Buy iPad Air at B&H Photo – $500

Apple Watch Series 5/Fossil Hybrid Smartwatch HR Charter

Will Lipman Photography / Apple / Fossil

A smartwatch could be a great gift for the most connected graduate in your life. Without a doubt, the Apple Watch Series 5 is the best smartwatch you can get (if you have an iPhone), thanks to its stunning, always-on Retina display and a compass that comes in handy with hiking or referring to on-watch walking directions. It’s also useful for fitness enthusiasts, with features such as automatic workout detection, a heart rate monitor and a built-in ECG measurement app that can detect an irregular heartbeat. It comes in either a 40mm or 44mm size, and you can opt for either a GPS model or one with LTE, which lets your grad make calls without a paired phone. A 40mm, GPS-only aluminum-cased model starts at $400, and you can opt for a variety of different straps and colors as well. 

If the Apple Watch isn’t your grad’s style, then we recommend the Fossil Hybrid Smartwatch HR Charter. It’s great for those who want something that still looks like a “real” timepiece. As a hybrid watch, the HR Charter combines the best of both worlds: It’s a stylish analog watch with a customizable e-ink display that can show step count, alternative time zones and notifications. Plus it has a built-in heart rate monitor and an impressive battery life of around two weeks on a single charge. The Fossil Hybrid Smartwatch HR Charter comes in a variety of finishes and colors, though we’re particularly fond of the one with the rose gold chassis and the blush silicone strap.

Buy Series 5 at Amazon – $384

Buy Fossil HR Charter at Amazon – $195

Away Carry-On (battery)

Will Lipman Photography / Away

Even if your grad might not be doing a lot of traveling right now, a piece of luggage is still a good investment. This hard-sided carry-on by Away is a perfect choice for those future long trips as well as shorter road trips (the latter of which might be more likely in our current environment). It has an interior compression system so you can fit in at least a week’s worth of clothes, a durable polycarbonate shell and 360-degree wheels plus a TSA-approved lock. If you can spare the space, we recommend the model with the ejectable battery pack that your grad can use to charge their phone.

Buy Away Carry-On at Away – $225

Kroser laptop backpack/Everlane Modern Snap backpack

Will Lipman Photography / Kroser / Everlane

A great gift for a new grad heading out into the working world is a backpack to store all of their essentials. We recommend the Kroser laptop bag, which is made out of durable water-repellent fabric and has plenty of space not only for a computer but also a tablet, files and folders, a wallet, an extra coat, and more. It also has a handy, built-in USB port that you can use to charge your phone via a power bank (sold separately). An alternative that has more style but less space is Everlane’s Modern Snap backpack. It has a padded compartment that can fit an up-to-15-inch laptop and a couple of side pockets for a water bottle and other small items. 

Buy Kroser laptop backpack at Amazon – $30

Buy Modern Snap backpack at Everlane – $78

HP Spectre x360 (2020, 13-inch)

Will Lipman Photography

Now that your graduate is moving on from college, they’ll probably want to upgrade that laptop they’ve been using for the past four or five years. We particularly like the HP Spectre x360, a convertible Windows notebook with a gorgeous jewel-like design. It has a travel-friendly body that weights just 2.9 pounds, and being a 2-in-1, it can go from laptop to tablet swiftly.

What’s more, it comes with an optional HP stylus, which they can use to draw diagrams and scribble notes. Plus, the HP Spectre x360 has a stunning touchscreen display (you can choose from a 1080p or an AMOLED option), an excellent keyboard, a compact form factor and plenty of power. We recommend getting the one with an Intel 10th Gen Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and 32GB of Optane Memory, which comes in at around $1,350.

Buy Spectre x360 at HP – $1,350

Nintendo Switch

Will Lipman Photography / Nintendo

If your grad doesn’t have a Nintendo Switch already, then why not reward their years of hard work with one? It’s not only considered one of the best gaming consoles on the market but is also perfect for the new grad, thanks to its transforming capabilities. It can be used on the go while sitting on the bus or laid-back on the couch while it’s hooked up to a TV, making it a handy two-in-one gadget. There’s even Netflix on it, so you can watch movies in between gaming sessions. Plus, it’s a great party console, as you can easily detach the controllers — or get additional ones — to play local multiplayer games. Of course, it also has a vast library of excellent games: Some of our favorites include Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Bros and Animal Crossing. 

Buy Nintendo Switch at Best Buy – $300

Samsung T5 Portable SSD 1TB

Will Lipman Photography

An external drive is useful for grads and non-grads alike — not only as backup but also for storing photos and videos. The Samsung T5 is a great value for the money. It’s a portable SSD that is so light and compact you could slip it in your pocket before you head out the door for the day. It has one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port that supports 10Gbps transfer speeds, and it’s bundled with AES 256-bit hardware encryption for extra data protection. It comes in four different colors and in different storage capacities, but we like the 1TB model for $180. There is a newer T7 Touch model that adds a fingerprint reader for extra security, but we still think the T5 is the better value for money. 

Buy Samsung T5 at Amazon – $180

Sony WF-1000XM3

Will Lipman Photography

Sure, you could give your new grad a pair of AirPods, but why not give them an even better pair of wireless earbuds? The Sony WF-1000XM3s is our favorite AirPods alternative, and we we think it offers better sound quality and more-powerful noise cancellation than Apple’s. Plus, its battery life is superior at around an hour and a half longer. The WF-1000XM3 comes in a handsome black-and-gold package as well, which is a touch more luxe than the Apple version. 

Buy WF-1000XM3s at Best Buy – $230

ZMI USB PD backup battery and hub

Will Lipman Photography

Even phones and laptops with amazing battery life don’t last forever, and that’s where an external battery pack comes in handy. The ZMI PowerPack 20000 is a good option. It has a massive 20,000mAh capacity — enough to charge your grad’s smartphone several times over. Plus it has Quick Charge 2.0/3.0 fast-charging support so you can do so lickety-split. What we especially love about it is that it features USB Power Delivery 2.0, which is capable of charging laptops like the MacBook Pro, the Pixelbook and other gadgets that are PD compatible. Another bonus is that it can be used as a USB hub for other devices like a mouse or keyboard. 

Buy ZMI PowerPack at Amazon – $69

Why you should trust me

I’ve reviewed car chargers for Wirecutter since 2014, monitoring every noteworthy new charger. Additionally, I’ve tested hundreds of other charging accessories, researching and writing our guides to USB wall chargers, USB-C laptop chargers, and USB-C accessories, among others. Previously, for three years I was the accessories editor at iLounge, where I reviewed more than 1,000 products, including numerous charging options.

Because USB-C can be dangerous business—subpar chargers and cables can fry innocent phones and laptops—I’ve also used specialized testing hardware to ensure the safety and reliability of every charger we’ve considered for this guide. This step allows us to definitively say that our picks work exactly as advertised, putting out the right levels of power and adhering to safety standards.

Should you get a car charger (or upgrade one you already have)?

Even if your car has a USB port for integrating music playback and phone calls with your car stereo, and even if that port can charge your phone, spending $20 or so for a dedicated two-port charger can be worth it. That’s because the built-in USB ports in most cars put out only 5 watts, which isn’t enough to charge a tablet or even newer smartphones at full speed. If you’re running an app like Waze or Google Maps, your car’s USB port may not charge your phone faster than your phone uses power, so you can end up at your destination with the same battery level on your phone as when you got into the car. Good USB-A chargers can charge more than twice as fast (12 watts), and the latest USB-C chargers can charge modern smartphones at up to 18 watts as long as you use a cable that plugs into the smaller port instead of the USB-A cable that probably came with your device. (This is our favorite cable for iPhones.)

Even if your car’s USB port does offer higher-speed charging, most cars have only one port. All of our picks let you charge two or more devices from a single accessory outlet—something your family and friends will appreciate.

However, if you recently bought a multiport USB charger that provides at least 2 amps from each of its ports (look for the “output” listing in the small print on the body of the charger), you have less reason to upgrade. Although you’d be able to charge some devices slightly faster with our top picks, the difference wouldn’t be big enough for you to spend more money on a new model right now.

Since many compact laptops charge at 30 or 45 W, you can even use this Nekteck charger to quickly fill them up on the go. In our tests, its USB-C port charged the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro—both of which are capable of laptop-like 45 W charging—at their fastest rates, something no other car charger we tested could do. The larger iPad reached 33 percent charge in half an hour and 65 percent in one hour. (Some popular laptop models, including the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros, can draw 60 W or even 90 W, so they won’t charge as fast as they can with their included wall chargers.) Our tests with Total Phase software showed that the USB-C port behaves as promised, and it didn’t throw up any red flags that would make us cautious about using it.

The body of the Nekteck PD 45W combines glossy black plastic and matte metal elements. It’s not a fashion piece, but it does look pretty good next to the cheaper appearances of some competitors. It sticks out 1.4 inches from the outlet, and its face is an oval 1.6 inches tall and 1.1 inches wide with a blue LED to indicate when it’s plugged in. While the Nekteck PD 45W is compact and unobtrusive, it isn’t so short that it’s difficult to remove, as some other car chargers are.

The Nekteck PD 45W car charger is the only model we tested that includes a USB-C–to–USB-C cable, a $10 to $20 value if bought separately. You can keep this cable in your car to charge your Android phone, computer, or iPad Pro without having to buy a separate accessory. We’ve verified that the cable adheres to standards; it’s not only safe, but it also has a sturdy build quality. In addition to passing our own tests, the charger has been certified by the USB-IF, which means it’s been independently tested for safety.

Similar to the coverage from most reputable charger brands, Nekteck’s standard warranty period is 12 months, with a six-month extension if you sign up for the company’s newsletter. We’ve found the customer support to be helpful, both in response speed and in addressing our concerns.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Unlike some chargers, the Nekteck PD 45W Type-C Car Charger doesn’t have illuminated USB ports, which would make plugging in cables in a dark car a little easier.

Upgrade pick: Scosche PowerVolt Power Delivery Dual 18W USB-C Car Charger

Photo: Sarah Kobos

If you want to simultaneously charge two phones at the fastest speeds possible, we recommend the Scosche PowerVolt Power Delivery Dual 18W USB-C Car Charger (CPDC8C8). It’s the only car charger with dual USB-C ports from an accessory maker we trust. Each port supports 18-watt charging speeds, even when you use them at the same time, and it’s not much larger or much more expensive than the Nekteck 45-watt charger.

In our testing, an iPhone XS, when plugged into the PowerVolt with a USB-C–to–Lightning cable, charged from zero to about 50 percent in 30 minutes and to 80 percent in an hour. That’s roughly 15 percent more battery life than your phone would get from a standard 12-watt USB-A charger. Android phones, including the Google Pixel family and the latest generations of the Samsung Galaxy line, would see similar gains compared with using USB-A chargers. The Scosche also performed as expected when we ran it through the Total Phase test, showing the proper power rates and no errors, so it should be compatible with any device that charges on the USB-C standard.

The Scosche PowerVolt is a little bigger than the Nekteck PD 45W car charger, but it has two USB-C ports instead of one. Photo: Sarah Kobos

Like the Nekteck PD 45W car charger, the Scosche PowerVolt has USB-IF certification, which means an independent lab has verified that it meets a set of criteria for safety and performance. Although we didn’t rely on USB-IF certification in making our recommendations for this guide, that stamp of approval makes us even more comfortable with our picks.

Scosche’s warranty is one of the best we’ve seen. It covers the PowerVolt for three years, almost double the coverage that Anker—one of the most reputable companies in the business—offers. When we’ve contacted Scosche’s customer service, we’ve been impressed by the fast response times; we got a response to one support inquiry within three hours.

Budget pick: ZMI PowerCruise C2 36-Watt Dual USB Car Charger with QC 3.0

Photo: Sarah Kobos

If you don’t want to spend more than $10 or so on a charger and aren’t concerned about USB-C speeds, we recommend ZMI’s PowerCruise C2 36-Watt Dual USB Car Charger with QC 3.0. To be fair, any dual-port USB-A charger from a reputable brand will work as well as any other. But the PowerCruise has a slight edge because it’s the rare charger that supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 charging technology on both ports (if you have a compatible phone), and it has the most aesthetically pleasing design in the category.

Like every dual-port charger we tested, the PowerCruise properly allowed 12-watt power draw from both ports. An iPhone XS should reach 35 percent from empty in half an hour, and about 73 percent in an hour. Although we don’t think you should buy the PowerCruise only because it supports QC 3.0—most phones these days will charge just as fast or faster on a USB-C charger—the fact that it offers that support, for the same price as non-QC chargers, adds extra value and makes it the best USB-A option for a larger variety of phones.

Dual–USB-A chargers from good companies are all about the same, but the PowerCruise is made of metal, which is nice. Photo: Sarah Kobos

Whereas most car chargers are plastic, the PowerCruise is made of silver-colored brass. It has a substantial heft (something that makes it feel premium) and a clean look. It also sports a glowing ring between the charging stem and the 0.8-inch-tall head, though the ports themselves aren’t lit.

Also great: RAVPower Quick Charge 3.0 54W 4-Port Car Adapter (RP-VC003)

Photo: Sarah Kobos

Four ports might seem like overkill to some people, but if you really need to charge more than two devices at once in the car, the RAVPower Quick Charge 3.0 54W 4-Port Car Adapter (RP-VC003) is a great pick. It fits four fast USB charging ports into a package that’s not much larger than the Nekteck PD 45W.

With a black metal body that sticks out 1.4 inches from the car’s outlet, and a face that’s 1.8 inches tall and 1 inch wide when oriented vertically, the charger isn’t unreasonably large. Its ports are aligned in a single row, so you can rotate the charger 90 degrees if a horizontal orientation better fits your car’s setup.

The RAVPower RP-VC003 charger is as compact as a charger can be with four USB-A ports crammed on the front. Photo: Sarah Kobos

The RP-VC003 did fall a bit short in our tests, but not in a way that we think will affect most people. All three standard USB ports put out the proper 12 watts (2.4 amps, 5 volts) when we used them individually, and the Quick Charge port offered the right 2-amp, 9-volt charging figure. But when we tested the maximum draw on all four ports at once, one of the non–Quick Charge ports dropped to 0.8 amp. Since it’s rare for devices to draw the whole 12 W available on a USB port—the power draw tapers off as a battery fills up—we don’t think this problem will affect too many people. Even with this minor drawback, the RAVPower charger is still a better option than the limited competition.

What about cheap dual-port 12-watt chargers?

There’s no shortage of small, $10-ish, dual-port USB-A chargers from reputable brands. Scosche’s ReVolt, RAVPower’s RP-PC031, RP-PC106, and RP-VC006, Aukey’s CC-S7, Anker’s PowerDrive 2, and AmazonBasics’s Dual-Port USB Car Charger all perform identically to one another. Some are shorter than others and end up looking like they’re part of your car when installed, and some have glowing ports that make it easier for you to plug in a cable when it’s dark. But they all work fine, and they’re decent buys if you find a great sale or it’s easier to pick up one of these over the ZMI PowerCruise C2.

The competition

Aukey’s Expedition Flush-Fit 18W is a tiny metal charger offering a single 18-watt USB-C port. We generally recommend chargers that don’t sit flush because they are harder to remove, and think you can get a better deal for a multiport charger. In our tests, one of the power profiles was an unusual 12V/1.75A (21 watts), which doesn’t match the 12V/1.5A listed on the charger itself. For that reason alone, we’d be wary of using it.

Satechi’s 72W Type-C PD Car Charger provides more power than any other model we tested, with 60 watts from the USB-C port (enough to charge a 13-inch MacBook Pro at full-speed) and 12 watts from the USB-A port. But it doesn’t come with a charging cable, and that much power is overkill for most devices. If you often find yourself needing to charge your laptop in the car, the Satechi will be a good choice for you, but most people will be better off with the Nekteck charger, which includes a cable and offers 45-watt charging that will also work with most laptops.

Anker’s PowerDrive Speed+ Duo has a 30-watt USB-C port (as opposed to the Nekteck’s 45-watt port), doesn’t come with a cable, and generally sells for a few dollars more than the Nekteck. It’s otherwise a good choice if you prefer the aesthetics of the glowing blue ring around the charging face.

Aukey’s CC-Y7 supports only a 27-watt output from its USB-C port, and it isn’t USB-IF certified.

In our testing, the Anker PowerDrive Speed+ 2 didn’t support full Quick Charge speeds, despite its specs.

RAVPower’s Dual USB Car Adapter (RP-PC022) failed when we tried to charge devices on both the USB-A and USB-C ports at the same time.

We don’t recommend the AmazonBasics 4-Port USB Car Charger because it required us to unplug and reconnect our test iPads a few times to get the proper 2.4-amp power draw from each port. Eventually, all four were providing the right amount of power, but we found the RAVPower RP-VC003 to be more reliable.

This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

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