If you’re like me, coming up with thoughtful gifts for Mother’s Day is a challenge. Whether you’re looking for something for your wife or mother, picking out the right tech gift means figuring out which product will fit best into their daily lives. Thankfully, I’ve got you covered, as I’ll go over some impressive gifts for the mom in your life from several price points, but also help you understand how they can best use them. Here are the five products I’d consider, and more than a few include fast shipping for last-minute buyers!
5
Ideal for multiple rooms of the home
Everything from showing a calendar to displaying the weather
The Amazon Echo Show 8 is a fantastic catch-all gift with several functions. The 3rd-gen Show features an 8-inch HD display, ideal for viewing from several feet away. It supports spatial audio for a better listening experience, and you can use it in different rooms with multiple uses for each. In the kitchen, the Echo Show is excellent for pulling up recipes and displaying helpful videos, but it’s also useful for taking hands-free calls. Who wants to dig their phone out of their pocket while cooking?
Of course, the Amazon Echo Show isn’t just useful for the kitchen. It can display a picture slideshow of important family moments and is great to display in a living room or bedroom. It’s handy on a nightstand, showing today’s forecast as she prepares for her day. An Echo Show is also a convenient way to control a smart home. Manage security cameras and lighting through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, with voice-activated commands making it easy. All told, the Echo Show is an excellent gift that’ll let mom decide how best to fit it into her life, all for around $150.
4
More than just keeping time
Stylish fitness tracking for mom
The Garmin Venu 3S doesn’t look like a traditional, bulky smartwatch. It’s stylish for Mom and available in various case colors and bands. Garmin makes some of the best fitness software, and the Venu 3S has multiple workout and health sensors. Mom will be able to track not only her pulse when you annoy her but also her blood oxygen level. The Venu 3S can also track abnormal heart rates to alert her to potential issues.
The Venu 3S is ideal because it’s relatively low-maintenance. Unlike other smartwatches, it lasts up to 10 days on a single charge, meaning she can track her sleep for several nights without worrying. Its vibrant 1.2-inch OLED display makes it easy to view outdoors, and Gorilla Glass 3 protection means the screen won’t break with minor bumps. It’ll take the mom in your life a long time to discover everything the Venu 3S can do, and it’s an excellent gift for Mother’s Day, even if it is on the pricey side.
3
Mom deserves a day in the sun reading
A Kindle is never a bad option
An Amazon Kindle is the gift that keeps on giving. Mom can add a Kindle Unlimited subscription to access bestsellers and thousands of other titles. The latest Kindle comes in a beautiful Macha color, ideal for having some fun with your e-reader. I love the higher contrast ratio of its 6-inch display, which makes the text feel like it’s jumping off the page. Battery life is also excellent on the Amazon Kindle, with Amazon claiming up to 6 weeks on a single charge. While it’s tough to test out that far, I don’t doubt the claim, and I’ve always had good luck with battery life on Amazon Kindle products.
With a Kindle, you aren’t limited to text. You can listen to your favorite audiobooks through Audible if you pair your favorite Bluetooth headphones with your Kindle. It’s a fantastic way to enjoy content while doing other things around the house or relaxing on vacation. The Amazon Kindle will show Mom you care while giving her plenty of content to read and listen to for years.
2
A user-friendly phone with excellent software support
It’s hard to beat a Pixel
If Mom needs a new smartphone, I recommend the Google Pixel 9a. It’s an outstanding smartphone for $500 and will meet several needs. It’s a more compact device, making it wonderful to hold in the hand. It features a 6.3-inch Actua OLED display refreshing at 120Hz. It may not be the Super Actua displays seen on the more expensive Pixel 9 Pro models, but the Actua display does the job with vibrant colors and 2,700 nits max brightness — I have no issues viewing my Pixel 9a outdoors.
The Pixel 9a runs well, thanks to its Tensor G4 chipset and 8GB of RAM. Mom will enjoy smooth performance in most apps and light gaming. She’ll also see why the Pixel 9a has the best battery life of any Pixel device I’ve used in years, with its 5,100mAh battery providing two days of use on a single charge.
The Pixel 9a cameras punch above their weight for a device costing only $500, and Google’s promise of 7 years of software updates means Mom won’t have to worry about picking up another phone anytime soon. The Pixel 9a is a fantastic, user-friendly choice that makes for a great gift.
1
Sometimes you need color
Kobo has an inexpensive option
As much as I love the Amazon Kindle, it’s good to have a color option for magazine and book content. Color E ink displays are typically more expensive, but the Kobo Clara Colour delivers a quality color e-reader experience for less. For $150, you get a 6-inch display in a compact form factor that is IPX8-rated for water resistance, making the Clara Colour ideal for reading poolside. I had the pleasure of reviewing the Clara Colour, and I mentioned it was the e-reader I’d be bringing with me on vacation this summer, and I meant it. I like that the color display allows me to highlight content in different hues, and the color panel makes book covers and photos embedded in the text come alive.
Like the Kindle, the Kobo Clara Colour allows audiobook playback with Bluetooth headphones. While I wouldn’t compare the Kobo store to Amazon’s selection, there are plenty of popular titles. You can also use your local library card to sign up for OverDrive on the device, giving you access to even more reading material. The Clara Colour is an excellent, affordable alternative to the Amazon Kindle if you need a color display for less.
Plenty of great tech options for Mom
You could always get your mother some flowers, but they’ll be gone in a week, while an Amazon Kindle will last her years. It’s not necessarily what you spend, but the thought that goes into the gift that the mother in your life will thank you for. If you don’t think a Google Pixel 9a is the best choice, there are other excellent midrange and budget phones to choose from. Whichever gift you choose, remember that Sunday is Mother’s Day, so you’ll want to make sure to leave time for shipping!
