The Best Hot-Ticket Tech Gifts of 2023, From Laptops to Speakers

We’ve been told that the holidays are about merriment and togetherness, but it doesn’t take that hard of a look to see past the yuletide-palooza and discover that it’s all a not-so-subtle front for promoting our times’ latest and greatest tech. And frankly? That's fine. The rest of the year, it's hard for us to keep up, and frankly, it's time to upgrade from your ancient Bluetooth speaker, cracked-screen phone, and the earbuds you've been holding on to since they were passed out on your flight to Milwaukee in 2018. The new stuff is smarter, sleeker, and more packed with carefully curated features than ever before, in all realms of tech including home devices, sound bars, laptops, and gaming systems. 

So pass the mashed potatoes and remind your family to hold off on giving you socks for the fourth year in a row: It’s 2023, baby. There are oddly necessary gadgets to splurge on and smart-home essentials to save on. 

From noise-canceling headphones to speakers worthy of the pros, we’ve created the Mother of All Tech Lists. Use it to guide your own quest for the greatest deals as you rifle through the holiday sales, or print out a few copies and hand them out to the people shopping for you. It’s your call. 

While it’s a little trippy turning our homes into living, breathing computers, smart home products let us dim the lights, turn on the fire Miguel track, and answer the door without lifting a finger—and frankly, that’s rad. Here are the hottest home tech products of the holiday season.

Amazon Echo 

You’re committed to Alexa, it’s cool. If you’re looking for rich sound for your favorite tunes in addition to a smart home hub, this little orb’s got you covered. The newest model offers a temperature sensor, motion sensors that enable tap gestures, plus a larger driver for more responsible usage and mesh networking.

Loftie alarm cock

Tired of being woken up by a terrifying alarm from your iPhone? The editor-fave Loftie alarm clock features a two-phase alarm that gently brings you out of sleep and back into consciousness. To drift into snooze land, it also doubles as a white noise machine with nature sounds. Cue the thunderstorm.

Philips Hue lightbulbs

Having trouble getting in the mood? These color-changing light bulbs will surely set the vibes. Our staff writer is a huge fan for their ability to instantly make a room sexy, soothing, or spooky—and the tech keeps getting better every year.

Lots of the best speakers, headphones, and other audio electronics are too good to pass up, so add these spicy sound-blasting meatballs to your cart before they sell out.

Apple’s AirPods

We’re in peak AirPods era, and we bet someone you know wants to find them in their stocking. Features include noise cancelation, touch control, water resistance, up to 30 hours of listening time, and quick access to Siri.   

Apple EarPods

A little bird [cough our editorial director cough] noticed that at the trendiest cafés in Los Angeles, you’ll find that wired earbuds are very, very much back. Like, EarPods have overtaken AirPods as the requisite ear gear. Maybe that’s because you get amazing sound without having to worry about dropping one into a gutter or dealing with a tenuous Bluetooth connection. Either way, for under $20, EarPods make a great stocking stuffer now and forever.

Sony’s Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones

Silencing the world truly is priceless. But if we must talk numbers, then there’s no better value than these noise-canceling headphones from Sony, which offer huge sound and loads of features—they’re ideal for a friend or family member who travels a lot and considers themselves an audiophile.

Apple’s AirPods Max

The big daddy of AirPods: the AirPods Max. Besides being more voluptuous than their in-ear counterparts, these are perfect for those who want to engage in hot girl (or boy) walks, are making phat beats for SoundCloud, or just know swag. Expect high-fidelity audio, noise cancelation, cushioned memory foam, and up to 20 hours of listening time. Our favorite part? Probably the suave matte metallic color palette and the fact that this model has a 4.6-star rating from over 13,000 customer reviews on Amazon. 

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

These new bad boys from the sound gods at Bose are worth every penny. The Ultras improve on QuietComfort tech with even better noise cancellation, spatialized Immersive Audio, and of course gorgeous design.

Koss Porta Pro Headphones

If you’re seeking headphones that double as streetwear, the Koss Porta Pro headphones complement any gorpcore ensemble straight from SSENSE. They’ve become straight-up TikTok-famous for a reason (their low price, retro good looks, and good sound bang-for-the-buck).

Still using that tiny, tinny Bluetooth speaker you got for free from the holiday raffle in 2016? Pal, no. Get thee some decent bass.

Bose Smart Soundbar 

Gifts don’t do you any good if they’re stuck at the North Pole (aka the shipping warehouse). This Bose smart sound bar is available for fast delivery, so you can order last minute and still confidently schedule a better-sounding movie marathon on Christmas morning. 

Sonos Roam

Move over, crappy travel speaker—it’s time for an upgrade. Invest in a Sonos Roam. It adapts its sound to fit your surroundings, plus, it’s waterproof. Now that’s a grown-up portable speaker. 

VIZIO 2.0 Home Theater Sound Bar

Apartment living is no picnic when it comes to space, which means you may wonder how to maximize your sound system without sacrificing too much money or real estate. To offer an epic cinematic experience at home for under $70, the Vizio 2.0 Sound Bar will make you eargasm with its rich, clear sound.

With the amount of time we now spend pummeling our brains with Love Island and true crime TV, watching our favorite shows with seamless streaming and high-def screens is a legitimately good investment.

Samsung 4K Smart TVs 

If you’re a veteran Black Friday shopper, chances are you’ve witnessed hand-to-hand combat over a TV out on the front lines. B&H is doing its part to keep us all civilized by launching its deals online, like this massive 75-inch Samsung Smart TV. At under $700, it’s a deal worth throwing hands over. 

Insignia 50” Class Smart TV

Not everyone needs a huge TV, but we all want a great quality picture and integrated streaming services. This Insignia TV is a massive bang for your buck and has fantastic reviews. In the spirit of the season, it’s just under $300. Go crazy. 

Roku Ultra 

A streaming glow-up calls for the Roku Ultra—which comes with 30 free days of HBO Max.

AuKing Projector

Don’t have room for a ginormous big screen? That’s what projectors are for. Watch Succession or Y2K hits on the wall or ceiling with this mini projector that can reach up to 200 inches in screenplay. Wowza.

Samsung’s Freestyle 2

Samsung’s latest edition of its portable projector features a gaming hub for streaming Xbox games. The last model is an editor-fave, so we have high hopes for the newer tech.

Yep—you know them already. But here’s the latest on the greatest gifts for gaming freaks.

Nintendo’s Switch

What a gem this gaming console is—and yes, it’s still a hot ticket item in 2023. Not only do you get to indulge in Mario Kart, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Pokémon, but you get to escape from the pain of reality and have an excuse to not leave the house.

Meta Quest 3

Ready to get all Ready Player One in your living room? Time to finally try out this world-bending VR headset. 

Playstation 5 Cooling Fan 

If you’re well versed in the realm of gaming, you’re highly aware of the Xbox 360 ring of death. It’s said to be caused by the console overheating, so we’re not taking any chances on our other gaming systems. This cooling fan helps dissipate heat and helps improve your precious tech baby’s lifespan.

Logitech G Cloud

Logitech recently came out with a portable gaming device where you can Xbox and Steam games on the cloud. We love technology.

There’s nothing quite like getting a new laptop or tablet to make you realize how badly your one from college needs to be tossed in the trash. This is why it’s smart to shop for new computers while prices are low for holiday sales.

Apple’s MacBook Pro

Amazon’s generous 19% price drop makes Apple’s latest MacBook Pro a little more attainable. 

Samsung Galazy Z Flip 5

Here at VICE, we’re always wondering, Why don’t the tech items we use every single day have a little more… panache? Look a little more… fun? Samsung basically said “hold my beer” when it dropped the latest model of the Galaxy Z Flip phone, which—you guessed it—folds in half and flips out to a full, beautiful touchscreen. It also comes in fun colors like lavender, yellow, and mint green, has an incredible camera, and fits in your chest pocket like it’s nothin’. We’re obsessed, frankly.

Apple iPad (10th Generation)

Mr. Bezos attempted to dupe the oh-so-precious iPad with Amazon’s Fire Tablet, but it just ain’t the same dude. You can’t just wake up one morning and beat its retina display, ultra-wide camera, stereo speakers, and all-day battery life.

Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 10.4"

Don’t forget that Samsung makes tablets just as beautiful, functional, and versatile as Apple’s. Besides surfing the web, you can doodle, take notes, and edit photos with the S Pen, and stream shows, movies, games, and music.

Guarantee you’ll get those 10,000 steps in (and better yet, don’t force yourself to fumble around for your phone whenever you want to see what time it is).

Apple’s Watch Series 9

We like to think of the Apple Watch as the millennial version of a Rolex, since lord knows our avocado-toast-eating brethren isn’t dropping ten grand on one of those. But the Apple Watch is even better than a Rolex, in our opinion: This wrist candy is loaded with features that make your everyday movements, workouts, and habits easier than ever to track, in addition to keeping you connected to friends without having to pull out your phone. Get insights on your blood oxygen levels, heart rhythm, stages of sleep, and workout performance while also being able to take calls and send texts.

Fitbit Charge 6

Health nuts gather ‘round to track your mile pace and heart rate. The Fitbit Charge 6, on top of the brand’s already well-established fitness tracking widgets, comes with stress management tools, which you hopefully won’t have to utilize as much in 2024. 

Garmin’s Forerunner series 

Garmin watches are a runner’s holy grail with their GPS and advanced training features, and the Forerunner Series watches are among the most popular models. Besides accurately tracking pace, heart rate, and mileage, the 245 offers training plans from a virtual coach for whatever event you’re training for. Other key features include up to 14 days worth of battery life and sleep tracking.

BALMUDA toaster

Your morning buttered toast deserves the utmost respect and a bit of extra chewy, doughy flair. The Japanese brand Balmuda makes this internet-famous toaster (our cooking writer is a huge fan) with cooking modes for sandwich bread, artisan bread, pizza, and pastries, along with a typical oven function. Everything from homemade sourdough to Wonder Bread will taste amazing after a spin in this editor-fave.

Pitbull Gold PRO Skull Shaver

Bald is beautiful, but especially when you’ve got a great cult-fave shaver to make sure your noggin looks as handsome as possible. For lifestyle tech you can really use, scoop this rechargeable, four-blade head razor that we love.

Theragun Sense 

Like its muscle-tenderizing siblings, the Theragun Sense relieves aches and tension using percussive massage therapy. But what differentiates it from other models is its built-in heart rate readings and guided breathwork, which uses simulated touch and motion to relax you. Other features include four attachment heads, five speeds, and an LCD screen to manage the speed and force of the massage. 

TheraFace LED

Waking up with glowing, healthy skin is easy with the right tools. The TheraFace combines percussive facial massage and LED light therapy to help boost circulation while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and acne.

Enjoy the upgrades, and may your smart devices be obedient and all your content be fire.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.

All of these would make great gifts—but for more ideas for what to give your loved ones and frenemies, check out our ever-expanding gift guide.