We spend all year testing and evaluating products, some great, some terrible. But that gives us special insight into building a holiday gift guide with items in it that are sure to impress. In 2018, there are so many incredible products out there — we hope this guide helps.
'Tis the season of giving, yadda yadda yadda. If you're here, it either means you're stumped on what to buy your favorite people, or you're looking for a bit more inspiration. That's great, because we've spent the past 11 months building a database of incredible products and services for this very purpose.
The perfect smartphone gift
Moto G6
Everyone needs an awesome smartphone, and there's none of better value for your dollars than the G6. It does everything the more expensive phones do at a much lower price. Period. Impress your loved ones with this awesome device.
The baddest flagship
OnePlus 6T
The king of the affordable flagship, now available in stunning Thunder Purple. With a huge battery, in-display fingerprint sensor, and some of the best performance on Android, period, this is the phone to beat. And gift.
The best camera. Ever.
Google Pixel 3
Simply the best camera you can get on a phone today, with incredible daylight photos, awesome portrait shots, and a new Night Sight to light up the darkness.
A loyal companion
Fitbit Charge 3
Stop pretending that you need a smartwatch when all you want to do is track your steps and sleep and maybe see your notifications. The Fitbit Charge 3 does all of that and has seven days of battery. Plus, it looks nice.
A smarter watch that doesn't need charging
Fossil Q Commuter Hybrid Smartwatch
If a real watch is more up your alley but you still want to count steps and receive a buzz whenever you get a text or calendar reminder, Fossil's lineup of hybrid watches is where it's at. The Q Commuter has a rounded stainless steel body and a matching dark brown leather band, but there are tons of styles to choose from. They all have one thing in common, though: they only have to be charged one a year.
More than a smart display
Google Home Hub
A Google Assistant-powered speaker that's also incredibly well-designed, sounds great, and acts as a digital photo frame that directly ties into Google Photos? The Home Hub is Google's best new product of the year, and it's also one of our most fervent holiday recommendations.
Smash that buy button
Nintendo Switch
Most people either have a Switch, or are waiting until Nintendo releases Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on December 7, but our take is that everyone on Earth should have this fantastic portable gaming console. Also because Diablo 3. And Zelda. Oh, and Mario Odyssey. And Mario Kart. And Mario Party. And...
The one with the good exclusives
PlayStation 4 Pro
We're not biased or anything (maybe a little), but the PlayStation 4 Pro has a lot of amazing exclusives, including Marvel's Spider-Man and Tetris Effect (and Horizon Zero Dawn and Last Of Us, and...) and its DualShock controllers are pretty rad.
For your listening pleasure
Sony WH-CH700N headphones
This is the headphone secret no one talks about: you don't have to spend more than $200 to get incredible noise canceling headphones. Case in point: Sony's WH-CH700N headphones are comfortable, sound awesome, and provide superb isolation from the outside world. Plus 35 hours of battery life!
Smooth operator
OnePlus Bullets Wireless headphones
Wireless headphones should be more convenient than their wired counterparts, which means you shouldn't have to worry about battery life or charging cables or portability. OnePlus's superb Bullets Wireless headphones are incredibly comfortable and convenient, with awesome sound quality, great battery life, and USB-C fast charging. And at $70, they're less expensive than you'd think!
Cast it and forget it
Chromecast Ultra
If you do anything on a smartphone that could stand to look better or sound louder, you need a Chromecast Ultra. This could be our oldest product on the list, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The beauty of Chromecast continues to be its simplicity, with practically every major streaming app supporting Google's Cast platform. Plus, it's tiny and fits behind your TV.
Snow white, so powerful
Lenovo Chromebook C330
There are so many Chromebooks to choose from these days, but we think Lenovo is making the best ones for the most people. Case in point: the Chromebook C330 is gorgeously made, robust, powerful, and converts to become an Android tablet if necessary. Perfect for the boardroom and the classroom.
12 hours of power
UE MEGABLAST
Everyone needs a great Bluetooth speaker, and this one is the best out there. With Alexa support built-in, the waterproof UE MEGABLAST is insanely powerful for its size.
Music for your ears
Sonos One
The Sonos One sounds incredible. Not only does it connect to Alexa (and soon, Google Home), it sounds so, so good. And if you end up buying two, they can be paired together for whole-home audio! It's simply the best way to get great streaming audio into any (or all) room of your house.
A change of perspective
Moment Phone Lenses
There's something so simple about screwing a lens onto a camera, but in this case the camera is your phone and the lens is this compact thing that improves the quality of all of your shots. Moment prides itself on high-quality glass, and its lenses are compatible with a bunch of phones. Just remember to .
Light it up
Lume Cube Air
Smartphone photography is getting better, but nothing substitutes for great light. That's where Lume Cube's new Air comes in — it offers a bright, customizable light that's controlled via Bluetooth. It can be held or mounted, and there's even a kit to connect it with your phone to take the perfect selfie.
The perfect alarm clock
Amazon Echo Spot
This is the cutest and potentially most useful Alexa-powered gadget. The Echo Spot is perfect for the bedroom but, thanks to its small screen, can double as a living room or kitchen tool, answering queries, blaring alarms, or chatting with family and friends.
Turn up the bass
Amazon Echo Sub Bundle with 2 Echo Plus (2nd Gen)
For $330, you're not going to find a better-sounding stereo + sub solution than this. Even better, the Amazon Echo Plus is also an Alexa conduit (obviously) and a smart home hub. It's the best of all worlds. Oh, and the Sub? It can jam.
Home sweet home
Nest Hello Doorbell
If there's a piece of smart home tech I can recommend, it's the Nest Hello Doorbell. Being able to answer the door from anywhere in the world is magical enough, but having clear-as-day (or night) video quality from my front door whenever I want it is even better. Plus it integrates with all of Nest's other excellent products. Well worth the money.
Charge all the things!
Anker Premium 60W 5-Port Desktop Charger with One 30W Power Delivery Port
It's OK, we know you have too many things to charge and not enough space to charge them. That's where Anker's 60W USB charger comes in — it has a 30W USB-C port and four USB-A ports. It's also low-profile and hardy, so it can be tossed in a bag.
At this time of year, there's something for everyone, including the person hardest to shop for. While I love the and can't recommend enough the , I hope there's something on this list that you'll enjoy.
'Tis the season of giving, yadda yadda yadda. If you're here, it either means you're stumped on what to buy your favorite people, or you're looking for a bit more inspiration. That's great, because we've spent the past 11 months building a database of incredible products and services for this very purpose.
The perfect smartphone gift
Moto G6
Everyone needs an awesome smartphone, and there's none of better value for your dollars than the G6. It does everything the more expensive phones do at a much lower price. Period. Impress your loved ones with this awesome device.
The baddest flagship
OnePlus 6T
The king of the affordable flagship, now available in stunning Thunder Purple. With a huge battery, in-display fingerprint sensor, and some of the best performance on Android, period, this is the phone to beat. And gift.
The best camera. Ever.
Google Pixel 3
Simply the best camera you can get on a phone today, with incredible daylight photos, awesome portrait shots, and a new Night Sight to light up the darkness.
A loyal companion
Fitbit Charge 3
Stop pretending that you need a smartwatch when all you want to do is track your steps and sleep and maybe see your notifications. The Fitbit Charge 3 does all of that and has seven days of battery. Plus, it looks nice.
A smarter watch that doesn't need charging
Fossil Q Commuter Hybrid Smartwatch
If a real watch is more up your alley but you still want to count steps and receive a buzz whenever you get a text or calendar reminder, Fossil's lineup of hybrid watches is where it's at. The Q Commuter has a rounded stainless steel body and a matching dark brown leather band, but there are tons of styles to choose from. They all have one thing in common, though: they only have to be charged one a year.
More than a smart display
Google Home Hub
A Google Assistant-powered speaker that's also incredibly well-designed, sounds great, and acts as a digital photo frame that directly ties into Google Photos? The Home Hub is Google's best new product of the year, and it's also one of our most fervent holiday recommendations.
Smash that buy button
Nintendo Switch
Most people either have a Switch, or are waiting until Nintendo releases Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on December 7, but our take is that everyone on Earth should have this fantastic portable gaming console. Also because Diablo 3. And Zelda. Oh, and Mario Odyssey. And Mario Kart. And Mario Party. And...
The one with the good exclusives
PlayStation 4 Pro
We're not biased or anything (maybe a little), but the PlayStation 4 Pro has a lot of amazing exclusives, including Marvel's Spider-Man and Tetris Effect (and Horizon Zero Dawn and Last Of Us, and...) and its DualShock controllers are pretty rad.
For your listening pleasure
Sony WH-CH700N headphones
This is the headphone secret no one talks about: you don't have to spend more than $200 to get incredible noise canceling headphones. Case in point: Sony's WH-CH700N headphones are comfortable, sound awesome, and provide superb isolation from the outside world. Plus 35 hours of battery life!
Smooth operator
OnePlus Bullets Wireless headphones
Wireless headphones should be more convenient than their wired counterparts, which means you shouldn't have to worry about battery life or charging cables or portability. OnePlus's superb Bullets Wireless headphones are incredibly comfortable and convenient, with awesome sound quality, great battery life, and USB-C fast charging. And at $70, they're less expensive than you'd think!
Cast it and forget it
Chromecast Ultra
If you do anything on a smartphone that could stand to look better or sound louder, you need a Chromecast Ultra. This could be our oldest product on the list, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The beauty of Chromecast continues to be its simplicity, with practically every major streaming app supporting Google's Cast platform. Plus, it's tiny and fits behind your TV.
Snow white, so powerful
Lenovo Chromebook C330
There are so many Chromebooks to choose from these days, but we think Lenovo is making the best ones for the most people. Case in point: the Chromebook C330 is gorgeously made, robust, powerful, and converts to become an Android tablet if necessary. Perfect for the boardroom and the classroom.
12 hours of power
UE MEGABLAST
Everyone needs a great Bluetooth speaker, and this one is the best out there. With Alexa support built-in, the waterproof UE MEGABLAST is insanely powerful for its size.
Music for your ears
Sonos One
The Sonos One sounds incredible. Not only does it connect to Alexa (and soon, Google Home), it sounds so, so good. And if you end up buying two, they can be paired together for whole-home audio! It's simply the best way to get great streaming audio into any (or all) room of your house.
A change of perspective
Moment Phone Lenses
There's something so simple about screwing a lens onto a camera, but in this case the camera is your phone and the lens is this compact thing that improves the quality of all of your shots. Moment prides itself on high-quality glass, and its lenses are compatible with a bunch of phones. Just remember to .
Light it up
Lume Cube Air
Smartphone photography is getting better, but nothing substitutes for great light. That's where Lume Cube's new Air comes in — it offers a bright, customizable light that's controlled via Bluetooth. It can be held or mounted, and there's even a kit to connect it with your phone to take the perfect selfie.
The perfect alarm clock
Amazon Echo Spot
This is the cutest and potentially most useful Alexa-powered gadget. The Echo Spot is perfect for the bedroom but, thanks to its small screen, can double as a living room or kitchen tool, answering queries, blaring alarms, or chatting with family and friends.
Turn up the bass
Amazon Echo Sub Bundle with 2 Echo Plus (2nd Gen)
For $330, you're not going to find a better-sounding stereo + sub solution than this. Even better, the Amazon Echo Plus is also an Alexa conduit (obviously) and a smart home hub. It's the best of all worlds. Oh, and the Sub? It can jam.
Home sweet home
Nest Hello Doorbell
If there's a piece of smart home tech I can recommend, it's the Nest Hello Doorbell. Being able to answer the door from anywhere in the world is magical enough, but having clear-as-day (or night) video quality from my front door whenever I want it is even better. Plus it integrates with all of Nest's other excellent products. Well worth the money.
Charge all the things!
Anker Premium 60W 5-Port Desktop Charger with One 30W Power Delivery Port
It's OK, we know you have too many things to charge and not enough space to charge them. That's where Anker's 60W USB charger comes in — it has a 30W USB-C port and four USB-A ports. It's also low-profile and hardy, so it can be tossed in a bag.
At this time of year, there's something for everyone, including the person hardest to shop for. While I love the and can't recommend enough the , I hope there's something on this list that you'll enjoy.