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A set of headphones in any work-from-home (or really anywhere) setup need to be versatile. You need great sound, effective active noise cancellation (ANC) and features that make daily life easier. Of course, they also need to be something you’ll want to use when you aren’t working too. Sony’s WH-100XM6 sits atop our list of best headphones because they check all of those boxes, which makes them the ideal choice for WFH gear for the home office dweller on your list. — Billy Steele, Deputy Editor Read more: The best wireless headphones If the aspiring social media influencer in your life wants to add aerial video to their repertoire with a drone, DJI’s new Neo is the ideal gift. It’s easy to use for beginners, inexpensive at $200 and comes with features like palm takeoff and the ability to capture “smart shots” with no piloting skills required. Your giftee can even use the Neo as a personal camera operator with powerful subject tracking follow modes. The main disadvantage is the high noise level, but that’s usually not an issue for social media use. — Steve Dent, Contributing Reporter Read more: The best drones Tamagotchi Paradise is a delightful reimagining of the classic virtual pet. You get to fill a planet with critters across three different habitats: land, sky and water, or land, forest and water depending on which color device you get. While you can only take care of one Tama character at a time, the pets you've previously raised will remain onscreen and get up to their own antics in the background. The Paradise has a full color screen and a new zoom dial on the side that allows you to switch up the view. You can zoom out to see the whole planet (which you can decorate with cute accessories), or zoom in to see the Tamas in the field, up close and even examine their cells. As with most Tamagotchis, there are also mini-games and a shop built-in. Overall, it's a nice change from the norm for any longtime players looking for some newness, and a great place to start for beginners. Just be sure to buy some rechargeable AAA batteries to go with it. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor This shiny brick never leaves my backpack (except when I occasionally need to refill). As the name suggests, the Anker Laptop Power Bank is big enough to recharge a laptop but it can also give a smartphone multiple re-ups. There’s a display to let you know how much charge remains in the bank and how much power is transferring to your device. The best feature (particularly for the forgetful) are the two built-in USB-C power cables. One acts as a handy carry strap while the other extends up to two feet and neatly retracts back into the battery when you’re not using it. There’s a reason it made the cut in two of our power bank best lists. Anyone who travels a lot, works away from their desk or habitually forgets to charge their phone will appreciate having one of these around. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter Read more: The best power banks A huge segment of the population will appreciate the gift of a Lego set: Kids, kids at heart, those into ‘80s/’90s nostalgia and all humans who like fun. This Lego Retro Radio looks like a vintage AM/FM transistor radio and has a space in the back to hold your phone while it (your phone) plays tunes. It’s not a speaker, but it does include a “sound brick” that emits crackles and snippets of songs when you turn the dial. Like all Lego sets nowadays, you can get instructions via the app, which I find a lot easier to follow than the paper booklet. Either way, the 900-piece set should take a few hours to build and will perk up your giftee’s brain in all the right way. — A.S. The Carlinkit 5 is a tiny device that brings wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to any car that already supports those features over a wired connection. For the busy dad, that means it’s one less thing you have to worry about when starting a family drive. For years, wireless CarPlay access used to be something only reserved for premium cars, so it’s genuinely helpful to have a quick wireless upgrade. While it won’t magically bring CarPlay or Android Auto to very old cars, the CarLinkit 5 is still a simple way to breathe new life into vehicles made after 2016. And in our experience, it’s also lag free and easy to use. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter This Bonaok Karaoke mic is a fun way to channel your inner rock star without needing any other equipment. Like other standalone karaoke mics, it has a built-in speaker, so there’s no need to lug around a separate one or pair it with one you already own. Just connect the mic to your phone via Bluetooth and start singing. But unlike cheaper models, it produces a satisfyingly loud, crisp and robust sound. At maximum volume, it’s booming enough to double as a PA mic in a decently large space. Its built-in controls let you adjust audio settings like EQ, reverb, latency, voice level and the backing track’s volume. It also has a feature that’s supposed to remove the original vocals from songs, but I found it only (at most) muffled them a bit. You’re much better off using Apple Music Sing, the KaraFun app or karaoke versions of popular tracks on YouTube. If you want to perform duets, you can buy two and pair them. Each mic will play the same audio, so you and a loved one will be loud and clear as you entertain your friends with a delightfully awful rendition of “Summer Nights.” — Will Shanklin, Contributing Reporter Hands up those of you who drink enough water every day. Now, are you sure? A Yahoo News/YouGov poll conducted in early 2024 indicated that 33 percent of US adults drink two glasses of water or less per day. The National Academy of Medicine recommends nine glasses a day for women and 13 for men as a baseline, but factors such as climate and exercise levels come into play. If that’s more water than you expected, a smart water bottle can help you stay on track and the Hidrate Spark Pro 2 is a good option, both for yourself and as a gift for someone else. The 21 oz size is probably the right option for most people and the stainless steel build of this model insulates drinks to keep them cold for hours. A Bluetooth sensor puck on the bottom tracks water intake and the customizable LED glows when it's time to take a sip. Phone and smartwatch notifications provide friendly nudges as well. There's the option to enter personal details into the Hidrate Spark app to get a daily hydration goal. The app also allows users to manually log other types of drinks they've had (though some are unfortunately locked behind a subscription). Meanwhile, Apple Health and Watch integration is a big plus for wellness-conscious users who are invested in the Apple ecosystem. Hidrate Spark also syncs with other iOS and Android fitness apps. — Kris Holt, Contributing Reporter Phone photography is great and all, but there’s something undeniably special about capturing moments with a standalone camera. The Fujifilm X Half is the perfect machine for anyone looking to relive the joy of analog film cameras and early-aughts photo-editing trends, or those curious about snapping pictures with purpose. The X Half is designed with social media in mind, featuring a vertical viewfinder, built-in filters and a lever that you can pull to stitch two shots together. It also encourages in-the-moment photography with a Film Camera mode that turns off the LCD preview screen until you’ve finished a virtual reel. In this mode you even have to pull the lever to advance to the next frame, which is deeply satisfying. The X Half is a gorgeous blend of analog aesthetics and contemporary compatibility, best for budding hobbyists and nostalgic Millennials with money to burn. — Jessica Conditt, Senior Reporter Just about everyone takes pictures with their phones, but so few of those images ever become something tangible. There are plenty of ways to print photos from a smartphone, but few methods are easier than an instant photo printer. In our guide to the best instant cameras and accessories, we named the Fujifilm Instax Link Wide the best instant printer because it’s relatively affordable and creates prints with true-to-life colors. A simple Bluetooth connection transfers images from your phone to the printer and the companion app allows you to collage images and add text. Just note that it only works with Instax Wide Film, so you may want to include a pack with your gift. — A.S. Read more: The best instant cameras If you or someone you know has been intrigued by all of the beauty tech you've seen on TikTok or other social media, one of the best bang-for-your buck devices to try is the Medicube Booster Pro. It combines four machines into one well-designed device that is supposed to help you achieve that “glass skin” look that’s so popular now. I’ve been using it for the past three months or so and my skin definitely looks and feels better than it had previously; the most noticeable changes have been slightly reduced pore size in my problem areas (my cheeks and nose) and reduced redness overall. Booster Mode is designed to help your skin absorb your skincare more effectively, while microcurrent mode helps reduce fine lines. Derma-shot mode and air shot mode aid in elasticity and pore care, respectively. Just remember that skincare is so personal, so results may vary. And like all beauty tech devices like this, it's a good idea to consult your doctor before using it, particularly if you have special skincare needs. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor I’ll be the first to say the Pura scent diffuser surprised me. Before testing it out, I didn’t believe such a small device could really inject strong scent into my home. But it didn’t take long before I was proven wrong. The one I have stays plugged in, resolute, in the family room of my home close to the front door, and as soon as I walk in when the Pura is running, I’m met with the lovely smells of Amalfi lemon, lavender fields or whichever other scent I decided to go with. The Pura can hold two different proprietary scent capsules at a time, so you can create very different vibes based on time of day, occasion or anything else you can think of. The Pura app makes it easy to set diffusion schedules per scent, too, and it can pause diffusion all together if you’re away from home. Are you going to get whole-home diffusion from this CD-sized gadget? No (maybe try the Pura Plus for that), but it’ll make the part of your home that it lives in feel much more luxurious. — V.P. Multiple generations of E Ink tablets have carved out a niche for devices that don't do a lot, but are great for taking notes. Unfortunately, most of them are also too big. That's why, for the best balance of grayscale-enabled focus and genuine portability, it's hard to beat the Supernote Nomad. The tablet is the size of a small journal, with a 7.8-inch E Ink display covered in a self-healing film that simulates writing with a ballpoint pen. Its real charm, though, beyond its theoretical upgradeability, is its increasingly capable software. You can sideload just about any Android app you want on the compact tablet, but Supernote has added built-in features, too. Along with reading EPUBs and taking notes, the Nomad can also access your calendar and email. It's not as user-friendly as what you'll get from a bigger brand, but the flexibility is worth it. — Ian Carlos Campbell, Contributing Reporter Read more: The best E Ink tablets Many gamers will spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to get the best visuals from their gaming rigs, only to then use the most basic headphones or sound system. I think that's a shame, because so many games feature incredible music and sound design. If your friend or family member is one of those people, why not give them a great set of entry-level, wired headphones? The Sennheiser HD560S are one such pair, and not only do they sound great, they often go on sale for less than their usual $275 price tag. They also don't require a dedicated amp to get the most out of, so your giftee won't need to invest any more money into them if they don't want to. — Igor Bonifacic, Senior Reporter There’s a good chance that, when your tech-loving companion travels, they bring along the gear that means the most to them. Peak Design’s Tech Pouch will give them a way to organize all of their small gadgets and keep everything neatly in one place. The origami-style pockets can accommodate things like phones, wireless chargers, power banks, adapters, cables and more. Plus the outside shell is water resistant. The bag can stand upright even when open, which will make it easier to find what they need in a pinch, and the exterior pocket has a passthrough opening that will allow them to connect to a power source and charge up items still inside the bag. The Tech Pouch is roomy without being too big or cumbersome, making it an easy gift for anyone who’s constantly on the go. – V.P. If I’m honest, I’m holding out for a new Sonos Five, but the Era 300 is arguably the best Sonos gift you could get someone at the moment — even if you’re unsure of their current audio setup. The Era 300 takes everything about the cheaper Era 100 speaker and kicks it up a notch, with excellent sound quality and spatial audio support, plus built-in mics and Trueplay tuning. The inclusion of spatial audio makes it a bit more future-proof than other Sonos speakers that don’t have that feature, as you’ll get more mileage out of it as more spatial audio content gets released. It also supports Dolby Atmos audio, and you could pair two together for even more booming stereo sound. But even if you’re gifting this to someone who will have it be their main home speaker, it’ll be a hard one to top. — V.P. The top pick in our guide to the best mechanical keyboards, the Keychron Q Max, is essentially a shortcut for people who want a premium wireless keyboard without having to tinker or customize anything themselves. Its aluminum case is incredibly sturdy, its PBT keycaps are crisp, it supports multiple connection modes and its stock switches both sound lovely and feel delightfully bouncy. Keychron has multiple size and switch options available, and just about everything is hot-swappable, so your giftee can shake up the board’s typing feel down the road. There’s even a handy volume knob built in. This doesn’t make for an especially cheap peripheral, but if you’re shopping for someone who wants to get into mechanical keyboards as a hobby — God help them — the Q Max is a great way to spoil them right out of the gate. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter Read more: The best mechanical keyboards The brand-new MPC Live III may be getting all of the buzz right now, but piano players and those unfamiliar with the Akai workflow should still go for the Key 37. This is a relatively budget-friendly way to get full music tracks done without ever heading to a computer. Unlike the MPC Live III, it has an actual keyboard in addition to drum pads. This means you can play the piano as you normally would, without having to attach a controller or trying to figure out standard chords by using the drum pads. In other words, there's no trade off when using this workstation. You have the iconic Akai workflow, along with a host of cool virtual instruments, and a keybed to lay down arrangements. It integrates with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for sending out tracks and there's an SD slot for loading samples. It also connects to thumb drives for even more storage. This is an instrument designed from the ground up to allow musicians to go from idea to finished song as quickly as possible. I've been using this and its bigger sibling, the Key 61, for months and can attest that these are near-perfect music-production devices. — Lawrence Bonk, Contributing Reporter
