In the run up to Christmas, it can be all-too easy to get overwhelmed when deciding what to buy but we’re here to help with our top picks.
Whether you’re looking to bag one of the latest games or even pick up a new phone for a loved one this holiday season, there’s an absurd amount of choice out there and it can often lead to indecision. Of course, with the amount of time we spend testing the latest tech, we simply wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t offer our services during this trying time by highlighting the devices that are actually worth buying.
Keeping a range of budgets in mind, we’ve put together this guide to save you from having to wade through an endless amount of search results so that you can spend less time shopping and more time enjoying the company of your nearest and dearest. We’ve even included links on where you can buy our highlighted products, so all you have to do is decide which one is best suited to the person you’re buying for – it’s that simple.
This page is also updated year-round so if you need to pick up any birthday presents in the New Year, be sure to keep this list bookmarked so you can return when you need to and scope out the latest must-buy products.
Roku Streambar
Let’s face it, there’s no better way to relax after a long day at work than by putting your feet up and diving into some great TV shows. There are plenty of streaming sticks out there that can give you access to most (or all) of the major streaming services, but there’s only one that comes with a serious bump in audio quality, and that’s the Roku Streambar.
This ingenious piece of tech looks like a miniature soundbar, but it includes Roku’s fantastic streaming software to give you an all-in-one experience. In spite of its low price point, the Streambar can still pump out some impressively loud audio, plus it does a good job of heightening the bass and elevating vocal tracks so you won’t struggle to hear what characters are saying.
Eufy Robovac 11S
Even though it’s an essential household chore, vacuuming is hardly a fun way to pass the time and depending on the amount of floor space you have to cover, it can take ages. With that in mind, anyone would be grateful if you could take the vacuuming off of their to-do list, but unless you want to take on the chore yourself then a robot vacuum can be an excellent buy.
Because of their growing popularity, there are some robot vacuums out there that come with tons of bells and whistles and an eye-watering price point to boot. To keep things within a reasonable gift-giving budget however, we’ve opted to highlight the Eufy Robovac 11S which has a wallet-friendly price tag and doesn’t require a lot of smart home know-how to operate. Just charge it up and use the included remote to set the 11S on its course. It’s that simple.
TicWatch Pro 5
We’ve seen plenty of great smartwatches turn up this year but none of them have impressed quite like the TicWatch Pro 5. This Android-pairing wearable is a fully-fledged smartwatch with app support from the likes of Google Maps, Spotify and Google Wallet, but unlike most of its competitors, the new TicWatch doesn’t have the type of battery that requires a daily top-up.
In fact, you can get up to five-days of use on a single charge, with makes the TicWatch Pro 5 an instant winner for anyone who’s been fed up with the battery life of recent Apple and Samsung wearables. Throw in the low-power secondary display that’s easy to read outdoors and the TicWatch Pro 5 is the ideal buy for any Android user who wants to don a smartwatch in 2024.
ESR AirPods Pro Pulse Case
There’s very little doubt that AirPods Pros will already be one of the most popular presents to gift this year, not just because they’re a must-have accessory for iPhone/iPad users, but they’re also amongst the best wireless earbuds you can buy right now. Still, even though they’re a great buy, the AirPods Pro are one of the most delicate products Apple puts out, making an accompanying case a worthwhile investment.
ESR’s Pulse Case is an easy one to recommend in this category – not only is it tough enough to keep your AirPods and their Charging Case safe if they do fall out of your pocket, but it’ll also keep the AirPods themselves secure as its magnetic lock prevents them from flying out, should they hit the floor. Throw in the fact that it’s also compatible with MagSafe charging and ESR’s case becomes a bit of a no-brainer as an accompanying gift to anyone also receiving a pair of AirPods Pros this Christmas.
Click here to buy the ESR Pulse Case
Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker
If you’re on the hunt for an air fryer this Christmas then there’s a good chance that you’ve been eyeing up one of the many released by Ninja. There’s no denying that the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer is the most recognisable of the bunch, but for sheer value for money, you might be better off seeking the Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker.
Not only can this multi-cooker air fry, it can also bake, grill and slow roast, just to name a few features. Having that level of versatility in one device is particularly handy for those with limited kitchen space and, at the very least, you know it’ll get used plenty by the person you’re buying it for.
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
For anyone in the know, you might have done a double take at seeing Cyberpunk 2077 on this list. While it’s true that the game had a fairly disastrous launch back in 2020, developer CD Projekt Red has been hard at work in revamping the open-world RPG, and since the recent Cyberpunk 2.0 patch update the game has finally delivered on its original vision.
As an extra cherry on top, the new Phantom Liberty expansion (which is included with the Ultimate Edition) adds a must-play story which is arguably as strong as the main game, and it’s fronted by none other than Idris Elba who steps into the role of Solomon Reed. All of this adds up to one heck of a package, filled with countless hours of triple-A content that’s well worth diving into if you (understandably) skipped on the game at launch.
ESR iPad Pro 12.9-inch Shift Magnetic Case
As great as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is, its high price tag puts it far outside the range of affordability, particularly around the holiday season where budgets are already tight, which is why the device itself doesn’t score a place on this list. However, if you do know of someone who’s lucky enough to be receiving an iPad Pro for Christmas, or someone who already swears by the unit they currently own then you can sweeten the deal even further by gifting them a highly versatile case.
After all, the usability of an iPad does rely to a fair degree on the accessories you pair with it, which is why ESR’s Shift Magnetic Case is well worth checking out. Because of its malleable design, you can use the case to prop the iPad Pro upright, at a 45-degree angle for drawing or even with some distance from the table itself so it becomes a raised screen, better for watching videos. Given that Apple’s official iPad Pro cases come with a fairly eye-watering price tag, ESR’s alternative is a far more budget-friendly option.
Click here to buy the ESR Shift Case
Mous 25L Backpack
If the person you’re buying for already has every piece of tech they could ever want (what a concept), then it might be time for some outside the box thinking, namely a backpack that’s big enough to fit all of that tech inside of it. To that end, the Mous 25L backpack is the ultimate pick.
As its name implies, this mammoth backpack can fit plenty thanks to its huge central compartment that’s big enough to fit a selection of clothes for a short getaway. There’s also a separate compartment to keep your laptop or tablet safe and secure, plus the backpack itself is water resistant and tough enough to bounce back from some serious damage.
Pixel 7a
Aside from a handful of lucky few, we don’t envision too many people receiving the latest iPhone under the Christmas tree.
The best phones in particular just come at too great an expense to be easily considered as gifts, but if you do know of someone who needs a new handset, or might even be interested in getting their first ever phone, then there’s plenty in the mid-range market to give you bang for your buck.
Out of the current mid-range pack, it’s the Pixel 7a that stands head and shoulders above the rest with Google’s clean take on Android and one of the best camera set-ups for the price. It also helps that the 7a benefits from Google’s guarantee of multiple years of software and security updates, making it a solid investment beyond the initial purchase.
No matter how many technical advancements are made, there are some people who still swear by pen and paper when it comes to note-taking. While it can be ideal for breaking away from your emails and getting your thoughts in order, the lack of digitisation can make it tricky to go back and find a specific note or piece of information that you’ve written down. The Remarkable 2 solves this issue in style.
This e-ink tablet recreates the feeling of writing on a notepad with its paper-like display, and the stylus (sold separately) feels like a pencil in your hands. You can choose between different pen styles and sizes to personalise your notes, and if you need to quickly check up on something you wrote, you can always see notes in the accompanying Remarkable smartphone and desktop app.
Click here to buy the Remarkable 2
Kindle Paperwhite
Amazon’s e-reader has seen tons of revisions since it hit the market, but it’s still a device that we’d recommend in a heartbeat to any avid readers out there, or even former bookworms looking to pick up the habit once more. Even though the standard Kindle and larger Kindle Oasis are available, it’s the mid-line Kindle Paperwhite that’s our top pick.
The latest model comes with impressive clarity that makes text look sharper than ever before, and an included warm light that allows for easier night-time reading. It also helps that Kindle books tend to be a lot cheaper than paperbacks and hardbacks, not to mention the regular 99p offers that Amazon loves to drop.
Echo Show 15
Much like the Roku Streambar, the Echo Show 15 is another all-in-one device that’s hard not to love. At launch, the Show 15 was a large Alexa-powered smart display that could act as your smart home hub for controlling your lights, listening to music, looking up recipes and more. In the time since however, the Show 15’s repertoire has expanded to include Fire TV support.
This means that you can now dive into the latest content from services like Prime Video and Now, making the Echo Show 15 a mini-TV of sorts. Given that the device now sees regular discounts during Amazon’s major sales events, it’s an easy win that’s sure to please any smart home aficionados.
Nextbase iQ
It might seem a little odd to have a dashcam in a gift guide, but if you have someone in your life who’s car obsessed then the Nexbase iQ is second best to buying them an actual car. This thing takes the dash cam concept to the next level, recording crisp 4K video on the go which can then be viewed via the accompanying iQ app on your smartphone.
There’s even voice control built-in, so if you need to tweak anything on the go then you don’t have to deal with any distracting displays. Nextbase also offers a bevy of additional features via a subscription that include automatic SOS detection in the event of a crash which can alert the authorities and ping them your location, plus you can even tap into the iQ’s feed when you’re away from your car, all of which adds up to giving you more peace of mind.
