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The best gadget gifts are the ones that you can show off, and each product on our list is made for just that. These are gifts that are perfectly practical and bold by design. There’s something here for everyone: Rugged outdoor gear for the camper and backpacker; fun board games for the homebody friends who loves gatherings; high-tech self-heating mugs for hot coffee and tea drinkers; headphones and earbuds fit for audiophiles; musical instruments; retro-cool digital watches; and culinary tools for those chefs who love cooking at home.
It doesn't matter if they're a professional techie or new to the world of innovative, beautifully-designed products, these are gifts for friends and difficult-to-shop-for family members—you know, the folks who say they don’t want anything this holiday season but secretly do. We went deep and pulled together a gift guide of 40 gadgets fit for
outdoor lovers, DIYers, tech gurus, and all-around nerds. Just be sure to keep those receipts! Impress everyone and anyone you're shopping for this holiday season and check out our recommended gift guides for husbands, hilarious gags, travelers, movie lovers, and woodworkers.
Everyone could use a bit more tidiness in their lives. What better place to start than with one’s gadgets? The Orbitkey Nest is like a wallet for your charged devices. Pack everything into one neatly organized console—cables, earbuds, glasses, power banks. It even includes a built-in wireless charger for your phone.
Rather than fussing around with a dinky corkscrew that’s been sitting in a drawer for years, your loved one can easily and efficiently pop the top of their favorite wine with an electric opener. This design from Secura is quiet, rechargeable, and operates with a single push of a button.
The Anker Nebula Capsule II is about the size of a soda can, but don’t let its size fool you. This little projector packs a ton of handy features for cinephiles, gamers, and casual viewers alike: Android TV, voice control, a built-in speaker, and a bunch of connection options. It also projects up to a 100-inch image on most surfaces.
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Lighters are usually cheap, flimsy, and sold in single-use plastics. If you know a smoker or someone who just really loves candles, consider gifting them the last lighter they’ll ever need.
Dissim’s Inverted Lighter is ergonomically designed to be comfortably held and used. It has a circular grip so you can easily use it upside down and an angled flame to prevent burns.
It’s also refillable and made from cast metal, so no more single-use plastic. They’ll never want to lose this guy.
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For the Novice Musician
Korg Korg Synthesizer (25-Key)
You don’t have to be a musician to have fun with a synthesizer, especially not one as rudimentary as the Korg Monophonic. This entry-level, programmable synth includes two oscillators, a 16-step sequencer, analog circuitry, and plenty of filtering and sound-shaping tools to create a wealth of soundscapes for any style of music.
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For Purification Zealots
LARQ Self-Cleaning and Insulated LARQ Water Bottle
Cleanliness is next to godliness, and the LARQ Bottle is probably the cleanest water bottle you’re likely to find. Why? Because it includes a UV sanitizing light that purifies any water you put in it. Add your water, touch the button, and wait 60 seconds for pristine hydration. Pretty cool!
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These fun and decorative smart lighting panels will awaken anyone’s interior designer. Lights can be arranged in any pattern to add a dash of ambient lighting to any space. It’s even touch-activated, with programmable patterns and actions that respond to hand gestures.
Digital picture frames add a new dimension to family photos, drawing your attention to its programmable cycling of images like no static frame could.
Would you want every frame in your house to be digital? Of course not. But a well-placed, Wi-Fi-enabled digital frame like this one from AEEZO is a gift that can awaken joy with spontaneous delight.
A throwback worthy of wearing today (and everyday), the CA53W-1 is Casio’s premiere calculator timepiece. This gadget debuted in the ’80s and it still has a type of nerdy-cool that most modern watches can’t replicate. It’s also affordable, surprisingly, at under $25.
For a watch that has water resistance, a 12/24-hour format display, a full auto-calendar, a daily alarm, and a stopwatch in addition to a fully functioning calculator, that’s a pretty good deal and gift for almost anyone.
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Whether you know a console or PC gamer, it doesn’t matter—this controller should appeal to both. With a simple plug-in to the iPhone’s charging port, the Backbone One turns a phone into a responsive gaming machine.
This controller allows anyone to stream from their PC or console using cloud-based gaming, or simply play iOS games from their device. Grab one for the gamer in your life so that they can play anywhere.
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For the Indoor Grower
AeroGarden Harvest 360 Indoor Hydroponic Garden
Grow stunning and delicious herbs inside this gadget without the mess of soil. This hydroponic grow kit includes a control panel that will tell you when you need to add water or plant food, and it automatically turns its lighting system on or off.
The kit includes a seed pack with Genovese basil, curly parsley, dill, thyme, Thai basil, and mint. But owners can grow whatever they’d like!
A good knife has more uses than you know and makes a great gift. As one of our favorite folding pocket knives, the CRKT M16-14ZSF never seems to lose its handiness. It’s sharp, well designed, and extremely durable. It features a glass-reinforced nylon handle, Triple Point serrations, and a tough design. After many years of use, we’ve found it’s still going strong—and sharp.
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The idea of a “sleep assistant” may sound silly—until you try it out. This portable, tabletop gadget packs a lot of features into one elegantly designed package: a sound machine, sunrise alarm, smart light, meditation app, and alarm clock. It comes packed with soothing content, personalized alarm sequences, and a library of calming sounds and lights.
Maybe there aren’t many situations where you wish you had a saw on you, but...maybe you know someone who did?
This tool is cool enough to entice anyone to always have that one on them, and it’s so compact, it almost feels like an everyday essential. This thing weighs less than 5 ounces and features a high-carbon steel chain that can be operated with the use of two heavy-duty handles.
If you know an outdoorsy type who camps often and needs help collecting firewood, or someone who is an all-around handy person, this might be the pocket tool they didn’t know they needed.
A portable charger is always a valuable gadget on the road. Even if you’re at home and need to charge a device away from a socket, an external charger is the ultimate convenience. And the Anker PowerCore is among the most trusted chargers. With a 10,000mAh battery, it has enough juice to charge an iPhone 12 twice.
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“How can such ripping sound come from such a tiny speaker?” That’s what you’ll be asking yourself after playing tunes from this capable little Bluetooth can, which features a very impressive bass response, even midrange, and complex highs—especially for a speaker that costs less than $40. This is a perfect gift for any on-the-go music fan.
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For Surfers and Fishers
G-Shock G-Lide GBX100-7
Know someone who is always watching for waves? If they’re a fisher, surfer, or someone who just really enjoys the sea, they’ll love G-Shock’s G-Lide GBX100-7.
This smart gadget can handle up to 200 meters of water pressure, plus it also tracks the current moon phase, as well as the times of sunrise and sunset. It counts steps, too, and links to smartphones via Bluetooth, so they can track their step count and keep their eyes on their favorite seashores.
This nifty koozie is a tiny sack that packs down onto itself, making it simple to put in a pocket or backpack. Made of 100% post-consumer recycled materials and a ripstop fabric that prevents tears, this may be the cutest blankie to whip out at the party.
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This smart coffee drip from Snow Peak is the perfect gadget for outdoor enthusiasts who need an easy way to brew outside, or need a space-saving drip for home.
This stainless steel system is completely collapsible and weighs less than 4.9 ounces, which makes it great for packing along for long bike rides and backpacking trips.
It works well with Chemex and Hario V60 filters, and like all Snow Peak products, comes with lifetime warranty and repair.
If you have a giftee in mind who travels all the time, Matador’s FlatPak toiletry case is the ultimate accessory.
Made with an incredibly tough and flexible Cordura fabric, this bag is waterproof and leakproof, meaning they can use it in the hotel shower if they so desire. It has a rolltop closure and a YKK buckle for extra security. With two liters of space, it has enough room for all of the essentials.
Tyler Lynch
Tyler Wells Lynch is a writer and editor who specializes in home, DIY, music, and computers. As a freelance journalist he covers a variety of environmental and public policy issues, with bylines appearing in The New York Times, USA Today, Vice, HuffPo, Sierra, Yes!, Business Insider, and Reviewed, among others. In between writing ventures, Tyler enjoys running, cooking, playing music, and exploring the New England coast, where he lives with his wife and his dog Billy.
Kevin Cortez
Commerce Editor
Kevin Cortez is an editor for Runner's World, Bicycling, and Popular Mechanics covering reviews. A culture and product journalist for over ten years, he’s an expert in men’s style, technology, gaming, coffee, e-bikes, hiking, gear, and all things outdoors. He most recently worked as the Style Editor for Reviewed, a top product recommendation site owned by USA TODAY. He also helped with the launch of WSJ's Buy Side commerce vertical, and has covered the music and podcast industries for Mass Appeal, Genius, Vulture, Leafly, Input, and The A.V. Club. Equally passionate about leisure as he is his penmanship, Kevin dedicates his spare time to graphic novels, birding, making cold brew, and taking long, meandering walks.
