Gear, gadgets, gifts: What we're gifting this holiday season 2024

The holidays are just around the corner, which means it’s a great time to explore the latest gear and gadgets. Whether you’re looking for thoughtful gift ideas, planning a tech upgrade, or just trawling through seasonal sales, this guide offers a curated selection of products to consider, sourced from the a16z crypto team, which is passionate about technologies of all types.

Just as we recommend what we’re reading every year, we’ve gathered 80+ recommendations across a variety of categories, from computer accessories and smart AI-powered devices to beauty, health, and wellness products. Some of the repeat recommendations this season include Anker charging bricks, Oura rings, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, Steam Deck gaming consoles, minimalist tablets, coffee makers, and all manner of racing simulators. 

But there’s a lot more, ranging in price with options for all ages: from fidget toys and milk frothers  to synthesizers and saunas. (You know what else makes a great stocking stuffer? The New York Times bestseller Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet by a16z crypto Founder and Managing Partner Chris Dixon. Check out this and other a16z crypto-recommended books on our seasonal reading lists.)

Here’s what the members of our team are recommending. 

Hardware

AI kit: Mac mini (link), with Exo Labs

The price/performance for Mac mini is wild. If you use Exo Labs you can do AI inference using multiple of these simply hooked up to your home network. It’s crazy easy and a lot of fun for someone who wants to dive deep into an AI homelab on easy mode.

If you want to get a little deeper into the weeds with non-Apple hardware, Turing Pi has a cool ITX board that you can put four of these Raspberry Pi-like SBCs (single-board computers) into for a home cluster. It’s ideal if you want to mess with ARM chips or setups that involve coordinating across 4–16 separate computers with pretty impressive specs for the price. – Eddy Lazzarin, CTO

Dappnode (link)

Perfect for the crypto enthusiast who is interested in becoming a solo staker and running a validator node at home. I set one up during the holidays last year. DappNode offers an out-of-the-box device that makes it fairly easy to get started, versus doing so from scratch. Still, it is not for the faint of heart. I found myself troubleshooting issues on more than one occasion. But hey, after running it for just a year, I’ve since recouped my investment through staking rewards — and isn’t it nice knowing you’re supporting the next generation of the internet? – Robert Hackett, editorial team

Daylight computer (link)

The Daylight computer is essentially an Android tablet with a highly modified display so it looks like an e-ink screen, but at 60 fps (frames per second) and with a spectacular weeklong battery life. If you want a nice, minimal tablet with an e-ink experience and crazy battery life and pen, I think it’s a winner. – Eddy Lazzarin, CTO

Deep work machine. No pings or notifications, just deep work. The antithesis of doomscrolling. — Aaditya Shidham, deal team

Ledger Flex crypto hardware wallet (link)

A meaningful improvement over prior generations thanks to the e-ink display, which allows for inspecting more of the calldata in transactions. Probably best-in-class for anyone who wants a hardware wallet. – Eddy Lazzarin, CTO

The Starlink Roam (link)

The Starlink Roam combines science fiction level coolness with a surprisingly polished setup and user experience. When paired with the Tesla Powerwall, Starlink really comes in handy during the all too frequent California power and internet outages. – Jason Rosenthal, crypto startup accelerator (CSX)

Unitree robot dog (link)

My nine-year-old’s favorite toy slash companion right now is a $1,500 robot dog from China from a company called Unitree… This thing is an autonomous self-guiding robot dog… It can run. It can climb stairs. It can do flips. It can dance. If it’s hooked up to an LLM it can talk. It can teach you quantum physics. It will follow you. It’s autonomous. They have a version that’s on wheels that can go like 30 mph. It’s very compelling. On flat ground it goes on the wheels, but if it needs to climb stairs it just locks the wheels and it goes back to being able to climb stairs and walk on uneven surfaces, so it’s completely flexible. – Marc Andreessen, cofounder and general partner

Waveshare e-ink raw displays (link)

I have a handful of these three color e-ink displays from waveshare and they’re such a blast to turn into little side projects. All it takes is a raspberry pi and the display. I keep a display in my kitchen with the news and weather, but the possibilities are limitless. – Sam Broner, deal team

Chargers and cables

Anker charging brings (735, link), and (737, link) — under $50

The Anker 735 (Nano II 65W) is a revelation. Slightly bigger than AirPods, but with three ports. It fully charges my phone in ~30 minutes and my computer in ~2 hours. And they only cost $40! So I have four — backpack, living room, bedroom, suitcase.

I bought 10 last Christmas and gave them out like candy. People were underwhelmed at first, but now it’s the only charger they use. – Sam Broner, deal team

The best fast charger. – Michael Blau, deal partner

Mophie 500mAh power bank snap + juice pack mini portable magnetic phone charger (link) — under $50

We offered these at a company offsite a while ago and people loved them. We had no extras. People still ask about them. – Brittney Burrows, events team

Small, compact, and I like that it is magnetic — so you can always charge even if you don’t have the cord. – Ish Verduzco, marketing team

Multi charging cable (link) — under $50

I’m always gonna promote my multi-style charging cable. That with an Anker charging block (above!) is *chef’s kiss*. – Helen Stoddard, events team

Accessories

Catbird Custom Jewelry: Build your own jewelry (link)

A beautiful timeless way to share something truly one of a kind and personal. Made in the USA using recycled 14k gold. – Brittney Burrows, events team

Lanbrella umbrella (link) – under $50

Really sturdy and decently compact umbrella with a C handle so you can put it around your arm and keep your hand free. Folds inverted so you don’t get wet, and has a car glass breaker for safety. – Max Kesten, events team

Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer smart glasses (link)

I use these primarily to listen to music on walks and phone calls. It’s better than AirPods especially when walking in the city because you are still aware of your surroundings. – Michael Blau, deal team

These remain underrated imo. The video/photo quality is awesome and the audio quality is stunning given it has to shoot the audio into your ears from the temples of the glasses. Unfortunately there’s no way to disable the irritating LED that remains lit when recording video, which makes the glasses riskier to use in public than a conventional camera or phone camera. I have two pairs both with prescription lenses (very easy to do with Lenscrafters) — one sunglasses, one regular glasses. I love these things. – Eddy Lazzarin, CTO

Bags and backpacks

Aer city pack (link)

I’m not gonna say that I have the best travel backpack ever made ever, but I will say it’s the best I’ve ever owned and I did WAY too much research. This is a great brand for tech travel gear without over packing or looking super dorky. – Helen Stoddard, events team

Cuyana Leather Tote (link)

The zipper on this tote makes it perfect for travel and you can also add on a washable insert to give the tote more structure and organization. – Brittney Burrows, events team

The Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC 30L (link)

This backpack is better than all other backpacks. It’s small enough to fit under an airplane seat, large enough to fit everything you’d want on a long flight or day hike. Chest and waist straps for ergonomics, and as a bonus you can carry it as a shoulder bag or a briefcase. – Michael Zhu, engineering team

Equipment

Assault Bike (link) 

A brutal piece of equipment. – Aaron Schnider, operations team

Barbell clips (link) – under $50

Hate when I’m at the gym searching around for barbell clips. Slows down time between sets. These are great. – Ish Verduzco, marketing team

Hand exercise grip (link) – under $50

Great way to keep working on hand and forearm strength during calls and meetings. – Ish Verduzco, marketing team

Fitness trackers and health monitors

The Garmin Fenix 8 (link)

The Garmin Fenix 8 is my most used, most loved piece of tech. From tracking just about every sport imaginable to rock solid GPS to detailed sleep tracking and a 14-day-plus battery life, the Fenix 8 never leaves my wrist. – Jason Rosenthal, crypto startup accelerator (CSX)

Levels continuous glucose monitor (CGM) (link)

See in real-time how your blood sugar reacts to food. Super insightful with different foods and your genetic makeup. – Aaditya Shidham, deal team

Neurode (link)

Brain gym to enable focus without pharma intervention. Super useful for those with ADHD, but interesting for those without as well. – Aaditya Shidham, deal team

Oura ring (link)

It’s fairly standard, but I use my Oura ring all the time to track my health data. – Ali Yahya, deal team

Fuel

Cowboy colostrum (link) 

I put vanilla cowboy colostrum in yogurt or in a smoothie each day. I think it improves my hair and skin as well as my immune system. – Em Westerhold, operations team

LMNT electrolytes (link) 

My favorite extra SALTY electrolytes. LMNT is great first thing in the A.M. and pre + post running, lifting, or the sauna. Helps combat travel fatigue too. The citrus flavor also makes a tasty margarita. – Shari Doherty, marketing team

Hair, nail, and skincare

Boie flat body scrubber (link) – under $50

I love this because it’s sensitive, stays clean forever, and is easy to use. – Max Kesten, events team

Gua Sha tool (link) – under $50

For facial massage — because we are all in looks maxxing mode now. – Justin Simcock, security team

Jolie shower filter (link) 

This shower filter is easy to install and it removes chlorine and other contaminants that strip out the natural oils in our hair and skin. Auto renew will send you a new filter every quarter.  – Casey Graul, recruiting team

Olive and June Nail System (link)

I never had a home manicure last over a week until this brand! Highly recommend. – Brittney Burrows, events team

The Ordinary Hair Density Serum (link)

The Ordinary’s multi-peptide serum for hair density helped strengthen my hair, with lots of new growth showing. It took a few bottles to see results but the price is great. – Brittney Burrows, events team

Skull Shaver (link)

Just trying to be like Ben and Marc 🙂 – Aaron Schnider, operations team

Recovery and TLC

Burdick chocolate (link) – under $50

Exquisite, and utterly delicious. – Scott Duke Kominers, research team

Dynamic Saunas home sauna with infrared lighting (link)

For the health and wellness lovers! Infrared sauna has so many great health benefits. Good quality, easy to install, and doesn’t take much room. It has a Bluetooth sound system too. – Casey Graul, recruiting team

Mebak 3 massage gun (link)

Great Theragun dupe that comes with a bunch of attachments for different body parts. My favorite treatment for after a tough workout, hike, or just to relax. – Max Kesten, events team

Therabody Theragun (link) 

Because I’m old and have many aches and pains these days. – Aaron Schnider, operations team

Washable reusable wet bags (link) – under $50

Great for post-workout sweaty clothes! – Max Kesten, events team

Consoles and hardware

Steam Deck OLED (link), or limited edition white (link)

Valve has put an unbelievable amount of work into ensuring that the Steam Deck can play the vast majority of PC games listed on Steam’s marketplace. It is actually amazing to play top-tier PC games on this console, and the new OLED display extends (the somewhat poor) battery life into acceptable territory. Highly recommended for people who want to play the best quality games (PC games!) in a mobile format. – Eddy Lazzarin, CTO

Steam Deck is still my favorite on-the-go gaming device. Whether you’re visiting family or just lazing around at home, it’s a great way to play more casual games. – Sagar Dhawan, engineering team

Teenage Engineering OP-XY field sequencer (link)

The hotly anticipated sequel to the popular OP-1 field sequencer, sampler, and keyboard. I don’t have it yet — it’s in the mail — but I’ll be trying it as soon as it arrives! – Eddy Lazzarin, CTO

Games

Deadlock (Valve game in pre-alpha) (link)

Valve’s new game Deadlock is still in pre-alpha but is a refreshing take on MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas). For me as a first-person shooter guy, it gives me an entirely new format of game to play. (Folks can reach out to me and I’m happy to share invites). – Sagar Dhawan, engineering team

Drone racing simulators such as LiftOff (Steam, link) or Velocidrone (mobile app, link)

A sim (and real controller) is the best starting place to learn drone racing without breaking the bank on thousands of dollars of equipment. For FPV (first-person view) drone stuff you typically train up using LiftOff and a controller that has a left stick that attaches easily to a computer. 

The best controller I have used for sim was the FrSky Taranis Q X7, Radiomaster Pocket (ELRS), or Radiomaster Boxer (ELRS) – Matt Gleason, security team

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (link)

Fly from the comfort of your home and maybe experience a warmer location? 🙂 – Sagar Dhawan, engineering team

More racing simulators, games, and related hardware

It’s the best time of the year to get into sim racing. When most of the country is too cold for any real outdoor racing, the sim racing community comes alive. There’s a lot of deals on sim racing gear during this time of year. If you already have a PC — it doesn’t get better than iRacing for competitive racing and Forza Motorsport for more casual play. Otherwise Gran Turismo on the PS5 is really good too. I can also recommend the F1 games as they will go on sale towards the end of the year (and end of the F1 season in a few weeks).

Hardware-wise I’d recommend exploring direct drive wheel and pedal bundles from Moza or Fanatec. – Sagar Dhawan, engineering team

Portable Go game set (link) — under $50

I’ve been playing a ton of Go on this travel board. I like that it’s just 9×9 and 13×13 sizes, which is perfect for beginners. It’s surprisingly high quality for the very low price. – Mason Hall, deal team

Bedding

Cozy Earth Cuddle Blanket (link)

Simple, everyday luxury — soft, breathable, and perfect for unwinding. Whether you’re on the couch or in bed, it’s the kind of comfort you’ll never want to let go of. – Chris Lyons, deal team

The Eight Sleep Pod 4 (link)

My friends have raved about Eight Sleep for years and I always thought of it as a gimmick or gadget that I didn’t need. Then, I tried it and on the first night had the best sleep of my life. Now, I can’t imagine ever going back. I sleep best when the mattress is ice cold but my wife likes it nice and toasty. With Eight Sleep, we can both have it our way. – Jason Rosenthal, crypto startup accelerator (CSX)

Cleaning

Levoit cordless vacuum cleaner (link)

Great dupe to the Dyson cordless vacuum. Charges fast, swivels well, goes flat to reach hard areas. Makes vacuuming much easier. – Max Kesten, events team

Miele Complete C3 Calima vacuum (link)

Buck the trend of unreliable bagless vacuums. Who wants to scoop dust out of a canister with their bare hands? Why are we doing this to ourselves? Get yourself a vacuum with a bag. This Miele vacuum picks up every little nightmare mess my four-year-old can make, including rice pulverized into a sort of glue and then ground into the carpet, changing the fibers at a molecular level. Anyway, if this vacuum can get glitter out of upholstery — trust me — dust doesn’t stand a chance, especially with a HEPA filter. – Stephanie Zinn, editorial team

Pet hair removal tool (link) – under $50

Cleans carpets by picking up all the hair, dirt, debris you can’t get with just a vacuum. Great even if you don’t have a pet! – Ish Verduzco, marketing team

Lighting

Philips Hue Go Bluetooth table lamp (link) 

I love this light because, in my home, it adds a touch of ambient uplighting to a corner nook. You control the brightness and color of the light and can power it on/off through the app on your phone. It can be used plugged in or unplugged, and it’s small enough to place on a side table. (I have it on the floor behind a chair with light projecting up.) It’s good for any room where you want a touch of extra light! It’s very cool!! – Juliet Grier, operations team

Philips Hue Smart Light starter kit (link)

I’ve been using these for years. I have them set to automatically turn on 5 mins before my alarm goes off in the morning and set to start dimming 30 mins before going to sleep at night.  – Ish Verduzco, marketing team 

Reading

Gritin rechargeable book light (link) – under $50

My biggest barrier to getting off my phone has been that I can’t read in the dark. I’ve had this light for almost a year and have only charged it twice, despite using it most nights. It has three light modes: warm, cool, and something in the middle (plus three brightness settings). Though my one gripe is that the cool setting is really only for folks with very eccentric tastes in lighting. It makes up for it by moonlighting as a bookmark, so there is absolutely no excuse to dog ear pages. – Stephanie Zinn, editorial team

Juniper Books book jackets (link)

Gorgeous book jackets to dress up your bookshelves. A great gift for readers. – Brittney Burrows, events team

Coffee and tea

Aerolatte original steam free milk frother (link) – under $50

I use this milk frother to mix my creatine and protein powder into a 3:2:1 milk water coldbrew mixture in a pint glass. My wife makes matcha. Occasionally I froth milk to accompany cookies because it’s fun. 

The aerolatte whisks well, although the main point is that an electric whisk is really useful and way, way better than a fork or a protein shaker. – Sam Broner, deal team

Jura coffee maker (link)

I love this little coffee machine because it has a very small counter footprint for space-challenged kitchens, but it makes the best fresh ground for each cup of coffee or espresso. Better than Nespresso imo. With quality beans, better than coffee shops. – Michele Korver, regulatory team

Mem Tea monthly subscription box (link)

Somerville, Mass.’s local tea shop is the real deal. They sell mostly loose leaf, and ship anywhere in the U.S. I particularly recommend the Russian Caravan, Duchess Grey, and Red Zen. – Scott Duke Kominers, research team

Ninja Luxe espresso machine (link)

Makes me feel real classy. I’m finally drinking real coffee from whole beans. – Aaron Schnider, operations team

Terra Kaffe TK-02 espresso machine (link)

A game-changer for coffee lovers. It delivers barista-level espresso at the touch of a button with customizable settings for every caffeine mood. Sleek, sustainable, and easy to clean. Perfect for anyone who craves café-quality brews without leaving home. – Chris Lyons, deal team

Cooking and appliances

From Our Place Wonder Oven toaster and air-fryer (link)

This is an amazing air fryer. Not only does it look so cute on your counter, but it’s a great size for any kitchen. I use it almost every night to cook vegetables and fish and it’s so easy for quick and healthy dinners. – Em Westerhold, operations team

Zwilling stainless steel pan (link) – under $50

Great pan at a great price! Food cooks well and doesn’t stick. – Max Kesten, events team

Desks

Branch Duo Compact Standing Desk (link)

This standing desk looks great, has nice build quality, and is just the right width (36”) so it’s easy to fit in tight places. – Daniel Reynaud, engineering team

Humanscale footrocker (link)

I also love these footrockers — I have tried all of them! They are super handy and helpful under your desk if you’re not standing. – Sonal Chokshi, editorial team

Goplus 2 in 1 Under Desk Treadmill (link)

Stable, not too noisy, easy to operate and fits perfectly between the legs of the standing desk. The folding arms do take up some space, so it’s possible to find a lighter and more compact walking treadmill. – Daniel Reynaud, engineering team

Lamicall adjustable laptop stand (link) – under $50

Helps you maintain good posture, looks good, and folds flat. – Daniel Reynaud, engineering team

Nexstand portable laptop stand (link) – under $50

A digital nomad’s best friend. This laptop stand is lightweight, foldable, and sturdy. It’s great for taking Zoom calls at more flattering angles (goodbye up-nostril, double chin view) and for setting up a more ergonomic workspace on the go (as much as I will miss my chiropractor). I’m a religious user, as patrons at various coffee shops I’ve turned into offices can attest. Hat tip to Vitalik Buterin: I first came across the item in his “40-liter backpack travel guide.” – Robert Hackett, editorial team

Saiji adjustable tablet stand (link) – under $50

This phone/tablet stand is fantastic. Accept no substitutes! – Scott Duke Kominers, research team

Vornado 460 (link) – under $50

A compact 3-speed fan for a home office. When you walk on a treadmill, you’re generating heat but not getting the air flow you would get by walking outside, so a fan is important to avoid getting sweaty during long meetings (and you may also want to keep the treadmill engine cool to extend its lifetime). – Daniel Reynaud, engineering team

Headphones, mics, and webcams

AirPods 4 (link)

The noise canceling works great to mask the background noise from the treadmill and the fan (above), and they’re more comfortable for walking than over-ear headphones. – Daniel Reynaud, engineering team

Corsair HS65 surround gaming headset (link) 

This has been an incredible headset option for our podcast guests. My audio editors rave about its sound quality and its surround sound options make it a very versatile option for gaming and recording.

– Angel Gehr, editorial team

Fifine USB computer microphone (link) – under $50

This is SUCH a great, super affordable, plug-and-play mic. We send it out to external pod guests because it is such a solid choice. Incredible sound quality and reliability. – Angel Gehr, editorial team

Opal Tadpole webcam (link)

A great webcam option for people looking to record clear video with little-to-no setup. It’s compact, plug-and-play, and easy-to-use. – Angel Gehr, editorial team

Shure MV7 Mic (link)

Love the quality and ease of use. Just plug directly into the laptop and you’re good to go (unlike a lot of other pro mics). – Ish Verduzco, marketing team

Keyboards and mouses

Ergodox EZ keyboard (link)

My favorite device is my Ergodox EZ keyboard. I code in neovim, so having an optimized keyboard setup is important to my workflow. My Ergodox is comfortable because of its ergonomic split design, supports multiple layers so I don’t need to contort my hands into uncomfortable key combinations, and allows me to bind my keys to have different behaviors when held versus tapped. This lets me code comfortably all day long. – Noah Citron, engineering team

Evoluent Essentials Full Featured Compact Keyboard (link) – under $50

This is one of the most left-hand friendly keyboards I’ve ever found! Also, not just for lefties 😉 – Sonal Chokshi, editorial team

Logitech MX Master 3S wireless performance mouse (link)

This mouse has a feature that lets you Bluetooth-connect to three laptops max, so it’s easy to use one mouse across three computers. – Michael Blau, deal team

Productivity

Grammarly grammar checker (link) – under $50

The best piece of advice I ever got is that no matter your level, your writing can always be better. Grammarly is an incredible tool for ensuring my writing is concise and clear — I even ran this blurb through it! – Paul Cafiero, communications team

Focus Timer adjustable hourglass (link)

An elegant and adjustable hourglass without the sand — perfect for segmenting project blocks, writing sessions, or even morning meditation. – Scott Duke Kominers, research team

Toroflux (link) – under $50

A great fidget toy for your desk or while watching TV. – Michael Blau, deal team

Packing

Bagail packing cubes (link) — under $50

Packing cubes will change your travel game. You won’t go back. No more cluttered suitcases! – Max Kesten, events team

Mesh travel bags (link) — under $50

I use these mesh bags when I travel because they are so light and flexible… I hate rigid bags. – Helen Stoddard, events team

Rides

Ride1Up Revv1 moped-style ebike (link)

My favorite purchase ever. I love that this bike is as fast as a moped and looks like a motorcycle, but it’s way more convenient than either, especially in the city. I also kitted mine with modifications like cafe racer handlebars, passenger footpegs, and an extra battery for increased distance. – Mason Hall, deal team

1999 Mitsubishi Delica JB 470 van from Japan (link)

Given my profession, I spend an unhealthy amount of time online and have recently gotten into overlanding (basically off-roading, camping, and getting off the grid) as an attempt to offset some of the screen time. I looked at getting a regular RV here in the states but felt they were too big, bulky, and not very well designed (lots of wasted space). Sprinter vans were the alternative solution since they are much more compact, but with Van Life trending, they were around $50k-100k+ for a used one. So I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole one day and learned about these right hand drive mini campervans from Japan and fell in love with them. The size, design, practicality, functionality, and overall uniqueness all amazed me. The goal is to use this thing to explore national parks and spontaneous road trips. I really think life design is underrated. We spend so much of our time working and chasing the next accolade, I think we should be diverting some of that time and energy into actually enjoying life with loved ones. More time on hobbies, adventures, and whatever you find interesting. Excited to get this thing on the road and start making more memories. – Ish Verduzco, marketing team

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The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Some of the above gadgets, equipment, products, or services are sold by portfolio companies of a16z; for a full list, please see a16z.com/investment-list.