Best Tech Gifts 2022

Apple packs its latest AirPods Pro with a slew of upgrades, including new touch-sensitive controls, enhanced audio quality, better noise cancellation, more immersive spatial audio (with dynamic head tracking) and a longer battery life. These earbuds (which work best with any Apple device) make everything sound great. Plus, they’re water-resistant and super comfortable to wear, making them a gift someone can use and enjoy every day.

If you want to gift high-quality wireless earbuds with some extremely impressive features, the OnePlus Buds Z2s are a superb choice for all smartphones (read our full review of the Z2s). They work seamlessly with iOS, Android, Mac and Windows devices, and cost a fraction of what the competition charges. These earbuds offer noise cancellation, spatial audio and up to five hours of listening time per battery charge (with ANC turned on). They’re water resistant, too.

For someone who has headphones and a smartphone with Qi wireless charging, this two-in-one desktop stand offers a convenient way to display and charge those headphones along with one other device. The sturdy stand has an attractive modern design that fits well on a desk or nightstand.

This battery-powered Bluetooth speaker fits in a hand, is waterproof and goes just about anywhere. The speaker weighs less than a pound and easily fits in a backpack, yet it produces high-quality audio. It supports AirPlay 2 for Apple devices (as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for connectivity to your other equipment) and can last up to 10 hours per charge. When you pair two Sonos Roam speakers together wirelessly, you can get true stereo sound.

While it’s easy to spend $500 or more on a premium quality soundbar, you don’t have to. At just $179, the Roku Streambar Pro easily connects to almost any TV, making it a perfect addition for your living room and tighter living spaces. Not only does this soundbar provide well-rounded and robust sound with Dolby Audio, it also includes Roku support for streaming 4K movies and shows from your favorite services.

The new GoPro Hero11 Black camera is perfect for the adventure seeker in your midst. It’s waterproof, rugged, small and able to capture breathtaking content where other cameras can’t go. This GoPro captures stills at 27 megapixels and video at up to 5.3K resolution at 60 frames per second. The camera has specialty shooting modes and features that allow it to be used in bright sunlight, low light, or even underwater. It also supports live streaming and wireless connectivity to any mobile device. Buy from GoPro to get bonuses, like a one-year GoPro subscription and accessories (for $350).

While the Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation) doesn’t offer all the more sophisticated advancements of the new Apple Watch Series 8, the SE provides a vast collection of features which cover the basics and beyond. That includes Apple’s new Crash Detection feature to summon help if you’re in a vehicular accident. This is a powerful, multi-purpose smartwatch for iPhone users that’s good on any wrist—and it tells the time too. (If you’re not crazy about this one, check out our complete list of best smartwatches.)

For the avid reader in your life, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is a mid-priced e-reader with a waterproof chassis. This model uses a 6.8-inch Paperwhite display, so it’s easily usable in any lighting situation with little or no glare. It’s extremely thin and lightweight (just 7.3 ounces), which makes it easy to hold in one hand during extended reading sessions. Plus, the battery will last up to 10 weeks between charges. The e-reader comes with 32GB of internal storage—enough to hold literally thousands of e-books or hundreds of Audible audiobooks.

For anyone who already uses an Android-based smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is a wonderful tablet companion. It has a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an 11-inch display and 128GB of storage. This package includes Samsung’s S Pen stylus for writing directly on the screen. Samsung has several holiday deals on the S8 series. On the S8 specifically, you can currently get enhanced trade-in credit, or an instant credit of $150 you can use towards other Samsung products and accessories if you don’t trade in a device.

When sitting at a desk working, it’s often useful to prop up a tablet so you can view the screen without having to hold it. The Satachi Aluminum Desktop Stand is an affordable and adjustable option with a modern-looking design.

This well-made stand has two movable joints, so adjusting it to the perfect angle and height for your task is easy. Non-slip rubber grips on the bottom of the stand and the tablet mount itself ensure your tablet stays in place.

The PlayStation 5 gaming console tops every gamer’s wish list. For an enhanced gaming experience, snag one of these enhanced PS5 wireless controllers while you can. The DualSense Wireless Controller gives better control and greater accuracy, as well as adds haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for use with supported games. This is the perfect companion for the PS5 gaming system.

For the audio lover in your midst, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal offers a listening experience that goes well beyond combining noise cancellation with superior audio quality. Dubbed a high-end gaming headset, Beoplay Portal also serves as versatile Bluetooth headphones with spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. As a result, music, audio from TV shows and movies—as well as games—always sounds extremely immersive and lifelike. This versatile headset has a 2.4GHz wireless connection for low latency gaming, Bluetooth 5.1 for mobile devices and a supplied audio cable to eliminate any latency issues altogether. Right now, it’s 40% off when you shop at the company’s website.

The Nintendo Switch OLED is the best way to play a vast selection of video games starring some of the world’s best-known characters—among them Mario, Luigi, Zelda, Donkey Kong and, of course, all the Pokémon. This system offers the widest selection of non-violent and character-driven games suitable for all ages. The Switch OLED Model is the top version of Nintendo’s bestselling game console, with a beautiful 7-inch OLED touchscreen for vibrant animations and graphics, plus improved battery life. You can connect it to a TV to play it in console mode, prop it up with a kickstand for use on any surface, or keep everything in your hands for gaming on-the-go.

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to enhance a room’s ambiance is to add smart lighting. The Nanoleaf Canvas starter kit makes doing so easy, with nine square light panels you can easily attach to a wall using removable adhesive. With the Nanoleaf mobile app, you can choose a color scheme and animation style to match your mood or activity with a few on-screen taps.

Apple’s AirTag is the easiest way for iPhone users to keep track of personal items, like your luggage or keys. These tiny round Bluetooth trackers use the Find My app preinstalled on the iPhone to locate the missing object. The interchangeable battery inside lasts for about one year.

Wear the Oura Ring Horizon 24/7 on your finger. It automatically tracks movement, breathing, blood oxygen level, body temperature and more. With its smartphone app, it provides comprehensive feedback and guidance while serving as an accurate sleep monitor and sleep coach. The ring can even predict when you’re getting sick and warn you of anything unusual based on its ongoing readings. It’s a great gift for anyone who is health and fitness conscious or who wants to better understand how their body reacts to their daily living, sleep, stress level and activity habits.

This brand-new action camera from Insta360 shoots 72-megapixel still images and 4K video at up to 60fps. It also captures stunning 360-degree still images and 5.7K 360-degree video, for creating you-are-there vistas. You can hold the vertically designed X3 in one hand, or you can mount it on a selfie stick or tripod. It’s waterproof, temperature resistant and durable. Whether you’re shooting from a first- or third-person perspective, the X3 is easy to operate and versatile.

Ideal for a household that wants to enhance security and monitor who approaches their doorway, the Google Nest Video Doorbell is a low-cost, versatile option. It works with the Google Home app and is compatible with Google Assistant and Alexa. This video doorbell’s camera offers a 145-degree field of view with a 6x digital zoom. It displays and records video at 960 x 1,280 resolution and has built in night vision. Two-way audio allows the user to speak with anyone who approaches their door from their smartphone, table, or Google Home hub.

The SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD V2 is not only portable, it is also waterproof and extremely durable. It’s ideal for reliable data storage and creating backups on-the-go, regardless of where you are. This drive has a speedy 2,000MB per second read/write speed over the supplied USB Type-C cable. Choose among 1TB, 2TB and 3TB capacities.

For the tech-savvy people in your life who already own all the latest gadgets, this 4-in-1 wireless charging mat can power multiple Qi-compatible devices—including a smartphone, smartwatch and wireless earbuds—at the same time. Plus, it eliminates cable clutter and keeps all of your devices in one place.

Whatever your chosen beverage—coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or some other wintertime concoction—this 14-ounce mug keeps your drink at a consistent temperature. You can select a temperature between 120 and 145-degrees. The internal battery lasts for up to 80 minutes, but the included charging coaster keeps the mug operational all day. Control it using an iPhone or Android mobile app.

Ideal for a child’s bedroom, kitchen, or dorm room, this 24-inch smart TV offers 720p resolution and is ready to stream content from almost any video streaming service thanks to its integrated Amazon FireTV operating system. It comes with an Alexa-enabled voice remote. Best of all, the TV comes in at well under $100.

The Netvue Birdfy Feeder Cam is the ideal gift for a bird watcher or nature enthusiast. This weatherproof bird feeder has a built-in 1080p camera so they can watch activity live or see recorded footage via their smartphone or tablet. Best of all, the camera uses artificial intelligence to immediate identify over 6,000 bird species. An optional $4.99 monthly subscription unlocks additional features. The feeder holds up to 50 ounces of food and is easy to fill from the top.

The Apple AirPods Max get our nod as Best Wireless Headphones For Apple Users. However, they also work well with any Windows computer or Android mobile device. Apple users, however, get to unlock extra functions since these headphones seamlessly integrate with Apple’s iOS and MacOS operating systems. What we love about these headphones is the spatial audio with dynamic head tracking which makes most music, TV shows and movies sound truly immersive—as if the audio is happening all around you, even if you move your head. The sound quality is top-notch. Battery life is up to 20 hours. If you’re looking for a premium gift for an Apple fan in your life, the AirPod Max headphones are it.

What sets the Amazon Echo Studio smart speaker apart from other Echo smart speakers? This one fills a room with high-quality, 360-degree streaming audio and makes it sound amazing. Of course, with the Alexa digital assistant built-in, this smart speaker also responds to voice commands and answers questions. Plus, it can control other smart equipment within a home. Its conical shape houses five speakers which together create traditional stereo sound and Dolby Atmos spatial audio (which presents a wider sound stage). It’s also compatible with a variety of streaming audio services—from Amazon Prime Music, Audible and Spotify, to Tidal, Pandora and Apple Music—so it’s great for listening to music, audiobooks and podcasts.

The tenth-generation Apple iPad features a beautiful 10.9-inch touchscreen with up to 500 nits brightness. While it’s not Apple’s top-of-the-line iPad, this is a great “starter” tablet for adults or students, with 64GB of storage onboard (256GB is an extra-cost option). The tablet has Apple’s A14 Bionic chip inside, a step up from the previous generation, but not as powerful as the pricier iPad Air or iPad Pro. The rear camera gets an upgrade, while the front camera gets a new location for improved video calls.

This handy little device lets iPhone gamers experience control over their favorite mobile games as if they’re playing a PlayStation, complete with the enhanced control of analogue triggers, tactile buttons and clickable thumbsticks. It also allows them to play any games offered by the PS Remote Play, Xbox Game Pass, Steam or Apple Arcade online gaming services (plus other online gaming networks too). The Backbone One Mobile Gaming Controller for iPhone supports any iPhone, including the latest iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. This device’s design is similar to the popular PlayStation DualSense controller. It’s a great gift for PlayStation gamers who also have an iPhone.

Not only is this portable Bluetooth speaker stylish, waterproof and extremely rugged, it’s one of the few with this shape to make music sound superb—complete with a decent level of bass. It’s also great for streaming podcasts and audiobooks from an Internet-connected mobile device or computer. The battery lasts up to 15 hours. And if taken into the tub or a pool, the Boom 3 floats.

The Xebec Tri-Screen 2 is the perfect gift for multitaskers. It attaches to almost any laptop—without magnets or glue—and provides two additional 10.1-inch, 1,920 x 1,200-pixel pull-out screens for additional screen real estate. The super thin unit weighs under two pounds and fits in a laptop bag. The displays have a 60Hz refresh rate, adjustable brightness and 180-degree rotation.

The Attop X-Pack 18 is an easy-to-fly portable, foldable drone suitable for pilots over the age of 12. It comes with a convenient carrying case, plus two batteries. Each battery offers enough juice for a 20-minute flight. The built-in 1080p camera provides a 120-degree field of view, so you can capture stunning wide-angle video or still images during flights—all while piloting the drone from a smartphone that’s connected to the supplied controller. The drone is also compatible with most VR glasses.

Regardless of your TV’s size, if you want to improve sound quality—and make the dialogue easier to understand—the compact Polk Magnifi Mini delivers big sound to fill a small to mid-size space. The soundbar even comes with a wireless subwoofer that helps make anything you’re watching sound more immersive and lifelike. It works with any TV, cable box, or satellite TV setup and offers virtual surround sound. However, if you want genuine surround sound, you can buy the Polk SR2 Wireless Surrounds rear speakers separately ($199). This soundbar includes two 0.5-inch (round) tweeters and four 2.25-inch (round) midrange drivers that generate 150 watts of audio power.

This color LED light panel is ideal for shedding light on any subject while on-the-go. It offers selectable colors, adjustable brightness and includes a silicone softening diffuser. The 4.8 x 2.6 x 0.3-inch light panel has 210 full-color LEDs and lasts up to 90 minutes with continuous use at 100% brightness. It includes a cold shoe camera mount and a tripod mount. This light makes a great gift for amateur photographers and social media content creators alike.

Suitable for any smartphone, the Joby GripTight Pro GrillaPod is a portable tripod with flexible legs that can adapt to an uneven surface or securely wrap around an object. The tripod allows the smartphone to be positioned in portrait or landscape mode and it has a cold shoe mount on top to hold an external light or microphone. This is a great gift for smartphone photographers, content creators and frequent travelers.

For anyone who wants an affordable and versatile tablet, the Amazon Fire HD 8 fits the bill—and it is a good choice if you use Amazon’s digital media services. It has pre-installed apps to handle a wide range of tasks—from listening to music and streaming video, to shopping and managing email. This basic model comes with 8GB of internal storage. It can expand to up to 1TB using an optional memory card. The eight-inch display offers 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution. The tablet itself supports wired or wireless charging and has up to a 12-hour battery life.

The Original Rubik’s Connected is a recreation of the traditional Rubik’s Cube puzzle, but with a high-tech twist. This device pairs wirelessly with a mobile device and uses an app that helps you solve the puzzle or lets you compete against others from around the world who are trying to solve it. It includes a selection of mini-games using the cube and app.

You can attach this affordable Govee light strip to the back of any TV and use the device’s camera to match the colors and brightness in real-time to what’s being watched on the TV screen. This creates a more immersive viewing experience that works perfectly on any TV with a screen size between 55 and 65 inches. You can also control the lights using a mobile app or voice command via Alexa or Google Assistant.

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, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. It also works with any Qi wireless charging device. It uses a USB Type-C port for charging. Inside sits a 5,000 mAh lithium-polymer battery.

The best streaming devices plug into your TV’s HDMI port and connect to Wi-Fi to stream content from virtually any popular video or music streaming service. For Apple users, look no further than the Apple TV 4K (2022, 64GB). Not only does the Apple TV work for streaming, but it also supports AirPlay—so you can mirror anything that’s displayed on an iPhone, iPad or Mac’s display on your TV screen, including digital images from the Photos app.

The Victrola Re-Spin is a record player complete with built-in speakers, subwoofer and Bluetooth—all bundled into its own suitcase-style carrying case. It’s ready to play classic or new vinyl records in minutes. It’s also the perfect way to introduce a new generation of digital-savvy young people to the world of vinyl records. The belt-driven, three-speed turntable has anti-vibration bushings to prevent skipping and scratching.

These comfortable wireless earbuds are a great choice for frequent travelers and office workers. They have excellent noise cancellation, and they can adapt to your environment as the level of ambient sounds change. You never have to tinker with volume control as you move from louder areas to quieter ones, or vice versa. The noise cancellation also contributes to producing crystal-clear, hands-free phone calls and it works exceptionally well with or without listening to audio. Enjoy near total silence when you want to sleep on a noisy airplane, for example.

Tech-savvy kids between the ages of eight and 12 will love this easy-to-use yet powerful smartwatch. It requires a $10 per month cellular service plan to allow for phone-free texts, voice messages, safety and tracking features. Instead of allowing a child to make calls, it offers voice and text messaging between a child and up to 20 pre-approved people. And while a parent can check the location of their child anytime, it also allows a child to quickly call for help. The Do Not Disturb feature prevents the wearer from using most watch features during school or at night.

The iSteady Mobile+ gimbal stabilizer offers a low-cost way to create professional-looking video footage using a smartphone. It’s ideal for vloggers and vacationers who want to eliminate shaking in their footage and create smooth and steady content. This device offers face and object tracking, along with 600-degree rotation at the touch of a button. It weighs just over one pound and is compact. The 3-axis gimbal also doubles as a tabletop tripod. The internal battery lasts for up to 13 hours of continuous use.

The gamers in your life will love this exclusive Lovesac Xbox bundle. It includes an Xbox Series S gaming console, a three month Ultimate Game Pass and a Lovesac Supersac with a limited edition velvet Xbox-themed cover. Forget needing a couch in the game room, since up to three people can sit back and relax on this plush Supersac that uses Durafoam stuffing. It comes with a lifetime guarantee. This unique bundle is only available for a limited time, exclusively from Best Buy.

Available in eight colors, the Courant Catch:3 offers an elegant way to wirelessly charge a Qi-certified mobile device, such as a smartphone. Made from premium Italian leather, this charger looks great on a desk or nightstand. It also helps eliminate cable clutter. On the left is a wireless charging pad and on the right is a shallow, catch all tray for placing your wallet, keys and other small items. It measures 11 x 8 x 0.6 inches.

This low-cost security system is ideal for small homes, condos or apartments. It includes all the features you need to secure your space—a base station, keypad, contact sensor, motion sensor and range extender. It works with any Amazon Alexa smart speaker to arm and disarm it using voice commands. When triggered, it’ll send an alert to your smartphone. You can add professional, 24/7 monitoring starting at $3.99 per month. For an additional $30 each, add new Ring Panic Buttons that can summon emergency help with a single three second press. This gift offers security and peace of mind every day and night.

Increase multi-tasking efficiency with this Lepow portable monitor. It adds a 15.6-inch 1080p screen with two built-in speakers to any computer. With two USB Type-C ports and a miniHDMI port, you can easily connect a computer or gaming console. This monitor weighs just 1.7 pounds and is a mere 0.3 inches thick, so it’s easy to carry around. A smart cover that doubles as a stand protects the monitor when you take it on-the-go. At this price, it makes sense to buy one for the remote workers or frequent business travelers in your life, as well as for yourself.

Mujjo offers a full-line of beautiful leather cases for most iPhone models. This one for the iPhone 14 Pro Max offers a slim profile that wraps around the back and sides of the phone for protection, while making the phone itself look stunning. On the back is a convenient three card wallet. It’s available in black, blue or tan. One cool feature is the raised lip on the back that surrounds and protects the cameras, without blocking the lenses or flash. It’s a beautiful case with a slim, simple and sophisticated design.

The Trova Go is a portable biometric safe that can hold a collection of small items—like prescription medications, cash or jewelry—while you’re traveling. Forget having to remember a combination or unlock code. This safe can easily be unlocked via your smartphone’s built in biometric verification tool (FaceID or fingerprint scan). Trova Go also uses your smartphone’s GPS, so you can pinpoint the safe’s last known location if it gets misplaced or left behind. It fits easily in a jacket pocket, purse or briefcase. The safe itself weighs about one pound and measures 6 x 2.9 x 1 inches. Trova Go offers a sleek and durable, all-metal design that pairs with your smartphone wirelessly via Bluetooth.

The new Sony ZV-1F camera is the perfect gift for a vlogger or content creator. Made for vlogging, this camera is chock full of features that content creators will truly appreciate—like autofocus tracking and the ability to defocus the background with a single button push. There’s also a soft skin effect that makes people look their best and image stabilization for shooting while in motion. The Product Showcase feature allows the camera to focus on an item the content creator holds up and then refocus on them when they put it down. Check out our full review of this powerful camera.

While the Amazon Kindle e-readers offer a plethora of great features, one reason to go with the Kobo Clara 2E is that this e-reader makes it very easy to borrow e-books and audiobooks from your local library, directly from the device. Of course, you can also purchase individual e-books and audiobooks from the Kobo Store. It offers a glare-free, six-inch E Ink display and has dark mode, a front light with adjustable brightness and color temperature and blue light reduction—so it’s easy on your eyes in any lighting situation. The Clara 2E is also waterproof (IPX8 rated). It comes with 16GB of storage—enough to hold thousands of e-books or hundreds of audiobooks.

Discover a new twist in smart lighting you can use to decorate a wall and provide colorful ambient lighting to any living space. This kit comes with seven thin, Y-shaped light panels you can configure in a visually interesting, custom design on any wall. Each panel is applied using a supplied adhesive strip. Then, using an app, the panels can light up in your choice of 16.8 million colors. The app also includes more than 40 pre-programmed scenes and eight music-syncing modes.

Sure, investing in crypto currency can be risky. However, to reduce the risk of having a digital crypto wallet stolen, the Ledger Nano S is the perfect tool—especially for novice investors. This small device offers security (a CC EAL5+ a security chip), along with the ability to buy, exchange and manage crypto currency assets. It supports Bitcoin, Ethereum and other popular crypto currencies. It works in conjunction with a proprietary smartphone app.

For someone who enjoys reading and making hand-written notes, the brand-new Kindle Scribe serves as a full-featured Kindle e-reader (that also plays audiobooks) and a virtual notepad in one. Featuring a roomy 10.2-inch Paperwhite display which is glare-free, in any lighting situation the Scribe comes with a pen-shaped stylus that allows you to handwrite, draw or annotate directly on the screen (although writing on books and other content is limited to using a digital pop-up note). While you can take notes within e-books as you’re reading, you can use Scribe as a virtual notepad. It comes with a variety of page templates, including lined paper, grid paper, and checklists. Battery life is up to 12 weeks, and the stylus doesn’t require charging.