The best tech gifts and gadgets of 2024

I’ll be the first to say the Pura scent diffuser surprised me. Before testing it out, I didn’t believe such a small device could really inject strong scent into my home. But it didn’t take long before I was proven wrong. The one I have stays plugged in, resolute, in the family room of my home close to the front door, and as soon as I walk in when the Pura is running, I’m met with the lovely smells of Amalfi lemon, lavender fields or whichever other scent I decided to go with.

The Pura can hold two different proprietary scent capsules at a time, so you can create very different vibes based on time of day, occasion or anything else you can think of. The Pura app makes it easy to set diffusion schedules per scent, too, and it can pause diffusion all together if you’re away from home. Are you going to get whole-home diffusion from this CD-sized gadget? No (maybe try the new Pura Plus for that), but it’ll make the part of your home that it lives in feel much more luxurious. — V.P.

There’s a good chance that when you travel, you bring along the gear that means the most to you. Peak Design’s Tech Pouch will give you a way to organize all of your small gadgets and keep everything neatly in one place. The origami-style pockets can accommodate things like phones, wireless chargers, power banks, adapters, cables and more. Plus the outside shell is water resistant. The bag can stand upright even when open, which will make it easier to find what you need in a pinch, and the exterior pocket has a passthrough opening that will allow you to connect to a power source and charge up items still inside the bag. The Tech Pouch is roomy without being too big or cumbersome, making it an easy investment for anyone constantly on the go. – V.P.

Boox has been in the ereader game for over 15 years, but the Palma is arguably the most intriguing device yet. The smartphone-sized 6.3-inch E Ink device is an ereader with an Android skeleton. That means you can read your Libby books, your Amazon Kindle library and myriad others on this tiny thing, with none of the aggressive light of your smartphone screen.

Unlike most ereaders, the Palma’s physical buttons can be customized to your reading needs, for page turning or screen refreshing. This being 2024, we’re probably reading a lot on our smartphones, meaning there’s also a certain degree of comfort to the Palma, even if it’s not book-sized. Its portability makes the Palma a great addition to our traveler gift guide, but it’s easy to recommend to any bookworm in your life — or anyone unwilling to pack their Kindle. — M.S.

Smart lights are a great way to add personality to any room, and Govee’s M1 RGBIC smart light strip will make a great gift for any tech lover who wants to match their home’s vibe to their mood. This model has an upgraded chipset, higher brightness and richer color performance than previous Govee light strips, and the entire thing can be controlled via the company’s companion app. Your giftee can customize their lights by segment, giving each a different color if they wish, and control the whole thing with Alexa or Google Assistant commands. Govee’s app has an impressive number of preset light effects and customizations, but users can make and save their own to use whenever they want. They’re sure to get regular use, whether to set the mood for their next game stream, or on movie night. – Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor

Read more: The best smart lights

This Bonaok Karaoke mic is a fun way to channel your inner rock star without needing any other equipment. Like other standalone karaoke mics, it has a built-in speaker, so there’s no need to lug around a separate one or pair it with one you already own. Just connect the mic to your phone via Bluetooth and start singing. But unlike cheaper models, it produces a satisfyingly loud, crisp and robust sound. At maximum volume, it’s booming enough to double as a PA mic in a decently large space.

Its built-in controls let you adjust audio settings like EQ, reverb, latency, voice level and the backing track’s volume. It also has a feature that’s supposed to remove the original vocals from songs, but I found it only (at most) muffled them a bit. You’re much better off using Apple Music Sing, the KaraFun app or karaoke versions of popular tracks on YouTube.

If you want to perform duets, you can buy two and pair them. Each mic will play the same audio, so you and a loved one will be loud and clear as you entertain your friends with a delightfully awful rendition of “Summer Nights.” — Will Shanklin, Contributing Reporter

“Go placidly amidst the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence" is not a slogan that’s won favor with the internet generation. After all, the devices we work from contain the sum total of human knowledge available at the press of a button. And, you know, all of the other stuff, like checking out the hot people on Instagram to the hot people on TikTok. It’s this productivity-sapping calamity that the reMarkable Paper Pro was designed to fix.

It’s a “distraction-free” writing slate with an e-paper display, stylus and (optional) keyboard, which only does two things. You can either write/draw with it, or you read and annotate things that you need to examine without the lure of whatever mobile game du jour you’re obsessing over. That lack of versatility is its secret weapon, since it forces you to focus on what’s in front of you at the time.

The reMarkable Paper Pro is the third-generation of the hardware, but the first to come with a color display. It’s also bigger, and offers a more responsive experience, feeling a lot more like you’re using a paper notepad than before. Of course, it has some benefits over paper, like the fact you can email and share documents between devices. It’s no surprise that the Paper Pro has been a top pick our guide to the best E Ink tablets since it launched. — Daniel Cooper, Senior Reporter

Read more: The best E Ink tablets

The endgame for NASA’s Artemis missions is humans on Mars, sometime in the 2030s. Before that, though, it’s gunning for the Moon. In November of 2022, the first Artemis mission shot its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into space, sending the Orion spacecraft around our beloved satellite and back again. Both that test mission and the two upcoming crewed missions will use the “Block 1” variant of the SLS, which Lego has recreated with the NASA Artemis Space Launch System set. It includes the multistage rocket, two solid-fuel boosters, the Orion capsule and the mobile launch tower, all executed in Lego’s signature hyper-detailed style.

Once completed, the 3,600-piece set stands a full 28 inches tall. This isn’t a kid’s chintzy plaything, but a worthy tribute to humankind’s ingenuity and audacity that may one day propel us to another planet. Lego enthusiasts, space geeks, science fiends and anyone who’s ever looked at that red dot in the night sky and wondered will appreciate this set. — Amy Skorheim, Reporter

The Canon Ivy 2 portable printer would make a great gift for a teenager in your life, or anyone who enjoys scrapbooking or memory-keeping. It pairs via Bluetooth to their phone and, with the help of a mobile app (that actually works quite well), it allows them to print any photo from their library on sticker paper within seconds. The image quality is pretty good for a small printer like this, but just know it won’t be as sharp as a regular printer. But that doesn’t matter as much as easy of use and convenience here, plus the mobile app gives them tons of fun borders, stickers, artwork and more that they can overlay on top of their images for an extra personal touch. The best part? The Ivy 2 uses ZINK (Zero Ink) technology that never needs refilling. — V.P.

This retro smart display is effortlessly cool. He can curate his own newsfeed out of hundreds of Tidbyt apps, so he can keep tabs on the things that matter most: his home team, the stocks he's invested in, the train schedule, you name it. "Truly accomplished its goal, while at my desk I don't ever look at my phone," one customer wrote.

Chances are, the person who’s into all things tech already has a spare battery pack or two, but Anker’s Prime bank is a little different. First, the 20,000 mAh size is big enough and the 100W ports are powerful enough to juice up even a laptop. There’s a display that tells you how much charge the battery has left, as well as how much it’s pumping out per port. But the best part is the recharging base. Instead of the (admittedly minor) hassle of plugging the power bank in to recharge, just set it on the base and it’ll always be ready to go. Unfortunately, the base is a separate and not inexpensive purchase, but it makes for a haute portable charging experience. — A.S.

Read more: The best power banks

Hands up those of you who drink enough water every day. Now, are you sure? A Yahoo News/YouGov poll conducted in early 2024 indicated that 33 percent of US adults drink two glasses of water or less per day. The National Academy of Medicine recommends nine glasses a day for women and 13 for men as a baseline, but factors such as climate and exercise levels come into play.

If that’s more water than you expected, a smart water bottle can help you stay on track and the Hidrate Spark Pro is a good option, both for yourself and as a gift for someone else. The 21 oz size is probably the right option for most people and the stainless steel build of this model insulates drinks to keep them cold for hours. A Bluetooth sensor puck on the bottom tracks water intake and the customizable LED glows when it's time to take a sip. Phone and smartwatch notifications provide friendly nudges as well.

There's the option to enter personal details into the Hidrate Spark app to get a daily hydration goal. The app also allows users to manually log other types of drinks they've had (though some are unfortunately locked behind a subscription). Meanwhile, Apple Health and Watch integration is a big plus for wellness-conscious users who are invested in the Apple ecosystem. Hidrate Spark also syncs with other iOS and Android fitness apps. — Kris Holt, Contributing Reporter

The Turtle Beach Atlas Air is the rare wireless gaming headset with an open-back design. This means it doesn’t totally seal off the ear from air and external noise, which in turn creates a wider and more spacious sound — the kind that makes games feel like they’re happening all around you. (This design is also terrible at negating outside noise, so you shouldn’t gift it to someone who has to deal with kids or other folks making a racket while they play.) On top of that balanced sound, the Atlas Air’s light weight and ample padding make them wonderfully comfortable for hours at a time. They’re plastic, but they don’t feel flimsy. The built-in mic is plenty clear as well, and the whole thing can connect over a wireless dongle, Bluetooth or an included cable, so it’s usable across PC, PS5, Switch and Xbox. Battery life, meanwhile, sits at a decent 50-60 hours. All told, this is an unusually convenient pick for those who like to game but are a little more discerning about audio quality. — J.D.

Read more: The best gaming headsets

The top pick in our guide to the best mechanical keyboards, the Keychron Q Max, is essentially a shortcut for people who want a premium wireless keyboard without having to tinker or customize anything themselves. Its aluminum case is incredibly sturdy, its PBT keycaps are crisp, it supports multiple connection modes and its stock switches both sound lovely and feel delightfully bouncy. Keychron has multiple size and switch options available, and just about everything is hot-swappable, so your giftee can shake up the board’s typing feel down the road. There’s even a handy volume knob built in. This doesn’t make for an especially cheap peripheral, but if you’re shopping for someone who wants to get into mechanical keyboards as a hobby — God help them — the Q Max is a great way to spoil them right out of the gate. — J.D.

Read more: The best mechanical keyboards

Teenage Engineering makes desirable technology. It’s why the company is often tapped to bring their design expertise to other products, whether it’s Nothing phones, Rabbit’s AI assistant or IKEA collaborations. But at its heart, the company makes samplers and synthesizers, often at heady prices. The EP-133, however, is under $300, lightweight and portable. It still has the chunky buttons and aesthetic of a TE product, so don’t worry, and italso has a huge library of sounds and effects to explore and tinker with. There are also distortion and delay effects that can be applied in real-time to add further complexity. And once you’re bored of those, use the built-in mic to sample your own sounds. As we’ve said in the past, it’s great for beginners, so if someone’s been tempted to dip their toe into TE waters, this is the device for them. And, ugh, it just looks cool, okay? And if you really want to go off-piste, there’s a medieval version. — Mat Smith, UK Bureau Chief

If I’m honest, I’m holding out for a new Sonos Five, but the Era 300 is arguably the best Sonos gift you could get someone at the moment — even if you’re unsure of their current audio setup. The Era 300 takes everything about the cheaper Era 100 speaker and kicks it up a notch, with excellent sound quality and spatial audio support, plus built-in mics and Trueplay tuning. The inclusion of spatial audio makes it a bit more future-proof than other Sonos speakers that don’t have that feature, as you’ll get more mileage out of it as more spatial audio content gets released. It also supports Dolby Atmos audio, and you could pair two together for even more booming stereo sound. But even if you’re gifting this to someone who will have it be their main home speaker, it’ll be a hard one to top. — V.P.

Even the person who has everything may not have one of these yet. XGIMI’s MoGo 2 Pro is one of our recommended projectors because it’s small enough to fit in a backpack and delivers a detailed image that’s relatively accurate. There are HDMI, USB-A and USB-C ports, but it also supports Chromecast and has AndroidTV built-in. To play it outdoors, you’ll need either a long cord or a battery pack as this doesn't have an internal one. But at under $600, it’s pretty affordable for a quality projector. — A.S.

Read more: The best projectors