Remember when the most high-tech thing in dorm rooms were mini-fridges and graphing calculators? Gone are the days of flip-phones and Jurassic-sized laptops — today’s freshman have grown up in the digital age, and technology available to them comes in too many forms to mention. So, if it’s time for your favorite student to head to college for the first time, you’re going to want to stock up on some tech essentials.
We know; it’s a little overwhelming. Where do you even start? Once you’ve got all the standard bases covered (think sheets, textbooks, office supplies, etc.), you’ll likely find yourself falling down the rabbit hole of tech options online. It’s easy to feel lost! And you’ve already got enough on your plate, with pushing your little bird out of the nest. Which is precisely why we put together a quick and easy highlight reel of some of the hottest tech essentials out there.
Peruse the list, and prepare to add items to your kid’s college shopping cart.
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Withings Move Watch
Not interested in dropping several hundred dollars on an Apple watch? Wrap up a Withings Move for your college student, and you’ll get the same pros without the con of a hefty price tag. They’ll be able to monitor their activity and sleep, and it even has a GPS tracker. Bonus? The battery lasts for 18 months without needing to be changed!
Withings Move activity and sleep watch, $69.95 Withings
Dell XPS 13
This sleek and slim laptop has all the power your student needs to churn out papers, chat with mom and dad via webcam and even binge the latest Netflix series (after their homework is done, of course).
Dell XPS 13, $999+ at Dell
TaoTronics LED Desk Lamp
Sure, you could just send your college newbie to school with any old lamp. However, this one is a college student’s dream. It has four lights with five custom levels of brightness for work, study, reading or relaxing — not to mention a one hour auto-off timer so it won’t keep their roomie up if they accidentally fall asleep with it on.
TaoTronics LED desk lamp, $29.99 at Amazon
Wireless Charging Stand
Cords are so 2018. Let your kiddos charge their smartphone on this little device without having to plug into any wires. They can even charge up horizontally or vertically.
Wireless charging stand, $49.99 at T-Mobile
Fujifilm Instax Printer
Okay, okay, so this isn’t exactly an essential. Still, your freshman is going to want to decorate their dorm and photos are a cheap and easy way to do so. If you look at it that way, this discreet instant photo printer from Fujifilm really is a must-have.
Fujifilm Instax Share SP-2 mobile photo printer, $88.90 at Amazon
Lenovo Smart Clock
WiFi connectivity and Google Assistant integration mean your freshman won’t ever miss a lecture or study hall… if they don’t want to. Your college newbie can use voice commands to do everything from check their schedule to wake up listening to their favorite songs.
Lenovo Smart Clock in gray, $79.99 at Best Buy
XDesign Laptop Backpack
This backpack pretty much has it all. It looks good, it’s waterproof, it boasts an anti-theft design, and it is tech-friendly — in addition to a padded laptop pocket, the backpack features a headphone jack and built-in USB port.
XDesign laptop backpack, $19.99 at Amazon
Apple iPad
You know that money you saved from not splurging on the Apple watch? Use it to get your freshman an Apple iPad. At under $300, it’s a steal for everything it offers. It’s powerful, intuitive, multitasking — it can do practically anything a computer can do in a conveniently portable and lightweight size.
Apple iPad, $249 at Amazon
Apple iPad Pro Smart Keyboard Folio
Add this to that Apple iPad you just bought and your new student will have the ultimate note-taking companion.
Apple iPad keyboard, $199 at T-Mobile
Cowin E7 Noise-Cancelling Headphones
There are a whole lot of noise-cancelling headphones on the market, and most will set you back a pretty penny. But Cowin’s are less than $60 and have over 12,000 positive reviews on Amazon — perfect for helping your freshman focus in noisy study dorms. Bonus? They come in six colors.
Cowin E7 noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones, $59.99 at Amazon
Roku Premiere
The Roku Premiere streaming player is cheap enough that you won’t mind sending it to college with your kid, but quality enough that you won’t worry about having to replace it every two months either. During their downtime, your freshman will be able to catch up on their favorite TV shows and movies — and they’ll love you for it.
Roku HD/4K/HDR streaming media player, $39 at Amazon
Rocketbook Smart Notebook
Kids these days — what advantages they have, eh? While this sounds like something our generation would have seen on The Jetsons, this smart notebook can be used to take notes like a typical notebook… but allows you to blast the notes to cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox. Study guides have never been easier!
Rocketbook Everlast smart reusable notebook, $31.99 at Amazon
Tile Pro
College students are notorious for misplacing things — phones, books, notes, homework. You know the drill. But at least if you send them to university with Tile Pro squares, they’re more likely to be able to find the things they lose along the way.
Tile Pro with replaceable battery, $48.38 at Amazon
Soundcore Flare Speaker
Sure, you don’t want your kid blaring music in their dorm at all hours. But plenty of studies prove music can be a good motivator! They’ll love the 360-degree sound, the fact that it’s waterproof and the fun built-in LED lights you can customize via a mobile app.
Soundcore Flare portable Bluetooth speaker, $99.99 at Amazon
Mophie Powerstation
There’s no denying the fact we live in a digital age — there’s a tech product for just about everything, which means your college kid is going to need juice on the go. The Mophie powerstation PD XL is a sleek battery pack capable of fast-charging smartphones and other gadgets. In fact, it has enough juice to charge most smartphones twice and still have energy for more.
Mophie powerstation, $79.95 at Mophie
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