Every spring, a new class of graduates is unleashed on the world, many of them carrying gadgets that have been put through the ringer over the years. Graduation is a big time for gift-giving, so if you know someone who is heading out into the real world who could use an upgrade after four or more years of higher education, here's a host of options.
When you really want to get things done, a traditional laptop is 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 It is a very personal purchase and you will want to know if the recipient prefers Windows, Mac or Chrome OS before you make the purchase. These laptops are some of the best and most well-rounded options on the market once you have that settled. Unless the person you are shopping for has specific needs, one of these machines will fit the bill.
For years, we have considered Dell's XPS 13 to be the best overall Windows laptop. Dell's industrial design is thin and light, but not at the expense of power or battery life. The display and keyboard are of the highest quality, and you can get impressive specifications without breaking the bank.
If you want to give your grad a gift that will last for a long time, we recommend the 11th- generation Core i5 processor from Intel. That also includes a 3,840 x 2,400 screen. Right now, that version is available from Dell.
We recommend going in a different direction for someone who is a gaming enthusiast. The 14-inch screen and 3.75 pound weight of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 makes it an excellent laptop. We said in our review that the laptop was compelling even if it was more expensive than it used to be. It has a great display, a comfortable keyboard, and a solid design. We got seven hours of non-gaming use out of it, which is pretty decent considering the specifications.
You can get the Zephyrus G14 in a wide variety of configurations, but one we recommend is from Best Buy. The model includes a 14-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 16GB of RAM, and an AMD Ryzen 9 6000 Series processor. It will be plenty to handle modern gaming as well as all the tasks that come with being out of school.
Buy XPS 13 at Dell starting at $1,195 Buy ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 at Best Buy - $1,649The MacBook Air is our go-to recommendation for people who prefer a Mac, but not this year. If you buy an Air now, it will likely be replaced with something better, because Apple hasn't updated it in more than 18 months. The 14-inch MacBook Pro is a great upgrade pick for a Mac user.
The MacBook Pro was completely redesign in the fall of last year. The company put in a full-size function key row with Touch ID after removing the Touch Bar. There's more to say about what Apple fixed than just what they fixed the previous MacBook Pro.
The new model has an outstanding 14-inch mini-LED display, a great keyboard and trackpad, and powerful internals that should make the MacBook Pro capable for years to come. Most people will be set with the $1999 configuration, which includes Apple's M1 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage space. Apple's custom Silicon has been extremely impressive, boasting both extreme speed and efficiency that lets you use this laptop away from a charge longer than almost any other computer on the market.
It's entirely possible that someone just finishing school will want to keep using Chrome OS. There are lots of premium Chromebooks that are designed to last a long time. The Chromebook Spin 713 is one of our favorites. It has a screen with a taller 3:2 aspect ratio, which means you will see more of a webpage or document you are working on without having to scroll. A solid keyboard and trackpad, as well as powerful hardware (Intel's 11-generation Core i5 processor), make a Chromebooks that doesn't offer many compromises. The only major knock against it is that the battery life could be longer.
Buy MacBook Air at Amazon starting at $999 Buy 14-inch MacBook Pro at Amazon starting at $2,449 Buy Acer Chromebook Spin 713 at Amazon - $369
When thinking about tablets, put aside the question of whether or not they can replace laptops, and focus on what they do best. They are a great option for getting work done, engaging your creative side with art and music-making apps or just enjoying movies and games. Even if they don't use Apple products, the majority of people still consider Apple's iPad to be the best tablet on the market. Thanks to time-tested, reliable hardware and a massive software library with hundreds of thousands of apps for the iPad, that's how it is.
If you're looking for a good graduation gift, the iPad Air is probably the right choice. When you step up to the Air, you get a lot more than the basic iPad. The Air has the same M1 chip as the iPad Pro and numerous Macs. The Air is one of the more future-proof products Apple makes.
The hardware of the iPad Air is very good. The display is laminated directly to the glass so there is no distraction beneath the surface. 10 hours of battery life, support for the second-generation Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard, and an improved 12-megapixel front-facing camera are included in the Air. You can get almost everything that the iPad Pro has to offer for $599.
If you're shopping for an ardent fan of the operating system, the $700Galaxy Tab S8 is an excellent choice. It has a high-resolution 11-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and an S-Pen stylus in the box. It's not the best option for large-screen devices, but it's great for productivity because of the multi-window mode. The built-in apps that take advantage of the S-Pen are solid. If you're buying this for someone familiar with Android, you'll likely know the trade-offs, because you'll have a hard time finding apps that are designed for the Tab S8's larger screen.
Buy iPad Air at Amazon - $599 Buy Galaxy Tab S8 at Samsung - $700
Chances are good that the most important computer most people own is their phone. If you know someone who is still rocking the same device they brought to campus four years ago, they will definitely appreciate an upgrade. The good news is that it's easy to pick out a phone that will satisfy anyone regardless of their preferred phone brand.
We recommend the iPhone 13 Pro. The standard iPhone 13 is an excellent device, but the Pro model includes more meaningful upgrades than in the past. The battery life is noticeably better. The Pro's display has a 120Hz refresh rate, which is the first of its kind. The three-lens camera system offers more flexibility than the two-lens setup on the iPhone 13; and it has the new macro-mode shooting, which lets you get as close as 2 cm to your subject.
All the other niceties are here, including Apple's newest and fastest mobile processor (the A15 Bionic), an excellent OLED display, 5G, 128GB of storage, and all the features of the latest version of the operating system. It's not a cheap phone, but its fast processor and Apple's track record of delivering software support for years means this investment should last a long time.
If you know a lot about phones, you will be surprised that we recommend the S22+. The $1,000 S22+ is one of the most popular phones in the world. The battery life is excellent, the display is great, and the cameras are among the best you can find. This isn't a surprising recommendation, but it will make a lot of people happy.
The Pixel 6 Pro is worth considering. The $899 phone is the most interesting device that the company has made in a long time. Performance and battery life are both outstanding; it's impressive how the first try with its own custom chip was perfect. The fact that the Pixel 6 Pro is built by Google means that it will get software updates before any other phone on the market.
Both of these phones are large, but the good news is that they both have the same features and specifications. You will save money with a smaller device.
Buy iPhone 13 Pro at Best Buy - $999 Buy Galaxy S22+ at Samsung - $850 Buy Google Pixel 6 Pro at Best Buy - $899
Almost anyone would benefit from a good pair of noise-canceling headphones, and we recommend Sony's WH-1000XM4 as the best over- ear option on the market. They are not cheap, but they offer a combination of incredible sound, refined design and excellent noise-canceling that is hard to beat. The latest model has a number of smart software features, like wear detection, which pauses the music when you take the headphones off. They can connect to two devices at the same time, a missing feature from earlier models. They fit better and are more comfortable.
Not everyone wants to wear large, over- ear headphones when they are out and about. That is where the Elite 7 Pro comes in. Last year, we recommended the flagship Jabra Elite 85t. We haven't reviewed the Elite 7 Pro, but we're comfortable with it. Nine hours of battery life with ANC activated is a major improvement over the 5.5 hours the Elite 85t were rated for. The smallest buds the company made were the Elite 75t. Smaller earbuds are typically more comfortable to wear, and it is impressive that Jabra managed to shrink the size and promise improved battery life.
If you're buying earbuds for an Apple user, consider the Beats Fit Pro. The benefits are the same as the AirPods Pro for $50 less. One-touch pairing and easy switch between Apple devices are included in these features. They have an IPX4 rating for water resistance, so sweat from a workout shouldn't be a problem. They provided a good audio quality with good bass and noise cancelation. We got almost seven hours of usage in our review, but the battery life isn't as good as it could be.
Buy Sony WH-1000XM4 at Amazon - $348 Buy Jabra Elite 7 Pro at Amazon - $200 Buy Beats Fit Pro at Amazon -$200
It's difficult to recommend a single monitor because there are so many on the market. Dell has some of the best screens you can get for a reasonable price. We recommend Dell's 32-inch 4K USB-C Hub Monitor, model number P3222QE. This monitor has everything you could want in a display.
A 4K resolution on a 32-inch screen is the perfect size for a large workspace, and it will make sure everything looks sharp. We wouldn't recommend it if you're interested in gaming, but it's enough for everyday tasks. There are a lot of ports on the monitor, including HDMI, Displayport, and more. It's a lot better to stack books under a monitor than it is to use the stand.
If the Dell is too expensive, there are other options that are worth considering. You can get a 27 inch screen with either 4K or quad-HD resolution. The 4K screen is more expensive than the QHD model on Amazon. It isn't quite as large as the Dell, but it has the same amenities, including a stand and ports.
Buy 32-inch P3222QE monitor at Dell - $799 Buy 27-inch ASUS ProArt Display at B&H - $319
As important as the right gear is, your grad needs something stylish and classy to carry it all around. The Executive Leather Messenger from Waterfield Designs is an expensive choice, but it is worth it. Waterfield makes everything by hand in its San Francisco shop, and the materials it uses are top notch. I have owned a lot of their products over the years, and I can say that this bag will last a decade or more, and the leather will look better as time goes on.
There are two padded slots on the inside of the device. There are two pockets, one of which is a metal key fob. There are two easily-accessible hand pockets under the flap. The Executive Leather Messenger is available in three different colors and costs between $380 and $400. It is an investment, but it will last a long time.
Peak Design's Everyday Messenger is a great option if you prefer a non-leather choice. The $220 bag was originally designed for photographers, but now works as a well-designed option for whatever you need to carry. It has pockets that make it easier to keep track of small items. The bag has a few flexible interior dividers so you can make it your own. The V2 update has 100 percent recycled outer fabric, a new shoulder strap that should be less prone to slippage, and a more efficient design that makes it 24 percent lighter than the original.
Buy Executive Leather Messenger at Waterfield - $399 Buy Everyday Messenger at Peak Design - $220
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