A very merry Computing Christmas gift guide 2025

Essentials gifts for and from techies

Searching for the perfect present? These ideas should spark inspiration for any CIO this snowy season, whether giving or receiving.

It’s November, and Christmas gift guides abound. Everyone is recommending the newest technical gadgets and gizmos, but Computing does things a little differently.

While other techy guides recommend anything with a battery and a microprocessor, we’re (mostly) specifically looking at gifts that are genuinely useful for an IT leader in 2025/2026. So, we’ve got ideas for the security-conscious, the productivity-focused and the travel-heavy professionals leading modern tech.

Read on to see our top picks.

Computing does not use affiliate links. We make no money on any of these recommendations.

Apricorn Aegis 3NX Encrypted USB Drive - from £52

With security top of mind, this encrypted USB drive is perfect for executives travelling with sensitive data like board documents, security reports and personal information. Suddenly, leaving your bag on the train is no longer a major security incident – only an embarrassing one.

This award-winning USB drive uses hardware-based encryption for data at rest, and is unlocked via the physical keypad. What’s more, it can’t be brute-forced: the drive will wipe its encryption key if the incorrect combination is entered too many times (user-selectable from four to 20).

The only caveat is some firms ban the use of external USB devices, so your mileage may vary.

For a more budget-friendly option, look at Integral’s Courier and Crypto drives.

Swiftpoint ProPoint travel mouse - £70

By now most of us have optimised our home working setup for productivity and ergonomics – but that all goes out of the window when we have to travel. Trying to scroll around a document using a laptop trackpad is a recipe for RSI.

That’s why we’re recommending Swiftpoint’s travel mouse, which is seriously small – it weighs just 24g – and usable in cramped conditions like a plane’s tray table.

The mouse features three customisable buttons and a mechanical scroll wheel, lasts up to two weeks on a single charge and is usable on Windows, MacOS, Android and iPadOS. It also doubles as a presentation remote and virtual laser pointer.

The one downside is that the tiny size, less than 6cm long, means holding the mouse in a pen grip instead of the more traditional claw grip. Still, Swiftpoint offers a 90-day trial period for you to get used to the ProPoint.

If you’re less bothered about the size and more concerned with cost, Microsoft’s own Bluetooth Mouse is a reliable workhorse for half the price.

Logitech K380s travel keyboard - £33

Low-cost and lightweight, Logitech’s K380 has been a portable favourite for years. The K380s (also, for some reason, called the Pebble Keys 2) is a newer model with a longer battery life of up to three years from a pair of AAAs – as long as you remember to turn it off before throwing it in your bag.

The K380s can connect to up to three devices via Bluetooth (Windows, Android, macOS, iPadOS and ChromeOS), switching between them using the function keys. Those keys are also customisable, so you can launch your favourite programmes quickly.

At 28cm long and weighing less than 450g, this is one of the most portable keyboards on the market.

The Roost laptop stand - £85

Rounding out our travel office recommendations, a laptop stand is going to keep your neck, shoulders and back from aching at the end of a day of remote work – because for all the benefits of mobility, good posture is not one of them.

As an added bonus, a decent laptop stand helps air flow around your PC, reducing the chance of overheating.

The Roost is a blend of lightweight (just 165g), small (3x33x3cm when folded) and sturdy, able to hold laptops up to 18”. It has seven height settings, non-slip rubber feet and clamps to secure your device in place.

It is on the expensive side, but there are plenty of lower-cost options out there if you’re on a budget.

Ledger Nano S Plus crypto hardware wallet - £43

Crypto’s not for everyone, but it definitely has a higher uptake among the nerd tech community than others. With the price of popular currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple continuing to climb, you’ll understandably want to protect your investment – especially as crypto exchanges are an increasingly popular target for attackers.

Enter the Ledger Nano S Plus crypto hardware wallet. Unlike a software-based wallet, this stores private keys offline to boost security. And, because your assets are still stored in a blockchain, losing the Ledger doesn’t prevent you from accessing your precious crypto.

And if you’re really serious about protecting your digital assets, you could also consider the Trezor Keep Metal (£86): a robust way to secure your wallet recovery password.

Expandos anti-theft backpack - £85

Hybrid worker, road warrior, train slave – whatever you call it, travel for work is here to stay, so it’s best to stay protected. Anti-theft backpacks like the one above feature a variety of features to keep your tech safe, no matter where you are.

While you’ll pay a premium to get every feature, like anti-slash material and RFID blocking, a few essentials for business travellers to look out for are zipper locks, hidden pockets, luggage straps and the ability to open all the way when lying flat – speeding your journey through customs.

Of course, you could always just add a luggage lock and call it good.

Orbitkey 2-in-1 tech pouch - £45

If you're not in the market for a new backpack but still want to keep your tech organised, this could be the perfect solution.

No more fumbling around to find a charging lead lost in the depths of your bag; the tech pouch has space to hold headphones, leads, a mouse, pens, plugs and more. It also has a detachable inner divider, so you can customise the internal space to your needs.

The pouch might not be flashy, but it’s perfect for the professional on the go.

Logitech Spotlight Presentation Remote - £140

A premium presentation product, this one is definitely for power users who take the stage as part of their day job.

The Spotlight is much more than a laser pointer (though it does that, too): it can also magnify and highlight areas of the screen to keep the audience engaged, without faffing around in Powerpoint before the presentation.

And because everyone forgets to plug their tech in every now and then, the Spotlight can support three hours of use on just one minute of charge.

Compatible with various systems including Windows, macOS, Zoom, Teams and BlueJeans; and hardware including projectors, computers, TVs and multi-screen setups. Connection is via a USB dongle or Bluetooth.

Alternatively, the ProPoint mouse recommended above has a presentation mode and virtual laser pointer, too.

Tile Pro Bluetooth Tracker - £25 (Black Friday sale)

We all lose stuff from time to time: keys, phones, Kindles, children. The Tile tracker (or, for a louder speaker, the Pro version) helps you track down your lost belongings.

Either tell the Tile to sound from your phone or, a nice bonus, press the button on the Tile to make your phone ring, even if it’s on quiet mode. No more sneaking around the house with a spare phone to listen for your main one vibrating behind a sofa cushion.

The Tile app shows the last known location of the tracker if it leaves Bluetooth range – which, at 150m, is already pretty extensive. It works with voice assistants, too.

Nintendo Switch 2 - £385.99

We promised an IT-focused gift list and that’s what we’ve delivered – but what 2025 Christmas tech list would be complete without Nintendo’s newest console?

The Switch 2 features all the portability of the original model – so it fits with our travel-heavy theme this year – but also a larger, higher-resolution screen, higher framerate and magnetic controllers that snap to the console.

As well as a variety of new games (the main reason for buying any console) the Switch 2 has a chat feature, ability to share your gameplay with friends and quality of life improvements, like a built-in microphone and ability to use the JoyCon controller as a mouse.

One caveat: You may upset your relatives if you open this in front of them.