Maybe this is the twelvemonth your partner eventually wants to ditch bodily books and clasp the e-reader; or perchance you desire to assistance create your parent's residence a small smarter. As the gift-giving period approaches, Lifehacker's personnel of tech experts and merchandise reviewers has selected our Gift of the Year winners throughout 15 categories. From smartphones, tablets, and e-readers to fitness trackers, gaming equipment, power tools, and more, these are the items we think are the most gift-worthy in 2026.
Best Smartphone Gift of the Year: iPhone 17e
If you’re purchasing a smartphone for person on your list, you have no deficit of options. But for most giftees out there, the iPhone 17e is the finest choice. This isn’t the finest iPhone, but that’s the point. For a starting cost of $699, you get an iPhone alongside a high-quality display, a firm sole rear camera, and Apple’s A19 chip, the second-best processor the business currently makes. You sacrifice several features here, akin a high-refresh-rate display, higher-quality cameras, and a faster USB-C port, but those things won’t matter to most. The bulk of us desire an iPhone that can obtain awesome photos, dispatch iMessages, obtain FaceTime calls, and run our favorite apps. The 17e can do that, without the exorbitant cost tags of Apple’s additional premium iPhones. If your giftee needs an Android, that’s a distinct conversation, but for Apple fans, or the platform-agnostic in your life, the 17e makes a awesome smartphone gift.
Best Tablet Gift of the Year: iPad (A16)
Apple’s finest iPad for most group is the one merely called the “iPad.” This tablet, sometimes called the “iPad A16” or “iPad (11th generation),” comes alongside all the features you’d anticipate from an Apple tablet. It has a firm 11-inch display, Apple’s A16 part to run iPadOS 27, a camera on the rear for scanning documents and ray photography, a camera on the forefront for video calls, and the choice to use an Apple Pencil if you wish. It’s compatible alongside all of the apps on the App Store, and it can grip nearly all iPadOS characteristic Apple makes—minus Apple Intelligence, but that power be a perk for some. While it’s far from Apple’s finest iPad, it’s really the finest for most people—that’s why it’s our choice for the finest tablet to gift.
Best E-Reader Gift of the Year: Xteink X4 Pro
Our choice for the year's most desirable current for readers isn't one of Amazon's slick new Kindles, but a tiny, 4.3-inch Chinese import that can group hundreds of books into a device not much bigger than your archive card. The Xteink X4 Pro may have a comic name and a form aspect that suggests an e-reader remaining too lengthy in the dryer, but it's packed alongside features, including a touchscreen and a temperature-adjustable forefront light, that belie its $99 catalog cost ($50 small than the cheapest Kindle). Sure, there's a learning curve engaged (the native firmware is merely fine, but easily replaced alongside a crowdsourced alternative developed by a community of online fans), and it won't activity alongside your existing archive of Kindle books. But formerly you've gotten it set up, you'll acknowledge its biggest benefit: It's small adequate to fit into any pocket—or equal magnetically nexus to the rear of your phone—so you can effortlessly transport it alongside you everywhere, and peruse alternatively of doomscrolling. After all, the finest e-reader is the one you really use.
Best Headphone Gift of the Year: Sony ULT WEAR Wireless Headphones
Picking headphones for person can be tricky. Some group affection lengthy power division life; others are fair looking for any brace offers the most features. At the end of the day, cost is what sets the finest headphones distinct from the rest. However, there is one outlier that offers a awesome value for the prosperity and does fine adequate in most categories to create most group awareness akin they're upgrading: the Sony ULT WEAR headphones. At their new low price, there is no another brace of headphones that offers improved norm energetic noise cancellation, app experience, comfort, power division life, and audio norm alongside LDAC assistance for Android devices. Not to citation the ULT button, which has two levels of additional bass that volition have heads rattling akin they're forefront row at a concert.
Best Smartwatch Gift of the Year: Apple Watch SE 3
If you’re looking to buy a smartwatch for person in your existence and you cognize they don’t have any powerful preferences going in, the Apple Watch SE is apt the finest choice for you. It power not be Apple’s most mighty smartwatch, nor does it have the biggest, brightest display, but it does fair concerning everything you’d anticipate an Apple Watch to do. It pings you alongside your iPhone notifications, tracks workouts and sleep, and lets you dispatch and obtain texts. It has the previous-generation S10 chip, which is plentifulness of power for watchOS (including Apple Intelligence), and Apple should assistance it for years to come. You can expend additional to get additional features on watches akin the Series 12 or Ultra 4, but for most, the SE is all the Apple Watch you’ll always need. And, if your giftee wants the cellular option, the SE can nexus to 5G, fair akin Apple's additional costly watches.
Best Smartglasses Gift of the Year: XReal xbx a01
These comparatively cheap display-style glasses have that Christmas dawn "woah" factor: Once the recipient plugs them into any equipment alongside USB-C video, they volition immediately see a virtual display that's the equal of a 147-inch TV at 1080p. They’re particularly fine for common travelers and dorm-dwellers who can’t concur on what to watch, but really, they're for anyone on your catalog who likes to perform games, observe movies, or use their computer. (So, basically everyone.)
Best Smart Home Device Gift of the Year: Amazon Echo Dot Max
Buying a astute residence current is a lofty order. There are so many distinct categories to choose from, and, inside each, there are many considerations to keep in mind, akin phase compatibility, characteristic set, and price. That’s why I think the Amazon Echo Dot Max is the finest astute residence current of 2026. It supports a assortment of astute residence platforms, including Zigbee, Matter, Thread, and Alexa. That way, your giftee can apt nexus the Echo Dot Max to most, if not all, of their existing astute residence devices, as fine as forthcoming devices they may choice up. It’s additionally one of Amazon’s improved astute speakers: It isn’t as small as the Echo Dot, so it’s capable to inhabit your area alongside sound, but it’s additionally not as costly as the Echo Studio. It’s a awesome balance at this price, considering the versatility it offers as a astute residence hub.
Best Gaming Equipment Gift of the Year: Steam Deck
No sole current volition delight all gamer, but the Steam Deck comes close. This equipment blurs all the lines in gaming: It’s a PC that’s the size of a handheld, and it plugs into your tv akin a console. Fans of gaming on the go volition affection the portability and the touchscreen. Console gamers volition affection the affable person interface, thumbstick controllers, and eventually getting the chance to perform “PC exclusive” games. PC gamers volition affection being capable to move distant from their desks and perform video games on the couch or at a bus halt for a change. The Steam Deck is a win-win-win.
Best Home Entertainment Gift of the Year: Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K
You’re likely not going to buy person a new TV for the holidays, but you can buy the media-hound on your catalog a gadget to create the TV they already own equal better. Enhancing your observing and gaming is the goal of the Philips Hue Play Sync Box. It’s a middleman between a TV and HDMI equipment akin consoles or streaming boxes that analyzes video signals in genuine period and tells the connected astute ray band (as fine as another compatible astute lights) to equivalent what's on screen. This is awesome for making gaming additional immersive, and it additionally improves fair observing TV by projecting colors rearward the set that complement the visuals. The outcome is the illusion of a larger display and a extremely chill particular effect.
Best Home Gym Equipment Gift of the Year: PowerBlock Elite EXP Adjustable Dumbbells
If you activity out at home, investing in several adjustable dumbbells is a no-brainer, and you'd be hard-pressed to discover a "best residence dumbbells" catalog without the PowerBlock Elite Adjustable Dumbbells near the top. The futuristic cubic appearance is stylish, but additional importantly, it's a earnestly economical, space-saving design—which is the entire item of going adjustable complete a traditional rack of idiosyncratic weights. The weights have flat edges so you can clasp them on end on your lap, and dissimilar a lot of adjustable models, they're compact adequate that they won’t bump into all another on high arm or chest presses.
Best Health and Fitness Tracker Gift of the Year: Fitbit Air
Fitness trackers arrive in many forms, including watches, rings, and astute bands. I have favorites in all category, but whenever it comes to the general finest fitness tracker for most people, the Fitbit Air is the apparent winner. It does all the essentials without a subscription, including stage tracking, sleep tracking, and automatic exercise detection. Its power division lasts a week, and your giftee volition have the choice to either use the new Google Health app (which I mostly like) or bypass it and use a third-party app akin Bevel. More importantly, it's a fraction of the disbursal of any another tracker out there, so it's a lot additional apt to fit your gifting prosperity than item akin an Oura ring.
Best Digital Subscription Gift of the Year: Bespoke Post
If you current a subscription to Bespoke Post, you’re giving the chance to open a distinct current all month, akin Christmas is enduring all year. Unlike several hyper-niche current services, Bespoke Post lets users customize their loot boxes: One month, they can choose an outdoorsy vibe, and the next, go for a high-end coffee collection. They can equal skip a duration if they don’t akin what’s on offer. This is an essential current subscription for anyone purchasing a current for a hard-to-shop-for dude.
Best Power Tool Gift of the Year: Makita 18V LXT Cordless Drill and Driver Set
Makita invented cordless drills in 1978, and it has been known for making norm drills always since. Its new 18-volt LXT combo set is equal improved than its predecessors since it has a longer power division existence alongside improvements to motor control, overheating, and powder and particulates. The drill has concerning 70% additional power than former models, allowing you to drill into durable materials akin pressure-treated lumber additional easily, and the effect controller has a three-speed control, allowing you to modify the power to equivalent the matter you’re driving fasteners into. Since a drill and controller are the basis of a cordless tool kit, this set, which offers improved power division existence and additional power, stands out—it comes alongside two batteries, a charger, and a tool bag.
Best Kitchen Appliance Gift of the Year: Our Place Wonder Oven
Buying a galley current can be challenging since our kitchens are so personal—some of us cognize what a braiser is, and several of us keep shoes in our ovens. No matter who you’re buying for, the Our Place Wonder Oven is the ideal gift. This countertop appliance combines six functions into one stylish component alongside a small footprint. If the recipient has a small kitchen, they volition affection it for its compact nature and for the way it replaces at smallest three another countertop appliances (a toaster, an air fryer, and a convection oven), clearing space. If the individual on your buying catalog is an accomplished chef or continually occupied feeding a family, they’ll affection it since it makes preparing fast, casual, and fit meals a breeze without having to blaze up that six-burner behemoth and use 16 pans. It can air-fry, bake, roast, toast, broil, and reheat alongside aplomb, and it sports an amazing steam infusion characteristic that makes everything arrive out moist—even those undated leftovers you pulled out of the freezer in desperation. It additionally comes alongside everything you’ll need to commencement cooking: a cable rack, air fry basket, roast pan, and crumb tray are all included. Did we citation it fair looks cool?
Best Tech Gift of the Year for Under $50: JBL Go 4 Portable Speaker
A lot of tech power be costly these days, but that doesn’t average all of it is. In fact, there are plentifulness of outstanding gadgets you can buy allies and family for $50 or less. Our favorite choice in this category is the JBL Go 4. This portable Bluetooth speaker is small but mighty, capable to get fairly noisy for specified a small device. You’ll get seven hours of playback on one charge, affirmative an additional two hours alongside “Playback Boost” enabled. The Go 4 has an IP67 ranking against powder and water, so you can bring the speaker alongside you outdoors without worrying concerning ruining it. If your allies have JBL speakers of their own, not fair Go 4s, you can nexus them all together for a quick multi-speaker setup. It really is a versatile device, particularly whenever you regard the two its size and its price. The JBL Go 4 makes for a awesome stocking stuffer, Yankee Swap contribution, or current for anyone looking for a portable speaker for residence or on-the-go use.
