Father’s Day is taking place in 2023 on June 18 - and so take the opportunity to shower the often less-celebrated member of the family with love and attention.
Give thanks for all the things that your dad has done for you over the years and all that sage wisdom that has been imparted with a present that he’s sure to cherish.
Fathers and father figures are notoriously difficult to shop for. They will likely be content with everything that they have, or pop to the shops as soon as they need something - not always conducive for finding a gift that hits the sweet spot between desire and requirement. But that’s where the tech category shines.
Your pops needn’t be the most technologically savvy to appreciate a gadget or gizmo. It could be simply an upgrade to an item they’re currently using - whether that’s a Kindle, smartwatch or headphones. Alternatively, it could be that more costly item you know they’ve been eyeing up but are too reluctant to purchase themselves, like a VR headset or a Playstation. For those big purchases, why not get all the siblings involved and share the expense between you? The smile on his face will be worth every penny.
If you’re looking for inspiration, we have plenty here at ES Best. See our gift guide of ideas across all sectors from fashion to grooming as well as hampers that will be sure to go down a treat. Don’t forget grandfather too - we haven’t and have compiled this specialised round-up of perfect presents for your mum or dad’s dad.
Shop the best tech gifts for Father’s Day below
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Kindle 11th Gen (2022)
Best for: Carrying the world’s lightest library
The 11th Gen Kindle doesn’t do emails. It doesn’t make or take calls. You can’t use it to order an Uber. You can’t doom-surf social media on it. But what you can do is read; and read and read. Yes, upping the ante of its previous generation to a whopping 16GB, now you can have literally thousands of books to hand at all times, all available to call up in an instant on Kindle 2022’s stunningly sharp six-inch, touchscreen, 300ppi high-resolution display.
Fully charged in just four-hours and with free cloud storage for all Amazon content, the new Kindle is ultra-light at a pifflingly pathetic 158g, meaningly you’ll barely notice it’s there in your pocket at all and that even those with arms feebler than a tired T-Rex will find no problem holding it, even at eye-level, for absolute hours on end.
Now featuring a glare-free, paper-parodying display that comes complete with an adjustable front light and special dark mode, the 11th Gen Kindle is as easy on the eye as it possibly gets, and at under a ton for the ad-free version, the written word has never been more accessible or beautifully presented.
Tech Specs
- Screen size: 6-inches
- Memory: 16GB
- Battery life: Up to 6-weeks
- Colour options: Black or Denim
- Dimensions: 157.8 x 108.6 x 8.0mm
- Weight: 158g
Buy now £85.00, Amazon
SONY PlayStation 5 & Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Bundle
Treat your gaming-obsessed dad to the ultimate present of all. This is the latest console from Playstation with state-of-the-art specs in terms of CPU, GPU, fast SSD storage, and of course 4K Ultra GD graphics at up to 120fps. He’ll also be treated to the bonus addition of the highly-anticipated Star Wars Jedi: Survivor game - the sought-after sequel and set to be a bestseller.
Buy now £529.00, Currys
HYPERX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset
If he’s kitted out on consoles and games, add to his accessories collection with this headset. Your pa will be able to immerse fully into his gaming experience - and drown out calls to lay the table. The crystal-clear, noise-cancelling headphones are compatible with PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Android.
Buy now £59.99, Currys
FITBIT Versa 3 Smart Watch with Alexa & Google Assistant - Soft Gold & Olive
The Fitbit Versa 3 will track your heart rate whether you’re excising or resting, your daily activity, fitness and even your sleep. If you’re an outdoor runner, the built-in GPS will keep you on track no matter how many kilometres you’re tackling, while the six day battery life allows you to make the very most of 24/7 health tracking. It has even got built-in Alexa and Google voice assistants so that you can control all your smart devices from your watch.
Buy now £119.00, Currys
Bosch Universal Impact 700 Hammer Drill Driver
Best for: Hammering home on any and all projects
A cunning drill combo, the UniversalImpact 700 from the big boys at Bosch skirts in at under £60, yet offers you the ability to not only drill into masonry like a hot knife been oddly poked tip first through butter thanks to the hammer action, but also an impact function that lets you drive screws and bolts into wood and metal with utter ease and abandon.
Weighing 1.7kg, the Bosch is compact and comfortable in use thanks to the well thought out ergonomics of the thing. Featuring a Press&Lock chuck you can change drill bits quickly and free from faff, which provides wrist-relief from all that screwing and unscrewing. Also helping make life simpler is Bosch Speed Preselection, which – as it sounds– lets you preselect your speed so that its precision-matched to the material you’re working on.
Good to go on masonry, wood, stone, metal and tile, the 700 has an auxiliary handle that affixes to the front to afford greater control and comes with a cable length – yes, this one is wired – of 2.5m, which should be ample for most home uses.
Now on the numbers side of things, the Bosch is a speed demon at 0-3000rpm, while torque sits at 17Nm, making the Universal Impact 700 a great all-round home hammer drill.
Buy now £77.99, Currys
Gillette Labs Heated Razor With Exfoliating Bar, 1 Handle, 2 Blades, Magnetic Stand
With Gillette’s heated razor, you can give yourself a barber-worthy hot towel shave from the comfort of your own bathroom. Featuring a built-in exfoliating bar, a nifty magnetic stand for wireless charging, and Gillette’s FlexDisc technology, it will provide a comfortably close shave with every stroke.
Buy now £88.08, Amazon
Garmin Forerunner 55, GPS, Running Smartwatch
Whether he’s into fitness or just likes the idea of this much tech on his wrist, this smartwatch will be all the motivation he needs to pound the pavement. Encourage a new found love of running, or at least the challenge of couch to 5k with the Garmin Forerunner wrapped around his wrist, tracking the activity and encouraging PBs with every stride.
Buy now £179.99, John Lewis
1080P Full HD Mini Projector
Give the gift of the home cinema he’s always wanted with this mini projector. It may be small but it is mighty, boasting 4k resolution, 5G, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, Dolby Audio and a built-in cooling system to see you through family binge watching sessions in the utmost clarity and without the device slowing you down.
Buy now £122.99, Amazon
Meta Quest 2
The demand for virtual reality gaming shows no signs of wavering. The ultra-immersive experience takes the player into the heart of the action and on the forefront of the next generation of technology.
The Meta Quest 2 is one the most sought-after headsets due to the high resolution display, super fast processor and the responsive Oculus Touch controllers. You can pair it with the app - no console or computer needed - so you can get gaming as soon as you put the device on.
Buy now £399.00, John Lewis
Sky Glass
The smallest available Sky Glass is a 43-incher, and if you’re not familiar with Sky TV’s latest attempt to stay at the centre of your living room in these days of fast broadband and easy streaming, then just know that it handles your Sky channels as well as other apps, is available as an additional monthly subscription on your existing Sky bill, and comes in green.
If you don’t fancy a green TV - we’re only talking about the frame and stand, the screen is the usual colour - then blue and pink are also available. As is black.
It takes the place of a standard Sky satellite box, and is completely reliant on your internet connection, so it needs to be fast. Check this box, and you get all the Sky channels on-demand, plus other streaming services. The interface is a good one, and its 4K Quantum Dot display supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, but you don’t get a 120Hz refresh rate through the HDMIs, of which there are three.
If you like what Sky’s offering, and don’t mind the monthly subscription, then this is a good choice. You literally need nothing else but a decent internet connection.
£649 outright, or monthly subscription contract
Buy now £649.00, Sky
Bose QuietComfort 45
Best for: The sound of silence
Many years ago, when my job involved mostly sitting on planes to places to look at new tech, the ultimate tool in my travel-surviving arsenal was a set of Bose QC 2 ANC over-ear headphones. Capable of aurally cutting me off from the endless droning engine noise, droning passenger noise, and yet still keep me entertained enough to be acutely aware every time a flight attendant approached with a drinks trolley, the QC 2 cans were my most trusted travel companion. Then, after an overnighter in NYC, I accidentally left them behind on the plane in my rush to disembark back at Heathrow, never to be reunited with them again. This was over a decade ago, but as you can probably tell I never got over the sudden loss.
But Bose did, and its QC models have been part of an ongoing evolution ever since those early days. The tech packed by today’s QuietComfort 45 make those beloved QC 2s look as prehistoric as me myself.
Offering both wired and, yes, wireless options, these may just well be the most comfortable over-ears about, thanks to pleatless ear cushions that barely bother your head even after hours of wearing them and a featherlight weight of just 240g. Which is just as well, as you’re not going to want to take them off once you experience the absolute sonic deprivation that Quiet Mode brings to your shell-likes within seconds of activation. Developed over 50 years of research, this is noise cancellation like no other, relieving you of the outside world entirely and leaving you free to revel in lush high-fidelity audio, perfectly presented with all the clarity of cut crystal and personally adjustable via the EQ in the accompanying Bose app.
Which brings us to the Bluetooth element. Featuring 5.1 for stronger connection over greater distance, you can also use the built-in mic to summon your voice assistant and make and take phone calls utilising the four external microphone array to reject outside noise and focus solely on your voice for incredibly clear conversations even in chaotic outside conditions.
But while the wireless connection is impressive, it’s when you hook the 45s up via the bundled 3.5 to 2.5mm cable that you really appreciate the immense, immersive audio experience that Bose is capable of delivering, with majestic sweeping soundscapes becoming your audio everyday.
Currently reduced by £70 on the link below, go bag yourself some Bose brilliance. Just don’t leave them behind you after some booze-heavy transatlantic red-eye round trip.
Connectivity: Cable and Bluetooth
Drivers: 40mm
Noise Cancelling: Acoustic
Mic: Yes
Weight: 240g
Buy now £250.00, Bose
Amazon Echo Dot (5th generation)
With the latest iteration of Amazon’s most popular smart speaker, you can treat a special someone to the convenience of Alexa. The Echo Dot has voice control, select audio streaming services, and connectivity with your smartphone for the gift that keeps on giving. Usually priced at £54.99, it’s currently over 60 per cent off, so make sure you get the deal before it’s too late.
Buy now £26.99, Amazon
