The Best Tech Gifts, According To Our Tech Editors

It’s hard to put a price on peace of mind, but we’d say spending less than $30 is definitely affordable when it comes to keeping an eye on hundreds of dollars worth of personal belongings. With an Apple Airtag tucked into a piece of luggage (or a kids’ backpack) you can always keep tabs on the location of something important, so why not tuck an Apple Airtag into the stocking of someone dear to you this season? If they’re an Android phone user and you think they would prefer the similarly priced Tile Pro Tracker, it’s worth reading up on AirTag versus the Tile Pro to help you decide what’s best for your loved one.

A beautiful TV when you’re watching your favorite shows or movies, Samsung’s The Frame is a beautiful piece of artwork thanks to its ambient mode that displays your favorite paintings, murals and more. This year at CES 2024, Samsung announced new partnerships with world-renowned art museums, giving you access to thousands of famous artworks for your living room. And when it has not detected anyone in the room for several minutes, it shuts down to be a blank screen to save power. With The Frame TV, you also get a anti-glare matte display that’s great for sunny rooms and dark movie nights. 

Step aside, AirPods: A pair of Soundpeats Capsule3 Pro+ Wireless Earbuds costs well under $100 yet the sound quality and functionality are sublime. They offer active noise cancelling (ANC) capabilities, a 43 hour playtime when charged briefly in the case now and then and rich bass and clear highs.

Kids from age 1 on up (and yes, we mean up—adults love the Toniebox, too!) will be thrilled by this clever audio device, which is a storyteller and speaker in one. The Toniebox library features everything from audio renditions of Disney movies to classic fairy tales to a Snoop Dogg Tonie all about singing, rapping and dancing. Tonies create a rich, immersive experience all using audio and with a physical device kids can easily control. It’s also been named one of the best toys for 3-year-olds by our parenting editors.

Both our team of parenting and tech editors find the Yoto Player Kids Bluetooth Speaker a fan-favorite for kids of all ages. Part Bluetooth speaker and part night light and white noise machine for bedtime, it can last up to 24 hours. Parents can choose from over a thousand books to read at bedtime, and if the kids want to listen to some silly music, it can play music with an interactive silly face on the LED display. Best of all: There are no cameras or mics installed on this speaker for peace of mind.

If your giftee loves to leave their phone at home and not have distractions at the gym or when on a run, the Garmin Vívoactive is a savvy choice. It makes a great gift because it’s less expensive than the Apple Watch Ultra and many other smartwatches, but works really well as it tracks biometric data, steps and distance, sleep health and more.

The Victrola Music Edition 2 Tabletop Bluetooth Speaker packs quite a punch for a speaker that’s about the size of a brick. It can fill even larger rooms with surprisingly good audio, including more potent bass than you’d expect from such a small package. And outside, no need to stop the tunes because of the weather: this speaker has an IP67 water- and dust-proof rating that means it can chill out there in all sorts of conditions—even a rainstorm—and keep on working fine.

While bulky, the Clicks For iPhone 16 is a handy iPhone accessory that frees up your display and allows you to type with a physical keyboard. It may seem counterintuitive to use in 2024, but our editors tested and loved how easy it was to type with. As a huge plus, no longer do you need to scroll through your phone to find your favorite apps; with 37 programmable shortcuts, you can pull them up in a pinch. The new case offers a helpful groove for the Camera Control button, too. The new iPhone 16 model also comes with MagSafe charging and a premium build, a first for the keyboard case. If your loved one doesn’t have the new iPhone 16 yet, no worries: You can get it for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 14.

Our editors have tested and loved the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro for their crisp, clear audio. They fit comfortably in your ears thanks to  and feel sturdy throughout hours of wear. With multiple audio settings for a customized sound, the Buds 3 Pro sound great and they have an IPX7 water-resistance rating. Plus, the ANC on them is pretty darn strong that our editors have made these their go-to earbuds. If your loved one uses a Samsung device like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, these earbuds are a great accessory. It can seamlessly pair with any Samsung tablet, too. Get them in white or a silver chrome finish.

The PlayStation family of gaming consoles has been around for more than three decades now, and the fifth generation of the system takes its capabilities into new territory. The incredible high sped SSD (solid state drive) means games load almost instantly and play has almost imperceptible lag times, if any at all. 4K graphics create a truly immersive gaming experience, while backwards compatibility with earlier games means you can enjoy some 4,000 titles on your PS5.

Yes, the Narwal Freo X Ultra is pricey, but this clever robot can vacuum and mop, mapping out entire floors of your home. It then trundles about vacuuming here, mopping there, avoiding the stairs, deep cleaning trouble spots and so on. All you need to do is give it clean water and dump the dirt water every week or so, dump it’s trash bin every two or three weeks, and change its mop pads a few times a year.

If you’ve just picked up a TV during Black Friday and Cyber Monday and need a new soundbar, you don’t have to spend hundreds to upgrade your audio, the Roku Streambar is a great choice. Combine your soundbar with your streaming system, as the Streambar doubles as a streaming device and a soundbar so you can save space and enjoy a more robust home entertainment system. You can pare down all your remotes to one device, and if you prefer to use voice commands, all you have to do is say, “Hey Roku,” and it will help guide you to your favorite content.

We know, we know: another year, another iPhone. This year, though, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro is one that’s actually worth getting. These are the first iPhones that feature Apple Intelligence, the company’s new AI platform, there are amazing new camera controls and a new A18 chip means more processing power and speed than ever before. It also comes with a new color this time: desert titanium. 

Whether it’s a hurricane, a derecho or another surprise event, no one likes it when the power goes out—and it feels so much worse when your phone’s battery is below 20%. The Duracell M150 Power Station is our editors’ fan-favorite for this very reason. During surprise power outages, it’s the first thing they’ve reached for. It can charge a cell phone up to six times or a laptop once thanks to two USB-C and two USB-A ports, and a handy dock charges the power station when you’re not using it. Use it with its MagSafe charging dock around the house or tuck it into your backpack when out camping. A small compartment at the top stores cables, too. But our favorite part about this charging station? It has a built-in adjustable light to see or read a book when the lights go out. 

This coded smart lock lets you open the door with a key or a numeric code. The lock adds security while dropping the need for a key, and it’s completely a DIY installation, taking even inexperienced handy people all of 15 or 20 minutes at most to install. It comes in multiple finishes, including a matte black, bright chrome, aged bronze and more.

These Enbrighten Eternity Permanent Outdoor Lights will last for years, letting you change your home’s whole vibe at the tap of a screen. You can create orange and purple color schemes for Halloween, classic white or red and green for Christmas or light up the house with patriotic colors at the 4th of July. Permanent outdoor lights can mean the annual chore of stringing up and taking down lights is a thing of the past, and those who love to decorate their spaces will appreciate the fun flair these can add to their home.

For people who don’t always have time to charge their smartphone via an electrical outlet, this portable power bank from Scosche comes to the rescue. This model is MagSafe compatible for use with iPhone 12 and newer models. It also works with any Qi wireless charging device, and if they’re an Android user, it uses a USB-C port for charging. Inside sits a 5,000 mAh lithium-polymer battery.

The Amazon Echo Pop ticks off many boxes on our list of requirements. It can connect into the Alexa smart home and it’s compact enough to sit on an end table without any issue. But its main draw is the high quality audio that you get from such a tiny speaker. Our editors tested and loved the Echo Pop throughout the year in their own homes and enjoyed being able to control the smart lights, music and so much more from the device. While our personal favorite color is the lavender bloom, it comes in three other colors. And best of all, it’s less than $50, making it a great choice if you’re on a budget.

The Nintendo Switch was a game changer when it was released in 2017, being both a handheld gaming system and a console system you can play on a large monitor or TV. The OLED updated version from 2021 features an even larger screen and crisper graphics, and there is a vast category of Switch games you can enjoy in their best resolution ever. The OLED version of the Switch has a large and adjustable built-in stand and a decent set of speakers for a device that’s practically pocket-sized.

Parents of college students, take a look at the HP Sprocket, an instant photo printer that prints 2- by 3-inch pictures straight from your child’s phone. Using Zero Ink technology, it can connect to both Android and iOS phones and tablets and print photos. Use the app to adjust filters on photos, and because it’s rechargeable, you can plug it in before you tuck it in your bag and head out the door. The photos used are resistant to moisture, tears and smudges, too.

As a pet parent, whether you’re running an errand across town or spending the day working at the office, you probably feel a bit guilty anytime you need to leave your pooch home alone. And that’s why Furbo exists. The Furbo 360 Dog Camera lets you spy on, talk to and feed your dog treats from afar using your smartphone. This hourglass-shaped camera lets doting pet owners monitor their pets while they’re away. Thanks to its motion sensor and motorized camera, Furbo 360 can automatically track your dog’s movement around a room, keeping your furry friend in frame as you watch on your phone from just about anywhere. Our team of experts named this camera the best pet camera for dogs during our testing.

If they’re a frequent traveler, the AirFly SE is a handy gadget. Instead of using earbuds provided by the airlines, turn the AirFly SE on, plug it into the headphone jack and stream your airline movies straight to your own headphones. You can use your own earbuds to get your movie’s audio, and it’s not limited to just an airplane. Anything that uses a headphone jack is compatible with this device, so you can use it on your gym equipment and more. The AirFly here can connect to one set of earbuds. If your loved one likes to watch movies with friends and family on the plane, then you can opt for the AirFly Duo, which can connect to two sets of earbuds simultaneously. If you want a fun flair, the company just launched a new AirFly SE in Iridescent, too.

Launched earlier this year, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is perfect for content creators who want to record hands-free. It uses Galaxy AI to enhance photos with Photo Assist, interpret language in real time—and on the cover display—thanks to Interpreter and more. It also offers a slew of other helpful AI features, including helping to compose messages and Sketch To Image, an AI feature that takes your quick sketches and turns it into a work of art in seconds. It’s one of our editor’s favorite devices of the year after testing and reviewing it.

If you have a gardener and/or eco-conscious person on your gift list, then a Mill food recycler is a thoughtful and unique techy gift. Using a combination of heat and raw force (as in augers that produce 2,000 pounds of force), Mill can turn tonight’s dinner scraps into a compost-like substance that’s ready, the very next day, to be mixed into planters, turned into garden beds or simply scattered out on the lawn. Food waste will reduce to all but zero, and appreciation of your thoughtfulness will skyrocket.

It’s not every day that you find a pair of earbuds that you can tack onto your keychain for on-the-go listening, but the JLab JBuds Mini do just that—and they provide pretty solid sound. Our editors and staffers use the JLab JBuds Mini wireless earbuds and love the compact design and audio quality. The passive noise cancelling is good enough for most needs, too. For runners and athletes, they’re also IP55 water-resistant, so no need to worry about working up a sweat while wearing them. These earbuds come in multiple colors and make great stocking stuffers.

The latest generation of the Amazon Fire Stick takes things up several notches. Sure, you can still use this streaming stick to watch shows and movies on a TV whether or not that TV is smart enabled, but you can also use it to play Xbox games without an Xbox console needed, to connect with Amazon’s Alexa, play music, stream Twitch and more. And don’t overlook the crystal clear quality that is its 4K resolution. Our tech editors tuck this handy device into their suitcases for travel, too, so they can stream after a long day of sightseeing.

For those that already own a Nintendo Switch, the latest The Legend of Zelda game puts Zelda herself as the main character. If you’re looking for a fun, fresh take on the franchise, our editors loved the storyline and the gameplay; it’s easy for everyone to play, and there’s plenty of hours in the game to keep you occupied for quite some time. Plus, with creative elements, it can be replayed over and over again (which, after testing, our editors fully plan to).

Whether you’re taking your gaming on the go or just curling up on the touch with your Steam Deck, MSI Claw or a PlayStation 5 controller, the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are a great choice. They’re Blue and 2.4GHz compatible, so you want swap between your phone and your gaming device in a pinch. Tech editor Rebecca Isaacs tested these earbuds, and in her review, she says, “For a first-gen set of wireless earbuds, they don’t feel like the company’s first foray into this niche area. While they’re designed for listening to your gaming, I’ve also been using them for listening to music on the fly.”

If you’re tired of hunting down extra plugs to charge all your gadgets, it’s time for an upgrade. The Anker Power Strip is easy to travel with and provides three traditional power outlets—two USB-A ports and one USB-C port—in a single, 2.2-inch, cube-shaped hub that has a 5-foot power cord attached. With this one outlet, charge a computer, smartphone, tablet, wireless earbuds and other gear all at once. It’s the perfect stocking stuffer for anyone who’s constantly on the move.