and really work platform-agnostic. They offer rich, booming audio with solid active noise cancellation and a cozy fit in your ear. Best of all, they come in some fun colors.
The Xbox Series S might be the entry-level console from Microsoft, but it’s next-generation for most. It can play all the major titles, including AAA games, at up to a full 120-frame-per-scone with a 4K resolution. Plus, you can pair it with Xbox Game Pass for instant access to hundreds of games.
Shopping for someone with an iPhone, an Apple Watch, and AirPods? Well, Belkin’s BoostCharge Pro lets you charge all of them in a handy, modern device. It features a MagSafe puck for fast charging an iPhone 12, 13, or 14 wirelessly, and the Apple Watch puck enables fast charging with the newer models.
If you want to give the gift of a phone without breaking the bank or sacrificing performance, Google’s Pixel 6a fits the bill. It looks just like the flagship Pixel phones and comes in fun colors, but it also features an excellent set of cameras. You can even take bokeh portrait shots and remove unwanted people from the background of photos.
Beats finally dropped a new pair of over-ear headphones, and the Studio Pros pretty much check off all the boxes. They have an equal feature-set split across Apple and Android, including fast pairing for each, last for an extremely long 40 hours, and fold in half for easy travel.
The iPhone 14 Pro is the best iPhone currently available and one of the best flagship smartphones on the market. The new Dynamic Island embraces the pinhole notch and adds some extra functionality, while performance with iOS remains class-leading, and you get excellent cameras.
Gifting a band to an avid Apple Watch wearer is an excellent idea. And this Sport Slim Band by Nomad is perfect for someone into working out or not. It’s made from a breathable, flexible rubber in five shades. It also closes comfortably and securely with an aluminum pin and tuck mechanism.
You simply cannot go wrong with Mario Kart 8, it’s a classic game and there’s a good chance you played it growing up. On the Switch Lite, Switch, or Switch OLED boosts new graphics, and some new courses, plus DLC lets you play classic tracks.
Unlike any iPad, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 is water resistant, which means it can survive a dip in the tub or even the pool. It also pairs an expansive display with a customized version of Android and excellent speakers.
Sony’s long been a leader in the over-ear headphones space, and the WH-1000XM5 updated the design while keeping the class-leading features. With oversized earcups and more plush top-band, these step up comfort and still pair it with the ability to find your zen zone.
You can give the gift of easier cleaning with iRobot’s Roomba J7+, which is a smart robot vacuum with a self-emptying base. Thanks to on-board sensors it can avoid obstacles and will even map your home for easy room-based cleaning.
If you already have an iPad Air or Pro, consider adding a Magic Keyboard case to the mix. It gives you a tangible, nearly full-sized keyboard with an expansive trackpad that will likely let you get more done on your iPad in the short term and long run.
In terms of universally loved products, the Nintendo Switch is up there and it’s one of the most functional gaming consoles. It can be used on the big screen with the included dock or anywhere thanks to a built-in 6.2-inch LCD screen. Since it’s been around, there are hundreds upon hundreds of games to pick from.
Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air is easily the best 15-inch laptop on the market and it does it with a super high amount of elegance. It’s ultra-portable at just 11.5 millimeters thick and weighs in at just 3.3 pounds, but opens up to an expansive, vibrant 15-inch Retina display. You also get plenty of power work or play tasks from Apple’s M2 chip with a 10-core GPU.
Yes, Nomad’s latest wireless charging system is expensive, but it’s one of the most premium and elegant solutions on the market. The Base One Max features a MagSafe charging disc and an Apple Watch charging puck built-in. It kicks things up another notch with a spot perfect for AirPods Pro as well.
If you’re in Apple’s ecosystem, or shopping for someone in it, the Apple TV 4K is the streaming box to opt for. It gives you access to all the core services from Apple—TV+, Music, Fitness+, Photos, etc.—and you’ll find apps for all the major streaming services. And you can control it all with just your voice using Siri.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
