2018 was one of the more interesting years in tech in quite some time. This leads to a more robust list of items people are looking to get for the holidays.
So for our gift guide, we bring forth a garden variety of picks for everyone – from the creatives to the gamers to your average consumer.
From accessories to camera to gaming to smart home to mobile w/ pricing from $15 to $2,000. We got you covered.
Accessories
Tired of paying an arm and leg for smartphone bill? You might want to check out Mint Mobile MVNO that utilizes T-Mobile’s network w/ affordable LTE speeds. You can bring your current phone over they support the newest devices like the iPhone XS/XS Max.
Starting at $45
This is the perfect notebook that blends the touch of physical writing and today’s technology. The Everlast allows you to write down notes, ideas, etc. on paper w/ their special pen as you scan it via the app and everything is transcribed & saved to the cloud. You can decide to go to Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Slack, etc. Ideal for the entrepreneur, creative, or constant note taker.
$29
As great as many of these smartphones look like out there, you gotta case them up for either protection & retaining resell value for those who flip phones every year. Our favorite case maker for the past few years is Tech21. They offer great cases that don’t look ugly or clunky but still keep your device safe – from LG to Samsung to Apple to Google & more.
Starting at $24
You can never have enough power while out and about. This battery pack is actually eco-friendly. Powerful enough to charge your phone, iPad, Switch & more. All Nimble products are made from plant-based bioplastics and recyclable aluminum to do less damage to the planet.
$50
Picking up something for the forgetful type of guy, this might be the perfect pick. Nomad crafted a great product that’s made with quality Horween leather, room for cash & multiple cards, and the most important feature: Tile tracking inside. Made to help keep up with your wallet in case you misplace it.
$80
The latest from Blue Microphones might be their most powerful & smallest USB mic to date. You get 24-bit high quality audio thanks to their dual condenser mic. Ideal for game streaming, podcasting, Skyping, voice-over work & more. The Yeti Nano is a necessary tool for content creation.
$99
For you creatives out there who prefer to have your favorite creation tools on you when being out-and-about, this is the bag for you. The Ranger DSLR bag by Hex looks like a backpack but its really a camera bag that can hold your DLSR w/ lens attached, up to 3 additional lens, flash, phone, SD cards, a 15.inch laptop, and offer a rain cover to protect your gear in inclement weather. What more would you need?
$200
Gaming
Gone is the standard campaign mode and long live all of the online modes. So now you just have multiplayer game modes, zombies, and Blackout aka Fortnite Call of Duty-style. Despite having no campaign, it feels like a great breathe of fresh air to the Black Ops series.
$60
Probably one of the most well-received game universally for 2018, Spider-Man gets the best treatment he’s ever got in a video game – ever. You got a great story, web-slinging, and fighting in an open-world NYC. Giving you the best Spider-Man experience in a game thus far.
$60
The Switch makes a return to our guide for 2018 as its got even better this year. It recently got YouTube app, better Nintendo games, and now more 3rd-party games to really boost up your reasons to pick one up for yourself or for a loved one.
$299
Streaming
Made for just for the DC fanboy or fangirl out there where you can read comics, chat w/ community, and so much DC content from film to animated shows/films. You also got the Titans series which is dope, we got Doom Patrol, Young Justice Season 3, Stargirl, Swamp Thing, and an animated Harley Quinn coming too.
$75 annually
Camera
Although it has been a great year for new cameras, I would still point people towards the last effort from Sony w/ the A7 III. It is ideal for both photo & video – all in one portable full-frame + mirrorless package. You got a 24.2MP sensor for photos & captures 6K video that downscale to 4K w/ larger batteries & great auto-focus.
Starting at $2,000
Smart Home
Google’s very own smart display is small enough to put anywhere in your home. From the bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen more. Along w/ that, you got the new Home View that helps the Smart Display become central in controlling all of your smart home stuff – in one place.
$99
Lenovo crafted one of the best looking Android-based smart display thus far. This larger version has a white plastic w/ a nice bamboo rear and louder sound than the Google Home Hub and a larger screen for viewing. For those of you who use video calling, this can do it as well and can be covered when not in use.
$250
While the technology to turn your home into a smart one isn’t new, it is now a lot better & easier to do so. With the Ring video doorbell, its part video peephole & part home security camera. It offers motion detection, infrared night vision, up to 1080p video, and on-demand live video capabilities to your computer or smartphone.
$150
If you’re looking for the one sound bar to rule them all – look no further than the Sonos Beam. Part sound bar, part smart speaker. You got a lot going here like 4 woofers, 1 tweeter, 3 passive radiators, 5 digital amps, 5 far-field mics, Alexa + AirPlay 2 support, expandable w/ other Sonos products connects via HDMI to your TV.
$399
Mobile
If you got an Android smartphone and looking for a smartwatch, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch is currently the only way to go right now. Although its running Tizen, its still a great OS for your wrist. It can handle notifications, fitness tracking, & more. It even offers a battery life to survive several days on a single charge.
$299
Apple changed the smartwatch game w/ the Series 4 Apple Watch. So along w/ the larger display and better battery life, we got built-in ECG on your wrist. It can recognize irregular heartbeats, fall detection, & Emergency SOS. Making this smartwatch more than just a heart-rate monitor.
$399
For the travelers who don’t want to spend too much, the BackBeat Go 810s by Plantronics is just for you. These cans offer multi-levels of ANC, EQs options, comfy fit, and a 22-hour battery life. All for under $200 for a great pair of noise-canceling cans.
$139
For those looking to get more for their buck, the latest Sony 1000XM3 cans. The 3rd-version of their premium headphones offer better noise-canceling that can now rival the Bose QC 35s, USB-C charging w/ up to 30-hours of battery, and able to output in hi-res audio. Everything in a nice package that you’ll have to pay for it.
$349
The latest from One plus offers a couple of firsts. The first smartphone you can buy in the US w/ an in-display fingerprint scanner and carrier support for both T-Mobile & Verizon. Along w/ that, you got a great display, good camera, great battery, & fast performance w/o paying flagship pricing for it.
Starting at $549
The latest Apple smartphone gives you all of the features of the XS line w/ iPhone 8 display. All while offering a variety of bright color options to stand out with. So unless 3D touch is a big deal for you, you can save some $$ and pick this up.
Starting at $749
The top tier S9 is still a great buy w/o spending Note 9 money. The S9+ gives you great performance, amazing display, dual cameras w/ amazing video quality, and a larger battery. Now being later in the year, you can get it for even cheaper from the launch price.
Starting at $750
The newest smartphone from Google brings you everything you loved about the Pixel 2 bit with even more. You got wireless charging, an additional wide-angle selfie camera, better camera performance, louder speakers, Digital Wellbeing, and Screen Calling to combat the bots calling.
Starting at $799
Huawei’s got a very powerful & affordable laptop w/ the Matebook D sold only at Walmart. You got a 14inch touchscreen display, Ryzen CPU, Radeon Vega GPU, Dolby Atmos, Windows 10, 8GB of RAM & 256GB SSD. All for no where near the competition would charge.
$579
The Surface Laptop 2 is the best Microsoft has to offer w/o going into the pricier Surface Book 2 territory. You got premium build, powerful internals, and a beautiful touchscreen display. The only thing truly missing from this thing is an SD card slot. Other than that, this will check off many boxes for those looking for portable power.
Starting at $999
The ideal pick for most if not all creatives: the MacBook Pro. The newer models offer better keyboards, faster processors, and the large trackpad + touch bar + Touch ID remains. With the newer models, you can beef up the 13inch like the 15inch models from a few generations ago. Giving you the ability to edit 4K video on the go in a smaller package – if that’s what you’re looking for.
Starting at $1,800
*FYI: TGSB has affiliate links present as they do not influence our choices. We do get a commission from items purchased through these links.*
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