Gifts for teenage boys, from gaming kit to gym gear
For the teenager who says he doesn’t want anything, then spends his birthday money in a day.
Price guide: £ under £15 ££ £15–£40 £££ over £40
More ideas: Gifts for teenage boys
Somewhere around thirteen, the easy presents run out. He’s too old for toys and not keen on clothes someone else has chosen, and the things he does want tend to live on a screen or in a sports bag. These ideas cover both, with a few for the arty or outdoorsy teenager too.
Every pick comes from one of our top lists, where it was compared with the best of its kind. The mouse, the mic and the drawing tablet plug into a computer, so it’s worth knowing what he uses before you buy.
A wireless gaming mouse
Price band: £££For the gamer still clicking away on the mouse that came with the laptop: this one is wireless, light and quick.
Our pick
Logitech G305 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse
£49.99 RRP
Lag-free LIGHTSPEED wireless and a 12,000 DPI HERO sensor in a light, compact mouse that runs up to 250 hours on one AA battery. The receiver stores inside it, so it travels with a laptop without getting lost. Logitech began in 1981 in the Swiss village of Apples.
- LIGHTSPEED wireless, 1ms
- HERO sensor, up to 12,000 DPI
- Up to 250 hrs on one AA
- Receiver stores inside
- Endurance mode: up to 9 months
What owners say: Owners call it excellent value, comfortable and accurate, with a battery that lasts ages and a solid wireless connection.
A closer look: Switch on Endurance mode in Logitech G HUB and the same AA lasts up to nine months, handy if it doubles as an everyday mouse.
A USB microphone
Price band: £££For the teenager chatting to his mates online all evening, or starting to stream: a mic that makes him sound clear rather than tinny.
Our pick
FIFINE AmpliGame AM8 USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone
£30–£50 Price range
A mic that grows with the hobby: USB-C into a PC today, and an XLR socket for a mixer or audio interface if it gets serious. Being a dynamic mic, it mostly hears the voice in front of it rather than the keyboard or the telly in the next room.
- USB-C and XLR outputs
- Dynamic, cardioid pickup
- Headphone jack with its own volume
- Gain knob and tap-to-mute
- RGB lighting, 3 modes
What owners say: Owners say it makes their voice sound clear and professional, is easy to set up on a PC, and feels solid and premium for the money.
Heads up: Dynamic mics like the speaker close, so keep it just in front of the mouth and turn the gain up rather than leaning back.
A closer look: Plug headphones into the socket on the front and they'll hear their own voice as they talk, the easiest way to set the gain before going live. It works over USB with PC, Mac and PS5 (not Xbox), and screws onto a boom arm when the desk gets crowded.
Noise-cancelling headphones
Price band: £££Long bus rides, revision in a noisy house, or just some peace: over-ear headphones that shut the world out for days on a charge.
Our pick
soundcore by Anker Q20i Noise Cancelling Headphones
£49.99 RRP
Forty hours of noise cancelling on a charge, and a five-minute top-up gives four more for the morning you forgot to plug them in. They stay connected to a phone and a laptop at once, so a call cuts in without any re-pairing.
- Up to 40 hrs with ANC on
- 5 min charge = 4 hrs
- Hybrid ANC with 4 mics
- Multipoint: phone and laptop
- Transparency mode
What owners say: Owners say they're great value and comfortable for long spells, with strong noise cancelling and a battery that keeps going.
A closer look: Noise cancelling only works over Bluetooth, not through the AUX cable, so for a long flight it's worth downloading films to a phone rather than plugging into the seat screen. The soundcore app adds an EQ and white-noise sounds for dozing off.
A fitness band
Price band: ££For the teenager getting into running, the gym or football training: steps, sleep and workouts on his wrist without a smartwatch price.
Our pick
Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Fitness Tracker
£39.99 RRP
Up to three weeks between charges and a big, bright screen, which is a lot for a budget band. It tracks steps, sleep, heart rate and 150-odd sports, with a proper swimming mode.
- Up to 21 days a charge
- 1.72-inch AMOLED screen
- 150+ sport modes
- Swim-proof (5ATM)
- Sleep tracking
What owners say: Owners love the display and the battery life, and find it reliable for swimming, heart rate and sleep.
A closer look: The tracker pops out of the strap, so a second strap in another colour or material turns it from gym kit into something smarter for going out. It sets up with Xiaomi's free app on iPhone or Android.
Boxing gloves
Price band: ££For boxing club, a bag in the garage or keeping fit with a mate: proper gloves that look after his hands.
Our pick
RDX Kara Series Training Boxing Gloves (4oz to 18oz)
£29.99 RRP
Pre-curved padding and an attached thumb help the hand close into a proper fist, and the full wraparound strap keeps the wrist straight on the bag. It comes in every weight from 4oz to 18oz, so the whole family can train in the same glove.
- 4oz to 18oz sizes
- Quadro Dome 3 padding
- Attached thumb
- Wraparound hook-and-loop strap
- Ventilated palm
What owners say: Owners find them comfortable and well made, with a snug fit that stays put, and say they break in quickly and handle bag work, pads and sparring.
A closer look: RDX recommends the 4oz to 10oz gloves for young people up to 14; adults go heavier, with more padding for sparring. The hook-and-loop strap means children can get them on and off without help.
A football kit bag
Price band: ££For the one who heads straight to training, the gym or the pool after school: a bag with its own pocket for muddy boots.
Our pick
Nike Academy Team Football Duffel Bag (Small, 41L)
£30–£50 Price range
Made for football teams, with a separate wet/dry compartment that keeps muddy boots or a damp towel away from clean kit. At 41 litres it takes a full kit and a ball, and hand and shoulder straps make it easy to carry to the gym or the pitch.
- 41 litres
- Separate wet/dry compartment
- Zip outer pockets, inner pocket
- Hand and shoulder straps
- 100% polyester
What owners say: Owners find it roomy enough for boots and a full kit, like the side pockets for shoes, swimwear or damp clothes, and rate its looks, toughness and value.
A closer look: Nike says spot-clean only, so wipe out the wet compartment after a muddy match and leave it open to dry rather than putting the bag in the wash. It suits a junior footballer's club kit as well as an adult's gym gear.
An off-road RC truck
Price band: £££A fast off-road truck for the park or the field, not a toy for the living room: the kind the grown-ups end up wanting a go on.
Our pick
Womaqu 1:14 4WD Off-Road RC Truck (40km/h, 2 batteries)
£75–£100 Price range
A proper hobby-style truck rather than a toy: 40km/h, all-terrain tyres, a throttle that goes from a crawl to flat out, and two batteries for about 40 minutes of driving. Fun for dads as much as children.
- Up to 40km/h, 4WD
- Proportional throttle and steering
- 2 × 7.4V 1300mAh batteries, about 40 minutes
- Up to 70m control range
- Ages 8+
What owners say: Owners find it superb value, easy to control and quick, and tough enough to handle bumps, crashes and enthusiastic children.
Heads up: At 40km/h it's too fast for small children or the living room: it's for the park, and for ages eight and up.
A closer look: Start them on half throttle until they've got the feel of it. Let the battery cool for a few minutes before recharging, and dry the car off after wet grass.
A drawing tablet
Price band: £££For the teenager who draws in every margin, or wants to try digital art and animation on the computer he already has.
Our pick
XPPen Deco 01 V3 Drawing Tablet
£59.99 RRP
A big 10 × 6.25in drawing area, a pen that feels 16,384 levels of pressure and eight shortcut keys, and it works with nearly anything: Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android and Linux.
- 10 × 6.25in drawing area
- 16,384 pressure levels, 60° tilt
- 8 shortcut keys
- Battery-free pen
- Just 8mm thick
What owners say: Owners find it good quality, easy to set up and use, suitable for beginners, and good value.
Heads up: Like all pen tablets without a screen, you draw on the pad while watching the computer, which takes a day or two to get used to.
A closer look: Install XPPen's driver from their website before plugging it in: that's what unlocks the pressure and the shortcut keys. Set the keys to undo, brush size and eraser first.
A star projector
Price band: ££For a bedroom that’s more den than bedroom: a little astronaut that fills the ceiling with stars and nebulae at night.
Our pick
MAZ-TEK Astronaut Galaxy Star Projector
£10–£20 Price range
A little astronaut whose helmet throws nebulae and green stars across the ceiling. The head turns all the way round and lifts off on a magnet, so it can point at the ceiling or a wall.
- 8 nebula effects plus green stars
- Head turns 360°
- Remote control
- Adjustable colour and brightness
- USB powered
What owners say: Owners call it the best night light they've had, giving just enough light without disturbing sleep, and say it looks lovely in a child's room.
A closer look: It comes with a USB cable but no plug, so use a spare phone charger by the bed. Turned right down, it makes a gentle night light for children who don't like the dark.
A filter straw for camping trips
Price band: ££For camping trips, expeditions and long walks with friends: a straw to drink through straight from a stream.
Our pick
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
£20–£30 Price range
The original filter straw: dip it in a stream or lake and drink straight through it, with no pumping, batteries or chemicals. TIME named it one of the best inventions of 2005.
- Drink straight from the source
- 99.999999% of bacteria (maker)
- 99.999% of parasites and microplastics (maker)
- Up to 4,000 litres
- Just 46g
What owners say: Owners find it effective, light, tough and compact, ideal for hiking and cycle touring, and well worth the money.
Heads up: Drinking through it takes a firm, steady sip, so give it a try at home before the trip.
A closer look: LifeStraw designs it for germs, microplastics and dirt, not chemicals or heavy metals, so it's for clear fresh water from streams and lakes. Unused, it keeps indefinitely, which makes it a handy one for the emergency kit.
A football for the park
Price band: £A new ball for the garden, the park and a kickabout after school, at a price that doesn’t hurt when it goes missing.
Our pick
adidas Starlancer Club Football
Under £10 Price range
A simple, well-made adidas kickabout ball with a machine-stitched cover made from recycled polyurethane, at a price that doesn't sting when it sails over the fence.
- Recycled polyurethane cover
- Machine-stitched
- Choice of colours
What owners say: Owners like how well made and smart it looks, and think it's good value.
A closer look: It's a club-level ball for the park, the garden and the playground rather than a match ball. Pick a bright colourway if it's for the park, as it's easier to find in long grass at dusk.
A first beard trimmer
Price band: ££For the older teenager whose first bit of stubble has arrived: a simple trimmer that’s hard to get wrong.
Our pick
Philips Beard Trimmer 3000 Series
£20–£30 Price range
Self-sharpening blades with rounded tips, 20 lengths from stubble to short beard, and a comb that lifts the hair into the blade.
- 20 lengths, 0.5–10mm
- Self-sharpening, no oiling
- Lift&Trim comb
- 100% waterproof
- Soft pouch
What owners say: Owners say it’s great quality, easy to use and clean, and worth the money, and like being able to set it anywhere from 0.5 to 10mm.
A closer look: The rounded blade tips make it gentle on the neck, which is where cheap trimmers usually nick. It charges by USB-A, so it needs a phone plug rather than its own adaptor (none in the box). Ten millimetres is the longest setting, so it suits short beards and stubble.
Tips for teenagers’ presents
- If it plugs into something, find out what he uses first: a PC, a laptop, a console or just his phone.
- Charge the headphones and the fitness band before wrapping, so nothing sits on a charger on the day.
- Boxing gloves come in weights: check the size chart on the listing against his size and what he’ll use them for.
Photos are illustrative. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. How we pick · How this works.
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