2023’S Ultimate Tech Wishlist Fulfilled with Top Picks From Best Buy | Featured

Buying gifts for tech-obsessed folks on your gift list can be a challenge. Fortunately, Best Buy has a huge selection of home audio solutions, laptops and tablets, smartphones and smartwatches, and more to make you the hero of the party. Got teens, friends, or co-workers interested in content creation? You can pick up a kit from Canon with everything they need to get started. You can even buy electric bicycles and scooters for more eco-friendly commutes to school or work.

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And if you keep your eyes peeled, you can snag some awesome discounts on truly cool tech to save a bit of cash while still finding everyone cool gifts. To help you knock out your gift shopping, we’ve gathered up the best tech and tech-inspired gifts you can get at Best Buy as well as a few great deals. Keep reading below to find something for everyone on your list.

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The best tech gift ideas from Best Buy

Below are 14 tech gifts I found at Best Buy.

Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit For the aspiring vlogger or streamer

Canon

• Price: $900
• Features: Microphone and tripod included | 4K video support | Bluetooth connectivity

Know a content creator or someone looking to start making their own vlogs and live streams? This kit comes with everything you need to create high quality videos: a Canon EOS M50 Mark II camera body and 15-45mm lens, a mountable stereo microphone with windscreen, and a tripod grip with controls.

The camera is capable of capturing 4K video in both vertical and horizontal to let you create videos to suit different social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok. And with built-in Wi-Fi, you can even livestream with the EOS M50 Mark II directly to YouTube.

View now at Best Buy

GDJI FPV drone For drone enthusiasts and photographers

DJI

• Price: $1000
• Features: 4K/60fps capable, modular design, Audience Mode

The DJI FPV drone is a more affordable option for beginners looking to get into the hobby as well as photographers and videographers wanting to add aerial photography to their repertoire. The drone features a fully modular design, which makes it incredibly easy to swap out broken or damaged parts. It also has a built-in camera capable of recording footage in 4K at 60fps.

And when you enable the Audience Mode, you can transmit raw footage to assistants and bystanders to show off your skills or to scout locations. And you don’t have to worry about your investment getting damaged in an accident with a one-touch emergency hover button as well as forward and downward obstacle detection. It allows you to quickly and easily avoid obstacles (and people) to prevent damage to the drone and injury to bystanders.

View now at Best Buy

Audio-Technica ATLP60XBT turntable For audiophiles and music collectors

Audio-Technica

• Price: $220
• Features: Bluetooth connectivity, detachable dust cover, plays 33 ⅓ and 45 RPM LPs

Audio-Technica is one of the leading brands in home audio, especially hi-fi systems and turntables. And this entry-level turntable is an excellent gift idea for anyone you know who is just starting their vinyl collection or is looking for a more modern option. It features Bluetooth connectivity, so you can set up wireless speakers for whole-home audio without the hassle of running cables.

The hinged dust cover is removable to make it easier to swap LPs when necessary. The turntable can play both 33 ½ and 45 RPM records, letting you swap between full albums and singles or EPs with the flip of a switch. It also has a fully automatic belt-driven design, which means that you don’t have to stand there and manually move the stylus arm to start listening to your favorite vintage and modern albums.

View now at Best Buy

Bose SoundLink Color portable Bluetooth speaker Great audio for on-the-go

Bose

• Price: $130
• Features: Built-in speakerphone, 8 hour battery, IPX7 waterproof

This portable speaker from Bose is perfect for anyone who likes to bring their music on-the-go and for mobile professionals who need a conference call speaker. It has a built-in speakerphone option, so you can make group calls while in the field with clients as well as quickly access your phone’s voice assistant.

The rechargeable battery gives you up to 8 hours of use on a full charge, so it’s great for parties and blasting your favorite house chore playlist. It’s even IPX7 rated for water resistance, so you can take it to the beach or poolside when summer rolls back around.

View now at Best Buy

Samsung HW-A430 soundbar Enhanced audio for movie and TV lovers

Samsung

• Price: $280
• Features: Dolby Audio, Bluetooth connectivity, subwoofer included

The Samsung HW-A430 soundbar is a great home audio option for anyone who is a movie or TV buff. It features 2.1CH Dolby Audio for clear dialogue, deep bass tones, and clear highs and mids for a more cinematic experience at home. It also includes a wireless subwoofer, so you can get room-rumbling bass for intense action scenes in your favorite shows and movies. It’s even great for gaming! It connects to your TV via an HDMI cable for a consistent, hardwired signal or Bluetooth for a cleaner, wireless home theater setup.

View now at Best Buy

Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Great for Android users

Samsung

• Price: $230
• Features: GPS, health tracking, sapphire crystal glass

The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 is a well-rounded smartwatch for Android users who not only need an extension of their phone to keep in touch with family, friends, and co-workers, but also want a fitness and health tracker. It has built-in sleep tracking to help you build better bedtime routines for more restful sleep as well as an updated sensor to more closely monitor your heart health.

The sapphire crystal glass watch face is ultra-durable and resistant to cracks, scratches, and chipping to prevent damage to the delicate components inside your smartwatch. The Galaxy Watch5 also has GPS built-in, so you can jog around town or hike new trails with confidence. And, of course, you can use it to access your phone’s voice assistant, check notifications, or send quick texts.

View now at Best Buy

Apple Watch SE Great for iOS users

Apple

• Price: $279
• Features: Fall/crash detection, fitness tracking, waterproof

If you have teens or older parents, an Apple Watch SE can be a great gift to help them stay independent while also being just a text or phone call away. The updated version has built-in fall and crash detection, automatically sending out SOS calls to first responders and emergency contacts for fast recovery.

It also allows you to send SOS calls via satellite when a cell network isn’t available – which is perfect for road trips or hikes where cell service is unreliable. It also has built in GPS for pinpoint locations and fitness and workout tracking to help you stay on top of your physical health.

View now at Best Buy

Lenovo Smart Clock For early birds and night owls

Lenovo

• Price: $77
• Features: Google Assistant, wireless charging dock, 4-inch touchscreen

Know someone who could use a little help getting up in the mornings? The Lenovo Smart Clock is a great bedside companion with a 4-inch color touchscreen that lets you quickly set alarms and bedtime routines. It even has a built-in wireless charging pad so your phone can recharge while you do.

The Smart Clock can also act as a smart speaker, letting you connect to security cameras and video doorbells to quickly and safely check to see what’s making noise outside while you’re trying to sleep. You can also stream music, videos, and audiobooks through the Smart Clock to help keep you motivated to finally fold and put away that pile of laundry or help you relax before you drift off to sleep.

View now at Best Buy

Meta Quest 2 with Resident Evil 4 VR bundle for gamers

Meta

• Price: $350
• Features: Includes Resident Evil 4 VR, fully wireless, immersive graphics and audio

The Meta Quest 2 makes VR gaming more affordable than ever, and this bundle from Best Buy includes digital codes for Resident Evil 4 to let you jump right into the most immersive gaming experience you’ll ever get. The headset and controllers are fully wireless, which means you can play without worrying about tripping yourself up on cables or having to set up complicated boundary sensors.

Also: The best VR headsets of 2023

The headset has built-in headphones to give you 3D spatial audio that perfectly matches VR graphics to make you really feel like you’re part of the action. And for about $400, the Meta Quest 2 is one of the most affordable VR headsets on the market.

View now at Best Buy

SWFT Volt eBike Eco-friendly transportation for everyone

SWFT

• Price: $765
• Features: 32 mile range, 19.8 mph top speed, single gear

The SWFT Volt electric bike is a great gift idea for college students who need to get around campus or anyone who lives in a city where driving a car isn’t always practical. It has a maximum range of 32 miles and a top speed of almost 20mph, letting you zip up the street to pick up napkins for holiday parties, across campus for that unfairly early lecture, or to work on mornings with great weather.

The integrated battery reaches a full charge in just 6 hours, which means that you can plug it in while in class or at work and have the bike ready to go when you leave in the evening. It’s also a single gear bike, so you don’t have to worry about switching gears to get the best speed – just keep your hand on the throttle and feet on the pedals to assist when needed.

View now at Best Buy

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Multipurpose tablet for Android users

Samsung

• Price: $1250
• Features: 512GB storage, S-Pen included, supports up to 1TB microSD card

This high-end tablet from Samsung is a great supplement to your mobile device fleet or even a replacement for a traditional laptop. It powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 CPU and 16GB of RAM for plenty of power and memory to tackle everything from typical office work to digital art and streaming. It comes with 512GB of internal storage, but you can supplement this with up to a 1TB microSD card or sync the tablet with your favorite cloud storage service.

The 14.6-inch display uses a Super AMOLED panel for incredible detailing, contrast, and color volume while the front and rear cameras let you take photos and record video in 4K. The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra also has the S-Pen stylus included so you can start sketching your art ideas or working in your favorite apps right out of the box.

View now at Best Buy

Apple iPad 10.2-inch An iOS tablet for work and play

Apple

• Price: $330
• Features: 10 hour battery, A13 Bionic CPU, 10.2-inch display

The iPad is Apple’s workhorse of a tablet, designed to tackle everything from office and class work to digital art and video streaming. The 10.2-inch display uses Apple’s Liquid Retina technology to give you incredibly lifelike images, while the front and rear cameras let you capture photos and videos in 1080p HD.

It’s powered by the A13 Bionic chip for ultra-fast app launching and more streamlined multitasking. And with 64GB of storage, you’ll have plenty of space for apps, art files, and saved photos and videos. The battery gives you up to 10 hours of use on a full charge, so you can stream, create, and work all day worry-free.

View now at Best Buy

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Premium earbuds for premium sound

Bose

• Price: $199
• Features: Noise canceling, 6 hour battery life, voice controls

Bose is the undisputed king of personal audio, and the QuietComfort earbuds continue to prove why. The earbuds feature noise canceling technology to block out annoying background sounds, so all you hear is crystal clear music, podcasts, and calls. You can set up hands-free controls with Siri, Hey Google, or Alexa to play music, answer calls, or launch apps without needing to even touch your phone.

On a full charge, you can get up to 6 hours of playback, while the included charging case gives you an additional 12 hours of use. And when you need to recharge, the earbuds reach 100 percent battery in just 2 hours.

View now at Best Buy

Winbest Barska Pro 200 metal detector An affordable option for beginner hobbyists

Winbest

• Price: $90
• Features: Waterproof coil, ferrous and non-ferrous detection, lightweight

Thanks to TikTok and other short-form video platforms, metal detecting is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, and the Winbest Barska Pro 200 is a great, affordable way to get kids, teens, and even adults excited about the hobby. With two detection modes, you can search for everything from iron horseshoes to silver coins and even gold!

The detection coil is waterproof, letting you search around creek and river banks, near the ocean, or in marshy areas without ruining the entire unit. It also has a lightweight design, coming in at just over 2 pounds, making it easy for even small children to use.

View now at Best Buy

The best tech gift deals at Best Buy

Below are four tech gift deals I found happening right now.

LG A2 77-inch for $1800 (save $1000) $1,800 at Best Buy

Apple iMac 27-inch for $1800 (save $500) $1,800 at Best Buy

MacBook Pro 16 M1 for $2999 (save $500) $2,999 at Best Buy

Sony Xperia Pro-I 512GB for $1100 (save $700) $1,100 at Best Buy

How did we choose these Best Buy tech gift ideas?

I did my best to include a variety of gadgets, devices, and even toys on this list to suit different interests as well as budgets. I purposely excluded gaming items in favor of wearables, drones, and other high-tech items, but if you’ve got a gamer to shop for, you can check out our gaming gift guide .

What makes a good tech gift?

The most important question you have to ask yourself when shopping for tech-centric gifts for others is this: Is this practical and useful? It’s tempting to snap up the latest fad gadget in order to stay abreast of the zeitgeist, but they’re often shoddily made in order to pump out millions of units for retailers – plus, they’re often gimmicky or single-purpose.

If you want to buy a tech-centric gift, make sure it’s going to streamline something in the receiver’s life or integrate into and enhance their existing arsenal of devices and gadgets. A fitness band or smart watch not only lets you keep an eye on your overall health, but it’s also great for kids, older parents, and disabled folks to stay in touch without needing to be tethered to a phone all day. Whereas the smart olive pitter is probably going to end up in a thrift store shortly after the holidays.

Are VR headsets worth it?

If you aren’t an avid gamer, a VR headset isn’t going to be a great investment since the technology isn’t widely supported by other areas. However, even if you are a gamer, a VR headset is a pretty big investment, often costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars, not to mention how much you have to spend on PC components or a pre-built desktop or laptop in order to even use it.

But if your budget can handle something like the HTC Vive or Meta Quest 2, they’re great additions to your gaming space for more immersive experiences either on your own or with friends.

What do you get a kid who likes technology?

While older kids and teens may be more interested in smartphones, tablets, and laptops, you can get younger kids excited about technology and STEM fields with high-tech toys like the Mech-5 coding robot kit from Snap Circuits. They’ll be able to build their own robot and create different strings of code to make it do different things like navigate a maze or move other objects around.

You can also get an affordable drone like the DJI FPV or a metal detector like the Winbest Barska Pro 200 to get them interested in flight, photography, and even geology and ecology.

What are the best gifts for 2023?

ZDNET experts rounded up the overall best tech gifts of 2023 .

But gifts can come in all shapes and sizes, so we also rounded up the best gifts by category, price, and retailer – plus, the hottest tech toys for kids in 2023.

Gifts by category

• Delight DIYers with these interesting gifts that make and fix things
• What do you get for the gamer who has everything?
• Tech-themed gift cards for gadget lovers
• Odd and interesting gift ideas for the hobbyist hacker in your life
• The best laptops to gift
• The best phones to gift (even on a budget)
• Cooking gift guide: These smart kitchen tools went TikTok viral
• Tablet gift guide: iPads aren’t the only option
• Useful smart home gifts, from plugs to thermostats
• Travel gift guide: Luggage, Liquid IV, and more
• TV gift guide: Gorgeous TVs for the binge-watcher in your life
• The best fitness gifts: Workout mirror, Whoop, and more
• Creative gifts for live streamers
• Gift ideas for coffee lovers (besides a Starbucks gift card)

Gifts by price

• The best cheap tech gifts under $100
• The best cheap tech gifts under $75
• The best cheap tech gifts under $50
• The best cheap tech gifts under $25

Gifts by retailer

• Top tech gifts on Amazon
• Best Buy tech gifts, from headphones to smartwatches
• The best tech gifts at Walmart

Gifts for kids

• The hottest tech toys for kids, according to Amazon
• Gift these best robot toys to your wide-eyed kids
• Need gift ideas for kids? We found fun toys they’ll love

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