Buying gifts is agonizing. The “perfect” present is elusive, lines are too long, and the mall parking lot is automotive hell.
That’s why the WIRED Reviews team spends all year sifting through the year’s new spate of gadgets. We’ve pulled out the best gifts, from the most inventive and beautifully designed technology to the gear that’s just plain fun. On top of that, we let you know how to order them from the comfort of your own Wi-Fi network. You’re welcome.
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Adventure Time
Apple Watch Ultra
Scuba divers, alpinists, and other daredevils now have a more rugged Apple wearable to take on their expeditions. The Ultra improves on previous Watches with dozens of wilderness-ready features. There’s more precise location tracking, thanks to its dual-frequency GPS receiver, which works even in heavily wooded areas. The Ultra also boasts 36 hours of battery life (60 if you use WatchOS 9’s Low Power mode) to get you through overnight camping trips. We’ve been running into that battery limit a lot—mostly because we keep finding more reasons to wear the Ultra.
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Photograph: Hyundai
So Far So Good
Hyundai 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE
When the all-electric Ioniq 5 debuted last year, we loved its fast-charging tech, relaxed ride, funky exterior, and smart interior appointments—like footrests on the fully reclining front seats. The only quibble we had about the family-friendly five-door was its sub-300-mile range. Now we can drop that sticking point from the “Tired” column: Hyundai’s latest update adds a larger battery option that extends the range of the rear-wheel-drive model to just a smidge over 300 miles.
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For the Record
Phaidon Press ‘Revolution: The History of Turntable Design’
Take a spin through this photographic history of the phonograph. Each chapter of Gideon Schwartz’s 250-page book covers a decade in the record player’s evolution, with essays on key technological advances and—of course—tons of photos of cutting-edge designs. Audiophiles will find curiosities to salivate over, like the Philips 113 portable record player from the 1970s (the cutest turntable ever) and Yoshiaki Sugano’s $11,000 phono cartridges crafted from jade and onyx.
