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Some moms really do mean it when they say they don’t need any gifts. But those same moms will probably appreciate getting something thoughtful and personal — a gift that shows you put in a bit of consideration. It’s tough to pin-point what that ideal gift is for any given mom, but we’ve got ideas to get you started. Since we spend our days testing and otherwise thinking about tech, most of the presents here have a gadget spin, but all of them are a heck of a lot more unique than a candle and a bath bomb. Check out the best tech gifts for moms, as chosen by Engadget staffers.
Best gifts for moms
When I tested air purifiers for our guide, I found the best way to clear the air was by opening windows — but if the mom in your life deals with allergies or lives where the air quality can get bad, an air purifier can be the next best thing. The Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier was one of the quietest models I tested and performed on a level with models three times as expensive. It has a three-stage filter (including an activated carbon layer and particulate filter), and the internal particulate matter sensor can automatically adjust fan speed as air gets murkier. The companion app both shows historical air quality readouts and makes the unit itself easy to control and schedule. Plus, the replacement filters aren’t overly expensive like they are with other units. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter
Read more: The best air purifiers
Take your mother’s morning coffee routine up a notch with the Ember Mug, a self-heating smart mug that keeps beverages at just the right temperature for up to 1.5 hours or all day if the mug is kept on its charging coaster. It has a temperature range between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which lets your mom dial in just how hot she wants her brew. There’s also a companion app which lets her save preset temps for her favorite drinks, track her caffeine intake, customize the color of the LED light on the front of the mug and more. The latest version comes in a pretty rose gold color as well as white, black, gold, silver and copper. — Nicole Lee, Former Commerce Writer
So many of us take hundreds of photos with our phones and then never do anything with them. They’re left to languish in our camera rolls, only to be uncovered when you have to scroll back months to find that one image you’re searching for. If you want to give mom a more polished way to look back at her favorite photos, an album from Mpix will do the trick. You can customize your photo book from the ground up, choosing the best images of her family and friends and laying them out on each page in a neat way. You can also pick from different types of cover options and paper weights, making the final product as premium as you want it to be. With options starting at $30 per book, it’s pretty easy to make mom a gift she’ll want to revisit again and again. – Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor
I’ll be the first to say the Pura scent diffuser surprised me. Before testing it out, I didn’t believe such a small device could really inject strong scent into my home. But it didn’t take long before I was proven wrong. The one I have stays plugged in, resolute, in the family room of my home close to the front door, and as soon as I walk in when the Pura is running, I’m met with the lovely smells of Amalfi lemon, lavender fields or whichever other scent I decided to go with.
The Pura can hold two different proprietary scent capsules at a time, so you can create very different vibes based on time of day, occasion or anything else you can think of. The Pura app makes it easy to set diffusion schedules per scent, too, and it can pause diffusion all together if you’re away from home. Are you going to get whole-home diffusion from this CD-sized gadget? No (maybe try the new Pura Plus for that), but it’ll make the part of your home that it lives in feel much more luxurious. — V.P.
Any iPhone user who hates the look of snaking wires will appreciate this streamlined accessory. Satechi’s OntheGo 3-in-1 Charger is made up of three minimalist circles: one for an iPhone (12 or later), one for AirPods (3, 4 and Pro) and a pop up disc for an Apple Watch (all models). Just one USB-C port fuels them all. The handset charging pad will work for any Qi and Qi2 phones, like Pixel and Galaxy models, but the watch and AirPods pads are Apple-specific. When you’re not charging your earbuds, you can fold two of the circles together and prop up your phone in landscape orientation while it charges. The whole thing folds into a hockey puck bundle so it’s great for travelling, but the faux leather finish and simple design look nice enough to display on a bedside table or office desk. — A.S.
The Aura Carver frame would make a great gift for any parent or relative with whom you want to stay more connected and share memories as you’re making them. The top pick in our best digital frames guide, the Aura Carver has a super simple setup: plug it in, download its companion app and upload photos. One of its best features is its ability to continuously scan the albums you pair with it and automatically upload new photos in it to the frame. That means if you have a shared photo album between you, your mom and other family members and pair it with the frame, anyone can add new photos to the frame simply by adding them to your shared album. On top of that, the Carver has the best display we’ve seen on any digital frame and there’s no limit to the number of photos it can show. — V.P.
Read more: The best digital frames
Anyone who’s on your list who has an interest in keeping their skin looking fresh would benefit from the PMD Clean. The facial cleansing device delivers 7,000 vibrations per minute to give their skin a deeper clean, getting rid of dirt and makeup more efficiently than if they were to just use their hands. The silicone brush side never feels scratchy on the skin, and it’s antibacterial, hypoallergenic, and waterproof. They can use the wavy side combined with any of the four vibration modes to help push products deeper into the skin after you cleanse as well. It also runs on a AA battery, so it won’t be just another device they have that constantly needs a recharge. — V.P.
Tech touches everything now and the beauty industry has built a better mousetrap with the latest dry-and-style machines available today. One of the simplest I’ve tried, yet most effective, is the Calista StyleDryer Pro. It’s a hairdryer and a brush in one, and it comes with two brush attachments that mom can swap between depending on her preference. Regardless of which is her favorite, both will make it easier for her to get a stellar blowout. Three temperature settings let her dial in exactly how hot (or cool) she needs to go for her desired style, and the attachments are infused with Tourmaline to better distribute heat. In my testing, I found the StyleDryer Pro not only dried my hair more quickly than my separate, aging hair dryer and brush duo, but it also got my hair sleeker and smoother than I ever have been able to get it before. (Note that we're now linking to the newer Vault StyleDryer Pro, which appears to be a bit larger but replaces the now-discontinued original version.) — V.P.
If mom's been feeling all in knots lately, a personal massage “gun” like the Theragun Mini can provide some temporary relief by gently pummeling away her muscle aches. While not the most forceful device of its kind, this triangular massager is effective enough to ease soreness, yet small enough to carry around in and outside of the house. We’ve recommended older versions of the Mini in past gift guides; compared to the last one, this third-generation model is similarly compact and supports the same speeds and head attachments, but it lasts a bit longer on a charge. (Therabody rates it at 180 minutes.) Just be warned it’s not exactly quiet. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter
Though they’re mainly advertised as Beats earbuds for athletes, the Powerbeats Fit are ultra reliable and comfortable for long plane rides, short walks, hard workouts, phone calls and everyday cleaning or cooking sessions — basically anything that could be improved by in-ear audio or active noise cancellation. The Powerbeats Fit easily pair with Apple and Android devices, and they can handle up to seven hours of active use on a single charge plus 30 hours of battery in the included case. The ear tips come in four swappable sizes, from extra-small to large, and the flexible wing that holds each bud in place is gentle but secure. This is the latest iteration of Beats’ Fit line, and the years of real-world testing show in its intuitive on-device controls, automatic play/pause features and high-quality playback. The case is slightly smaller this time around, too. — Jessica Conditt, Senior Reporter
Read more: The best wireless earbuds
Last holiday season, after a month or so of me unsubtly and repeatedly mentioning how very cool and convenient and interesting Engadget’s top air fryer pick seemed to me, one surprisingly appeared beneath our tree. For nearly a year now, my entire family has used the Instant Vortex Plus air fryer nearly daily to cook frozen french fries, crisp up dinner, reheat takeout or make extra stretchy nachos. This particular model comes with replaceable filters that keeps the fried-food smell down to a minimum and the glass front paired with interior light make it easy to peek on your potatoes without opening the drawer. The basket is easy to clean, preheating is fast and the touch controls are simple to understand — pretty much everything you want in a good air fryer. — A.S.
Read more: The best air fryers
They say certain gifts are frowned upon: Socks are boring, candles are thoughtless and vacuums are insulting. But robot vacuums are different. Their message isn’t, “Here’s a present, now get to work.” Instead, they say “Let me do the work for you.” The iRobot Roomba 105 Vac Robot Vac has all the features that make a robot vacuum great, like a self-emptying charging base so you only have to manually interact with it every two months or so. Plus iRobot’s companion app is easy to use, even for those with no prior robot operating experience. It uses LiDAR to map the area and avoid big obstacles like couches and stairs and works with Alexa, Siri or the Google Assistant, letting you start a circuit with your voice. It doesn’t have a mop or AI-fueled obstacle avoidance like some models, but it also sells for less than $300, making it a much more feasible gift than other super premium models. — A.S.
For most moms I know, sleep is a precious, unguaranteed commodity. I personally used to sleep like the dead until I had a kid, which then made every nighttime creak a reason to bolt upright, ready for action. I reviewed the Hatch Restore 2 and found it to be a delightful sleep companion, one that helped me get to sleep and woke me up less jarringly than anything else I’ve tried. The latest model, the Hatch Restore 3 actually improves upon the previous generation with additional onboard controls (something I’d wished for in my review).
It still has a continually updated library of sleep aids including nature sounds, lulling stories, dreamy music and meditations. Waking up techniques combine a sunrise alarm with pep talks, stretching sessions, fun facts and more. The only catch is that the best content requires a $6-per-month subscription. But, so far it’s been worth it for me. — A.S.
Read more: The best sleep apps and gadgets
We named the Google Pixel Watch 4 the best smartwatch for Android users, and not just because of the brilliant new charging puck. Integration with Fitbit gives it solid health and fitness tracking capabilities and it’s an excellent companion for a Pixel phone (though it’ll pair up with any Android handset). Google Gemini can answer questions and help you complete many tasks — even multi-step ones — hands-free (with an internet connection). A new raise-to-talk-to-Gemini feature makes that even easier, too. And above all that, the Pixel Watch 4 is just a good-looking timepiece. It has an attractive curved display that's bright and easy-to-read with minutely customizable watch faces. The recharge is now so fast, it can go for a whole day on just a thirty-minute charge. It also beats out most other wearables in longevity; it’s been called the most repairable watch out there. — A.S.
Read more: The best smartwatches
Look, there’s a good chance your mom plays Wordle, Connections, Sudoku and/or The Mini anyway — opening up the rest of the New York Times Games catalog with a subscription should only bring them a few more hours of gentle fun during their downtime. Few daily achievements are more satisfying than reaching “genius” in Spelling Bee or finishing the full-size crossword. But even beyond that, the paid tier unlocks archived editions of Wordle and Connections, plus the ability to track game stats across devices. While not every game in the selection is a winner, your mom will probably be grateful for the harmless entertainment the next time she’s bored. — J.D.
I’m not the world’s most organized person, but I do recognize that keeping the detritus of life more or less in its proper place makes a day far easier to get through. I’ve picked up a few of the storage and organizational designs from Yamazaki Home and each one has made my home feel more under control. The Rolling Storage Cart has a clean look with its white steel and a bamboo top. Just about any room in the house could benefit from the three hidden shelves it offers, but I’ve used mine as a place to store rolls of toilet paper and the bowl scrubber in the bathroom. Everything stays concealed behind the solid side panel until you roll it away from the wall to access what you need. To me, it represents low-effort tidiness, which is my favorite kind. — A.S.
Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.
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