From gaming to gadgets, here are some of our favorite tech gifts
Updated May 9, 2024
Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission.
From a new pair of headphones to a cutting-edge e-reader, there are plenty of amazing tech gifts to give this year. But how do you know which tech products are worth your hard-earned dollar versus what’s worth skipping, especially when you’re shopping for Christmas presents for everyone on your list?
That’s the general terror of trying to buy a new tech gift for someone: How do you single out the year’s best products from the ocean of sub-par stuff? Luckily, it’s easy—you check out our picks below. Reviewed tests tech all year long, and this gift guide is chock full of our most beloved gadgets, so now’s the time to grab a few of these awesome tech gift ideas before they sell out.
Best gadgets to give
Best computer gifts and accessories
Great gaming gifts
Best audio gifts
Binge-watching gifts
Amazon’s Kindle is still the e-reader to beat.
Amazon’s newest Kindle took our e-reader testing by storm. It’s easy to use, with a crisp display and a solid price point. It boasts weeks of battery life and comes equipped with enough storage to allow you to store and read up to 16 GB of books.
If your giftee spends a lot of time reading in the tub or even poolside, you may want to consider the Kindle Paperwhite. It’s waterproof, while also offering stellar performance and features.
We love the iRobot Roomba j9+ for its easy-to-use app, exceptional cleaning, and fantastic navigation.
If the person on your list often laments their lack of time for cleaning, the iRobot Roomba j9+ might make a great gift. The j9+ replaced the Roomba j7+ as our favorite robot vacuum thanks to its intuitive controls, stellar cleaning abilities, and top-notch navigation.
The Vivosmart 4 is an affordable way to track your vitals.
If you’re looking for a gift for that fitness-loving friend of yours, consider the Garmin Vívosmart 4, ranked as our best-value fitness tracker. This nifty health gadget can automatically detect and track workouts, monitor stress levels, and comes equipped with GPS tracking. It also features an extremely slim design, so it won’t feel bulky on the recipient’s wrist.
Adjust the focus of these glasses with the swipe of a finger.
Know someone who can’t keep track of all their pairs of glasses? Treat them to the oh-so-splurgeworthy 32ºN adaptive focus glasses. With just the swipe of a finger on the lens, your gift recipient will be able to change the lens magnification and shift between normal glasses, reading glasses, and sunglasses, so their eyes stay ready for any kind of activity.
Check in on your pet from anywhere with the Petcube Cam.
You’d better believe we tested to find the best smart pet cameras, and the Petcube Cam is our Best Value pick.
This camera packs a lot of useful features into a device that squarely fits in the palm of your hand. It doesn’t come with fancy extras like treat tossing or laser games like some competitors have. Still, it’s got everything you need to check in on your furry friend from anywhere, via your smartphone or tablet.
Free up your phone screen and stay connected with the Apple Watch Series 9.
Ranked as our favorite smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 9 is Apple’s best model yet. We love its increased processing power and loads of features.
If your giftee loves staying connected to all their apps and notifications but keeps their face buried in their smartphone, this smart accessory is the best gift. For Android users, consider our favorite Android smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy 6 Watch.
The Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2 is affordable while still putting out a clear, wide picture.
If you know someone who likes to be extra cautious out on the road, the Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2 is an awesome gift. It’s one of the more affordable dash cams we’ve tested. Still, its full-HD 1080p video with a 140-degree view captures the kind of footage that they could use for something like an insurance claim.
Easily print pics from your phone with the Polaroid Hi-Print.
If you’re buying gifts for anyone who loves snapping photos and printing them out in tangible form, the Polaroid Hi-Print is a perfect gift. This accessory was named our favorite portable photo printer.
We love its sleek, colorful design, and its ability to easily connect to smartphones. It includes step-by-step instructions with the Hi-Print’s companion app for quick setup, plus basic editing tools to nail the perfect picture before you hit print.
Light up your office (or gaming den) with a smart, Wi-Fi-connected lighting strip.
One of our favorite LED light strips, the LIFX Z LED smart light strip is a seriously cool way to spruce up a home theater or office. It’s a snap to sync these smart LEDs up with assistants like Amazon Alexa or Apple’s Siri. You can also integrate the LIFX into an existing SmartThings or Nest ecosystem.
From there, it’s up to your giftee’s imagination whether they have ambient, soft mood lighting or a demonic red glow blanketing the room. Of all the LED lights strips we tested, the LIFX had the best color zones, making them a fun, vibrant gift.
Wake up with the sun thanks to Jall.
When we tested the best sunrise alarm clocks, we were pleasantly surprised by the affordable Jall Sunrise Alarm Clock. It does an awesome job emulating sunrise and sunset, and works beautifully for the price.
If the person you’re buying for is serious about sleep hygiene, or just isn’t much of a morning person, a sunrise alarm clock can be a great way to greet the day in a more pleasant manner. It’s especially handy during those darker winter months.
If you’re willing to pay for it, this smart bird feeder has excellent camera quality and plenty of fun extras .
Your favorite songbird’s new favorite hangout comes equipped with a camera that takes gorgeous pictures and videos of the squirrels and birds that drop by for a snack. While the Netvue Birdfy Feeder AI doesn’t have the best AI identification system for the birds you’ll see, it’s still our favorite smart bird feeder because of its solar power and multiple mounting options.
Snag an affordable two-pack of Wi-Fi extenders.
A mesh Wi-Fi system is an excellent way to blanket your entire home or apartment with high-speed Wi-Fi. If you’ve got a giftee whose place is full of Wi-Fi dead zones or thick walls, a mesh system might be just what they need.
We’ve tested lots of these special Wi-Fi systems. The Google Nest system is one of the best we’ve tried, and it’s a great tech gadget for anyone who just can’t seem to stay connected.
The MacBook Air is still a stellar laptop for everyday use.
Whether your giftee is earning an online degree, working from home, or writing their next creative project, a good laptop is a must. The Apple MacBook Air M2 was the best MacBook we used in 2022, thanks to its lightning-fast processor and noticeable improvements over the M1 model.
The Logitech Brio 4K Webcam is a great gift for aspiring streaming stars or anyone who takes video calls.
The Logitech Brio was our favorite webcam of 2023, boasting excellent picture and video. It offers a wide range of fields of view, plus a selection of resolutions up to 4K. If the person you’re shopping for wants to improve their work-from-home setup or just started streaming from their computer, it’s a fantastic webcam for any and every occasion.
A great combination of portability and exceptional performance.
Set the gamer on your list up to win. Our laptop testers consistently adore the Asus ROG Zephyrus, and their latest model is no exception. With its Nvidia RTX 4090, this lightweight laptop consistently delivers stronger graphics performance than beefier machines. With this much high-powered gear in a package under 4 pounds, you can’t go wrong.
Boost your internet speed and save money with the EA7500.
When we tested the best Wi-Fi routers, the Linksys EA7500 really blew us away with its sheer speediness for the cost. This dual-band router bested everything else we tested for combined 2.4 and 5 Ghz Wi-Fi channel speeds.If your giftee needs a boost to their internet juice, this is the router to get them.
This mouse packs a 70-day battery life and tracks reliably, even across glass.
Logitech’s MX Anywhere 3 wireless mouse is our favorite wireless mouse, and for good reason: you can use it basically anywhere. It tracks reliably on any surface—even glass. Plus, its roughly 70-day battery life means you could take it on a two-month journey without needing a mousepad or USB-C charging cable. It works with a USB dongle or over Bluetooth, and the Logitech’s FLOW software lets you cut and paste across multiple computers at once.
The Apex Pro Mini Wireless is a portable powerhouse.
If you’re shopping for someone who spends a lot of time on their keyboard, whether for work or for after-hours gaming, this is the keyboard you should get. The SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini keyboard is the mini version of the best gaming keyboard we’ve tested. Its easily accessible secondary and tertiary functions, customizable profiles, and excellent connectivity make it a great fit for Mac or PC users.
The Steam Deck is still the handheld gaming PC to beat.
The Valve Steam Deck is still one of the best handheld gaming devices you can buy. It seriously impressed our tester thanks to its easy set-up, comfortable design, and impressive game emulation support.
Valve offers a wide variety of options, but if you want to pay a little more for top-notch hardware (including an incredible screen), the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme is a great device, as well. It was our favorite game console of 2023.
If you want to stream games over the internet, the Logitech G Cloud is a great choice.
Another favorite game console of 2023, the Logitech G Cloud has everything you could want in a portable console—our editor called it a “near perfect device.” We love its excellent battery life, and its fantastic display and user experience. It’s compatible with Google Play and Xbox Cloud Gaming, and it paired great with games ranging from Death Stranding to Stardew Valley.
The Meta Quest 2 still delivers on value.
If you’re shopping for someone who loves gaming but has yet to dip their toes into VR, the Meta Quest 2 is a good starting point. Not only is it still one of the best VR headsets we’ve ever tested, it’s also very affordable for what you get.
The Meta Quest 3 is also available, and we absolutely love it. It’s among our favorite electronics of 2023. But at $300, the Quest 2 remains a great headset at a great price.
Boost your Xbox’s storage by one or two terabytes with a Seagate expansion card.
Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S consoles were the biggest launches a few years ago. Additional storage helps your favorite XBox fan make the most of their system by storing a ton of games.
Seagate’s proprietary expansion card can expand the XBox’s storage capacity seamlessly. You won’t have to move games back and forth between the console and an external hard drive to play them. While it’s a bit pricey, it’s the kind of thoughtful gift that’s sure to pleasantly surprise the gamer in your life.
Corsair’s Dark Core RGB Pro continues to top our list of best gaming mice.
If you’re shopping for someone who uses their mouse and keyboard for a lot more than browsing the web, consider giving them a top-tier gaming mouse. The Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro is at the top spot in our roundup of the best gaming mice, thanks to its perfect balance of comfort, customizability, performance, and price.
Overcome the competition with the supremely speedy Acer Predator XB253Q gaming monitor.
Our top-rated gaming monitor may seem like overkill for the non-PC-gamer crowd, but for anyone hoping to trounce the competition, the 24.5-inch Acer Predator XB253Q is a necessary tool.
Our testing revealed outrageously smooth performance, not to mention high refresh rates, excellent response times, and a thin bezel design. It even includes an adjustable stand so your gamer friend can turn it any which way they want.
Help your favorite XBox gamer stay up to date on the latest games.
XBox and PlayStation both have services that let fans try out the newest video games as they come out. It’s sort of like Netflix, but for gaming. If your giftee spends a ton of time on their XBox, it’s hard to find a better deal than Game Pass. The Game Pass library features a host of high-powered, first-party games that would normally cost $60 each, plus an ocean of fun, creative indie games.
The Nintendo Switch OLED adds a much better screen to the beloved console.
Our favorite game console, the Nintendo Switch OLED brings a new, high-definition screen and better storage to an already-great machine. The Switch’s versatility in moving from gaming on your TV to a portable handheld is fun, and Nintendo’s great lineup of characters and games makes this one a must-have.
The Arctis Pro matches comfort with sound quality.
If your giftee spends a lot of time on in-game chat (or just loves to crank the volume on their favorite soundtracks) SteelSeries’ Arctis Pro gaming headset is an awesome choice. Compatible with PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and basically all mobile devices, this headset offers some of the most comfortable, plush cups on the market.
The 2nd Gen AirPods Pro up the comfort and audio quality, and boast great noise cancellation.
Apple’s AirPods Pro (2nd gen) are some of the best true wireless earbuds you can buy. The Pro 2 is a major upgrade from the already-good Pros.
Our reviewer loved the “vastly improved noise canceling” and “excellent adaptive transparency mode.” The end result is an awesome pair of true wireless buds that we strongly recommend, particularly for Apple users.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 offer unparalleled noise cancelation.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 are simply amazing headphones—in fact, they’re the best over-ear noise-canceling headphones you can buy right now.
They sound awesome, and they’re packed with the most useful headphone features you can get: stunning noise canceling (that automatically listens and adapts to your environment), wireless Bluetooth connectivity, and a plush, comfortable design that lets you wear them for hours. If your giftee is serious about listening to music, these pricey cans will make their day.
Take the music anywhere you go with the JBL Flip 6.
JBL’s Flip line of portable, waterproof Bluetooth speakers constantly appear near the top of our favorite Bluetooth speakers lists. The Flip 6 is the best one yet, and our strong pick for Best Value.
These rounded, meticulously-designed speakers produce warm audio with plenty of bass and midrange. They’ve also got rubber-capped ends and water-sealed inputs to help keep them safe on hikes, beach trips, or just trips out to the backyard. If your giftee likes to bring the jams wherever they go, a Bluetooth speaker like the Flip 6 could be the perfect gift.
If you want to shell out a little more for our best overall, the the Sonos Roam took the gold this year.
Help them tune out the world with these budget-friendly headphones.
Be it turbulence, a crying baby, or the chatty couple in the next row over, noisy disruptions on flights aren’t for the faint of heart. If you want to give a pair of over-ear headphones without breaking the bank, we found that 1More’s SonoFlow “offer the noise canceling you’d expect in a pair of headphones that cost twice as much, as well as other nifty features to enhance the listening experience.” With clear sound and preset EQs, the SonoFlow will be a major upgrade to their wired earbuds.
The Crosley C6 can play music over Bluetooth to connected speakers.
Whether analog vinyl recordings actually sound “better” or “warmer” than digital audio files is a big debate. But one thing’s sure: the ritual of laying a well-loved record on a vinyl player and listening to it as the musicians and producer intended will always be a special experience.
If you’ve got a giftee who’s eager to collect records but needs a viable record player, the Crosley C6 is one of our top picks. It delivers modern turntable fixins with a classic look and feel.
Cap the volume without hurting sound quality with the Puro Labs PuroQuiet Kids’ Headphones.
When kids fall in love with music, encouraging them is wonderful, but so is protecting their ears for life-long listening. That’s where these awesome Puro Labs headphones come in. They offer balanced sound and noise cancellation, but won’t reach volumes that would cause damage.
Take the beats to the beach with the Anker SoundCore 2.
Let’s face it: the only thing better than swimming in a pool is doing so while sweet tunes fill the air. If you’ve got someone on your list this year who loves hanging in the pool but doesn’t want to risk dousing their smartphone, a good waterproof Bluetooth speaker might be the perfect gift. The Anker SoundCore 2 is one of our favorites, and it’s pretty affordable to boot.
Stream your favorite movies and shows with ease.
The fancy Roku Ultra has been our favorite streaming device for a few years now, and for good reason. Its processing is super snappy and the UI is extremely friendly and intuitive.
Roku Ultra makes it easy to settle in for a night of Netflix (or Hulu, or Amazon Prime, or YouTube, Twitch, or anything else). It comes with a fantastic voice remote and a pair of headphones that plug right into it for private listening, plus an ethernet cable input so you can easily stream 4K/HDR content, if that’s your bag.
The 2023 Hisense U8K is loaded with features.
If someone on your gift-giving list wants to upgrade their living room, the 2023 Hisense U8K is a 4K TV with HDR that’s up to the challenge. This colorful set can get intensely bright, and the 65-inch model is often available for $1,100 or less.
This mini-LED set packs all of the bells and whistles, including quantum dots, a 144Hz refresh rate when gaming, and excellent local dimming capabilities. Our reviewer was wowed by the value. Smart TV options include Google TV (whose smart home integration includes Google Assistant-compatible smart speakers) and Roku TV. Roku TV is generally our favorite smart TV platform at Reviewed.
Vizio’s V-Series is an easy way to pick up a sound bar and subwoofer for less.
Let’s face it: TV audio tends to suck. While we love reviewing TVs, usually listening to them isn’t amazing. That’s why we also review soundbars. Our favorite for under $200 is Vizio’s V-Series.
This soundbar and subwoofer combo provides seriously good audio for the price. While it’s nothing fancy, this easy plug-and-play solution is a serious upgrade from stock TV audio. You can even bump it up from 2.1 to 5.1 channel sound for an extra $100.
Sono’s Arc is the company’s most ambitious soundbar yet.
There are some great affordable soundbars out there. But if you want cinematic, room-filling sound that competes with the bone-rattling audio you’d get at a movie theater, check out the Sonos Arc.
As Sonos’ first-ever Dolby Atmos-compatible soundbar, it features great stereo sound presentation. It also offers Dolby’s proprietary “spatial audio” solution, placing sound all around you in a room—even overhead. Naturally, a soundbar this awesome doesn’t come cheap, but if your giftee never misses movie night, this gift will blow them away.
The Apple TV 4K is the latest version of a fantastic streaming device.
There are tons of ways to stream content. If the “blech” end of the spectrum is watching hyper-compressed Netflix on your tiny phone during a 12-hour bus ride, the “yay” end of the spectrum is the Apple TV 4K.
We tested and loved a previous version of the Apple TV 4K. It’s a marvelously zippy, perfectly polished streaming box that’s especially great for people who already own an iPhone or iPad. While we haven’t yet tested the 3rd Generation, we expect great things based on its predecessor.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.
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Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission.
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