10 Cool Tech Gadgets And Gifts For Mother's Day

Noise-canceling headphones, e-readers and a digital photo frame are among our top gadget gift suggestions for your techie mom.

Gadget Gifts For Mom

While the holiday will no doubt be a bit different this year, Mother's Day 2020 is arriving on Sunday, May 10. And if you're looking for tech gifts for mom, we're here to help with your gift-giving strategy--which might be worth adjusting somewhat given everything going on. Gifts that are worth extra consideration this year might be anything focused on improving comfort and relaxation (such as noise-cancelling headphones, a scent diffuser or a nice-sounding smart speaker). Tech gifts that are practical--such as an automated vacuum and a smartphone sanitizer—would be good at a time like this, too.

What follows is the roundup of our top tech gifts for Mother's Day 2020.

Aura Mason Digital Photo Frame

It's not often that you get to describe an electronic gadget as "heartfelt," but a digital photo frame is one exception. And Aura Mason's offering in the category is widely considered one of the best, thanks to its great display and design along with an easy setup. Users can add an unlimited number of photos to the WiFi-connected frame using the Aura Frames app. As a gift for Mother's Day, the Aura Mason digital photo frame has another benefit too--you can actually add photos to the frame in advance so that they're ready to go once mom powers it up. You can also invite family members to add photos in advance, and the frame works both in portrait and landscape orientation.

The Aura Mason digital photo frame is currently priced at $179 on the Aura Frames website.

Apple Watch Series 5

The gym may be closed, but like everyone else under lockdown, mom still needs to get her exercise. The fifth-generation Apple Watch is packed with fitness and health monitoring features including tracking for activities such as running, cycling and yoga. The Apple Watch Series 5 also offers a boost to workouts by being able to play Apple Music even without having an iPhone nearby. Plus, the latest Apple Watch introduces an always-on display, so that users no longer have to raise their wrist or touch the display to activate it.

The Apple Watch Series 5 (GPS-only model) has a starting price of $399.

PhoneSoap 3

A gift of peace of mind may be very welcome as a Mother's Day gift this year. The PhoneSoap 3 promises to kill 99.99 percent of germs on a smartphone using UV-based technology. The device can safely sanitize both a phone and case, and even charges the phone in the process. The PhoneSoap 3 also promises to fit all smartphone sizes, and includes an audio amplifier for hearing notifications and alarms, too.

The PhoneSoap 3 is priced at $79.95 on the company's website.

Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700

If mom could use some help with relaxing (and blocking out the world), noise-cancelling headphones should be a very welcome gift. Along with wireless connectivity, the Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700 offer improved noise cancellation with a six-microphone array that can block even the most disruptive sounds. The headphones also have a touch-sensitive pad on the right earcup to enable touch commands for volume control, changing the song or starting/stopping a track. The headphones provide an impressive 20 hours of battery life, as well.

The Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700 (black) are currently priced at $349.95.

Aera Smart Diffuser

Aera's Smart Diffuser might be able to further help with creating a relaxing atmosphere. The Smart Diffuser is a fragrance system offering "surround-scent" technology to evenly distribute a scent throughout a room—with adjustable settings for small, medium or large rooms. Aera also says the strength of the fragrance can be maintained so that it doesn't fade during usage, and the scents can even be controlled and scheduled using a smartphone app. Plus, the Aera Smart Diffuser can be controlled by voice using Amazon's Alexa smart assistant, as well.

The Aera Smart Diffuser is priced at $200 on Aera's website.

Instant Pot Smart WiFi

Not only does the Instant Pot dramatically simplify the cooking of a variety of foods, but the Smart Wifi version provides a number of helpful capabilities including controlling the cooker from a mobile device. The Instant Pot Smart WiFi comes in a six-quart size and features a total of eight modes, including Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker and Rice/Porridge Cooker. Using a mobile device, users can cook, schedule and adjust their dishes--and even monitor the progress of meals from their device.

The Instant Pot Smart WiFi is currently priced at $149.50 on Amazon.

Google Nest Hub Max

Google's Nest Hub Max certainly doesn't have to go in the kitchen--but being able to stream video (such as a cooking how-to on YouTube) while working in the kitchen is a great option. And with voice control via the Google Assistant, users don't even need to dry off their hands to control the device. The Google Nest Hub Max features a 10-inch HD screen along with stereo speakers and a three-inch woofer, and the device can display photos from a Google Photos library when not in use.

The Google Nest Hub Max is priced at $229.

Amazon Kindle

Spending more time at home is an ideal time to do more reading. And it might be an ideal time for mom to go digital with an e-reader, too. Amazon's latest update to the standard Kindle adds a helpful front light, which lets users adjust the display brightness for more-comfortable reading. That includes during nighttime reads indoors or outdoors in the bright sun. The standard Kindle features a 6-inch 167 ppi display for reading e-books, along with the ability to play Audible audiobooks—and, notably, the Kindle lets users easily switch between reading and listening to the same book.

The Amazon Kindle is currently priced at $89.99 (with "special offers" advertising) or $109.99 without ads.

iRobot Roomba s9+

Automated vacuuming is a technology that has been getting better and better--and iRobot's Roomba s9+ is one of the latest innovations in the category. The robotic vacuum features upgrades including increased suction for lifting debris and dirt, optimized cleaning of corners and edges, an anti-allergen system, and technology for mapping out the home and determining the ideal cleaning plan. Another significant feature is the Roomba's Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal system, through which the Roomba s9+ will empty its own bin—allowing users to go weeks without having to think about vacuuming, according to iRobot. Key technology advances include iAdapt 3.0 Navigation with vSLAM (for keeping track of where the Roomba has cleaned) and an enhanced 3-D sensor for scanning what is in the robot's path.

The iRobot Roomba s9+ is priced at $999 on Amazon.

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Sonos One

If mom has an interest in upgrading or adding a new smart speaker—perhaps to listen to some peaceful or uplifting music during the present circumstances--the second-gen Sonos One is among the best options out there. The Sonos One offers terrific sound and volume even in its relatively compact form factor, thanks to its two Class-D digital amplifiers along with a tweeter and a mid-woofer. And in terms of connecting to a voice-controlled smart assistant, the Sonos One has both of the leading assistants built in--Amazon's Alexa and the Google Assistant. The Sonos One is also available in two color choices--white or black.

The Sonos One, Gen 2, is currently priced at $195 on Amazon.