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The holidays are coming, and if you’re looking to jump on the gift-buying tour early, we’ve got you covered. We have a series of gift guide articles running, and in this particular one, we’ll focus on somewhat pricey gifts. This article contains some of the best gifts under $1,000 that we’ve been able to track down. Of course, the selection is enormous, so these are only some of our picks, along with a bunch of information for each product. We’re also focusing on gifts above $500 and below $1,000 here, as we have separate gift guides for deals under $500. You’ll find five products below, that we’re focusing on, along with some honorable mentions at the very end. If you’re looking to spare no expense for someone, you may like some of these offerings. Let’s get to it!
Best gift for a movie aficionado: Samsung Freestyle smart projector
Enjoy multimedia content on a huge canvas
Do you know someone who wants to get a projector? Well, if you’re willing to splash out a bit more cash, you can get a good projector as a gift. Projectors are nowhere near as expensive as they used to be, and they’re actually quite good. A projector can not only be a replacement for a TV, but it can be a way for you to watch your favorite content outdoors, it can be a TV that you can carry with you. That is especially true if you get one of these “portable” projectors that have been heavily advertised for years now.
The Samsung Freestyle is one such product. This projector is quite compact, and it has a rather nice design. It is a fullHD HDR projector that comes with Amazon Alexa built-in. It also has rather powerful speakers built in, which is not something you’ll see on every similar product. HDR10 is supported here, and so is Dolby Digital Plus. The Samsung Freestyle also comes with a contrast enhancer, for super vivid content, and you can easily connect it with a device you’ll project from via an HDMI cable.
Bluetooth is also a part of the package, and the device runs Samsung’s Tizen OS. The Samsung Freestyle can also automatically adjust the picture for you, which includes both leveling and focus. You can even get an external battery pack if you plan on taking this device with you somewhere where you won’t have access to an AC outlet. And last, but not least, the image size. This thing can project a screen in a range between 30 and 100 inches. So it’ll basically suit every use case, it all depends on what you want/need, and how large your canvas is. The Samsung Freestyle project is priced at $314.99 on Amazon.
Samsung Freestyle smart projector (Amazon)
Best phone for under $700: Google Pixel 8
A flagship-grade phone with a great camera & AI smarts
Having a smartphone in the US these days is a given. Everyone has one, and it’s not always easy to decide what to get, unless you’re locked into Apple’s ecosystem, of course. If you’re not, and you prefer Android devices, or a person you’re trying to find a gift for prefers them, well, we have a great recommendation. The Google Pixel 8 is not only brand new, but it’s one of the best phones you can buy at its price range. This handset is priced at $699 on Amazon, and it is a lot to splash out for a gift, but we’re in that $500-$1,000 price bracket here.
So, what’s so great about the Pixel 8? Well, other than the price tag, this smartphone also comes with software directly from Google. Not only does it bring a really clean UI, but the phone will continue getting OS and security updates for 7 years. Yes, you read that right, Google trumped even Apple with that one. The phone is also quite compact, it has a 6.2-inch display, which is not only great in terms of size for a phone, but it’s a very bright display that offers a 120Hz refresh rate.
Google’s Pixel phones are well-known for having great cameras, and this one is no exception. It includes a great main camera, and a very capable ultrawide shooter, which are only boosted by Google’s camera AI prowess. This phone allows users to make major changes to their photos thanks to AI. The battery life is not the phone’s strongest point, but it’s not bad either. Wireless charging is also included in the package, and the Pixel 8 is also water and dust-resistant. All in all, the Pixel 8 is a great value at $699, and very few people would disagree with that, especially given the smartphone price tags these days.
Best gift for a gamer in you: LG UltraGear QHD 34-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor
A monitor every gamer will appreciate
Monitors come in all shapes and sizes these days. Big, small, wide, ultrawide, vertical… you name it. There are plenty of choices, so we couldn’t exactly go wild and place a ton on this list. After some consideration, we landed on the LG UltraGear 34GP83A-B monitor. This name may not seem exciting, mainly due to the model number, but it sure is a great monitor. This is an ultrawide monitor, and it measures 34 inches in diagonal. It is also a QHD (3440 x 1440) monitor, so it’s plenty sharp.
We’re looking at an IPS panel here, and a 21:9 aspect ratio. Ultrawide monitors are outstanding for productivity, as they allow you to stack several windows one next to each other, depending on what you’re doing. I love them, and I know many other people who do, especially people from the industry. They can also be great for gaming, and this particular one actually aims to please gamers. It aims to immerse gamers into action, with a 178-degree viewing angle. It also comes with an “overclocked” refresh rate of 160Hz, and 1-millisecond Motion Blur Reduction (MBR).
It has VESA DisplayHDR 400 high dynamic range compatibility, and with compatible video cards (NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium) it can basically eliminate screen tearing and minimize shutter in high-resolution games. The bezel around the display is also quite minimal, which immerses gamers completely. This monitor also comes with a stand, which does look quite nice, but you can, of course, mount it too, if that’s what you prefer. This can be a great gift to buy yourself, but for others as well, it’s an outstanding monitor. Its current price tag is $639.62 (down from $749.99).
LG UltraGear curved gaming monitor (Amazon)
Best way to ditch manual vacuuming: roborock Q5 Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Save time, and let a robot do the vacuuming for you
Vacuuming is not really a chore that many people love. That’s probably why robot vacuums managed to become very popular lately. There are all sorts of different robot vacuums on offer out there, and they can be a great tool to help you keep your house clean. These robots can be set to clean your floors whenever you want, you can even set everything up so that they clean when you’re not around. Some of them are better than others, though, of course. We’ll talk about a rather great robot vacuum here, the Roborock Q5.
The Roborock Q5 is a robot vacuum cleaner that offers very strong 2700Pa suction. On top of that, it has LiDAR navigation, and multi-level mapping. As if that’s not enough, the battery life on this thing is really great. There are also a number of advanced functions included, such as the ability to set no-go zones for the device. The Roborock Q5 is also quite often a part of the conversation when it comes to people who have pets at home. This robot vacuum is really good at removing dog and cat hair from carpets. We can’t really say the same for many other robot vacuums.
What else is there? Well, plenty, actually. This robot vacuum is also compatible with Amazon Alexa, in case you’re a part of that ecosystem. The company’s app will provide you with plenty of customization for the product, and the device can clean for around 180 minutes before it needs a charge. It also has a large dustbin (470ml), so you won’t have to clean it out as often as you think. The Roborock Q5 is priced at $699.99 on Amazon, and it’s one of the best robot vacuums the company has to offer.
Best way to fly: DJI Mini 3 Pro
Give your videos a new perspective
Drones were not really all that great at first. They were also obscenely expensive. Today, they come in all shapes and sizes, and also price tags. You can get one on the cheap, but if you want to get a truly compelling drone, you’ll have to splash out a bit more cash. Still, even the most expensive drones are cheaper than before. Having said that, if you’re looking for a great drone for yourself, or to give to someone, DJI is the company that comes to mind first. The DJI Mini 3 Pro is actually a great example of an immensely capable drone, and a truly compact one at the same time.
Needless to say, it’s important for drones to be somewhat compact, as chances are the user will be carrying it around. You want to capture that beautiful scenery when you go on a holiday, and so on. The DJI Mini 3 Pro is a compact drone that can shoot 4K video, and take 48-megapixel photos as well. This thing weighs less than 249 grams, so it’s actually lighter than some smartphones out there, which is great. It also has a rather good battery life, as it can provide the user with over half an hour of flight time.
That’s not all, however, not even close. The DJI Mini 3 Pro comes with a capable remote controller, and tri-directional obstacle sensing. Piloting this drone should be fairly easy thanks to that. This drone can also return home on its own, and do it safely, thanks to all the tech baked inside. A ton of smart features are built into this drone, such as FocusTrack, True Vertical Shooting, MasterShots, Timelapse, QuickTransfer, and so on. We’re only scratching the surface here, as there’s plenty more that this drone offers. The DJI Mini 3 Pro is priced at $759 on Amazon as we speak.
Honorable mentions
Here are a couple of more products in this price bracket that you may like…
Samsung 49-inch Odyssey monitor
If you’re looking for an ultra-premium monitor for yourself or someone else, Samsung’s 49-inch Odyssey monitor definitely belongs in that category. This is a curved gaming monitor, with a 120Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR10 content, and features an adjustable stand, but you can also mount it, if that’s what’s preferred. This is a dual QHD monitor, you’re getting 5120 x 1440 resolution here, and the bezels are also quite thin. This thing is optimized for gaming, but it can be great for general productivity too. This monitor is priced at $949 on Amazon.
Samsung 49-inch Odyssey monitor (Amazon)
T Thin Cast Capstone Touch Screen Smart Mirror
Smart mirrors are a thing, and you may have seen one already. Needless to say, this can be a really cool gift and tech accessory in general. Having all those controls on a rather large mirror in the room of your preference can be great. This is the largest mirror offered by the company, and it’s extremely thin. It’s both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, and compatible with both Android and iOS. There are four speakers included here, and you can easily mount it to a wall. The whole point is that you can cast from your phone to this piece of tech. You can get this mirror for $999.
T Thin Cast Capstone smart mirror (Amazon)
LaserPecker 2 laser engraver
I, personally, would love to have something like this. The LaserPecker 2 is a laser engraver that enables you to engrave things… via lasers. It sounds expensive, and it is, at $959.99 (and this is a discounted price tag). By using this engraver, it’s possible to engrave paper, cardboard, wood, leather, aluminum, stainless steel, and more. It’s basically a plug and play machine. You should definitely read the instructions before use, though, as this thing is much more advanced than a printer.