We wouldn’t blame you if you try to do all of your tech shopping around the holidays. That’s when you can typically get the best sales, both on relatively affordable gear and (more importantly) on big-ticket items. But it would be wrong to think that only the most expensive tech is worth gifting. Since we at Engadget test a plethora of gadgets every year, we know that there are some hidden (and not so hidden) tech gems at lower price ranges — you just have to know where to find them. That’s where we come in — these are the best tech gifts under $50 that you can get this year.
A gadget that kills two birds with one stone is great, but three is even better. This handheld 3-in-1 fan rarely leaves my bag for a number of reasons. First, I run hot and I’m not happy about it. Summer and I do not get along, but I can get overheated even during the cooler months of the year. This cute, portable fan does a great job of cooling me down quickly when I need it most. That’s enough to get me to keep it in my bag at all times, but it punches above its weight by also being a flashlight and a portable battery pack. Sure, it’s not going to beat any of our top picks for the best power banks when it comes to efficiency, but it can top up my phone when it’s close to dying and I still need to call a ride-share home. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor
$18 at Amazon
While AirTags are best for iPhone users, if you have someone on your list who uses an Android phone (or you’re not sure what they have nowadays), the Chipolo One is our top pick for the best Bluetooth tracker. There are many reasons why these tiny pieces of tech have become so popular recently, but first and foremost, they help you keep track of your things digitally. Your giftee can attach the Chipolo One to their keys, slip it inside of their wallet or toss it to the bottom of their backpack and then use the companion mobile app on their phone to find its last known location. In our testing, we also found it to have some of the best separation alerts of all of the trackers we tried. That means your loved one won’t get very far before they get a ping on their phone alerting them that they left their belongings behind. This is a must-have for college students, busy young professionals and simply those of us who are a bit more forgetful than we’d like to admit (no shame). — V.P.
Read more: The best Bluetooth trackers
$25 at Amazon
PopSockets have been a convenient way to get a better grip on your phone for a long time, but the company’s latest MagSafe lineup makes it an even better option. The round grip is a classic PopSocket, but it has built in magnets so it can stick to the backs of the latest iPhones — and now, other devices as well. Each round grip comes with PopSocket’s MagSafe adapter ring, which basically brings MagSafe technology to other gadgets be they a Samsung phone, a Kindle ereader or anything else your giftee may want to hold more easily. The system doesn’t add a ton of weight or bulk e and it’s even more convenient than the previous adhesive grips because now you can easily take the PopSocket on and off as you please. — V.P.
$29 at Amazon
Instead of trying to match someone’s design aesthetic, give them something they can customize themselves. Govee’s smart LED light bars are one such gift; this pack of two light bars can shine bright in over 16 million colors, all customizable via Govee’s companion app. They can easily set the mood for a movie night, game night or holiday party, and control the whole thing with Alexa or Google Assistant voice commands. There’s also a fun music-sync mode that changes the lights in time with whatever music they’re listening to. These can stand upright, be laid flat or even be mounted behind a TV to enhance their home entertainment setup, so there’s a good chance they’ll find the perfect place for them without too much hassle. — V.P.
$35 at Amazon
For a certain group of people, nothing screams nostalgia quite like a Tamagotchi. If you didn’t have one of these tiny, digital pets in the early aughts, chances are you wanted one. Earlier this year, Bandai had our collective conscious rejoicing when it brought back the Tamagotchi Connection for its 20th anniversary, and it’ll make a great stocking stuffer this year. The Connection has the old v3 egg design with the faux antenna, and comes in a bunch of cute colors. The goal is the same: keep your virtual pet alive, nurture them, play with them and build a strong connection with them. But now there are also more than 150 in-game items to collect, more than 50 characters to meet and 10 mini games to try. Plus, you can use infrared pairing to link up with a friend’s Tamagotchi, too. Tamagotchi diehards, and anyone with a love for retro trinkets, will appreciate this one. — V.P.
$30 at Amazon
One of the worst feelings is getting to the end of a long work day or a night out with friends only to find that you can’t order some takeout or call a ride-share with your phone because it didn’t survive the day. Anker’s 10K portable charger can make it so you (or your giftee) never experience that again. With a 10,000 mAh capacity, it has more than enough power to charge up a smartphone a couple times over, and it supports up to 30W fast-charging, too. It also has a built-in USB-C cable so there’s no need to carry a connecting cable with you at all times — anyone with a USB-C iPhone or other smartphone can charge up anywhere, anytime. And when you need to give the power bank itself some more juice, its foldable AC prongs will come in handy. — V.P.
$45 at Amazon
Maybe you have a tech lover in your life or someone who just wishes their home could be a bit smarter – if so, TP-Link’s Kasa smart plugs are a great gift idea for them. Building up a smart home ecosystem from scratch can be intimidating, but starting off with smart plugs like these is a convenient and mostly stress-free way of doing it. These blocks plug into standard wall outlets and then turn whatever they plug into them into app-controllable gadgets. That means they can set a schedule for their coffee maker to turn on at the precise time each morning so it’s ready to go for them when they need to make a new pot. They could also use Away Mode to automatically turn on and off lights when they’re on vacation to make it seem like they’re actually home. Those are just a few things these smart plugs let you do with otherwise “dumb” items around your home, so your giftee can go as far as they want in creating a smart home. — V.P.
Read more: The best smart plugs
$30 at Amazon
It never hurts to have an extra bag with you whenever you go out. Whether you’re going to pick up groceries and know you’ll need one, or you’re heading out with friends and unexpectedly pick up a few things, a lightweight tote bag is crucial. There are thousands of options out there, but we included Peak Design’s Packable tote in our gift guide because it doesn’t have the typical reusable bag design and it remains fairly affordable at only $20.
The bag is made of 100-percent recycled ripstop nylon, which is resilient and as well as water resistant, and it has a zip closure, which is something most other reusable bags don’t have. It’ll keep your items more secure thanks to that, and it’s easier to carry in different ways thanks to its single shoulder/hand strap that sports microfiber padding for extra comfort. We also like that it has an interior pocket that can hold a phone, wallet or keys, and it takes up a surprisingly little amount of space when it’s packed into itself. — V.P.
$20 at Peak Design
A pocket USB cable has to be a lot of things. It has to work with the things you want to charge, which now means USB-C in 90 percent of cases; it needs to support high-wattages for speedy recharging and it needs to survive the bottom of your bag or being tethered to your keys and bounced around with your life. Inspired by the pocket knife, Native Union’s Pocket Cable hits the sweet spot. It’s pricey but has so far survived the lives of our most chaotic editors – something we can’t say about most small cables. The company is known for its understated, smart designs and keeps each cable protected when not in use, folded away inside. The cables themselves are hardy too, with reinforced braiding. The Pocket Cable keyring is available in five different colors, too. — Mat Smith, UK Bureau Chief
$30 at Native Union
There are dozens of mice out there, and if you’re buying gifts on a budget, it can be easy to get distracted by the ultra-cheap options from unfamiliar brands on sites like Amazon. But Logitech, a leader in this space, has some budget-friendly options as well and we like the Signature M650 mouse for most people. Not only is it lightweight and made of recycled materials, but you have a number of ergonomic options to choose from. It comes in regular and large sizes, plus you can pick from right- or left-hand orientation, which really just changes the placement of the device’s customizable side buttons. It has Logitech’s SmartWheel scrolling technology, which provides more precision when you need to scroll line by line, and it connects to computers via Bluetooth or a Logi Bolt receiver. But the best part might be its two-year battery life; your giftee will only have to replace the mouse’s two AA batteries once in a blue moon. — V.P.
$35 at Amazon
The Blink Mini 2 makes a great gift for that person in your life who may have just moved out into their own place or has a busy schedule and would like to keep a better eye on their home while they’re out. This compact security camera records 1080p video, supports two-way talk and can alert them when motion is detected in its line of sight. Unlike the original Blink Mini, this second-gen model can be placed outside with the right adapter, and the new built-in LED spotlight helps it record clearer video in the dark. All of those features are ready to use once the Blink Mini 2 has been set up, no additional subscription required. But if your giftee ends up liking the system, they can consider paying for a Blink subscription to get access to smart alerts, unlimited cloud storage for up to 60 days and more. — V.P.
$40 at Kohl's
Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.
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