Christmas gifts: earbuds and speakers for everyone in your life
The tech gift that gets used
Earbuds and speakers are among the few tech gifts people use every day: on the way, at the office, at sport, at home. To get it right, think less about what is new and more about what the person does every day.
Below are ideas grouped by habits. All of them work with iPhone and Android, so you do not need to know which phone the person has.
For the commuter
For the metro, bus and train, noise cancelling makes the difference: music plays at low volume and the journey is calmer. The Pods M6 are foldable over-ear headphones with 60 hours of battery, about a month of commuting at two hours a day. For someone who prefers something pocket-sized, the Pro2 are small buds with hybrid ANC up to 42 dB.
For office and home workers
For calls and online meetings, the Pro2 have multipoint: they stay connected to the laptop and the phone at once, so the person stops moving them between devices. For someone who cannot stand tips in their ears all day, open-ear office buds such as the EA16 do not press into the ear and leave room to hear colleagues.
For parties and home
A Bluetooth speaker is a gift for the whole family. The Pod Pro has 30 W, 18 hours on a charge and IP67 protection, for the garden, barbecues and parties; several Pod Pro speakers, up to 8, can play together. The 10 W Pod mini suits the kitchen, the bathroom or a desk.
If several people at home would like a speaker, two of the same model pair up in stereo, for a wider sound in the living room.
For students
For studying in a dorm or a library, noise cancelling earbuds help focus. For a smaller budget, simple true wireless earbuds such as the Buds4 connect by themselves when you open the case and last 28 hours with the case. For someone who cares a lot about sound, the Ultra have adaptive ANC up to 50 dB and LDAC on Android phones that support it.
For travellers
For flying, the Pods Ultra over-ear headphones have adaptive ANC up to 45 dB, 48 hours with ANC on and a 3.5 mm cable for the plane's audio system. As an extra, the Pod mini, a 10 W water-resistant (IP67) speaker with a strap for a backpack, is a small gift that goes on any holiday.
To get it right
If you do not know what they prefer, go by what they wear now: someone who always has buds in and complains about noise will appreciate ANC; someone who takes their tips out after an hour will prefer open-ear or over-ear. Online purchases can be returned within 14 days under the right of withdrawal, so a gift that does not suit can be changed.
Order well before the holidays and keep the packaging intact until the gift is opened.
For parents and grandparents
For someone who does not get on easily with technology, choose something simple to use. The Buds4 connect by themselves when you open the case, after the first pairing, and a speaker such as the Pod mini starts with one button and reconnects to the last phone used. Pair the device yourself before wrapping it or on the day you give it, so all that is left is to use it.
For evenings in front of the TV, the Pods M6 over-ear headphones are comfortable and last 60 hours, so they rarely need charging. Our guide to Bluetooth headphones on a TV explains how to connect them and what to do if the TV has no Bluetooth.
For teenagers
Teenagers use earbuds all day: at school, on the way, for games and sport. Sweat-resistant true wireless buds are the most practical; the GTA02 also have a gaming mode with a latency of about 60 ms, for phone games. You can set a volume limit on their phone; our guide to earbuds for teenagers explains where to find it.
Every model is in the shop, under true wireless earbuds and Bluetooth speakers.