Graduation gifts that aren’t exactly cringe-inducing

Featured in this article

• A great laptop tote

  Troubadour

  Apex Everyday Tote

  The Troubadour Apex is our favorite laptop tote thanks to its lightweight, durable and tear-resistant fabric, which happens to be made from recycled plastic. There are plenty of organizational pockets, including dedicated spaces for laptops, water bottles, accessories, keys and your phone. There’s room for a 16-inch laptop and it’s backed by a 5-year warranty.

• An affordable, well-made backpack

  

  Courtesy of The North Face

  This North Face backpack is roomy, but not oversized, and can accommodate a laptop, jacket, snacks, water bottle, and a few other necessities. It is very light and breathable. The bungee cord on the back can be used to store shoes or jackets, and there are organizational pockets for items like your phone or wallet. It comes in dozens of color options, so there should be one that your giftee loves. We have more backpack recommendations here.

• Luxury helmet

  

  THE Sony WH-1000XM6 wireless headphones are the the best you can buy. They offer industry-leading noise reduction, 30 hours of battery life, multi-device pairing, and clear, stunning sound. They’re stylish and comfortable, with a foldable design and stylish case, and will last for years.

• An electric bike

  

  Electric bikes provide great mobility around your graduate’s new city and campus. The Trek FX+ 1 is our favorite. It is backed by a lifetime warranty, has an extremely easy to use charger and dedicated turn signal buttons. The range doesn’t quite reach the advertised 50 miles, but for a student who commutes to and from nearby locations and doesn’t want to rely on public transportation, this e-bike is worth considering. We have more recommendations in our Electric Bike Buying Guide.

• An electric scooter

  

  Photography: Julian Chokkattu

  If your recent graduate doesn’t know how to ride a bike, we also like electric scooters. THE Apollo Go is our first choice for most people because it offers an impeccable balance between price and features. It’s a bit heavy and doesn’t charge as quickly as we’d like, but the driving experience is just great. You can customize top speeds if the 28 mph top speed is too high, and there’s also solid LED lighting and turn signals.

• A Coffee Upgrade

  If your graduate loves their cup of coffee, treat them to a coffee upgrade. It’s our favorite machine suitable for beginners. It has a touch screen that is intuitive to navigate, as well as two non-pressurized baskets that let the machine know whether you are preparing an espresso or a coffee-based drink. Based on this information, it will then recommend the grind size based on the performance of the previous drink. It also has a built-in coffee scale that measures the right amount of coffee grounds. And to top it all off, there is an automatic steam wand for frothing milk and milk alternatives. —Brenda Stolyar

• A reliable electric kettle

  

  Beautiful by Drew Barrymore

  Electric kettle

  We recommend a electric kettle for tea lovers, although they can be useful to almost anyone, and it is one of our top picks. It has a double-walled insulated body, four preset programs (for oolong, white and green tea, as well as a boil button), as well as an automatic shut-off and a “keep warm” mode. It also looks really cute, with a matte finish available in adorable colors like cornflower blue and sage green. We also like that the touchscreen buttons only appear when the kettle is in use, making it very sleek and unobtrusive on counters when turned off. —Brenda Stolyar

• A coffee subscription

  Daily coffee runs can get expensive, especially for new grads living on that entry-level salary. Using a coffee subscription can make a difference. We love this one from Trade Coffee. You can personalize it according to their tastes and preferences via a questionnaire, and they can take notes on the coffees they like after trying them. The business also offers a huge selection, with over 400 coffees to choose from and more being added all the time. So there is always a lot of variety. Check out our Best Coffee Subscription Services guide to find out more. —Brenda Stolyar

• A proven suitcase

  

  THE Carry-on baggage outside is ideal for any traveler. It’s available in a wide range of colors, it’s lightweight, it looks good, and it works well. It has a built-in TSA approved lock and also comes with a laundry bag. Whether they’re going on spring break or just coming home for the holidays, this will come in handy.

• A smartwatch for iPhone owners

  Fancy analog watches are cool, but smartwatches are packed with features more useful than telling the time. THE Series 11 is the best Apple Watch for iPhone users. The battery finally lasts a full day and has a full suite of health tracking features, including blood oxygen levels, hypertension notifications, fall detection, and typical workouts and sleep. Personally, I didn’t think my Apple Watch would be of much use to me, and now I can’t imagine life without it.

• A smartwatch for Android owners

  • Photography: Julian Chokkattu

  • Photography: Julian Chokkattu

  • Photography: Julian Chokkattu

  • Photography: Julian Chokkattu

  If your graduate has a Android phonewe recommend Google’s Pixel Watch 4. We love the modern design and we love that it’s repairable. Performance is solid, the screen is easy on the eyes, and there are all the features your graduate could want, including fitness and sleep tracking and a long-lasting battery.

• Or a smart ring

  Smartwatches are great, but some people just don’t like the aesthetic of them. If your gift falls into this category, a smart ring is a great alternative, especially the Oura Ring 4. It is the first choice of our Guide to the best smart rings. Like a smart watch, it tracks your heart rate, activities, blood oxygen levels, body temperature and sleep. This model is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, with a wider size range and more durable finishes. It also comes with Oura’s Smart Sensing platform that continuously tracks your data throughout the day. —Brenda Stolyar

• Distraction-free reading

  Amazon

  Kindle Paperwhite (2024, 12th generation)

  Bookish graduates will appreciate the Kindle Paperwhite—our favorite Kindle. This model features a 7-inch screen, the highest contrast ratio of any Kindle (for sharp text and images), and up to three months of battery life. It is also the thinnest model to date. It is available in two versions: the standard and the Signature Edition. The Signature Edition comes with automatic brightness adjustment, wireless charging, and double the storage to 32 gigabytes. The standard version should be more than sufficient, but if your graduate listens to a lot of audiobooks, you may want to consider the latter. You can add fun Kindle accessories like a clear case and stickers or a cute pouch. —Brenda Stolyar

• A basic iPad

  • Photography: Brenda Stolyar

  • Photography: Brenda Stolyar

  The best thing about a tablet is its versatility. Most models can be used as a laptop, digital notebook, TV and game console at the same time. iPad 2025 is our favorite overall. It features a modern design with slim, uniform bezels around an 11-inch LCD screen, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a USB-C port, and a 12 MP selfie camera with 1080p video quality. Thanks to the A16 chip, it is also ideal for work and play. It can be used with a keyboard and mouse for basic tasks (with the option of also using it as a secondary display) or for watching TV and playing mobile games. He can’t stand Apple Intelligencebut it could be a godsend for some people. —Brenda Stolyar

• A setup for success

  Rotrunner

  Goal Planner

  This affordable paper planner features monthly and weekly pages, plus two blank pages per week, and it’s undated, meaning it will remain flexible if your graduate takes a break or needs more space. There are also checklist sections for each monthly and weekly section, perfect for chronic to-do lists.

• An adult wallet e

  • Photography: Louryn Strampe

  • Photography: Louryn Strampe

  Nothing says “adult” like a wallet that actually works. THE Ridge Wallet that’s it. It’s basically a metal sandwich for their cards. It’s durable, stylish, and comes in a ton of different fun designs. Ridge also backs it with a lifetime warranty. They’ll use this gift for decades, which is probably much longer than the countertop appliance you’re considering purchasing instead.

• For parties at home

  This Bluetooth speaker is a beast and a monster, with intensely loud sound and a 40-hour replaceable battery. Maybe your graduate is interested in music production, or maybe he enjoys organizing respectable gatherings of his peers for beer pong competitions and holiday parties. Either way, it would be a good gift.