WIRED's 2022 Wish List: 42 Incredible Gifts to Give and Get

Mar 27, 2023

Gear Team

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Buying gifts is agonizing. The "perfect" present is elusive, lines are too long, and the mall parking lot is automotive hell.

That's why the WIRED Reviews team spends all year sifting through the year's new spate of gadgets. We've pulled out the best gifts, from the most inventive and beautifully designed technology to the gear that's just plain fun. On top of that, we let you know how to order them from the comfort of your own Wi-Fi network. You're welcome.

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Be sure to check out our many other gift guides, including the Best Subscription Boxes, Tech Gifts for Kids, and Gifts Under $25.

Scuba divers, alpinists, and other dare­devils now have a more rugged Apple wearable to take on their expeditions. The Ultra improves on previous Watches with dozens of wilderness-ready features. There's more precise location tracking, thanks to its dual-frequency GPS receiver, which works even in heavily wooded areas. The Ultra also boasts 36 hours of battery life (60 if you use WatchOS 9's Low Power mode) to get you through overnight camping trips. We’ve been running into that battery limit a lot—mostly because we keep finding more reasons to wear the Ultra.

When the all-electric Ioniq 5 debuted last year, we loved its fast-charging tech, relaxed ride, funky exterior, and smart interior appointments—like footrests on the fully reclining front seats. The only quibble we had about the family-friendly five-door was its sub-300-mile range. Now we can drop that sticking point from the "Tired" column: Hyundai's latest update adds a larger battery option that extends the range of the rear-wheel-drive model to just a smidge over 300 miles.

Take a spin through this photographic history of the phono­graph. Each chapter of Gideon Schwartz's 250-page book covers a decade in the record player's evolution, with essays on key technological advances and—of course—tons of photos of cutting-edge designs. Audiophiles will find curiosities to salivate over, like the Philips 113 portable record player from the 1970s (the cutest turntable ever) and Yoshiaki Sugano's $11,000 phono cartridges crafted from jade and onyx.

Some people hear a bird's song once and remember it forever. Other folks have probably thought, "Why isn't there a Shazam for birds?" That's what the Haikubox is. The device listens for nearby birds, sends a clip to a server where the species is identified by a neural net, then alerts your phone to tell you which feathered friend is currently serenading you. (The cloud-based ID service costs $59 a year.) It's one of the rare pieces of technology that actually increase your connection to the real world.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

Always forgetting to charge your earbuds? Urbanista has you covered. The solar cell on this charging case slurps energy from any type of light, from sunshine to household light bulbs, to fill the battery inside. That means there will almost always be some juice available to top off the noise-canceling, touch-controlled buds. If you live in total darkness, you can still refill the case over USB-C, and it will hold enough zap for 32 hours of play time.

Despite its meager size and relatively light 36 pounds, the Mini 4 Pro is one powerful scooter. With a 1,360-watt hub motor in back, you can hit 28 mph on the highest speed mode. To help the battery last 20 miles or more, set it to the second level, which maxes out around 18 mph. It even handles hills at a respectable pace. The Mini 4 folds down easily (once you figure out the foot-activated mechanism), and you can collapse the handlebar to stow it in tight spaces.

We like this iteration of JBL's Clip speaker more than its predecessors, and more than the other super-portable sound machines out there. The waterproof Bluetooth speaker is about the size of a hockey puck, has a 10-hour battery, and sports a spring-loaded carabiner up top for snapping onto a backpack, bike handlebars, or a nearby tree branch. Its sound is surprisingly bold, given its diminutive size.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

Portable PCs with dependable gaming oomph at a reasonable price are hard to find. But this low-cost machine, outfitted with 16 gigs of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti graphics card, outperforms the expectations set by its spec sheet. The abundant horsepower and smooth graphics are matched by a very good keyboard and relatively quiet cooling fans. There are some sacrifices—the screen is not the brightest, and the trackpad isn't the springiest—but you can't expect perfection at this price.

In this handsomely illustrated hardcover, former WIRED editor Brian Barrett traces the history of the Lego minifigure, the semi-articulated friendlies with fixed smiles that have populated brick castles, towns, airports, and space stations since the late 1970s. Each chapter uses dozens of photos to examine the design decisions and manufacturing innovations that helped these tiny plastic "minifigs" evolve from police officers and construction workers to Jedis and Slytherin wizards.

Handmade in Austin, Texas, out of sinker cypress reclaimed from riverbeds, these gorgeous loudspeakers will vibrationally elevate your listening room. Each solid wood enclosure houses a 7-inch paper cone woofer and a 1-inch textile dome tweeter, both produced by the high-end driver-maker Seas. The boxes can be paired with amps that put out anywhere from 25 to 250 watts. Spin your favorite track and you’ll experience a soundstage as big, warm, and open as the Texas sky.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

With inflation through the roof, it's nice that at least one audio company is still serving up great sound for not a lot of money. The Bluetooth version of Audio-Technica's popular M20x headphones offers gorgeous audio quality, excellent frequency response, and solid mics for Zooms. The battery powers a truly impressive 60 hours of wireless play time. And while there's no noise-canceling tech, the snug earpads keep the sonics isolated and pristine.

Stepping off the grid is fun and often necessary, but sometimes you need to check in with loved ones or (gulp) call for help. This pocket-size messenger connects to the Iridium satellite network to send and receive text messages in areas where there's no cell service. It can also regularly report your location so worrywart family members can see where you are. Use it conservatively and you can squeeze 28 days of alone time from the battery. It requires a satellite data plan for off-piste pings, but month-to-month options are available for under $60.

These super-soft microsuede bandanas are our new favorite workout accessories. The absorbent, 2-foot-square fabric—made from post-consumer recycled plastic—can be tied around your neck on runs, pocketed on bike rides, or kept next to your yoga mat for a quick wipe-down after Chaturanga Dandasana. At the campground, they pull double-duty as shower towel and dishrag.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

You don't buy a TV like Samsung's latest flagship 8K LED because you want to watch all the 8K content out there at full resolution; 8K streams are still too scarce to justify the leap. No, the reason to buy this TV is that it's the prettiest and most sensible set we’ve seen all year. The company's One Connect box attaches to the center-mounted pedestal, where it supplies the TV with power and A/V signals through a single cable. All the connections route into the box, allowing you to hide the wires below the TV or mount the set on the wall without annoying multi-cable runs—a nice touch. An integrated Dolby Atmos sound system actually puts out a decent amount of bump as well. And when the 8K revolution finally arrives, you’ll have all the pixels you need to fully enjoy it on the huge, nearly bezel-free screen.

Roark's hassle-free carry-on keeps the skies friendly by hitting all the high notes: two main compartments for three days’ worth of duds and a padded laptop sleeve that fits a 16-inch PC; a zippered water bottle pocket; and a couple of semi-hidden pockets to keep your cash, passport, and other valuables away from filchy fingers. Handles on the top and sides make wrangling it into and out of the overhead compartment a breeze, and stashable shoulder straps convert it into a comfy backpack for the quarter-mile hump to the transit stop.

Bern's skid lid provides solid protection on any bike; it meets all the latest safety standards and uses the MIPS system to minimize the rotational forces that can scramble your egg in a collision. It's especially suited for electric bikes and scooters because it's NTA-8776­-certified to withstand crashes at speeds of up to 27 mph. A removable rear light snaps into the back vent, where it flashes or pulses red for up to 10 hours between charges.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

Rain jackets are too often fashion disasters—formless rubber sheaths that make you look 6 years old. The Xploric, on the other hand, makes you look like a cool Blade Runner who's carrying very important, detective-type things in your big, ingeniously placed pockets. Of particular note: the oversize chest pocket for items that would otherwise get lost in the depths of your carry-all, and the wide belt that keeps the waist flatteringly cinched. Best of all, the jacket is made from 60 percent recycled fabric, and it's left undyed to give it an even smaller eco footprint.

For the past few years, the Blue Yeti was the only USB mic that Twitch streamers seemed to use. A challenger has now stolen the show, and it's easy to see why: The Quadcast S features colorful LEDs that can cycle through the rainbow or be customized to match your decor or mood. But the mic is also user-friendly. A gain knob built into the bottom makes input-level adjustments a breeze. And a touch-sensitive button on top mutes the audio and disables the colorful LEDs, giving you a visual signal that it's safe to talk sh*t.

Just as the wallet in your pocket stores physical currency, a crypto wallet stores your digital currency, keeping it safe and readily available whenever you need it—something cloud-based exchanges can't do. The X strikes a good balance between simplicity and security, storing your private crypto keys while remaining beginner-friendly. It uses Bluetooth to connect to your phone or PC, where you then use Ledger's app to move your coins or NFTs. One thing it won't securely store is your seed phrase. Uh, you do have that written down somewhere, right?

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

Measuring just 2.6 inches closed, Craighill's lovely pocket knife is scarcely bigger than your pinkie. Flick the tab on the back to swing open the 1.5-inch drop-point locking blade, which is crafted from ultra-hard 12C27 steel that stays sharp for months. Attach it to a key ring using the metal eyelet; just remember to remove it before you get on a plane.

Grills and smokers excel at slow-and-low Sunday fare, but for short-order weeknight crowds you can't beat Solo Stove's dual-fuel pizza oven. A vigorously flaming load of quality timber in the rear-mounted wood-burning assembly brings the main chamber to 500 degrees within 15 minutes, as top and bottom vents increase the airflow for more efficient heating. For less patient guests, swap in the gas burner attachment. It gets the oven up to 700 degrees in 20 minutes—hot enough to crank out a crusty, bubbly 12-inch pie every two minutes.

Roland has spent the past few years packing the analog sounds of its beloved ’80s-era instruments into affordable and portable reissues. New this year is the Aira Compact line, which includes a 303-style drum machine, a Juno-style sequencer, and a Kraftwerk-­tastic vocal processor. They’re all Midi-­capable, so you can plug them into a computer, but they can also be synced without a laptop. Each unit has two 3.5-mm ports for daisy-chaining the boxes together, and mix-in/mix-out ports for snaking audio through all three devices without a mixer.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

This creative play set uses hands-on activities to teach kids about marine life. Two wooden models—a whale and a hammerhead shark—demonstrate the principles of underwater propulsion and help young ones explore the difference in fin movement between cetaceans and elasmobranch fish. Your young Cousteau can also learn about coral bleaching by building their own reef out of colorful blobs of heat-reactive clay that turns white when it comes into contact with warm water. KiwiCo makes similar kits for budding paleontologists, veterinarians, and astronauts aged 5 and up.

If you don't have the room to mount a traditional cinema projector, consider Hisense's new short-throw model, which casts a sharp 4K image of up to 130 inches from less than a few feet away. The bright (2,200-lumen) image is drawn with red, green, and blue lasers for accurate color. Snag yourself a screen compatible with laser projectors—and a Roku for The Crown, since the onboard Android TV software is missing Netflix—and you’re ready for some larger-than-life entertainment. The built-in 30-watt Dolby Atmos soundbar will ensure that you feel all of the soundtrack's thunderous crescendos.

That old travel mug has been gathering dust since the dawn of the WFH era. If you’re going to invest in a new commute buddy, get one that treads more gently on the planet. The new Climate+ line of drinkware from Miir is designed using 25 percent less stainless steel than its other mugs, and the lids are made from recycled plastic. The vacuum insulation keeps hot go-juice piping till lunchtime. Choose from a grippy powder-coated black finish or a satiny silver. It also comes in 12- and 16-ounce sizes; we like the bigger one because we’re real coffee people.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

In tandem bike lingo, the pedaler in back is called the stoker. That's where Xtracycle's longtail gets its name—not because the passenger has to do any work (it's an ebike!) but because the Stoker's 400-pound limit can accommodate two adults. Or you can tote a couple of wriggly kids, a week's worth of groceries, or bags of soil from the garden center. The 24-inch wheels lower the center of gravity for more stability, and a Shimano EP8 motor delivers three levels of pedal assistance. The 630-watt-hour battery lasts 45 miles on a charge—60 if you take it real easy. Rear-wheel footrests and cargo nets come standard. Trick it out with a padded rear seat ($75) and handrails ($240), or add more cargo options and start using your family ebike for much more than school drop-offs.

Microsoft's new Elite controller lets dedicated Xbox gamers swap out taller thumbsticks and more comfortable D-pad attachments for extra agility. Discerning players can also adjust the stick resistance and trigger sensitivity. Included paddles can be attached to the rear, a hack offering even more button customization options. Now if they lose the next round, they can't go blaming the controller.

DJI is best known for its drones, but the company has started branching out into action cameras, laser-firing robots, and this wireless microphone system for capturing hours of podcast interviews, field recordings, and vlogging sessions. In the box are two clip-on mics, one receiver, and a charging case with a 15-hour battery. The receiver features a touchscreen control panel, a headphone jack, and 3.5-mm output, enabling you to monitor the recording and feed it to the camera at the same time.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

More than just botanically laced bubbly water, Eva's Spritz is a nonalcoholic concoction of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that's inspired by—and meant as a sober stand-in for—an Italian amaro digestivo. Rhubarb and citrus peel give it a vegetal nose and a pleasant bitter­ness, and fruit extracts provide a dash of sweetness. Serve this to your guests over ice with a slice of orange. Even booze aficionados will sip up and take notice.

The goal of Monopoly is to keep jacking up the rent till your friends have been squeezed completely dry. Cascadia's goals are a bit more chill: Acquire different types of terrain, nurture each eco­system's native habitats, and foster an environment where the most diverse assortment of wildlife can flourish. Suitable for ages 10 and up, and as many as four treehuggers can play at once.

This is the smartest and most reliable video doorbell we’ve found for under $100. The HD camera provides an expansive view of your porch, and two-way audio lets you invite your friends inside by talking into an app on your phone. Cloud-based object recognition can tell you what's on your doorstep—person, package, pet—but that requires a $20 annual subscription. The included indoor chime doubles as a Wi-Fi extender that keeps the outdoor half connected. Run it on battery power for six months, or hard-wire it to toll forever.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

Patagonia turns 50 next year, and the longtime outdoor apparel innovator appears to be celebrating that milestone with some retro-inspired mashups. The Microdini is a hybrid of two of the company's well-loved modern fabrics—its durable and recycled Micro D lightweight fleece and its lightweight Houdini ripstop nylon—dressed in bright, mid-1990s Barbie colors and outfitted with the company's iconic, sun-blocking high collar. The resulting garment is light, warm, and timeless.

Schlep your vinyl with this beautiful bag made of heavy canvas and South Carolina denim. A protective birch-wood board in the base distributes the weight of your LPs across the whole bottom of the bag so the records on the ends of your stack endure no more strain than the ones in the middle. A zipper closure keeps 15 or so discs secure inside. The smaller external pocket is the ideal size for carrying a stack of handbills promoting your next DJ gig. Handmade in San Francisco (just like WIRED).

We already love how Insta360's modular cameras can shoot either great GoPro-style action clips or eye-­catching spherical videos, depending on which accessories you pop onto the core unit. The latest add-on is a two-camera head co-engineered with Leica. When it's mounted, the action cam looks like an ice cream cone, but the real sweetener is that, with dual 1-inch image sensors, it produces the best-looking 360-degree footage we’ve ever seen. The ideal use case: Capture a scene in 360 without worrying where you’re pointing the camera, then use the companion app to edit the video into a more traditional crop for sharing on social media.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

No matter how badly you want a soundbar, plenty of obstacles can crush that dream: a tiny dresser, crammed entertainment center, absurdly short legs under the set. If your home theater is space-challenged, the Ray just might fit the bill. It's less than 3 inches tall, making it short enough to provide great sound without blocking the picture on smaller sets. At just under 2 feet long, it takes up minimal real estate. If you don't have any surface area to play with, you can buy the Ray's $39 wall mount. The speaker performs better than most soundbars at low volumes—good for rooms with thin walls—and stays balanced and crisp at any level. Of course, it plugs into the Sonos-verse, syncing with your other Sonos speakers to fulfill all your streaming needs.

Home networking has thankfully been demystified by mesh routers—plug-and-play beacons that work together to blanket your home with connectivity. Plume's SuperPods beam ultrafast Wi-Fi 6E signals to your thirstiest modern devices, while their stylish design is a welcome antidote to ugly routers bristling with antennae. They get expensive if you have a big house, but for smaller homes that only need a pod or two, it's a reasonable option. A $99 yearly HomePass subscription unlocks extras like ad blocking and parental controls.

This twisty-foldy desktop organizer was designed by the big brains at the London firm Pearson Lloyd. The stand—ingeniously shaped from a single, squiggly line—is 3D-printed from recycled and recyclable bioplastics. The front is shaped to prop up a phone, and the three additional storage bays can hold whatever you want to keep handy. It's available in 13 playful hues; we suggest choosing the one that best matches your phone case.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

The word quintal refers to the weight in which coffee beans are often bought and sold in the wholesale market, so it's a fitting name for a subscription service that sources directly from farmers and roasters in Central and South America. Each month, the Quintal folks ship a 12-ounce bag of specialty beans directly to your home within three days of roasting. You get ultra-fresh beans, and the proceeds flow right back to the workers at Jalapa Producers in Guatemala, Azahar in Colombia, or wherever that shipment's beans were grown. Brewed well, the coffee is always delicate, floral, and addictively delicious.

Meet your new essential camp companion. Vssl's rugged aluminum flask not only holds 8 ounces of firewater within its glass-lined interior, but it also houses a bottle opener, an oil-filled compass, and a four-mode LED flashlight with a blinking SOS function. Unscrew the bottom of the flask to find a pair of collapsible stainless steel shot glasses, because we should all observe the buddy system when exploring the wilderness.

Devotees of the minimal-shoe movement can run half-marathons wearing only a thin strip of rubber under their feet, but they may have a hard time once the winter chill sets in. Xero's boots let those slim-sole stalwarts venture outside comfortably in the colder months. These have the same minimal sole, wide toe box, and zero-drop heel found in the company's running and walking shoes, but they’re swathed in water-repellent vegan material (or leather), lined with cozy flannel, and warmed by a heat-reflecting insole.

Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED Staff

The grippy pad of this wireless charger is made from recycled silicone that's been melted down and reformed. The resulting swirly pattern highlights the gadget's eco-provenance while giving it a bit of flair. The Apollo provides up to 15 watts of fast-charging power to iPhones, AirPods, AirPods Pro, and Android phones. Embedded magnets grab onto the MagSafe connector in newer iPhones to make sure the handset is aligned perfectly on the charger. Just BYO wall wart—as is the trend, you won't find one in the box.

The unique ball-and-socket construction of this table lamp is both practical and whimsical. It makes the light easily configurable, since it enables the main post and the head to be twisted and positioned independently, but the innovative design also gives the piece a striking appearance, as if it's ready to topple over even though it's perfectly stable. Let your finger linger on the power button to control the dimmer function.

Product reviewers: Michael Calore, Julian Chokkattu, Scott Gilbertson, Medea Giordano, Parker Hall, Simon Hill, Matt Jancer, Simon Lucas, Adrienne So, Haley Sprankle, Adam Speight, and Jeremy White.

Photo Assistant: Taka Mark Kasuya. Graphic design: Fisk. Photographs: Joseph Shin

Simon Hill

Adrienne So

Brenda Stolyar

Lauren Goode

Gear Team

Eric Ravenscraft

Adrienne So

Julian Chokkattu

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