The everything gift guide for Mac users

Macworld

What do you buy your favorite Mac user for Christmas, birthday, or Mothers/Fathers Day? We’re going to help you select the best gifts available for users of the MacBook, iMac, and Mac mini.

If not a brand new Mac (check out our Mac Buying Guide if your budget stretches that far), then how about one of the many available Mac accessories, starting at just $10 for something we think everyone should have in their tech kit bag—nad we have ideas for the best tech kit bags if your loved one doesn’t already own one? Throughout the year we have tested and reviewed the best Mac accessories from Apple and trusted companies, and we can recommend the best ones for the people on your list. Whether your friend or family member owns a MacBook Air or Pro, an iMac or a Mac mini, we’ve got some great Mac gift suggestions for you (and them).

In this Mac gift guide we’ll look at some great MacBook bags, power banks, docking stations, chargers, monitors, mice, cables and cheaper but still super-useful accessories, including affordable flash storage.

MacBook bags and sleeve gifts

MacBook power bank gifts

Mac dock and hub gifts

MacBook charger gifts

Mac monitor gifts

Mac mice gifts

Mac keyboard gifts

Mac mini gifts

USB-C cable gifts

Mac stocking stuffers

Tech organizer bags gifts

Mac user Gift Guide: Bags and sleeves

The MacBook makes an excellent static computer, especially when hooked up to an external screen or Mac docking station, but it is of course also an excellent portable computer. MacBook owners are likely to carry their Mac laptops around with them either on a daily basis or every now and again.

We have tested the best MacBook bags and sleeves and most are available for all sizes of MacBook. Check that list to see the widest range of MacBook bags and sleeves you can select as a gift. here we’ve picked out a few of our favorites, from simple sleeves to rugged backpacks.






1. Journey NEXA 4-in-1 Laptop Sleeve – Wireless Charging MacBook sleeve














Pros

Luxury sleeve

Includes MagSafe wireless charger


















Here’s a modern-looking MacBook sleeve with some very modern extras: not only will this padded vegan leather sleeve keep a MacBook safe from bumps and scrapes, it also includes two wireless chargers (one MagSafe compatible at 7.5W for your iPhone, and another 5W Qi charger for your AirPods) and can work as both a deskpad and mousepad to free your workspace of clutter.

Read our full

Journey NEXA 4-in-1 Laptop Sleeve with Wireless Charging review






2. Troubadour Apex 3.0 Backpack – Super-stylish MacBook backpack














Pros

Super stylish

Plenty of storage

Hidden iPhone and AirTag pockets









Price When Reviewed:

€316




Best Prices Today:


€316 at Troubadour





Available in Black, Navy, Air Force Blue and Obsidian Green, this 25L MacBook backpack oozes chic luxury and premium design. There’s a generous selection of storage pockets, including one for your iPhone hidden in one of the straps, and there’s even a special pocket for an Apple AirTag. The laptop section is at the back and easy to access, with easily enough space for a 16-inch MacBook Pro. For more details read a full Troubadour Apex 3.0 review at Tech Advisor.

Troubadour sells a wide selection of premium MacBook cases and bags that might better suit your gifting choices.







3. Bellroy Laptop Sleeve – Premium MacBook protection sleeve














Pros

Premium feel

Magnetic closure









Price When Reviewed:

€59




Best Prices Today:


€20.27 at Fnac FR





Available in Black, Slate, Navy, Bronze and a leather-free Saltbush., the Bellroy Laptop Sleeve is a quality protector for your precious laptop. Outside, the woven, water-resistant material is made from 100% recycled PET bottles. Inside, the quilted microfiber lining features a soft ridge that holds your laptop in place. The sleeve snaps shut with a magnetic bumper.







Browser these other premium MacBook bag and case makers for more ideas:

Stubble & Co has a wide range of quality organized and comfortable MacBook-toting accessories (from $30 to $270) for daily commutes, gym sessions, weekend escapes and longer travels, many with padded laptop compartments and crafted from weatherproof, durable materials.

Laptop cases don’t get much more desirable than the leather range of Woolnut MacBook Sleeves, from $41 to $199.

Mac user Gift Guide: MacBook power banks

You might think that power banks are just for iPhones, and we have tested the best magnetic iPhone power banks. But there are larger-capacity power banks that carry enough charge to revitalize even a 16-inch MacBook that has run out of juice.

MacBook users shouldn’t leave home without one when heading off into the wilderness, on a road trip and flying long haul. Find more in our round-up of the best MacBook power banks.






1. Anker Prime laptop power banks – MacBook battery packs














Pros

Up to 27650mAh portable power

Up to 250W total power output

Up to 3 ports

















Compact enough to fit into a travel bag and powerful enough to top up even a high-end MacBook, Anker Prime laptop power banks make a great gift for MacBook users. Each has a smart screen that shows the remaining battery capacity, and some also display the charging usage of each port.

Even the entry-level Anker Prime 9600mAh Battery Pack packs a lot of portable juice, and can charge a MacBook at 65W Output. It even features its own built-in AC plug (U.S. only) so you can connect it straight to a wall power socket without the need for a USB-C charger. It is priced at $89.99 with a Black Friday price of $54.

The 12000mAh Anker Prime Power Bank features two ports with 65W laptop charging and a total 130W output. It’s also priced at $89.99 ($50 Black Friday).

With a maximum 200W output, three ports, and 100W laptop power delivery the 20000mAh Anker Prime Power Bank is maybe the sweet spot for most MacBook users. With an MSRP of $129.99 it’s reduced to just $78 around Black Friday.

At the top end, the 27650mAh Anker Prime Power Bank is powerful enough to totally recharge a 14-inch MacBook Pro and has a 140W USB-C output to fast-charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Even the mighty 27650mAh battery pack is within the limits of most airlines for carry-on, so one of these could keep your laptop going right through a long-haul flight.







2. Ugreen 145W Power Bank for Laptop – MacBook battery pack














Pros

Portable 25000mAh power

145W total power output

3 ports









Price When Reviewed:

€149,99





Boasting a meaty 25000mAh battery, this air-travel-friendly laptop power bank in a slab shape can recharge a fading MacBook Pro back to full power and still have enough power over to fast-charge your iPhone—indeed you can charge both at the same time, along with your AirPods or Apple Watch as this MacBook power bank has three USB ports. A handy LED battery-capacity percentage indicator shows you how much power is left before you leave home.




Ugreen

Ugreen also sells a range of Nexode Power Banks (pictured above) in the same pillar shape as the Anker Prime battery packs, with capacities of 12000mAh, 20000mAh and 25000mAh— available at the Ugreen store and Amazon and Amazon UK.







Mac user Gift Guide: Docks and hubs

A docking station or hub gives your connected MacBook access to multiple ports, many of which are more powerful than the few that are built into the MacBook. Look out for fast USB ports, Ethernet for wired Internet access, video display ports, card readers and more.

For more details and options, read our Best Picks roundup of the best Mac docks and hubs. For cheaper alternatives, check out the best USB-C adapters for Mac.






1. Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock – Extra storage MacBook docking station














Pros

Thunderbolt 4

19 ports

Built-in speedy SSD enclosure

100W PD

2.5 Gigabit Ethernet









Price When Reviewed:

402,40 €




Best Prices Today:


€375 at Macway€402.40 at MUSIC STORE Professional





It’s certainly an expensive gift but the Sonnet Echo 20 is our favorite Thunderbolt 4 dock, boasting a ton of fast ports plus an SSD enclosure so you can add up to 8TB of inexpensive flash storage to your MacBook’s desktop setup. With two downstream TB4 ports and a dedicated HDMI 2.1 port you can add up to two 4K displays at 60Hz or a single 6K screen at 60Hz—Macs packing a M2/M3 Pro/Max/Ultra chip support up to 8K for the single display option.

Read our full

Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock review






2. Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Dock – Great value dock














Pros

13 fast ports

2.5Gb Ethernet

Two HDMI 2.1

30W USB-C port

















The Wavlink Thunderbolt Triple Display Docking Station is so named for its display capabilities with Windows laptops, and Macs can manage only two external 4K displays at a healthy 60Hz refresh rate, which is down to Apple limitations rather than the manufacturer. However, it is a great value two-display Thunderbolt 4 dock with fast USB ports, super-speedy Ethernet and top-end card readers.

Read our full

Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Triple Display Docking Station review






3. Alogic DX3 Triple 4K Display Universal Docking Station – Add multiple displays














Pros

12 ports

100W PD

Triple 5K displays

















It’s not Thunderbolt but this USB-C dock offers support for up to three 5K displays if you install DisplayLink software—even with for MacBooks with plain (non-Pro or Max) M1/M2/M3/M4 chips. It also packs a bunch of non-display ports, such as three USB-A and a spare downstream USB-C port, plus fast SD and MicroSD card readers and Gigabit Ethernet.







4. Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub – Add eight super-fast ports














Pros

4x Thunderbolt 4 ports

4x 10Gbps USB-A ports

150W total power









Price When Reviewed:

Dès 212,33 €




Best Prices Today:


€212.33 at CalDigit





You don’t need a full docking station if you add some adapters to the eight ports on this compact, powered Thunderbolt 4 hub. As well as three downstream TB4 ports, there are four fast USB-A ports. You can add Ethernet adapter and a card reader to create your own customizable and updateable dock.

Read our full Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Element Hub review.







5. Twelve South StayGo USB-C Hub – Super-portable MacBook dock














Pros

8 portable ports









Price When Reviewed:

106,80 €





It might be only USB-C rather than Thunderbolt but this hub offers a lot in a very portable form: 85W passthrough charging via USB-C, 4K HDMI Port, three USB-A ports (including one that can charge at 7.5W), Gigabit Ethernet port, and both SD and MicroSD card readers. It comes with a 1m USB-C cable plus another 5-inch travel cable that sits within the hub case. There’s a cut-down version, the StayGo Mini, that has HDMI, one USB-A port and a headphone jack that’s built for the iPad but works just as well with a MacBook.







6. Baseus 7-in-1 USB-C Hub – Great-value USB-C hub














Pros

7 ports inc 4K HDMI

100W PD

Great value

















You might not need 15 or more extra ports for your MacBook, and this USB-C hub has seven that should cover most needs, including 100W passthrough power and an HDMI port that supports a 4K display at 60Hz, as well as card reader ports for inexpensive extra storage. If you need Gigabit Ethernet the Baseus 9-in-1 goes that step further.







Mac user Gift Guide: MacBook chargers

Who wants to unwrap a present to find a USB-C charger inside? We think you might be surprised. Apples chargers are great but they are dull and mostly can charge just one device. Premium third-party USB-C chargers boast multiple ports and are still much smaller than the charger that Apple shipped with its MacBook. Some (wall chargers) plug straight into the wall socket, some have a longer power cable, and some USB power strips even include extra AC power sockets.

13-inch MacBooks require at least a 45W charger; 14-inch MacBooks can charge with a 65W charger but work best with 100W. The mighty 16-inch MacBook Pro demands a 140W charger for fast-charging.

For more details and options, read our Best Picks roundup of the best MacBook chargers.






1. Ugreen Nexode RG 65W USB C GaN Charger – Robot-shaped MacBook charger














Pros

Cute robot-shaped charger

3 ports

















Chargers might ordinarily be quite dull, functional products but three cheers for Ugreen is at least trying to add some humor and personality into the market with the RobotGaN series-available in black or friendly robot purple. This micro-sized wall charger offers 65W power—enough to charge even a 14-inch MacBook Pro—and three ports: two USB-C and one old-school USB-A port. The LED screen shows a different expression based on the charging status and even the robot’s little boots are magnetic. If any charger makes a user smile, it’s this little but powerful cutie.







2. Anker 715 Nano II 65W Charger – Tiny MacBook charger














Pros

Compact

65W

Foldable plug (U.S.)


















Suitable for all the MacBooks apart from the mighty 16-inch MacBook Pro, this dinky little charger is selected as a great gift because it is so tiny that it will delight anyone used to lugging around a giant charger.







3. OneAdaptr OneWorld135 – Travel-friendly MacBook charger














Pros

135W

Four ports plus one power socket

Travel plug adapter









Price When Reviewed:

€104,95




Best Prices Today:


€104.95 at OneAdaptr





If your Mac user friend is a keen traveler, then this triple-function charger will save them from foreign-socket frustration. Not only does it boast four USB ports—two at 100W, enough for any MacBook plus a couple of other devices—it includes a passthrough power socket that will fit just about any nationality plug type and works as an adapter into US, European, Australian/NZ/Chinese and British wall sockets. There is also a slightly cheaper OneWorld100 available in Black if you don’t need all that simultaneous charging output.







4. UGreen Nexode 140W Charger – Best MacBook Pro charger














Pros

4 ports

100W

Foldable plug (U.S.)









Price When Reviewed:

€109,99




Best Prices Today:


€119.99 at Ugreen






Suitable for all MacBooks, the four-port Ugreen 100W wall charger, with a foldable U.S. plug, is an excellent choice of versatile power adapter. It may not be as pocketable as some mini chargers, but it is still highly portable. It has multiple charging options, such as 65W for laptop and 30W PD for light-laptop powering plus lower outputs for phones and other devices. Using three ports you could charge at 45W, 30W and 22.5W. Using all four, it can support laptop power delivery at 45W and 30W plus two devices each at 10.5W. And it can fast-charge a 14in MacBook Pro using one of the 100W PD ports.







5. Ugreen Nexode 100W 2-in-1 GaN Desktop Charger – USB-C MacBook and MagSafe iPhone charger