NBC Select Giftable Tech Awards 2023: Shop winners as seen on TODAY
Years of trying the very best in tech, led us to these easy-to-gift favorites.
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Award: Best value | Type: Earbud
These fun earbuds are a great value at $25. They maintain a steady connection with your devices, sound surprisingly good considering the price and have a charging cable built into the case. They don’t have noise-canceling or transparency modes, but that isn’t a surprise at this price.
The buds also have a long battery life — up to eight hours per charge. Combined with the charging case, they can get up to 32 hours, according to the brand. They come in 13 bright and earth-tone colors.
Award: Best overall | Type: Soundbar
The Roku Streambar is a soundbar and streaming stick in one. With it, they can stream their favorite TV shows and movies from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and more, all in 4K resolution (3840 by 2160 pixels). Dialogue sounds crystal clear — I don’t have to turn the volume to hear voices or turn it down during blaring action sequences. It connects over HDMI and is easy to set up, similar to other Roku streaming devices.
Award: Best overall | Type: Power bank
Have you ever run out of charge on a plane, train or bus? I have, and this portable power bank has saved me from being stranded with a dead phone — it can fully charge most phones and tablets. It has both a USB-A and a USB-C port, meaning you can connect all sorts of cables for charging all your devices (it also comes with both wires in the box).
Award: Best for Android | Type: Tracker
This Bluetooth tracker is a great alternative to Apple’s AirTag, especially for anyone who does not use an iPhone. If you are within 400 feet of the tracker, you can ping it to make noise and use the Tile app to help find its precise location. Outside of 400 feet, the Tile Network can help you find your tag. Like the AirTag, it has a replaceable coin-shaped battery inside and is water and dust-resistant.
Award: Best overall | Type: Handheld console
Gamers and non-gamers can find something to love in this handheld gaming console. About half of the NBC Select team own a Switch and use it at home or when traveling — it can be played handheld or hooked up to a TV. The console has tons of games for beginners and gamers alike, including multiplayer games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This holiday season, you can also buy the console bundled with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for no additional cost.
First and foremost, our team compiled all previous coverage from NBC Select’s tech and tools-related categories. From there, we chose products featured in our articles and did a competitive market research analysis on new and additional products, including those that are expert-recommended and highly rated. We focused mainly on products our team owns personally or has had extended time using.
When we look at any product, we look at it comprehensively. To be our favorite in a category requires fulfilling many of our readers’ needs. We want to provide products that perform well, but we also want to share ones that are exciting to see as you reveal them from underneath gift-wrapping paper.
When a product carries the Select badge, you can trust that our team of editors, as shopping experts, vetted the item thoroughly. First and foremost, we are journalists, so we will always do our research and reporting.
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