The Best Buy Creator Catalyst 2026: Snowed In event took place in Toronto on Thursday, November 5, welcoming members of the media and influencers to discover some of the hottest tech for this holiday season. With the city enjoying unseasonally warm weather, we were thankfully not actually snowed in. But inside, glowing snow projections, decorated Christmas trees, and Best Buy-themed gift boxes brought plenty of wintery holiday atmosphere.
I had the pleasure of attending and exploring booths from brands across personal care and small appliances to PCs, gaming, and audio, and more including Dyson, JBL, Microsoft, Intel, Breville and and KitchenAid.
What tech is trending for the 2026 holiday season? Creator-focused laptops and accessories, portable gaming devices, open-ear headphones, smart fitness trackers, and multi-function home and kitchen appliances were among the standout categories at Best Buy Creator Catalyst 2026: Snowed In.
Holiday tech came to life
The event was designed to let creators get hands-on with products rather than simply see them on display. Breville welcomed guests with coffee drinks made using the Barista Express Impress Touch, including a delicious salted maple iced latte. At Intel’s booth, attendees could create AI versions of themselves in themes like anime and fantasy, then have the images printed on luggage tags. Asus and Microsoft also demonstrated creative AI tools on the latest ProArt laptops, including ways to change outfits and hairstyles in photos using on-device processing.
Elsewhere, KitchenAid invited guests to decorate sugar cookies and sample chocolate chip cookies made in its countertop oven. I had a quick hair styling session at Dyson using the new Airwrap Co-anda2x multi-styler, while Logitech gave gamers a chance to try its G RS50 racing steering wheel system and compete in a 10-second mouse-click challenge. I managed 74 clicks, which put me somewhere in the middle of the pack. Creality also demonstrated its Falcon laser-cutting machine, producing everything from personalized mugs and glassware to a Best Buy-branded coaster I got to take home. Here’s everything it can help you 3D print for the holidays.
Beyond the interactive experiences, the booths offered a closer look at the products and categories getting attention from creators at the event. Here are some of the standouts.
What do creators and influencers say is hot this season?
Computing, creator, and gaming tech
ASUS ProArt P16 Laptop
A solid laptop for work, school, and play, the ASUS ProArt P16 is powered by NVIDIA RTX Spark and is specifically designed for creators and AI builders. With 32GB of unified memory and powerful onboard AI performance, it’s designed to handle demanding creative and AI workflows right on the laptop. At just 12.9mm thin, the thinnest ProArt laptop to date, and weighing just 1.77 kg, the 4K 120Hz Lumina Pro OLED touchscreen pops for creative tasks. Windows 11 Home OS makes it the perfect everyday productivity computer as well.
Logitech MX Creative Programmable Macro Keypad
The unusual design of this programmable keypad makes it the kind of gadget that naturally attracts attention, while its customizable controls are designed to speed up creative and development workflows. Designed for developers, it has nine customizable LCD keys that provide shortcuts to frequently used apps, documents, and functions. It’s even app-aware so when you switch from one program to another, it knows which one you’re in and changes key functions accordingly. The idea is to both simplify and speed up workflows. It natively integrates with developer tools and GitHub Copilot and supports custom plug-ins. For coders and developers, this is a thoughtful and useful gift, and one influencers will love showing off to followers.
Logitech G Blue Yeti 2 Gaming USB Microphone
Whether you’re recording a podcast, YouTube or TikTok video, or livestreaming a gaming session, this type of USB microphone can be useful for creators who record podcasts, videos, streams, or gaming content. A Logitech rep tells me the feature that is most appreciated is the adaptive AI-powered de-noiser that removes background sounds so audio is crystal clear no matter what’s going on around you. It captures natural-sounding voice thanks to the advanced on-mic control and a 3D voice proximity sensor. Choose from five on-board presets to match the task, like gaming, streaming, or podcasting. It comes with a desk stand and two-metre USB cable. Set it up with a PC or Mac and have it ready whenever you need to grind a game and entertain followers.
Logitech Mobi Fold Bluetooth Optical Mouse
Influencers travel a lot, but they still need to stay connected. This foldable mouse is such a smart idea. It gives you all the functionality of a full-sized mouse in a compact design that you can stuff into your pocket. Available in four colours, including a lovely Lilac, it’s ultra-thin. It comes with 4K dpi tracking for precision along with adaptive touch scrolling. The battery lasts up to a month per charge, so they don’t need to worry about recharging before heading back home. The quiet clicks won’t irritate other passengers on the plane and it fits naturally in the hand, so it’s comfortable to use, too. The mouse is compatible with Windows, Mac, Chrome, Android, iPadOS, and even the latest Googlebooks.
ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20
The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 is a premium machine for serious gamers on the go. With a 7.4-inch 120Hz OLED touchscreen, AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and Windows 11, it’s a powerful gaming device. You can access your full PC game library, including Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games titles. Play while in transit, at home, even outside thanks to up to 1,400 nits peak brightness. Need more space for graphic-intensive games that require lot of progress saves? Use the UHS-I microSD Express S v8.0 card reader to add more. Stay connected with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4. The upgraded TMR joysticks that help reduce drift are a highlight along with the D-pad and ergonomic grips inspired by Xbox controllers. With an 80Wh battery, you can keep gaming through a long flight.
Kitchen and home
KitchenAid Luminaire Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
I’m a long-time fan of KitchenAid mixers, still rocking an Empire Red Professional 5 model in my kitchen. I usually put it to good use during the holiday season while whipping up multiple batches of cookies. The new Luminaire series is similar to the traditional KitchenAid stand mixer design with 11 presets and planetary mixing action. But there’s a useful twist: it has a built-in light so when you click it into place, it lights up the bowl so you get a clear look at the contents inside. It’s perfect for baking bread after dinner when the lights are down, or while cooking a romantic meal. Not surprisingly, a KitchenAid rep tells me lots of influencers loved the cool factor of the light and also adore the textured Blue Peppercorn finish.
KitchenAid Grain and Rice Cooker
The younger generations especially love compact small appliances with multi-function use and that simplify cooking. This rice cooker fits the bill, and a company rep told me at the event that influencers were blown away when learning that it isn’t just a fancy rice cooker: this machine can do even more. It has 21 (yes, 21!) presets for everything from rice to grains, beans, and more. Use the water tank to ensure a proper grain-to-water ratio, or add other liquids right to the cooker, like stock. There’s even a steamer basket to make veggies up top at the same time. For vegetarians, vegans, and those looking to meet protein goals, this machine can do more than you realize.
Dyson V16 Piston Animal Submarine Cordless Wet/Dry Stick Vacuum & Mop
Multi-function cleaning devices were another theme at the event, and the Dyson V16 combines vacuuming and wet cleaning in one system. This model is perfect for small living spaces, handling quick cleans of various surfaces, including wet mopping, all from the same unit. You can clean floors, tiles, and carpet, picking up dust, debris, even pet hair and dried-on dirt. Then it can wet mop with the Submarine 2.0 wet cleaner head that comes in the bundle. With up to 70 minutes of runtime, you can get through an entire apartment or quick daily cleans. Use the other included tools for cleaning in tight spaces, blinds, mattresses, and even the car!
Audio and fitness
Shokz OpenFit Pro Open-Ear Buds
The Shokz OpenFit Pros are my favourite open-ear buds for various reasons. As I noted in my Shokz OpenFit Pro review, the fit is secure and comfortable, and the sound quality wonderful. But most important, the built-in noise reduction actually works. It doesn’t rival true in-ears or over-ear headphones with active noise cancelling. But it’s enough to quiet the chatter in a coffee shop or a neighbour mowing the lawn outside while I work at home. That’s impressive for open ears. Creators were impressed with the open-ear category in general, many learning about it for the first time at the event. For those just getting acquainted, the Shokz OpenFit Pros are a good option that ease you into the concept of air conduction versus traditional in-ear buds. With more influencers aware of the category now, they’ll be flocking to this style.
Shokz OpenRun Pro Open-Ear Buds
I have a friend who is a serious runner, and he swears by these headphones. In fact, he wore a first-generation pair to the bone and grabbed another to replace them. The open-ear design is appreciated to remain aware of your surroundings. The behind-the-neck design keeps them secure in place. Plus, you can remove them when you need to stop for a drink of water or talk to a neighbour and rest them around your neck. Using bone conduction technology, which converts vibrations from your temples into sound, you get deep bass and clear audio. With up to 12 hours of battery life per charge, they’ll last for a week and-a-half of morning runs. There’s no doubt influencers are gravitating to the bright orange hue finish option. It isn’t reflective, but it does make them (and you!) more visible during night runs.
Whoop MG
I recently reviewed the Whoop MG and the brand’s partnership with Best Buy is exciting. It’s the first time the trackers have been made available at bricks-and-mortar retail stores. This tracker and the Whoop 5.0 had “fitfluencers” intrigued. Mostly, everyone was impressed with the Wireless Powerpack, just as I expressed in my review. This charger slides onto the band to recharge while you continue to wear it. It comes with the Whoop MG and can be purchased separately for the Whoop 5.0. Alongside the bands and Powerpack, the stylish line of replacement bands caught the eyes of event attendees, especially the stunning pink. Given how simple it is to swap out bands, these should be hot sellers for Whoop owners this season. They’re also great add-ons if you’re buying your first Whoop device.
JBL Live 780NC Over-Ear Headphones
You can’t go wrong with JBL headphones. I haven’t come across a pair yet in my many reviews that didn’t punch well above their price weight. The JBL Live 780NC are a serious pair for canceling out external noise through both active noise cancellation (ANC) and passive cancellation via the enveloping over-ear cups. They’re like pillows that fully cover your ears, immersing you in the sound of your music, podcast, game, or TV show. With support for Hi-Res audio, you can listen to high-res tracks while unwinding in the hotel room after a grueling work trip. Enjoy up to 80 hours of wireless playtime, so they will last for a flight from Toronto to India and back twice over, with stopovers. Battery dies? Enjoy wired sound via 3.5mm or USB-C connection, without ANC. They’re a great pair for private listening, commuting, and traveling, as well as for recording content.
JBL Soundgear Clips Open-Ear Buds
I’ve reviewed these clip-style open-ear buds in the stunning purple finish and I can see why they catch the eyes of creators. Not only do they come in stylish colours that stand out, like my favourite purple along with blue and copper, the charging case is so smartly designed. It has a flat bottom and a flip-up top so the buds are easy to put in and take out, remain securely inside, and the case stands upright instead of lying flat. Most importantly, they sound good, ideal for audio while you workout at the gym or go for walks. There’s no noise cancelling so you won’t want to wear these in loud environments. But they’re secure enough even for rigorous workouts. And with up to 32 hours of total playtime with the charging case, they can last for a week’s worth of commutes, and then some.
Personal care
Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x Multi-Styler and Dryer
The Dyson Airwrap remains an eye-catching option for anyone who regularly styles their hair and wants multiple functions in a single tool. This multi-styler is an all-in-one tool that can dry, style, even straighten or curl your hair with a single machine and appropriate attachment. Even with my extra-long hair, I got subtle curls with nice bounce after a quick run through one section of my hair. I love that you can use air pressure versus heated plates to prevent damage to the hair while straightening. The cold shot button provides a nice finish to set the style. Check out some of the elegant finish options that influencers are giddy over.
Find the hottest tech for the holiday season
From creator laptops and gaming gear to headphones, kitchen appliances, fitness trackers, and hair tools, the Snowed In event offered plenty of inspiration for holiday shoppers. Whether you’re buying for a creator, gamer, fitness fan, home cook, or someone who’s always looking for the latest tech, these products offer a starting point for finding a gift that fits their interests.
All these great products are available at Best Buy in time for gift-giving season.
