13 tech gifts dads will actually love to get this Father's Day
The Amazon Echo
The Amazon Echo is the original smart speaker; it's currently on its second generation and better than ever. It has the Alexa digital assistant built right into it, and many consider Alexa to be the best, or at least one of the best, digital assistants out there.
There are a ton of things you can do with an Amazon Echo. For starters, you can use it to control other smart home devices like smart lights and smart thermostats. On top of that, you can ask it to play music, and you can even find out information from the web — all using only your voice.
The Amazon Echo sounds pretty good too. Sure, it's not on the same level as some audiophile speakers, but it's perfectly fine for listening to music and talking to Alexa.
The Nest Learning Thermostat
The Nest Learning Thermostat was the original smart thermostat, and since then it has been refreshed and updated a number of times. The latest version offers a beautiful design and is highly functional, plus it might even save Dad some money thanks to its super-smart, energy-saving features.
Setting up the Nest Learning Thermostat is pretty easy, and once it's set up, it'll start learning the household's routine — and then start heating or cooling the house when it anticipates your needs. It automatically turns the heater or cooler off when no one's home, and can be controlled with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. It's easy to use manually too; simply turn it to the right to turn the heating up, and turn it to the left to set a cooler temperature.
A high-end drone for kids at heart
Perhaps your dad is more into flying things, in which case, a drone is the perfect present. The DJI Spark Drone isn't the highest-end drone out there, but it's still super functional and comes at a fraction of the cost of some of DJI's other drones.
The drone itself features a 2-axis stabilized gimbal, along with smart tech like obstacle detection, meaning that it should stay safe and sound as long as it's flown pretty responsibly. It has a battery life of up to 16 minutes of flying time, which doesn't sound like much, but isn't bad considering the price tag and overall size. It can also fly at up to 31 miles per hour, which again, is pretty decent for a device in this price range. It's also great for taking selfies, family photos, and any other photos that you might want to be in, instead of taking the actual photo.
A new 4K TV
Perhaps your dad is in need of a new TV, in which case it's worth considering the HiSense 55H8F. HiSense has been building excellent TVs in their price range over the past few years, and the H8F series is the best of the bunch. The TV leverages HiSense's ULED technology, which is able to deliver beautifully deep black levels and excellent colors for an LED TV. In fact, we would argue that the H8F offers the best image quality of any TV in the sub-$700 range.
The TV isn't overly expensive either, especially considering what it has to offer. You'll get a 4K resolution with support for HDR and Dolby Vision, and Android TV built right into it. All for under $500.
The latest and greatest Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is largely considered to be the best smartwatch out there, and for good reason. It's stylish, well designed, and features some genuinely helpful features. It's also an excellent fitness tracker; the Apple Watch Series 4 can track basic metrics, like steps and workouts, as well as your heart rate. It even has an ECG sensor to take electrocardiograms.
Compared to previous iterations of the Apple Watch, the Series 4 offers a nice, big edge-to-edge display, improved processing, and the aforementioned ECG sensor. It's available in two sizes: a 40mm version, and a larger 44mm version.
A smart plug
If your dad is into the idea of the smart home, and being able to control and automate devices from his phone, then the Belkin WeMo Mini is a great way to bring extra functionality to his older, dumb devices. With a smart plug like this, Dad can turn appliances on and off, and set devices to automatically turn on and off based on other devices, the time of day, and so on. The device also works with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant, making it easy to control the device through voice.
Google Nest Hub
We've already mentioned the Amazon Echo, but if your dad is more of a Google user, with an Android phone and other Google services, then perhaps the Google Nest Hub is the way to go. This device allows him to talk to Google Assistant, like he would on his phone, plus it can display information like the weather and upcoming events, and even display live footage from compatible smart doorbells, which is a nice touch.
A great pair of wireless, noise-cancelling headphones
If Dad is a music lover who wants a pair of wireless headphones, then the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are the way to go. They're expensive, to be sure, but they sound awesome, are super comfortable, look great, and they offer noise cancellation, which is always a nice bonus. The headphones are available in a few super-classy colors, too, so there's likely something that will suit your dad's style.
A mirrorless camera
If your dad is into photography, then the Sony Alpha a6400 is an excellent mirrorless camera for him. The device was released recently, and is the latest in Sony's ultra-popular mirrorless line of cameras. The camera is capable of recording footage at up to a 4K resolution, and offers an APS-C interchangeable lens, meaning you can switch out the lenses depending on your needs, as long as the lenses are compatible. The device also has a flip-up screen for easier viewing, and that screen supports touch controls.
A record player
Vinyl records have come back a little over the past few years, and many are building up a decent selection of records. If your dad is into music and vinyl, then it's well worth getting him a vinyl player, like the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB. This player has a motor that supports speeds of 33, 45, or 78 RPM, and it has a USB port, allowing you to digitize records. It's not overly expensive either — at least not for a vinyl player of this level of quality.
A smart scale
If Dad is making an effort to lose some weight, or just likes keeping track of his overall health, then the Withings Body+ Smart Scale might be the way to go. This scale not only measures your weight, but it can also calculate body fat and water percentage, muscle and bone mass, and more. On top of that, it can send all that data straight to your phone, which can be viewed in apps like Apple Health and Google Fit. It's definitely a little more expensive than your average scale, but those extra features may well be worth the cost.
A fast wireless charger
If your dad is into tech, he may have a relatively modern phone, which likely supports wireless charging. In case he didn't know that it supported wireless charging, getting a wireless charger for him is a great idea. The Anker PowerWave Fast Wireless Charger supports Qi wireless charging, meaning it'll work with recent iPhone models and Samsung Galaxy models. All you have to do is use it is place a supported phone directly on it, and it should start charging right away.
A virtual-reality headset
Oculus has been building awesome virtual-reality headsets for some time now, and the Oculus Quest is one of its latest and greatest. The headset can work totally without cables and wires, meaning that it can be used without needing to be plugged into a computer. The headset also supports six degrees of freedom, which means you can look side to side, front to back, and up to down. There's quite a huge range of content available to the device too, which is always a nice plus.
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