This month, the team here at G Style posted up their individual recommendations for what they thought were the best items they checked out this year. While it’s true we might not have all chosen the same items and we all had individual preferences, it’s also true that there were some items we seemed to agree upon. It’s interesting to see the overlap in our recommendations and while many of you out there might not want to look at 5 or 6 different individual holiday guides, it’s a good way to get to know the staff here at G Style Magazine on a more personal level.
With that said, this is a “mega” guide comprised of the whole team’s input on what the perfect holiday gifts would be this year for you and your loved ones.
Smartphones
In no particular order, these were the best smartphones of 2015 that the team checked out. Most of these phones only came out within the last few months meaning these are currently the best of the best out there in terms of specs and features. While this isn’t a complete list of the best phones out there, these are the ones we recommend and use.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5
- iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
- Nexus 6p / 5x
- Moto X Pure
- HTC One A9
- LG V10
- LG G4
- Blackberry PRIV
Smart Watches
While smart watches have been available for the past few years already, they haven’t really taken off. A lot of people out there still don’t see the need for one but with the introduction of Google’s Android Wear platform and the Apple Watch, smart watches are finally becoming more mainstream. While there are tons of new Android Wear watches out there, the Moto 360 2nd Gen ranks at the top here at G Style with the Hwawei Watch a close second. For those using iOS, Android Wear also works, but isn’t quite as integrated as an Apple Watch would be on there. For those users, we would recommend an Apple Watch.
- Moto 360 2nd Gen
- Huawei Watch
- Apple Watch
Streaming Devices
Do you wish you had a smart TV that could do things like stream Netflix, Youtube, Pandora, or other streaming services? Don’t go out and buy a new TV. Instead, you’re much better off “making” your own smartTV with a smarter streaming add-on device such as the ones below. The Chromecast being the cheapest of the bunch (mainly because much of what you can do with it is controlled via your smartphone or tablet) and the other two a bit more because their software and capabilities are baked in.
- Chromecast (2nd Gen) & Chromecast Audio
- Apple TV (4th Gen)
- NVIDIA SHIELD TV
- Amazon Fire TV
Headphones
If you want a private listening experience and don’t want to be bogged down by wires, do yourself a favor and pick up some wireless headphones or earphones. Wireless technology is really good now and with wireless headphones these days, you won’t notice any loss of audio quality. Not only that, many of these last for 10+ hours on a single charge which should get you through the day.
- Plantronics BackBeat Sense
- Plantronics BackBeat Pro+
- Jabra Sports Pace Wireless
- Jaybird X2 BlueBuds
- Bose Soundlink Around-Ear Wireless Headphones II
- Red Fox
- Bowers & Wilkins P5
- JBL Everest Elite 700
Wireless Speakers
Like wireless headphones, you should no longer ever have to tether yourself to a wired speaker system or to a dock. There are so many wireless speaker options available now that you should have no trouble finding one that suits your needs. With that said, these are the top wireless speakers we’ve used this year that you can use at home, work, or outdoors.
- JBL Pulse 2
- Bose Soundlink mini II
- Sonos
- Braven BRT
- UE Roll
- UE Boom 2
Video Games
Now that the PS4 is basically a runaway hit with over a gazillion units sold (not a real number), you probably have a PS4 or are getting one and need some games for it. 2015 was a pretty decent year for PS4 gaming with some notable titles that came out. Most recently being that of Fallout 4 and Star Wars: Battlefront. While all these game are also available on Xbox One, Bloodborne is a PS4 exclusive that should not be missed. Despite it being one of the most difficult games out there, it really shows off what the PS4 is capable of.
- Destiny: The Taken King Expansion
- Bloodborne
- Star Wars: Battlefront
- Fallout 4
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Batman Arkham Knight
Not to be left out, the Xbox One has gained some momentum these past few months and it’s mainly due to a couple exclusive games.Halo 5 being the biggest of the two games and Rise of the Tomb Raider which is a timed exclusive.
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Halo 5
Video Game Accessories
Along the lines of games, these are accessories that help enhance your gaming experience. While not limited to console gaming, this list also includes some PC gaming accessories as well.
- Astro Gaming TR Series A40 + Mixamp PRO TR
- Steelseries H-Wireless
- Polk Audio Striker Pro
- Logitech G430 / G933
- Plantronics Rig 500HD / 500
Fitness Related
While many of us here on staff were all into getting in shape and losing weight earlier this year, we’ve kind of dropped off on the whole fitness thing. Whether it was due to time restraints or lack of motivation, we all had our reasons. But since we are so close to the end of the year already, that means early 2016 we’ll be motivated again to get in shape with a whole new set of goals that we’ll probably just break again towards the end of the year. Below are the top fitness related gadgets that got us through most of the year.
- Fitbit Charge HR
- Fitbit Surge
- Withing Body Analyzing Scale
- Jawbone UP 2 / UP 3
- Withing Body Analyzing Scale
Miscellaneous
Though G Style usually has specific products we look at throughout the year, there are times when we get things that don’t quite fit into any of our main categories but we check them out anyways. These are usually items we found really interesting and just couldn’t pass up. These range from fun little desktop toys to things like chargers, cases, and even weight scales.
- Sphero Sprk (product page)
- Kano (product page)
- mCookie (product page)
- Jamstik+ (product page)
- Escort Passport Max 360 Radar Detector (product page)
- SmartThings Hub (product page)
- Anker 5-Port Desktop charger with PowerIQ (product page)
- Case-Mate City Cases (product page)
- Tylt Charging Case (product page)
- Techlnk Battery Pack (product page)
- Epson 740HD Home Theater (product page)
- Phillips Hue Lighting (product page)