Intentional Tech Gift Guide 2025
Best Minimalist & Screen-Free Products
Looking for intentional tech gifts that prioritize focus over distraction? This 2025 gift guide features the best minimalist devices, e-ink tablets, and screen-free products for anyone seeking digital wellness and purposeful technology.
Greetings Dear Readers!
Our friend Jake from Returning Retro wrote a great piece on Crackberry.com highlighting the best picks for intentional, purpose-built tech of 2025.
In that same spirit, we’d like to present our own!
We want to recommend products that align with the SLEKE. ethos: intentional, disciplined design that uplifts and puts the end User first. Tech that enlarges the User rather than diminishes them.
We’re seeing more creators engage with disciplined tech design, but it’s still quite rare. We’ll spare you dumbphone recommendations because Jake covered those well. Also, we’d be hopelessly biased in the sense that we believe SLEKE. is the ultimate smartphone replacement. A full replacement rather than a companion device. The one dumbphone to rule them all… alright, maybe we need to calm down. Not trying to be Sauron here. We’re more of a Hobbit culture.
But who are we kidding… If you are someone looking for the ultimate intentional smartphone. Someone who is simply fed up with the daily battle for your attention, give us a shot. SLEKE. isn’t merely a companion device, but a full replacement for the iPhone or Android that tests your willpower day after day. With SLEKE., you are not the product and you are not on sale all hours of the day. Be a part of batch 10 and give your self the gift of freedom!
Buy it here.
But let’s get to the gift guide!
Intentional Tech Gift Guide 2025
Best E-ink Devices for Distraction-Free Work
Most people are aware of these digital notepads, but they’re perfect intentional tech. No app store, no web browser, no social media. Designed to deliberately support deep work. It’s purely for reading, writing, or thinking. Not mindless entertainment. If you haven’t used an e-ink device yet, check it out. There’s something pleasant about the technology; it really does resemble pen and paper versus the brightness of other screens.
Another e-ink tablet with functionality very similar to reMarkable, with a few key differences. Supernote supports email and Kindle, plus the ability to sideload apps. It also has higher repairability compared to reMarkable. Users swear by its knowledge management capabilities. It’s truly smart tech, built with intention, that won’t harvest your dopamine.
Here’s a quote from their website: “We believe technology should enhance your life without demanding your attention. Our e-ink dashboard is designed to provide information you need at a glance, without the endless notifications from traditional screens.” Hear hear! TRMNL is open source with 688+ plugins available, so Users can build their own programs for the device.
Digital Wellness & Focus Tools
A powerful website and application blocker for Windows and macOS. $45 for lifetime access. Used correctly, it can save you countless hours. You can develop something akin to your own personal OS, designed to enhance your ability to focus. Instead of relying on willpower, build discipline directly into your digital environment. When blocks are active and set up right, there’s no easy way to bypass them.
Bookmark this for the future. It isn’t available to the average consumer yet, but we can envision a future where e-ink plays a larger role for those seeking digital wellness. What Modos is going for is an e-ink screen that optimizes latency compared to other e-ink devices. From their site: “At Modos, our mission is to help you live a healthy life by creating technology that respects your time, attention, and well-being. We are an open-hardware and open-source company building an ecosystem of devices to re-imagine personal computing and build a collective vision of calm, intentional, and humane technology.” Hear hear!
Freewrite and Pomera Typewriters
Both devices are built for writers who want complete devotion to their current project. Single function devices that can become something of a ceremonial writing altar for their Users.
Mindful Tech & Tools for Daily Life
A cordless 13” e-ink digital photo frame with months-long battery life, so no power cord hanging out. No touch interaction, images are managed through the Aura app. A great option for simply displaying favorite photos of you and your loved ones.
9barista Stovetop Espresso Machine
Not a technological device, but something cool for espresso lovers looking to make their morning ritual more intentional. It’s true, we don’t all have the time for a slow morning routine, that’s just the reality for many. But if you do, this is engineered to produce café quality espresso using only heat and pressure from its design. Solid reviews, and it turns your morning coffee habit into something of a craft.
Sometimes the most effective productivity tool is good old-fashioned paper and pen. This planner is one of the most elegantly simple yet detailed planners out there. Among hundreds of planner options (the paradox of choice everywhere!), this one stands above many.
A minimalist, analog-style alarm clock by Nanu designed to replace the smartphone at your bedside with something tactile and calm. It uses a gradual, mechanical chime to wake you up. It’s a simple, beautifully made object to help you wake up each day without technology. While most “smart” alarm clocks come armed with dozens of options and internet connection, this brings the analog back into your life. Elegant. Simple.
Okay, we said we weren’t recommending other dumbphones, but this is a very interesting concept we’re watching. It’s a companion device, not a full replacement, but compelling nonetheless. It allows you to go out armed with what you need most from a smartphone, without elements that pull you out of the moment. Check it out.
Best Retro Gaming & Entertainment
This item was on Jake’s list, but we had to include it. This device is both a beautiful homage to the Game Boy and a great example of intentional tech. Modern gaming has taken the path of 24/7 connectivity, digital downloads, endless updates, DLC, and potentially hundreds of games to pick from every time you power on your system. Gone are the days of looking forward to getting a physical game. The ModRetro Chromatic brings us back to a time where to play a game, you need to own the physical cartridge. They’ve released new Chromatic games, and the device can play any old Game Boy or Game Boy Color game. Like ModRetro, we believe the future is retro.
Hear us out. If the future is an evolved form of retro, the DVD/Blu Ray player may just come back into style. Sadly, there are no more Blockbusters for a nostalgia fix, but surprisingly, there are still physical rental websites. If you’re looking to explore a different relationship with pop culture and movies, here are a few sites that still offer mail rental services:
https://cafedvd.com
https://www.dvdinbox.com/
https://www.gamefly.com/
Repairable & Sustainable Tech
Not necessarily intentional tech, but we’re including it for its repairability ethos. We love the blunt honesty on their website: “We are not sustainable. And neither is any other device maker. The industry is full of ‘feel good’ messaging, but generates 50 million metric tons of e-waste each year. We believe the best way to reduce environmental impact is to create products that last longer, meaning fewer new ones need to be made. Instead of operating on feels, we operate on data and actions.” That’s pretty metal. Repairability is the future Users deserve.
The world’s most repairable wireless earbuds. Unlike most earbuds that inevitably become e-waste, Fairbuds feature a modular design where you can easily replace the batteries, ear tips, and even individual earbuds if you lose one. They show that Apple definitely doesn’t need to make replacing an earbud or AirPod case as hard as they do. They include active noise cancellation as well. On top of that, a 3-year warranty and a 10/10 repairability rating from ifixit.com.
Screen-Free Tech for Kids
A screen-free projector that casts storybook images and soft music onto the wall. It has a cool factor for toddlers (it’s tech!), and relief for parents knowing it’s not the wild west of screens. Bonus: it can “foster a love of storytelling, spark imagination, and create a soothing bedtime routine.”
A fun, screen-free concept for kids. Kids pick a “Tonie”, which is a small magnetic figurine that holds a preloaded story, song, or audiobook. Clip it on top of the Toniebox and voila, a story emerges. There’s even a game component with quizzes and interactive adventure stories. You need WiFi to initially download the material, but once done, it’s completely functional offline.
A compact, card-based audio player for music and audiobooks. No apps, no ads, no scrolling! Once a card’s content is downloaded, it plays fully offline. Perfect tech for young kids who want to get lost in great stories, and it’s easily taken as a fun travel companion.