Christmas Gadget Gift Guide
Buying the perfect gift can be tricky: it’s a guessing game that merges our budget and ideas, and what a recipient wants or needs.
Thankfully, if you know a gadget fiend, gift-getting becomes much easier. Every year, some electronics bubble up to the surface as perfect Christmas gifts, perhaps because they’re newly-released, there’s been a price drop, or word of mouth is spreading.
What are the presents that people will look forward to seeing under the tree this year? We’ve picked out some of the hottest gadgets for this festive season, suitable for all budgets and lifestyles. If it needed clarifying: we don’t get a commission on purchases and our choices are made completely independently, with only value for money in mind.
3 in one charger
For the Apple fanatic in your life, a three-in-one wireless charger can help keep things tidy, simple and most of all, fully juiced. This MagSafe charger features three areas of wireless technology, so three gadgets can return to full power at the same time, with up to 15W faster wireless charging. The ring charger snaps to iPhones series 12 and later. It rests at a well-designed angle, so you can check the phone as it charges. Then there’s a hook for an Apple Watch to charge, and a power-transferring base that charges up AirPods Pro and AirPods 2nd Gen.
Usefully, LED indicators tell you how much charge a device has left, when it’s charging, and when it’s fully charged. So there’ll be no excuse for running out of battery with this handy contraption.
Buy it from argos.co.uk (£69.99)
Google Pixel 9a
Gifting a smartphone may seem absurd in this economy, but not with Google’s reasonable prices. This year, Google unveiled the Pixel 10, meaning that last year’s model still harnesses recent technology and comes at a knock-down price: at the time of writing, the 9a model is on sale at £349.99. While the 9a is the budget version, it still packs all the power of the brand. Expect it to have a long battery life, integration with Gemini, and a main 48MP camera plus a 13MP ultrawide that takes pictures to the standard you’d expect with a premium flagship phone. Add in seven years of software support, meaning it’s designed to be an investment, and a gift that will keep giving in years to come.
Buy it from currys.co.uk (£349.99)
Lenovo Idea Tab £149
While the array of tablets on the market means that it might be difficult to choose one, it also means that prices are more competitive than ever. For studious personalities, a Lenovo Idea Tab is, well, a great idea. At £149 (half the price of an Apple iPad), it’s a steal for the convenience of a tablet.
It’s not equipped for heavy-duty use (for example, media streaming or gaming) because of its lower brightness levels and difficulty with multitasking. But for taking notes, writing, admin and browsing, it’s an easy to use, value for money option.
Buy it from lenovo.com (£149)
SnoozeBand Deluxe Sleep Mask Headphones
With all the technology we have at our fingertips, it’s no wonder tech can even help us fall asleep faster. SnoozeBand combines the help of a comfy sleep mask with the wizardry of Bluetooth. As your lucky recipient nods off to sleep, ultra-thin speakers tucked in the soft foam play sounds to help them drift off – whether it’s whale noises, classical music or audiobooks. Because it’s designed for sleep, audio warnings like ‘battery low’ won’t blare out to disturb rest, and a built-in timer means it can automatically turn off once they’re fast asleep. How blissful is that?
Buy it from snoozeband.co.uk (£54.99)
JBL Flip 7 Bluetooth speaker
The JBL Flips are one of the bestselling Bluetooth speakers in the UK for a reason: they’re durable, look good, sound even better, and are decently priced for their standard. This year saw an impressive upgrade to their range with the JBL Flip 7. While it looks much the same on the outside, it’s what inside that counts. The power has increased from 30W to 35W, it now supports lossless audio, and AI Sound Boost is its new AI-powered tech that optimises sound in real time. If you want to customise it, the JBL app allows the listener to tweak seven bands instead of three, to deliver music exactly how you like it. The battery life is extended too –expect it to last up to 16 hours if you enable Playtime Boost Mode and forgo a meaty bass.
The biggest drawback to this model is that it no longer features PartyBoost, which links up compatible JBL Flip speakers. Instead, the tech moves to Auracast compatible speakers. That could be great in years to come, but for the moment, note it only syncs with recently-released speakers like the JBL Clip 5, Go 4 and Charge 6. Still, it’s the clear portable speaker of choice this festive season.
Buy it from John Lewis (£79.99)
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