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Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
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Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
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Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
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Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Shopping for a teenager can be hard—their tastes are hyper-specific and change daily. But the gifts below take aim at the moving target of teen trends, focusing on gear that’s useful, amusing, and/or even (gasp) educational. Plus, every item on the list is on sale for Black Friday.
From retro-cool instant cameras to room-transforming LEDs and clever toys, here are 20 of the best tech gifts for teens in 2025.
Polaroid Now 3rd Generation
Maybe it’s teenage rebellion against our screen-scrolling lifestyle or a quest for authenticity, but more and more kids are getting into old fashioned cameras. The Polaroid Now 3rd Gen is a classic analog device that lets you watch your photos develop in real time, doesn’t have any megapixels, and ejects a keepable, framable, non-scrollable physical object.
Beats Solo 4 Earphones
For lots of kids, part of growing up is learning exactly how awesome music can be. If your giftee is making that transition, there’s no better gift than decent audio gear, like these Beats Solo 4 bluetooth headphones. They sound great, with spatial audio and head tracking, and they come in five colors, so they look great too. There’s a reason they have a 4.6 star rating on Amazon.
Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 1)
Ray-Ban Metas are cool-looking shade packed with smart features, including a camera, open-ear speakers, a built-in AI agent and more, so whether your kid wants to be able to take quick pictures, consult with artificial intelligence, or stream instantly with nothing but a mirror, these shades will do it.
Powerup 4.0 Smartphone Controlled Paper Airplane
Teenagers might say they don’t want toys for Christmas, but everyone wants toys for Christmas, and a smartphone controlled airplane is a hell of a toy. It works like this: You add a sensor and some propellers to an airplane you fold yourself, and end up with a controllable craft that flies up to 20mph. It can even do a barrel roll.
Flashforge 3D Printer
Being able to print 3D objects at home still seems like science fiction to me, but not only is it possible, it’s not even that expensive. The Flashforge 3D printer is only $229 for Black Friday. If you have a teen with artistic, creative, or technical interests, this device is perfect.
JBL Clip 5
There’s a reason the JBL Clip 5 is such a massive hit with teenagers. This portable bluetooth speaker is available in nine different designs, it’s waterproof and practically indestructible, and you can clip it onto anything. Plus, it sounds great.
Boldever Mini Smart Projector
This mini projector connects to Netflix, YouTube, and other services to stream 4K video on any wall or ceiling, so it’s a must-have for a teenager who is sick of watching things on their phone. It can connect via bluetooth or Wi-Fi and it costs less than $100 for Black Friday.
Apple Airtags
Having a kid that’s into technology likely means a lot of expensive little gadgets—cameras, headphones, tablets, etc.—and they can all get lost. But not if you slap one of these Apple Airtags on ’em. This pack comes with four for $64.99, an investment that will pay for itself with the first misplaced tablet it finds.
Govee 100ft RGBIC LED Strip Lights
Decorating with ribbon LED lights is the decorating innovation of younger teenagers, and for good reason: Being able to change colors instantly is legit cool, as is the music sync mode. You can operate them with an app or just your voice (they’re compatible with Google Voice and Alexa). And what a good price: $42.99 for 100 feet of LEDs.
Cat Ears for Headphones
Alright, pink cat ears that clip on to gaming headsets isn’t the kind of gift every teenager would like, but if you even suspect that yours is the type who’d squee at these on Christmas morning, you can pick ’em up for only $8. Even if you’re wrong, “that time Mom gave me those dumb cat headphone things” will become a cherished family in-joke.
Sonos Roam 2 Bluetooth Speaker
A Sonos Roam 2 speaker is a great choice for a music loving teen because it’s rugged, waterproof, has a battery that lasts for 10 hours, and it sounds great. It also is compatible with other Sonos gear, so the audio experience can be expanded outwards as necessary.
Charmast Portable Charger
If your teenager is anything like mine, they have a million things to charge and no ability to keep track of the necessary cords, so if you give ’em one of these chargers/batteries, you’ll be saving your own precious USB-Cs. This portable charger and batteries has 6 outputs and 3 inputs, so you can charge 6 devices at the same time.
Galaxy Moon Lamp
Help them decorate their room with a galactically cool lunar lamp. Powered by cool-to-the-touch LED bulbs this lamp’s 16 colors swirl, fade, and smooth in a soothing way, and the hues can be adjusted according to their mood.
Otamatone
This weird little synthesizer/toy from Japan is bound to be a huge laugh on Christmas morning, but the Otamatone can actually be played like a real musical instrument, so it’s also a stealth way of encouraging a teen’s musical talent.
Kaiess Selfie Ring Light
Self-obsession is a hallmark of teenager-hood, so give the gift of flattering selfies with this ring light set. It’s basically everything you need for an ad hoc social media studio: a stand with a phone holder, ring light with adjustable brightness, and a trigger to turn on the recording. Kind of a steal at $22.94 for Black Friday.
Lightning Reaction Reloaded
Lightning Reaction is an evil, evil party game that a certain breed of teenager will fall in love with. Each player holds onto a handle while an ominous tune plays. When the music stops, players hit a button and the slowest reaction gets a mildly painful electric shock. It’s diabolical and hilarious.
Metapen Pencil A8
If you have a teenager with an artistic bent, this stylus will take their digital art to the next level. The Metapen works with iPads made between 2018 and now, and delivers pixel-level accuracy of 0.1 mm with high responsiveness and no lag. It charges in half an hour and stays powered up for up to 10 hours.
1000X Handheld Microscope
Technically, this device is aimed at younger kids, but I can’t think of anyone, of any age, who wouldn’t be into a 1000X magnification microscope that has its own 4K screen. It comes with prepared glass slides, but nothing is stopping you from magnifying whatever you’d like.
Ikarao Karaoke Machine
Karaoke machines have come along way. This Ikaro machine is a party in a compact box. It comes with two microphones, works with YouTube, (which basically gives you access to every karaoke recording ever), and even has a cool LED light show. Plus it doubles as a portable PA system.
Cosmic Globe Boomerang Hover Ball
This high tech, LED-lit orb takes throwing a ball around to the future. The hover ball‘s unique aerodynamics and internal motor let you make mind-blowing throws that would be impossible with an old-fashioned ball. Plus, you can play with it at night. Teens love to be awake at night.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
Deals are selected by our commerce team
