Tired of walking in with the same box of chocolates, this Eid? Whether you're visiting parents, relatives or friends, the struggle to find a great gift is real. Consider a trendy gadget to wow them, instead. The latest technological devices will have top-of-the-range features, to make life undeniably more organised and tasks more efficient.
Think of an Echo Show on the kitchen countertop that conveniently obeys voice commands and plays video recipes. A brand-new tablet would benefit any family travelling with children this summer holiday; a robot vacuum would be incredibly helpful with post-gathering cleanups. Find these and more in our handpicked list of gadgets to wrap up for Eid, from wearable tech to smart helpers.
Remember you can find discounted items across a range of categories on Amazon, so shop while the sales are still on. Make sure to order through Prime to enjoy free same- or next-day delivery for your new gadget.
1. Best New-Age Smartphone: Nothing Phone (2a)
Pros
- Snappy performance
- Interactive glyph interface on the back
- 120Hz refresh rate on AMOLED display
- 50MP camera system
- Bundled with CMF earbuds and charger
Cons
- Back cover is plastic
Flagship phones are great, but if you want to shake up the status quo, gift them the newly released Nothing Phone (2a). In this value bundle, there are two bonus items - a charging adapter and the brand's CMF noise-cancelling earbuds. The (2a) model is easier on the pockets than the Nothing Phone (2); it gives up the Snapdragon chipset for MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro on Android 14, and boasts a bigger battery capacity at 5,000mAh. Its most interesting feature makes it an excellent present - the popular glyph interface. On the 'transparent' back of the phone, three LED lights come to life when you're timing a shot, playing music, receive a notification, control the volume, or get a call. Assign a unique light sequence to important contacts so that you know who's getting in touch without even checking the screen. From the 50MP camera system to 5G cellular support and 120Hz refresh rate, all specs are up to date. Buyers are continuously impressed, saying there's no bloatware on the phone and that it features a pure Android system. The phone is fast with 12GB RAM and looks great in the hand.
Bonus: Buy with zero per cent instalments and pay Dh116.58 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty for Dh86, one-year accidental damage protection for Dh143, and two-year damage protection with one-year extended warranty for Dh182.
2. Best Smart Display: Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen)
Pros
- Eight-inch HD display
- 13MP built-in camera
- Sets alarms, reminders, answers questions, streams videos and more
- Compatible with Zigbee, Matter and Thread
- Can be used as an intercom
Cons
- Wired
Give the gift of organisation – the latest version of Echo Show 8 is a smart speaker, display and an assistant all in one. Surprise your mum or partner with this intuitive helper to see them through tasks when their hands are full. Use Alexa to set alarms and timers, stream recipes, read out the news, answer questions, play music, control compatible smart home devices, and lots more. But, the best part is its 13MP camera that doubles as a nanny cam for minding traffic areas when the guardian is away on a grocery trip. The recipient even gets to keep the household connected through its intercom facility. Plus, Alexa understands both English and Arabic. Mums and dads in the reviews use the Echo Show 8 to hold video calls with their little ones at home. Parents love that Alexa can tell children bedtime stories, too, among other thoughtful features. See other smart speakers and Alexa devices.
Warranty: The manufacturer offers a limited warranty.
3. Best Value Smartwatch: Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation)
Pros
- Bright retina display
- Cellular connectivity
- Swimproof - survives in 50 metres of depth
- Health insights, from heartbeat to sleep monitoring
- Car crash and fall detection, along with temperature tracking
Cons
- Doesn't include the real-time electrocardiogram (ECG) from the Series 8
- Needs an Apple ID
Sure, there's the all-new Apple Watch Series 9, but what if we told you the SE 2nd Generation offers more bang for your buck? It's as stylish as its expensive counterpart, featuring the same rounded corners and sharp display. Both are water-resistant in a depth of 50 metres, notify you of any irregular heartbeat readings, have an 18-hour battery life and come with emergency safety systems in place. With dual connectivity options of cellular and Bluetooth, the wearer isn't missing out on much. The watch is going to be your loved one's best workout buddy, encouraging them to complete their activity rings. They don't have to worry about missing calls and important work emails, either, with this mini handset on their wrist. See more smartwatches and fitness trackers.
Bonus: Buy with zero per cent instalments and pay Dh99.92 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty for Dh69, and two-year extended warranty for Dh113.
4. Best Robot Vacuum: Roborock S7 Max Ultra Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Pros
- Suction power of 5,500 Pa
- Comes with its own automatic cleaning station that lasts up to seven weeks
- Set customised routines for the pet feeding area, around the dining table after dinner and more
- Google Assistant and Alexa compatible
Cons
- Doesn't work with 5GHz frequency band
Give your loved one the gift of a clean home without them having to lift a finger. The Roborock S7 Max Ultra is the complete set with its own cleaning station - other robot vacuums require manual refilling and emptying of the tanks. It has an excellent suction power of 5,500 Pa, a slim design, and goes about cleaning the house with minimal noise. It even syncs to Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant so it can be powered with just a voice command. With a 2.5-litre dustbin and a three-litre water reservoir, it gets the vacuuming and mopping done for you in a jiffy by returning to the dock as many times as it needs refilling. The hoover's mopping capabilities are not to be taken lightly - it scrubs the floor up to 3,000 times per minute at a pressure of 600g. It’s a great gift for families with kids, and pets, or the busy bee worker who never has enough time to clean. Reviewers attest to the fact that the vacuum needs little to no intervention during scheduled cleanings, and that it's become a massive helping hand for their mums. The robot always follows floor maps and no-go zones to a tee, they add. See other robot vacuum options.
Bonus: Buy with zero per cent instalments and pay Dh274.92 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty for Dh199, and two-year extended warranty for Dh283.
5. Best Handheld Gaming Console: Valve Steam Deck Handheld Gaming Console
Pros
- Portable gaming PC
- 256 storage with 16GB RAM
- Up to eight hours of play time
- Powered by AMD APU chip
- Seven-inch touchscreen
Cons
- Select PC games are not compatible with the SteamOS
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita and other handheld consoles are excellent options for gaming on the go. But, gift a gamer something they'll never expect. Valve's Steam Deck is such a present, and perhaps, even better for a player who wishes they could bring their library of PC games wherever they go. The Steam Deck plays most of your PC titles, as long as they're accepted on Linux's SteamOS. Simply log in to your Steam account and access your library on the handheld device. What powers the portable PC is AMD's APU (accelerated processing unit), which houses both the central and graphics processing units onto a single chip. Play on a seven-inch touchscreen with a solid-state drive memory of 256GB and 16GB RAM. The device features two thumbsticks, touch trackpads, controls, triggers and everything else that's found on a classic console. Users should expect the battery to last less than seven hours with heavy use. Some Deck-verified PC games are Street Fighter, Cyberpunk, Elden Ring and Stardew Valley. Gamers in the reviews say they no longer power on their full-sized consoles, impressed that it runs high-budget games easily. Check out other handheld video game consoles.
Bonus: Buy with zero per cent instalments and pay Dh138.43 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty for Dh97, and two-year extended warranty for Dh138.
6. Best Value Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Tab A8
Pros
- Value for money
- 64GB space, accepts up to 1TB microSD card
- Samsung Kids offers safe content for children
- Puts up well against rough use
Cons
- Not built for heavy gaming
- Only Wi-Fi
A budget-friendly Android tablet, this Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 offers powerful performance and plenty of storage. Light and portable, it doesn’t skimp on screen size. The 10.5-inch display is big enough to comfortably enjoy TV shows and films, video chat with friends and family, and take care of remote work. With the Samsung Kids interface, children will be able to safely browse age-appropriate games, books and videos. The Tab A8 is one of the best child-friendly options in the market, too, designed to be shared by the whole family, together with parental controls. Get up to 1TB of expandable storage and long battery life, which allows plenty of power to keep up with content on travels. Some mums and dads reserve the tablet for the kids' school work, while others primarily use it for light office work and media consumption. The Dolby Atmos-powered speakers are amazing, they say, but do add that the 3GB RAM is insufficient for heavy gaming. Browse more tablets for travelling and everyday use. If they love to read, a more fitting present would be an e-reader.
Bonus: Buy with zero per cent instalments and pay Dh52.42 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty for Dh57, one-year accidental damage protection for Dh95, and two-year damage protection with one-year extended warranty for Dh121.
7. Best Travel Tech: Apple AirTag
Pros
- Replaceable battery of one year
- Trigger audio from app to locate items
- See the distance and the direction to the AirTag
- Only weighs 11 grams each
- Marked for low returns on Amazon
Cons
- Works with iPhone 6S or later models, and iPad 5th generation or later models
- Precision Finding feature works with iPhone 11 or later models
Probably the best travel tech gift you can give them is a way to track their luggage this summer. Bluetooth trackers, such as the Apple AirTag, rely on a network of users to locate your items, no matter where they are in the world. In the Find My app on any Apple device, you can track the AirTag on a map. If it's nearby, Precision Finding sorts it out for you immediately, thanks to the Ultra Wideband technology. Simply slip it into your bags and wallet, or attach it to your keys. The AirTag tracks anything. It's also water-resistant, weighs 11 grams and has a battery life of more than a year. Reviewers purchase the tracker to keep an eye on their checked-in bags at the airport, and call it an essential tool for travelling. You'll find four trackers in this pack, so there's enough to go around. Check out other non-iOS trackers and more travel tech necessities.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty for Dh23, and two-year extended warranty for Dh38.
8. Best Open-Ear Headphones: Shokz OpenRun Wireless
Pros
- Dual mics for calls
- Eight-hour battery life
- Quick charge for 1.5-hour use in 10 minutes
- Comfortable and lightweight at 26 grams
Cons
- Vibrates noticeably when the volume is increased
They love their tunes, podcasts and audiobooks, but can't seem to enjoy any because of ill-fitting earbuds? Bone conduction headphones might just be the solution for them. Offer your loved ones the chance to listen comfortably via bone vibrations. This OpenRun model by Shokz is our best bone conduction pair of 2023, per expert opinion. It wraps around the head and sits below the temples to deliver eight hours of battery life. It's been approved by cyclists, runners and casual listeners in the reviews. Unlike in-ear form factors, these headphones allow you to keep an ear out for traffic and tune into the outside world, without risking your safety. It takes calls just as easily as other pairs, too.
Bonus: Buy with zero per cent instalments and pay Dh42.08 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty for Dh35, and 2-year extended warranty for Dh49.
9. Best Compact Speaker: JBL Go 3 Portable Waterproof Speaker
Pros
- Vibrant colour options inspired by street fashion trends
- IP67 - waterproof in up to one metre of water for 30 minutes, and dustproof
- Five hours of play time
- Pocket-sized, weighs only 209 grams
Cons
- Battery life may be less than stated
It's a party in a box! Give the gift of deep, punchy sound wherever your loved one goes, with this fun-sized JBL Go 3 speaker that’s dustproof and waterproof. The speaker can work for up to five hours without a charge, and streams wirelessly via Bluetooth from your phone or tablet. Our favourite part about this speaker is the variety of colours it comes in, to suit the player. It's the perfect present for someone who likes picnicking in the outdoors and hanging out by the beach. See other bluetooth speakers.
Warranty: The manufacturer offers a one-year extended warranty. Amazon offers one-year extended warranty for Dh12, and two-year extended warranty for Dh17.
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.
