It’s just days before Christmas and you are always the last-minute shopper. Well, worry not, as there are always tech gifts that you can get for your loved ones to bring a smile to their faces.
From laptops to drones, 2024 has been a year of big upgrades for many tech gadgets. AI PCs are now the hottest things for laptops while even small compact drones pack excellent cameras for budding pilots and cinematographers.
Looking for a gift for a music lover, instead? Or not sure what to give a gamer geek? We have that covered. Here’s a Techgoondu-approved Holiday Gift Guide for this season of giving:
1. For the busy bee in your life
Dell XPS 13 (from S$2,299) and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (S$2,548)
This festive season might be a time to rest up but you can always get ready for the new year with a tech gadget sure to delight the busy bee working executive in your life. Here, an ultraportable laptop with the latest AI smarts built in is a great gift, as is a foldable smartphone that lets them do more on the road.
One of the best ultra-portable laptops around, the Dell XPS 13 now comes with AI PC smarts that promise to let you quickly churn out reports, create images with a brief description and edit videos on the fly.
Thanks to unprecedented competition this past year, you get a choice of either Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite or Intel’s Core Ultra 200v. Both offer great performance and battery life longer than a day.
More importantly, the Dell XPS 13 weighs under 1.2kg and is extremely portable for a 13.4-inch laptop. It fits easily on a desk as it does in the tight confines of an economy seat. It’s also bombproof in its build so it’s ready for hard knocks on the road.
Speaking of that, another great travel companion is a foldable phone that opens up a big screen for a quick edit of an Excel file or a Word report. There are a number of options these days but the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has improved greatly in its slimness and trusted Android operating system.
The phone’s main 7.6-inch Super AMOLED screen is also great for catching up on your Netflix series on the go. Thanks to its 4,400mAh battery, you’d still have juice afterwards for getting the important calls in (read our review).
Also consider: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
2. For the gamer geek
Keychron Q1 HE (S$330) and Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2 (S$1,359)
One of the coolest gifts this season for a gamer is a wireless “magnetic” keyboard like the Keychron Q1 HE. It uses what is called Hall Effect, essentially harnessing magnetic force to make the connection for a key press (read our review).
This means each press is super sensitive, making you are alive and agile to what’s going on in the game world. In other words, possibly dodging a bullet with that slight bit of precision.
It helps that the Keychron keyboard is also solidly built and takes up little space on your desk, which makes it perfect for many homes in Singapore.
Another great gift for a gamer would be a high-resolution 4K monitor that delivers the fast-pace response that gives that vital edge in online games.
There are many options here but the Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2, a 32-incher with a 240Hz QD-OLED display, ticks all the boxes in terms of screen size, sharpness, speed and image quality.
To be sure, the Gigabyte monitor is not just great for games – the excellent OLED display means you’d get to watch your favourite movies in excellent contrast and with great colour vibrance.
Also consider: Asus ROG Swift PG329Q monitor, Razer Basilisk V3 Pro mouse
For the music and movie lover
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (S$329) and Sonos Arc Ultra (S$1,899)
There are near-endless models of wireless earbuds to choose from today but a pair that will always stand out is Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 4, which we tested earlier this year and were impressed with.
Great noise cancelling and long battery life of up to 7.5 hours mean that they are great for travel or when you’re just working at your desk. As you’d expect from Sennheiser’s flagship wireless earbuds, the audio quality is top-notch. They are a gift that any music lover will be happy with (read our review).
If your loved one is more into movies, however, consider a soundbar, such as Sonos’ new Arc Ultra. A little on the costly side, yes, but the flagship soundbar delivers the big-scale effects with aplomb while presenting the dialogue clearly in a busy scene with other audio sources.
Like with earlier Sonos soundbars, the Arc Ultra also looks great with wall mounting as an option. In black or while, it fits in perfectly in a living room with any modern decor (read our review).
Also consider: Sony WF-1000XM5, Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus
For the globetrotter
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 140W (S$189) and Logitech MX Anywhere 3S (S$139)
For someone who is on the road all the time, some tech gadgets will make life a lot happier. A handy charger or a small yet ergonomic mouse, for example, could make a real difference.
When it comes to travel chargers, it’s time to go for an efficient gallium nitride or GaN charger that lets you juice up multiple devices with a single power brick. In other words, you don’t have to lug along multiple chargers for your laptop, phone and smartwatch.
Here, Belkin makes trusted gadgets with varying power offerings. The top-end one is the BoostCharge Pro that lets you send 140 watts of power to as many as four devices at once. Even better, it comes with an easily swappable adapter to simply plug into overseas sockets without hassle.
Another helpful companion on the road is a premium compact mouse. For this, the Logitech MX Anywhere 3S is an easy choice. Though it’s small, it’s ergonomic with a sculpted form and tracks on most surfaces, which means it’s great for cafes or hotel rooms alike.
Logitech wins as well with the mouse’s quiet clicks, which are such a great feature that you’d find other mice noisy and clunky after being used to it. For someone who travels a lot with his or her laptop, the Logitech MX Anywhere 3S is a great mouse to bring along.
For the shutterbug
Leica D-Lux 8 (S$2,450) and DJI Mini 4 Pro (from US$695 or S$946)
Despite the smartphone being the primary camera for most people, a dedicated camera is still valuable to folks who care about truly capturing a moment in time.
The Leica D-Lux 8 is not cheap but it’s what you’d imagine as a Leica for the common man, or rather the discerning photographer with a “common-man budget”.
Most importantly, the compact camera still sports the German company’s renowned build quality and image excellence. If you want a great camera for your holidays without bringing a large mirrorless camera, the Leica D-Lux 8 will help capture some excellent shots.
Of course, you can always go for something “modern” in a drone-based camera. The DJI Mini 4 Pro, as we found in our tests, is great for both beginners and avid flyers. Light and compact at 249g, it is easy to fly and takes great videos as well.
Want to do a slow-motion capture? Yes, you can. Shooting a hyperlapse video? Yes, that feature is built in too. As a Christmas gift, the DJI Mini 4 Pro will delight owners of older drones as well as first-time pilots.
For the new home owner
Netgear Orbi 970 (from S$2,599)
Got a loved one moving into a new home? Consider an upgrade to their Wi-Fi network. With 10Gbps broadband becoming cheaper in Singapore and more devices supporting faster Wi-Fi 7, it’s a good time to install new Wi-Fi 7 network gear to take advantage of the added bandwidth.
Netgear’s new Wi-Fi 7 range is a good start, for their simplicity and high performance. The top-range Obi 970 (read our review) offers 10-gig wired connections along with high-speed Wi-Fi 7 mesh support in an easy-to-set-up offering.
It’s expensive, but the kit comes with on-site installation support at home, so if you need some hand-holding for your spanking new network, there’s help. Plus, the black or white design fits right in your home, without unsightly antenna sticking out all over the place.
Also consider: eero Max 7, Ubiquiti Ultimate Dream Machine SE
Do share with us what you have in mind for a great tech gift in the comments below!
