Christmas: 5 tech gift ideas for a teenager

Gift idea #1: a Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 smartphone

What would a teenager be without their cell phone, right? Whether you are parents, uncle, aunt, grandparent or friend, offering a smartphone to a teenager is no longer as difficult as before. Let’s say above all that you don’t have to sell an organ to please a teenager.

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Indeed, the market, which has become mature, is full of models with excellent value for money. But if we had to recommend just one, it would be Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 11. Offered at 200 euros, it is one of the most affordable smartphones on the market. And that doesn’t mean it won’t meet the needs of a teenager.

In addition to its sober and elegant design, the Redmi Note 11 has a beautiful AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 90 Hz. In concrete terms, the display is very comfortable and the scrolling and animations are very fluid.

Under the hood, the Snapdragon 600 chip is more than enough to meet the needs of a connected teenager. Above all, the Redmi Note 11 is very durable since it lasts a day and a half in general-purpose use.

Finally, and this is probably its biggest strength, the Redmi Note 11 has a convincing camera. It consists of three sensors on the back, one of which is 50 Mpxl with wide-angle lens and one of 8 Mpxl with ultra-wide-angle lens. Really, at this price, you can’t find better.

Gift idea #2: an OPPO Pad Air tablet

If you have a slightly larger budget, why not offer a tablet? For its entry into the French market, OPPO offers the OPPO Pad Air, a tablet marketed at 279 euros.

Like the Redmi Note 11 for smartphones, the OPPO Pad Air is distinguished by its excellent value for money. Although affordable, it sports a slick design made of premium materials. As light as it is solid, it has a 10.36” IPS-LCD screen and four speakers for a comfortable multimedia experience.

If its performance will not allow you to play the most demanding 3D games of the moment with the most advanced settings, your teenager should still find his account.

Above all, the OPPO Pad Air incorporates a 7,100 mAh battery which allows it to chain 12 hours of film and 15 hours of video conferencing. It comes with the bonus of an 18W fast recharge.

Again, for this price, hard to find better.

Gift idea #3: an Xbox Series S or Nintendo Switch Lite console

A game console is an essential tech gift for teens. The advantage this year is that shortages limit stocks of the most expensive models, which leaves plenty of room for more affordable consoles.

And for this end of the year, Microsoft is doing very well since it lowers the price of the Xbox Series S to 229 euros against 300 euros usually. So if you want to please your teenager, you couldn’t be better off. Xbox Series S is one of the latest generation consoles. Its particularity: it can only accommodate dematerialized games.

And in this little game, Microsoft dominates the video game market head and shoulders thanks to its Game Pass, a subscription offer giving access to hundreds of games. You pay ten euros per month and your teenager can access this almost unlimited catalog. And then if he wishes, he can buy other games individually with his pocket money.

If it’s more of a portable console, then the Nintendo Switch Lite should satisfy your teenager. The Japanese console, available in a multitude of colors, is a real hit.

The Switch Lite is the console that goes against the grain. No need for phenomenal power or hormone-inflated specs. At Nintendo, we focus on the gaming experience and strong licenses like Mario, Zelda or Pokemon. And since the Lite is portable, your teen can take it anywhere. All this for 260 euros.

Gift idea #4: Nothing ear(1) wireless headphones

If you have a smaller budget, why not offer a pair of headphones to your teenager? After all, you’re sure to type right since, for the most part, they wear it on their ears all day long (we’re hardly exaggerating).

Don’t run away, we didn’t choose the AirPods but a much more original model. The Nothing ear(1), launched at the beginning of the year, are wireless earphones with active noise reduction offered at less than 100 euros.

If they are not the best in terms of sound reproduction, they still deliver very decent audio quality. And the active noise reduction is quite acceptable for a product at this price.

But this is not the best asset of the Nothing ear(1). Their real strong point, it is their transparent design that will not go unnoticed. What to tell it a little in the courtyard of the college / high school.

Gift idea #5: a JBL Go 3 portable speaker

How about a portable speaker? It’s a portable speaker, isn’t it? Far be it from us to motivate your teenager to walk down the street with his speaker in his hands to share his musical tastes with passers-by. But if you want to please your teenager without breaking the bank, here’s a gift idea that hits the spot every time. And all this without breaking the bank.

Indeed, our selection goes to the JBL Go 3, a very compact portable speaker sold between 40 and 70 euros depending on the distributors. It has a strap to attach it to a bag or suitcase for example.

In addition to its easy handling, the JBL Go 3 shines with its shock and water resistance (IP67 certified). And the audio in all this? Well, the sound quality is balanced and rich, all with surprising power for a speaker of this size.

So much for our Christmas gift ideas that should please a teenager. Of course, if you have a larger budget, you can also turn to more expensive items such as PCs, iPhones or headphones. And if you have other gift ideas, feel free to share them in the comments.