If you are stuck for ideas for Christmas gifts this year and looking for something more exciting than socks, here are some gadgets that might be just the ticket.

From folding phones, headphones and VR headsets to smart speakers and eco-friendly phone cases, all of these great gadgets are excellent, built to last and won’t end up languishing in a drawer or, worse, the bin.

Fairphone 4 smartphone

The Fairphone 4 is a modern 5G Android phone that is ethically produced and repairable at home. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

RRP: £499

The most ethical, repairable smartphone you can buy someone has had a big upgrade for 2021 and has a more modern design, 5G and faster chips. The Fairphone 4 is built to last, with software support until 2027 and a five-year warranty.

It still contains plenty of recycled and ethically sourced materials, has modular parts you can replace yourself with just one small screwdriver, and a removable battery, which is good for about two days.

The camera is still a work in progress, there’s no headphone jack and it isn’t the fastest smartphone you can get but it does the job with little fuss. Fairphone will recycle an equivalent device for each unit sold, making the phone e-waste neutral, too. You are paying about £200 more than for a comparable phone from the company’s rivals but that helps pay the factory workers who make the Fairphone a real living wage.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 smartphone

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 has one long screen that folds in half like a makeup compact. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

RRP: £949 – deals from £799

Not only is the Z Flip 3 a cutting-edge piece of technology but it’s a great phone to boot. Samsung’s reinvention of the flip phone puts a 6.7in flexible screen in the centre of a classic clamshell design, giving it the best of both worlds: a big, luscious screen to rival superphones and a compact size, which means you can actually fit it in your pocket when folded up.

Good cameras, top performance and good software with at least four years of updates, plus water resistance mean you are not losing anything compared with normal phones that cost just as much. Plus, there is something very satisfying about closing the phone to hang up on a call.

If you need an even bigger display, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 puts a folding tablet screen in your pocket, too.

Apple iPad (9th gen) tablet

The 10.2in iPad is all the tablet most need for watching TV, browsing the web and viewing photos. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

RRP: £319

When it comes to a tablet for watching TV, playing games and reading the Guardian, Apple’s basic iPad is the best option for most people. The recycled aluminium body is solid, the 10.2in screen is …….

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/nov/27/christmas-gifts-best-tech-gadgets-smartphones-tablets