The holidays are right around the corner, and everyone has a techie in their life (maybe yourself) who has been eyeing the latest gadgets. In case you need some high-tech inspo, we’ve got the ultimate cool-gadget guide right here for you — and the best part is, we’ve got something for every price point. Happy holidays! You’re about to make a techie really, really happy.
1. BITGEM Webcam Privacy Screen ($5) + eli5e Webcam Cover “Konijntje” ($24): Nowadays, privacy is a bigger issue than ever — and you can stay safer with one of the 3D-printed webcam covers on Shapeways. Plus, they make the best stocking stuffers!
2. Great Useful Stuff TechAway Travel Roll ($25): In case you (or the tech-lover in your life) is always on the road or just needs help staying tidy, this TechAway Roll from Great Useful Stuff is a neat and chic way to keep all your cords organized.
3. ThermoPeanut Thermometer ($29): This itty bitty thermometer is the perfect way to keep tabs on the temperature in a dog kennel in transit, a baby’s bedroom or even in your bedroom at night. This little ThermoPeanut syncs up to a smartphone app too.
4. Philips Hue Motion Sensor ($40): If you want to save your shins while you’re walking to the bathroom at night, invest in a motion sensor that will turn on the lights as you move. If you don’t want the lights to come on full blast, you can even customize your lighting setting.
TECH GIFTS $50 TO $100
5. Amazon Echo Dot ($50): Connected homes are all the rage these days, and the Amazon Echo Dot is a budget-friendly way to smarten up your home. The Dot comes with Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa and can link up to your music accounts, sync up to a Bluetooth speaker and even read you the news.
6. Microsoft Xbox Design Lab Controllers ($80): A totally customizable way to make a gamer really, really happy is with an Xbox Design Lab controller. You can pick out everything from the color of the thumbsticks to the shade of the ABXY buttons. You can even inscribe the controller with his/her gaming handle.
7. Revolar Safety Wearable ($99): While a safety wearable may not be the most fun of holiday gifts, it can be life-saving. This discrete little gizmo tracks your location and has a button on the face where one click sends a text to your loved ones to let them know you’re checking in, two clicks are a yellow alert and three clicks are a red alert.
8. Misfit Ray Wearable ($100): When it comes to wearables, the market is kinda saturated. The coolest thing about the Misfit Ray isn’t its step/sleep tracking capabilities, its sleek design or even how it buzzes to notify you about important calls and texts — rather, it’s that you don’t need to charge it. Ever. The Ray will last you six months straight before you need to replace the battery.
TECH GIFTS $100 TO $150
9. Stacked iPhone Case Bundle ($100): Everyone hates having a dead phone, which is why giving the gift of extra battery life is so awesome. The Stacked iPhone Case will actually allow you to charge your battery via induction with its special case and battery pack. The battery connects to your case magnetically and the case, which plugs into your iPhone, allows you to charge wirelessly.
10. Secur Ultimate Solar Charger ($125): As we said before, battery life is super precious. In case you also like to spend a lot of time out of doors, having a solar charger is super helpful for keeping everything charged up. The Secur Ultimate Solar Charger packs a 10,000 mAh lithium battery and two USB ports for plenty of power.
11. Google Home ($129): Google’s at-home assistant sets itself apart from the fray by harnessing the awesome power of the Google search engine and its trove of tools. In addition to being able to set your calendar and updating your to-do list, you’re also able to search things by voice and pull the weather for where you are.
12. Singlecue Gen 2 ($149): The Singlecue solves the issue of the missing remote, because it allows you to control your TV with just your finger. Channel surf, fast forward and turn on and off with simple gestures. This is the future, everybody.
13. Fitbit Charge 2 ($180): This lavender and rose gold Fitbit Charge 2 is a special edition way to help stay fit through the holidays. In addition to doing all the things a fitness wearable does, the Fitbit Charge 2 also has guided breathing sessions and tracks your cardio fitness level.
14. Moshi Aerio ($149): This herringbone patterned Moshi Aerio messenger bag allows you to transport your tech safely without sacrificing any style. It makes a fantastic work or travel bag too!
TECH GIFTS $150 TO $200
15. Nest Cam Outdoor Security Camera ($199): One way to keep an eye on your home from the outside is the Nest Cam Outdoor. The camera is weatherproof and allows you to both listen in AND talk back. Wanna tell the UPS delivery person to just leave your package at your front door? You can.
16. Canary Flex Outdoor Camera ($199): While the Canary Flex also makes for a great outdoor camera, comes with a magnetic stand that allows you to spin the camera around 360 degrees and works wirelessly, it can also be mounted indoors as a nursery cam, or whatever you need it for.
17. Honeywell Lyric Round WiFi Thermostat ($199): Give the gift of the perfect home temp with the Honeywell Lyric Thermostat. It allows the user to control temperatures from anywhere and even set timers. It also works with your Amazon Alexa, so you can change it up with just your voice!
18. Nixplay Iris Digital Frame ($200): For families that are spread apart, the Nixplay Iris frame is a beautiful, high-tech way to stay connected. You can send images directly to any frame synced up to the app on your phone, which allows your loved ones to see where you are even from far away.
19. House of Marley Stir-It-Up Turntable ($200): For any audiophile, the House of Marley Turntable is a super attractive way to play your records. Plus, in the realm of record players, it’s pretty darn affordable. And yes, unlike the iPhone 7, this turntable comes with a 3.5MM headphone jack.
20. ExoLens Wide Angle Kit ($200): As cameras on our smartphones keep getting better, our phones are rapidly replacing DSLR cameras. The iPhone-ographer in your life would totally appreciate the ExoLens kit, which features a super high-quality ZEISS wide-angle lens and takes photos from zero to 100 in a snap.
TECH GIFTS $200 TO $300
21. Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 ($200): These uber hi-fi headphones immerse the listener in perfect sound. With active noise canceling, smart sensors that stop and start the sound when you remove or put on the headphones and Bluetooth connection for wireless listening, they’re the ideal headphones for any occasion.
22. Simple Human Sensor Mirror Pro ($250): Any YouTube Beauty Guru will tell you just how important the mirror is when it comes to makeup (just don’t use an extra magnifying one for plucking your eyebrows!). With its magnifying magnetic attachment and a sensor that turns on the ring light when your face draws near, the Simple Human Sensor Mirror Pro is the crème de la crème of makeup mirrors.
23. Microsoft Xbox One S ($299): Every gamer has a fave console, and at the top of many a gamer’s list is the Xbox One S. This special edition deep blue console comes with the Gears of War 4 bundle — though you have to be 18 years or older to play the game. Sorry, kiddos.
24. Plume WiFi Pods ($234): The Plume WiFi pods are an extraordinarily pretty way to solve that spotty WiFi problem in your house. These pods utilize the cloud and adapts to your home to optimize your connection. Plug these all over your house (or, for many of us, apartment) and get super fast internet in every corner.
TECH GIFTS $300+
25. Alcatel Idol 4S ($430): The Alcatel Idol 4S comes with a 5.5-inch QHD 2K AMOLED display, a 16-megapixel camera and dual 3.6-watt JBL certified speakers — but the coolest part about this features-packed phone is not actually the phone itself. Rather, it’s the VR goggles that come packaged when you buy it! Plus, the phone is unlocked, so it works on almost every major service provider.
26. Eero WiFi System ($499): When you have a big home, you sometimes get spotty WiFi. You can remedy that by having multiple WiFi routers, but it can get unwieldy as you have to switch networks moving around the house. The Eero System uses their patented TrueMesh technology to blanket your home with WiFi, and unlike extenders, it doesn’t compromise speed. Nice!
27. Google Pixel ($649): The Google Pixel phone was released with much fanfare just earlier this year and has even been dubbed “The iPhone Killer.” If you happen to have an extra wad of cash lying around, this phone is the dream gift for any Android-lover.
28. ASUS Zenbook 3 ($899): It’s not every day you see a gorgeous and sleek navy blue laptop, and even rarer still to have one that comes with its own super chic leather envelope. The gold accents are a nice touch too. But the ASUS Zenbook 3 isn’t just pretty on the outside — it packs some serious heat under the hood as well, with a 12.5-inch Full HD screen, Windows 10 Pro operating system, lightning fast battery charging and so much more.
Want more holiday gift-spiration? Check out the Brit + Co Holiday Gift-Topia and follow us on Pinterest!
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Photo Styling: Kimberly Wang
