(Credit: Mark Hopkins; Getty Images / Amazon)
It’s been a tough few years. Your student may actually have been yearning to go to school, after quarantines forced them to spend months out of the classroom. But now, the big day has arrived: It’s commencement time, and your graduate deserves something special.Here’s a collection of gift ideas for any former student in the digital age, all sure to delight. From speakers and headphones that will help them concentrate and relax to computers and tablets that will come in handy as they start new jobs or head to college in the fall, we’ve got you covered.
The Music-Loving Grad
Best Alexa For Everyday Use
The Amazon Echo Studio ($199) takes the prize for top-notch sound in the line of Alexa-powered smart speakers, but it’s the 4th generation of the basic Echo—now in nearly spherical form—that hits the sweet spot. The size, shape, price, smart-home capabilities, and premium sound are all just right to make a new graduate happy.
MSRP $99.99
Best For Powerful Outdoor Sound
Ready for a summer graduation party at the pool? Your grad will be if you invest in the powerful JBL Boombox 3, the company’s super-powered Bluetooth speaker. It’s loud with bright sound and booming bass thanks to an upgraded subwoofer. It’s water and dust proof, so safe for the beach. Grads won’t carry it far since it’s 14.7 pounds, but wherever they take it will sound great.
MSRP $499.95
Best Noise Cancelation Under $100
Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC
If your grad wants a good alternative to Apple’s AirPods, consider the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC from Anker. These active noise-cancelling, true wireless earphones come with a great companion app for control. They may not be flashy, but the Liberty 4 NC delivers better sound performance than some earbuds that cost twice as much.
MSRP $99.99
For The Ultimate Music Fix
Spotify brought the modern subscription streaming model to the US, and competitors have either copied it or flown the coop. The service’s features change to keep up with what people want, but one thing that never does is the deep song library that puts Spotify at the top of the streaming-music list.
Per Month, Starts at $10.99
For the Apple- and Audio-Phile
Apple Music, direct from the maker of the original iTunes itself, gives Spotify real competition, and it’s almost a no-brainer if you’ve given your live over to everything Apple/Mac/i-product related. It’s got every tune you can imagine, curated playlists, radio stations, Dolby Atmos sound, and full lossless playback for the best quality a grad can get at this price.
Per Month, Starts at $10.99
The Streaming Grad
Best For Cord-Cutting Live-TV Fans
A subscription to Hulu with Live TV is a great alternative to paying for cable. The service offers plenty of channels, top-notch cloud DVR features, solid performance, and even 4K on select originals, making it a PCMag Readers’ Choice award winner for streaming.
Per Month, Starts at $7.99
Best for Streaming Adventure and Nostalgia
It’s almost unimaginable that a graduate of any age doesn’t like something from the House of Mouse, be it Disney characters, Pixar pictures, Marvel movies, Star Wars aliens, or a slew of other originals and classics. Get your grad a full year of this major streaming service for hours of fun. Now go see what’s coming next month.
Best for Educational Videos
Some grads never want to stop learning. And a great way to continue is with MasterClass. Watching its streaming lectures by top luminaries in their fields will make your graduating superstar shine even brighter.
Per Year, Starts at $120.00
Best Accent Illumination for TVs
A TV with a light behind it looks great—and the backlight improves viewing. Your TV-addicted grad will appreciate you all the more for getting them Light Strip Pro from Wyze, which can display 16 million colors across its LEDs and is easy to control via the app. The flexible, affordable strip can be affixed to the back of the screen (or anywhere you want, as long as you can reach an outlet).
MSRP $33.99
The Computing Grad
Best Small Laptop for College
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel)
For the grad who needs a lightweight tablet that doubles as a computer, the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is an excellent option. It’s the most polished of the Surface devices yet, with great performance and features, like incredibly long battery life and outstanding cameras for conferencing. Get the Intel based version, not the ARM-based processor, if you want the superior performance and compatibility.
Starts at $999.99
The Best Affordable macOS Laptop
The 2024 MacBook Air will have a long life, thanks to power from the M3 chip inside. It’s great for a grad, because it’s the most affordable ultraportable Mac you can buy that’s still worth every penny.
Starts at $1,099.00
Best Chrome-Based Laptop
Does your grad want a very portable, web-centric laptop? The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is our Editors’ Choice in Chromebooks. This version has a 16:10 display, a stylus for the touchscreen, a full 1080p webcam, and an all-metal chassis that can take some abuse. It runs ChromeOS on a 12th-gen Intel Core i5. The price sometimes even dips below $500, so watch for sales.
MSRP $729.00
Best for Computing When Money Is No Object
Apple’s 24-inch all-in-one modern iMac is a gorgeous machine with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, two USB4 Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support, and a decent amount of memory (8GB) even at the base price. Spec it out to the max for your favorite grad to see its full potential, and the price climbs by more than double. But hey. They deserve it.
Starts at $1,299.00
Best Portable All-in-One Windows Desktop
There was a time when desktop computers where somewhat portable, or at least luggable. HP is bringing that back with the Envy Move, an all-in-one that is light enough to take from place to place in the house. That’s facilitated by a battery and a handle, thankfully. It has plenty of other decent specs to make it a winner.
Starts at $899.99
The Fit Grad
Most Affordable Apple Wearable
A healthy grad can forgo some of the advanced medical options of the full Apple Watch, such as a constantly-running ECG or pulse ox. But if they still covet an Apple timepiece, the SE version has plenty of features in a less expensive model, including fall and crash detection.
MSRP $249.00
Best For Grads Looking to Get or Stay Fit
Is your grad the athletic type—or maybe just aspires to move more? The Fitbit Charge 6 is a modest upgrade from the Charge 5, but still affordable and comes with the stellar AMOLED color touch screen and metal case. It’s Fitbit’s (and the overall market’s) best fitness tracker yet.
MSRP $159.95
Best for Monitoring a Fitness Journey
The newest Wyze smart scale is now PCMag’s Editors’ Choice. It can track 13 body composition and health metrics, Wyze Band integration, but also weighs a lot more than just people. It’ll check the poundage on pets, luggage, babies, and more. Plus, the price is fantastic.
MSRP $33.99
Best for Mindfulness
Headspace is an app that prides itself on making meditation an option for everyone. But it does come with a (literal) cost. Offset that for the grad you know who wants to make the time for mindfulness with a gift that lasts a year ($69.99) or even just a month ($12.99). Check out other meditation apps that can help fight anxiety.
The Mobile Grad
Best iPad for Creators and Advanced Students
The 2022 Apple iPad Air delivers strong performance at a palatable price, making it the best tablet for most people—especially a grad who’s new to the working world or college-bound. They’ll be able to put it to the test in meetings, in classes, and for serious creativity.
MSRP $599.99
Best iPhone for Almost Everyone
The pro Apple iPhone 15 is one of the best phones available right now. It’s neither too small nor too big, but the price might shock you until you realize this powerhouse can do just about anything. When it comes to battery life, camera, and performance, the iPhone 15 Pro has it all.
MSRP $999.00
Best for Power-Hungry Grads
Your grad may soon be walking around a busy campus or commuting in a city, and they’ll need some power on the go. A power bank makes a great gift, giving their phone, tablet, or computer some extra juice. The Anker 321 is an ultra-portable charger with a battery that holds enough power for one big recharge per day.
MSRP $29.99
Best for Ride-Sharing With the Bros
Does your grad like to stay out at night but lack the funds to ensure a ride home? Get them a card full of bucks dedicated to Uber, so there’s no argument about who’s the designated driver.
Best for Ride-Sharing Safely
If you prefer the corporate entity providing your grads’ ride shares to be a little less bro-ish than Uber, get them the gift of Lyft.
Best for Finding Lost Stuff
Does your graduate lose things constantly? Gift them with tracking tags—Apple AirTags, for those who prefer the Apple ecosystem. Easy to track, hard to use for stalking, and complete with a slew of accessories, AirTags might make your grad’s move into the real world a lot easier. Android users should check out the Tile Pro.
MSRP $99.00
The Gaming Grad
Best for Games in the Palms of Their Hands
Is your grad a gamer? The Steam Deck OLED mobile gaming system improves the original’s battery, screen, and Wi-Fi. It’s the best way for a gamer-grad to take their entire library of Steam streaming games on the road (but works best if you avoid the newest, high-end AAA game titles.)
MSRP $649.00
Best Gaming Mouse Overall
Does your grad game competetively? Here’s a great gift option. The Roccat Kone XP is the pinnacle of gaming mouse perfection in the company’s AIMO line, with 15 buttons, gorgeous lighting, and full Nvidia Reflex support, all at a decent price. If you’ve got a right-handed gamer grad, get it.
MSRP $89.99
Best Affordable Gaming Chair
How often does someone get a chair that changes their life? It can happen at graduation. That chair should be an action-packed gaming chair. We suggest the affordable Cooler Master Caliber X2. It’s solid, supple, and has sliding lumbar support—all the things they’ll need for marathon sessions at their new jobs, writing papers for college classes, or just relaxing after a long day of being young.
MSRP $369.99
Best Dedicated Streaming Game Experience
It’s unlikely that your grad hasn’t already settled on a gaming system and service to usurp all their free time. But if they haven’t, and they like what they see on the Xbox, set them up with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. For $16.99 a month they get to select from hundreds of titles that work for both Xbox and Windows, and via the cloud on Android devices. Membership includes access to EA Play, which usually costs $5.99 a month alone.
Per Month, Starts at $16.99
The Influencer Grad
Best for Outstandingly Smooth Video
A gimbal is a must for a fast-moving influencer, and the Insta360 Flow is our favorite. Ultra-portable, it collapses down to almost nothing, then unfolds into a gyroscopic extendable selfie stick to get a quick start on making a new video. The footage they’ll get will impress everyone short of a steady-cam operator. The built-in tripod puts it to work when they sit still, too.
MSRP $159.00
Best Budget Action Camera
This older GoPro model is still available and still processing amazing action footage at a full 5.3K resolution at 60 frames per section (120fps for slo-mo). If your grad is an active influencer, this 5.4 ounce, waterproof cam is a must-have.
MSRP $349.99
Best for Illuminating an Influencer Face
Whether they’re a budding game streamer or just want to look their best in Zoom meetings, your grad will want a fill light. The Razer Key Light Chroma is expensive but so worth the price, for total control over the brightness and color temperature of the lighting. They features the Chroma system, which gives the lights access to 16 million colors, so they’re also great for a party.
MSRP $299.99
The Homebody Grad
Best Robot for the First Apartment
Bissell SpinWave Wet and Dry Robotic Vacuum
Among the most affordable robot vacuums, the Bissell SpinWave Wet and Dry is, as the name suggests, more than just a sucker (of pet hair and dust). It also mops. It’s not super advanced at this price, but still offers microfiber pads and support for sanitizing and deodorizing cleaning solutions. Depending on how your graduate lives, they may need this more than anything else on the list.
MSRP $399.99
Best for Keeping It Warm
No one’s morning cup of joe should ever go cold in this day and age. Get your grad the Ember Smart Mug (in a 10-ounce or 14-ounce size), and they’ll control the temperature.
MSRP $149.95
Best Indoor Smart Plug
TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim With Energy Monitoring (KP125M)
If your grad will spend lots of time in a dorm or an apartment, either studying or working from home, they’ll want to personalize their space. They can’t install loads of smart home tech, but one small thing that can make a difference is a smart plug. TP-Link’s Kasa KP125M is affordable, tracks energy use, supports the new Matter smart home communication standard, and overall provides an easy way to take control of the electronics in a grad’s new home.
MSRP $39.99
Best for Eating In
Eating out in restaurants is back, but encourage your grad to stay in and study or rest with a Grubhub gift code, purchased and delivered from Amazon. Maybe they’ll even invite you over for a bite.
Best for Getting Groceries
When you want your grad to be well-fed without the hassle of buying groceries, give the gift of Instacart. It lets them shop with just a few taps on their phone, saving precious minutes that can be spent studying!
Best for Grads Who Like to Cook
Are you afraid your grad will starve out in the real world? Splurge on a smart oven, and it may help them get some much-needed nutrients. We like the affordable third-gen Tovala Smart Oven, which lets them bake, broil, and air fry to perfection. Sadly, it’s not quite big enough for a 12-inch pizza.
MSRP $249.00
Last Minute Gift Ideas
(Credit: Francesco Carta/Getty Images)
From socks to makeup to recipe kits to gadgets, there is a subscription box for every possible product category and personality. You can find even more last-minute gifts in our full moms, dads, and grads gift guide.
