<div data-filter_4="
Kaweco Classic Sport Fountain Pen
Nothing makes writing feel better than using a fancy pen, and Kaweco’s fountain pen is the perfect way to add some old-school charm to your note-taking, lease signing, or doodling without breaking the bank.
Price: ~$19
Amazon
Hario V60 Gooseneck Kettle
There are many cheaper vessels for hot water, but Hario’s V60 Gooseneck kettle heats quickly, and rarely needs to be cleaned. What’s best, though, is that it delivers a perfect, measured pour so you don’t get carried away with a delicate drink.
Price: ~$45
Amazon
Dagne Dover Dakota Backpack
If you’re going to carry your backpack all day, from home to the gym to work to dinner and home again, you’re going to want something that’s well-designed without being ostentatious. The Dagne Dover Dakota neoprene backpack comes in three sizes and a bunch of colors, and will carry all your stuff efficiently and safely.
Price: ~$175
Dange Dover
$300″ class=”c-buying-guide__item” id=”buying_guide_item_3″ readability=”11.355704697987″>
Apple Watch
If you’ve got an iPhone, there’s basically one smartwatch to get: an Apple Watch. The latest model has an always on display, works well even when you don’t have your iPhone handy, and can track basically all your fitness activities right from your wrist.
Price: ~$399
Apple
B&H
Best Buy
<div data-filter_4="
Channellock 13-in-1 Ratcheting Screwdriver
If you’re striking out on your own — whehter that be to college or a new job — you’re gonna need some tools to put some stuff together. And this Channelock screwdriver is the best around, with a wide variety of useful bits that store right in the handle, so you’ve always got what you need, when you need it.
Price: ~$26
Amazon
Madewell Medium Transport Tote
This leather tote bag not only offers ample room for all your everyday stuff, but is also big enough for carrying your laptop to work or class while still having room to spare. Then if things happen to get a bit too cumbersome you can attach the shoulder strap for additional support or just to free up your hands.
Price: ~$158
Madewell
$300″ class=”c-buying-guide__item” id=”buying_guide_item_6″ readability=”9.7701149425287″>
Beats Solo Pro
Beats’ popular Solo line of on-ear headphones finally get upgraded with noise-cancellation tech, along with Apple’s own wireless technology (the same as it uses with its AirPods) to make connecting them to your devices a snap.
Price: ~$300
Amazon
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1
The Instant Pot pressure cooker is the Swiss Army knife of the kitchen. With it, you can easily make a ton of different meals, or you can just use it to make batches of rice and broth. It’s useful, and if you’re short on space for appliances, it’s well worth picking up.
Price: ~$79-99
Amazon
Best Buy
Bloomingdale’s
Apple Airpods Pro
Apple’s AirPods Pro are the company’s first true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation, which means they can help muffle the world around you while you’re studying or traveling to work or school. Like the original AirPods, you can talk to Siri by saying “Hey Siri,” and the case charges wirelessly.
Price: ~$249
Apple
Amazon
B&H
$300″ class=”c-buying-guide__item” id=”buying_guide_item_9″ readability=”11.31914893617″>
Apple Macbook Air
Apple’s refreshed MacBook Air has a reliable keyboard, a Retina display, faster processors, and it now is finally back to that sweet-spot $999 price. The Verge’s Editor-in-Chief Nilay Patel called it the best Mac for most people.
Price: ~$999
Apple
B&H
Best Buy
Takeya Water Bottle
No better way to stay hydrated—a thing adults do!—than drinking out of a big, beautiful water bottle. The Takeya stainless steel bottles have nicely designed spouts, but more importantly, they come in a bunch of pleasing colors.
Price: ~$35
Amazon
UE Boom 3
Ultimate Ears’ Boom speakers are some of the best around, with their bright colors, waterproof exteriors, and waterbottle-sized design that makes it the perfect option for bringing to a picnic, a dorm, or a park. The Boom 3 is the most recent model, with the best sounding, longest lasting, and most durable design yet.
Price: ~$150
Amazon
Best Buy
Ultimate Ears
Allbirds shoes
Beloved by Silicon Valley startups, Allbirds are basically the internet’s favorite shoes. But if you can get past all of the social media hype, what’s left is actually a really comfortable, easy-to-clean pair of shoes that are great for the office or a walk in the park.
Price: ~$95 to $135
Allbirds
$300″ class=”c-buying-guide__item” id=”buying_guide_item_13″ readability=”19.588688946015″>
Asus Zephyrus G14
The Asus Zephyrus G14 doesn’t look like a gaming laptop, but it very much is one. This $1,450 machine has AMD’s powerful, new Ryzen 4900HS processor, along with a host of other capable specs, like a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 120Hz refresh rate display. With its looks, people won’t know you’re gaming at the cafe.
Price: ~$1,449
Best Buy
<div data-filter_4="
Jawa plush toy
If you’re bored with Baby Yoda, but still want something huggable and adorable, this talking Jawa Plush is just the thing. It stares at you with those big yellow eyes and says cute, unintelligible things while planning to steal your iRobot for parts. What more could you want?
Price: ~$17
Amazon
$300″ class=”c-buying-guide__item” id=”buying_guide_item_15″ readability=”14.8125″>
Dell XPS 13
Every year, we say that Dell’s XPS 13 gets better and better. This year’s no different, but it might be the most definitive version yet. It has a nearly bezel-free 16:10 aspect ratio that’s great for getting things done, fairly powerful specs, and an excellent keyboard and trackpad combo.
Price: ~$1,199
Dell
<div data-filter_4="
Google Nest Mini
If you’re going to get one smart speaker, there are a few reasons it should be the Google Nest Mini. It’s affordable, it sounds good, and you easily can mount it to your wall. With it, you can play music, get a heads-up on traffic and weather, and more.
Price: ~$29
B&H
Best Buy
Adorama
Tissot Everytime Swissmatic watch
Smart watches may be all the rage, but a good mechanical watch will outlast them all. Tissot’s Everytime watches offer a classic design that looks good with nearly everything, while the Swiss-made movement will keep ticking without any batteries, chargers, or even solar panels — just wind it and you’re good to go. It’s the kind of watch that lasts a lifetime, instead of just until the next hardware refresh.
Price: ~$255
Amazon
$300″ class=”c-buying-guide__item” id=”buying_guide_item_18″ readability=”9.5053003533569″>
Apple iPad
The iPad may be a computer — or it may not be. But one thing we know for sure is that it’s a relatively low-cost tech product that can do a whole lot. The App Store is full of fun and useful apps, and iPadOS makes the iPad even more capable.
Price: ~$329
Apple
Amazon
B&H
DEKOPRO 100 Piece Home Repair Tool Set
While your apartment or dorm might have repair people, they aren’t going to help you fix every problem you encounter. So having a tool set like the DEKOPRO will give you every tool you might need to do any basic repairs, while also being easy to move around and store away until needed.
Price: ~$38
Amazon
$300″ class=”c-buying-guide__item” id=”buying_guide_item_20″ readability=”13.446808510638″>
Apple iPhone 11
Apple’s $699 iPhone 11 has two cameras, including an ultrawide that allows for some fun shots, terrific battery, the company’s speedy A13 Bionic processor, and comes in six colors. It should be a great iPhone if you’re in the market for a new one but don’t want to spend $1,000.
Price: ~$699
Apple
Best Buy
Fitbit Charge 4
Keeping track of your health has never been more important, and the latest Fitbit Charge 4 is the best that company offers in one tiny tracker. You can use it to control Spotify songs, make contactless payments, and track your location without ever bringing a phone along.
Price: ~$150
Best Buy
RAVPower wireless charger
Wireless chargers are a super convinient way to charge your phone, and RavPower’s are cheap, solidly made, and super fast at charging. They come in both stand and pad versions, perfect for always making sure your gear is ready to go at your desk or nightstand.
Price: ~$53
Amazon
Wavelength
Wavelength is a board game that is great with friends, but possibly better with acquaintances. First a player decides how something fits between two diametric ends of a spectrum, say whether buttered toast is mainstream or niche. While the other players try to guess where on that spectrum that player would put it. Leading to thrilling wins when the team guesses close to the right answer, or hilarious uproar when they discover the player marked buttered toast as completely niche.
Price: ~$35
Amazon
<div data-filter_4="
Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties by Beth Kobliner
Figuring out finances is something that most people will eventually, maybe accidentally, do at some point in their lives. If you’re in your 20s or 30s, you should pick up Get a Financial Life, and just get it over with. Thankfully, this book makes the journey a little more fun.
Price: ~$10
Amazon
Sony WF-1000XM3
Sony’s WF-1000XM3 truly wireless earphones put an emphasis on sound quality. Among the several options from Apple, Jabra, and others, these are worth their price if the combo of excellent sound performance and noise cancellation are on your wishlist.
Price: ~$230
Amazon
$300″ class=”c-buying-guide__item” id=”buying_guide_item_26″ readability=”13.657342657343″>
Nintendo Switch
Now that school is (finally) over, you probably have some free time cleared up in your schedule, and the Nintendo Switch is the perfect time sync. It’s a home/handheld console hybrid, so you can play video games on car rides or on a TV at your house. Not to mention it is one of the more popular gaming consoles on the market right now thanks to its strong library of games ranging from first-party hits like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild along with some solid third-party games, too.
Price: ~$300
Best Buy
Amazon
Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven
If there’s one single pot that can transform your kitchen, its Lodge’s cast-iron combo cooker. It takes a little more work to take care of, but the case iron pot is perfect for making everything from casseroles to stews to homemade sourdough, while the lid actually doubles as its own cast iron pan. It’s two great pots for the price of one!
Price: ~$45
Amazon
$300″ class=”c-buying-guide__item” id=”buying_guide_item_28″ readability=”11.762376237624″>
Filson Original Briefcase
If you’re starting out at a new job, don’t bring your beat up backpack with you to work: class up your commute with a new briefcase, like this sleek and durable canvas/leather option from Filson, which will look great and keep your important work gear safe.
Price: ~$325
Filson
$300″ class=”c-buying-guide__item” id=”buying_guide_item_29″ readability=”15.55223880597″>
Samsung Galaxy S20
The Galaxy S20 is the smallest and least expensive of Samsung’s S20 lineup, but it’s also the best option. The star of the show is the 6.2-inch OLED display that refreshes at 120Hz, which provides the smoothest scrolling and touch interactions you can get. On top of that is a cutting edge processor, adept camera system, and 5G connectivity thrown in for good measure. The S20 isn’t cheap, but if you’re looking for the best the Android world has to offer right now, it’s the one to get.
Price: ~$999
Best Buy
Samsung
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
For years, Amazon’s Kindles have ruled the e-reader space. And for nearly as long, the Paperwhite has been the model that nearly everyone should get. With an integrated light, a crisp display, and a virtually endless battery life — and only slightly more expensive than Amazon’s entry-level model — it’s not just the best e-reader; it’s almost better than physical paper.
Price: ~$130
Amazon
Aukey USB-C wall charger
If you’re carrying around multiple devices that might need a charge throughout the day then a wall charger with multiple USB ports can save a lot of space in your bag. This model from Aukey has two USB-C ports that both support USB-PD for fast-charging. One can charge at up to 65W when used on its own, or you can get up to 45W per device if you’re using both.
Price: ~$55
Amazon
<div data-filter_4="
Verge Merch
Verge readers, both old and new, may not be aware that we make our very own merchadise. We do! Our merch store has a varied selection of unisex t-shirts and hoodies, as well as stickers for your tech, and more. Let people know you have good taste in websites.
Price: ~$10 to $45
The Verge
