Tech Gadget Gifts under $50 for Christmas
The festive frenzy has us eyeing scarves and speakers with equal measures of curiosity— wondering which would make a better gift for Christmas. Seeing that sparkle in someone’s eyes as they unwrap a gift and realize it’s something they can actually use—and not another pair of socks or scented candles—is worth aiming for.
There are 3 elements that make a good gift—thoughtfulness, longevity, and careful pricing. And the tech gifts under $50 in our list hit all three to a tee. These gadgets live on long after the consume-by date on the Christmas cake or even after the Christmas lights have come off(we’re talking Christmas 2 years later, of course).
These top gadget gifts for Christmas are thoughtfully curated in this list to add a personal touch and memorability to everything you give during this gifting season, without it burning a hole in your pocket. (Did you know that 22% of Americans believe their Christmas spending will leave them in debt?)
Here, we have rounded up a selection of best tech gifts under $50 (honestly, don’t take on debt) that you can give to your tech-savvy friends, colleagues, or family to a total tech noob (as all of us are at some point!)–
Tech gifts to buy for colleagues
Buying gifts for work friends or colleagues is no easy task. Ever since work from home took over the in-office culture, the usual workplace set-up and schedule have been replaced by makeshift home offices with bed-trays translating into work tables. Therefore, a tech gift that is not only useful but also provides a break from the laptop screen, can be a good choice for a work friend.
LED Desk Lamp With Charger
‘It’s a lamp that’s also a charger!’
With haphazard work-from-home setups, it’s often that we find ourselves with only one plug point. We want the dreamy lamp light but we also want to doomscroll on our phone that has run out of battery—but which to prioritize?
If this sounds like most of your colleagues, the LED lamp with a wireless charger will make a great gift. You can make it as bright as you like(for the focused work friend) or as low as you like(for the dreamy twilight-loving reader).
An added benefit: You can plug in your phone to the additional USB socket if you don’t want to keep getting up to see if you sat on it or left it in the kitchen.
Coffee Mug Warmer
Sometimes, coffee is the only friend that helps us get through the day. For days where deadlines venture dangerously close and you can’t even move from your desk, a coffee mug warmer makes it a tad bit easier.
A good gift for the caffeine-powered work-friend.
An added benefit: You can use it to warm pretty much any beverage. Want to switch from coffee to soup in the morning? You can still use this. (We don’t have a gift to help you escape the judgment though.)
Gamma RAY Blue Light Blocking Glasses Anti Glare
We all know how working long hours, staring at the laptop screen significantly increases eye strain and causes headaches. It affects our efficiency, health and hinders our work progress. A perfect gift for anyone who works long hours, Blue light blocking glasses considerably reduce eye fatigue with UV protection and glare reduction.
An added benefit: Your work-friend can buy you an additional gift with all the money they would have otherwise spent on eye surgery!
Tech gifts to buy for friends
One thing we can be sure of while gifting tech gadgets is that they won’t sit in a corner and gather dust. But make sure you give these to friends you actually like, to sneak in on the added benefits!
Echo Dot (3rd Gen) – Smart speaker with Alexa(for people who don’t like pushing buttons)
A smart speaker, Amazon’s echo dot is the perfect gift for your not-so-tech-savvy friend.
It connects fairly easily to a lot of devices so you can have fun arguing over who has the better playlist and gets to play the music.
An added benefit: Great entertainer. I have had friends just talk to the speaker after one wine glass too many, and laugh uproariously should it misunderstand even a letter(which it rarely does).
Soundcore Spirit X Sports Headphones: For Fitness Lovers (or people who don’t like their devices falling off their heads)
Wireless Bluetooth headphones are all the rage nowadays but it is difficult to find a pair that has clear sound and can be used without repetitive rounds of charging. A perfect pick for your fitness-loving friend– Spirit X Sports headphones provide great sound, 12-hour play time, and comfortable over-ear hooks so that they stay in place and don’t fall off repeatedly.
An added benefit: This party season you can have a private silent disco in your living room and have your friends dance with these on without them falling off(provided you give enough of them this gift to actually emulate a disco!)
JBL’s Go 3 Speaker (for either the extreme adventure seekers or lazy long bathers)
JBL’s Go speaker is waterproof and dustproof–you can party with your friends in either the swimming pool or the Thar Desert and your tech gift (at under $50 stays intact). It can be carried easily during travel and lasts 5 hours without charging. With a compact, small frame– it carries a powerful sound with a deep bass making it a great gift for any audiophile.
Tech gifts to buy for the family
We know that family is a broad term to put under one category but you would be surprised to learn how easy it can be to choose tech gifts for family members. From your technophobe aunt to bibliophile cousin– there is something for everyone. We have curated a diverse selection of tech gifts under $50 to give your family for this festive season.
Anker Portable Charger
A useful tech device for your family members with a mobile phone (so essentially all of them except that paranoid uncle who fears that the government is constantly tracking us through our phones)– Anker portable charger.
It can be the perfect gift for that one family member whose phone battery is always at 3%. Anker portable charger comes at a fairly reasonable rate and makes sure you neither overcharge your phone nor overheat it accidentally (essentially saving one from oneself).
Amazon – Fire TV Stick
Gone are the days of cable TV when we couldn’t help but watch what was currently showing on the channel. With Amazon’s Fire TV stick you can turn any night into a family movie night with an endless series of movies, TV shows, and songs.
An added benefit: It is also a gift for yourself when you force your family members to watch your favorite movie!
This holiday season, there are truly a wide array of inexpensive gifts to choose from. Make sure to get them early before they are gone.