- The top tech gifts for Mom are those that upgrade her life in fun and simple ways.
- We’ve found some of the best tech gifts for moms that are just too hard to resist.
- Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Read up on all our Gift Guides for more shopping ideas.
- Also, if tech won’t do the trick, we’ve got gift ideas for Mom as well as gift ideas for new parents.
Editor’s note: It’s likely that many families will be spending Mother’s Day apart this year due to the impact of coronavirus. Nothing takes the place of time spent together, but if you’re looking to send a gift to Mom in lieu of a visit, we hope this list will help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
Moms – parents in general, really – have generally been derided as Luddites or tech-illiterate, but as tech grows more mainstream every day, that’s no longer the case (if it ever even was). Regardless of whether the mom in your life is tech-savvy, surely she can benefit from one or more of the tech gifts we’ve dug up specifically for moms.
Whether she’s a total bookworm, a fitness nut, or a new mother who wants the best for her kid, we’ve found at least one excellent tech gift for her.
The 5 best tech gifts for mom:
- A simple watch with smarts
- A smart display for pictures, video, and more
- A smart mug that keeps drinks hot
- A simple fitness tracker
- A water-resistant ebook reader
A fun grip for her phone
Shop all PopSockets grips for $10 and up
Tech products can look and feel generic until we put our stamp on them, and PopSocket grips are a great way to add personality to a boring phone or case. PopSockets has hundreds, if not thousands, of fun phone grips in all kinds of materials, colors, and patterns. No matter what your mom likes, you're sure to find a style that will match her taste and personality.
In addition to looking super cute, PopSocket grips make it easier to hold a large phone comfortably, give a better grip, and also double as a kickstand for watching video or sharing photos with others. These grips are among the best iPhone accessories I've tried.
A piece of smart jewelry
Bellabeat Leaf Urban and Leaf Chakra, available at Amazon, from $128.66
If your mom cares more about style than high-tech features, but she still wants a piece of tech to track her activity, she may love a piece of smart jewelry. Bellabeat makes our favorite smart jewelry - hands down. Both the Leaf Urban and the Chakra are lovely pieces of smart jewelry that can be worn as pendants on a necklace or as a clip on clothing. If your mom prefers bracelets, the Leaf Urban can also be worn as a bracelet.
For moms who like a bit of sparkle, Bellabeat also has a version of the Leaf with Swarovski crystals on it for $199.
Both models track activity and sleep quality. Your mom can also use the app to keep tabs on how much water she drinks, her period, and her mindfulness minutes. The app even has a cool meditation feature to give your mom a few minutes of tranquility each day.
A Tile Bluetooth tracker for everything
Tile Mate and Tile Slim Bundle, available at Tile, $49.99
Moms have lots of things to keep track of in their lives, and it can be easy to, you know, lose track. This is when Tile Bluetooth trackers are handy. Mom can throw one of these on her keys or in her wallet, so that she never has to go scrambling for one of those things when it's time for work or an appointment.
A beautiful wireless charger
Courant wireless chargers, available at Courant, $64 to $140
Courant has a wide range of leather-clad wireless chargers and wireless charging battery packs that are as beautiful as they are useful. Mom can charge her phone, AirPods, and other gadgets with wireless charging on these pads quickly and easily. We really love the catch-all that also has a space for her wallet, keys, jewelry, and other small items. We've used Courant's chargers in our own homes and office, and they are reliable, easy to use, and super attractive to look at.
A hydroponic garden
AeroGarden Harvest, available at Walmart, $144.46
Who doesn't love fresh herbs, tomatoes, and produce? AeroGraden's easy-to-use hydroponic gardens make a great gift for moms who want to grow some fresh food indoors. The Harvest has LED lights that turn on and off each day automatically to ensure that the included seed pods get all the light they need to grow. The device also alerts you when it's time to add fresh water or plant food, making it super easy to grow herbs or produce at home. Moms can grow fresh herbs, tomatoes, lettuce, and more. We've tried it to great success!
A pair of blue-light-blocking glasses
Shop all glasses at Felix Gray for $95 and up
These days, we all spend a lot of time looking at screens that display harsh blue light, which can lead to eye strain and disrupted sleep patterns. Luckily, Felix Gray makes incredible blue-light-blocking glasses for people who don't need glasses at all, as well as those who need reading or prescription glasses.
The company uses special lenses that filter out blue light. Its regular pairs look like normal glasses without any visible yellow tint, but the special sleep glasses have a yellow cast to their lenses. However, they block even more blue light, making them ideal for nighttime reading. We've tried Felix Gray's glasses and we love them - we think Mom will, too.
A mobile printer for her phone
HP Sprocket, available at Amazon, $129.85
Most moms today are shutterbugs who love to take photos, and most shutterbugs also want to print their photos. In the age of smartphone photography, a mobile printer that prints photos directly from a phone is a great gift. HP's Sprocket is the best one you can buy, because it's easy to use, not too expensive, and produces nice prints.
A cool device to turn old photo negatives and slides into digital photos
Kodak Mobile Film Scanner, available at B&H Photo and Amazon, $40
If your mom is anything like mine, she's got tons of old photos, negatives, and slides lying around from the days of physical photography. You can help her digitize her old negatives and slides with this nifty device from Kodak. Using her phone's camera and an app, she can capture the images stored on negatives and slides and get them onto her phone as normal digital pictures.
A customizable phone case
Casetify Custom Case, available at Casetify, $65
Casetify's easy to use tool lets you turn your mom's favorite photos into a custom iPhone case. Talk about a customizable gift with practical use.
A smart picture frame
Aura Smart Picture Frame, available at B&H Photo and Amazon, from $299
Moms love nothing more than looking at pictures of their children. The Aura smart picture frame lets you send Mom new photos to look at all the time.
An Amazon Echo Show for video calls
Amazon Echo Show 5, available on Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, $79.99
If your mom or mother-in-law doesn't own a smartphone, that makes getting "face time" with her grandkids rather difficult. Luckily, Amazon's smart displays offer a video calling function, bringing that function into their home cheaply and easily.
One of the best smartwatches to date
Apple Watch Series 5, available at Apple, $399
Kate Spade Scallop 2, available at Kate Spade, $295
Some moms are total tech geeks, and there's nothing more appealing to a geek than a nice looking smartwatch. If Mom is an iPhone user, get her an Apple Watch. If she's on Android, you have a lot more choices. We really like the Kate Spade Scallop 2 watch, but you can check out all our favorites here. Both will buzz with notifications, track activity, and more.
A watch that looks like a traditional timepiece, but has a lot of smarts
Withings Steel HR, available at Amazon and Withings for $179.95
If your mom isn't crazy about smartwatches with screens, but she still wants a watch that has some smart features, she'll love the Withings Steel HR. It looks like a normal watch, but it has a heart rate monitor and other sensors to track activity and sleep. The Steel HR also buzzes with notifications from select apps. The watch has a tiny screen at 12 o'clock, so when she presses the button on the side, she can see the date, time, her metrics, and incoming notifications.
A smart mug that keeps her drink the perfect temperature
Ember Mug 2, available at Bed Bath & Beyond, $129.99
Not all tech has to be super techy. Ember's smart mug is a great gift for moms who love to drink piping hot tea, coffee, or other hot drinks. The ceramic mug syncs with an app on her phone to show how much she has drunk from the mug and also the preferred temperature of her drinks. The mug comes with a coaster that can reheat her drink and keep it at the optimal temperature. We tired this mug and we loved it.
A smart speaker with a screen that will show her favorite photos
Google Nest Hub, available at Walmart, $99
Although a smart speaker may sound like a super techy gift, it's actually a very intuitive and easy-to-use product. The Google Nest Hub doubles as a smart speaker and a smart display to show Mom the weather, her calendar, her commute, her favorite photos, or any number of videos on YouTube with a simple voice command. She can also ask the Google assistant any questions that pop into her head. It's one of our favorite smart displays.
A long charging cable for her phone
Lightning Native Union Night Cable, available at Amazon, $39.99
USB-C Native Union Night Cable, available at Amazon, $34.99
One of the most frustrating things is losing your only charging cable for your phone. Everyone can use an extra charging cable, and having a long one like Native Union's Night Cable is a great idea. The cable is 10-feet long, so Mom won't have to struggle with a short cable anymore. It also has a weighted knot that can be moved up and down the cable to provide enough ballast to keep the cable and the phone it's charging in place.
A simple security camera
Logitech Circle 2 (wired version), available at Logitech and Amazon, $120 to $180
Logitech Circle 2 (wireless version), available at Logitech and Amazon, $120 to $200
Although we may joke that Mom's got eyes in the back of her head, she can't very well see her home if she's not inside it. That's where a security camera comes into play. Logitech's Circle 2 is easy to use and it monitors all activity that happens in Mom's house when she's out and about. She'll get alerts when motion is detected, she can check in on things to see a live feed in the app on her phone, and she can even talk to whoever is in the house be it the family dog, cat, a known person, or an intruder. You can get it in either a wired or wireless version.
An excellent ebook reader
Kindle Paperwhite, available at Best Buy and Amazon, $129.99
Although some people swear they'll never love an ebook reader because they're die-hard print fans, no one should knock the ebook until they've tried it. If Mom loves reading, but hates holding heavy hardcovers or travels a lot, an ebook reader is a great gift for her. The Kindle Paperwhite is the best ebook reader for most people's needs and budgets. It can hold thousands of ebooks, it's waterproof, and it's fairly affordable.
A robot vacuum cleaner
iRobot Roomba 690, available at Amazon, $349.99
Although everyone will tell you not to buy your mom an appliance for any holiday, a robot vacuum cleaner is one she'll love because it'll do the cleaning for her. We've tested a lot of robot vacuums, and although the iRobot Roomba 690 is a few years old and not the most high-end model, it works extremely well. It can clean rooms on its own, it avoids obstacles, and it goes back to its charging base when it's done. You can also check out more options in our buying guide to robot vacuums. Cleaning without any effort on Mom's part is priceless.
A smart baby monitor
Nanit Plus Smart Baby Monitor, available at Buy Buy Baby and Amazon, $299.99
If you're shopping for a new mom, there is an endless selection of baby products you can get her and her baby. One of the most high-tech and pricey purchases for new parents is a nice video baby monitor.
The Nanit Plus Smart Baby Monitor is one of our favorites because it's a system that learns a baby's movement patterns and sleep trends and lets the parents know when things seem off. It gives Mom and Dad a nice birds-eye view of the baby in its crib, so both parents can see the baby clearly in the app.
A hybrid smartwatch
Fossil Charter HR, available at Fossil, $195
If Mom doesn't like smartwatches, but she still wants to feel connected to her phone, a smart hybrid watch is a great gift to give.
The Fossil Charter HR looks like a normal analog watch, but it has a black and white screen that shows you notifications and stats as well as the time. The watch can buzz with notifications, adjust to different time zones, control music, track fitness, and wake her up with a vibrating alarm. It also has a heart rate monitor to better track her workouts.
A slim fitness tracker
Fitbit Inspire HR, available at Walmart and Amazon, $99.95
If she wants to stay fit or get fit, the Fitbit Inspire HR tracker is a great option. It's a simple fitness-focused tracker with an easy-to-use app that makes it fun for Mom to see her activity goals and workout metrics.
A pair of wireless earbuds that just work
Apple Airpods, available at Walmart and Amazon, $139
The problem with most wireless headphones is that they're hard to use: Bluetooth pairing is a pain, they disconnect from the phone, or they have too many controls. Apple's AirPods are the easiest wireless earbuds to use, making them perfect for moms (and their tech support staff - i.e. their kids) everywhere.
A nifty handbag light
Wasserstein Handbag Light 1-pack, available at Amazon, $23
Mom's purse is a cluttered abyss that's piled with receipts, tchotchkes, keys - you name it. Make her search easier with this motion-activated light, which can be conveniently clipped on the inside of her bag.
A bluetooth shower speaker
SoundBot Water Proof Bluetooth Speaker, available at Amazon, from $15
To the family, she's super-mom - but behind the scenes, she's an enterprising singer who belts out showtunes in the shower (even with a meager vocal range). It's a fruitful endeavor that assuages her day-to-day stress.
The least you can do is get her this hassle-free, waterproof speaker that's compatible with all Bluetooth devices. Post-shower, she'll feel zen enough to opt for McDonald's drive-thru over last night's leftovers; and the entire household will feel grateful.
