According to Lifehacker, the Best TV Gift of 2026 Isn’t Actually a TV.
Welcome to Holiday Lab Hours—a multimedia collaboration in which Lifehacker, CNET , ZDNET , and Mashable leverage the power of our product testing lab and the expertise of our editors to offer the best gift recommendations. In this episode, we’re talking about televisions.
I recently delved into the history of television , researched what’s coming to store shelves in 2026, and concluded that the best gift this year is probably sunglasses. XBX by XReal sunglasses are essentially a TV you can put in your pocket. See for yourself:
I’ve moved away from traditional televisions for several reasons. First, no matter how much we love a good TV show or movie, who buys someone a TV as a gift anyway? More importantly, there’s the nature of television itself. Since its invention in the late 1920s, television quality has been measured by screen size and the clarity and brightness of the image. But in 2026, a typical 4K TV, with nothing special, produces an image that’s pixel-perceptible to the average viewer, and most of us don’t have living rooms large enough to need a display larger than 65 inches. I think innovation in this area will be about form factor and application, and what better form factor could there be than a pair of sunglasses?
These glasses deliver an image equivalent to a 142-inch TV viewed from across the room. Comparing the resolution to traditional TVs is difficult—technically, the screen resolution is 1080p for each eye, but because the TV is only a few millimeters from the eye, the image appears much sharper. Peak brightness is 1600 nits, sufficient for most rooms, and a fully opaque protective screen is available if needed. The refresh rate is 120 Hz. They support HDR10 and real-time SDR-to-HDR upscaling, displaying billions of colors, and all in a frame weighing just 62 grams.
There are other uses, too. They can serve as a separate monitor for your computer; you can watch various shows without disturbing your roommate; and most importantly, they’re perfect for flying. There’s no situation in life where a big screen TV is more essential than a transcontinental flight. Put them on with headphones, and you can fly to Boise in your own virtual cinema.
They connect directly to any device that supports USB-C video output, eliminate the need to worry about charging a battery, and cost under $300. In other words, they’re the perfect TV gift for the holidays, even if it’s not technically a TV.