The 12 best last-minute Christmas gifts for the 2024 holiday season

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One of the worst feelings is getting to the end of a long work day or a night out with friends only to find that you can’t order some takeout or call a ride-share with your phone because it didn’t survive the day. Anker’s 10K portable charger can make it so you (or your giftee) never experience that again. With a 10,000 mAh capacity, it has more than enough power to charge up a smartphone a couple times over, and it supports up to 30W fast-charging, too. It also has a built-in USB-C cable so there’s no need to carry a connecting cable with you at all times — anyone with a USB-C iPhone or other smartphone can charge up anywhere, anytime. And when you need to give the power bank itself some more juice, its foldable AC prongs will come in handy. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor

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AirTags can keep tabs on far more than just keys. Though Apple doesn’t officially recommend its Bluetooth trackers for cats and dogs, it’s still a popular use. And of all the trackers I’ve tested, these come the closest to something that would actually work for moving objects. GPS tags offer more accurate location surveillance, but they tend to cost more and require a subscription, two factors that make them less-than-ideal gifts.

Though the AirTags rely on Bluetooth, the range is impressive and the triangulation between the tags and any nearby iPhone is eerily accurate, getting you within yards of a lost tag. Then the Ultra-wideband (UWB) directions will direct you to within a few feet. A friend of mine is the director of an animal shelter and they have four AirTag-rigged collars they put on "flight risk" dogs during foster transfers, just in case. — Amy Skorheim, Reporter

Read more: The best Bluetooth trackers

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The Ultimate Controller from 8BitDo truly lives up to its name. It’s a sleek and responsive wireless gamepad that works with PC, Steam Deck and Switch, and it costs just $70. The Ultimate Controller has Hall effect joysticks and triggers, haptic feedback, two back paddles and a toggle to swap between Bluetooth and 2.4g connections. It also comes with a charging stand and is customizable through PC, Android and iOS apps, allowing players to adjust the sensitivity of the triggers and sticks, modify vibration intensity, remap buttons and create swappable profiles. This is the last controller that any PC, Steam Deck or Switch player needs. — Jessica Conditt, Senior Reporter

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I don’t condone blasting one’s personal soundtrack to the world at large, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying some low-key tunes on a picnic or a stroll through the park. We’re fans of JBL and recommend their speakers in our guides because they’re durable and pump out decent volume. The Clip 4 Eco is small enough to go in a suitcase and comes with a handy clip for attaching to packs, chairs, or the towel rack in a hotel room. The waterproof build will keep it safe during water-based adventures and the eco-friendly construction with recycled plastic and fabric are a nice touch. — A.S.

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Stanley cups remain insanely popular, but my family stumbled upon Simple Modern tumblers while looking for similar performance at a lower price. The Trek Tumbler is our go-to for cold drinks, so it gets the most use at our house. The entire thing is dishwasher safe, which is a biggie for my family, as is the leak resistant lid and the cupholder friendly design. Plus, the double-walled, stainless steel construction can keep beverages cold for over 24 hours. — Billy Steele, Senior Reporter

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Is there really any point to sushi or noodle night if you’re not consuming your food with utensils protected by The Force? No. The answer is no. These lightsaber chopsticks glow in different colors with just the press of a button and come with included batteries so your giftee can get right to protecting their plates from the forces of evil. Sure, they will be a hit among Star Wars fanatics, but anyone can find joy in a pair of extra-powerful chopsticks with which to have impromptu “food fights” in between bites of sashimi. — V.P.

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Sony has so many solid products in the headphone and earbud space, and the WF-C510 are some of the newest (and some of the most affordable). These $60 wireless earbuds come in three colors, have an IPX4 water-resistance rating and up to 11 hours of listening time on a single charge. While they don’t have active noise cancelation, they do have transparency mode, which will make it easier for them to wear the buds all day even weaving in and out of conversations. Top that off with multipoint Bluetooth connectivity and you have a pair of earbuds that pack a lot of value into a small, inexpensive package. — V.P.

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If you have a tech-lover in your life who hasn’t yet started their own smart home ecosystem, a smart plug is a good place to start. Amazon’s Smart Plug in particular has a low barrier to entry: plug it in, follow an easy setup process in the Alexa mobile app and turn a “dumb” device into a smart one. It’s made even easier by Alexa voice commands — using the mobile app or an Echo device they already have, they can ask the voice assistant to turn off that bedroom lamp before they go to bed or turn on the coffee machine to get it percolating in anticipation of their morning cup of joe. Plus, the Alexa app lets them set schedules and routines for the plug, so that new smart gadgets can run in the background of their lives without missing a beat. — V.P.

Read more: The best smart plugs

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The Banana Phone is exactly what you’d expect it to be — a banana that’s also a phone. It might not have a SIM card or a service plan attached to it, but your giftee can pair it with their smartphone via Bluetooth so they can ditch that tired, $1,000+ handset and start taking calls the right way — with a piece of fruit. In addition to taking and making calls, they can also use the Banana Phone with the Google Assistant and Siri, to ask about the weather or tell it to “Play Cruel Summer by Bananarama.” Yes, the Banana Phone also works as a Bluetooth speaker and has a 30-foot range, so it can play tunes whenever they’re not using it to conduct official business. — V.P

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The AeroPress Go has been one of my favorite pieces of travel gear for as long as it’s been around. My only issue with it is that the included plastic cup doesn’t have a lid for the times I need to leave my hotel room before I’m done with my morning ritual. AeroPress now has a new version, called the Go Plus, that fixes that problem with a new insulated stainless steel tumbler.

With this setup, everything still packs into the cup and it remains your brew vessel, but the company now includes a magnetic splash-resistant lid when you need to take it to go. Filters are stored in a compartment on the bottom of the tumbler rather than their own small case, which makes them easier to keep up with. And, of course, you’ll still get a compact AeroPress along with a coffee scoop and stirrer to complete the all-in-one package. — B.S.

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This two-pack of European power adapters was a last-minute purchase of mine before my husband and I went on a 10-day Italian vacation earlier this year, and it was easily one of my best impulse buys. Each give you three AC outlets, all accessible thanks to their strategic locations on the adapter itself, plus two USB-C and one USB-A port. Between all of those options, I was able to use just one of the adapters for all of my necessary tech, including my phone, smartwatch and earbuds, while my husband used the other. They even worked well on high-powered tools like my mini hair dryer. And despite their prongs not folding down, both take up very little space in a suitcase. If your next trip isn’t to Europe, don’t fret, the two-pack comes in a variety of country options including Japan, Ireland and Australia. — VP.

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The Blink Mini 2 makes a great gift for that person in your life who may have just moved out into their own place or has a busy schedule and would like to keep a better eye on their home while they’re out. This compact security camera records 1080p video, supports two-way talk and can alert them when motion is detected in its line of sight. Unlike the original Blink Mini, this second-gen model can be placed outside with the right adapter, and the new built-in LED spotlight helps it record clearer video in the dark. All of those features are ready to use once the Blink Mini 2 has been set up, no additional subscription required. But if your giftee ends up liking the system, they can consider paying for a Blink subscription to get access to smart alerts, unlimited cloud storage for up to 60 days and more. — V.P.