9 best tech essentials for your dorm room, in UAE, for 2024

While often a cramped and shared space, your dorm room can turn into a place of rest and refuge, and even entertainment, with a few well-chosen items. Tech gear, especially, can help you organise yourself better, set reminders and alarms, keep you up to date with all your projects and coursework, and offer a way to de-stress and unwind.

We scoured social media sites like TikTok, which are full of dorm room transformations, and spoke with current university students, to discover essential electronics that every dorm room must have.

Use our guide below as your checklist. Don’t forget to shop with Prime membership, to get your favourite items delivered to you as early as tomorrow, so that you can head to campus fully prepared. Carpe diem!

1. Best Laptop: Apple MacBook Air 

Pros

Cons

The 13-inch MacBook Air is arguably one of the best laptops you can buy right now, no matter what your purpose. Lightweight, with a bright screen, and a powerful M3 chip, the laptop performs efficiently, with smooth and seamless transitions when you’re multitasking. You also get features like ray tracing and mesh shading for graphics-intensive apps and games, along with dynamic caching, which rations memory for tasks effectively. The latest MacBook Air offers support for not just one but two external displays, along with Wi-Fi 6E, for double the network speed you’re used to. Its battery life has improved as well, with a run time of up to 18 hours. So, if you’re a student who needs to create decks, code regularly, or edit photos and videos, you’ll find this laptop up to the task. The only drawback is its lack of ports – the laptop offers a MagSafe charging port, two USB 4 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. You’ll have to get a USB hub to be able to connect more devices.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh352 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh426, one-year accidental damage protection for Dh427, and two-year damage protection with one-year extended warranty for Dh545.

2. Best Windows Laptop: Asus Zenbook 14 OLED 

Pros

Cons

If you’d prefer a Windows laptop instead, consider the Asus Zenbook 14. It’s a slim, ultra-portable laptop that offers fantastic specs for its affordable price. Ahmad Ali Abbas, an 18-year-old business student at the American University of Sharjah, said: “I use this laptop for everything – my assignments, video streaming and gaming. I’ve never had a problem with it, it’s great!” The lightweight laptop features a 14-inch OLED display that offers crisp, clear visuals, and uses an AMD Ryzen 7 processor that’s artificial intelligence or AI-enabled for fast, efficient multi-tasking. There’s plenty of storage, thanks to its 1TB solid-state drive (SSD), and you’ll get fast network speeds because of Wi-Fi 6E compatibility. There’s no need to trouble yourself with dongles and adapters, either. The laptop offers a USB-A port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a HDMI port and a headphone jack. Its 1080p webcam offers excellent colour reproduction and detail clarity for Zoom calls and online study sessions, and there’s a webcam shutter built in for privacy. Overall, it's an excellent Windows laptop for students. On the downside, you might find the laptop’s surface to be a fingerprint magnet. Reviewers say frequent cleaning with a microfibre cloth can help get rid of smudges.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh314.92 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh397, one-year accidental damage protection for Dh380, and two-year damage protection with one-year extended warranty for Dh484.

3. Best Portable Storage: Western Digital My Passport 

Pros

Cons

While there are countless ways to store your documents and projects in the cloud, many of them require paid subscriptions and can become an expensive endeavour. If you’re looking for an affordable solution, consider WD’s My Passport. This compact and portable storage device slips easily into your desk drawer, pocket or backpack, and offers a range of storage capacity options, from 1TB to 5TB. The external hard drive comes equipped with WD’s Backup software that can be set to run automatically so that you never lose important files. It also offers password protection and built-in 256-bit AES hardware encryption, giving you additional layers of security. Some reviewers, however, wish it came with a protective case to protect it from drops.

4. Best Smart Speaker: Amazon Echo Pop 

Pros

Cons

You’re likely leaving old friends and family behind, when you enter university life for the first time. So, bringing Alexa along may offer some comfort. The Echo Pop smart speaker is great for small spaces. Control it with your voice and sync it with any smart home devices you have in your dorm room – from plugs to lights. You can get homework help from Alexa – she’ll answer any question you have, on any subject. And when you need to wind down, you can ask the voice assistant to play music or your favourite podcast. The speaker is useful for setting reminders, timers and alarms as well, or for staying up to date with the news and weather. Do note that this particular smart speaker doesn’t have an LED screen to display the time or weather, so you’ll have to rely on Alexa for all information. Choose from four colours to suit your personality!

5. Best Smart Alarm Clock: Hatch Restore 2 

Pros

Cons

Sleepless nights can leave you feeling drained when you’re attending lectures. Give yourself the best shot at a good night’s rest, with the Hatch Restore 2. There are no jarring alarms here. This smart alarm clock simulates the gradual brightening of dawn to gently wake you up, so that you rise feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. You can adjust the brightness levels, and even select the kind of hue you prefer, from warm white to peach or coral. If you have trouble falling asleep, note that the clock doubles as a sound machine, as well. There are a variety of relaxing sounds to choose from, like gentle rainfall or steady white noise. Reviewers say the device is easy to use and customise, although it does carry a hefty price tag. If you need a stronger alarm, check out the viral Sonic Bomb alarm clock we mentioned in this list. 

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh90.63 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh63, and two-year extended warranty for Dh89.

6. Best Television: Samsung CU7000 4K Crystal UHD Smart TV 

Pros

Cons

Hesitant to buy a small TV for your dorm room, because you feel its picture quality might not be up to the mark? While it’s rare to find a 4K TV in such small dimensions, it’s not impossible, and Samsung’s CU7000 is proof. Nasira Ali, a homemaker based in Dubai, said she bought this television for her son when he moved into his dorm last year: “We have owned Samsung TVs for years, so we naturally picked the same brand for him. He loves it, and is always watching something or playing a game on it when I call him in the evening.” The device uses the brand’s Crystal Processor 4K, which is designed to provide powerful 4K upscaling. It performs well in terms of picture quality, with adequate contrast ratio and good black uniformity. The TV is also excellent for gaming, since it offers low input lag, and a good response time, with minimal blur in action scenes. It also supports Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), so it switches to Game Mode when you launch a video game. However, since it doesn’t have a variable refresh rate, it’s limited to 60Hz. Moreover, this TV doesn’t support a wide colour gamut, and has average HDR peak brightness, so you’ll find that colours don’t pop as well as they should.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh99.75 for 12 months with select banks. Add a wall mounting service with free wall bracket, for Dh89.10.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh86, one-year accidental damage protection for Dh143, and two-year damage protection with one-year extended warranty for Dh182.

7. Best Mini Projector: ViewSonic M1 Mini Plus 

Pros

Cons

If you’d rather not splurge on a television for your room, a mini projector is a good way to go. ViewSonic’s M1 Mini Plus is lightweight and can easily slip into your pocket or a drawer when not in use. The projector can blow up videos to 100 inches, and has an integrated smart TV interface that lets you stream and binge directly from Netflix, YouTube and other sites. Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity help you mirror your phone screen without the need for cables. If you download the ViewSonic vCastSender app, your phone even doubles as a remote control for the device. The M1 Mini Plus also has an integrated smart stand, which allows you to set it up in different positions and angles. Reviewers are surprised at how this little device packs a punch, in terms of picture quality and portability. However, some say the 1.5-hour battery life is too short. Because it only manages a brightness of 120 lumens, it’s best to project it in dark rooms or environments, for optimal image quality.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh60.67 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh46, and two-year extended warranty for Dh65.

8. Best Wireless Charging Dock: Belkin MagSafe Wireless Charging Station 

Pros

Cons

If you’re an Apple user, consider a charging station – it’s an efficient, space-saving way to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods simultaneously. Belkin’s Wireless Charging Station offers fast 15W charging for your phone. It’s compatible with official MagSafe cases as well, so you don’t have to remove your phone cover when you set it down for charging. You can change the orientation of your iPhone to vertical or horizontal position even as it charges. This is especially useful if you’re streaming a TV show or video calling someone. Reviewers say the magnets are strong and the entire dock feels sturdy and durable, so there’s no danger of your phone falling or the stand tipping off the table. Since it’s cable-free, it clears clutter from your desk, leaving it tidy, with more room for your books, laptop and stationery.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh45.75 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: The manufacturer provides two-year warranty.

9. Best Power Outlet: Pegant 3-in-1 USB-C Tower 

Pros

Cons

From monitors to laptops to tablets and smart devices, the number of electronics we own can add up – and all of them need to be charged at some point. A power tower is an efficient, space-saving solution for your dorm room. Pegant’s charging station comes with six plug points, a 15W wireless charging pad, and four USB ports: a 30W USB-C fast charging port, two USB-A ports and one 18W USB-A QC 3.0 port. You can plug up to 10 devices at a time, and be rest assured they’re all charging quickly and safely. Reviewers especially love the wireless charger on the top of the charging tower – it intelligently identifies and charges your phone with the fastest speed available, and since it’s Qi-enabled, it also works with certain smartwatches and earbuds. The power tower also has an elegant cover that hides cords and plugs and leaves the space looking neater. It features automatic overload protection and has a safety fuse to protect against overvoltage. Some reviewers note, however, that the cover can be quite finicky to set into place, when operating.

Our recommendations are independently chosen by Gulf News editors. If you decide to shop through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission, as we are part of Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.