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It’s once again time for graduation. Finals are almost finished (along with the late-night cramming). The mortar boards and gowns have been ordered. The invitations have been postmarked and if you’re lucky enough to score one, you must now buy your favorite grad a gift. What better to choose than the latest, greatest tech products?
Whether the academic in your life is graduating college, high school, or even just grade school, they all deserve a little perk. A present that tells them, “you’ve done good, kiddo…now get back to work.” By the way, grateful grads should also consider getting a gift for their ever-supportive parents, guardians, teachers, and school loan officers. You couldn’t have done it without them.
Besides, after four years (or more) of writing, studying, researching, and some other experiences we won’t mention, it’s likely that your soon-to-be-former student’s tech is on the way out. That flip phone from 2008 is a dinosaur. Can that four-year-old laptop even access the Internet now with that old broken Wi-Fi card? It’s time for something new just to take the next steps in life.
To that end, we’re here to help you find the perfect gift for all the grads on your list. We spoke to the analysts who rate all the products reviewed by PCMag Labs and asked for their recommendations. They’ve helped narrow down a great list of laptops, desktops, smartphones, and electronic gadgets. The vast majority of them are PCMag Editors’ Choice picks, so you know up front they’re high-quality products that will keep your grad not only happy but competitive as they venture forth, résumés in hand. Or venture back to school to write some more papers. Who’s up for an MBA with a new laptop?
1. HP Envy 17
$1,484.99 direct
A stunning 17.3-inch, 1,920-by-1,080 screen, bodacious Beats Audio with six speakers plus subwoofer and volume dial, and Blu-ray are among the highlights of HP’s 7.5-pound entertainment center for your lap.
Read PCMag’s HP Envy 17 review.
2. Toshiba Portege R835-P88
$849.99 list
Just 3.2 pounds—including that endangered species, an optical drive—PCMag’s perennial favorite ultraportable has been upgraded with a 2.5 GHz Core i5 processor that leaves ultrabooks in the dust, along with a near-nine-hour battery.
Read PCMag’s Toshiba Portege R835-P88 review.
3. Sony Vaio VPC-SE23FX/S
$999 direct
This 4.4-pound slimline checks off all the right list items with a sunny 1080p display, capable Core i5 processor, decent battery life (even without its optional second battery slice), switchable gaming graphics, backlit keyboard, and Intel Wireless Display (WiDi).
Read PCMag’s Sony Vaio VPC-SE23FX/S review.
4. Lenovo IdeaPad U400
$899.99 direct
An elegant unibody aluminum design and silky-smooth keyboard and touchpad make Lenovo’s 4.25-pound laptop a pleasure to use, while a peppy Core i5 CPU, roomy 750GB hard drive, and sunny 14-inch screen keep users productive.
Read PCMag’s Lenovo IdeaPad U400 review.
5. MSI GT783-625US
$2,599.99 direct
A Core i7 quad-core horsepower, 16GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 580M graphics, and a 128GB SSD plus 750GB hard drive make this 17.3-inch speedster a more affordable alternative to gaming flagships from the likes of Alienware.
Read PCMag’s MSI GT783-625US review.
6. HP Folio 13-1020us
$899.99 list
A few ounces heavier than rival ultrabooks (3.25 pounds), but $100 cheaper and with better battery life, HP’s productivity partner boasts one of the segment’s best backlit keyboards and a full array of ports.
Read PCMag’s HP Folio 13-1020us review.
7. Cyberpower Zeus Thunder 3000SE
$2,299 direct
This tower combines raw performance with a few niceties to jump to the top of the midrange custom gaming desktop class. Sure, it’s big and noisy, but with that many ports (USB 3.0, eSATA, mini-Displayport, HDMI), an overclocked Core i7, and two graphics cards, you’ll get all the game computing power you could want.
Read PCMag’s Cyberpower Zeus Thunder 3000SE review.
8. HP Omni 27
$1,249 direct
This attractive all-in-one desktop features a 27-inch display (without a touch screen) perfect for watching online movies and Blu-ray discs, and the PC has the power to create more if you’re a budding auteur.
Read PCMag’s HP Omni 27 review.
9. Asus ET2410IUTS-B018C
$999.99 list
Asus’s all-in-one system with 23.6-inch touch screen looks terrific and has truly forward thinking specs (Core i5 processor, wireless input devices, and 1Terabyte drive) and ports (USB 3, eSATA/USB 3.0 combo, HDMI-in and –out) and networking (fully integrated Wi-Fi).
Read PCMag’s Asus ET2410IUTS-B018C review.
10. Seagate GoFlex Turbo (750GB)
$169.99 list
This USB 3.0/FireWire/eSATA/Thunderbolt-ready external hard drive is all about speed. It runs at 7,200 rpm so your favorite grad will never fall behind just because files are copying slowly. It also includes the SafetyNet Data Recovery service if something goes awry.
Read PCMag’s Seagate GoFlex Turbo (750GB) review.
11. LG Lucid
$79.99 with two-year Verizon Wireless contract
Only $79.99 upfront for a smartphone? The Android-based Lucid is a terrific value for Verizon family plan customers that features a bright screen, 1080p video recording, and, of course, works on the fastest mobile data network (Verizon’s 4G LTE).
Read PCMag’s LG Lucid (Verizon Wireless) review.
12. Nokia Lumia 900
$99 with two-year AT&T contract
If your grad is a heavy Facebook user and is willing to pass up the thousand of apps on other operating systems, this Windows Mobile phone brings the goods with an attractive design, strong reception, and a really good value at $99.99.
Read PCMag’s Nokia Lumia 900 (AT&T) review.
13. Apple iPhone 4S
$199-$399 with Sprint contract
There isn’t much we can add to how great the iPhone is on almost any network, even without 4G. The iPhone 4S gets a boost being on Sprint’s network because it’s the only carrier with a truly unlimited iPhone data plan.
Read PCMag’s Apple iPhone 4S (Sprint) review.
14. HTC One S
$199 with two-year T-Mobile contract
The brand-new HTC One S runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) on a beautiful, ultra-slim (0.35-inch thick) handset with an unusually capable camera and a vibrant screen. It’s a powerhouse for the value-oriented T-Mobile.
Read PCMag’s HTC One S (T-Mobile) review.
15. LG Connect 4G
$319
You can’t get more value than from a carrier like MetroPCS, which has super-cheap unlimited plans. It offers LG Connect 4G without compromises. The powerful smartphone may cost more up front, but will save a graduate more in the long term.
Read PCMag’s LG Connect 4G (MetroPCS) review.
16. Nikon Coolpix AW100
$379.95 direct
Nikon’s first rugged point-and-shoot camera does it all: it captures sharp images, takes 1080p30 video, geotags photos, shoots underwater, and survives drops. Buy it as a gift for the clumsy person you love.
Read PCMag’s Nikon Coolpix AW100 review.
17. Canon PowerShot S100
$429.99 direct
The 12-megapixel S100 is an overall improvement to the old S95, with longer zoom range, reduced recycle time, and added GPS. Get it in black or matte silver.
Read PCMag’s Canon PowerShot S100 review.
18. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150
$499.99 direct
Superzoom indeed—this 12-megapixel, SLR-inspired Lumix has a long 24x zoom courtesy of a large Leica lens. It also offers 1080p video recording and fast continuous shooting. It’s a pricy but very capable camera.
Read PCMag’s Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 review.
19. Sony Alpha NEX-5N
$699.99 with 18-55mm kit lens
The 16-megapixel Sony Alpha NEX-5N delivers a lot of performance from its compact body, packing a sensor as large as those found in most digital SLRs and recording video in full 1080p HD.
Read PCMag’s Sony Alpha NEX-5N review.
20. Nikon D5100
$899.95 direct
The D5100 offers a fantastic mix of still-image and video-recording (with continuous auto-focus) quality, along with plenty of features like top-notch in-camera effects like Fisheye, Selective Color, and Color Sketch to make photos look comic-booky.
Read PCMag’s Nikon D5100 review.
21. Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4020
$149.99 direct
Focused on business needs, the Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4020 inkjet printer will work for any graduate looking to be a professional. It combines fast speed, high-quality output, and a low claimed cost per page.
Read PCMag’s Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4020 review.
22. HP Officejet 100 Mobile Printer
$279.99 direct
HP’s latest portable printer, the HP Officejet 100, is a little slow but delivers on output quality, cartridge yield, and (rechargeable) battery life, even when using a wireless Bluetooth connection.
Read PCMag’s HP Officejet 100 Mobile Printer review.
23. HP Officejet 6700 Premium e-All-in-One
$169.99 direct
The HP Officejet 6700 is a good fit for a micro or home office your recent graduate has set up. It prints full duplex from an automatic document feeder, supports networking both wired and wireless, and even allows printing from the Internet.
Read PCMag’s HP Officejet 6700 Premium e-All-in-One review.
24. Amazon Kindle Fire
$199 direct
The best-selling Android-tablet of all time—it’s so much more than an ebook reader—remains revolutionary for its value price, amazing hi-res screen, ease of use, and, of course, the thorough integration into Amazon’s ecosystem of content.
Read PCMag’s Amazon Kindle Fire review.
25. Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight
$139 direct
BN fixed the one thing wrong with e-ink-based ebook readers by adding a backlight to its touch-screen device for reading in the dark. It’s a clear winner for those who love to read.
Read PCMag’s BN Nook with GlowLight review.
26. Harman Kardon SoundSticks III
$169 list
It’s not a new product, but SoundSticks are so good they don’t really need much of an update. From looks to powerful subwoofer to clever designs, this 2.1 channel system is tops for PC sound.
Read PCMag’s Harman Kardon SoundSticks III review.
27. JBL OnBeat Xtreme
$499.95 direct
Don’t let the price scare you: if the grad in your life is a serious Apple user and audiophile, this Bluetooth-streaming speaker set plays beautiful music from iPad or iPhone, even sounding better than devices that support AirPlay.
Read PCMag’s JBL OnBeat Xtreme review.
28. Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker
$299.95 direct
You’ll get more powerful audio than you’d expect from this small, well-designed speaker (with equally well-designed stand). The Bose SoundLink uses Bluetooth to stream audio from any smartphone, MP3 player, or PC that supports it.
Read PCMag’s Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker review.
29. Apple TV (2012)
$99 list
This 1080p version of the first Apple TV is still hard to beat for size, ease, and fantastic picture. It’s one of the best ways to watch your videos on an HDTV.
Read PCMag’s Apple TV (2012) review.
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