The best tech toys and gifts for kids in 2022

Last year’s holiday season was plagued by supply chain issues, while this coming season is looking a little brighter. We’re getting out, seeing friends and family and enjoying all the new hobbies we’ve picked up over the past two years – and that includes your kids, who’ve probably gained a few new interests. If those interests tend toward science and tech (and we don’t just mean video games), we’ve got some great ideas for you, sure to put a smile on the faces of kids of all ages, from the littles to those who are grown in body but still young at heart.

Laugh & Learn Game Controller

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Game Controller
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

New gamer parents probably can’t wait to get a controller in their kid’s hands, though maybe not a $70 DualShock 5 when the child is more likely to stick it in their mouth. Train the little one with this friendly Fisher Price model instead. It won’t control a video game, but it still has everything a baby wants, with bright colors and lights, buttons to push and fun sounds. There’s even a little Easter egg for grownups who plug in the Konami code.

Buy Laugh & Learn game controller at Amazon - $11

LeapFrog Chat & Count Emoji Phone

LeapFrog Chat & Count Emoji Phone
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Kids love phones, but parents don’t need to hand them the latest iPhone or Pixel to keep them satisfied. This model from LeapFrog has a small selection of minigames to teach basic counting skills and can be played by children as young as 18 months. It’s a great way to keep babies occupied on long car rides or even a short diaper change, and looks enough like a real phone to keep them from grabbing at your expensive device.

Buy Chat & Count Emoji Phone at Amazon - $16

Air Hogs Gravitor

Air Hogs Gravitor
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Drones are still a pretty hot toy, but you’re probably feeling less hot about all the drama that comes with giving one to a kid, like hitting their siblings with it, or losing it in a neighbor’s yard. The Air Hogs Gravitor is a different kind of drone, one they can control with a wave of their hand. It’ll keep your kid busy learning tricks with it, and its soft edges mean less potential injuries from rough play.

Buy Air Hogs Gravitor at Amazon - $24

Hello Kitty Purse Pet

Hello Kitty Purse Pet
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Teens can be real weirdos sometimes, and things that might creep you out will absolutely fascinate them. That includes Spin Master’s interactive Purse Pets, which are basically little handbags that blink and make noise. At least these new models have some familiar faces on them, namely Japan’s kawaii superstar Hello Kitty and her friend Chococat. Gift one to the anime-loving kid in your life and make yourself just a little bit cooler in their eyes.

Buy Hello Kitty Purse Pet at Amazon - $35

Star Wars Lola Interactive Electronic Figure

Star Wars L0-LA59 (Lola) Interactive Electronic Figure
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Ewan McGregor was fantastic in this year’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+, but for droid fans the real star of the show was Little Leia’s friend Lola. This diminutive personal sidekick was absolutely charming, making everyone – including adults – want one of their own. Hasbro’s $39 interactive figure isn’t quite as skilled as the one in the show, but it’s still cute as a button and adorable to boot. (If you’re looking for something more fully featured, Hasbro also sells a $90 version.)

Buy Lola Droid Toy at Amazon - $39

VTech Level Up Gaming Chair

VTech Level Up Gaming Chair
VTech

Kids love to imitate adults, and now you get to find out if that includes your gaming habits as well by giving them their own chair! It’s sculpted to look like a custom gaming throne, but with a sturdy base instead of wheels so they don’t tip over while they’re pretending to blast n00bs. There’s a mini keyboard and headset so they can look like a real Twitch streamer, and the little tray means they can also scarf down snacks while enjoying some real play videos or the latest episode of Bluey.

Buy gaming chair at Amazon - $45

Barbie Eco-Leadership Team

Barbie Eco-Leadership Team
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Barbie’s had a ton of jobs over the years, but perhaps none as important as saving the Earth. But instead of just doing it by herself she’s going to need a whole team, and this package includes the whole environmental crew: a conservation scientist, a renewable energy engineer, a chief sustainability officer and an environmental advocate. Your child can act out the pressing issue of our time with this set and maybe even teach you a thing or two about caring for our planet.

Buy Barbie Eco-Leadership Team at Amazon - $55

Yoto Mini

Yoto Mini
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

When we were kids we had toys like the Fisher Price record player; children today are going to need something a little more high tech. A Yoto player is a speaker that can play kid-appropriate audiobooks, songs and other great content, like a free podcast full of fun trivia and games that airs a new episode every day. The Yoto Mini is a smaller version that you can take on planes, trains and cars to keep the kids entertained without resorting to a screen.

Buy Yoto Mini at Amazon - $70

BRIO Smart Tech Sound Record & Play Engine

BRIO Smart Tech Sound Record & Play Engine
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

This isn’t the BRIO you remember from your own youth; it’s actually an upgrade. The Record & Play Engine is a battery-operated train that can run on the wooden tracks you may already have, but adds a fun twist by playing sounds your child can record themselves. There’s also a free app with even more play options, and the engine is compatible with other BRIO Smart Tech so you can expand your child’s railway collection.

Buy BRIO Record & Play Engine at Amazon - $65

LEGO NASA Apollo Saturn V

LEGO NASA Apollo Saturn V
LEGO

Maybe you loved model rockets as a kid, but you’re not entirely on board with getting your own children into them because of the mess. That’s what makes this LEGO kit so brilliant: it looks realistic but requires absolutely no glue to assemble. Just snap it together like any other LEGO kit. This is a fun activity for parent and child to do as a team, or maybe just a way for grownup fans to keep busy during the chilly winter months.

Buy LEGO NASA Apollo Saturn V at Amazon - $120

Tonies Playtime Puppy Starter Set

Tonies Playtime Puppy Starter Set
Engadget

The Yoto Player is fantastic, but smaller children might find the content cards hard to insert into the top slot. Instead, get them a Toniebox. Tonies are small RFID-enabled figurines that are easy for little hands to place on top of the speaker, and the controls are simple enough for toddlers to master. The cushioned exterior also means it takes being dropped or thrown like a champ.

Buy Tonies starter set at Amazon - $130

LEGO Motorized Lighthouse

LEGO Motorized Lighthouse
Engadget

This LEGO set is truly the kind of thing that sparks the imagination, with a small cottage for the lighthouse keeper to enjoy a warm cup of tea, a winding staircase up to the light room, and even a hidden cache of treasure in its base. But for science nerds the best part has to be the working fresnel lens at the very top of the lighthouse, just like the real thing but smaller — it can rotate thanks to the motor (which you’ll also put together). It’s a great centerpiece for your home, even if you don’t have any ships to guide across the sea of your living room.

Buy Motorized Lighthouse at LEGO - $300

The best laptops for gaming and schoolwork

Why choose between a gaming laptop and one meant for school when you can get a PC that does both? Gaming laptops are now cheaper and more powerful than ever, and many wouldn’t look out of place in a classroom. If you’re aiming to do some serious multimedia work alongside online play, it’s worth taking a look at a dedicated gaming system. You can find general advice on choosing a gaming notebook in our guide. But if you want a few models that will be perfect for school and play, you’ve come to the right place.

Are gaming laptops good for school?

As we’ve mentioned, gaming laptops are especially helpful if you're doing any demanding work. Their big promise is powerful graphics performance, which isn't just limited to games. Video editing and 3D rendering programs can also tap into their GPUs to handle laborious tasks. While you can find decent GPUs on some productivity machines, like Dell's XPS 15, you can sometimes find better deals on gaming laptops. My general advice for any new workhorse: Get at least 16GB of RAM and the largest solid state drive you can find (ideally 1TB or more). Those components are both typically hard to upgrade down the line, so it’s worth investing what you can up front.

The one big downside to choosing a gaming notebook is portability. For the most part, we'd recommend 15-inch models to get the best balance of size and price. Those typically weigh in around 4.5 pounds, which is significantly more than a three-pound ultraportable. Today's gaming notebooks are still far lighter than older models, though, so at least you won't be lugging around a 10-pound brick. If you’re looking for something lighter, there are plenty of 14-inch options these days. And if you're not into LED lights and other gamer-centric bling, keep an eye out for more understated models (or make sure you know how to turn those lights off).

Best midrange for most people: ASUS Zephyrus G14

The Zephyrus G14 is a bit more expensive than when it launched a few years ago, but it remains a fantastic 14-inch gaming laptop. This year, it’s toting AMD’s Ryzen 7000 CPUs and NVIDIA’s RTX 4060 GPU. That’s enough power to play just about any modern game in 1,440p, and they should perform smoothly on the 120Hz or 144Hz QHD screens. Unlike the first G14 model, there’s also a built-in webcam with Windows Hello login support. What’s most impressive is that the G14 is still pretty portable for a gaming laptop, weighing in between 3.6 and 3.8 pounds.

Best high-end option: Razer Blade 15

For years, Razer has built a reputation for making gaming laptops that look as good as MacBooks. And that's still true. Razer's Blade 15 features a sleek and sturdy metal case, an understated design (unless you really kick up those RGB keyboard lights), and just about all the power you'd want in a portable gaming powerhouse. If money is no object, you can equip the Blade 15 with Intel's latest 13th-gen processors, NVIDIA's powerful RTX 4070 and 1,440p OLED display running at 240 Hz.

While you'll pay a bit more for the Blade 15 compared to some other models, you've still got a few different price points to work with. The entry-level model starts at $1,999 with an RTX 3070 GPU and 360Hz 1080p display. That's certainly enough power for most games and creative apps. If you're looking for something a bit smaller, Razer's new AMD-powered Blade 14 looks compelling as well. Razer also recently debuted new Blade 16 and 18 models, which cost (and weigh!) much more than the Blade 15, but may be useful if you need a bigger screen.

Best budget option: Dell G5 15

While Alienware has established itself as a solid premium brand, Dell's cheaper G-series notebooks are worth a look for anyone on a budget. In particular, the G15 continues the trend of delivering very capable hardware – including Intel’s latest 13th-gen CPUs and NVIDIA’s RTX 30 and 40-series GPUs – for under $1,000. Sure, the case is mostly plastic, and the screen doesn't offer all of the latest niceties, but for the price it's hard to find anything more powerful.

Best no-limit gaming laptop: ASUS Zephyrus Duo 16

Taking the idea of a gaming laptop to the absolute extreme, ASUS's latest Zephyrus Duo 16 combines AMD's latest Ryzen mobile processors with NVIDIA's great RTX 40-series hardware. And, true to its name, it has two screens: a gorgeous 16-inch main display (with optional Mini-LED backlighting), and a very wide 14-inch secondary panel right below. That opens up a near desktop-level of multitasking, since you can have windows spread across both screens. It could help you, say, follow an online lecture while fitting in a Halo Infinite match on your main screen. Don’t worry, we won’t tell.

Best big screen gaming laptop: Alienware m18

The biggest and most powerful Alienware laptop yet, the m18 is the ideal gaming notebook for someone who prioritizes screen size above all else. It can be equipped with Intel’s fastest 13th-gen CPUs, NVIDIA’s RTX 4090, and either a 165Hz QuadHD+ screen or a wickedly fast 480Hz 1080p+ display. It’s a gaming beast, but it’ll also be a great option for students editing audio or video. A bigger screen means a larger timeline view–exactly what you’d want for massive projects.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-gaming-laptops-for-students-170026726.html?src=rss

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