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Experience High-End Technology without Breaking Your Bank: Top Picks

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Today, (almost) everything has a cool tech aspect to it, including toasters and lights. But what’s really worth the cost when it comes down to affordability? We looked at cost, use, features, and more to develop our list of tech that’s luxurious but still relatively affordable whether you’re gifting yourself or someone else. It’s time to get your wallet out!

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Best for Caffeine-Fueled Days: Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Deluxe Coffee and Espresso Machine

Nespresso.

Coffee lovers will flip over this espresso machine that includes a frother to add a smoothly textured milk froth to your cup.

Brew espresso, iced coffee, mocha, latte, or a quick cappuccino for an upgraded cuppa from a slimly designed machine that is also easy to bring along when traveling. Coffee lovers on our team give this a double thumbs-up!

$199 at Amazon

Best for Impressing Envious Co-workers: Mode Envoy Anthracite-themed Keyboard

Mode

Next to your phone, your keyboard is likely the piece of tech you physically interact with the most. Why shouldn’t it be the best?

This custom keyboard from Mode Designs isn’t your father’s mechanical keyboard: It offers an ultra-quiet keystroke while still providing the classic mechanical touch your fingertips crave.

The Envoy comes in classic white with grey accents, silent switches, and beautiful keycaps. Because it’s customizable, you can always change each piece to make your Envoy a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. You’ll be a keyboard enthusiast before you know it!

$368 at Modedesigns.com

Best for Toasting Your Day Any Way You Want: Revolution Touchscreen Toaster

Revolution

Broiled-bread lovers will salivate over this ridiculously easy-to-use touchscreen toaster.

Come on: Who doesn’t need 3 toasting modes, 7 toasting shades, and options for fresh and frozen foods?

There’s a large, full-color touchscreen display to help you zero in on the exact bread and setting you prefer. Plus, the whole thing is slim enough to fit in a drawer.

It boasts an ‘InstaGLO’ heating system that allows it to heat up quickly and produce toasted items with crunchy outsides and soft insides.

This version includes a panini press to make all the melty, yummy sandwiches you like. Yeah. We gotta go; we’re making hot sandwiches today!

$399 at Amazon

Best for Multi-Tasking While You Surf the Web or Watch TV: Soulaca Smart Magic Mirror

A combination mirror/TV hanging above a tub near the faucet.

Soulaca

Yep, there’s a mirror that doubles as a TV. The extra add that makes this affordable luxury? It’s water-resistant, so you can use it around pools, kitchens, bathrooms, and other wet areas.

Realistically, who doesn’t need a TV in the bathroom these days? We’re all on the go so much that getting information and entertainment wherever we are is practically a must in today’s world.

This mirror/TV combo offers voice control, an air mouse, and AI technology to help you control your connected home and enjoy your favorite shows at the same time.

Oh, need a mirror for a minute? Just turn the TV off, and voila! There you are, peering at your lovely self. Well played, Soulaca, well played.

$519 at Walmart

Best for Lighting Up Your World: Dyson Solarcycle Morph Floor Light

Dyson

This is THE lamp you need to light up your life.

Anyone who works from home or spends a lot of time in a location where light conditions change throughout the day will appreciate this sleek, modernly 2@designed floor lamp.

This lamp is true to its name: It really does morph into a new light depending on your needs. Just want a simple glow? The magnetic touch-glide docking system flips the lamp into a new position to create a comforting orange glow on the lamp’s stem.

Need a task light? No problem: A focused, powerful light will appear. Need some blue light? Yeah, it’s got that covered, too. Ambient light? Of course.

Overall, this is a truly intelligent lamp with auto-adjusting light features that combine with a motion sensor and an automatic off option. Add an integrated USB-C charger plus an app to control the light from wherever you are, and you’ll be so spoiled you won’t ever want to use a regular lamp again.

$849 at Best Buy

Best for Making Your Desk Look (and Feel) Organized: Hexcal Studio

Hexcal

Got a case of the cord clutters? Simplify your workspace with the Hexcal Studio.

Think of this as a cool new monitor stand (kinda) that hides away all those cords (up to 14) and includes an immersive, non-direct lighting system that—get this!—an astounding 1280 possible light configurations.

It’s all below-eye-level task lighting, too, so you just get the light without eye fatigue.

This is the way to declutter and organize where you work while managing up to 14 electronic devices, along with all of their cables. You’ve got to see the Hexcal Studio to see what your productivity has been missing.

$899 at Hexcal.com

Best for Rocking Out: Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 Headphones

Bang & Olufsen

For the ultimate in luxury headphones, take a good look at Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay H95 Headphones.

Besides the bangin’ audio that Bang & Olufsen is known for, you’ll get 4 built-in microphones for crystal-clear voice performance on every call. It also has noise-canceling features to ensure you don’t miss a thing.

Other super-fancy features include titanium drivers with neodymium magnets that improve sound precision and low-frequency response; lambskin leather and memory foam for a soft, comfortable fit on the ears; and 38 hours of playback on a single charge.

The H95s come in several colors and with a pretty, matching aluminum carry case. Our favorite color option? Gold. Because if we’re going to fork over all our pennies for these headphones, we’re going to be sure_everyone_ notices them.

$995 at Amazon

Best Phone for Making Android Users Want to Switch: iPhone 15 Pro

Lifewire/Molly McLaughlin

“Gorgeous, zippy, and worth the upgrade ,” raves our in-house smartphone reviewer, a die-hard Android fan. If even_she_ is salivating over the iPhone 15 Pro, you know it’s a phone to seriously consider purchasing, regardless of price.

With the new USB-C port, Ceramic Shield coating, and lightweight titanium body, this iPhone is one of the best-designed versions Apple has produced in a long time. If you’ve ever thought about getting a new iPhone, this is the time to spring for one.

The trio of cameras on the iPhone 15 Pro include a 48MP primary camera, an ultra-wide lens, and a 3X zoom lens. They’re a photographer’s dream, but even if that’s not your thing, the A17 Pro chip makes this phone a standout.

Apple calls it the fastest chip ever on any smartphone, and it could be right. It’s built with a new manufacturing technique that offers increased efficiency and much better performance.

The bottom line: If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, the iPhone 15 Pro is a high-performing beauty that will last a long time. Apple is even offering a payment plan, so why not make the move now?

$998 at Apple

Best Way to Watch the Night Skies: Vespera

Billed as the world’s lightest observation station, fans of the night sky will love Vespera.

This portable telescope includes a Sony CMOS built-in sensor and a 50mm quadruplet lens made with lanthanum glass to make photographing deep sky objects near effortless for anyone.

Here’s how it works: Instead of viewing the dark skies through an eyepiece on a telescope, the eyepiece is substituted with a mobile application that lets Vespera send what it sees to your phone using GPS, star pattern recognition, and astrometry to calibrate itself.

Yes, it’s spelled right!Astrometry is a branch of astronomy that uses precise measurements of the stars (where they are and how they move) to plot and understand what’s happening in the night skies over Earth.

Then, you view the skies on your smartphone (or another mobile device) instead of through a telescope.

It’s light (less than 11 pounds) and folds into a small bundle that can easily drop into a backpack or large bag.

See something you like? Snap a pic with the phone and watch for the next celestial moment that captures your imagination or curiosity.

Going to the hills? The desert? The backyard? Grab your smartphone and the Vespera, and head out to capture the stars tonight! We’ll be right behind you (to sneak some peeks, too!)

$1,499 at Amazon

Best View to Clarify Your Digital World: Dell Ultrasharp 32 6K Monitor

Dell

It’s often said when buying something, buy the best. This Dell Ultrasharp monitor is more than a fancy display. With a resolution of more than one display, ports to connect a ton of devices, and an incredibly sharp screen, it will be the best monitor you have ever used.

At a diagonal size of 32 inches, this tiltable monitor includes anti-glare, 3H hard coating, 223 pixels per inch, 6K resolution, and response times of 5 ms (gray-to-gray fast) and 8 ms (gray-to-gray normal).

You don’t even need to get a webcam because it’s got a 4K one built right into it.

When you’ve gotta have the absolute clearest, fastest view, this monitor is the way to go.

$2,562 at Dell

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