9 Best Tech Gifts of 2026: Gadgets That Blew Us Away

Introduction to the Best Tech Gifts of 2026

Staying on top of the year’s latest tech is exactly what we do best here at Tom’s Guide — and 2026 has delivered plenty of exciting new gadgets. Even better? We've tested a ton of them and many make for the perfect holiday gifts. That’s why we are rounding up the tech that really impressed us this year. These picks come straight from our experts, who have spent hours taking these products for a spin so you can trust that they’re worth your attention.

Whether you’re shopping for a die-hard tech enthusiast or looking for something special for a friend or family member, these standout gadgets are sure to make great gifts this holiday season.

Our Favorite Tech Gifts of 2026

1. MacBook Neo

Though Apple’s budget-friendly laptop is now $100 more than at launch, it’s still an extremely affordable machine at its standard $699 price. It comes in four vibrant colors, has a bright display, features a premium aluminum chassis, and packs plenty of power for everyday tasks like web browsing, word processing, and video streaming. While it lacks a backlit keyboard and upgrading to a model with Touch ID costs $100, this is a fantastic laptop and the one we now recommend to most folks.

2. Fitbit Air

The Fitbit Air is a screen-free fitness tracker that won't put a dent in your wallet. It covers all the holistic metrics you'd expect from a modern device, like heart health, sleep quality, daily movement, and workouts. Plus, its battery will last you a full week. In our testing, we called it our favorite new fitness tracker of 2026.

3. Surface Pro 12-inch

The Surface Pro 12-inch is a great holiday pick for anyone who wants one device for work, streaming, and everyday browsing. Powered by Snapdragon X2 Plus, this compact 2-in-1 gives you the flexibility of a tablet with the power of a Windows laptop. The 3:2 PixelSense touchscreen gives you more room to scroll, sketch, and multitask, while the built-in kickstand reclines up to 165 degrees.

4. Instant Custom Case

If you're an iPhone owner, you should know about the coolest case we've tested in a long while. While the Xtrem Inno looks like an ordinary protective case, it packs a genuinely neat feature: an e-ink display on the back. Best of all, this sorcery of changing photos is all done without ever needing to charge it, leveraging NFC induction instead.

5. KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer

KitchenAid has just wowed us with its newest tilt-head stand mixer, which features an LED light to illuminate the mixing bowl, extra smooth precision controls, and a 1/2 speed function. Available in four exclusive colors, it offers smooth sliding speed control and a double-edge flex beater.

6. Aura Ink

The Aura Ink is one of the first digital photo frames to use an ePaper display, which means you can mount it on a wall — wire-free — for months at a time without having to recharge it. Images on the device look remarkably close to an actual printed photograph.

7. Dell XPS 13 (2026)

The new Dell XPS 13 features a 13.4-inch InfinityEdge 2.5K touch display, an Intel Core Series 3 Wildcat Lake CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. It's wrapped in an ultra-slim aluminum design that is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs 2.2 pounds.

8. LG C6 4K OLED TV

LG's latest mid-range OLED boasts all of the signature benefits of OLED technology, including perfect black levels, pixel-level dimming, ultra-wide viewing angles, and improved HDR brightness compared to previous generations.

9. Viture Beast AR/XR Glasses

The Viture Beast raised the bar for premium immersion with a massive 58-degree field of view and ultra-bright 1,250-nit micro-OLEDs running at 1200p/120Hz. Combined with 9-level electrochromic lens dimming and native 3DoF anchoring, they are the ultimate AR glasses for gaming and entertainment.