Christmas Gift Guide 2018: 20 gadget gift ideas for less than £100

HEY BIG SPENDER

Stuck for what to buy your not-quite-a-loved-one this Christmas? We’ve all been there. Whether it’s that distant cousin you only see on December 25th or the neighbour whose name forever escapes you in the elevator, picking out presents for peripheral pals is never easy. Luckily for you, we’ve sifted through sackloads of sub-£100 gadgets to deliver a selection of the finest gifts you can grab for less than a ton. Give it a browse and you’ll be sure to find something that’s more than a stocking filler but less than an “I love you” – because Kevin from No. 9 deserves better than chocolate. Or is it Keith?

WALLI THE SMART WALLET (£90)

Ah, the Christmas party: paper crowns, pub grub and the last dregs of your dignity being washed down with copious quantities of lager. Bag yourself a Walli and at least you can cross a lost wallet off that list. No matter how much festive spirit is coursing through your veins, Walli will ensure you never leave your stash of cash behind: paired via Bluetooth, it’ll ping your smartphone if you stray too far without it, while a smart pocket will keep tabs on your favourite card. What a champ.

SOUNDCORE FLARE (£70)

Take your festive party from bleak midwinter to In Dulce Jubiglow with this 360-degree wireless speaker from Soundcore. A bassy noise-maker with a 12-hour battery life, the Flare’s party trick comes from the technicolour light ring on its base: switch the shade to suit the tunes and it’ll pulse to the beat better than any glower you know.

WITHINGS SLEEP (£80)

Santa Claus might know when you’re sleeping, but his sleep cycle analysis isn’t a patch on this smart night time pal from Withings. Simply slip it under your mattress, pair it with your phone and prepare to snore: dozing data and in-app coaching will have you snoozing sweetly in a jiffy – ideal if you fancy getting a better night’s kip on the regular

AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-SR30BT (£99)

Blocking out carol singers has long been the pursuit of choice for committed Scrooges come Christmas time. Not until now, though, has it been so easy to silence the Yuletide warblers for so long. Fire up your longest playlist: these wireless cans from Audio-Technica can go for a whopping 70 hours on a single charge – which means 3 days free from silent nights. Sort of.

RYZE TELLO DRONE (£99)

Even pro pilots should know better that to launch this palm-sized flyer in a room full of fairy lights, unless broken baubles and shredded tinsel are top of their wishlist. Stick to the garden, though, and this DJI-powered mini-drone should prove itself a proper Christmas hit, what what with its built-in trick shots, accessible controls and 100m range. Just remember to avoid no-fly zones or it’ll be more than Rudolph’s nose that’s red.

MOPHIE POWERSTATION PLUS XL (£89)

It’s hard to beautify something as plain as the humble power bank, but Mophie’s made a darn good go of it with this fabric-wrapped number. Packing a 10,000mAh capacity that’ll juice your mobile several times over, it also comes equipped with an integrated Lightning cable, a 10W USB-A output and the ability to recharge wirelessly. Really, though, we just want to stroke that furry finish.

KLIPSCH R6I II (£99)

There’s no sweeter sound than the ping of the microwave announcing that your latest batch of mince pies is piping hot and ready to devour. Less delicious but almost as pleasing to the ears are these buds from Klipsch, with dynamic sound, punchy bass and zero crumbs.

NOKIA 1 (£55)

On paper, this budget blower looks like the smartphone equivalent of a lump of coal in your stocking. No need to call the North Pole complaints line, though: the Nokia 1 comes installed with Android Go, a trimmed-down version of the popular OS that runs lean and speedy even on middling hardware. Cheers Santa.

KODAK MINI SHOT (£85)

What’s better than compact snaps of the family looking frazzled on Christmas day? Those same snaps, printed in an instant! Give every relative something to remember the joy and good tidings with this Bluetooth-enabled shoot-and-print combo from Kodak – capable of spitting out palm-sized prints mere seconds after you pap nan hitting her fifth glass of mulled wine.

GARMIN VIVOFIT 4 (£70)

Eating, drinking and merrymaking left you with a Santa belly and a fear of the scales? Tackle those Christmas pudding calories with the help of Garmin’s latest budget fitness tracker. Capable of counting all the important stuff, its biggest boon is a battery life of more than a year – so it’ll log you all the way through to next year’s festive binge.

KANO HARRY POTTER CODING KIT (£100)

Fresh from the Hogwarts IT department, you’ll need more than a quick reparo spell to get this motion-sensitive stick swishing and flicking. A coding kit for would-be wizards, follow the steps to assemble Kano’s wand before programming it to make magic on a tablet or PC screen. From conjuring fire to growing pumpkins, you can expecto plenty of patro-fun. Sorry.

NEW AMAZON FIRE HD8 (£80)

No, it’s not going to blow away your iPad, but for a capable slate that won’t break the bank, it’s hard to beat Amazon’s updated Fire HD8. Besides doing a decent job as an 8in family tablet, stick it in the sold-separately charging dock and it’ll double up as an Echo Show, complete with visual responses from Alexa – ideal for when you’re elbow-deep in turkey and urgently need a basting tutorial.

OLLOCLIP MOBILE PHOTOGRAPHY BOX SET (£100)

Know someone shooting from the hip with an iPhone X? Give them the gift of glass with this versatile clip-on lens kit from serial snappers Olloclip. Pop it on top of Apple’s game-changing smartphone and they’ll be able to switch in a whole range of lenses, three of which are bundled with the kit: fisheye, wide-angle and super-wide – ideal for capturing their entire festive haul.

TRÅDFRI GATEWAY KIT (£65)

Dreaming of a light Christmas? This starter kit from IKEA will get your home glowing in a jiffy. Screw in the pair of bundled bulbs, connect them wirelessly to the gateway and you’ll be ready to remote control your shiners from the sofa, without missing a second of The Snowman.

EMBER CERAMIC MUG (£80)

Slurp. Too hot! Slurp. Too cold! Picking the right moment to brave the first sip of your warming winter brew is an annual challenge that risks burnt tongues and festive resentment. Invest in Ember’s clever cup and you’ll never need guess again: connect it to the app, set your ideal temperature and the smart ceramic mug will keep your restorative beverage at the perfect degree for drinking.

LEGO STAR WARS X-WING STARFIGHTER (£90)

Sure, Santa’s sleigh can traverse the world in a single night with a full load and only eight antlered companions to pull it, but show the fabled flying machine a Death Star and there’ll be no presents this Christmas. No, for battling the brick-built Empire it’s got to be an X-Wing – and this 730-piece kit should do the trick. Sticker it up for your pilot of choice, retract the landing gear and go get your flight on.

PLAYSTATION CLASSIC (£90)

What’s Christmas if not a time for sitting round the fire and reminiscing about the good old days? You know, when video game graphics were terrible and a freezing disc meant the end of your play? Take the throwback chat a step further with this retro revival from Sony: smaller than the original but every bit as blocky, the grey-on-grey PlayStation Classic ships with 20 of the biggest titles from the console’s heyday, as well as two wired controllers and an HDMI cable.

WACACO NANOPRESSO (£69.99)

With sleet swirling outside, the long winter evening drawn in and pitiful pedestrians trudging the slushy streets, that coffee shop across the road starts to look a mighty long way from your cushy office chair. So much for that freshly pressed espresso. Or not: this hand-powered and pocketable coffee pump squeezes water through grounds with a hefty 18 bars of pressure to deliver instant caffeination, whenever you need it. It’ll even take pods.

TOVI SORGA CONTACTLESS PAYMENT BRACELET (£55)

Love to buy things for £30 or less? Hate carrying any possessions? Good news! This bracelet from Tovi Sorga packs contactless payment tech for easy breezy transactions with a swish of the wrist. Sadly, you can’t use one to buy another.

MILLICAN OLI THE ZIP PACK (£95)

Can’t figure out how you’ll haul your hoard of Christmas gifts home? Best ask Santa to deliver this strong and simple daypack from the outdoorsy sorts at Millican. Built from 65% recycled Bionic Canvas, the weatherproof pack features an internal padded sleeve that should see your laptop safe in the snow, while a bike light clip patch means you can stay visible in even the thickest of blizzards.