Surviving high school is a major milestone, but the transition to young adulthood that comes after is often as overwhelming as it is exciting. If you have a recent high school grad in your life, a pragmatic gift to celebrate the occasion could make their next chapter just a bit easier to manage. Below we’ve put together a list of tested and approved gadgets, gear and services that should delight, regardless of if your giftee is heading to a new campus or starting a new job.
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Anker Soundcore Space A40
$59 at Amazon$100 at NeweggSee more options
OluKai Kipuka Hulu Slippers
Instant Pot Vortex Mini Air Fryer (4-in-1, 2-quart)
Tomtoc Defender-A13 Laptop Sleeve
Anker 733 Power Bank
LapGear Designer Lap Desk
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand
Roku Streaming Stick 4K
Timbuk2 Lane Commuter Laptop Backpack
Blue Apron gift card
Bookshop.org gift card
Hulken Bag
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
$15 at Xbox$15 at AmazonSee more options
Away Carry-On
Moshi Digits
YouTube Premium
$14/month at YouTubeMore options
GrubHub Gift Card
$50 at Amazon$50 at GrubHubSee more optionsSee 12 moreSoundcore
Anker Soundcore Space A40
If your grad needs a new set of wireless earbuds that’ll work during the commute, at the gym or just while listening to music at home, the Anker Soundcore Space A40 should satisfy. The top pick in our budget wireless earbuds guide, this set is compact and comfortable, with a pleasantly bassy sound and strong active noise cancellation. It doesn’t have the best mics for phone calls, but it gets a good eight hours of battery life per charge, and it can connect to multiple devices simultaneously. Provided your grad doesn’t insist on getting AirPods, it should be a great value for you as well, as it usually costs around $60.
$59 at AmazonExplore More Buying Options$100 at NeweggOluKai
OluKai Kipuka Hulu Slippers
For keeping warm during the cold winter months or simply not walking around the dorm barefoot, a set of OluKai slippers should be a great gift to make your grad’s day-to-day more comfortable. The Kipuka Hulu (for men) and Ku’una (for women) both slip over the whole foot easily and have delightfully soft interiors (the latter has a bit more fuzz around the heel). Both have simple yet attractive leather exteriors, plus sturdy rubber outsoles that will allow your grad to make quick jaunts to the bodega or around campus with minimal discomfort.
$130 at OluKaiInstant Pot
Instant Pot Vortex Mini Air Fryer (4-in-1, 2-quart)
An air fryer is a no-go in many college dorms, but for grads moving into a new apartment, it’s a fast and accessible tool for cooking many smaller meals. Among these, the Instant Pot Vortex Mini is a good option for cramped living spaces that we recommend in our guide to the best air fryers. It’s a two-quart model that takes up very little countertop space, and while it can’t cook a ton of food at once, it can still prepare things like wings, tofu and roasted veggies with minimal fuss. Its controls and pre-programmed settings are all dead simple to operate, and like most air fryers, it’s not a pain to clean. For grads who could use something beyond a microwave, it should make meal time easier. If you’d rather buy something bigger, consider the top pick in our guide, the Instant Vortex Plus.
$40 at Amazontomtoc
Tomtoc Defender-A13 Laptop Sleeve
Having a dedicated sleeve for their laptop can give your grad an extra bit of protection for one of the most important (and expensive) gadgets they have to carry around every day. There are a ton of suitable options here, but we’ve found Tomtoc’s Defender A-13 series to offer a tight yet secure fit, enough protection to fend off scuffs and scratches and enough water resistance to withstand spilled drinks. Plus, it has a pouch for holding accessories. Several colors and sizes are available, and at $30, it’s relatively affordable.
$27 at AmazonAnker
Anker 733 Power Bank
A portable power bank will keep your grad’s devices alive while they’re out of the house (and save you a little stress in the process). Anker’s 733 Power Bank is a particularly versatile take on the concept, as it can plug into an outlet and double as a wall charger. It has two USB-C ports and a USB-A port, so your grad can top up multiple devices at once. In wall-charger mode, it can deliver up to 65W of power, which is enough to charge some smaller laptops. As a portable battery, this drops to 30W, but that’s still enough to charge any iPhone at full speed. The 733 itself is fairly compact given its functionality, but if you think your grad would prefer something more pocketable, the Anker 511 Power Bank is a much smaller 2-in-1 option that we recommend in our guide to the best power banks.
$100 at AmazonLapGear
LapGear Designer Lap Desk
When your grad doesn’t feel like sitting at their actual desk, a lap desk can make working from the couch more comfortable. If nothing else, it’s a more organized solution than having them prop their laptop up on a throw pillow. If you think the graduate in your life could use one of these, the LapGear Designer is a fine choice. Its underside is soft yet stable, while its smooth top surface is easy to clean and large enough to fit a 17-inch laptop. There’s a stop at the bottom that helps keep their stuff from sliding off when the desk is slanted at an angle, as well as an elastic band for holding pens and notepads and a storage slot for phones. The accessory only weighs about two pounds on its own, while a built-in handle makes it easier to carry around.
$34 at AmazonBelkin