The Verge 2026 holiday gift guide: tech, music and playful picks

A mix of tech and play

The guide spans practical gadgets and creative gifts, including Play-Doh flowers, smart rings and a compact beat machine. The Verge says its team spent hours collecting favorites for the holiday season.

Among the selections, Cricut’s StickerPix turns pictures into prints or stickers. The AirPods 5 add improved sound, noise cancellation and swipe volume controls to Apple’s open-ear earbuds, with two models available.

Tools for work and travel

Flipper’s Busy Bar is an open-source productivity device with a pixelated LED display and buttons. Its features are intended to help users protect their focus from interruptions. The GR2 makes espresso without power, using 12 ounces of grounds and a carrying case for its accessories. Belkin’s ConnectAir wirelessly links a device with USB-C video output to a television’s HDMI port.

Keepsakes and creative gear

Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Evo combines a retro-style camera with digital features, including filters and physical controls. The guide presents it as a bridge between digital photography and the appeal of analog images.

Akai’s portable music maker combines a sampler, beat-making tools, keys, pads and an onboard screen. Musicians can create music in the device and send the results to a digital audio workstation.

Books, records and charging

Keza MacDonald’s book traces Nintendo’s creative history, from its beginnings as a card-game company to its major games. Aldous Harding’s album Train on the Island is another pick, described as a fit for vinyl and fans of quirky indie music.

Nimble’s SharePower Portable Charger joins two 20W batteries magnetically or can operate as a single 10,000mAh unit. The guide says it can charge two phones or provide a larger top-up.