As summer comes to an end and fall begins to creep, this moment also rings forth the return to school for students. From advancing from one grade to the next, there is a lot to get ready for. We got handpicked ideas that can be necessities, tools, entertainment, and items that blends across multiple categories.
Anyways, below are our top picks to help make the current school year a little bit easier and less stressful.
With everything being digital these days, you still need a good pen to write things down every here and there. These are currently my favorites to write down notes ideas or even wireframe this gift guide. They feel good in the hand and can write on always any surface.
Not every single electronic requires a USB or USB-C plug to charge it. You will require some actual batteries occasionally and if you do we suggest these. We got a few a while back and using them in my Xbox controller and outlasted the Duracells & Energizers.
While battery packs and getting smaller, they’re also getting more powerful. Anker’s 10K one is about the size of sleek flip phone and a USB-C PD support for even faster charging for your smartphones, tablets, & more.
For those of you away on campus, don’t mean you should subject yourself to fast food all of the time either. This Instant Pot slow cooker can be your saving grace by cooking rice, chili, soup, pulled pork, one-pot meals and much more. All w/o burning down your dorm or your side of the room/common area.
Spotify is one of the more popular music streaming services out there and for good reason. Not only can you listen to music watch videos, and make/share playlists, you can even soak of thousands of podcasts as well. You can do a single user or go the family plan route and split the bill amongst 5 friends.
You can get a lot more done w/ Smart Displays. Google’s 7inch one packs control for your smart room (robovacs, smart lights, smart plugs, etc.) as well as entertainment for music, YouTube & other media. All while being the best digital photo frame out right now.
Amazon’s take on Smart Displays offer better sound and video calling w/ the Echo Show. You still can listen to music, watch videos, and smart home support, you can listen to Audible audiobooks here as well. Now that Amazon & Google are friends again, the return of YouTube is a welcome addition as well.
Being on your own means a lot more things fall on you instead of your parents. Namely, cleaning up your room. Enter this Eufy robovac. While this won’t clean walls and sinks and such, it will make sure all part of the floor is clean. You can have it work on a schedule, it cleans and charges itself as well so its one less thing to worry about.
While the AirPods are everywhere, they won’t stay in everyone’s ears. So for everyone else, we recommend the Powerbeats Pro. These have adjustable ear hooks + multiple ear tips to find the right fit for you. Plus add a longer battery life + sweat resistance and you got a better solution.
With all of the different wireless ANC headphones out on the market, these are still my favorite. The 1000XM3s kind of cover all bases w/ great ANC abilities, great sound, great battery life, and smart features. Other than it being cheaper, what else do you need from these?
While Microsoft & Sony are battling it out w/ overpriced consoles, Nintendo zigged when they zagged w/ the Switch. Years later, its still a top pick for console & gaming on the go. Unlike the Wii line of games, you have same options of titles from PS4 & Xbox One but w/ better exclusives. If you don’t have one by now, get one.
Google’s slightly mid-range Pixel 3 is the most appealing thus far. You get great battery life, headphone jack, the latest Android updates, and while retaining the best camera for photos on a smartphone. All while undercutting just about everyone.
Samsung’s lower-priced take on the Galaxy S10 was another favorite of the year thus far. This one provided more color options and faster physical fingerprint reader that doubled as the Power button. You had to give up the 3rd camera & small battery/display though.
Apple’s more affordable take on the iPhone X makes sure not to short change you. You get more color options & a slightly better battery life. You still get Face ID but a non QHD display & no Touch ID support.
Apple still produces the only tablets that matter w/ the iPad. Even though you now got the Air & Pro models, the standard one got a nice upgrade recently to make it worth your while. Now w/ Pencil + Files support, better multitasking and the iPad OS coming int he fall will get it closer to being a laptop replacement.
Despite their problems here in the US, Huawei still makes amazing products – from phones to laptops. This go around, we’re talking about the MateBook D – the AMD-powered one specifically. You got a 14inch touchscreen, quad-core Ryzen 5 CPU, 8GB RAM+ 256GB SSD, Dolby Atmos Sound, & a 12-hour battery life. All for under $800.
The entry-level MacBook Pro just got updated to be even more powerful. For most, powerful enough to not have to shell out more $$$ for the 15inch model. You now got the latest quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU, Touchbar, and improved keyboard keys. You can even max this out to a Core i7, 16GB of RAM, & 2TB SSD to have maximum power in a smaller package.