2016 Holiday gift guide: Top tech for the student in your life

The resQbattery is a handy gadget that students can throw in their bag and forget about until the moment they run out of juice and their mobile devices die.

The resQbattery fits microUSB ports on smartphones and tablets to provide a one-time injection of power for up to five hours' battery life.

The charger is available for Android and pre-orders for Apple devices are being taken.

Price: $11.99

Via: resQbattery

Services like Skype cater for a strong student base that call home and video chat from their college dorms for free. However, embedded laptop cameras often don't have the best response to poor lighting, and so this is where the Chatlight comes in.

The clip-on light source can be used to improve lighting for video chats, live streaming or tucking into your favorite book without spending a fortune and could make a great stocking filler this holiday season.

Price: $29.99

Via: Chatlight

Apple's flagship smartphone, the iPhone 7 -- together with the iPhone 7 Plus -- are the best mobile devices the company currently offers and could become a statement gift this season. The iPhone 7 comes in a range of finishes, a 4.4-inch Retina display, up to 256GB capacity and is powered by the A10 Fusion processor.

Price: $649 (£599) +

Via: Apple US | UK

The Apple MacBook Air is a lightweight, portable laptop suitable for standard use and on-the-go work. While the MacBook Air is not the best choice for performance-heavy applications -- such as modeling or content editing -- the laptop does come into its own with reliability, ease of transport thanks to its 0.68-inch body and 12 hours of battery life.

You can pick up the 13-inch MacBook Air with either Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and a range of storage options.

Price: $999 (£949) +

Via: Apple US | UK

We've moved far from the days of 8-bit gaming, but retro games hold a special place in many hearts. If the student in your life is a fan of old Nintendo NES games, the NES Classic could be a fantastic gift this year.

However, the console has proven popular and sold out quickly, so you'll need to get in there fast when stocks replenish.

Price: $59.99 (£50)

Via: Nintendo US | UK

As a former student, my earphones were constantly in use -- and constantly breaking or becoming lost.

A useful stocking filler this year comes from Mywraps, which offers earphones that wrap around your wrist without becoming entangled and act as something of a fashion accessory when not in use. Available in a variety of colors and designs, you're sure to find one that will be loved this Christmas.

Price: $Varies

Via: Mywraps

If you're in the market for a decent router, Netgear's Nighthawk X10 AD7200 model is one of the latest to offer excellent speeds -- 802.11ac Quad Stream up to 4600+1733+800 Mbps -- which would make a great gift for anyone who runs their own live stream channels or is an avid online gamer.

Price: $499 (£519)

Via: Amazon US | UK

X-Doria manufactures a range of stylish covers and cases for Apple products, including the iPhone and iPad range, which could make a great gift for Apple fans this Christmas. You can choose between products including rugged casing, folios and artistic covers, many of which are shock and shatter-resistant.

Price: $Varies

Via: X-Doria

If your student is a fan of streaming content from their mobile device, the Gee-Whiz smartphone projector could be a great gift this season. You slot the smartphone in and the projector magnifies videos for wall viewing.

The projector will only work with devices 5.7 long and 3.2 inches wide, so check before you buy.

Price: $28

Via: Photojojo

Whether as a staple for a dorm room or handy accessory for the beach, Anker's portable Bluetooth speaker packs a punch beyond its size. Users can hook the speaker up to their mobile device for up to 24 hours playback.

Price: $41.99 (£27.99)

Via: US | UK

It's not only valuable but useful for students to have a way to safely back up their media. The WD My Passport Ultra portable hard drive is a lightweight storage system available in a range of storage sizes which could make a great gift for the student in your life.

Price: $49.99 (£79.99)

Via: Best Buy US | UK

A fashionable addition to any students' wardrobe is the Retreat Laptop Backpack. The backpack has shoulder straps and a 15-inch laptop sleeve pocket and a reinforced bottom for better stability and security.

Price: $79.99

Via: eBags

If you're reading for a degree, in this day and age, you should have a digital medium to load up books and study.

This Christmas, an Amazon Paperwhite could make a great gift which does not break the bank. The e-reader uses e-ink technology and has a high-resolution 300 ppi display for reading, in addition to an inbuilt backlight.

Price: $119.99 (£79.99)

Via: Amazon US | UK