If your loved ones are lucky enough to find themselves in the top 1%, thinking up gift ideas can be a challenge at Christmas; what do you get someone that already has everything? In the world of tech there’s always something to buy, so we’re here to help on that front.
In this Holiday gift guide we’ve hand-picked high-end products in a bunch of major categories, from phones to sound bars. Of course, just because they’re the most expensive doesn’t make them the best, but here you’re still going to need to pay through the nose for these amazing products.
Yes, we accept that the following gifts aren’t for everyone. Far from it, in fact. But if you’ve got the money to burn and a family or friends with a taste for the finer things in life, we have you covered. If you don’t, well, sometimes it’s just interesting to see the whopping prices some products can reach.
And with that, let’s take a look at a host of high-end gift ideas.
The best VR headset: Valve Index
A truly next-generation VR headset – if you have the PC for it
Reasons to buy
+Widest field of view+‘Knuckle’ controllers
Reasons to avoid
–Requires a high-end GPU–Still expensive
Still top of our best VR headset list, but not as accessibly priced or versatile as the standalone, all-in-one Oculus Quest 2, this is the next-gen VR headset that hardcore PC players will likely want to seek out. And this year, the proposition of owning one got even more compelling with the release of Half-Life: Alyx, a long-awaited new entry in Valve’s beloved series that makes the most of the headset’s high refresh rate and the included ‘knuckle’ controllers.
It’s a comfortable headset to use, and even if it’s hard to tell exactly what the future of VR is going to be like on PC, there’s plenty to play on Steam right now. You can buy it directly from Steam, and check out our detailed thoughts on the device below.
Read the full review: Valve Index
Sennheiser Ambeo 3D Soundbar
Dazzling 3D sound – but at quite a price
Specifications
Power: 500W
Speakers: 5.1.4
Dimensions: 1265 x 135 x 171 mm
Weight: 18.5kg
Inputs: Digital coaxial in, Digital optical in, HDMI 2.1 output (eARC), 3 HDMI 2.0a In, Audio in 3.5 mm jack
Wireless: Bluetooth 4.2 and AAC
Subwoofer included?: No
Reasons to buy
+Superb sound quality+Effective Dolby Atmos+13 separate drivers
Reasons to avoid
–Humongous price, size and weight–No AirPlay or AptX for Bluetooth
Sennheiser is usually associated with microphones and headphones, but this home audio offering is an impressive (if expensive) buy – not ranked number one in our best soundbars list, but absolutely making the cut regardless.
It’s a pretty beefy soundbar, featuring Dolby Atmos and DTS:X on the surround sound front, not to mention Sennheiser’s Ambeo-branded virtual 3D audio. The bar also supports Wi-Fi, making it a good music system as well as ideal for home cinema. And hey, you’d hope for versatility with this eye-watering price.
Still, for the audiophile who has everything, this luxury item could make a good gift.
Read the full review: Sennheiser Ambeo 3D Soundbar review
Samsung Q950TS 8K QLED
The 8K TV to beat in 2020
Specifications
65-inch: Samsung QE65Q950TSTXXU
75-inch: Samsung QE75Q950TSTXXU
85-inch: Samsung QE85Q950TSTXXU
Reasons to buy
+Incredible brightness and color+Ground breaking upscaling
Reasons to avoid
–Predictably pricey–Limited 8K content–No Dolby Vision
The sequel to the world’s first true 8K TV, the Samsung Q900R, the Q950TS builds on the predecessor that ushered in a new era of TV picture quality.
The native 8K pictures are incredible, looking just like the real world – only better. But even more crucially given the dearth of true 8K content for the foreseeable future, the 85Q950TS makes all today’s lower resolution sources look better than they do anywhere else, too.
Whether 8K delivers the same impact on smaller screens remains to be seen, but if you have a big enough room and budget, the Q950TS is a vision of the future that’s spectacularly worth buying.
Read our full review: Samsung Q950TS 8K QLED TV
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
The most powerful GPU around, if you can find one
Specifications
Stream Processors: 4,352
Core Clock: 1,350MHz (1,635MHz boost)
Memory: 11GB GDDR6
Memory Clock: 14Gbps
Power Connectors: 2 x 8-pin
Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x USB-C
Reasons to buy
+4K gaming, and then some +Great value for creative professionals
Reasons to avoid
–Extremely expensive –Hard to find right now
If your giftee needs the best graphics card, and doesn’t want to settle, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 is just that. It’s such a formidable graphics card that it’s even viable as a great-value professional graphics solution. Getting one for the retail price is the challenge right now, because it keeps selling out (here’s our guide on where to buy the RTX 3090).
And, now that games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War actually implement the RTX features, there’s never been a better time to jump on the ray tracing bandwagon. Just prepare yourself for that sky-high price.
Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
A top-tier smartphone, but you’ll pay for the privilege
Specifications
Weight: 220g
Dimensions: 166.9 x 76 x 8.8mm
OS: Android 10
Screen size: 6.9-inch
Resolution: QHD+
CPU: Octa-core chipset
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 128GB/512GB
Battery: 5,000mAh
Rear camera: 108MP + 12MP + 48MP **Front camera:** 40MP
Reasons to buy
+Samsung’s best ever screen+Impressive camera zoom+Fast 5G speeds
Reasons to avoid
–Inconsistent camera quality–Prohibitive price
Looking for the best of the best when it comes to phones? Then look no further. The smartphone-lover in your life will be delighted (and probably mildly surprised) if you pick them up a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra is a smartphone for early adopters who don’t mind paying for the privilege. Samsung’s best ever display is great for videos and gaming, and the camera zoom range is impressive, although the quality on these five snappers can be inconsistent for a phone so astronomically priced. This stops it from being the best camera phone on sale now, but it’s still a big upgrade on the S10 and S10 Plus.
But for that price your lucky friend could own the most advanced 5G phone around. If your giftee will only tolerate the very best in terms of display, performance, and the fastest 5G speeds, the Ultra is the phone to go for.
Read the full Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review.
Apple Watch 6
The best Apple Watch money can buy
Specifications
OS: watchOS 7
Compatibility: iOS
Display: 1.73″ OLED
Processor: Apple S6
Band sizes: Varies based on watch size
Onboard storage: 32GB
Battery: 18 hours
Charging method: Wireless
IP rating: Water-resistant to 50m
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, LTE
Reasons to buy
+Always-on display+Sleep tracking
Reasons to avoid
–Battery isn’t incredible–Iterative update
This is the best smartwatch you can get if you own an iPhone. It works seamlessly with Apple’s phones, and it’s well worth considering if you plan to stick with the iPhone range for at least a few years.
There aren’t many huge upgrades over the Apple Watch 5, but the main change is it comes with a blood oxygen sensor inside for the first time, plus new color options and a better S6 chip. The design is also similar, so you’ll get a larger display than earlier iterations of the device, and it comes in either 40mm or 44mm sizes.
All of the fitness features you’d expect come on this watch, and that includes a variety of top-end features such as the ECG monitor, GPS tracking, impressive heart rate monitoring and more.
If you’re looking for the very best Apple Watch, though, the Apple Watch SE is currently top of our best smartwatches list.
Read the full Apple Watch 6 review
Garmin Fenix 6
The best multi-sport watch money can buy
Specifications
Screen size: 1.3-inch diameter
Touchscreen: No
Battery life using GPS: 36 hours
Battery life on standby: 14 days
Onboard storage: 64MB
Bluetooth connection: Yes
Smartwatch capabilities: Yes
Multisport: Loads of them
Reasons to buy
+Can’t be beaten for outdoor tracking+Accurate activity tracking
Reasons to avoid
–Not the most stylish of watches
The Garmin Fenix 6 is perhaps the ultimate multi-sport smartwatch, and certainly the ultimate one offered by Garmin. Or, well, the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar is anyway, but the entire Fenix 6 range is truly top-end as wearables go.
The Garmin Fenix 6 will track almost any outdoor activity you could possibly want, with GPS along with a heart rate monitor that even works underwater.
GPS locks on fast and works reliably in our experience, battery life is impressive, and the watch feels robust – if bulky.
This is a great gift for serious athletes and adventurers, particularly those who don’t stick to just one sport.
Read our full Garmin Fenix 6 review
Comments are closed.