The Ultimate Holiday Tech Gift Guide for Parents 2023
Parents are typically the ones giving gifts in their lives, making sure their children and even friends get that perfect present. Why not come up with something new this year to celebrate your parents during the holiday season and give them a unique tech gift? Yes, parents spend the majority of their time focused on creating a great home for everyone, but they still have their playful side, too.
In our holiday tech gift guide for parents this year, we put together this list of gifts that are sure to please parents you know, whether they have a very young baby or teenagers at home, want to curl up with some Netflix in the evening, or are hoping to create a perfect cozy space for them and their family.
Sonos Soundbars
Soundbars are a great holiday gift for parents because they offer a number of benefits, including improved sound quality, easy setup and use, a sleek and compact design, and an affordable price. All good to have when sitting around during the holidays watching a favorite DVD or listening to your favorite holiday song. The ones that we would recommend are the Sonos Beam and Ray.
Sonos Beam (2nd Gen) Soundbar
The Sonos Beam 2nd Gen is a compact soundbar that delivers powerful and immersive sound for your TV, music, and more. It features a new five-speaker array that supports Dolby Atmos for a three-dimensional soundstage. It also has a number of other improvements over the previous generation, including a faster processor, better voice assistant support, and more streaming options. It would make the perfect holiday gift for moms and dads who could use a compact soundbar that delivers immersive sound for their TV, music, and more. It comes with Amazon Alexa built-in, which will come in handy when using voice commands to control other smart devices compatible with Alexa or adjust volume controls.
The Sonos Beam (2nd Gen) costs $499 and comes in black or white. It's available on the company website and Amazon.
Buy Sonos Bream (2nd Gen)
Sonos Ray is a new compact, easy-to-use soundbar by Sonos. Its got great sound and comes with Trueplay tuning technology to help the soundbar adapt to the sound in your home. If mom and dad need a new soundbar or you want to treat them to an easy-to-setup device that can enhance their TV or movie watching, Ray is a great solution. You can use your existing smart TV’s remote to control the sound. If you want to play music when the TV is off, you can on Ray. It connects to your home Wi-Fi network, and you can easily use the Sonos app or Apple AirPlay 2 to connect to your favorite music source.
Ray costs $279 and is available in either black or white. You can also buy Ray on the company site, as well as Amazon and Best Buy.
Buy Sonos Ray here.
Digital Photo Frames
A popular gift for your parents this year is digital picture frames. They are a thoughtful way to show your parents how much you care and allow you to share your favorite memories with your parents in a way that is both personal and convenient. We have tested many of these new devices and found them to be easy to use, even for parents who are not tech-savvy.
As for cost, they are affordable. Digital picture frames come in a wide range of prices, so you can find one that fits your budget. Listed below are two companies whose digital photo frames we recommend for the holidays this year.
Aura Digital Photo Frames
Aura is a brand of digital frames that not only stores digital images you upload yourself but allows others to send photographs to the device as well, from wherever they may be. And considering the social distancing almost everyone faces today, we think digital frames make a wonderful addition to anyone's life — particularly parents.
However, this year, besides beautifully lit images, Aura photo frames will support video and sound. Their smart photo frame, Mason Luxe, comes with the company's highest-resolution display, 2K. It supports video/sound, has a craftsman-inspired frame design, and free unlimited storage for photos and videos, making sharing memories effortless. Mason Luxe frames are priced at $249, but you can still get other Aura Frames, like Aura by Carver, which are also clean and well-designed for a lot less (roughly $179).
In addition, the company is taking pre-orders for its new Aura Walden digital picture frame. This new device has a 15-inch dual-orientation, 1600 x 1200 HD display and an Anti-glare, matte-finish screen. It works just like the other Aura digital frames and costs $299. You can sign up on the Aura site to get notified when the Walden goes on sale.
All Aura Frames are worth considering as a holiday gift if for no other reason than to help make people feel a little bit closer to each other today.
Skylight Frames
Another digital photo frame to consider is Skylight Frames. They are Amazon’s #1 best-selling digital frames. Their Skylight Frame comes in two sizes, 10-inch and 15-inch frames. The 10-inch frames are available in black, white, and silver frames. And there is a Limited Edition line that offers gold and poppy color frames. The 15-inch frame comes in a black frame. Each size frame comes with a color touchscreen, allowing you to easily pinch, crop, and zoom right from the frame. You can invite friends and family to easily share photos via the free Skylight mobile app or email (no subscription needed.)
Their new product, All-In-One Smart Family Calendar, is the first HD digital photo frame we have seen that can work as an online family calendar. Its 15-inch Wi-Fi-connected digital calendar + planner touchscreen display will get the whole family organized and running smoothly. It is a great gift for a family that is always on the go and needs to keep track of everyone's schedule.
All Skylight digital frames and calendars cost $299.99 for the 15-inch screen and $159.99 for the 10-inch. The Skylight Frame 10-inch Limited Edition with poppy color frame costs $169.99. All are available for purchase on the company site and Amazon.
Smart Stud Finder for Dad: Walabot DIY 2
Every house should have a smart stud finder, and the best one is made by Vayyar Imaging. It's the Walabot DIY 2 stud finder, and it is a smart visual stud finder that can help either a DIY homeowner or contractor easily find out what is going on behind their drywalls. The Walabot is easy to use and works with both Android and iOS smartphones. If you or your parents are handy and like to do things around the house, this is a great holiday gift.
The Walabot DIY 2 costs. $169.96, and you can get bundles (Walabot DIY 2 and case) for only $215.96. All are available on the company website. You can also read our full review for more information.
Buy Walabot DIY 2 Bundle Here
Bluetooth Speakers Make Great Gifts
A portable Bluetooth speaker is a great holiday gift for your parents because it's versatile, user-friendly, affordable, and thoughtful. It's a gift that they can use and enjoy for many years to come. They can listen to music while cooking or cleaning, which can make the time pass more quickly and make the tasks seem less daunting. A Bluetooth speaker will allow your parents to take their music with them on the go. If your parents are active seniors who enjoy spending time outdoors, a portable Bluetooth speaker is the perfect gift for them. They can take the speaker with them on walks, hikes, or bike rides, and they can enjoy their music wherever they go.
Who makes a good portable Bluetooth speaker? For any of the speakers listed in our premium and luxury speakers article, Best Bluetooth Speakers and Best Waterproof Speakers articles would be a good gift to consider for mom and dad. We recently finished testing this new wireless Bluetooth speaker from Monster, which would be a good gift for your parents who want easy control and good sound from a portable wireless speaker.
Monster DNA Max Wireless Speaker
Monster's DNA Max Wireless Speaker is a new wireless Bluetooth speaker with 20 hours of battery life, an IP67 Waterproof rating, Omnidirectional Sound, a High-Speed Qi Wireless Charging Base, and a built-in Ultra-Fast USB-C Port. It has 4 speakers that can evenly distribute the sound in any room or even outside on the patio. Just make sure you are within 30 feet of the speaker. It costs less than $200 (only $179) and comes in Black or White. It's currently on sale on Amazon for a lot less than $179.
Smart Baby Monitors for New Parents
Hubble Connected Nursery Pal Deluxe Smart Baby Monitor
If your parents are about to become grandparents or you are looking for a gift for a new parent, you should consider getting a smart baby monitor. One to consider is the Hubble Connected Nursery Pal Deluxe, which is the perfect smart baby monitor. This smart baby monitoring system has an HD camera and a separate 5-inch HD color touchscreen display. The display is perfect for your grandchildren to use when not sleeping, too. It can function as an interactive viewer with educational games and videos for them to watch when awake. The Hubble Connected system costs only $199.99 and is available on the company website and at Best Buy, Target, Lowe’s, Walmart, and Amazon. They do offer HubbleClub monitoring service for $2.99 per month, which provides several good features like smart scheduling, video storage, and a fixed baby zone for monitoring. But you can operate this system without the monthly service. (Read GearBrain’s full review here.)
Robot Vacuums
Today, robot vacuums can do more than vacuum your floors. They can vacuum, mop, and self-empty their dustbins as well as empty dirty water from the robot vacuum. They are a great gift for parents who want to save time and energy. Robot vacuums can clean your home automatically, so parents don't have to spend their time and energy vacuuming themselves. They can keep your home clean and tidy and help parents with allergies. Robot vacuums can remove dust, pollen, and other allergens from the air. They can be especially helpful for parents with young children or pets. They are great at picking up pet hair from your carpets.
Who makes good robot vacuums? We would recommend an Ecovacs or yeedi robot vacuum. Listed below are two systems we tested that performed well for us:
Ecovacs Deebot X1 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mopping Cleaner
How about getting your parents a good, reliable, and effective robot vacuum for the holidays? if so, check out the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Plus robot vacuum. This vacuum is the entry-level robot vacuum for Ecovacs Omni Series, their premium robot vacuum line. This robot vacuum can mop, vacuum, self-empty, monitor your floors, act as an air freshener, and come with its own voice assistant. it's got powerful suction power and excellent mapping technology. It also has a built-in security camera, which you can use to help keep an eye on your home or your pet when you are away. Reach our full review to learn more about the ton of features this robot vacuum has to offer your parents.
The list price for Deebot X1 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mopping Cleaner is $1,149.00, but it is currently on sale for only $899 on the Ecovacs site. You can also buy a Deebot X1 Plus on The Home Depot and Best Buy.
Buy Ecovacs Deebot X1 Plus
yeedi cube
yeedi cube All-in-One Robot Vacuum and Mop with Handle is a self-emptying vacuum and mop cleaner that can intelligently identify the type of floor to clean and choose the right cleaning method. It has powerful suction (5100Pa), smart mapping, and navigation features and works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant-enabled devices. But this smart robot vacuum can also self-empty the dirt water after cleaning and air dry the mopping pad so no germs accumulate. (Read our full review for more information.). The yeedi cube is the only 5-in-1 robot vacuum on our list that costs less than $1,000. It has a MRSP of $699.99 but is on sale today for only $599.99 (20% off) and is available on Amazon.
A Good Outdoor Smart TV for Your Parents
For parents who like outdoor living, you need to get them a good, reliable outdoor smart TV that is weatherproof and works in full sunlight. One such TV that GearBrain has tested and would recommend is Furrion’s Aurora Smart LED Outdoor TV. This premium outdoor television line comes with a WebOS smart platform, RangeXtend external antennas for a strong Wi-Fi signal, and an XtremeShield IK08=rated tempered glass screen for protection against impacts and scratches. They offer full sun, partial sun, and full shade 4K smart outdoor TVs in sizes 43”, 55” and 65”.
Furrion’s outdoor smart TVs also have built-in speakers HDR10 for vivid colors and deep, rich contrast. GearBrain has been testing their new Full Sun outdoor TV and really likes the video resolution, especially when watching TV during the day in full sunlight.
Furrion’s Aurora line starts around $1,399.99 for a full shade 43” outdoor smart television and can go as high as $3,699.99 for a 65” full sun outdoor TV. They are for sale on Amazon and other consumer electronics stores. So, be ready to get the rest of the family to chip in if needed to help your parents enjoy the perfect all-in-one outdoor entertainment experience.
Smart Wearable - Oura Ring
How about getting Mom or Day a sophisticated health, sleep, and fitness tracker this holiday season? One device we would recommend is Oura Ring. This smart health device comes with a body temperature sensor to track your body's health, sleep habits, respiratory rate, and heart rate. All of these are helpful in the detection of early warning signs of infection.
Oura Ring is $349, available on the company website, and comes in various sizes, styles, and finishes.
Buy Oura Ring
If you want additional ideas, check out our Best Smart Mental Health Devices and Wearables. Any of these devices would make a great gift for your parents.
Smart Delivery Box
Suppose your parents get a lot of delivery. In that case, smart delivery boxes can be a great gift for parents because they offer convenience, security, peace of mind, and a number of other benefits. These boxes provide parents with convenience, security, and peace of mind. This is especially important for parents who receive expensive or valuable packages. So, which ones are good to consider? Any on our list of the best smart delivery boxes would work. Here is a brief description and cost for each of these boxes.
Yale Smart Delivery Box
For the parents who get a lot of home deliveries, we have the perfect holiday gift. It's the Yale Smart Delivery Box, a locked cabinet your deliveries can be placed in and locked while you are away from your home. This smart connected delivery box comes with a Yale lock, Yale Smart Keypad, and Yale Connect Wi-Fi Bridge, which you use with the Yale Access App (iOS and Android) for remote access. It's easy to assemble and can be stored on your porch or wherever your home deliveries are made. The Yale Smart Delivery Box is available in Manor Gray or Carbon Brown and costs $229.99 ($279.99 with Wi-Fi and Smart Keypad). (See our full review here.)
BenchSentry by Genie
The BenchSentry by Genie is a game-changer in the smart home delivery box market. It is the biggest of all three smart delivery boxes we tested and comes with standout features designed to make your life easier. (Note: we did not test the Loxx Boxx Household box, which is the biggest of all smart delivery boxes - 8 cubic feet.).
BenchSentry by Genie costs $449 and is available on Amazon, Walmart, and the company's website. The box is also available in two colors: slate or tan. You can also paint it to match your home's color. Just make sure you use a Krylon Fusion for plastic paint, Rust-O-Leum 2X Paint and Primer, or HDX Tack Cloth. Read our full review here.
The Loxx Boxx Smart Delivery Box is a blend of elegance and functionality, offering various features to enhance the delivery experience. It is also the only smart delivery box that comes fully assembled.
How much do the Loxx Boxx models cost? The Classic costs $349 for Wi-Fi enabled and $369 for LTE/Cellular connectivity. The Household Loxx Boxx is available with Wi-Fi only or LTE/Cellular Service. The Wi-Fi-enabled version costs $399, and LTE/Celluar goes for $419. Both come in six colors: black, beige, gloss red, grey, matte brown, and spruce. You get a 30-day free trial for the Wi-Fi. You can also add a solar panel, which you get 50% off the $49 cost if you add it to the cost of the smart delivery box. Read our full review here.
Smart Speakers or Displays
One gift that works for your parents is getting them either a smart speaker or a display. It's easy to set up and operate. And you can easily teach your parents how to use it. Which ones should you get? If an Amazon user, the Alexa-enabled Echo smart speaker would work. It comes with a cool design and has a Zigbee hub inside. For any parents on your list who are busy building a smart home, this extra perk is a great one, opening up the number of smart products they can add to their living space. Of course, the Echo is also an exciting update with a great look, solid sound, and all the regular features you can expect, including the ability to mute the microphone when you want some privacy.
As for an Alexa smart display, the All-new Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023 release) is an excellent choice. This new smart display comes with a 5-inch touchscreen, built-in camera, improved audio quality with deeper bass, access to a wide range of Alexa skills, and helps you control compatible smart home devices. The Echo Show 5 is a versatile and affordable smart display that is perfect for any home. It's a great way to get the most out of Alexa and to make your life easier and more convenient. It costs $89.99 and is available on Amazon and other online retailers.
Apple HomePod Mini
If your parents have an Apple house, we would recommend the Apple HomePod mini. The Apple smart speaker is three years in the making, and the radical updated design belies that effort. A speaker with sound on its mind, the new HomePod Mini has a full-range dynamic driver, a pair of passive radiators for optimum bass, and an acoustic waveguide for a 360-degree sound experience. There's also a three-microphone array inside, plus a fourth that faces inward to help it better detect speakers talking to Siri even while music is playing.
There's also a new Apple S5 chip inside, which allows the device to tap into something that the company calls computational audio — this allows the HomePod Mini to analyze audio and then tune the drivers and radiators in real-time. The speaker comes in five colors and is priced competitively at $99 — placing it right up against the Nest Audio and the Amazon Echo (4th Gen), both priced at $99 each.
Buy Apple HomePod Mini at Best Buy
Nest Hub 7” Smart Display with Google Assistant (2nd Gen)
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Buy on Best Buy
Smart Baby Tech
Smart baby tech can be a valuable tool for expecting parents. It can help parents stay informed about their baby's health and development, make life easier, and gain insights into their baby's needs and behavior. However, it is important to note that smart baby tech is not a replacement for parental supervision. Parents should always check on their babies regularly, even if they use smart tech to monitor them. The ones we would recommend for expecting parents include a smart bassinet, smart swing, and smart wearable.
Snoo Sleeper Bassinet
Snoo Smart Sleeper Bassinet is exactly as it sounds — a responsive connected baby bassinet that helps your baby sleep. It gently rocks as white noise plays to soothe a swaddled baby in a sleeper attached to the bassinet. Created by Dr. Harvey Karp, the $1695 Snoo was designed to recreate the calming sensations a baby experiences while in their mother's womb. The primary feature, however, is its ability to soothe an upset baby without waking parents. The sleeper responds gradually to a baby's cry with increasingly more motion and sound from inside the bassinet. For brand-new parents or those about to become parents, this may be one of the most indulgent gifts you can imagine giving them this year.
Buy Here
MamaRoo4 Infant Seat
For those expecting parents, a great gift idea is a smart infant seat that can keep an infant-occupied while Mom and Dad get a little quality time for themselves. A good smart infant seat we would recommend is MamaRoo4 Infant Seat, a Bluetooth-connected infant seat that rotates to replicate the motions of a parent's arms. It has built-in sounds and an MP3 plug-in so you can play soothing sounds — or your favorite song — to calm your newborn. The seat is adjustable and can fully recline. What makes this infant seat unique is its seat rotation. MamaRoo4’s rotation is designed to simulate a parent rocking their baby, but you can adjust the rotation speed through an app or controls on the base.
The MamaRoo4 Infant Seat costs $269.99 and is available on 4moms.com website and on Amazon.
Owlet Dream Duo 2
Smart Lights
Smart lights are a great holiday gift for parents because they are convenient, safe, energy-efficient, and fun. Smart lights can make life easier for parents and their children, and they can also add a touch of holiday cheer to the home. Here are a few to consider for Mom and Dad:
The $249 Philips Hue Sync Box can treat parents to a fun and impressive addition to their home by syncing the lights around this device to whatever is playing on their TV. You can adjust the brightness, pick from three modes (video, music, and game), and select one of four intensity levels ranging from subtle to extreme.
Plus, for smart home families, the device can be controlled by speaking to Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant and works with anything plugged into a TV using an HDMI cable. That means video game consoles, streaming sticks, satellite boxes, Blu-ray players, and anything else where someone consumes media. And yes, it's great for gamers too.
Buy on Amazon
If you are looking for smart LED bulbs, we would recommend getting bulbs from any of these smart light companies that made our list of the best smart lights for smart homes.
Smart Air Purifiers
Smart air purifiers make a great gift for parents because they offer a number of benefits for both parents and children. Smart air purifiers can help to improve air quality, reduce the risk of respiratory problems, and give parents peace of mind. For parents with young children, they can use smart air purifiers to reduce the risk of their children developing asthma and allergies. If there are children who suffer from allergies, a smart air purifier can reduce their children's symptoms. Parents who live in areas with high levels of air pollution can use smart air purifiers to improve the air quality in their homes and protect their children's health.
Overall, smart air purifiers are a thoughtful and practical gift for parents who care about their children's health and well-being. We would recommend these two smart air purifiers:
Dreo Macro Max S Smart Air Purifier
The Dreo Macro Max S Air Purifier is a smart air purifier with a 3-stage, active filtration system to keep the air quality excellent all the time in your smart home. It is designed to remove 99.97% of airborne pollutants as small as 0.3 microns, including dust, pollen, pet dander, mold spores, smoke, and bad odors. This smart air purifier is a great option for parents who want a large room air purifier.
This Dreo smart air purifier has an MSRP of $239.99 but is currently listed at $219.99 on the company's site and Amazon.
Afloia Smart Air Purifier
All parents should have a smart air purifier, especially for the family room. A good one to consider is the Afloia Smart Air Purifier. We recently tested this smart air purifier and really liked how it kept our large family’s air clean. It comes with an H13 True HEPA filter and can easily keep the air clean in rooms up to 1,500 square feet. It has a 4-stage purification system that filters out 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3 microns in the air.
The Afloia smart air purifier works with Amazon Alexa-enabled devices and has a UV lamp. It costs $279.99 and is available on Amazon.
Read our full review of Afoia Smart Air Purifier here.
Check out The GearBrain, our smart home compatibility find engine, to see the other compatible products that work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa-enabled devices.
