A real, genuine modern dad
You don’t have to spend a ton to put a smile on dad’s face this year.
This Sunday, June 17, is Father’s Day. If you’re reading this guide, chances are it slipped your mind and you’re now scrambling to find a gift that dad will love.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
If you’re looking to get your old man an awesome gift that’ll put a smile on his face (without destroying your wallet), you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of six excellent gadgets that he’s bound to love, and without further ado, this is what we recommend picking up.
Amazon Echo Dot (2nd generation)
If dad still hasn’t jumped on the smart speaker bandwagon, one of the best ways to get him started is with the Amazon Echo Dot.
With the Echo Dot, your dad can get information on the weather, add things to his to-do list, control smart home gadgets, and so much more — all by just saying the iconic “Alexa” hotword followed by whatever he wants to ask/say.
The Echo Dot’s built-in speaker isn’t the best around, but thanks to its 3.5mm headphone jack, you can easily plug it into any other speaker setup to quickly beef up its sound quality.
Amazon usually sells the Echo Dot for $49.99, but as a special Father’s Day offer, you can pick one up for as little as $39.99.
See at Amazon
TaoTronics Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones
Everyone should own a pair of noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones, and if you’re looking for a pair that’s high-quality but won’t break the bank, one of the best options out there comes from TaoTronics.
TaoTronics’ over-the-ear headphones come equipped with active-noise-canceling, dual 40mm drivers, and up to 25 hours of use before needing to charge them up. Add that together with a comfortable design, earcups that can swivel up to 90-degrees, and Bluetooth 4.2, and you end up with one heck of an audio package.
These may not be Bose QC35s, but for just $63, TaoTronics offers 80% of the Bose experience at a fraction of the cost.
See at Amazon
Philips Hue White Starter Kit
Light bulbs may not seem like a very exciting Father’s Day gift, but we promise your dad will love the convenience that comes with Philips Hue smart bulbs.
There are a variety of Hue bulbs to choose from, but one of our favorites is the White Starter Kit. You can’t change the color of these like some of Philips’ other bulbs, but you can dim them to easily adjust the ambiance of a room.
Speaking of dimming the lights, you can do this, turn them on/off, and create schedules for automatically controlling their behavior right from the Philips Hue app on your phone. Better yet, dad can pair these with his Echo Dot and ask Alexa to control the lights for him.
The White Starter Kit costs around $98 and comes with a Hue Bridge and four bulbs. Once your dad has this, he can buy other Hue bulbs down the road to eventually outfit his entire house with smart lights!
See at Amazon
Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet
If the old man wants a big tablet, one of the best options out there is the Amazon Fire HD 10. The Fire HD 10 is Amazon’s biggest and most powerful tablet available, and as the name suggests, comes with a 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 display that’s perfect for watching movies, reading books, and browsing the web.
The 1.8Ghz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM isn’t the most impressive silicon you’ll find, but in our testing, it’s proven to be more than capable for all sorts of applications. You’ll also find 10 hours of battery life and 32GB or 64GB of storage that can be expanded up to 256GB with a microSD card.
Amazon offers the Fire HD 10 in Black, Marine Blue, and Punch Red colors and you can pick it up for as little as $119 right now.
See at Amazon
Roku Streaming Stick+
The way we watch TV today is a lot different compared to how your dad did it back in the day, and to make sure he’s up to speed, we recommend getting him the Roku Streaming Stick+.
Roku’s interface is incredibly easy-to-use and has the largest selection of available channels and apps by far. You’ll find big names such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, as well as smaller services like Philo.
As for the Streaming Stick+ itself, it’s capable of 4K and HDR streaming and has a strong wireless receiver that offers 4x the range compared to Roku’s cheaper gadgets. The included remote also has a voice search button and can control the power and volume of the TV it’s connected to so your dad can do all his channel-surfing with just one remote.
For a little over $50, the Roku Streaming Stick+ offers the best bang-for-your-buck in its class.
See at Amazon
Ring Video Doorbell
Last but not least, the Ring Video Doorbell offers one of the most affordable ways to add a smart doorbell to just about any home.
The built-in video camera can record in HD quality and allows you to quickly see who’s at your door from your phone, tablet, or computer. You can look at what the doorbell sees at any time, and if it ever gets stolen, Ring offers a lifetime guarantee to replace it for free.
You can pick up the Ring Video Doorbell in a variety of colors to perfectly match dad’s house, and for $100, it sharply undercuts a lot of the competition.
See at Amazon
What did you get dad?
These are some last-minute gifts, but you probably had some great ideas of your own! Let us know, and then read our full Father’s Day Gift guide!
