Gift Guide Q1 2025: 12 Compact Everyday Carry gadgets for techies and content creators

We share several items and gadgets we added to our everyday carry that also make great gifts for your techie loved ones.

Great everyday carry items for techies in the Philippines

Add these to your EDC?

Ringo water bottle's MagSafe-compatible cover

1. Water Bottle - At PHP 1,990 for the 710ml model, the MagSafe Ringo Water Bottle comes in either 710ml or 950ml sizes and it is advertised to keep temperature cold for 24 hours or keep temperature warm for 12 hours.

The MagSafe Head works whether or not the bottle is full or empty and can articulate to a full 90 degrees. It is compatible with all MagSafe-compatible iPhones and other smartphones with Magnetic charging support. Lastly, it is dishwasher safe and comes in orange, black, ivory, stainless steel, or pink.

It is available at Digital Walker stores.

Soundcore Space Q45

2. Wireless Audio - At PHP 8,425, the Soundcore Space Q45 wireless headphones promise 50-hour playtime with Active Noise Cancellation. Soundcore claims it reduces noise by up to 98 percent while offering exceptional sound quality and a secure and comfortable fit. It also folds to be stored in a carrying case.

The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 in person

For PHP 10,999, the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 is arguably the best true wireless audio earphones in the market today.

It comes with improved fit and comfort due to its new memory foam ear tips, dual-driver setup with an 11mm four magnets dynamic unit + a micro-planar tweeter with up to 2.3 Mbps Hi-Res lossless audio transmission, improved ANC, 100dB of call noise cancellation, and up to 33 hours total battery life with case.

Momax 1-Power Mini 5,000mAh Powerbank

3. Back-up Power - At just PHP 1,500, the Momax 1-Power Mini 3-in-1 Power Bank 5,000mAh can charge three devices simultaneously through its folding USB-C male port, built-in USB-C strap cable, and USB-C female port. It supports up to 20W PD fast charging. It measures 77 x 36 x 27mm and weighs 100 grams.

This is the ADAM Elements GRAVITY Pro 100W Fast Charging Power Bank

If you can carry a bit more, the PHP 5,500 ADAM Elements GRAVITY Pro 100W Fast Charging Power Bank is one of our favorites. It comes with a 20,000mAh large battery capacity and can fast charge our laptops and phones up to 100W.

The best part? It is lightweight at 408 grams with a slim and stylish design for its large battery capacity.

Momax Maglink 100W USB-C braided cable

4. USB-C Cable - At PHP 800, the Momax Mag.Link Magnetic USB-C to USB-C Cable 100W is a 1-meter cable with an innovative magnetic winding design. It supports up to 100W PD 3.0 and QC 3.0 fast charging.

It features a durable triple-braided nylon construction that is advertised to withstand 20,000 bend cycles. It comes with a built-in E-Marker chip for smart power output regulation.

Anker PowerLine 544 USB-C to USB-C 3 feet Cable

At PHP 499, the Anker PowerLine 544 USB-C to USB-C 3 feet Cablee is one of the best cables you can buy.

It is made with a tangle-free soft PRC Braided Exterior and has a 30,000+ Bend Lifespan (over 10 years) to ensure durability. It even has a silicon cord organizer to easily wrap the cable.

The best part, it supports up to 240W of fast charging, the maximum speed of USB-C PD. This means that it can be used to charge the latest iPhones, Android phones, iPad Pro, USB-C-ready MacBooks, and other laptops with Type-C charging.

FUJIFILM X-M5 with FUJINON 35mm F2.0 R WR

5. Compact Camera - at PHP 58,990 (body + XC 15-45 kit lens) The FUJIFILM X-M5 mirrorless camera is the company's lightest x-series camera yet with the body weighing 355 grams. It measures 111.9 x 66.6 x 38mm. It features a 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor, X-Processor 5, NP-W126s battery, three built-in microphones, and a fully articulating touch screen. It can record up to 6.2K open-gate video recording and capture images in either RAW or JPEG. It saves photos and videos to the UHS-I SD card slot. 

Hollyland Lark Mk. 2 wireless microphone two transmitters and one receiver

6. Wireless external microphone - Priced at PHP 8,200, the Hollyland Lark Mk. 2 offers 48kHz/24bit HiFi Sound recording with a 300m Transmission range button-sized transmitter and receiver. It comes in a charging case that extends the recording time up to 40 hours. It comes in either the for camera, for lightning, for USB-C, or the Combo variants. 

Alpaka Go Sling Mini V2

7. Compact Sling or belt bag - Priced at PHP 4,700, the Alpaka Go Sling Mini V2 offers 5L volume capacity in a compact 29 x 19 x 9.5mm form factor.

The bag can fit either an iPad Mini or a Nintendo Switch. It weighs 0.4kg and the included strap measures 110cm. It is made of either Axoflux, X-Pac VX21, or 840D Ballistic Nylon.

It features a magnetic Fidlock Buckle, an anti-slip strap loop, and Silent waterproof YKK Aquaguard zippers.

Alpaka Bravo Tote backpack

8. Slim yet spacious laptop backpack - One of our favorites is the Alpaka Bravo Tote Backpack priced at PHP 8,200. It's a tote and a backpack in one.

This features weatherproof eco-friendly fabrics, soft-touch fleece-line laptop and tablet sleeve, YKK Aquaguard and silent zippers, up to 16-inch laptop support, integrated MOD Key Tether in the front compartment, hidden adjustable padded backpack straps, and a luggage pass-trough.

File photo: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

9. GREAT camera phone - Arguably the very best today is the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max starting at PHP 84,990. The device highlights a 48MP f/1.78 main sensor with OIS, a 48MP 120-degree ultra-wide angle secondary camera, and a third 12MP f/2.8 5x Tetraprism Telephoto camera with 3D sensor-shift OIS at the back. In front, it goes with a 12MP f/2.2 TrueDepth Camera.

File photo: OPPO Find X8 back design

For Android users, the OPPO Find X8 is a SOLID slim option with Hasselblad tuning. At PHP 54,999 (12GB/256GB), the handset features a 50MP f/1.8 Sony LYT-700 w/ OIS + 50MP f/2.0 Samsung 5KJN5 ultra-wide-angle camera + 50MP f/2.6 Sony LYT-600 3x periscope camera + LED flash. For selfies, it uses a 32MP f/2.4 Sony IMX615 snapper. This has up to 120x digital zoom.

SmallRig ST30 tripod

10. A nice compact tripod - At PHP 1,999, the SmallRig - ST30 One-Touch Deploy Selfie Stick Tripod features a stable feet, one-second setup, 33 to 168cm or 66-inch telescopic pole, detachable wireless remote for iOS and Android, multi-angle 180 degrees shooting for horizontal or vertical videos, and smartphone compatibility.

11. A powerful slim laptop - At PHP 121,990 at Power Mac Center, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is also a solid choice for Mac users. It is equipped with an Apple M4 chip with a 10-core CPU and GPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD. See the rest of the specs and options here.

The HUAWEI MateBook X Pro 2024

For Windows users, the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro 2024 starting at PHP 99,999 (PHP 129,999 for the top-end model) is another very impressive choice. It features a super slim 13.5mm profile, a lightweight 980 grams body, a 14.2-inch Flexible OLED touchscreen with 3.2K resolution + 120Hz refresh rate, up to Intel Core Ultra 9 185H AI chip, 32GB RAM, up to 2TB SSD storage, and 70Wh battery that supports USB-C 90W charging but with a 65W adaptor.

Knirps US.050

12. Slim yet capable umbrella - Priced at PHP 1,799, The Knirps US.050 ultra light slim manual umbrella is the company's lightest umbrella weighing just 115 grams and is just 21 cm small when closed.

But, despite its slim and lightweight construction, it uses durable materials that have been tested in the wind tunnel at 100 km/h. Moreover, its 100 percent polyester material comes with UV protection and plenty of colors like Yellow, Red, Berry, Aqua, Green, and D' Grey.

Which gadgets did we miss out in our list?