11 best gifts for teens

How to pick the right gift for your teenager

Teens are easy to shop for if the shopper is in the same age group. For everyone else, choosing a gift they’ll love may be a challenge. 

Colloquially known as Zoomers, teenagers are attuned to what’s happening around them and ready for new experiences. They keep abreast of the latest cool tech gadgets, fashion and music trends, and everything that appeals to their youthful curiosity.

Friendships are essential, and although they still demonstrate some lighthearted childhood behavior characteristics, teens are also exploring and grappling with more significant adult issues. To help make the right selection, here are some gift suggestions for your favorite teen.

11 best gifts for teens

Best electronic device charging station

Simicore Charging Station for Multiple Devices: available at Amazon

Today’s tech-savvy teenagers have numerous electronic devices, all of which run with batteries that need recharging frequently. Simicore offers a charging station that will charge four USB devices simultaneously while keeping them organized on a non-slip surface. Charging is fast and efficient with the Smart Charging Technology that automatically provides the highest and safest power to each connected device.

Best earbuds for their favorite tunes

Beats Studio Earbuds: available at Amazon

Earbuds have become an essential device for the modern teenager, allowing them to listen to their favorite tunes or watch a video without disturbing anyone around them. These earbuds also provide excellent noise cancellation giving the listener the best possible sound quality with nearly no disturbance from outside interference. They also offer eight continuous hours of listening time and 24 hours when combined with the pocket-sized charging case.

Best water bottle 

YETI Rambler 26-Ounce Bottle: available at Amazon

Staying hydrated is essential to everyone’s health, but perhaps even more so for teenagers, who burn more energy than most. The stainless steel YETI bottle is double-wall vacuum insulated to keep water cold or a favorite coffee drink hot. The bottle is fitted with a leakproof TripleHaul Cap that helps maintain the desired liquid temperature and prevents spillage.

Best phone holder 

Gooseneck Bed Phone Holder: available at Amazon

Teenagers spend a lot of time on their phones, even when perhaps they should be sleeping. The Gooseneck Bed Phone Holder has an 85-centimeter-long flexible telescopic arm that rotates 360 degrees, allowing the phone to be positioned at the ideal angle and distance for viewing. The holder can be attached to a shelf, desk, bed frame or other flat surfaces for watching videos hands-free.

Best mini fridge 

Frigidaire 1.6-Cubic-Foot Retro Bar Fridge: available at Amazon

Teens seem to have an insatiable appetite. A retro bar fridge in their bedroom means they can grab a cold drink or snack without venturing out to the kitchen. Measuring 19 x 21 x 21 inches, this refrigerator features an adjustable thermostat, slide-out shelves, a reversible door, adjustable feet and a side-mounted bottle opener.

Best lens kit for creating wide-angle photos on a phone

Xenvo Pro Lens Kit for Mobile Phones: available at Amazon

While most teens might not consider photography a true hobby, many snap photos of their friends, pets and other daily items of interest to upload on social media. The Xenvo Pro Lens Kit features a 0.45x wide-angle lens that captures 45% more pictures than the built-in device lens. Compatible with most smartphones, tablets and laptops, including iPhone, Samsung, Google and more, the lens is made with a premium optical glass for clarity and durability.

Best custom bedroom lighting

Daugherty 32-Foot Indoor String Lights: available at Wayfair

Teens love to decorate their rooms to reflect their tastes, which often includes string lights. The Daugherty 32-foot indoor string lights are easily installed on walls, curtains, beds or other furniture and operated with three AA batteries, so they do not need an outlet nearby. Teens can create their own designs by mounting the lights to illuminate any part of their room or use them to display their favorite artwork and photos.

Best battery charger

Anker PowerCore Essential 20000 PD Portable Charger: available at Amazon

Teens never have to worry again about a dead phone battery. The portable Anker charger provides a fast charge anywhere, with enough power to recharge an iPhone 12 to 50% capacity in a mere 30 minutes. The 20,000mAh cell capacity is enough to provide an iPhone 12 with five full charges, a Samsung Galaxy S10 with more than four full charges and two and a half charges for iPad mini-5.

Best portable photo printer

HP Sprocket Select Portable Photo Printer: available at Amazon

While teens are well versed in taking photos with their smartphones and sharing the digital versions with friends, a printed copy can sometimes make a more significant impression. The portable photo printer produces 2.3-inch-by-3.4-inch pictures on sticky-backed paper. With the HP Sprocket app, teen photographers can use special designer features, filters, frames and stickers for their photographs.

Best inflatable lounger

Fatboy Lamzac Inflatable Lounger: available at Amazon

The Fatboy Lamzac is the ideal inflatable sofa for teenagers who love outdoor activities where seating is difficult to find, such as camping, beach trips, music festivals or a pickup basketball game at the local park. The lightweight bag is made with 100% ripstop nylon and weighs a mere 2.6 pounds. It fits in a small backpack and can support up to 440 pounds, making it a comfortable option for a teen’s bedroom.

Best Bluetooth speaker alarm clock 

Night Lights Bluetooth Speaker Alarm Clock: available at Amazon

For the teenager who loves to sleep in (and most of them do), the Night Lights Alarm Clock makes waking up a more pleasant experience. The clock includes a Bluetooth speaker and features a dimmable touch-sensitive multi-color lamp, providing the teen a pleasant wake-up with a favorite tune and colored lights that change with the music’s rhythm.

Jeffrey Harper is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

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