Best Tech Gifts 2022

Apple’s latest AirPods Pro are packed with updates, including new touch-sensitive controls on their stems, enhanced audio quality, better noise cancellation, more immersive spatial audio (with dynamic head tracking) and a longer battery life. These earbuds make entertainment and calls and virtual calls sound great. Plus, they’re water-resistant and super comfortable to wear, making these earbuds a gift someone can use and enjoy everyday.

If you want to gift high-quality wireless earbuds with some extremely impressive features, the OnePlus Buds Z2s are a great choice for all smartphones. They work seamlessly with iOS, Android, Mac and Windows devices, and cost a fraction of what the competition charges. These earbuds offer active noise cancellation, spatial audio and up to 5 hours of listening time per battery charge (with ANC turned on). They’re water resistant, too.

For someone who has headphones and a smartphone with Qi wireless charging, this two-in-one desktop stand offers a convenient way to display and charge those headphones along with one other device. The stand is well constructed, with an attractive modern design that fits well on a desk or nightstand.

This battery-powered Bluetooth speaker fits in a hand, is waterproof and goes just about anywhere. The speaker weighs less than a pound and easily fits in a backpack, yet it produces surprisingly high quality audio. It supports AirPlay 2 for Apple devices (as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for connectivity to your other equipment) and can last up to 10 hours per charge. When you pair two Sonos Roam speakers together wirelessly, you can get true stereo sound.

While it’s easy to spend $500 or more on a premium quality soundbar, you don’t have to. At just $179, the Roku Streambar Pro easily connects to almost any TV, making it a perfect addition for your living room and tighter living spaces. Not only does this soundbar provide more well-rounded sound with Dolby Audio support, but it also includes a Roku support for streaming 4K movies and shows.

The new GoPro Hero 11 Black camera is perfect for the adventure seeker in your midst. It’s waterproof, rugged, small and able to capture breathtaking content where other cameras can’t. This GoPro captures stills at 27 megapixels and video at up to 5.3K resolution at 60 frames per second. The camera is loaded with specialty shooting modes and features that allow it to be used in bright sunlight, low light or even underwater. It also supports live streaming and wireless connectivity to any mobile device.

While the Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation) doesn’t offer all of the more sophisticated advancements of the new Apple Watch Series 8, the SE provides a vast collection of features which cover the basics and beyond. That includes Apple’s new Crash Detection feature to summon help if you’re in a vehicular accident. This is a powerful, multi-purpose smartwatch for iPhone users that’s good on any wrist, and it tells the time too.

For the avid reader in your life, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is a mid-priced e-reader with a waterproof chassis. This model uses a 6.8-inch Paperwhite display, so it’s easily usable in any lighting situation with little or no glare. It’s extremely thin and lightweight (just 7.3 ounces), which makes it easy to hold during extended reading sessions. Plus, the battery will last up to 10 weeks between charges. The e-reader comes with 32GB of internal storage—enough to hold literally thousands of e-books or hundreds of Audible audiobooks.

For anyone who already uses an Android-based smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is a great tablet companion. It has a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an 11-inch display and 128GB of storage. This package includes Samsung’s S Pen stylus for writing directly on the screen.

When sitting at a desk working, it’s often useful to prop up a tablet so you can view the screen without having to hold it. The Satachi Aluminum Desktop Stand is an affordable and adjustable option with a modern-looking design.

This well-made stand has two adjustable joints, so achieving it to the perfect angle and height for your task is easy. Non-slip rubber grips are used on the bottom of the stand and on the tablet mount itself to ensure there’s no slipping.

The PlayStation 5 gaming console is expected to top every gamer’s wish list. Snag one of these enhanced PS5 wireless controllers while you can. The DualSense Wireless Controller gives better control and greater accuracy, as well as adds haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for use with supported games. This is the perfect companion for the PS5 gaming system.

For the audio lover in your midst, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal offers a listening experience that goes well beyond combining noise cancellation with superior audio quality. Dubbed a high-end gaming headset, Beoplay Portal also serves as versatile Bluetooth headphones with spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. As a result, music, audio from TV shows and movies—as well as games—always sounds extremely immersive and lifelike. This versatile headset has a 2.4GHz wireless connection for low latency gaming, Bluetooth 5.1 for mobile devices and a supplied audio cable to eliminate any latency issues altogether.

The Nintendo Switch OLED is the best way to play a vast selection of video games starring some of the world’s best known characters—among them Mario, Luigi, Zelda, Donkey Kong and, of course, all of the Pokémon. This system offers the widest selection of non-violent and character-driven games suitable for all ages. The Switch OLED Model is the top version of Nintendo’s bestselling game console, with a beautiful 7-inch OLED touchscreen for vibrant animations and graphics, plus improved battery life. You can connect it to a TV to play it in console mode, prop it up with a kickstand for use on any surface, or keep everything in your hands for gaming on-the-go.

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to enhance a room’s ambiance is to add smart lighting. The Nanoleaf Canvas starter kit makes doing so easy, with nine square light panels you can easily attach to a wall using removable adhesive. With the Nanoleaf mobile app, you can choose a color scheme and animation style to match your mood or activity with a few on-screen taps.

Apple’s AirTag is the easiest way for iPhone users to keep track of personal items, like your luggage or keys. These tiny round Bluetooth trackers use the Find My app preinstalled on the iPhone to locate the missing object. The interchangeable battery inside lasts for about one year.