School has been back in session for some time. But after the Christmas break, kids will be preparing for the grind of the back half of the year. Equip them with the tools they need to get their work done effectively. And some gear so they can enjoy downtime after the bell rings and the homework is completed.
Top Picks (sponsored & Editor’s Picks)
Victrola Journey Glow Record Player
The other day, my 14-year-old asked me if he could buy vinyl records. It was a sure sign that the vinyl resurgence really is here. Of course, I told him sure, especially since we already have a record player he can use. The Victrola Journey Glow is a suitable entry-level turntable for students, perfect for casual listeners and fittingly designed for a younger crowd. It comes in a suitcase design with Bluetooth as well for using it as a Bluetooth speaker. With Vinylstream, you can play audio from your spinning vinyl through external wireless speakers or even headphones when the roommate needs quiet time to study. The customizable glowing lights on the front are great for party time or to create soothing ambiance while they’re deep into finalizing a report. Don’t forget to grab them a few records to get a collection started.
Buy the Victrola Journey Glow for $119.98.
Other Gift Ideas
Kanto UKI Speakers
Want something more affordable? The the adorable Kanto UKI speakers come in black, white, cobalt, and sage. The cute clamshell-designed compact bookshelf speakers boast Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, and RCA. There’s also a headphone jack for private listening, something students in a dorm or who share a room with siblings will appreciate.
Buy the Kanto UKI speakers for $199.99, down 33% from the regular price of $299.99 per pair.
Sandisk Pokémon USB-C Flash Drive
Students can always use flash drives, a quick and easy way to transfer files or as a temporary back-up of reports so they don’t have to try “the dog ate my homework” excuse. This one is adorned with imagery of the adorable Pokémon Mew. The 128GB capacity is more than enough to store tons of text-based files, even photos, videos, and other content they want to store for safe-keeping for a short period of time.
Get the Sandisk Pokémon USB-C Flash Drive for $44.99.
Amazon Alexa Tablet 11
The Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 has an 11-inch, 2.5K display at 276 pixels per inch, 90Hz smooth scrolling, and a 16:10 cinematic aspect ratio. Designed for streaming, gaming, reading, and browsing, it comes with a thin aluminum unibody housing an eight-core processor with 8GB of RAM, dual Dolby Atmos speakers, and up to 15 hours of video playback. Alexa+ is built in with the same Dynamic Tab, voice and touch access, and personalized intelligence.
Buy the Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 starting at $449.99 in Canada and $329.99 in the U.S. It comes in Graphite, Amethyst, and Matcha, with 8GB RAM and 64GB storage.
Amazon Alexa Tablet 8
As the most portable model in the new line, the Amazon Alexa Tablet 8 has an 8.7-inch display in an all-aluminum design that weighs just 329 grams. Measuring 7.95mm thin, it’s built to hold in one hand and carry anywhere, ideal for reading, browsing, and streaming on the go. It’s powered by an 8-core processor with Wi-Fi 6 and up to 14 hours of video playback, with the same Alexa+ intelligence built in.
Buy the Amazon Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $299.99 in Canada and $229.99 in the U.S. It comes in Graphite, Rosette, and Teal, with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.
Asus Googlebook 14
The Asus Googlebook 14 is a 14-inch, ultra-compact (10.9mm) and lightweight (0.99 kg) laptop completely designed for Gemini Intelligence. This includes offering a seamless connectivity experience with an Android phone. Finished in Dark Ash and protected by Nano Ceramic Technology, it can resist scratches, stains, and everyday wear. Loaded with an Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 3 processor, 16GB memory, and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, an advanced cooling system helps sustain performance while keeping operation quiet, and the 70Wh battery provides up to 18 hours of battery life. I gave this laptop a go and it’s a gem, incredibly powerful for what it is with cool features like Rambler that can turn your rambling into a cohesive text, e-mail, or brainstorm note. There’s also Magic Pointer for wiggling to cursor to call up Gemini and get more information about a web search, image, virtually anything on screen. The Android integration is top-notch, too, your phone functioning like it’s just another app on the computer. Just note that you won’t be able to use all productivity apps nor games if they aren’t Googlebook compatible.
Buy the Asus Googlebook 14 starting at $1,799. Eligible Canadian shoppers get three months of YouTube Premium, Adobe Premiere, and CapCut Pro, along with 12 months of Luminar Photo Editor and GeForce NOW Fast Pass.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
The new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K streaming stick calls up content faster than the previous generation and can draw power from the TV’s USB port. Perfect as a quick and easy way to get content on a monitor or an old non-smart TV in the dorm, the Direct Power means not having to run cables all the way to the nearest power outlet. It’s built with Amazon’s Vega operating system and comes with Alexa+ and the new Fire TV experience out of the box.
Buy the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for $79.99.
Kanto REN Active Speaker
The Kanto REN active speakers would fit nicely on a student’s desk in their room or dorm. With HDMI ARC, you can connect it to a TV to use them as your home theatre speakers as well. It has two sound modes, including one to boost vocals and another to reduce low frequencies for listening at night. With Bluetooth 5.3, you can connect the 200W active speaker to Bluetooth sources along with USB-C. Connect a sub as well. In his review, John Thomson finds the REN to be similar in weight and form to the Kanto YU6 but with a more modern and sophisticated cabinet design. His review sample was in a lovely matte orange (it also comes in black, white, blue, and gray). He finds sound livelier than the YU6 with better processing power and the addition of HDMI ARC.
Buy the Kanto REN for $799.99.
Austere V Series 8-Outlet Surge Protector
I have one of these at home and it’s invaluable for keeping all my devices powered up. For a student, they can place it on or beside their desk and plug in everything they need, especially if they share with a roommate. It has eight nicely spaced AC outlets so you can get bigger and wider adapters. On the side, there are two USB-A and three USB-C outlets for directly plugging in items like their headphones, phone, tablet, earbuds, smartwatch charger, and more. It’s the only power bar they’ll need.
Buy the Austere V Series 8-outlet Surge Protector for $249.
Satechi OntheGo USB-C Multiport Adapter
The Satechi OntheGo Ultra-Portable USB-C 7-in-1 multiport adapter is a pocket-sized connectivity hub with seven ports, including HDMI, two USB-A (5Gpbs), SD, and microSD card readers (supports up to 104MB/s and 2TB), Gigabit Ethernet, and USB-C PD with up to 10W pass-through charging. There’s also a magnetic attachment for clutter-free setups. The magnetic base snaps directly to MagSafe-compatible iPhones. The included 3M Adhesive Ring adds compatibility for tablets, laptops, gaming consoles, and non-MagSafe smartphones or cases. A coiled, tangle-free braided USB-C cable crafted from premium materials neatly wraps around the hub. Use it to pair peripherals, transfer files, deliver presentations, and maintain wired internet. The adapter is compatible with most USB-C devices, including Macs, iPads, iPhones, Windows PCs, Android devices, and ChromeOS.
Buy the Satechi OntheGo Multiport Adapter for $84.99.
Google Pixel 11 Pro Smartphone
The Pixel 11 Pro is a solid phone for students with useful features like Rambler they can use to brainstorm notes or e-mails, AI removing pauses, ums, and ahs and turning it into something clean and concise. There are also cool photo features like Magic Capture, one of my favourites, that lets you record video that automatically and intelligent extracts quality stills. They’ll enjoy access to Gemini when they need assistance, whether it’s for research (make sure they still check sources) or setting reminders and calendar items. It’s powerful enough to handle downtime video and music streaming and gaming, too. Read my review.
Buy the Google Pixel 11 Pro for $1,499.
Amazon Echo Time
Once starting high school this year (I still can’t believe it!) with much earlier mornings, my 14-year-old son needed an alarm clock. He’s reluctant to use a smart speaker, despite me having so many of them lying around. But the Echo Time might convince him. It’s a dedicated smart alarm clock with a 3.2-inch circular touchscreen. You can personalize on-screen information and choose from various clock faces to customize the look, from classic analog designs to soothing nature imagery and even logos from your favourite sports teams or popular entertainment franchise characters. But most importantly, there’s no camera. Students can use Alexa commands to customize the screen and set alarms, or leverage smart alarms that wake them up when they’re in lighter sleep, but still within the necessary wake window. It can even play relaxing music from a preferred and linked music service and set the temperature in the room from a compatible smart thermostat. They can choose from a variety of customizable alarm tones, each starting quietly and building in energy with every snooze, up to four times.
Buy the Amazon Echo Time for $346.98 with an included stand or $289.99 without the stand. It comes in Graphite, Glacier White, and Coral Pink.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Smartphone
For students who prefer the Samsung Galaxy ecosystem, there’s the Galaxy S25 FE, which is last-gen phone, but you can get it for a good price. As a “fan edition” phone, it prioritizes features that are most desired by the brand’s young fans. This includes improved photography with the 50MP triple camera system, and social sharing through flagship AI tools like Photo Assist. You also get access to Live Translate. Equipped with a 6.7” FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, it’s powered by an Exynos 2400 processor and decent 8GB RAM. It has a 4,900 mAh battery and supports 45W Super-Fast Charging. You can also use this phone with wireless DeX, great for both office workers and students.
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE for $670.86.
Rocketbook Flex Planner
I’ve been using the Rocketbook Pro for years to take notes and jot down ideas and haven’t touched the pile of lined paper notebooks I have gathering dust in my home office since. The Rocketbook Flex Planner is more affordable and includes reusable pages like that one, but it’s designed to function as a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual planner. It has flexible templates and works alongside the Rocketbook app to write, digitize, organize, and wipe clean to restart once done. Smart Title Bars & Tags provide seamless organization within the Rocketbook app. There are seven Daily Dashboard Pages that include sections for goals, tasks, priorities, events, and notes and two Weekly Planner Templates with a block for each day, plus notes. Find 12 Monthly Calendar Templates including a standard undated calendar grid, QuickTracking Key to seamlessly keep track of recurring events, plus goals and notes areas. There’s also a Year Overview Template with a content area for each month to record important events and goals. Also find seven Lined Pages and four Dot Grid Pages. Basically, this will be a student’s paper back-up to their digital calendars. Read my review of the Rocketbook Pro.
Buy the Rocketbook Flex Planner for $39.04.
UGreen MagFlow Magnetic Power Bank 10000mAh 25W
The UGreenMagFlow Magnetic Power Bank 10000mAh 25W is a compact portable charger that delivers a full 25W wireless charge, enough to bring an iPhone 16 Pro Max to 50% in around 30 minutes. It supports 30W two-way PD fast charging via a built-in USB-C cable, which doubles as a carry strap for added convenience. It can charge three devices simultaneously and includes a real-time battery display, UGreen’s Thermal Guard temperature control, and 13 layers of safety protection. With a secure magnetic array delivering 9N of holding force, it ensures stable charging even during use, making it ideal for commuting and long days at school.
Buy the Ugreen MagFlow Magnetic Power Bank for $71.99.
Epson EcoTank ET-3950 All-in-One Printer
Save money in the long run on ink cartridges by spending more upfront for the Epson EcoTank ET-3950, which uses refillable ink and comes with a three-year supply in the box. This means your student’s printing needs can be fulfilled through an entire high school or university run with light usage. Or if you use it at home, everyone in the family can enjoy it. When you do need to replace cartridges, it’s simple to refill the ink using the dedicated ink tanks and uniquely keyed EcoFit bottles. You get fast 18 black/9 colour ISO pages-per-minute (ppm) print speeds with zero warmup time, an Auto Document Feeder, a high-capacity 250-sheet paper tray, auto duplex printing and scanning, and a 2.4″ colour display for easy navigation. Students will love the built-in USB and Apple AirPrint connectivity, Check out my review of the ET-4850, which I reviewed in 2024 and named among my favourite tech products of 2024.
Buy the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 All-in-One Printer for $399.99.