Know someone close to you who has a weakness for tech? It’s that time of year where you can really surprise them with a slick gadget that either brings out the kid inside or makes a lasting lifestyle impression. The beauty of it is there’s plenty of good stuff to choose from, so we took the liberty of parsing through the coolness in the tech world to guide you on the journey for a priceless gift. Hey, maybe it’s you treating yourself, so live a little! Either way, these products cover various different needs and wants, putting the kind of variety in front of you to truly make a confident choice.
Dyson Airstrait – $700 CAD
Dry and straighten hair on one pass? No need to clutter your bathroom counter with other tools to do the job? Dyson stakes its reputation on doing things efficiently, and the Airstrait may feel like a revelation for your styling repertoire. Not all hair likes it when you bring the heat, and doing it twice with blow-dry and straightening sessions could wreak havoc on your precious locks. Built like a classic flatiron, only without hot plates, the Airstrait uses clamps without heat up top to hold hair in place while highly pressurized hot air flows out of the lower arms to warm them. The device never exceeds 285° Fahrenheit unless you boost it to 320° for dry hair, thus avoiding splits or frizz.
Oura Ring 3 – starting at $470 CAD
“Put a ring on it” means something totally different with a device like the Oura Ring 3. If you’re down to track health and exercise without having to wear a watch all the time, this may be the ticket to a new life. Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration, but it has all sorts of sensors inside to track everything from activity, sleep, recovery and more. Works with iOS or Android, and offers different ways to get active or meditate, though an Oura subscription is necessary to get all the features. If you don’t know the ring size and can’t sleuth your way into finding out without raising any suspicions, you can get Oura’s Ring Sizing Kit first. When you know for sure, choose between the Heritage and Horizon collections coming in gold, silver, stealth and rose gold.
Montblanc Summit 3 Smartwatch Titanium – $1,590 CAD
Mixing luxury with modern technology is always nice to see but could feel even better when strapped on your wrist. That’s what the Montblanc Summit 3 should evoke when wearing it on the daily, letting it track an active lifestyle and also sleep when it’s time to rest. Running on Google’s Wear OS, the watch gives you access to both Google’s own apps, plus third-party ones you probably want to use. Think Gmail, Maps, WhatsApp, Spotify, Strava, Todoist and more. With a titanium body and two Italian calf leather straps out of the box, the Summit 3 is a luxurious mix, though you can always swap out the strap for something else from Montblanc (or other brands) using the standard lugs.
Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Light Up Connected Watch – $5,375 CAD
The brand speaks for itself, but what can one expect from a smartwatch hailing from the house of Louis Vuitton? For starters, the design stands out. Count on someone asking about it after you walk into a room and start mingling. It’s bold — maybe even a little ostentatious — but there’s a good chance it will only grow in stature along the way. Sapphire glass protects the vibrant screen, while the watch’s dial does plenty to help customize and navigate the interface for a more personalized feel. This watch runs on Louis Vuitton’s own software, limiting compatibility with third-party apps, and it won’t go quite as hard on fitness tracking. But if you love the brand, it’ll be hard to find another smartwatch like it.
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M3 Max – $4,349 CAD
Apple laptops come with design and functionality in mind, but when the ultimate performance is necessary, that’s where the MacBook Pro 14-inch M3 Max comes in. Apple’s own M3 Max chip is the most powerful silicon from the company to date, able to breeze through any task you throw at it. Serious video editors love tools that blaze a trail in efficiency, but so would photographers, content creators, programmers, designers — anyone who has a need for speed, really. Speed and power go hand in hand with the architecture in here, which is even easier to appreciate with the beautiful screen, responsive keyboard and slick trackpad. At the end of the day, this isn’t just a laptop. It’s a workstation that fits in a bag.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX Ferrari Edition – $750 CAD
Blend together an iconic audio brand with an iconic automotive brand and you get something like the Beoplay EX Ferrari Edition wireless earbuds. In a crowded field of options led by AirPods, these buds are a cut above in both style and performance. Get the red version and you can’t look away at the gorgeous finish on the case and earbuds themselves. Apart from the stylish finish, these are earbuds that could blow you away in how good they sound, amplifying the unique difference between hearing and listening. It’s how you listen for and hear the nuances of the music you like most that will help you realize you’ve been missing out.
Naim for Bentley Mu-So Special Edition – $3,093 CAD
Take tunes from between your ears to a room as a whole; a pro-level brand like Naim adds more than a touch of Bentley to make a wireless speaker unlike any other. The Special Edition is an ode to the storied car brand through copper accents woven into the speaker grille, along with lacquered Ayous wood for the darker finish that makes this elegant speaker fit in any room. Even the volume dial is a stylish reference point, considering the recurring lattice pattern is based on the diamond shapes Bentley likes to use in its seats and headlamps. You can use the Mu-So with any device using Bluetooth to play audio, like your phone, tablet or computer. Play hi-res tunes and then you’ll really hear the difference.
Leica Q3 – $8,210 CAD
Sometimes, a phone just isn’t enough to get breathtaking photos. Leica knows how to capture those, and the Q3 is one of the more convenient ways to do it because it’s compact, has a fixed 28mm lens, is full-frame and works like modern digital cameras. A fixed lens may negate the opportunity to zoom in, but with triple-resolution technology, it’s possible to shoot 60-megapixel photos, making it much easier to crop in later without losing quality. Into street photography or capturing architecture? The Q3 is a stud for all that. Want something to document life or travel with the utmost quality? This camera has the goods to do it. Don’t be casual about it, though — it can only show what it’s capable of when you get out and start snapping away.
Peloton Bike+ – $2,495 CAD
Riding on a Peloton is like making a commitment to getting fitter and healthier, but with the Bike+, you don’t have to just sit in one place to do it. The Bike+ features a rotating screen for workouts away from it, providing a more holistic training system that lets you do a series of exercises in the space of your home. As long as you can see the screen, you can stretch, strength train or yoga practices on a mat nearby, helping diversify the kind of regimen you want to stick with to meet your goals. The 23.8-inch touchscreen is big enough to see and follow instructors, see muscle activation targets and get personalized recommendations along the way.
Porsche Design eBike Cross Performance EXC – $19,990
If you want to splurge on an eBike, Porsche’s Cross Performance EXC is top-class, sporting a powerful Shimano EP-801 motor and 630wh battery. There are three modes to ride in: Eco, Trail and Boost, along with 15 other parameters you can adjust individually as you see fit. The Mt7 braking system uses four-piston callipers made of forged aluminum, plus excellent suspension to go with a carbon handlebar and wheelset, all of which were inspired by the Porsche Taycan all-electric sports car. There are several colours to choose from: Ruby Star Neo, Ice Gray Metallic, Mamba Green Metallic, Carmine Red, Shade Green Metallic and Shark Blue.