Mother’s Day is almost upon us, and with it the chance to acknowledge your mum, a parent, or other motherly figure in your life with a nice breakfast or a gift or something. Mother’s Day means different things to different families, but if you wish to express your affection with a gift, here is a list of ideas to suit all budgets, and mothers of most tech-enjoying varieties.
Free
The cost of living is ridiculous right now, and good gifts don’t have to cost anything. One good, free gift is designing coupons using Canva. I usually make coupons for tech support sessions, but also coupons to do her laundry, clean the gutters or do another of her chores can also be nice.
Under $50
Game Library Subscription – From $10
For gamer mums, a subscription voucher for Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus could be very appreciated. Women over 60 is one of the fastest-growing gamer demographics, according to the IGEA Digital Australia report, so maybe your mum wants in on the action.
Other subscriptions – From $7.99
Other good subscription-based gifts include Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Netflix, Stan, Binge, or any other streaming service you think she’d enjoy. Thinking outside the box, BritBox and Acorn are streaming services with content tailored specifically for a certain type of mum who enjoys murder shows set in quaint English villages.
TP-Link Tapo Mini Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring (2 Pack) – $49
Is your mum wanting to get into the smart home thing? Smart plugs with energy monitoring are a great place to start. She can use them to turn on the electric blanket from the living room so her bed is all toasty when she gets in (without having to leave the warmth of the couch until the last possible minute), and also monitor the electricity use of an appliance she might be concerned about. These are also great for mums with anxiety about whether they left the iron on or something, because she can always check that it’s off from her phone any time she gets concerned.
- Remote Control – Instantly turn connected devices on/off wherever you are through the Tapo app
- Schedule – Preset a schedule to automatically manage devices
- Timer – Create countdown timer lists for connected electronics
- Energy Monitoring – Monitor real-time power consumption and energy spend via the Tapo App
- TP-Link - World's No. 1 Provider of WLAN Products within last 13 years. Leading support - Industry leading 2-year warranty and 24/7 technical support
Under $100
Quad Lock Phone Case and mount – From $69.95 for both case and mount
This is a great gift for mums who drive, ride or cycle. The Quad Lock system is easy to use, and really secure, so as long as you have the mount firmly attached to her car/bike/motorcycle, then her phone will remain safely connected so she can get directions and other handy info.
| Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Quad Lock Case for iPhone 14 Pro Max | $ 34.95 | Buy on Amazon |
|
Quad Lock Car Mount | $ 59.95 | Buy on Amazon |
|
Quad Lock Out Front Bike Mount for iPhone and Samsung Galaxy Phones | $ 49.95 | Buy on Amazon |
Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip – From $69.99
If your mum is a bit of a collector, then this smart light strip will help highlight a shelf, wall or cupboard. It can be controlled using smart assistants, and she can change the colour in the app to suit her mood. It’s easy to set up and use, and looks fun.
Satechi Dock 5 Multi-Device Charging Station – $99
This isn’t as exciting as a smart light trip, but if your mum has a tablet, e-reader and phone (and perhaps a partner who also has similar devices), then this handy multi-charger will keep everything organised. It’s even got a wireless charger built in for AirPods or other devices that don’t fit in the little rack.
Under $250
Apple TV 4K – From $219
This is for the mum who has an Phone and who is already in the Apple ecosystem, but doesn’t yet have a smart TV. Or perhaps her smart TV is getting a bit old and isn’t compatible with all her streaming services. An Apple TV is a great way to make her TV smart, make it easier for her to watch all her shows, and even play some games on Apple Arcade, if that’s her thing. The new Siri remote is much, much easier to use than the old black one, and it’s a familiar UI if she’s used to iPhone/iPad.
- 4K Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for vivid picture quality
- Dolby Atmos for three-dimensional, cinema-like sound
- Incredible power with the A15 Bionic chip
- Siri Remote brings precise control with a touch-enabled clickpad
- Apple Original shows and movies from Apple TV+
Logitech MX Master 3S Mouse – $169
Does your mum spend a lot of time on her computer for either work or play? Then an ergonomic mouse could be a really nice, practical gift. It might lack some of the pizzazz of a flashy gadget, but increased comfort and less cramping is something that will make her think fondly of you every time she uses it. Really, all of the Logitech MX range is great, and there are a lot of different kinds of mice that will suit different hands, but the MX Master 3S Mouse is the one I use, and it’s made a huge difference for my comfort. The 3S is for people with hands on the larger side, so if your mum has smaller hands, the Logitech Lift mouse ($129) might be a better choice.
Sennheiser IE200 – $239
Is your mum a budding audiophile or into listening with wired headphones? These in-ear monitors are a great entry point to audiophile listening. They are wired headphones, so she’ll likely need an adapter for her phone (or, better yet, a proper DAC like the Khadas Tea, which is the one I use). But being wired means she’ll get a much more detailed and rich sound.
Under $500
AirPods Pro Gen 2 – $399
If your mum has an iPhone, enjoys convenience, wants good noise cancelling (and an even better transparency mode), and some pretty impressive Spatial Audio effects, then you really can’t do better in this price range. The Gen 2 AirPods Pro are extremely impressive and she’ll love them, assuming she enjoys in-ear headphones.
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro – $269 (on sale from $349)
What about if your mum uses an Android phone? No problem, there’s Samsung’s Buds2 Pro earbuds. No only do they come in a lovely Bora Purple, they have all the pro features she’d expect including 360 degree spatial audio, impressive active noise cancelling, and Ambient Sound mode, which is great for keeping track of your surroundings. For on-the-go mums, there’s up to 8 hours of continuous playback, and an impressive 28 hours with the charging case.
LG Tone Free T90 Buds – $399
These adorable buds pack more bass than you’d expect for their size and have Dolby Atmos compatibility (so you can enjoy that extra dimension of object-based audio). They’ve also got UVnano technology to kill bacteria, which is great for any mum who has accidentally contemplated the sheer grossness of earbuds.
Sony WH-1000XM4 – $399
These are the over-ear headphones of choice for many tech journos. Personally, I have a collection of around 60-70 pairs of headphones, and these are still the over ears I take with me for most international flights. Great noise cancelling, very comfortable, the battery lasts ages, and they’re cheaper than the XM5s. Your mum will love them.
- Industry-leading noise canceling with Dual Noise Sensor technology
- Next-level music with Edge-AI, co-developed with Sony Music Studios Tokyo
- Up to 30-hour battery life with quick charging (10 min charge for 5 hours of playback)
- Touch Sensor controls to pause/play/skip tracks, control volume, activate your voice assistant, and answer phone calls
- Speak-to-chat technology automatically reduces volume during conversations
Sky’s the limit
Sonos Era 300 – $749
The Sonos Era 300 is a truly incredible speaker. It is one of the first to let you listen to Dolby Atmos music and Spatial Audio out loud, and it’s completely revolutionised how we listen to music in my household. If your mum is an Apple Music or Amazon Music subscriber, she’ll love rediscovering her favourite albums in Spatial. My mum particularly enjoys listening to The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac remasters when she visits my place.
Dyson Supersonic – $649
This is such a cliché at this point, but if your mum has trouble getting her hair just the way she likes it with her current hair dryer, or she has curly hair then the Dyson Supersonic will be a revelation. I remember saying “but who will want to pay that much for a hair dryer? How could it possibly be worth it?” and then used it on my difficult curly hair and now I can never go back.
If your mum likes to do a bit more styling than just using a hair dryer, then the Dyson Airwrap ($739) is an even better choice. It’s got fancy curlers and heated brushes, and a mini-hair dryer attachment, so it does everything at once. We got my mother-in-law an AirWrap for Christmas a while back, and she still raves about it.
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