10 Tech Essentials Everyone Should Have

In the tech world, we have a wealth of options at our disposal. Brick and mortar and online stores are littered with neat but useless tech devices that will likely end up in a closet or a drawer. Before you find yourself in the position and throw your money away on useless tech, make sure you have a nice spread of essential tech items that will last you a long time and are well worth the investment.

Smartwatch or Fitness tracker

Years ago, wearable technology was expected to be the wave of the future. It wasn’t. Smartwatches are essentially glorified notification checkers that simply let you know if you need to pull your phone out of your pocket. That said, be it FitBit, Wear OS, Samsung Tizen, or the Apple Watch, wearable technology found its primary purpose with fitness tracking. Sure, you can do more with most smartwatches today, but you’ll end up finding more value within such a device if you’re looking for a fitness tracker first and have everything else be a bonus.

A decent pair of wired headphones

While wired headphones aren’t going to be winning any innovation awards, it’s important to have a decent pair. Why? Because one day you’ll forget to charge your wireless headphones when you’re about to run out the door and, well.. That’s the wireless trade-off. Having a decent back up on hand will alleviate this first-world problem. Just don’t forget to either get headphones with the appropriate connection port or be a part of that dongle life.

A solid pair of wireless noise-canceling headphones

Whether you’re just a tech geek or love to disassociate, investing in a quality pair noise-canceling headphones is well worth it. Best of all, you really don’t have to spend a ton of money to find a good pair, but the best of the best do tend to get pricey.

A Portable Charger

While it’s hardly a flashy purchase, a portable charger can save you in some sticky situations when you’re left with on a few % left on your phone’s battery. The lower-end options are about a dime a dozen, so moving up the ladder in pricing is well worth it, as you’ll get not only a larger battery capacity but also more features like multiple ports and fast charging.

Tile Mate

This may not make it to all “essentials” lists but when you really need it, the Tile Mate easily becomes a hero. Whether you’re searching for your keys, phone, wallet, or anything else that you may have misplaced, it’s never gone for too long (unless, you know, it’s you really lost it.) with the Tile Mate.

A 4K TV

Most of the essentials on the list cover portable devices that you can take with you on the go, but now on to some at-home staples, starting with the most obvious: the TV. The centerpiece of any entertainment room in a home, it’s not hard to find great deals on fantastic TVs.

The best thing about purchasing a TV today is that you’ll find a great selection for size and pricing. Also, make sure your TV is a 4K one. It just doesn’t make sense to purchase a TV with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 — and god forbid lower. 4K is the new standard of video, even if the content is still a bit hard to come by. With 8K TVs around the corner, it’s time to join the 4K fold.

Gaming Console

A sure fire way to get the most out of your new 4K TV is to find an appropriate gaming system for it. Even if you’re not a hardcore gamer, modern consoles do much more than play games and feature several multimedia features that make them entertainment powerhouses. Some, like the Xbox One X even come with a built-in 4K Blu-Ray Player.

A Killer Router

To ensure that your 4K TV and Game Console are living their best lives, you should have a respectable wireless router to power your online home network. They’ve come a long way and can do several things, but ultimately, it really comes down to speed. Expect to pay a pretty penny for the best of the best, but don’t expect to run into troubles with it for a long time.