Wish List 2019: 52 Amazing Gifts You'll Want to Keep for Yourself
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One of the best things about working at WIRED is that we get to touch all of the latest gadgets—everything from headphones to ebikes to cameras to blenders—before anyone else. We test each of those things thoroughly, then write considered reviews of them that help you decide how to spend your money.
When the holidays come around, however, you don't want to have to read a bunch of reviews to figure out what things would make the best gifts. If you wanted to do homework, you'd go back to school! Here's something way more fun: This is a list of all of our favorite things we tested, rode, used, tasted, read, or otherwise experienced this year. We're sure there's something in our Wish List that's exactly what you're looking for.
Be sure to check out our many other gift guides, including ones for audiophiles, PC gamers, and frequent travelers.
- POC Obex BC SPIN
POC’s new snow sports helmet is full of features to save adventurers’ brains (thick shell, rotational impact protection pads) and bodies: It has an industry-standard sensor that rescuers can use to find you and an NFC-enabled chip that stores medical data. So when you gonk your noggin on a tree and wind up unconscious, the ski patrol can swoop in, scan the chip, and get to work.
- 1More Stylish
Since Apple’s AirPods popularized the idea of truly wireless listening, everyone is taking a stab at wirefree headphones. 1More has made the pair most worth a listen. Like all wirefree sets, they have no cords and come with a charging case. Unlike the competitors, 1More’s buds have a comfy, stay-put fit, crisp audio, a reasonable price, and more than six hours of battery life per charge.
- Fellow Carter Mug, 16 oz.
The vacuum-insulated mouth on this totable coffee mug is wide enough to accommodate a pour-over dripper, and the ceramic coating in the 16-ounce interior preserves all the nuanced flavors of single-origin bean juice. The lid locks liquid inside with a 270-degree twist, and the thin stainless steel rim is designed for drip-free sippin’.
- Tern HSD S8i
Tern’s compact electric cargo bike can handle a walloping 375 pounds of humans, dogs, and groceries—a startling capacity for a whip that’s shorter than a road bike. A 400-watt-hour battery and Bosch motor adds smooth power assist to the step-through frame, front-fork suspension, and wide, comfy tires. When the hauling is done, fold down the handlebars, lower the seat, and store the bike upright using its rear rack as a stand.
- Photograph: Joseph ShinTile Sticker
Does that itty-bitty Apple TV remote keep getting lost? Try Tile’s latest tracker, a tiny waterproof sticker about the size of three stacked dimes. Affix one to anything you want to keep tabs on, and use Tile’s app to locate precious missing objects up to 150 feet away. The battery is good for three years of misplacing things.
- ZSA Planck EZ
Downsized keyboards are hot these days; people like the ability to conserve both desk space and hand movement. This quirky QWERTY trims the fat by ditching most of the non-letter keys. But what it lacks in buttons, it makes up for in options. Use the dedicated special keys on either side of the smol space bar to access less common functions. Despite its diminutive posture, mechanical keys make it clack like its big brethren.
- One Eleven SWII Solar Three-Hand rPet Watch
One Eleven’s latest wristwear is an eco-friendly timepiece de résistance. It uses solar power to keep its analog movement charged up. The handsome 42-mm, water-resistant case is made from plant-based castor oil, and the velcro strap is made from reclaimed water bottles. Even the packaging is recycled.
- Photograph: Joseph ShinFujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay
Put Instagram on the wall with this pocket-size combination instant camera and printer. The LCD screen lets you preview photos before printing them, so only the winners end up on a sheet of Instax Mini film ($12 for a 20-pack). The glass lens and 5-megapixel sensor produce sharp images, but you can also download the companion app to print pics taken on a phone.
- Timbuk2 Tech Tote
Haul all your work gear without worrying about those cloudy skies. This weather-resistant 20-liter carrier has pockets with sealed zippers, a padded 15-inch laptop sleeve, a slot for a water bottle, and enough interior space to accommodate just about everything else a worker needs for the daily commute. The rain won’t know what hit it.
- IK Multimedia Uno Drum
Whether making tracks that sound like the Jungle Brothers or the brothers Ween, IK Multimedia’s compact drum machine will help dial in the proper bounce. Choose one of its 100 presets to program a beat, or assemble a sonic palette by mixing the Uno’s six analog sounds with its library of 54 digital samples. Battery power means the show can go on the road.
- Industry West 1L Carafe
Class up social gatherings with this measurably awesome drink set. It’s not just sharp-looking, it’s scientifically sound—all the pieces are made of laboratory-standard borosilicate glass, and the graduation marks denote hundredths of a liter for precise pouring. Perfect for water, wine, or any chemical concoction.
- Anden Cameo Mirror
This elegant-looking mirror stays put on its perch without any fastenings or attachments—just the magic of physics. There’s a ball attached to the back of the glass; rotate it in the stand’s socket to find the right angle for admiring your visage, or just pick the mirror up and grip the ball like a handle. Available in walnut, beech, or ebonized beech.
- Photograph: RokuRoku Smart Soundbar
Simplify any audiovisual connection with this booming television speaker that has Roku streaming hardware built in. Access thousands of channels in one place with Roku’s easy voice controls and slick menu system. The soundbar also works as a Bluetooth speaker, and it pairs with the company’s new subwoofer ($180) for some extra thump.
- Civil Doppio 65
The cheeky name—doppio is Italian for “double”—betrays this coffee table’s secret. The two-sided top has oak veneer on one side and a black lacquer finish on the other. Just lift the top off the powder-coated steel frame and flip it around for a change of scene. We suggest wood for movie night and shiny black for New Year’s Eve.
- Giant Microbes Waterbear
Tardigrades, those thicc microscopic organisms, are as adorable as they are resilient. They can survive anywhere—in a vacuum, atop snow-capped mountains, at the bottom of the ocean, and, of course, in our hearts. Blown up to cuddling size, this 6-inch plushie is a perfect sleep companion—tardigrades can lie dormant for as long as a century.
- Razer Blade 15
Razer has long proclaimed that gaming laptops can be feather-light and MacBook-sleek instead of bulky and garish, and the 15-inch Blade is the apotheosis of that vision. The 2019 model is quick, quiet, cool, and oh so svelte. The base model features a powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q graphics card, so it can handle just about any game (or Photoshop project) that’s thrown at it.
- Tecnica Plasma S GTX
Adapted from a process pioneered with ski boots, Tecnica’s heat-molding technology makes these the most comfortable, lightweight hikers ever. A 20-minute in-store process shapes the shoe to your foot. When you’re chugging up Mount Whitney, the flexible upper, locking laces, and grippy Vibram sole will help you keep your footing.
- Photograph: Joseph ShinFrank DePaula FrankOne Coffee Maker
Combine hot water and ground coffee in the hopper, then press the button on top. The FrankOne’s vacuum mechanism sucks the liquid through a mesh filter and into the glass carafe below. The coffee’s bitter oils are left behind, resulting in a sweeter-tasting brew. A 12-ounce cup of hot java is ready in 30 seconds; cold brew takes just four minutes.
- Form Leather Laptop Case
- Photograph: NintendoNintendo Switch Lite
Nintendo’s Switch console is one of the most popular gaming machines in the world, and the Switch Lite is the newest member of the family. Just about any Switch game works on this younger sibling. It can’t connect to a TV like the full-size Switch can, but the mobile-only Lite makes up for it by being about 10 percent smaller and a full $100 cheaper.
- Photograph: Joseph ShinSonos Move
After 17 years of rocking the smart home, Sonos has finally made a model that can step into the great outdoors. The weather-resistant Move has a 10-hour battery and a built-in handle, so its powerful and clear audio can be carried to wherever the fiesta ends up. On Wi-Fi it works with Alexa and Google Assistant; out of range, it works as a Bluetooth speaker.
- DJI Robomaster S1
Drone king DJI took a break from building flying machines to create the coolest toy vehicle we’ve tested. Designed for robotics competitions, the Robomaster S1 can be piloted with a controller or programmed with Scratch or Python to operate autonomously. More of a STEM project than a laser-shooting robot car, it’s still a laser-shooting robot car—and endlessly fun.
- Denon DP-450USB
The belt-driven platter and precisely weighted tonearm on Denon’s turntable say this is an audiophile component. But the USB port on the front says it’s future-proofed as well. Plug in a thumb drive, drop the needle on that vintage Coltrane LP, and press Record. Whatever you’re spinning is transformed into CD-quality files that can be loaded onto your digital gadget of choice.
- 'Am I Overthinking This?'
Michelle Rial’s illustrated book explores life’s big questions (Am I eating too much cheese? Has anyone seen my sunglasses?) through a series of charts, graphs, and diagrams. Her delightful visuals dissect modern anxieties with real-life objects: reliance on single-use plastics plotted with a flexi straw, the rate of climate change measured on an X-Y graph using a burnt, upwardly curved matchstick.
- Sphero Mini Activity Kit
This app-controlled robotic ball game is a coding class in disguise. Kids can follow the lessons on the 15 Activity Cards that come with it by programming the sphere’s movements, or they can just flex their imagination, building (then demolishing) towers, knocking over bowling pins, and guiding the sphere through a maze of their own devising.
- Onewheel Pint
It’s easy to get the hang of Onewheel’s portable Pint; just lean forward to cruise ahead at up to 16 mph, and lean back to slow or stop. The brushless electric motor can power this thing across pavement, gravel, or dirt for up to 8 miles per charge, and the battery even rejuvenates when the Pint heads downhill. A carry handle makes it easier to sling the 27-inch, 23-pound board onto the bus.
- Garmin Fenix 6S Pro
Garmin’s multisport smartwatch tracks runs, swims, rides, and hikes. But for trips way off the grid, put it in Expedition mode and a battery manager will prioritize keeping features like topographic maps, bread-crumb tracking, and heart rate monitoring alive for up to 20 days. It can even detect a fall, alerting emergency contacts and sending your GPS location if you can’t get up.
- Photograph: BioLiteBioLite Headlamp 330
BioLite’s design separates the usual single-unit headlamp into two, putting the light assembly on the front and the battery pack on the back of the headband, thereby eliminating any uncomfortable bouncing. At almost 40 hours per charge, with four lighting modes and a max output of 330 lumens, it brightens the scene during nighttime runs, hikes, or dog walks.
- JBL L100 Classic
JBL wants to party like it’s 1970, and we’re here for it. The company’s iconic L100 loudspeaker ruled living rooms in the vinyl era, and now it’s back, thankfully complete with that distinctive foam grille. The L100 gets a few updates, like a titanium dome tweeter and an internal brace for added vibration control, but JBL’s 3-way design still has all the regal mojo of the original.
- Master & Dynamic MW65
They’re pricey, we know, but these noise-canceling cans are worth it. The custom, 40-mm beryllium drivers produce a balanced, warm sound as refined and inviting as the exterior’s aluminum and leather construction. Two levels of canceling and 24 hours of battery life make them our preferred choice for buffering the coffee-shop buzz.
- Sensel Morph With Buchla Thunder Overlay
Developed by electronic instrument pioneer Don Buchla in 1990, the Buchla Thunder was a touch-sensitive music-making interface unlike anything else. Now, this legendary synth controller is reborn as a modern performance tool. Slap Sensel’s silicone template atop the company’s mousepad-sized Morph controller and manipulate any digital music software by gliding up to 10 fingertips across the pressure-sensitive surface.
- Craighill Venn Puzzle
Brooklyn studio Craighill is known for crafting beautiful desktop curios, but its weighty Venn puzzle shows the designers’ diabolical side. Three identical stainless steel pieces slot together to form a perfect sphere the size of a billiard ball. Separating the pieces is easy; just twist them gently and they fall apart. Piecing them back together, however, requires concentration, dexterity, time, and a whole lot of colorful language.
- Leica Q2
Undoubtedly one of the most expensive compact cameras on the market, the Q2 is also unequivocally the best. Handmade in Wetzlar, Germany, by Leica’s exacting engineers, the weather-sealed shooter features a fixed 28-mm, f/1.7 lens with stellar optics. Credit for the hyperreal photos it produces goes partly to the 47-megapixel, full-frame sensor and partly to your most discerning eye.
- BedJet 3
The BedJet is basically a giant, quiet hair dryer that keeps your bed the perfect temperature. A hose runs from the blower unit to under the comforter, so you can waft yourself to sleep with hot or cool air (between 66 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit). Couples who can’t agree on a single climate can instead get a dual-jet bundle ($899) and each enjoy their own breeze.
- Photograph: Joseph ShinYubico YubiKey 5Ci
Our favorite method of hardware-based two-factor authentication finally works with iPhones. The YubiKey 5ci has a Lightning connector on one end. Plug it in to prove you’re actually you, or just tap it against your phone to identify yourself via the built-in NFC connection. Some of our favorite security apps are already compatible, including the LastPass password manager.
- Vizio P-Series Quantum 4K 65-Inch
With all the new streaming services coming from Disney, Apple, and everyone else, you’re going to want a bigger, bolder screen. Vizio’s premier 4K panel is packed with colorful Quantum Dot pixels that display a wide range of brightness levels, from striking white to absolute black. It’s a whole lot of television, all for hundreds less than other top-rated sets.
- Yuki Otoko “Snow Yeti” Sake, 24 oz.
Hailing from Japan’s snowy Niigata prefecture, Yuki Otoko is a clear and dry junmai sake. The yeti on the label pays homage to local legend—a hirsute mountain-dwelling monster who helps lost travelers find their way to safety. Indeed, a portion of the proceeds from Yuki Otoko go to fund local search and rescue efforts.
- SmartWool Women's Smartloft-X 60 Hoodie Full Zip
The interior of this breathable jacket is stuffed with insulation made of 50 percent recycled merino wool fleece, which retains its warming properties even if it gets wet. But it likely won’t, since the durable water-repellent shell blocks drizzle, wind, and any other irksome elements out there in the wintry wonderland.
- Gantri Buddy Light
Designer Mona Sharma’s task lamp can be dimmed to emit a warm and soft glow like an accent light or cranked up to full brightness to illuminate a workspace. Its physical footprint is tiny, and so is its environmental one: Both the 13-inch-tall housing (available in green, white, or black) and the frosted lens are 3D-printed out of corn-based plastic.
- GoogleGoogle Nest Hub Max
Google Assistant is our favorite way to control a smart home, and the Home Hub Max is one of the best vessels for the virtual helper. Streaming music and YouTube vids sound impressive through the stereo speakers, and video chats look superb thanks to the onboard camera. When Assistant fails to understand spoken commands, just tap them out on the 10-inch touchscreen.
- 'Sandworm'
Author and WIRED security reporter Andy Greenberg tells the globe-spanning detective story of the search for the hackers behind the NotPetya cyberattack. Unleashed in summer 2017, the malware paralyzed railways and postal systems and even disrupted power grids. Sandworm traces the Russian team behind the exploits and examines how the digital and physical battlefields have merged in our fight against computer crime.
- SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless
These headphones use a nub-like wireless transmitter to connect to all USB-C-equipped gaming devices—a list that includes PS4s, Nintendo Switches, and any modern PC or Android phone. The low-latency 2.4 GHz connection gives you rich, resonant sound without the headache of Bluetooth pairing (and re-pairing). They sound great whether you’re playing Destiny or Destiny’s Child.
- Breville Super Q
Breville’s commercial-grade blender makes short work of any recipe that calls for pulverizing, crushing, or emulsifying. The powerful but surprisingly quiet 1800-watt motor preps everything from pureed soups to smoothies to homemade nut butters. Don’t need a 68-ounce jug’s worth of sauce? No problem. The personal blender cup lets you churn out marinara for one.
- OnePlus 7T
Did your kid put that new $1,000-plus handset from Google or Samsung on their wish list? Save some cash and get the 7T instead. Our favorite budget Android phone has almost all the same features found on the flagship devices—including an in-display fingerprint sensor and three rear cameras—but for hundreds less. Works on any wireless carrier.
- Form Swim Goggles (With Display)
Runners have it easy; they can see their workout stats just by glancing at their wrists. Now swimmers can see the same data even more easily with Form Goggles. A heads-up display puts real-time workout data—time, stroke rate, pace, distance—in either the left or right eyepiece, so you can monitor your performance without breaking your stroke.
- Raspberry Pi 4
The open-source, bare-bones PC that defined a new era of DIY computing is now in its fourth generation. With 4GB of RAM, this slice of Pi is plenty powerful enough to handle whatever project your young tinkerers may manifest: make a musical instrument, generate some digital art, or design their own videogames.
- Photograph: Joseph ShinAmazon Kindle
The latest version of Amazon’s standard Kindle e-reader is better than ever. With an E Ink touchscreen that’s visible in bright sunlight, this 6-inch, 6-ounce device is slim enough to slip in a pocket and slight enough to hold one-handed. A built-in front light makes the screen readable in complete darkness. Choose from over six million titles on Amazon, or borrow for free from the local library.
- Roka Olso
At a mere two-thirds of an ounce, Roka’s shades aren’t just unfathomably light. They’re also durable and stylish. The nylon lenses are hydrophobic (they repel water) and oleophobic (they repel skin oils). But the frames themselves actually love sweat—the arms and nose pads use gecko-esque biomimicry for a hydrophilic, no-slip grip, so the drippier you get, the more they stick to your face.
- Black & Decker Furbuster
Trying to keep furniture free of pet hair can feel Sisyphean, like shoveling the sidewalk in a blizzard. Luckily, this handheld sucker is built for people with the furriest of fur babies. The vac’s motorized brush head is designed to sweep up every last strand while preventing clogs, and the detachable filter aids speedy disposal. Shed away, hairy housemates. We got this.
- 'Hi-Fi: The History of High-End Audio Design'
Gideon Schwartz’s book goes on a visual journey through the innovative world of home stereo design, from the tank-like amplifiers of the ‘50s to the sleek streaming hubs of today. Hi-Fi’s 272 pages are filled with photos of iconic systems, including Bose’s earliest forays into loudspeakers, and Dieter Rams’ famous all-white turntable design for Braun. Warning: Perusing this book may result in eBay-fueled debt.
Contributors: Boone Ashworth, Michael Calore, Scott Gilbertson, Jess Grey, Adrienne So, Jeffrey Van Camp
Photo assistant: Taka Mark Kasuya
This article appears in the December issue. Subscribe now.
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