If you’re looking to shop for the Google lovers in your life, time is running out if you want to receive items by Christmas. Thankfully, the Google Store is offering free overnight shipping until December 22nd, and Amazon Prime members of course have the option to go with free 2-day shipping on a huge number of items. We’ve compiled a list of the best of the best products from the gift guides that we’ve put together over the last months or so, and all of these items — should you order them within a day or two of this publishing — should make it to your doorstep in time for Christmas…
9to5Google Gift Guides: Stephen, Abner, and Cam’s favorite Chrome and Android-powered products
- 9to5Google Gift Guide: Great Android phones at Black Friday prices
- 9to5Google Gift Guide: The best Chromebooks for everyone
- 9to5Google Gift Guide: These are the best Android wearables
- 9to5Google Gift Guide: Novelty swag presents for the ultimate Android fan in your life
Nexus 6P – from $450 (Reg. $500)
If you want the pure Google experience on your phone, the Nexus 6P is the device you want to buy. Two Nexus devices launched this year, the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P, and the latter has been the one much better received. The 6P has a 5.7-inch QHD resolution AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, 3 GB RAM. and a large 3,450 mAh battery inside for a full day’s use. The phone also has NFC and a fingerprint sensor by the name of Nexus Imprint, which can recognize fingerprints in less than 600ms. To round it off, the Nexus 6P has USB Type-C, which future-proofs the phone.
You can get the Nexus 6P from the Google Store for $450.
Samsung Galaxy S6 – from $488 (Reg. $500+)
If you’re a big fan of Samsung’s products, the Samsung Galaxy S6 gets you the best of the company’s 2015 offerings for the best price. The S6 is the first of Samsung’s flagships to bring a premium metal design, and prices have steeply dropped since the phone launched earlier this year. On the front side there’s a 5.1-inch QHD display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440, and a 5-megapixel camera with an f/1.9 aperture. Around the back, we have a 16-megapixel camera, LED flash and heart rate sensor.
You can grab the Galaxy S6 from about $488 on Amazon.
Moto X Pure Edition – from $400
If you’re familiar with last year’s Nexus 6, you’ll find that the Moto X Pure Edition is very similar. While the phone has a slightly smaller screen and an arguably higher-quality build, it similarly has a “pure” Android experience that is very lightly modified by Motorola. Moto X Pure Edition has a 5.7-inch Quad HD display and the Snapdragon 808 running at 1.8 GHz, 3 GB of RAM, and 4G LTE connectivity. The phone has a 21-megapixel main camera with 4K video capture, dual-tone flash, and a 5-megapixel front cam. One of the biggest upsides of the Moto X is that you can customize it yourself in the Moto Maker.
You can get the Moto X Pure Edition from Motorola’s site starting at $400.
ASUS Chromebook Flip – from $200 (Reg. $220)
If you’re not looking to spend anything close to $400, there are still some competitive options around. One of our own Cam Bunton’s favorites — which made it to his personal gift guide, and his roundup of best Chromebooks — is the portable Chromebook Flip from ASUS. It sports a solid hinge which rotates 360-degrees allowing you to use it as a (although not practical) Chrome-based tablet. The laptop has a 10.1-inch screen, a gently curved metal body, and a small keyboard. Overall, the Chromebook Flip is great value for money.
You can get a model equipped with 2GB RAM for $200 or pay $30 more and grab the 4GB model.
Huawei Watch – from $300 (Reg. $350)
My favorite watch — at least in the realm of Android Wear — is the Huawei Watch. The Moto 360 (2nd gen.) is a close second in my eyes, but I would definitely go with the Huawei Watch if money isn’t a factor. The device sports a look that’s classy and unique, and — sadly, for some — a price point to match. The watch doesn’t have the infamous “flat tire” of the Moto 360, and comes in many different tiers — some upwards of $800. The device has a 1.4-inch screen covered by sapphire crystal, powered by a 300 mAh battery, 1.2Ghz Snapdragon 400 processor, and 512 MB of RAM.
You can get the Huawei Watch from Amazon starting at $300.
Samsung Gear Live – from $90 (Reg. $150+)
The Samsung Gear Live is definitely an oldey (it launched with the LG G Watch with the first batch of Android Wear devices), but it’s also a goody. If you’re on even more of a budget than the $150 ASUS ZenWatch 2, the Samsung Gear Live is arguably the best option. Just like the ASUS ZenWatch 2, it’s not the prettiest watch ever — but it will give you everything you need to get started with Android Wear.
You can get the Gear Live for $90 from eBay, and prices around the same amount can be found from other retailers as well.
Samsung Gear S2 – from $250
If you want to go with something a bit more unique, Samsung’s Gear S2 with a 40mm casing and slick form-factor might be the watch you’re looking for. Unlike the previous two offerings, this watch runs a completely customized build of Android rather than Google’s pre-baked Android Wear OS. This can be an upside of a downside depending on who you’re gifting this to, but this is sure to be a hit either way.
This watch lets you control the user interface by spinning the bezel around the face, which provides a unique experience that can’t be found with any other watch. The Gear S2 is made of 316L stainless steel, and inside you’ll find a 1.0 GHz dual-core processor, 4 GB of flash storage, 512 MB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.1 and WiFi support, NFC, and Samsung even offers a model with 3G.
The modern looking “Dark Gray” model can be had from Amazon for as little as $250 at the time of this writing, with the silver model going for $250 and the classier “Classic” model at a premium of $300.
Chromecast 2nd gen. – $35, or two for $55
I’m a big fan of the Chromecast — it has become one of the most used devices in my household, actually. And while it is no Apple TV or Nexus Player, the recently-released Chromecast 2nd gen. is one of the best stocking stuffers you can buy. The Chromecast allows you to tap a single button on your phone, tablet, or laptop, and stream many kinds of content straight to your TV. They’re super cheap at $35 and come in three colors (and they’re super small), so I can’t really think of any reason not to get one for… everyone you know.
You can grab the Chromecast 2nd gen. from the Google Store for $35.
Flash Drive – from $6
While flash drive are becoming less needed in the age of cloud storage and ubiquitous internet connections, it’s obvious that every Android fanboy needs a thumb drive that looks like a green robot. There are tons of different designs to pick from at various retail outlets across the web, but you can pick up a 4 GB officially-branded one from Google for $21.25, or buy a less official 8GB one on eBay for $6 (which is notably the far better deal, so long as it lasts).
Google Now mug – $9
Google’s own merchandise shop offers tons of Google-branded goodies. There are Google-, Chrome-, and Android-branded accessories, drinkware, knick-knacks, and clothes, but not many are as awesome as the Google Now Skyline Mug. It has a colorful image of San Francisco’s skyline wrapped around the outside of the 14oz mug, and it’s microwave and dishwasher safe. For a deeper look at great novelty swag presents for the Android fanboys in your life, head over to Cam’s wonderful guide.
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