Best holiday gifts under $300 for 2021

Are you lucky sufficient to have the ability to splurge on some presents this vacation season? Nicely, excellent news: We have a bunch of CNET-approved present concepts in our present information under, all of which can be found for beneath $300 — and have been totally reviewed or anecdotally examined by our editors. You’ve got bought numerous choices on this worth vary, the place you will begin to see extra premium-grade merchandise.
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No earbuds are good, in fact, and never everyone will love the match of the Sony WF-1000XM4 buds or have the ability to afford their excessive worth. However in the event you’re in search of great-sounding earbuds with nice noise canceling, strong voice-calling capabilities and good battery life, these buds test all of the packing containers.
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First launched in 2020, the 1.5-pound Theragun Mini massager is designed to be moveable, simply becoming in a backpack or purse. Whereas it does not have fairly the ability of one in all Theragun’s full-size units, it is surprisingly highly effective contemplating how small it’s. I’ve tried bigger therapeutic massage weapons on this worth vary, and it is simply as highly effective however half the scale. The rechargeable battery is rated to final two-and-a-half hours, and a neoprene protecting case is included.
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After almost three years, Apple as lastly given the Apple TV 4K an improve. The brand new Apple TV 4K prices $179 with 32GB storage or $199 with 64GB.
Together with an upgraded A12 Bionic processor, the largest improve is the all-new Siri remote control. Silver in colour as an alternative of the unique’s black, it encompasses a directional pad on the prime (with gesture help), a Siri toggle on the aspect and an influence button for controlling your TV. The brand new d-pad addresses a number of the complaints customers had with the unique distant, with its bigger touchpad and lack of directional cues.
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Here is the deal: It is almost not possible to get a PS5 or Xbox Sequence X, even a 12 months after their launch. However the stepdown Xbox Sequence S is in inventory at some retailers with comparative frequency. Sure, there are caveats: There is not any optical disc drive, the decision is lower than true 4K and it solely has half the storage as its massive brother. However it performs the entire identical video games, together with Halo Infinite.
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Bang & Olufsen has upgraded its dome-shaped aluminum-clad A1 speaker with improved battery life, higher speakerphone efficiency (it now has a 3-microphone array) and barely improved sound, due to a brand new Qualcomm chipset that powers the speaker. It stays one of many best-sounding mini Bluetooth audio system, with richer extra tonally balanced sound than different Bluetooth audio system its dimension — and it ought to sound good, contemplating its elevated worth level.
It is also value noting that the A1 has multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you possibly can join this to your PC and smartphone on the identical time and simply swap forwards and backwards between the 2 if a name is available in in your cellphone. Moreover, the speaker is Alexa-enabled, which means you possibly can activate Amazon’s voice-assistant by simply saying “Alexa.”
The $250 speaker is available in just a few colour choices and a few colours price lower than others.
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With the arrival of the Apple Watch 7, we should always see some intriguing reductions on earlier Apple Watch fashions, however the SE stays arguably the perfect worth when it comes Apple smartwatches. It begins round $270 for the 40mm mannequin with GPS and little greater than $300 for the bigger 44mm mannequin. You may as well get it with LTE mobile service.
Whereas it does not have a number of the further well being options of the Apple Watch 6 and seven, it provides first rate efficiency for individuals who do not need to spend that a lot on an Apple Watch.
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Accessible in white or black for $179, the Roam is presently Sonos’ smallest and most reasonably priced speaker (in the event you do not rely these $99 Sonos-compatible Symfonisk Ikea Wi-Fi bookshelf speakers). For its dimension, it sounds spectacular and is provided with each Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Even when Dad does not have a Sonos system already, it is a good starter speaker and he can use his personal cash so as to add extra Sonos gear sooner or later. Read our Sonos Roam review.
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For those who’re in search of the best-sounding pair of audio glasses with the perfect general efficiency — that features name high quality and battery life — the Bose Frames Tempo are the one to get. It is ostensibly a sports activities mannequin designed for runners and bikers, and whereas it is a bit of cumbersome, it stays in your head securely.
The Tempo provides barely higher sound and battery life than the extra traditional-looking Tenor, which is an effective alternative for a extra on a regular basis set of audio sun shades. The Tempo has higher specs all-around, with USB-C charging and bigger 22mm drivers. It additionally delivers as much as eight hours of battery life.
Their sound is certainly improved from the unique Frames. Bose says the Tempo performs “deeper and louder — loud sufficient for biking at 25 mph — whereas nonetheless in a position to hear visitors and your coaching companions.” They’re sweat-, weather-, scratch- and shatter-resistant, based on Bose and match beneath most protecting helmets. (I had no downside utilizing them with a few bike helmets.) Additionally they work properly for making calls, due to a brand new dual-microphone system. Non-obligatory lenses can be found for $39 and you may order prescription lenses by Lensabl. Read our Bose Tempo Frames review.
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Dads secretly need an electrical razor even when they’ve by no means used one. Whereas many fathers have been spending a number of time at dwelling today letting their beards develop out, dad would possibly take extra of an curiosity in shaving if he had a brand new gadget.
The Braun Sequence 7 is not the top-of-the-line Braun (the $260 Series 9 is), it is nonetheless in premium territory with a price ticket of $30. It may be used dry or moist — it is totally waterproof — and comes with beard trimmers, a cleansing dock and a carrying case. Battery life is rated at as much as 50 minutes on a full cost and a fast five-minute cost will get you sufficient juice for a shave.
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With a full-fledged 4K HDR Roku streamer inbuilt and a single voice distant controlling every thing, this bar makes a considerate present and provides a easy all-in-one audio-video system. Setup is a breeze — simply plug it right into a TV with a easy HDMI connection. Sound high quality is excellent for a single bar, and you may add Roku’s non-obligatory wi-fi subwoofer for extra punch. It additionally comes with the much-loved Roku distant management. (This mannequin is mainly simply the Smart Soundbar with an upgraded voice distant.)
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Ember makes 10-ounce ($100) and 14-ounce variations ($130) of its temperature-controlled good mug that retains your sizzling beverage of alternative sizzling when you sip it over an extended consuming session. Whereas it will not preserve your espresso or tea heat for hours, the concept is you can choose your ideally suited temp through the companion Ember app for iOS or Android and preserve your beverage at a excessive temp through the half-hour or so it takes to casually drink it.
I personally favor the bigger 14-ounce model, however does price extra. An excellent insulated mug with a prime on it would additionally preserve your beverage sizzling (and they’re cheaper), however this Ember mug permits you to drink a cup of joe such as you usually would and never sip it by a small gap in a prime.
This bigger model is obtainable in black or white whereas the smaller 10-ounce mannequin is obtainable in quite a lot of colour choices.
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Accessible in a number of colour choices, the most recent model of JBL’s Cost Bluetooth Speaker delivers improved sound with extra bass. It is greater than your common moveable Bluetooth speaker, but it surely’s bought some good kick to it and like earlier Cost audio system, it has a USB out port that enables your to cost a tool like smartphone. Battery life is rated at as much as 20 hours at reasonable quantity ranges. It is totally waterproof, in addition to dustproof.
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The Beats Studio Buds look lots just like the rumored stemless AirPods we have been ready for. Geared towards each iOS and Android customers, they’re lacking just a few key options on the Apple aspect of issues (there isn’t any H1 or W1 chip), however they’re small, light-weight buds which are snug to put on and supply actually good sound. Whereas their noise canceling is not nearly as good because the AirPods Professional’s, they’ve a transparency mode and are first rate for making calls. In the end, their match and sound high quality are the strongest promoting factors — and so they’re about $50 cheaper than the AirPods Professional.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/cellular/best-holiday-gifts-under-300-for-2021/ | Finest vacation presents beneath $300 for 2021