Black Friday 2025: The best tech gifts for college students
From everyday tools to dorm room essentials, there's something for every kind of student on our list
The holidays are right around the corner, and if you have anyone in your life currently attending a university, chances are it’s probably tricky picking out the perfect gift for them. In the world of technology, there are plenty of different gadgets that can help make their time at college easier and more enjoyable.
Here at The Shortcut, our team of tech experts has hand-picked a bunch of the coolest gadgets that any college student would enjoy, all guaranteed to make their holiday season even brighter. These are our top recommendations for Black Friday.
Best tech gifts for college students
Plaud Note
Say goodbye to taking sloppy notes during class and hello to having them recorded for you. The Plaud Note is a slim recording device that uses AI to transcribe conversations, classes, meetings, and more in 112 different languages. It lasts up to 30 hours on a charge, comes with unlimited cloud storage, and even ships with a magnet so you can attach it to the back of your phone. It’s the perfect gift for anyone who needs the easiest way to take notes or remember the contents of a lecture.
Price: $159
Logitech MX Brio webcam
Give the gift of good-looks during Zoom calls with the Logitech MX Brio. This 4K webcam has stunning picture quality that looks almost as good as a DSLR, and it’s backed up by advanced background noise reduction technology so you sound good, too. Plus, there’s a built-in privacy shutter.
Price: $199.99
ReMarkable Paper Pro
Having a digital notebook is great for convenience, but can feel inauthentic if you’re just writing on a screen. That’s where ReMarkable comes into play. The Paper Pro is an E Ink tablet with a textured display that feels almost exactly like writing on a piece of paper, and you can keep years’ worth of notes and research on it so you can finally stop tearing through notebook after notebook. With cloud storage integration and an optional keyboard accessory, the Paper Pro is a great gift.
Price: $679
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Between zipping around campus, traveling home for the holidays, and needing peace and quiet to focus on homework, a good pair of headphones can change a student’s life. The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) from Bose are a perfect fit thanks to their comfortable design that folds down to a very compact size. Sound quality is excellent, noise cancellation is superb, and you get great battery life.
Price: $449
Statik MagStack Pro USB-C cable
Having a spare USB-C cable is a must nowadays, so it may as well be a nice one. Statik’s MagStack Pro USB-C cables deliver fast charging and data speeds, a durable braided design, and enough magnets that makes it easy to wrap up the wire when you aren’t using it and avoid getting it tangled.
Price: $24.99 (6-foot)
Anker Laptop Power Bank
Anker’s Laptop Power Bank lets you charge your laptop from wherever you are. It’s one of the most powerful portable chargers on the market with full 100W USB-C ports, allowing you to recharge a MacBook at full speed with no issue. The battery itself is big enough to give your phone or earbuds some juice, too. Plus, it has two integrated cables to make it extra portable.
Price: $119.99
Samsung T7 portable SSD
Whether they need to back up important files or didn’t get enough storage when they bought their laptop, an external SSD is ideal for any student who needs some extra digital space. Samsung’s T7 portable SSD is a tried-and-true favorite with USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, plenty of storage options, and a clean design.
Price: $187.99 (2TB)
Apple AirPods Pro 3
Apple set a new benchmark for noise cancellation in a pair of earbuds with the AirPods Pro 3. They’re perfect for blocking out external noise to help you lock in and focus on whatever you’re working on. Plus, the sound quality is fantastic, and you get a vast array of smart features like Live Translate.
Price: $249
Nomad Stand One
It’s compact, classy, and convenient - and perfect for a nightstand in a dorm. Nomad’s Stand One comes with Qi2 wireless charging to juice up your phone at the end of the day with ease, and there’s a second wireless charging pad on the back to recharge your earbuds. It’s a great gift if you want to splurge a little and get the student in your life something that looks really good and works really well.
Price: $119
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
For both avid readers and those who need access to a bunch of textbooks on the go, Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite is the e-reader for the job. With a brighter 7-inch glare-free display, weeks of battery life, fast performance, and USB-C charging, it’s one of the best Kindles to date and a reliable crowd-pleaser.
Price: $159.99
Sony SRS-XB100 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
If you need a break to have a quick dance party in between study sessions, look no further than Sony’s SRS-XB100 speaker. It’s compact enough to strap to your backpack and bring with you anywhere, it sounds terrific for its size, and it’s IP67 rated so you can bring it anywhere. You can even pair two of them together for dorm-filling sound (although one will probably do the trick, too).
Price: $63
Govee RGBIC Floor Lamp Basic
An easy way to add some cool RGB lights to a dorm is the RGBIC Floor Lamp Basic from Govee. It’s compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Home platform, letting you use your voice to change the lighting with ease. You can get more specific with a vast array of settings in the companion app, and you can even sync the lights with music.
Price: $99.99
Dreo Smart Humidifier 311S 4L
The winter weather can dry you out quickly if you don’t sleep with a humidifier. This one from Dreo is the perfect size for a college dorm and works quickly by releasing supersized mist to hydrate the air instantly. It can run for up to 36 continuous hours and features a companion app so you don’t need to get out of bed to turn it on.
Price: $49.99
Ember Smart Mug 2
Frequent coffee and tea drinkers know the tragedy of finishing up some work and not realizing how much time as passed, only to find their beverage ice cold when it should be piping hot. Enter the Ember Smart Mug 2. It’s a heat-controlled mug that, when paired to your phone, can be customized to whatever temperature you want and stay that hot for up to 80 minutes. That way, you never have to drink cold coffee or tea ever again.
Price: $129.95
Tapo Mini Smart Wi-Fi Plug (3-pack)
An easy way to make any bedroom or dorm a smart space is by adding a few smart plugs to the outlets. This three-pack from TP-Link’s Tapo brand are perfect for just that; they work with Matter and can be added to any smart home ecosystem, are compact enough to fit in tight spaces, and only cost $20.
Price: $19.99
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus
The Fire TV Stick 4K Plus makes any TV a smart TV. It helps make accessing your favorite shows and movies easier, and it integrates seamlessly with your Amazon account so you can ask Alexa to add things to your shopping list, what the current weather is, and to manage your calendar. Plus, it supports 4K quality with Dolby Vision.
Price: $49.99
Xbox Series X Mini Fridge
Mini fridges come in all shapes and sizes, but what about one that looks like an Xbox Series X? Microsoft’s Xbox Series X Replica 8 Can Mini Fridge looks practically the same as the console it’s modeled after, except when you open it up, you’ll find your favorite beverage. It’s a creative piece of decor for any college student who likes to unwind with some video games after a long day.
Price: $69.99
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.
Great gift ideas. That smart mug looks very useful for students and parents. Also, good to see BOSE headphones are still a trend.
Smart. Remmber your piece on effective study tools? I'm curios if students actually use these AI transcription gadgets.