10 Cool Holiday Gadget Gift Ideas For Men In 2023

From pocket synthesizers and vinyl-cutting machines to handheld game systems and retro-style Bluetooth speakers, here are 10 gadget gift ideas to get your holiday shopping wrapped up.

We’re well into the holiday season, and you’re running out of time to buy gifts for the men in your life. No worries. You still have a few days to order gifts online and have them delivered by next week, and we have compiled some cool gadget gift ideas to get you started.

These gift ideas consist of gadgets that range from the very practical to the very entertaining, and we’d like to think a good number of them fall outside what you would call conventional.

We’re talking about pocket synthesizers, vintage-style Bluetooth speakers, phone charging solutions, car charging solutions, handheld game systems and even a device for making tiny, low-fidelity records using whatever music or sound you wish imprint on vinyl.

These gift ideas aren’t just for men, but we sure do think a good number of men will dig these products. Without further ado, here are CRN’s 10 cool holiday gadget gift ideas for the men in your life in 2023.

Tivoli Audio Model One BT

Price: $159.99 (as of publication)

Where to buy: Tivoli Audio

Some men just want to listen to their favorite bossa nova album and look cool while doing it. One potential outlet for achieving that vibe is Tivoli Audio’s Model One BT, which brings Bluetooth functionality to a vintage-style radio housed within a handmade wood cabinet. This wood-engulfed design makes the radio not only an aesthetically pleasing device but one with excellent acoustics. The radio consists of three nobs, one to switch between FM radio, AM radio and Bluetooth modes: one for volume and one for the radio’s frequency. The product is available in different color pairings, such as walnut for the wood and beige for the radio.

Stylophone SI Pocket Synthesizer

Price: $35 (as of publication)

Where to buy: MoMA Design Store

When life gets stressful, some men just want to break out the jams, but it can be hard to do that in a lot of places since many instruments are rather large. The Stylophone SI Pocket Synthesizer solves this problem thanks to its pocket-sized form factor and the unique sound of its mini synthesizer, which is well known thanks to the likes of David Bowie, the White Stripes and other artists from the past several decades. The synth comes with 20 keys across three octave ranges, which are played with the device’s stylus. It also features vibrato and tone switches as well as a tuning control that can be used to bend the pitch.

Belkin 37-Watt USB-C Wall Charger

Price: $18.75 (as of publication)

Where to buy: Amazon

Some men just want their phones to charge faster, but they don’t realize that there is a much better charging solution than what their cellular carrier gave them. Belkin’s 37-Watt USB-C Wall Charger is one such product, which can charge the latest Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones, among other PD-enabled devices, to 50 percent battery in as quick as 25 minutes. The charger comes with a 25-watt USB-C port and a 12-watt USB-A port, which can both fast charge PD-enabled devices at the same time. Men with fast chargers will never look back.

OttLite - Infuse Adjustable LED Desk Lamp With Qi Charging

Price: $49.99 (as of publication)

Where to buy: Best Buy

Some men just want a good desk lamp they can use to wirelessly charge their phone while they burn the midnight oil. We have good news for such chaps: Say hello to the OttLite, an infuse adjustable LED desk lamp that comes with a built-in Qi wireless charger at the base. The lamp uses ClearSun LED technology to reduce glare and eyestrain, which sounds promising for all those men working late into the night. The lamp’s brightness can be adjusted using touch controls, and the lamp’s neck can be flexed in a number of positions.

Ikago Smart Mug Warmer And Mug Set

Price: $59.99 (as of publication)

Where to buy: Amazon

Some men just want a hot cup of joe that stays hot. Is that too much to ask? They’ll be relieved to hear that, no, it’s not too much to ask with the ikago Smart Mug Warmer and Mug Set, which pairs a 15-ounce ceramic mug with a coffee mug warmer that can keep the mug’s liquid contents between 105 degree and 175 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature control is so precise that it can be adjusted in one-degree increments, which is great news for that man who is very keen on 133-degree beverages. While this set comes with a ceramic mug, the mug warmer can work with most ceramic mugs, whether it’s used for coffee, tea or hot cocoa. Yum!

Gakken Toy Record Maker

Price: $183.09 (as of publication)

Where to buy: Gakken

Some men just want to record their favorite podcasts and video game music onto tiny, lo-fi records that can only be played on bespoke hardware. Sound like someone you know? We have the product for him: It’s the Gakken Toy Record Maker, which comes with a vinyl-cutting arm and a playback tone arm, letting you record music and other kinds of sounds onto blank 5-inch vinyl discs and then play the records back. The record maker uses an auxiliary cable or USB as the audio source to etch vinyl, but just know that 5-inch records can’t really be played by most players out there, so this is more of a fun hobby thing than a mass-production device.

Anbernic RG35XX Plus

Price: Starting at $63.99 (as of publication)

Where to buy: Anbernic

They don’t make video games like they used to back in the day, and some men just want to bathe in that sweet, pixelated nostalgia of yesteryear. For retro gaming needs on the go, there’s the Anbernic RG35XX Plus, which looks like a classic Game Boy but has the ability to play hundreds of games from several retro consoles, including Super Nintendo, Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis and PlayStation 1. The handheld system can also plug into an HDTV, connect to wireless controllers and pair with a second RG35XX Plus for multiplayer action. While the system comes loaded with games, users can load the RG35XX Plus with their own.

Perixx PERIBOARD-106M

Price: $39.99 (as of publication)

Where to buy: Amazon

It’s not just about retro gaming anymore. Retro computing is all the rage these days, and some men just want something to remind them of those gloriously simple systems. The Perixx PERIBOARD-106M is a classic gray and white USB keyboard that evokes the IBM keyboards from the 80s and 90s while sporting an ergonomic curved design, so men can feel both nostalgic and comfortable.

JumpSmart Portable Car Jump Starter

Price: $129.99 (as of publication)

Where to buy: Amazon

Some men just wish their cars would start on a cold morning. But for those times when the car battery doesn’t cooperate, there is the JumpStart portable car jump starter, which packs a 3700 megawatt-hour lithium battery that can bring up to an eight-cylinder, five-liter engine back to life. But the device’s capabilities don’t stop there: It also packs an eight-watt, 330-Lumen LED flashlight with four modes and the ability to charge USB devices fast at 2.4 amps.

Sony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray DVD Player

Price: $159 (as of publication)

Where to buy: Walmart

Some men detest how video streaming services can remove TV shows, movies and documentaries at any given moment without warning. Help these gents fight against the needless move to make moving pictures ephemeral with the Sony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray DVD Player. It does come with the ability to run video streaming services, but what’s more important is its ability to play TV shows, movies and documentaries on Blu-ray discs, including the Ultra HD format that bumps the visuals to a 4K resolution. Nothing lasts forever, but Blu-rays will certainly outlast a good deal of titles on streaming.