12 Top Rated Amazon Gadgets That Are Worth Buying

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When they go shopping for electronic devices and gadgets, most customers have no shortage of options. However, different outlets have their own advantages and disadvantages. If you walk into a Best Buy or Target, you have to spend time travelling to the location, but these stores tend to have smaller, curated selections. Logging on to Amazon, meanwhile, is much faster, but the digital storefront stocks almost every product imaginable. So how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? With reviews, of course.

Every item listed on Amazon is given several kinds of ratings. You've got your standard star rankings that tell buyers what previous customers thought of products, but there are also the "Best Seller" and "Amazon's Choice" labels, which tell you if a product's sales are blasting past rival items and if it was selected by Amazon for being highly rated and popular, respectively. Given the excess of options available on the site, some customers might find it difficult to wade through all the information and locate a product that could be considered "top-rated." Thankfully, we've done all that hard work already. Read on to learn about the electronic devices and gadgets that we consider Amazon's cream of the crop.

You can purchase plenty of game controllers on Amazon, and most are decent, if not great. Many are designed with consoles in mind, but if you are looking for something aimed towards the PC and cloud gaming crowds, there's the Luna Wireless Controller. This gadget, as its name implies, is designed for playing games on Amazon Luna — a cloud gaming service that delivers a rotating selection of new titles every month for Amazon Prime subscribers. The controller can seamlessly connect to any device running Luna, be it your smart TV or your phone, with little latency.

Reviews praise the Luna controller for the tactile feel of its buttons and thumbsticks, and the controller's overall responsiveness. Some users also reports that this is the only controller that always pairs seamlessly with Luna titles — most other compatible controllers require some effort to set up. However, the Luna Wireless isn't the best controller out there. It still uses potentiometers instead of the superior Hall effect joysticks, and the controller also relies on AA batteries. Plus, unlike third party controllers such as 8BitDo and GameSir, the Luna controller doesn't work with game consoles. And even if you don't use Amazon Luna, the Luna Wireless can still serve as a worthwhile PC controller in a pinch. While the Amazon Luna Wireless Controller is currently $69.99, it frequently goes on sale.

The Amazon 9W Official OEM USB Charger is, quite predictably, Amazon's own wall adapter. The device is built with the Kindle and Fire device families in mind, and according to the product listing, this charger can refill their batteries in under five hours. But even if you don't own those products, this USB charger is compatible with other devices. Just keep in mind that charging times may vary.

Many customers love the Amazon 9W Official OEM USB Charger for its versatility, portability, and reliability. Multiple reports corroborate that the gadget works with a variety of non-Amazon electronics. However, for $19.99, you are only getting one charger block. Depending on who you are and what you own, that might not sound like the best deal. An Anker Zolo USB-C Charger Block or Anker iPhone Charger might come across as more frugal alternatives at $24.99 and $15.99 respectively for a pack of two chargers — and because they accept multiple USB cable types at once.

Amazon sells its own batteries under the Amazon Basics umbrella, and they are among the best batteries you can purchase. If you buy an Amazon-branded device that runs on AAs or AAAs (like the Amazon Luna Wireless controller), it will likely ship with a pair of Amazon Basics batteries. While customers overwhelmingly love Amazon Basics AA Alkaline High-Performance Batteries, more environmentally-minded buyers often gravitate towards the Amazon Basics Rechargeable NiMH Batteries — and the Amazon Basics Rechargeable Battery Charger, because a rechargeable battery without a charger is just a regular alkaline with less energy.

As one might expect, customers overwhelmingly claim that the Amazon Basics rechargeables and charger get the job done. The batteries don't last too long, but that's not much of a problem, because you can keep recharging them over and over again without having to throw them out. Amazon's rechargeable batteries come in a variety of bundle sizes, including a 12-pack of AAAs for $11.57 and an 8-pack of AAs for $11.77. The charger, meanwhile, retails for $12.39.

The Amazon Basics Smart A19 LED Light Bulb can help turn your regular home into a smart home. For $41.99, you get four smart lights that can change colors and dim on the fly with a 2.4 GHz connection and an active Alexa app or hub. And they only eat up nine watts of power. While that's the same energy drain of a standard LED light, the Amazon Basics bulb can help you save electricity via programmable schedules. Just tell the Alexa app when you want the lights to turn off, and they will do so automatically.

Many customers agree that Amazon's claims are on the mark. According to reviews, the A19 LED bulbs are easy to use and set up. However, some customers claim that the lights don't have the best color matching and can have trouble maintaining a stable connection, especially if you use Amazon's eero Wi-Fi mesh network. One customer also stated they only got four months of use out of the bulbs until they started "acting up" and turning on only when they felt like it. While these reports are in the minority, customers should keep an eye open just in case the LEDs they receive are lemons.

Customers who desire the Amazon Fire experience but want to reserve HDMI ports for a game console or soundbar instead of an Amazon Fire Stick might want to invest in an Amazon Fire TV 4-Series. These sets provide all the features of Amazon Fire, including a voice-activated remote and the ability to stream live television without the need for a cable service. And since these TVs are under the Amazon umbrella, they connect seamlessly to any Alexa-powered network.

Many customers praise the Amazon Fire TV 4-Series for its sound and picture quality, and while Amazon offers many models, currently the best-reviewed versions are the 50" UHD smart TV for $449.99 and the 55" UHD smart TV for $519.99. However, before you consider buying one, keep in mind the additional costs. The above prices only get you the product. If you need help carrying it into your entertainment room, that will be an extra $20. And if you want a professional to set up the TV and haul away your old screen, that will cost an additional $70. As with most products, always read the fine print.

While Amazon Basics smart light bulbs can turn any light fixture into a smart lamp, the Amazon Echo Glow is built from the ground up as a smart lamp. Like the smart bulbs, you can connect the Amazon Echo Glow to any Alexa network and control it with either your voice or the app. You can change the Echo Glow's luminosity and colors, but more importantly, you can program schedules into the device and make it turn off when it's time for bed.

Admittedly, the Amazon Echo Glow is more geared towards children than adult users, but that is a point in the device's favor. Many customers claim the Echo Glow makes an ideal night light. However, despite integrating with Alexa, the connectivity isn't seamless, as you can't sync up functionality (e.g., an Echo Glow won't natively brighten alongside scheduled alarms without some work). Plus, according to reviews from outlets such as PCMag, the Echo Glow doesn't have built-in voice control — unless you own a standard Amazon Echo Dot device, you can only control it via an app or a tap. Still, for only $29.99, the Amazon Echo Glow is generally considered a worthwhile investment, especially if you have children.

In 2018, Amazon purchased the Ring company, thus welcoming the startup's catalog of products into the Amazon family. While Ring sells many gadgets, ranging from floodlights to wireless camera doorbells, the company's most popular and best-reviewed offering remains the simple Ring Video Wired Doorbell. This item is the bread and butter of Ring's services, as it alerts users when someone is at the entrance (as all doorbells should) and lets them communicate with these visitors without opening the door. An obvious boon for anyone who has a busy at-home work schedule or just wants that added layer of security.

Customers overwhelmingly praise the wired Ring video doorbell for its reliability and suite of features. There is a bit of a learning curve early on, and you can't install the doorbell without first turning off power at the breaker, but it will never run out of electricity — a clear advantage over the battery-powered wireless Ring doorbell. The Ring Video Wired Doorbell is available on Amazon for $49.99.

The Amazon Basics Digital Kitchen Scale with LCD Display is yet another item that advertises its functions in its title. This device can weigh items in a variety of measuring units, including pounds, grams, and ounces, and it has a tare function that lets you separate the container weight from the food weight. This scale is ideal for both measuring ingredients for recipes and helping users maintain portion control.

Many customers agree that the Amazon Basics Digital Kitchen Scale is easy to use and very accurate. And as previously stated, buyers utilize the scale for everything from doling out perfect food portions to weighing the ingredients to make sourdough bread. While some people find the Amazon Basics scale intuitive, others disagree, especially when using the tare function. And of course, we must mention that this gadget runs on AAA batteries, which means you will have to swap them out every so often. The Amazon Basics Digital Kitchen Scale is normally $9.89, but as of writing, it is discounted at a slightly lower $8.99.

There honestly isn't too much to say about the Amazon Basics Micro SDXC Memory Card, but what we can say is nonetheless impressive. The thumbnail-sized drive is a standard microSD card with read speeds up to 100MB/s and write speeds of 90MB/s, which makes it on par with the fastest microSD cards. As for storage sizes, you've got several options, including 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 1TB. Remember when 400GB was considered the peak of microSD card storage capacity? How quickly technology progresses.

Customers generally love the Amazon Basics microSD card, primarily due to its aforementioned storage size, read/write speeds, and affordable price when compared to big brand-name microSD cards. Although, while this storage card works with a wide variety of electronic devices, it isn't compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2. Regardless, this gadget doesn't do anything new or different compared to other microSD cards, but sometimes you only need to do what you do well. The Amazon Basics Micro SDXC Memory Card costs $16.68 for 128GB and $26.05 for 256GB, but if you want the 1TB, that will cost $149.99.

The Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max is the latest version of the Amazon Fire TV Stick line of products. Like its predecessors, this elongated dongle plugs into any HDMI port on your TV and transforms it into a smart entertainment hub. With a solid Wi-Fi connection, you can stream live TV and in Ultra HD, all without a cable subscription. And if you are a gamer, the Fire Stick comes with Luna and Xbox cloud gaming functionality. However, you will have to supply your own controller — and/or an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

Users overall praise the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (and by extension, the Amazon Fire TV service) for to its picture quality and performance. Many buyers report that the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is even faster than an actual Fire TV. However, to get the most out of your Amazon Fire TV Stick, you need an Amazon Prime subscription. Plus, setting up the device takes a bit of time and effort, and some users claim that the dongle creates white noise in certain TV speakers. You can buy the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $49.99, but if that's too much for you, there's the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus. The device is cheaper ($34.99) and has slightly better reviews, but the it has less storage (8GB as opposed to the 4K Max's 16GB).

If you are even the slightest bit invested in Amazon Alexa and devices that can sync up with it, the Amazon Echo Dot is an essential addition and component. While classified as a smart speaker, it is more akin to a voice-activated hub. You can listen to music with the Amazon Echo Dot, receive weather updates, order products through Amazon, and activate other Alexa-powered devices such as the Echo Glow and Fire TV. Plus, the Echo Dot comes in a variety of skins, including ones designed for kids. Oh, and plenty of companies sell accessories, just in case you want to dress your Echo Dot up as a TIE Fighter or something similar.

As the Echo Dot is one of Amazon's most popular products, the device understandably has more reviews than many other items. Furthermore, buyer opinions are almost unanimously positive regarding the device, which is why its score is so high. Customers praise everything from the Echo Dot's speaker quality to voice recognition. However, even the best electronics have a few flaws. Some people have reported connection issues and difficulty activating certain features if you don't know how to navigate the voice-based menu. Also, particularly mischievous kids can mess with the Echo Dot. You can buy one for $49.99 or an Echo Dot Kids for $59.99.

The Amazon Smart Plug is exactly what it sounds like: A Wi-Fi-enabled plug that syncs up with Alexa. Like other Amazon smart home electronics, such as the Echo Glow, you can set schedules with the smart plug to turn on and off the connected appliances. Why not just unplug them instead, you may ask. Because you might want to automate a non-smart coffee machine so it starts brewing before you wake up and deliver a fresh cup of Joe when you enter the kitchen. Or you might be going away for a trip and want lights to turn on and off at regular intervals to trick would-be burglars into thinking you're still at home.

Hundreds of thousands of customers praise the Amazon Smart Plug, calling it reliable and easy to set up. Some people love the device because it streamlines their schedules, others say it is perfect for controlling hard-to-reach lights. However, the Amazon Smart Plug requires a constant connection to Alexa, so if your network goes down (or the smart plug randomly disconnects, as some people have reported), it will no longer function as intended. The Amazon Smart Plug is available as a single product for $24.99, as a two-pack for $39.98, and as a four-pack for $74.97.

For this article, we focused on devices and gadgets that you can either buy only on Amazon or which are manufactured by a subsidiary of Amazon. While the storefront doesn't have a "top-rated" label, anything that received top marks from customers was eligible — it needed an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars from tens or hundreds of thousands of reviews. However, there were some exceptions. If an item was considered a "Best Seller" or an "Amazon's Choice" product, it was deemed eligible even if it didn't have a 4.5 rating.

While searching for entries, we encountered one small problem: Some of Amazon's highest-rated products were just different models of the same item. So to ensure that we covered the widest variety of options that catered to different needs and tastes, we enacted a "one model per product line" rule. Thanks to this decision, the article didn't end up 80% Amazon Fire TV Sticks and Ring Cameras. However, we did have to look at many items and decide on a case-by-case basis whether there were enough differences to merit certain entries. This is why both the Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick got on the list, but only the Echo Dot and Echo Glow were included, and not the Amazon Echo Spot and Echo Pop.