The Best Tech Gifts to Buy This Year

The latest iteration of the standard iPhone doesn’t include any flashy changes, but everything under the hood has been improved, making it the perfect upgrade for the recipient who just needs a phone that’ll get the job done. There’s a better dual-camera system, and Apple says the new battery should last longer than last year’s model. Do note, however, that the iPhone 14 features the same A15 chip as last year’s iPhone 13 (the Pro lines have a new, faster A16 chip). It has 5G capabilities, wireless charging, and Apple’s MagSafe technology, which uses built-in magnets to attach accessories to the phone. The cameras have larger sensors for better photos and better image stabilization while recording video.

On the other hand, if you know someone who wants the latest and greatest with a taste of tomorrow’s tech, stepping up to the iPhone 14 Pro unlocks an even better battery life, a third lens, and higher picture quality. The 14 Pro offers Action Mode, which reduces shakiness in motion-packed videos. The 14 Pro has an improved screen with a new interactive notch that Apple calls the Dynamic Island, which can expand to show information like what’s currently playing, incoming notifications like phone calls, and larger FaceID animations.

Allison Johnson, a writer at the Verge, says the Pixel 7 is a great phone for a recipient who may be looking outside the Apple or Samsung ecosystems for their next device. “The Pixel 7 is a heck of a deal for someone who wants a flagship Android phone without paying flagship prices,” she says. “With its extra bit of polish and that telephoto lens, the 7 Pro is a good option for someone who wants the best of what Android offers — without all the excess of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.” It’s pricier than the 6a, but it has a faster chip, faster biometric unlocking, and better cameras with improved photo processing on the software end too.

Not everyone needs the most spec’d out phone on the market. For those who just want an Android phone that gets the basics right without any extra flair or missing features, get Google’s Pixel 6a. It’s available for $500 and comes with 128GB of storage, a flagship-class camera system, and Google’s custom Tensor chip. Johnson says the 6a is tough to beat at its price, thanks to its top-notch performance, smaller size, battery life, and guaranteed future software updates.

This gift is perfect for the early adopter who loves a taste of fancy new tech. In her largely positive review of the Flip 4, Johnson writes that “the Flip 4 is what happens when you combine a smartwatch and a phone.” It has a 6.7-inch main display that folds in half, sort of like an old-school flip phone, when not in use. There’s a tiny 1.9-inch display on the back of the phone where you can see things like the time and notifications without having to open the device. Fancy displays aside, the Flip 4 has solid battery life, and it makes a big phone easily pocketable.

People who like writing, doodling, or reading on the go will appreciate a device that can do it all, like Apple’s fifth-gen iPad Air. Its 10.9-inch display is great for watching movies or reading an e-book, and it provides plenty of space to get some doodling done with Apple’s Pencil stylus. Thanks to the iPad Air’s powerful M1 chip, which packs plenty of power for even resource-intensive tasks like video editing, this tablet will be a gift that keeps giving for years to come. It came out about six months before the recently announced tenth-generation iPad, but it has a nicer screen and better accessory options, like support for the second-generation Apple Pencil (the new iPad uses the clunky first-gen model). Don’t confuse this with the new 2022 iPad, though, which we don’t think is as good a value.

While a good book will make any bookworm smile, picking the right one isn’t always an easy feat. The Kindle Paperwhite is more expensive than a few great novels, but it can bring them a lot more joy (as long as they’re not loyal to physical books). It’s light and compact, so it’s easy to toss in a bag, and it can hold well over 5,000 e-books (depending on each book’s size). It has a backlight with an adjustable warmth setting, so they can dim the blue light while reading in bed. The best part? If they prefer borrowing books from the library, the Libby app will let them check out e-books from their local library and send them straight to their shiny new Kindle. You can nab one for the student in your life, and it’s a hit among seniors we surveyed earlier this year too. If you’d rather save a little cash, you could get them the standard Kindle for $100: It’s more compact, but it lacks the adjustable color temperature and waterproofing of the Paperwhite.

For the avid notetaker in your life, the just-released Kindle Scribe provides a solid way to take notes within ebooks as well as PDFs — and soon Word documents as well. With a 10.2-inch display, it’s the largest in Kindle’s lineup and the only one with stylus support for handwriting notes right alongside text in a book. There’s a new Notebook feature that lets you create custom notebooks with different templates, like gridded or lined paper, a day planner, and a monthly planner, if you know someone who’s trying to go paperless.

For the techie who likes to work from their iPad, this folio case provides lightweight protection while folding into a stand that turns the iPad into a portable monitor. When they pair their tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, they can have a desktoplike setup no matter where they go — all without adding too much heft to their bag.

If you know someone whose laptop is on its last leg or who just wants something that’ll work and last for years, get them a MacBook Air. Four of the experts we talked to in our laptop guide recommended the MacBook Air 13-inch, which received a noteworthy upgrade earlier this year with Apple’s custom M2 chip, MagSafe charging, a better display and webcam, plus a thinner and lighter design. One caveat, though: The base model has slower storage than the M2 MacBook Pro does, or even the M1 MacBook Air, and Dan Seifert, our colleague at the Verge, notes that the slower storage in the base model can introduce significant delays when copying large files from one device to another. He recommends getting the model with 16GB of RAM as well for a more future-proof computer.

The 13-inch Macbook Pro is a step up from the Air thanks to its built-in cooling fans, which enable the laptop to handle heavy workloads for longer without the need to lower its performance. (The Verge calls the latest MacBook Pro 14-inch one of “the fastest laptops we’ve ever tested in some tasks, with some of the longest battery life we’ve ever seen.”) Like the 14- and 16-inch models, the 13-inch MacBook Pro has Apple’s latest M2 chip, which brings better speeds and battery life than its predecessor, though this model lacks the new display and improved webcam of the larger models. But the laptop is able to handle a lot of open windows and internet tabs, and it can run multiple programs at once — perfect for anyone who wants to do any sort of audio, video, or photo editing. Unlike the other M2 MacBook Pros, this model still has the quirky Touch Bar. Back in are much-needed HDMI, SD card, and MagSafe charging ports, which were previously replaced with multiple USB-C ports.

If you know someone who’s always switching between work and play, HP’s Spectre x360 is an excellent Windows laptop with an eye-catching design, snappy performance, and an impressive ten hours of battery life on a single charge. It’s a two-in-1one, so you can convert it to tablet mode (complete with a built-in stylus) in a pinch.

If your recipient is always listening to a podcast or likes to keep Midnights on loop while they work, a good pair of headphones will help brighten up the experience. Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro, released earlier this year, provide excellent noise cancellation and solid battery life. The case has a built-in speaker that makes it easy to find the earbuds when they’ve gone missing, so you won’t have to buy them another pair next year.

Not everyone is all in on Apple, though, so for anyone who’s got an Android phone and still wants good sound quality on the go, get them Google’s new Pixel Buds Pro. Like Apple’s AirPods Pro, they have excellent battery life and noise cancellation, and can pair with two devices simultaneously for easy switching.

Those who prefer over-ear headphones will love Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones, which have excellent sound quality and noise cancellation, support for simultaneous Bluetooth connections with two devices for easy switching, and touch controls that are easy and intuitive. They’re collapsible, making them a perfect gift for someone who likes to keep a good pair of headphones close by without weighing down their bag.

For the music junkie who likes a pretty pair of headphones or wants the best audio experience they can get on their iPhone and Mac, Apple’s AirPods Max over-ear headphones are tough to beat, especially in terms of noise cancellation. “Sometimes even if I’m not listening to music, I’ll put them on and press the noise-cancellation button to make everything quiet around me,” YouTube influencer Stassie Karanikolaou told the Strategist. “It’s especially great if I’m on a plane and there’s a baby crying and I just want to sleep.”

For the parent who wants to keep their kiddos entertained without a screen, Yoto’s mini audio player can provide hours of entertainment via podcasts and kids’ stories.

The Apple Watch makes a great gift for anyone who’s trying to look at their phone a little less without fully unplugging, fitness enthusiasts who live for another metric to track, or a loved one who wants to keep a closer eye on their health. The Series 8 features a new temperature sensor for menstrual-cycle tracking and crash detection, plus the same always-on display and workout tracking that made the Series 7 before it great.

If you know someone with an Android phone who could benefit from having a smartwatch, get them Google’s Pixel Watch. Although it’s a first-gen product with a few growing pains to sort through, it works with any Android phone, its circular design is sleek and attractive, and it’s fairly affordable for a smartwatch, so you won’t have to break the bank to get this under someone’s tree.

For the fitness enthusiast in your life, Amazfit’s GTR 4 provides a solid smartwatch experience that works with both iOS and Android and has fitness-tracking features such as blood-oxygen monitoring, sleep-stage tracking, and stress tracking. Verge reviewer Victoria Song says that the GTR 4’s battery life can last anywhere from 10 to 14 days on a single charge, which is more than Apple or Google’s offerings and plenty for the friend who’s always going on weekend expeditions.

If you want to wow someone without breaking the bank, Wyze’s Smart Plug is a simple way to turn a regular outlet into an automatable hub for older devices that don’t have their own way to plug into Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant, like an air purifier or a lamp. Strategist contributor Kyle Schurman says, “You can have the Wyze turn on any time one of your other smart devices is activated. For example, if someone approaches your video doorbell, you could have a lamp in the window automatically turn on to make it look like someone is home.”

Like Wyze’s Smart Plug, this plug from TP-Link can be scheduled to turn any outlet on or off throughout the day, but this one works with Apple’s HomeKit in addition to Google Assistant and Alexa.

If they don’t already have their own smart-home setup, a smart speaker is a good starting point. Amazon’s latest Echo works with a variety of third-party smart devices and can do plenty on its own too, like playing music or giving you updates on the weather. It’ll serve as a Wi-Fi extender if they have an Eero mesh network. That feature is already available on the smaller and more affordable fifth-generation Echo Dot, but its sound quality isn’t as good as that of the larger Echo.

For those who are invested in the Google ecosystem, Google’s second-generation Nest Mini may be a better alternative to the Amazon Echo.

If sound quality is a priority for your recipient, the second-generation Sonos One remains the gold standard for smart speakers that work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so your recipient can still chat with their speaker when they’re not blasting some tunes.

This two-meter base kit of lightstrips from Phillips Hue was one of our top-selling gifts last year — for gamers, as well as for teenagers — and we think it’ll be a hit again this year. You can illuminate a room with a row of LED lights that can be programmed to change color based on triggers like time of day or voice commands.

If your recipient wants to add some color to their room without using lightstrips, these smart bulbs from TP-Link are dimmable and can be set to any color of the rainbow to suit any mood.

These smart bulbs can be screwed into any compatible lamp, and they are easily dimmable to help make any home more energy efficient.

Ecobee’s SmartThermostat is a great way to let someone have a bit more control over the temperature of their home. “It has a high-resolution screen, attractive design, and dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity, which reduces interference with other devices and improves overall performance,” says Strategist contributor Kyle Schurman. “Plus it comes with a remote sensor that lets you base temperature settings on a room other than the one the thermostat is mounted in.” The Ecobee has great voice-control integration, so this will pair nicely with an Amazon Echo or Google Nest Mini.

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is a convenient way to add a little more security to any front door. It has a proximity feature that automatically unlocks the device whenever your Bluetooth or NFC-enabled phone is nearby, and you can give others access to the lock without having to run to the hardware store and make a copy. Plus, you can use it with your existing deadbolt and keys, so it won’t require any big changes or key replacements.

Being away from loved ones is hard, but a good picture can help shorten the distance a bit. Aura’s Mason digital picture frame is our favorite for sharing photos with loved ones, comes recommended by several Strategist editors and writers, and works with both iCloud photo library and Google photos.

Know someone who’s always looking to automate another part of their chaotic life? Get them a couple Flic smart buttons, which they can program to trigger any number of automations with a single tap, like changing the color of the lights in a room, adjusting the thermostat, or even just setting their Slack status to “lunch!” before stepping away from their desk.

Chris Welch, an editor and reviewer at the Verge, says, “TCL’s 6-Series with Google TV is among the very best 4K TVs you’ll find in its price range and the sort of set that will keep owners satisfied for years to come.” It features a mini-LED display with 4K resolution, built-in Google TV for easy access to all the major streaming services, and four HDMI inputs so they can load it up with all their streaming and gaming devices.

If they’ve already got a TV but it lacks smarts, Google’s latest Chromecast is an affordable stocking stuffer that’ll bring all their favorite shows and movies right to their fingertips. It’s easy to set up and works with every streaming service from Netflix to Hulu to HBO Max to Peacock. The $30 version is limited to 1080p streaming, but there’s a $50 model that supports 4K playback; just make sure you know what specs your loved one is working with before picking one. We think the Chromecast is a better gifting option than the new Apple TV (unless your recipient is thoroughly committed to the Apple ecosystem) because it costs less and has just as many features.

If they’re always complaining that they can’t hear a movie’s dialogue over all the booming sound effects and vibrant scores, a good sound bar should solve their problems. “The sound bar itself is plenty powerful and has up-firing speakers for immersive Dolby Atmos surround sound,” writes Welch in his review of the Vizio. It comes with a subwoofer and support for all three major voice assistants (Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant), all for just under $500.

Valve’s portable gaming PC, the Steam Deck, is what you get when you mix a Nintendo Switch with a decent gaming laptop. It’s a portable PC-gaming console that runs Linux and can support a good deal of the games in Steam’s vast library, and it’s the only console that was released this year. The Steam Deck has incredibly customizable controls, which will be great for the gamer in your life who likes to tinker with their gadgets.

If you know someone who appreciates a good on-the-go gaming session, the Nintendo Switch offers a console-like experience in a portable body. You could get them the original Switch, which still works great, but for $50 more they’ll love the improved graphics the newer model’s OLED display provides. Just like last year, we expect it to be a popular gift, largely because stock is better than it has been the last couple years, and it’s still one of the best consoles you can get with games like Animal Crossing, The Legend of Zelda, and Super Smash Bros.

The Switch Lite is a more affordable version of the Switch, but it lacks the ability to dock and connect to a TV for a more traditional gaming experience. That aside, it’s a great gift for commuters and those who like to game on the go.

You don’t have to drop a ton of cash to give someone the gift of an excellent gaming experience. If you know a person who likes to play games on their phone, or want them to get a console-like experience without having to splurge for a pricier setup, the Backbone One mobile controller is still the best accessory for turning iPhones and Android devices into a Switch-esque console that can play local games and stream games from services like Google Stadia or Xbox Cloud Gaming.

If you know someone itching to try out VR but still hasn’t taken the plunge, Meta’s Quest 2 is still an excellent entry point. Susanna Pollack, president of Games for Change, told us the Quest 2 is a great gift for the enthusiastic gamer. “It offers a premium consumer experience in virtual reality, with stunning visuals and controls that let you interact naturally,” she says. The best part? Your recipient doesn’t need a computer to get started, as the Quest 2 is a completely standalone VR headset that can download and play games without any additional hardware.

“Ragnarök takes on so much — including stories from the original game as well as brand-new adventures — that a lesser studio would easily choke on its ambition. And yet, Santa Monica Studio still created a worthy sequel to one of the best games ever made, and that’s a feat that’s worth celebrating on its own, “ says Ryan Gilliam, Polygon’s service writer. It’s a Playstation exclusive, but if you know someone who can’t pass up a good blockbuster game, they’ll love this one.

Elden Ring train is a great game that’ll give your recipient hours of entertainment. “Whether it’s stunning and carefully created vistas to stumble across organically, unique rewards (and the bosses that guard them) tucked away in hidden cellars, or a far-too-tough enemy that serves as a preview of your future power, every moment in the Lands Between feels like it was placed with the utmost intention,” writes Polygon assignments editor Austen Goslin. “And every new lesson or gift feels like the perfect excuse to spend another dozen hours exploring and fighting.”

“It’s an amazing gaming headset that is amazingly comfortable, that has stunning immersive sound at a fantastic price,” says Kahlief Adams, the host of the gaming podcast Spawn on Me. “What’s best is that with an optional dongle, you can use this headset with either of the next-gen consoles, so your value is doubled.” It has up to 15 hours of battery life, and the microphone automatically mutes when it’s flipped up and not in use.

Recipients of this subscription will get access to online play in a number of games, as well as the ability to play a curated list of classic NES games.

Apple Arcade, which works on Apple devices ranging from iPhones and iPads to even the Apple TV, comes recommended by Andrew Webster, entertainment editor at the Verge. It offers a curated selection of high-quality games that don’t come with accompanying in-app purchases. Paired with a good mobile controller, Apple Arcade games can turn an iPhone into an impressive mobile console that would make any commute or trip more enjoyable.

Sony’s option doesn’t include a game-streaming service, but it’ll give your recipient access to free games every month, plus online play.

What’s better than the gift of some good tunes? When you buy a year’s subscription, you’ll save $20 compared to paying monthly.

For the recipient who loves being read to, or who is eager to devour the latest Colleen Hoover or Matthew Perry’s memoir while driving or walking the dog.

Perfect for that person who is desperately waiting for the new season of Stranger Things or wants to check out Do Revenge.

Or maybe they haven’t gotten a chance to watch The Bear.

For the film buff in your life, there’s always something interesting to check out in the Criterion archives.

If they’re not caught up on Yellowstone, there’s plenty of time over the holiday to catch a few episodes.

Let the anime fan in your life kick back and enjoy a few episodes of Chainsaw Man.