The holiday shopping season is in full swing. If your list is long but you’re short on ideas, Consumer Reports offers some great options for the gadget gurus in your life.
One of the hottest new additions to the wireless headphone category is the Apple AirPods Pro for $260. They’re Apple’s first noise-canceling truly wireless headphones. They come with three earpiece sizes, an upgrade from the one-size-fits-all original AirPods.
CR says the AirPods Pro delivers excellent active noise reduction and very good sound quality. One thing to keep in mind: Because they’re brand new, don’t expect steep discounts on the AirPods Pro just yet.
Looking for a more affordable wireless option that’s similar to the original AirPods? Anker’s SoundCore Liberty Air headphones are a CR Best Buy at around $80. They’re not noise-canceling, but CR experts say they deliver very good sound quality and are a good choice for the more critical listener.
If you have an early tech adopter on your list and you’re looking to splurge, consider the Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone for around $2,000. Although it struggled with durability problems early on, the Fold did well enough in CR’s tests to become a recommended smartphone. It scored “Very Good” or “Excellent” in every category including camera quality, ease of use, and battery life, which is 31 hours on a single charge.
If you’re looking for a good gift and a good deal, you can get an Apple Watch Series 3 starting at around $200. It’s not Apple’s latest model, but in CR’s testing, it rated “Excellent” for ease of use, ease of pairing, and readability in both bright and low light. And it’s a CR Best Buy.
Consumer Reports says it expects at least some of these items to go on sale during the holiday season. Here’s a tip for finding good deals: Check the social media sites of your favorite retailers for special promotions.