The holidays are upon us once again, with only a couple of week until Christmas hits. Are you stressing about what to get that gadget lover in your life? Maybe you are considering taking advantage of holiday prices to get something for yourself? Whatever the case, here are some of the 2016 best tech gifts you can pick up right now.
Nest Learning Thermostat ($249 at Walmart)
Nest was one of the first smart thermostats to really nail the features list, and their later generations have only improved. Now is a great time to get their latest incarnation, and not just because of the relatively low price. A Nest Learning Thermostat gives you more control over the climate in your home. It will learn the correct temperature that you prefer, and work to automatically turn on and off to meet it. Plus, it is better for the environment and your energy bills, thanks to eliminating energy waste. Control it all from your phone, so you can manage your settings even when you are out of town.
XBox One S 500 GB Battlefield 1 Bundle ($249 at Amazon)
The XBox One is a hot ticket item, and it is lowering in price since its initial release. Though the XBox 360 was a popular console, most new games are set for the latest generation. It is time to upgrade, if you haven’t already. This bundle comes with a copy of Battlefield 1, as well as controller, 14 days free of XBox Live Gold, and a month of EA Access. The 500 GB hard drive isn’t bad for casual gamers. Then there is the back compatibility with older XBox and XBox 360 games to consider, and the free games that come monthly with a Live subscription. If you prefer, you can get the Minecraft bundle for the same price.
Playstation 4 Slim 500 GB Uncharted Bundle ($249.99 at Newegg)
Another option is the Playstation 4 Slim, also in 500 GB. The console wars are raging on, and everyone has their favorite. The PS4 is notable for great back compatibility, and some really great exclusive titles from Sony (The Last of Us, Until Dawn, ect).
Playstation Plus also comes with free games, and if you have multiple devices (such as a PSP) it is definitely worth having to reap the free titles on both. This bundle comes with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and a dual shock wireless controller.
Playstation Holiday Sale (Up to 80% off at Playstation Store)
What do you do once you have that new Playstation 4? Time to stock up on games. But with some titles being in the $40+ range, you better start looking in the digital bargain bin. Playstation Store is holding a holiday sale, and games are up to 80% off right now on select titles. Even new games are getting a slash in price, and the savings add up pretty quick if you are trying to expand your collection. Overwatch Origins Edition is $44.39 right now, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration Edition is just $29.99, and there are a ton more deals. You can pick up some older games for just a few bucks a piece.
TCL 32″ Roku Smart LED HDTV ($290 at Walmart)
Smart TV’s are really cool, and becoming more of a necessity as media switches to streaming more than physical copies. Is great to have a Roku, but with this TV you have one built into the software alongside HDTV and other internet compatible features. This is probably the cheapest you are going to find, due to its fairly small screen size. But if you are wanting a starter smart TV, or something to go into a bedroom or work a a secondary screen, this is a good option. You can’t really beat $290. The reviews are also high, which gives you another reason to consider it (low priced smart TVs rarely come with positive reviews).
LG Electronics 55″ 4k Smart TV ($3,297 at Amazon)
If you are more interested in a longer term investment and don’t mind paying for it, the LG 55″ 4K Smart TV is a fantastic one. Like many LG devices, it has a curved OLED screen with pristine resolution you won’t find in many others currently being sold. Not only that, but now is the best time to pick one up. For a limited time these bad boys are more than $2,700 off…that is a full 45%! You aren’t going to pick up a smart TV of this quality for less anywhere else, and probably not for this much off the original price.
Fire HD 10 Tablet ($229.99 at Amazon)
Amazon has been hit and miss with their Fire tablet series, it is true. But their Fire HD 10 was a serious improvement on past models, and are worth picking up for anyone who needs a more casual tablet that has a focus on media. One of the better aspects of this deal is the payment plan. Without accruing any interest, you can pay off your Fire HD 10 over five months. In fact, Amazon has a few of their electronics that allow you to do that, which makes it a pretty good alternative to wracking up that credit card debt this holiday season. As for features of the tablet itself, it comes with 32 GB (also a 16 GB version available), a 10.1″ 1280 x 800 display, and a 1.5 Ghz quadcore processor.
Oculus Rift VR Headset ($599 at Newegg)
VR headsets are becoming more standard, and we are seeing more brands launching their own. Playstation has a VR that is cheaper than most, but it has already been having some problems. In my book, if you’re going to spend the cash on a virtual reality device, you should probably go with the first ones to prove the concept beyond a prototype. Oculus Rift is offering their headset for $599 from multiple online retailers, and that is a much better price than you see in store (Walmart is going as high as $800).
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (Free $200 gift card and Gear VR headset at Target)
Target isn’t offering any particular deals on the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. But what they are offering is a $200 Target gift card, and a Gear VR headset for anyone who opens a new line of service. You can finance the phone itself at around $30 per month, and there are multiple providers available. It is a much better deal than what you have coming out from Verizon or TMobile themselves, which haven’t put out anything beyond lazy “price drops” or increased data plans in months. If you did decide on this particular phone deal, you could use that $200 to get quite a bit of your shopping done.
Moto G Play (4th Gen) 16 GB Smartphone ($99 from Amazon)
The Moto G Play is not the best smartphone, comparing to other high end devices. It is a low-range, basic smartphone device that has nevertheless gotten rave reviews. Why? Because while being simple, it has 16 GB, it’s unlocked on any carrier and features an 8 MP back + 5 MP front camera, and a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor + 2 GB of RAM. That makes it a great, solid starter device, especially for kids who you don’t trust with an iPhone yet. Right now it is 33% off, so you will save $50 when purchasing one.
