10 Best Gifts of 2021 That Tech Lovers Will Appreciate Nick Tsagaris
Finding the perfect holiday gift for the wonderful people in your life can feel like a daunting task—one that’s especially tricky to navigate when it comes to tech gifts because there are just so many highly rated options to sort through. Plus, this year has brought a major chip shortage, which has caused delays with deliveries and limited product availability for companies like Apple and Microsoft.
FOR THE GAMER: NINTENDO SWITCH; FROM $369 If you’re shopping for the gamer in your orbit, consider the Nintendo Switch. The Switch has become super popular over the years, and for good reason. It offers hours and hours of fun for both kids and adults, and can be used as a handheld device (think Game Boy), as an on-TV console, and in tabletop mode. Your gamer will have access to some of the biggest and best titles, including Super Mario Odyssey and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
FOR THE BINGE-WATCHER: ROKU STREAMING STICK+; $30 Roku products are simple to install and the user interface is friendly and intuitive, making hosting movie nights or binge-watching TV in 4K/HDR easier than ever. With the streaming stick, your giftee will have access to Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Twitch, and more. There’s also an easy-to-use remote and voice control.
FOR THE MUSIC LOVER: NEW APPLE AIRPODS; FROM $175 If your giftee has been longing for a pair of truly wireless earbuds, then look no further than the new Apple AirPods. AirPods have been one of the best-selling earbuds since their inception and they just keep getting better. The 3rd Gen AirPods bring a more pro design with better audio quality and easier charging, thanks to its MagSafe capability.
FOR THE ONE WHO LIKES CHATTING IT UP WITH ALEXA: AMAZON ECHO DOT; FROM $25 Speaking of voice control, the Amazon Echo Dot is the way to go if you’re shopping for a general tech lover or someone who just enjoys chatting it up with Alexa. The tiny speaker is budget-friendly and integrates with your giftee’s Amazon account, which makes ordering and getting shopping recommendations a total breeze.
FOR THE AVID READER: KINDLE PAPERWHITE; $140 Give the reader in your life a major upgrade with Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite. Your giftee will be able to store thousands of stories, comics, and PDFs all in one place. The Paperwhite is waterproof, which makes it the best beach day companion, and it comes in multiple colors, storage options, and a battery that lasts for weeks at a time.
FOR THE APPLE-OBSESSED: APPLE PENCIL AND IPAD MINI; FROM $95 Apple’s mighty Mini finally got a redesign this year, which puts it high on the list of best tech gifts for 2021. If your techie is always on-the-go or just prefers a smaller tablet, then you can’t go wrong with the iPad Mini and its 8.3-inch liquid Retina display. It comes with Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, up to 256 gigabytes (GB) of storage space, and updated cameras for all those Zoom and FaceTime calls.
FOR THE VINYL COLLECTOR: SONY PS-LX310BT BELT DRIVE TURNTABLE; $228 It’s commonly said that vinyl recordings just sound better than digital audio, but we’re not here for that debate. We are here to tell you that the Sony PS-LX310BT turntable would make the ideal gift for a young or old vinyl collector who needs a new record player. Sony has brought a modern take to its turntable, making it fully automatic.
FOR THE ONE WHO ALWAYS NEEDS A CHARGER: POWERONI CHARGING STATION; $31 No tech setup is complete without a charging station, and the Poweroni charging station is top-notch this year. The tech fan in your life will likely already have several devices and all these gadgets will need charging, so why not give them the option to do it all in one place? The Poweroni charging station can power up to six devices via USB ports.
FOR THE ONE WHO LIKES OVER-EAR HEADPHONES: SONY WH-1000XM4 HEADPHONES; $348 No tech gift guide would be complete without the mention of Sony's WH1000XM4. These amazing headphones have managed to snag the position of the best over-ear, budget-friendly, noise-canceling joints you can buy this year. Not only do they produce stunning sound, but they’re also lightweight, comfortable, and totally wireless.
FWHO WANTS A NICE LAPTOP: MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP STUDIO; FROM $1596 If money isn’t an issue for you, then picking up the new Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is a no-brainer. If your giftee needs an upgrade in the laptop department, then you can’t go wrong here. The Surface Laptop Studio is a high-performance laptop with a Haptic touchpad, with multiple ways to use it.
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