Tech review: Gift ideas for grads
We are in the midst of graduation season, and I've been testing some gadgets that would make for great graduation gifts.
Cash is a traditional gift for graduates, but I know a lot of people who like their gift to be a bit more personal.
Fender Elie 6 Portable Bluetooth Speaker ($299.00, fender.com)
Fender is well-known for their guitars and amplifiers, and now they've entered the portable speaker market with the Elie 6 and Elie 12 portable Bluetooth speakers.
The Elie 6 takes its design queues from a long line of Fender amplifiers with a clean rectangular shape. Fender brightens up the design with a single block of wood under the carrying handle.
Sonically, the Elie 6 has three drivers, one tweeter, one full-range and one woofer with a maximum output of 60 watts. The battery is rechargeable via USB-C and you can get 18 hours of playback from a charge. The battery can also charge your phone.
It can take input from any Bluetooth device, from XLR-quarter-inch input from things like a microphone or guitar and it can be used singly or paired with one or more other similar speakers (up to 100 speakers).
The Elie 6 would be very nice practice amp for guitar players and as a Bluetooth speaker, it can really fill a room with very clear sound.
Good sound does come with a bit of weight. The Elie 6 is portable but won't necessarily disappear into your backpack. It weighs 3.95 pounds.
It's IP54 water and dust resistant, meaning it can take a spash at the pool, but not heavy rain or a dunk in the water.
Soundcore Space 2 noise-canceling headphones ($129.99, soundcore.com)
The noise-canceling headphone market is crowded with brands like Bose, Sony and Apple.
Soundcore is the audio brand from Anker, a company known for great computer accessories.
The Space 2 are quite comfortable and there's a wearing detection sensor in the ear cups to pause the music when you take them off.
They recharge with USB-C and you can get up to 50 hours of music playback with noise-canceling on and 70 hours with noise-canceling turned off. In case the battery dies, you can charge them for five minutes and listen for four hours.
The noise-canceling is enabled with a single button (on/off) and it works really well. They also have a transparency mode that lets you hear what's going on around you.
The headphones' sound can be tweaked through the Soundcore app, and I was very pleased with the quality of the music playback. The app also has one-touch white noise playback.
They come in black, white and sea foam green, and they come with a case. They have the ability to connect to two devices for easy switching between your phone and computer.
The Space 2 has a three-microphone array for taking phone calls.
At a price about half of what you'd pay for noise-canceling headphones from Bose or Sony, the Space 2 are a bargain and do a great job.
Pisen Mag-Safe Qi 2 15W Car Mount Charger TP-C70 ($29.99, Amazon.com)
Everyone needs a phone mount, and if your phone has Qi wireless charging, the Pisen Mag-Safe Car Mount Charger is the just thing to keep the phone charged while keeping it within reach on your dash.
Mag-Safe is standard on iPhones, but if you have an Android phone, there is an included metal ring to place on your phone or inside the case.
The magnetic mount is strong, but you can pull your phone off easily with one hand.
The charger comes with a USB-C cable and can charge your phone at up to 15W. An iPhone 17 can charge from 0-75% in an hour.
It mounts with just a twist to your car's air conditioner vent in about 15 seconds.
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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 1:21 AM.