Christmas 2023 Tech Gift Ideas 

With Christmas around the corner, now’s the time to start thinking about gift ideas for your friends and family. Today, we want to help out finding the best gifts for everyone, even those family members who are particularly difficult to think of gifts for. This year, we’re looking specifically at tech gift ideas. Tech gifts tend to span the generations as they augment various important aspects of everyone’s lives. 

There are a lot of great tech gadgets out there, and we encourage you to use your OneLaunch shopping app to browse and explore. Use the following ideas to get started with some great tech inspiration. Many of these products are completely new or innovate on a classic product. We’ve sorted this list by who you’re buying for, to make it easier. 

Tech Ideas for Grandparents

Grandparents are often the ones that benefit the most from tech gifts, as these gadgets automate or ease an aspect of everyday life. However, this also means that the tech needs to be intuitive to set up and use, as your elders may not always be as familiar with modern technology. Here are a few great products that any grandparent will make excellent use out of:

Roku Streaming Stick

The transition from traditional cable to streaming services is confusing, regardless of your age. What channel has what content? Where do you go to find your favorite shows? Why do you have to type out everything with a small remote? 

Roku’s streaming stick plugs into any TV HDMI port and acts as a hub for all the streaming services. While the subscriptions for these services aren’t included, Roku acts as a hub space where all of these services are located. Best of all, it can be remote controlled with voice commands, so no one has to type out the show they’re looking for. 

The basic Roku streaming stick is around $50 (USD), but keep an eye out for sales during the holidays from retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart and more.

Amazon Kindle

For heavy book readers, the value of a Kindle cannot be overstated. A Kindle connects to an online database full of digital versions of books that can be read on a compact, lightweight screen that’s easy to read on. The Kindle is perfect for travel or home use as it has an incredibly long battery life.

If you’re worried about your grandparents straining their eyes while reading, the Kindle allows you to change the font size of the text — something you could never do with a traditional book. The Kindle’s screen is also glare-free, resembling paper rather than a phone or TV screen. 

Kindle readers start around $99 on Amazon, but watch for deals during the holidays. If anyone else in the family is looking for gift ideas, may we suggest that a Kindle Unlimited subscription might be a great idea? It’s about $10/month and gives your grandparents access to over 4 million titles. 

Netvue Birdfy Feeder

While requiring the most setup of the gifts, this gift is worth it. The NETVUE Birdfy Feeder is a birdfeeder with a camera built into it. The camera points toward where the birds eat the seed that you lay out for them, and will take recordings whenever a bird lands. The AI then analyzes and identifies the species of bird. With over 6,000+ bird species in the algorithm, your grandparents will be able to learn more about the birds regularly visiting their backyards. 

Note that this device requires a smartphone to use, as the bird data is sent to a device where it can be reviewed. The Birdfy feeder also requires a bit of initial setup, as it has to connect to Wi-Fi and have somewhere to send and store the photos and videos of the birds. 

Netvue Birdfy starts around $175, and it has add-ons like solar chargers, covers and more. 

Tech Gift Ideas For Kids

Kids are tech natives able to handle just about any piece of tech you give them. But this also means that they’re probably aware of what’s out there and what they want already. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t surprise them with a perfect tech gift. Here are a few great tech ideas for the children in your life. 

Backbone One iPhone Gaming Controller

As it becomes more common for young children to have smartphones, they’ll be spending a lot of time on these devices playing games. The Backbone One Gaming Controller is split into two parts that connect to either side of a phone. This then allows your child to play games on their phones easier and use their device the same way they might use a gaming controller. 

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This controller will work with iPhones and Androids, depending on the connector that you use. The controller is chargeable, meaning it can also be used on the go. The Backbone starts at $99.

Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids

For your younger children, damaging their device or hurting themselves is sometimes a concern. For this, the Amazon Fire HD 8 is perfect for letting your kids watch videos and TV with a handheld device. The Amazon Fire’s smooth case ensures that the device is more durable than a traditional device and, if the case breaks within two years of purchase, Amazon will replace it at no extra cost. Cost starts at $149.

Tech Gift Ideas for College Students 

College students are often busy and on the go, so they make excellent use of devices that make everyday life easier for them. They’re also generally very tech literate and can use complex devices without much trouble. For the college students or college-bound students in your life, we have a few tech gift suggestions.

Wireless Earbuds

There are a lot of excellent wireless earbuds out there that connect to a smartphone through a Bluetooth connection. These earbuds vary in price and use, so we won’t suggest any one particular product. Instead, we’ll list a few for you to check out, depending on how you expect they’ll be used and what your budget is.

• JBL Tune TWS True  Active noise-canceling and smart ambient, drown out the noise but still be able to hear ($49.95).
• Beats Studio Buds Customize the sound for a better listening experience ($129.95).
• TOZO Wireless Earbuds Great sound quality and excellent charge time on a budget ($29.99).

LARQ Bottle

Every college student needs a water bottle but what about a water bottle that can keep its contents cool while also cleaning itself? The LARQ bottle uses UV-C LED technology to sanitize the water inside and also clean the inside of itself. Safe, non-toxic, and mercury free while not requiring a dishwasher! Starts around $99 from Amazon, Best Buy and The Container Store.

Best General Tech Gifts

Buying for someone who doesn’t quite fit any of the categories we’ve outlined? Looking for a generally useful tech gift? Here are some ideas that just about anyone will enjoy. 

Acer Aspire 5 

Rated as one of the best budget laptops, the Acer Aspire 5 is a great choice for anyone who doesn’t have a computer for on the go. Whether it’s their first computer or if they just need a new one, The Aspire 5 has an excellent visual display and modern specs like a 512GB SSD drive for faster startup speeds. This laptop is an excellent budget choice for anyone. 

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If you’re gifting this to someone who’s not as familiar with the tech world or Windows devices, consider installing OneLaunch on their device to make their Windows browsing experience easier. OneLaunch is designed to be intuitive and easy to use for anyone, storing all the sites and apps they regularly use in the convenient OneLaunch dock. 

Logitech MX Anywhere Wireless Mouse

No one likes using a trackpad, but who can take the time to lug around a mouse pad every time they want to use their laptop? Whether you purchased the aforementioned Acer Aspire or know someone who already has a laptop, the Logitech MX Anywhere Wireless mouse is an excellent choice. 

Not only does this mouse not require additional cables to use, but it’s also designed to be usable on any surface. It works on Mac, Windows, and any other device that has a Bluetooth or USB connector.