10 Premium Tech Gifts to Make Their Holiday Season Magical
Credit: Various Brands / Elijah Fox
The holidays are upon us and Christmas is right around the corner. If you haven’t completed your holiday shopping yet, you may want to hurry—time is running out. Many of us are rushing to our favorite stores and online retailers to squeeze in some last-minute gifts, or find that one item that’s been evading us. Due to high demand and supply shortages, many electronic items can be hard to find. Some of the items on this list may be sold out in certain regions or countries, and they may not be available from authorized resellers. Either way, some people in our lives are too important for just any old gift. Continue reading to browse 10 big-ticket tech items for the most important geeks in your life.
MIRROR Home Gym
The Mirror is the home gym from the future. It’s compact, stylish, and—in many ways—invisible. How is it invisible? Because although it’s a home gym, it’s all within a mirror. Yes, that’s right. This gym is a mirror that you look into. But it’s not just any old mirror.
MIRROR is a combination of the smart mirror (“The Mirror”) and smart workout accessories, such as weights and heart rate sensors. For $39 per month, up to six people can use MIRROR and experience unlimited classes displayed on The Mirror itself. Using the accessories, MIRROR can keep track of vitals, provide performance metrics, and more.
MIRROR starts at just $1,495 (although at the time of writing it’s on sale for $995), and comes with The Mirror, a stand, and a lens cap. There are other packages available that include accessories ranging from $1,695–$2,045. Get it here.
Apple MacBook Air
With the introduction of Apple’s M1 chip, the newest MacBook Air is no slouch. Despite its thin profile and silent, no-fan processing, the Air is capable of high-speed productivity and browsing, media-editing, and even gaming, It does it all without breaking a sweat and while maintaining up to 18 hours of battery life.
Although it’s Apple’s entry-level notebook computer, it still comes with plenty of cool features that you might not find on comparable PCs. The Air features a high-resolution retina display with support for P3 wide color gamut—allowing it to display crisp, high-resolution images with 25% more colors than sRGB displays.
The Air also features a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a large Force Touch trackpad made of glass, support for USB 4, Wi-Fi 6, and an 8-core CPU. The MacBook Air is the ultimate statement for students and most people in general. Get it here.
Nintendo Switch OLED
The Nintendo Switch has proven to be the ultimate family game console, largely because of its friendly design, unique multiplayer software, and portability. If you’re unfamiliar with the Nintendo Switch, it’s a game console that can be enjoyed on your TV or played in a portable-handheld mode. A handhold-only model called the Switch Lite is also available.
The Nintendo Switch OLED is the newest addition to the Switch lineup and is only $50 more than the base-model Switch. It features an OLED display that is brighter, is slightly larger, and has deeper blacks and more vibrant colors and even better speakers. Additionally, the OLED system has a dock that lets you connect an Ethernet cable for a faster, more stable Internet connection (where available) and a redesigned kickstand that is less flimsy and allows users to adjust the viewing angle. Lastly, the internal storage has been doubled to 64GB.
The Switch OLED is a great family gift, but like most game consoles it’s in short supply. You’ll need to keep an eye out to get one in time for Christmas.
The Switch OLED is $349. The regular Switch is $299 and the Switch Lite is just $199. Get them here.
DJI Mavic 3
The Mavic Pro from DJI helped revolutionize consumer drones when it debuted in 2016. Since then, many iterations of the Mavic have been introduced. The Mavic 3 is the latest in the lineup and has only been available for a little over a month. The main difference over its predecessor is its jump in battery life (flight time of up to 46 minutes), its improved transmission range (up to 15km), and—most importantly—its improved camera system. The Mavic 3 features a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera with the ability to shoot Apple ProRes at 5.1K.
What sets Mavic apart from other drones is its focus on consumer usability. The Mavic 3 is relatively easy to learn how to fly thanks to its advanced omnidirectional sensors which enable semi-autonomous flight and help assist the pilot by providing obstacle avoidance.
The Mavic 3 can take 20MP still photographs, has 12.8 stops of dynamic range, and features an adjustable aperture (f/2.8–f/11). Thanks to its “Tele Camera” it also has 28x hybrid zoom.
DJI Mavic 3 comes in two models: Mavic 3 and Mavic Cine. Some of the features listed above may only be available on the “Cine” model. The Mavic 3 starts at $2,199. The Mavic 3 Cine is currently only part of the “Fly Premium: DJI Mavic 3 Premium Combo” bundle which is $4,999. DJI also offers a wide variety of add-accessories and extras, and offers monthly payments as low as $199 per month. Get it here.
iPhone
iPhone 13 is the latest smartphone from Apple and features four different models: the standard iPhone 13, the iPhone 13 mini, the iPhone 13 Pro, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. While all models feature an A15 Bionic chip, only the Pro models have a 5-core GPU; the other two phones feature a 4-core GPU. Other than that, CPU performance is the same. The Pro models also feature a better camera system with a LiDAR scanner, a slightly brighter display with ProMotion technology, and a premium steel design.
iPhone 13 is one of the best gifts you can give this holiday season. And it starts at just $699. With iPhone, you give the gift of a camera, a gaming device, a phone, and more all in one simple, beautiful package. Between the standard and Pro models there are nine colors to choose from and three different screen sizes; and with a plethora of accessories and cases, you can give a gift that’s truly unique and personal.
Prices range from $699 to $1,599. Discounts, deals, and financing options may be available from third-party retailers. Apple also offers some financing options as low as $29.12 per month.
Looking for last year’s phones? The iPhone SE and iPhone 12 are also still available as low-cost options starting at $399 and $599.
iMac (24-inch)
The 24-inch iMac makes a great family gift. This iconic desktop option was recently redesigned from the ground up and comes in seven playful colors. It even has a color-matched mouse, trackpad, and keyboard with Touch ID.
The new iMac features Apple’s M1 chip for ultimate power and efficiency when it comes to everyday tasks; and, with its stunning redesign, the iMac is now only 11.5 mm thin!
The beautiful design extends to the 4.5K Retina display capable of displaying over a billion colors and a six-speaker sound system helps compliment any movie you decide to watch on it.
The new iMac starts at just $1,299 and features a 7-core GPU. It’s available in four colors (blue, green, pink, and silver). The 8-core GPU model starts at $1,499 and comes in blue, green, pink, silver, yellow, orange, and purple. Get it here.
AirTag 4 Pack
Apple’s AirTags help keep track of all your items using the Find My network. They’re just $29, but you can buy a pack of four for $99. These small circular tags have a wide variety of accessories to choose from, so you can make them a luggage tag, a keychain, or just use them on their own by throwing them into a bag or purse.
An AirTag can notify you when you leave an item behind, or locate a lost or stolen item. You can engrave them for free to add the perfect personal touch to your holiday gift. Get them here.
iPad Air
Have a digital artist in the family? An avid reader? A student? An iPad can be the perfect gift for a variety of people, and the iPad Air is a relatively low-cost, stylish option that they’re sure to love.
With an edge-to-edge display and Touch ID built into the top button, the Air has some impressive tech without the big-sticker price. It supports the latest Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard, has USB-C, can connect to the internet via Wi-Fi or cellular, and can browse the web for up to 10 hours.
iPad Air comes in five cool colors: Space Gray, Silver, Green, Rose Gold, and Sky Blue. It starts at just $599. Get it here.
Oculus Quest 2
Facebook is rebranding as Meta and since they own Oculus, it’s getting its own rebrand as “Meta Quest.” While Facebook may not be everyone’s first choice when it comes to entrusting our privacy, there’s no denying that Oculus is still a top player in the virtual reality (VR) space.
The Quest 2 is the latest VR system from Meta Quest (again, previously called Oculus), and it’s looking to change the VR game for good. All you need is a headset and a couple of controllers to get started. The Quest 2 starts at just $299 and casual and hardcore games (such as Medal of Honor and Resident Evil) can be purchased and installed. In addition to gaming, you can have VR experiences that include concerts, working out, and watching movies. Multiplayer experiences are also available.
Out of the box Quest 2 includes a VR headset, two touch controllers, a charging cable with power adapter, two AA batteries, and a glasses spacer. You can choose between two storage options: 128GB for $299 or 256GB for $399. Other accessories, such as an extended battery, are available. Get it here.
Sony aibo
So we’ve got phones, tablets, computers, drones, smart gyms, and even virtual reality on this list. What could possibly top that? Well… how about… an artificially intelligent robot dog from Sony that’s been over 20 years in the making?
I’m talking about AIBO or aibo (pronounced like eye-bow), the robotic puppy that will blow your mind. Aibo is an artificially intelligent robot companion/pet that learns from you and the world around it. It’s not cheap, it starts at $2899.99 before accessories and subscription; and yes, you will want the $300 annual subscription to get the most out of your new puppy friend.
Aibo can interact with and recognize you and other people, play with its toys, perform tricks, and listen to commands. When it’s low on battery, aibo will return to its charging station all by itself and take a nap. So what is it? Well… it’s a robot dog. Simple as that. Get it here.
Other Ultimate Gifts
In addition to the gifts we’ve listed here, there are so many other awesome Apple gifts to consider. Like an Apple Watch Series 7 (from $399), a new MacBook Pro 14” or 16” (from $1999), a HomePod mini (now in five colors for just $99), or Apple TV 4K (from $179).
Other big-ticket tech gifts include the hard-to-find Xbox Series X or the PlayStation 5. These consoles are extremely elusive and could make you somebody’s holiday hero.
Do you know where to get any of the hard-to-find gifts before Christmas? Do you have suggestions for other gifts? Help your fellow readers out in the comments or on social media. Thanks for reading, stay safe, and Happy Holidays!