Christmas Gift Guide 2018: 20 gadget gift ideas for less than £50

SANTA BABY

Who says you can’t have festive fun on a budget? While a new Tesla in the drive would be nice come Christmas morning, there’s plenty of good stuff out there for a whole lot less. To prove that point, we’ve scoured the web for the best kit you can pick up for less than £50 this Christmas – and none of it’s rubbish. From wireless chargers to work lamps to, erm, laser blasters, there’s plenty here to please without putting you in the red. Unless you plan on dressing up as Santa, in which case you’ll be very much in the red.

8BITDO SN30 PRO (£40)

Keen to add some retro kicks to your daily gaming? You could spend a few hours wiring up your old SNES controller with a Bluetooth module, swearing at the soldering iron and cursing the cabling in consternation. Or you could buy this throwback Bluetooth ‘pad from 8Bitdo. Inspired by all things past, it packs rumble vibration, clickable joysticks and will play nicely with everything from a Switch to a Raspberry Pi.

NOLII BUNDLE (£25)

A cable’s just a cable, right? Wrong! As anyone who’s suffered the indignity of minor electrocution by a third-party peripheral can tell you, wire selection is not to be taken lightly. Mercifully, this happy-go-hardy number from Nolii should go the distance: lined with Kevlar and wrapped in TPU, there’s no risk of frayed-cable meltdown, while the bundled, err, Bundle Base is perfect for popping on the nearest countertop and keeping your new cable in place.

ALL-NEW AMAZON ECHO DOT (£50)

Put on a new jacket and shout a bit louder, and there’s every chance you’ll be chucked straight out of the pub and not invited back. Seems unfair, given that Amazon’s done exactly the same thing with its updated Echo Dot, giving the pint-sized home helper a fresh fabric wrap and a bigger, 1.6-inch speaker. Sure, it’s an uncomplaining AI assistant that responds instantly to voice commands, but can it carry three pints of Ale and a plate of mince pies at the same time? Oh, the injustice of it all.

AIRCHARGE KEYRING DUAL ADAPTER (£30)

Want to go cable free but still rocking a smartphone without wireless charging? Stick this diminutive puck on your keychain and you’ll have cordless power on tap. Equipped with dinky micro USB and Lightning cables, simply connect the receiver to the bottom of your blower for bolt-on wireless power. Even better, it doubles up as a macaroon plate when not in use.

SPHERO MINI (£50)

“What’s this? A bauble’s fallen on the floor, daft thing. Holy King’s Carols, it’s moving all on its own!” Good for giving nan a fright, this app-connected and programmable robo-ball might claim to be educational, but it’s clearly a born mischief-maker: just pop it on the nearest pool table and see what happens.

BEYERDYNAMIC BYRON (£48)

Beyerdynamic made its name with expensive over-ear cans for studio pros, but these buds are just as capable of catering to the ears of ordinary punters walking to the shops. They’re full of detail, offer weighty bass and a nice, evenly balanced midrange. Earphones under £50 really shouldn’t sound this good.

RASPBERRY PI 3 MODEL B+ (£35)

Lemon Meringue. Apple. Pumpkin. Pecan. Key lime. Cherry. Blueberry. There are many more delicious types of pie you could enjoy this Christmas, but none as smart as the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+. Faster than ever, follow one of the many online projects to create something cool with the barebones project board, or go it alone and code something nutty. New certification means you can now sell Pi-powered kit to the masses – so it’s finally time to ship that bird-scaring beer bottle synth.

NOW TV 4K BOX (£46)

Itching for your fix of bovine action? Connect this streaming box to your TV for countless moo-vies and sirloin series on demand – including original shows Got beef?, Game of Loins and The Milkmaiden’s Tale – all in glorious 4K. Oh, wait. Sorry. We were talking about COW TV. Still, NOW TV isn’t bad, either.

HUAWEI BAND 2 PRO (£50)

Demolished one too many mince pies this Yuletide season? Fight the festive flab with this budget fitness tracker from Huawei. Despite the wallet-friendly price tag, this waterproof wrist strap does all the jogging logging you could want, as well as offering in-built GPS, sleep monitoring and even a running coach. Too much to handle? There’s also a breathing coach on-board to soothe you.

IKEA ENEBY (£45)

What’s this? A stylish Bluetooth speaker from IKEA? How on earth do they manage to make it out of flat-packed plywood? Fool. Everyone’s favourite Swedish superstore has been producing home tech kit for years now, but this is the Scandi company’s first foray into Bluetooth speakers – and it’s classically chic, satisfyingly simple and surprisingly good on the ears. Want to go full minimal? Just pop off the fabric fascia.

ANKER POWERCORE II 10000 (£26)

Remember how your mate Brian used to carry that brick of a backup battery around because of its “class-leading capacity”, only to charge his phone just once during the entire day? Don’t be Brian. When you’re down to 1% and need juice in a jiffy, it’s speed that matters, not size. For a rapid zap, try this 10,000mAh pocketable pack from Anker, which carries a speedy 18W USB output.

ROCKETBOOK EVERLAST (£35)

Ceaseless scribbler? Get a grip on your notebook habit with Rocketbook’s reusable journal: simply doodle to your heart’s content with a Pilot FriXion pen, then wipe it clean with a damp cloth. Good as new. And before you go thinking this is some masochistic exercise in creative destructionism, the Rocketbook app makes it a cinch to scan pages into your cloud of choice – so your sketched-out schemes will be safe and sound.

NATIVE UNION DROP WIRELESS CHARGER (£50)

Wireless chargers are all well and good, but a tacky plastic puck has no place in your Scandi-chic tech nest. Mercifully, this aluminium and fabric number from Native Union blends form and function to fine effect. Compatible with the newest iPhones and all Qi-equipped kit, the Drop’s non-slip silicone top helps keep your mobile cool while the 10W rapid charging does its stuff.

URBANEARS PLATTAN II (£49)

Keen on a simple, comfortable pair of wired headphones that you can wear all day, without worrying about battery life and Bluetooth range? These budget folding cans from Urbanears won’t be challenging Bose any time soon, but they’re hard to beat at the price, with understated style, decent sound quality and a sturdy, replaceable cable. There’s even a second 3.5mm output if you feel like sharing.

TILE PRO (£30)

Still smarting over those ski goggles you lost in Chamonix? Prevent further misplacement malady with Tile’s newest tracker. Clip it to your most prized possessions and, should you happen to lose your boots, the Pro’s last-known location will be logged in the partner app. Rugged enough to survive any après session, the new model also offers a whopping 1-year battery life and a 300ft Bluetooth range, so you can make it beep across even the biggest of bars.

IKEA HEKTAR WORK LAMP (£50)

It’s been unscientifically proven that human productivity is inversely proportional to the number of wires on a desk. Or is it biscuits? In any case, this 7W work lamp from IKEA has a wireless charger built into its base, so you can boost your blower without a lead in sight. That your smartphone will still be within arm’s reach will surely have no effect on your work ethic.

HARBER MINI ZIP ROLLUP (£49)

Until we live in a world of wireless everything, the cursed cable will remain a blight on our daily existence. Quit tangling your wires into a bundled mess and smarten up your cable game with this stylish leather roll from Harber. Loop your leads through the in-built hoops, stash your spares in the zipped compartment and tie it all tidy with the integrated strap. Smart indeed.

AMAZON FIRE TV STICK 4K (£50)

Can’t face watching Home Alone for the fifth Christmas running? Give the tired family DVD collection a festive refresh with Amazon’s nifty TV Stick. Pop it in a spare HDMI port and you’ll have a wealth of 4K content at your disposal, easily navigated with the new Alexa Voice Remote. The only downside? There’s a whole category of Christmas flicks on there. Ho ho no.

AMAZON FIRE 7 (£50)

The cheapest and most basic tablet in Amazon’s range, the Fire 7 is primarily made for a bit of video here and a spot of Kindle reading there. The updated Fire HD 8 is better, but at this bargain price it’s tough to complain. Yes, it can be prone to crashes and has a dreary screen, but it has Alexa onboard, won’t fall over at the drop of the hat and has a good enough battery life to keep back-seat occupants entertained all the way to Cornwall.

NERF LASER OPS PRO ALPHAPOINT 2-PACK (£45)

Thwump! Thwump! Thwump! Smash. Nerf guns are great, but a volley of foam darts can quickly obliterate those precious baubles. Switch to this infrared kit for projectile-free play: an IR sensor on each blaster is the target, with light indicators displaying remaining health and ammo. Want more? Launch the partner app for power-ups and opponent-tracking, or to play a lonely game of AR shoot-’em-up – which, if you’re as clumsy as us, is just as likely to result in decoration destruction.