Friends and family each year always ask me what to get the techy in their lives, and like clockwork I am being summoned again to answer the call. As I do each holiday season here at Electronicsforward, I am back to write about my favorite smart home gear in this year’s gift guide.
Sonos Move 2: $449
Everyone needs a smart speaker, and the Sonos Move 2 just happens to be one you can take everywhere with you. This is the big smart home upgrade that I’ve personally made this year, and couldn’t be more enthused by how good the speaker sounds, and how convenient it is to be able to bring it with me from room to room. It’s especially a great option if you’re gifting it to someone who doesn’t already have all kinds of speakers throughout their home, with the internal battery really flexing for serenading you throughout the house.
It can be set up with voice assistant support for controlling your other smart devices, and even pairs with AirPlay 2 if you’re in the Apple ecosystem. Even though I’m already an established Sonos user, I can easily recommend this to someone who is just starting out with that smart speaker ecosystem. The $449 price tag is going to make this one of the more expensive options on this list, but I’ve been loving mine enough to make it the one smart home gift I’d recommend over everything else.
Nanoleaf Essentials Matter Light Bulb: $15
I’m a pretty big enjoyer of the Philips Hue brand, but even I can admit when another company is doing it better. Nanoleafs happens to be offering some of the best options around these days for standalone light bulbs, especially considering that the new Essentials LED bulb works with Matter and Thread now. Those are two standards that are a huge deal in the smart home world these days, and effectively means that you can use the lights regardless of which ecosystem you’re in.
The light bulb is as typical as they come in the smart home space, which makes it an easy pick for this gift guide. It takes the guess work out of knowing what the smart home owner on your list is using these days for their voice control, and is about as affordable as they come at just $15. That also includes multi-colored lighting support, too!
Govee Glide Hexagon Ultra lights: Under $300
If you’re looking to gift something a bit flashier than just a typical light bulb, I have personally been loving these new Glide Hexagon Ultra lights from Govee. Nanoleaf may have been the first one to the space to really execute on the modular lighting panel design that lets you design your own fixture, but Govee has done it in a more novel way with its latest release.
They follow a pretty tried and true formula thanks to a design that can be arranged anyway you’d like that adheres to the wall with some included 3M tape. There’s 10 panels in the box, which deliver on the Ultra naming scheme thanks to packing more lighting tech than usual. You’ll be able to customize three different lighting modes to go alongside the color illumination you’d expect. The panels themselves can be lit up with a similar 3D design to the Pro panels from before. Govee also includes a lines mode that only illuminates the perimeter of each panel. Then you’ll find a mode that combines the two into an even more flashy setup.
They’re on the pricier side at $350, but current holiday sale pricing drops these below $300 to make for a bit more affordable addition to this smart home gift guide.
Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2: $30
If there’s someone on your list who already seemingly has the smart home of their dreams all sorted out, I can guarantee you that they could use more sensors. They either haven’t really dove into the home automation side of the smart home world, or there is just a gap that they’d like to fill. The recent Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2 is my top pick this year, if for not other reason than its adoption of the Matter standard. It’s the way that the sensor communicates with the rest of your gadgets and with smart assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.
And at less than $30 right now, it’s hard not to recommend. You’ll be able to use to to turn lights on and off automatically just by opening a door, automate an AC unit so it can’t turn off if a window is open, and even for alerting you if something opens when it shouldn’t.
Philips Hue Go Smart Portable Table Lamp: $160
But just because Philips Hue may not make the best beginner light bulb doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for the company on this smart home gift guide. I personally have been eyeing the brand’s recent Philips Hue Go Smart Portable Table Lamp as of late. And if it’s something that I am personally yearning for being the smart home enthusiast that I am, then it has to be pretty gift-worthy right?
This table lamp features a battery-powered design that means you can bring some lighting with you just about anywhere. It gives off far less of the RGB vibe that most of the portable smart lamps do and instead takes on a form that’s far more elegant. I’d go as far as to say it’s something you’d want to look at, and not just a way to sprinkle a little ambient lighting into your home. It still sports the usual Color Ambiance lighting tech, with onboard Bluetooth meaning you can use this with Alexa and Assistant out of the box. Throw in Zigbee compatibility for HomeKit support, which rounds out the package on top of an IP54 water-resistance rating and 48-hour battery life.
You can buy the Philips Hue Go Smart Portable Table Lamp for $159.99 right now over on Amazon where it comes in one of two differnet colors.
Or just go check out Amazon’s list of best-selling smart home gadgets for some other gift inspiration.
Make sure to check out the other Electronicsforward guides for more last-minute gifts:
- Justin’s favorite gear and gadgets for beat-makers, musicians, and content-creators
- Ali’s favorite fashion finds he will love and wear all year from $18
- Reinette’s favorite PC upgrades to enhance your battlestation
- Laura’s five favorite fitness finds under $50
- Ashley’s must-have dinner party accessories
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