Baseus 5K Picogo Power Bank with Kickstand

Baseus' standard 5K Picogo Power Bank costs only about $20. But if you want to get faster 15-watt charging speeds that Qi2 offers (compared with 7.5 watts), you should step up to the company's 5K Picogo Power Bank with Kickstand, which costs around twice as much (its 5,000-mAH battery delivers close to one full charge to most iPhones). It's the most compact Qi2 magnetic power bank I've tried that has a built-in kickstand, and it didn't get too warm while charging my iPhone 16 Pro. In some of the marketing photos, the battery looks a little smaller than it really is (it appears on an iPhone 16 Pro Max, the largest iPhone). Still, it's quite compact, weighing only 4.8 ounces with dimensions that aren't much bigger than a credit card (except for thickness). It's also worth noting that the flip-out aluminum kickstand felt pretty sturdy, and the USB-C port allows you to charge out at 20 watts with a cable. With the kickstand, you can prop your phone up vertically (portrait mode) or horizontally (landscape mode).

Clckr Stand and Grip for MagSafe (2nd gen)

Clckr's Stand and Grip is one of my favorite MagSafe accessories. With a strong magnet, it sticks to the back of your MagSafe-enabled phone or MagSafe-enabled case. It not only makes it easier to hold up your phone, but when converted into a kickstand, it props up your device nicely in portrait or landscape mode for video calls or video watching. The latest version has a partially translucent design.

Anker Nano Power Bank (10K, 45W, Built-In Retractable USB-C Cable)

Anker's Nano Power Bank now comes in a few different versions, including this 10,000-mAh model that has a retractable USB-C cable and both a USB-C and a USB-A port for maximum charging flexibility. (It offers up to 45 watts of charging from that USB-C port, which means you should have no problem charging a laptop with it, though not to full capacity.) I also liked that it has a built-in display that shows how much battery is left and how fast you're charging from each port. There's also pass-through charging technology, so you can charge the battery while also charging a device, and the battery itself can be charged relatively quickly as it supports up to 30-watt fast-charging with a supported power adapter (not included). While the power bank's overall footprint is fairly compact, the power bank is fairly thick and weighs 8.3 ounces or 232 grams, so it's a little chunky.

Roku Streaming Stick Plus

Make your loved one's TV smart for the price of a takeaway meal. The Roku Streaming Stick Plus offers hundreds of apps and is easy to install on a spare HDMI port on your television. Roku is our favorite smart TV interface, and it's easy to set up with your own apps. 

ESR Wireless MagSafe Car charger

ESR's initial MagSafe-certified wireless car charger with fast 15-watt charging for iPhones costs $100. But this newer Qi2 model, which doesn't come with a power adapter, is a third of the price and is well-designed with a pretty strong magnet. I tried the air-vent mount model, which has a clamp with some extra support that allows it to hook on very securely. Additionally, the mount has some built-in cooling (ESR calls it CryoBoost), so the charger doesn't overheat.

Like ESR's original MagSafe model, this charges both MagSafe-enabled iPhones and Android phones at fast 15W charging speeds. Just make sure to get a cigarette lighter USB-C power adapter with ample wattage. (I like to get power adapters with at least 30W and dual USB-C ports so a passenger can charge a second phone with a USB-C cable.)

Amazon Echo Spot (2nd generation)

While it lists for $80, the 2nd-gen Echo Spot frequently goes on sale for $45. Like its predecessor, it has a touchscreen and displays a variety of custom-designed clock faces. It's also Alexa-enabled, allowing you to use your voice to set alarms, access the weather, play music tracks and issue commands to your Alexa smart home products. Along with improved audio quality (it has a 1.73-inch front-firing directional speaker that puts out more bass and clearer audio), the new Echo Spot has a bigger, bezel-less screen. But it's closer to a semicircle than the fully circular screen on the original. Animations and clock faces are displayed crisply. It also displays album art when you listen to music on Spotify, but it's not that sharp.

Unlike the original, there's no integrated camera, so you can't make video calls, which is probably a good thing if you're concerned about privacy. You can also ask Alexa to call loved ones, make household announcements, audibly drop in on other Alexa-enabled devices in your household, or get alerts and audio from your compatible smart doorbell. It's a nice, smart alarm clock that sounds decent for how small it is.

Apple AirTags

Here's a gift that anyone who's susceptible to losing things will appreciate. Apple's AirTags accessories work with any Apple device and use the company's FindMy network -- the same one used to locate lost iPhones. Attach them to keys, a backpack or just about anything else. It's $24 for one and $99 for four, and if you buy them through Apple, you can get free customized engravings too.

Anker Prime 67W 3-port USB C GaN Wall Charger

Anker's Prime 67W 3-port USB C GaN Wall Charger is one of my favorite wall chargers because it's compact, has two USB-C ports and one USB-A, and delivers up to 67 watts of power, so it can charge most laptops. If you're charging multiple devices, it splits up the power allocation and will charge those devices at their maximum speed so long as they don't require more than 67 watts total (in other words, you could charge two phones at the same time without a problem).

Sony IER-EX15C USB-C

Sure, everyone seems to have true-wireless earbuds these days, but some people have returned to the simpler times of wired buds, which have now evolved into wired USB-C models like the new Sony IER-EX15C USB-C. Available in a few color options, they plug into the USB-C port on a phone, tablet, computer or portable game console like the Switch 2 and deliver surprisingly good sound for the price. (They also have decent voice-calling performance.) Well-balanced with good clarity and nice overall richness to the sound, I initially thought they were a little short on the bass. But then I swapped out the ear tips for a bit wider, larger ones that fit my ears better, and the tighter seal significantly improved the bass performance (while Sony ear tips don't fit my ears all that great, they could very well fit your ears well). Note that the EX15C are an upgrade over the earlier MDREX15AP, which only cost $11 and have an analog 3.5mm plug. EX15C USB-C have an all-digital connection and can't be plugged into a standard headphone jack without an adapter.

JBL Go 4

JBL says it's improved the sound of its smallest speaker, the Go 4, and after testing it, we agree that indeed it does have "more robust sound and punchier bass than its predecessor." For such a tiny speaker, which literally fits in your pocket, it sounds surprisingly good, though it has its limitations, of course (it can only produce so much bass and sound).

Available in nine color options, the Go 4 has an "updated silhouette" and a wider and more durable carrying strap. The speaker is rated for seven hours of playtime at moderate volume levels, is IP67 waterproof and dustproof and comes equipped with Bluetooth 5.3 with LE audio. It also has multispeaker connectivity via the JBL Portable app and Auracast.

Soundcore by Anker P40i

Why I like them

Anker makes so many value earbuds that it's hard to keep track of all of them. Released in early 2024, its Soundcore P40i buds are arguably the company's best budget earbuds, with a comfortable fit (they come with six sizes of ear tips) and very solid performance for around $50. Not only do they have decent active noise canceling as well as a transparency mode, but they also offer multipoint Bluetooth connectivity and respectable voice-calling capabilities. As far as sound goes, they're billed as "bass-heavy" earbuds, and indeed, they deliver pretty powerful bass, though it's not boomy or muddy, and there is ample detail. They just lean a little warm. You can tweak the sound a bit in the sound profile, but I mainly stuck to the earbuds' "signature sound," which I thought worked well with a wide variety of music genres. Worth noting: They have a reasonably wide sound stage and low-latency modes for movie watching and gaming.

Reasons to buy

The buds are a solid value, and have a bonus feature some people may find useful: The earbuds' charging case converts into a stand for your smartphone when watching a video. That's a feature more earbuds cases should have.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

Anker has released the P41i, which, along with the built-in phone stand, have a built-in power bank to charge your phone (to about 50%). So, you may want to check that model out along with the step-down P30i, which can be had for less than $30.

Sony CH-520

Sony released its new entry-level CH-720N over-ear noise-canceling headphones in 2023. They're quite good. But if you can't afford them (they list for $150), the company's new budget on-ear CH-520 headphones are an intriguing option, particularly when they go on sale for less than $40.

They lack noise canceling and are fairly no-frills, but they feature good sound for their price, are lightweight and pretty comfortable for on-ear headphones, and also have excellent battery life (they're rated for up to 50 hours at moderate volume levels). Additionally, they have multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can pair them with two devices simultaneously, such as a smartphone and computer, and switch audio. Voice-calling performance is decent, though not up to the level of what you get with the CH-720N. 

Note that there's no wired option -- this is a wireless Bluetooth-only headphone. The CH-520 offers overall balanced sound with decent clarity. The bass has some punch to it but doesn't pack a wallop, and you're not going to get quite as wide a soundstage as you get from Sony's more expensive over-ear headphones. But these definitely sound better than Sony's previous entry-level on-ear headphones and sound better than I thought they would. I tried the white color but they also come in blue and black.

QCY MeloBuds Pro

Like Earfun, QCY makes a variety of budget earbuds and headphones that deliver good value. The MeloBuds Pro look a little generic, but they're lightweight and comfortable and sound good for what they cost, offering decent clarity and well-balanced audio (you can tweak their sound profile a bit with the EQ settings in the QCY companion app). Also, their noise-canceling and voice-calling performance is better than average for sub-$50 earbuds. And finally, they have ear-detection sensors, multipoint Bluetooth pairing, a low-latency gaming mode and support for Sony's high-quality LDAC audio codec (many Android devices support LDAC).

Battery life is rated at up to 7.5 hours at moderate volumes with noise canceling on, though it dips to around 4.5 hours if you're using the LDAC codec for streaming over Bluetooth. Sweat-resistant and splash-proof with an IPX5 rating, the QCY MeloBuds Pro may not do anything exceptionally well -- and I found their touch controls a bit finicky -- but they're overall a good value, especially when they go on sale for closer to $40.

Soundcore by Anker Select 4 Go

The Soundcore by Anker Select 4 Go doesn't have quite the build quality as JBL's Go 4 micro Bluetooth speaker (it has a slight budget feel to it), but it offers comparable sound quality and costs half the price. Like the JBL Go 4, the similarly named Select 4 Go sounds decent for its tiny size and is able to output just enough bass to avoid sounding tinny. Also, it's fully waterproof and even floats. Battery life is rated for an impressive 20 hours at moderate volumes and you can pair two of these speakers together for stereo sound. It's definitely a good value.

Oka Unisex Recovery Slides

A few years ago, I had some pain on the top right side of my right foot that wouldn't go away, so I visited a podiatrist. He said it was nothing serious and suggested I purchase a pair of Oofos recovery slides and not only wear them instead of my shoes as much as possible but wear them inside my apartment instead of going barefoot. I like the Oofos -- and they indeed helped cure my foot problem -- but I recently tried a new pair of slides from Oka Recovery that are slightly better.

Yes, you heard right, Oka, not Hoka, which also makes good recovery slides. With slides like this, which tend to be very cushiony and comfortable, there are subtle differences. The Oka slides are slightly firmer than my Oofos Oohha slides and also do better with water. They have 35mm of "buoyant foam," 12 cooling vents and "a wide upper that cradles without squeezing." The company also touts the slides' "stabilizing deep heel cup that locks your foot in place," but it's worth noting that most people should probably order a size down to get the best fit. I'm usually a size 10, but the review sample that fit me well was the men's 9/women's 11 (yes, they're unisex). I thought they had good arch support. Read my full review.

Chirp 2-inch Wheel Foam Roller

Chirp makes several different-sized "wheel" foam rollers for stretching your spine that are worth checking out, but I also like this mini 2-inch foam roller that's great for digging into little knots on the bottom of your feet, stretching out your arches and massaging your heels. It can also be used on your neck and trigger points on your back. Additionally, Chirp makes the 2-inch Wheel XR Foot Massage roller ($20). I haven't tried that one yet, but it gets high marks from users as well.

Waowoo weighted blanket

Weighted blankets have become a popular item that people use to sleep better. They hug your body and distribute weighted glass beads evenly in small pockets. This blanket is breathable and machine-washable in a cleaning bag on the gentle cycle. This blanket comes in 15- and 20-pound varieties, and you'll want to select the proper weight for your recipient's body type.

Chirp Wheel 10-inch Wheel Plus

Chirp Wheel foam rollers come in a several sizes and you can buy a four-pack of them if you're looking for a set. But if you want to start with just one, the 10-inch medium size is good, though I personally use the smaller 6-inch model more because it applies deeper pressure (which some people may not like). 

Chirp Wheels, particularly the larger ones, have a bigger circumference than your typical foam roller. They're designed to fit between your shoulder blades, and I did find them better than your standard foam roller for stretching and realigning my vertebrae, though they are pricier.

Renpho Smart Jump Rope

Doing cardio doesn't necessarily mean you have to hop on a treadmill or elliptical machine. Jumping rope can help get your heart rate up quickly and is an inexpensive way to squeeze in a quick workout. Renpho's Smart Jump Rope is the perfect gift for someone on your list who isn't keen on traditional cardio.

When you connect the Smart Jump Rope to the Renpho Fit app (available for iOS and Android), you can track your reps, calories burned and the duration of your workout. The LCD screen on the handle can read your skip time and total number of skips even when you aren't using the app. This makes for an ideal portable form of exercise even while traveling.

Oral-B Pro 1000

The Oral-B Pro 1000 rechargeable electric toothbrush is ostensibly geared toward adults, but it's also a good tool for parents to get their kids to brush better. I had my 14-year-old test it (he's not a good brusher with a standard toothbrush), and it has a had a positive impact on his brushing habits. 

Available in multiple color options, it has three brushing modes (daily clean, whiten and sensitive) and a built-in two-minute timer to make sure you brush long enough, with the toothbrush pulsing every 30 seconds to remind you to switch brushing spots. It's compatible with various Oral-B replacement heads. Note that the step-up iO Series 300 (about $20 more) comes with an extra replacement head while the iO Series 400 adds Bluetooth so you can connect to a companion app. 

Knockaround sunglasses

If you're on the hunt for a decent pair of budget sunglasses, Knockaround has various models, including those with polarized and mirrored coatings, for $25 and even slightly less. They're not premium glasses obviously, but the lenses are pretty decent and the glasses look more expensive than their low price would indicate. These designer sunglasses also seem pretty durable. Several different styles, colors and lens options are available. You can also shop Knockaround's NFL, NHL and MLB collections if you're looking for a gift for the sports fan in your life.

LifeStraw Peak Series personal water filter

You can use the LifeStraw Peak Series in a couple of ways: Use it as an actual straw to drink water directly from a lake or stream, or attach it to a plastic soda bottle that you've filled with water (we're talking about a bottle that has a standard screw-off top). The truth is you can drink some pretty nasty-looking water using the LifeStraw, which filters out not only silt, sand and cloudiness but also bacteria, parasites and microplastics.

It's obviously good for hiking trips and camping, but a lot of people keep them in their cars just in case they get stranded somewhere without easy access to drinking water. It's also good for trips to countries that don't have the cleanest drinking water. 

Gerber Gear Armbar Drive multitool

Gerber makes some nice multitools, and its Armbar Drive is one of its most compact models, featuring eight tools: a fine edge blade, scissors, awl, two-sided 1/4-inch bit driver, pry bar, bottle opener and hammer, all made of stainless steel (the blade is held securely with a frame lock). I got the burnt orange model, but it also comes in blue and onyx.

GSI Outdoors Boulder hip flask

GSI Outdoors makes a bunch of insulated mugs and water bottles along with a bunch of camping-related cooking gear, including stoves and chef's tools. But it's also known for its lightweight hip flasks that come in a few different sizes and colors. I've used the smaller 6-ounce version, which is truly pocketable, but the 10-ounce model is probably the right choice for most people. Made of plastic, it has a shatter-resistant body with rubberized bumpers. It doesn't cost a lot and it's a gift that tends to be appreciated.