These are the best tech gifts you can give this Christmas

Christmas is right around the corner, but don’t panic — there’s still time to find good tech gifts as long as you know your audience, the better options out there, and what you’re willing to spend. These are our top picks for holiday tech gifts, divided into four price ranges.

The best tech gifts to give Christmas.

The best tech gifts below $25

It can be surprisingly tough to shop in this category, since many products this cheap are utilitarian, and it’s best to find something a person might still get excited about.

While it looks like an ordinary wall charger with two USB-A ports, the PowerCore Fusion’s trick is that it doubles as a 5,000mAh portable battery, so you can charge your phone, earbuds, or smartwatch when there’s no wall outlet in sight. It’s not Anker’s most advanced PowerCore, but for $25, it’s hard to complain.

Tile is a popular holiday gift. Tile MateIt is one of the most popular Bluetooth item trackers. It works with both Android devices and iOS devices. IP68Protection against dust and water. It can last up to three year, even though it is non-replaceable.

Be cautious with this option. You not only need to know the exact phone model a person has, but what color and style of case they’d like — slim, rugged, wallet, etc. If you get it right, they’ll be thankful for the protection and new look a case offers. You can find some ideas in the guides below. There are many other brands of case, so keep your eyes open.

Smart plugsThese accessories are the simplest for smart homes, allowing you to turn appliances on and off. But that’s their strength — bringing automation and remote control to appliances that wouldn’t otherwise have them, like fans, lamps, heaters, and coffee makers. The Kasa Ultra Mini Smart Plug works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or the Kasa app, and connects directly to your home’s Wi-Fi network.

Color-changing smart bulbs can be an ideal gift, since they’re affordable and impressive — the mood of a room can change radically with a voice command or a few taps. Automated routines can be created so that you don’t have to manage them. The Wyze Bulb Color has a brightness of 1,100 lumens. It can be controlled using Alexa, Google Assistant, and the Wyze App.

Although it might not be the most romantic gift, a USB-C Cable is a great option. This one has a 6-foot reach with up to 100W power and can be used as a USB-C device. You can use both a USB-C cable and a device. wall adapterIt supports it, so you can expect extremely short charging times. Anker’s cable additionally has a soft silicone texture, and comes in several different colors, such as black, green, and lavender.

The best tech gifts under 50 dollars

This is where gifts get more interesting. While we’re still in “budget” territory, entirely new categories open up, such as smart speakers.

The Echo Dot has long been the king of budget smart speakers, and it’s even better in its fifth incarnation, with improved sound, tap gestures, and built-in motion and temperature sensors for Alexa routines. If you’ve got an Eero router, you can use it to extend Wi-Fi to rooms with low or non-existent connectivity.

The Nest MiniIt is a simple speaker that can be used as a gateway for a Google Assistant smart house. It is a good speaker in this context. And for the price, it’s good enough for radio, podcasts and low-key. ambient music. Just don’t expect perfect clarity or hard-hitting bass.

Roku products are practically the default for media streamersThey do, and with good reason. They may not offer as many features as an Apple TV 4KYou can get most of the way there for much less money than they do, however. You can plug the Streaming Stick 4K directly into a TV’s HDMI port and get 4K HDRIncluding Dolby Vision.

We’d suggest spending on a full-size DeathAdder if you have the money — or large hands — but for less than $50, the V2 Mini is a solid wired gaming mouse. Its 8500dpi optical sensor is extremely responsive and there are six programmeable buttons. Razer Chroma lighting is included, which can be linked with other Razer devices as well as smart home brands such as Twinkly, Nanoleaf, and Philips Hue.

If you’re building a Google-based smart home, a ChromecastIt is almost essential. That’s because Google Assistant makes playing media incredibly easy, whether you’re using the bundled remote, a nearby speaker or smart displayYou can create routines or files in the Google Home App. It’s also worth owning a Chromecast solo, though, since Google TV is highly user-friendly and you’re getting a portable streamer with 4K and Dolby Vision.

It’s not the flashiest gaming headset, and you’ll have to catch it on sale to get under $50, but the Nova 1X is a wired model that works with PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and even mobile devices, as long as you can plug in its 3.5mm audio cable (check first!). It features comfortable earcups, a noise-cancelling microphone, and support for Microsoft and Sony’s spatial sound standards.

The best tech gifts below $100

At this price level, we’re out of the realm of impulse or Secret Santa gifts, at least for most people. These products are gifts you buy for your family and loved ones. They often offer a higher quality product than the price.

The Nest HubSmart display can be used in many environments such as a kitchen, office or bedroom, but it was designed with nightstands in view. Its size and sound are perfect for bedrooms, and there’s no camera to exacerbate privacy concerns. In exchange you get Sleep Sensing, as well as “sunrise alarms,” which can optionally link with Google Assistant-compatible smart lights to wake you up gradually. The Nest Hub can be used to control all Google-based smart home functions, including YouTube and recipes.

While we’re on the subject of speakers, a 4th gen EchoAny Alexa-based smart house should have it as the foundation. Its bass and fidelity are well above its price, and, like the Echo Dot motion and temperature sensors as well as support for expanding Eero Wi Fi networks, it is also very affordable. It doubles as an A/V receiver. ZigbeeHub for compatible smart home accessories In the near future you can expect: Matter Thread.

Though its name is a mouthful, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an aluminum RGB keyboard with optical switches that’s also this cheap, now under $70. The TKL acronym refers to it being a “tenkeyless” model without a numeric pad. It supports Razer Chroma light integration and is equipped with a USB cable that can be detached for added convenience.

Fire TV devices have come a long way, and if you’re not buying a dedicated TV setThe 4K MaxIt is one of the most popular Fire streamers. It is fast and reliable, and integrates with Alexa voice control. The box comes with an Alexa voice remote. You can pair up to two of these remotes if you wish. Echo speakers for wireless TV audio, though you’ll really want each of those to be a 4th gen Echo or Echo Studio. Dolby Vision is another format support. Dolby AtmosHDR10 Plus, and.

The Charge 5 is another one of those options where you have to catch it on sale to meet our price cap, but that’s not hard ahead of Christmas, and what you get is a very capable fitness tracker. The features include an OLED display that is always on and tracking of core metrics like heart rate. blood oxygenGPS data, skin temperature and sleep patterns. The battery can last several days with a single recharge.

Most Philips Hue lights are dependent on a Hue Smart Hub (aka Hue Bridge) to be genuinely useful, since that’s how you get remote control, consistent automations, and links with third-party platforms. The Hue Go still offers all the same benefits, but it can also be used as a portable lamp due to Bluetooth support, button controls and an internal battery that lasts 2.5 to 18 hours depending on the lighting mode. The only catches are that brightness dips when you unplug it, and that it’s not waterproof, so you can’t leave it outdoors.

The best tech gifts for over $100

The sky’s the limit at this point. To be realistic, however, we’re going to keep things under $1,000. Most people will have very specific products in their minds if they exceed that threshold.

The ultimate multi-device headphone, the THE! WH-1000XM5 are where it’s at. They are excellent in sound quality, microphone input, and noise cancelling. They also support a wide variety of formats, including wired connections as well as multipoint Bluetooth if you frequently switch between sources. We wish they were water-resistant so that we could use them during exercise.

AirPods require an Apple device, but Android owners can also take advantage of them. AirPods Pro‘s sound, mic, and noise cancellation technology, including a fantastic transparency mode. Apple users can enjoy enhancements like spatial audio and automatic ear detection. They also have the option to customize their device and seamlessly switch between them.

All Apple Watches must be paired with an iPhone — for now — but if you know someone with an athletic or adventurous bent, the UltraIt could be the perfect accessory for your iPhone. It has a much longer battery life than the Series 8It can run multiple days, has tougher construction, and superior waterproofing. This makes it suitable for diving down to 100m (328 feet). It also features a larger, brighter LCD display, a dedicated action button and dual-band GPS. The emergency siren can be heard up 600 feet (183m) away.

The following earbuds are more Android-friendly: WF-1000XM4. These offer great isolation and noise cancellation, and support for spatial audio through Sony’s 360 Reality Audio standard. They’re also IPX4 water-resistant, so unlike the WH-1000XM5, you can wear them during workouts or light rainstorms without fear.

Being Android Authority, we’d be remiss if we didn’t suggest a few phones as options. There are still great options below the $1,000 price limit, though some of the top-end models are excluded. Take a look at our best Android phone iPhone 14 guides for more details.