The 38 best tech gifts to give in 2026

Apple's newest smartwatch just landed, and it's a big one. The Series 12 has an all-new health sensing system and a faster, more efficient chip. It also adds a Readiness feature that looks at activity, vitals, and sleep to show how ready they are for the day. If your giftee loves staying connected but keeps their face buried in their phone, this is the gift. The Apple Watch has long been our favorite smartwatch. For Android users, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is a great pick.

The Kindle Paperwhite is still one of the best Kindles you can buy. It has a crisp, glare-free 7-inch screen, faster page turns, and weeks of battery life. It's also waterproof, so it's safe for bath time, pool days, and beach reads. Want color? The Kindle Colorsoft is a great step up.

Skip the chocolate cherubs this year. The LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar hides a new mini build or minifigure behind each of its 24 doors, for a total of 293 pieces. This year's buildable lineup is Mandalorian-themed, and includes Grogu and friends in festive fare. It's a fun daily ritual for Star Wars fans of all ages. Looking for more countdown ideas? Check out our favorite advent calendars.

These earbuds do a lot more than play music. They use AI to translate face-to-face conversations, phone calls, and video meetings in real time—and support 52 languages and 106 accents, plus 13 offline language pairs for spotty Wi-Fi abroad. They're a smart gift for frequent travelers, international businesspeople, and multilingual families.

If your giftee never seems to have time to clean, a robot vacuum is a lifesaver. iRobot rebooted its entire Roomba lineup this summer, and the Roomba Plus 415 Combo is the most giftable of the bunch. It vacuums and mops in one pass and uses LiDAR to map the home. Its compact design also fits under more furniture. Want to go all out? The flagship Roomba Max 775 Combo adds a heated mop and even stronger suction.

The Polaroid Go Gen 3 is the brand's newest and smallest instant camera. It's small enough to toss in a bag, and it turns everyday moments into real prints. This bundle includes a pack of color film, so they can start shooting as soon as they unwrap it. It's a fun, nostalgic gift for anyone who'd rather hang photos on the fridge than scroll through them.

If your giftee wants to track their health without a bulky smartwatch, the Vívosmart 5 is a great fit. It tracks workouts, sleep, stress, and heart rate. The slim band is comfortable enough to wear all day and night. It also has a bigger, easier-to-read screen than the Vívosmart 4, which was our best value fitness tracker pick.

This smart pet camera lets them check in on their furry friend from anywhere. It pans and tilts a full 360 degrees, so there are no blind spots. It also has 8x zoom, night vision, and two-way audio. That means a quick 'who's a good boy?' from the office is just a tap away.

If you know someone who likes to be extra cautious on the road, this is a great gift. The Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3 is tiny enough to hide behind a rearview mirror. It still records crisp 1080p video with a wide 140-degree view—the kind of footage that helps with an insurance claim. A built-in polarizer cuts windshield glare, and voice control lets them save a clip hands-free. Garmin's Mini line has long been one of our favorite dash cams.

Birdfy's bird feeder snaps gorgeous 4K photos and videos of every visitor. Its metal body can handle chewing squirrels, and a solar panel keeps it charged. AI identifies more than 6,000 species, and lifetime bird recognition is included. That means no extra subscription to keep up with.

A sunrise alarm clock is a gentler way to greet the day, especially during dark winter mornings. The Hatch Restore 3 slowly brightens to mimic sunrise. It also doubles as a sound machine with dozens of sleep sounds to help them wind down. Shopping on a budget? The Jall Sunrise Alarm Clock is our affordable favorite.

The LIFX Z is one of our favorite LED light strips. It's a seriously cool way to spruce up a home theater, gaming setup, or office. It syncs easily with Alexa, Siri, and Google, and its color zones let them paint a room in multiple shades at once. Of all the light strips we tested, the LIFX had the best color zones.

A mesh Wi-Fi system is the easiest fix for dead zones and thick walls. If your giftee can never seem to stay connected, this is the gift. The Nest Wifi Pro uses Wi-Fi 6E for faster speeds and blankets the whole home with a strong signal. Setup takes just minutes in the Google Home app. Google's Nest systems have long ranked among the best mesh Wi-Fi systems we've tried.

Help them look their best on every video call. The MX Brio records in sharp 4K and handles low light well. It also has a built-in privacy shutter for peace of mind. It's a great upgrade from a laptop camera for remote workers and aspiring streamers. Logitech's Brio line has long topped our list of the best webcams.

The MacBook Air is the laptop we recommend to almost everyone. The newest model runs on Apple's M5 chip, so it's fast enough for everything from homework to photo editing. It has a gorgeous 13.6-inch display, a sharp 12MP Center Stage camera, and Wi-Fi 7. It's also thin, light, and silent, with battery life that lasts all day.

The MX Anywhere line is home to our favorite wireless mouse, and for good reason. It tracks on almost any surface, even glass. The 3S adds quiet clicks and a sharper sensor. It also has a lightning-fast scroll wheel, roughly 70 days of battery life, and can switch between three devices with the press of a button.

Running out of space is a pain. The T7 Shield is a fast, rugged portable SSD with read speeds up to 1,050MB/s. It's water- and dust-resistant and built to handle drops, so it can go anywhere. It works with PCs, Macs, phones, and gaming consoles.

The Switch 2 is the console everyone wants this year. It has a bigger 1080p screen, sharper 4K output when docked, and new Joy-Con controllers that snap on magnetically. It also plays most original Switch games, so their existing library comes along for the ride. Nintendo's consoles have long been among our favorite game consoles.

The PS5 is still one of the best consoles you can buy. The Digital Edition skips the disc drive, but it keeps everything that makes the PS5 great. That includes lightning-fast load times, the immersive DualSense controller, and a huge library of hit games.

This handheld gaming PC puts their Xbox and PC game libraries in the palm of their hand. It has a smooth 7-inch 1080p screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and comfortable, Xbox-style grips. It also comes with three months of Xbox Game Pass Premium, so they can start playing right away.

If you're shopping for someone who spends a lot of time on their keyboard, this is the one to get. The Apex Pro Mini is the compact version of the best gaming keyboard we've tested. Its magnetic switches let them adjust how far each key travels before it registers. That means lightning-fast response in games and a comfortable feel for typing. It's a great fit for Mac or PC.

The Quest 3S is the most affordable way to get into VR, and it's one of the best VR headsets around. It uses the same processor as the pricier Quest 3. It also supports mixed reality, so they can play games layered on top of their living room. No PC or console required.

The Switch 2 only works with microSD Express cards for extra storage, and big games fill the built-in storage fast. This SanDisk card adds 256GB and is officially licensed for the Switch 2. It's the kind of practical gift that gamers really appreciate.

This is one of the most popular gaming mice around, and for good reason. It weighs just 60 grams, so fast flicks feel effortless. It also has a precise 44K DPI sensor and a lightning-fast wireless connection. Its simple, comfortable shape works for almost any grip. It's an easy upgrade for anyone shopping our list of the best gaming mice.

For the gamer who wants the best picture possible, an OLED gaming monitor is the way to go. This 32-inch display combines 4K resolution with a blazing 240Hz refresh rate. It has perfect blacks and vivid color that make games look stunning.

Game Pass is like Netflix for video games. Ultimate gets them access to hundreds of games on console, PC, and the cloud, including big releases on launch day. It also includes EA Play and online multiplayer. Codes are stackable, so you can gift up to nine months at once.

The AirPods Pro 3 are Apple's best earbuds yet, and some of the best true wireless earbuds you can buy. They have stronger noise canceling and a more secure fit. They also add built-in heart rate sensing for workouts. If your giftee has an iPhone, these are an easy win.

Apple's newest over-ear headphones are a serious upgrade. The H2 chip powers noise canceling that's up to 1.5 times more effective than the original AirPods Max. They also add lossless audio over USB-C, Live Translation, and richer Spatial Audio. They come in five colors, so you can match their style.

Sony's latest flagship headphones build on the XM5s, which were our pick for the best over-ear noise-canceling headphones. The noise canceling is even better, and they now fold up for travel again. They sound fantastic and are comfortable enough to wear for hours. If your giftee takes music seriously, these will make their day.

JBL's Flip speakers always land near the top of our favorite Bluetooth speakers lists. The Flip 7 delivers big sound with plenty of bass. It's waterproof, dustproof, and can survive a drop, so it's ready for hikes, beach days, and backyard hangs. Want Wi-Fi streaming too? The Sonos Roam 2 is a great step up.

Be it turbulence, a crying baby, or the chatty couple in the next row, noisy flights aren't for the faint of heart. If you want to give over-ear headphones without breaking the bank, these are a great pick. We found that 1More's SonoFlow 'offer the noise canceling you'd expect in a pair of headphones that cost twice as much.' With clear sound and preset EQs, they're a major upgrade from wired earbuds.

Whether vinyl actually sounds 'warmer' than digital is up for debate. But the ritual of dropping the needle on a well-loved record will always be special. If your giftee is eager to start a collection, the Crosley C6 is one of our top record player picks. It pairs a classic look with modern perks like Bluetooth.

When kids fall in love with music, it's wonderful to encourage them. So is protecting their ears for a lifetime of listening. These headphones offer balanced sound and noise canceling, but they won't reach volumes high enough to cause damage. Noise canceling also means kids don't need to crank things up in the first place.

The only thing better than a day at the pool is a day at the pool with great music. If someone on your list loves the water but doesn't want to risk their phone, a waterproof Bluetooth speaker is the perfect gift. The Anker Soundcore 2 is one of our favorites, and it's affordable to boot. It keeps the tunes going for hours.

The Roku Ultra has been our favorite streaming device for years, and for good reason. It's fast, easy to use, and streams in 4K with Dolby Vision. It also comes with a backlit, rechargeable voice remote that has a lost-remote finder. That feature alone might save their sanity on movie night.

If someone on your list wants a living room upgrade, this is a big one. Hisense's 2026 U7 uses mini-LED backlighting to deliver serious brightness, rich color, and deep contrast. It also has a high refresh rate for smooth gaming and built-in Google TV. Hisense's mini-LED sets have wowed our reviewers with their value for years.

Most TV speakers just don't cut it. That's why we also review soundbars, and Vizio's V-Series is our favorite budget pick. This soundbar-and-subwoofer combo is a serious upgrade over stock TV audio. It's simple plug-and-play, so there's no complicated setup.

For room-filling, cinematic sound, the Sonos Arc Ultra is hard to beat. It supports Dolby Atmos, placing sound all around the room and even overhead. It also delivers much deeper bass than the original Sonos Arc. If your giftee never misses movie night, this will blow them away.