Singles' Day

Singles' Day started as a protest against coupled-up gift occasions and has since become its own excuse to buy things, which suits a column like this one fine. Nobody to shop for but yourself today, so the list leans toward things you'd actually pick if no one was watching.

The Dyson OnTrac is an over-ear pair with noise cancelling and an aluminium finish, the kind of detail that matters more to the person wearing it than anyone looking at them. Built for the commute you take alone, which is most of them. Compare more headphones.

The VTech KidiZoom Smartwatch DX2 is not for you, obviously, it's a kids' watch aimed at five to thirteen year olds, educational games included. Someone in the house is not single today, and this is their present. The best smartwatches.

The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro skips the eartip entirely, resting open against the ear instead of in it, with a battery life that claims 45 hours. Useful for people who like hearing their surroundings as much as their music, or who just forget to charge things. Compare more in-ear headphones.

The BuddyPhones PopFun caps volume at 84 or 95 decibels depending on the setting, comes with stickers, and lasts about 24 hours on a charge. A children's pair built around the one feature that actually matters: a limit on how loud it can get. The best headphones.

The Sonic the Hedgehog headphones fold flat, run wireless, and carry the same volume limiting that shows up across most kids' audio gear now, just with a blue hedgehog printed on the side. Compare more headphones.

The Fresh 'n Rebel Code Junior covers both bases, wireless when you want it and wired with the included aux cable when the battery runs out mid-car-ride. Practical in the way kids' gear has to be, because someone always forgets to charge it. The best headphones.