Tech Gifts Under the Tree: Must-Have Hardware for Geeks

A Wide Range of Tech Gifts for Everyone

If your partner, child, or parents are interested in technology and consumer electronics, then the Christmas gift may already be as good as found. The selection of devices from a wide variety of areas is huge, but here are some suggestions for gifts that could put a smile on your loved ones' faces on Christmas Eve.

The Library in Your Pocket

For book lovers who are also not averse to modern technology, an eBook reader could be a good option. With such devices, it's possible to have virtually your entire library with you at all times in your pants or handbag. One of the most promising devices in this category is the Kindle Colorsoft from Amazon. As its name suggests, it can display content like comics in color and offers direct access to the Kindle Store, where readers can find everything their hearts desire when it comes to books. The price is around 260 euros. Alternatively, cheaper versions of the Kindle are also available.

Two of the most unusual devices on the market, meanwhile, externally resemble smartphones - the small Boox Palma 2 (currently just under 270 euros) and the new Boox Palma 2 Pro (around 400 euros).

Portable Gaming

One of the particularly coveted gifts from the tech sector this year is likely to be the Nintendo Switch 2. The Japanese cult video game manufacturer Nintendo released its new hybrid console, the successor to the popular Switch, in the summer. The portable console is available at a regular price of just under 470 euros, but that doesn't include a game yet. In the prefabricated bundle with, for example, Mario Kart World, the Switch 2 costs around 510 euros.

Alternatively, many gamers are fully on trend with portable solutions like the Steam Deck from Valve - depending on the version, starting at around 420 euros - or the ROG Xbox Ally starting at 599 euros. However, these are not from Nintendo and therefore don't support the manufacturer's games. On the other hand, PC games can be played on them.

A gaming laptop could also be a good option; such solutions are usually significantly more expensive, but also more powerful. Popular choices include laptops based on Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50 series, such as MSI's Katana 15 HX devices, which, depending on the offer and configuration, significantly exceed the 1,000-euro mark.

Smartphones Well Below 1,000 Euros Too

With smartphones, it all depends on which camp you're in. An Apple fan won't be thrilled with an Android device - and vice versa. Additionally, there are also large price differences here. If your partner is still hanging on to their many-years-old iPhone, it might be time for an upgrade. The new iPhone 17 Pro is available starting at just under 1,300 euros; in the 17 Pro Max variant, the smartphone can cost up to around 2,450 euros depending on the configuration. But there are also cheaper devices like the iPhone 16e starting at just under 700 euros.

Android followers, meanwhile, have a wide range of options - listing them all would exceed the scope of this article. Relatively inexpensive compared to many other smartphones is, for example, Google's Pixel 9a for around 550 euros. And if you can spend more, the search engine giant's Pixel 10 is also available starting at just under 900 euros.

No Limits

There are no limits to the imagination when it comes to tech gifts. How about an espresso machine for the coffee lover? Or new headphones for the music fan? A projector for the home cinema enthusiast? All of this and much more is possible. However, you probably shouldn't give a vacuum cleaner as a gift unless it's explicitly requested as a present.