“Life comes at you fast” as the saying goes, and no one knows this better than our teens and college students. The only thing that seems to move faster is technology, and our teens are always on the lookout for the latest products. We’ve done some of the legwork for you with these offerings for tech-savvy 2018 teens and young adults.
New – All Grown and Flown picks for graduation and birthday gifts here, all in one place!
Note: We receive compensation from purchases made thorough these links.
Top Tech Holiday Gifts 2018
The UE Boom 2 Bluetooth Speaker. Rated the best Bluetooth speaker of 2018 by TechRadar.com This speaker is easily portable, weighs only 1.2 pounds, and has a battery life of 15 hours. Its wireless range is 30+ feet and best of all, it’s waterproof.
KOBRA Wireless OBD2 Car Code Reader Scan Tool. If your teen spends, or will be spending, a lot of time on the road, this scanning device could potentially save your family a great deal of time and money. It connects via Wi-Fi to IOS, Android and Windows smartphones and tablets to diagnose generic and manufacturer-specific trouble codes in all 1996 to 2018 cars and small trucks in the United States. No more wondering what that “Check Engine” light exactly means.
Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless Sport Headphones. A better sounding alternative to Apple Airpods, these powerful in-ear headphones deliver powerful sound without a single wire to get in the way of any activity. If an earbud gets lost, the Bose Connect app has a “Find My Buds” feature that tracks when and where the headphones were last connected to the owner’s phone. If they still can’t find them, an audio signal from the earbuds can alert their location. Off a single charge, the earbuds play for up to five hours, and the fully charged case gives an additional 10 hours of music.
DJI Spark Drone with Remote Control. This lightweight drone for beginners weighs less than 3 pounds and can fly almost 30 mph, with up to 16 minutes of flight time. It can be used to take photos, videos, and even aerial selfies. The quadcopter features GPS- and vision-based navigation for outdoor or indoor use, a variety of flight modes, and a 3D obstacle-detection system.
Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD Portable Charger. Charges a MacBook Pro and an iPhone at the same time. Also compatible with Nintendo Switch. A must-have for students on the go, a portable charger is one of our favorite grad gifts.
GoPro Hero6 Black. GoPro cameras are designed to easily attach to helmets, surfboards, cars and other objects to record all the action. The Hero6 Black records super high-quality 4K footage at 60fps. Other highlights are an improved image stabilization system, wider dynamic range and better low-light performance than the previous version. It’s waterproof down to 10m, and has a useful 2-inch touchscreen, voice commands and an updated app with QuikStories that automatically transfers and edits footage for you. If your teen wants an excellent action camera, this is it.
HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer. Ever see a girl’s dorm room without any pictures on the wall? Neither have I. This compact printer uses Bluetooth connectivity, so it can be paired with any smartphone or tablet via a free app and used at parties and events anywhere. Photos can be customized with emojis, borders and more, before being printed right from social media profiles onto 2”x 3” stickable photo paper. This grad gift is too much fun!
Virtual Reality headset. I tried a virtual reality headset for the first time recently and was blown away by the technology – yes, I was actually scared that a Great White shark was going to tear me apart! Prices have come down considerably in the past year and there are many options for VR headsets on the market, depending on how much you want to spend. According to Wareable.com, the three best headsets of 2018 are the Oculus Rift ($399), the HTC Vive Pro ($799), and the Sony PlayStation VR ($219). If your grad is a serious gamer, these are great gift options.
AMIR Camera Lens Kit for Smartphones. Easily and affordably turns a smartphone into a high-quality camera. Rated one of the 2018 best lens kits by Tom’s Guide, this set of 3 lenses includes 10x macro, 180-degree fisheye and .4X super-wide options. With a universal detachable clamp design, it works on almost all smartphones and tablets. Fantastic for kids who love photography and to travel.
J Mini Video Projector. Your student will never lack friends on the dorm floor with this product. Instantly turns a wall into a screen for watching movies on Netflix or the big game. Weighing less than 3 pounds, it’s been upgraded this year with increased brightness. If used with a wireless HDMI dongle, can project using a smartphone or laptop without a cable.
Convenience
When you give your student their own subscription to Amazon Prime Student, they will be able to order text books, supplies, snacks, and just about anything else for TWO-DAY FREE shipping. Check out all the other extras here:
Related:
The Best Graduation Gifts For Your Teen’s Friends
21 Absolutely Fabulous Grad Gifts for Girls
High School Grad Gifts for Guys They Will Love
