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The best cheap tech gifts under $50 to give for the holidays
ZDNET Recommends
Need a good holiday gift for someone special (or, perhaps, you!), and need it to be less than $50? You've come to the right place!
Here, we've compiled a list of some of the best gifts that you can pick up for under $50 -- from helpful tech devices to entertainment products, you'll find a gift for everyone on your list this holiday season.
More:
- The best cheap tech gifts for under $100
- The best cheap tech gifts under $75
- The best cheap tech gifts under $25
- Easily view your favorite photos
- Automatic slideshow
- No built-in memory
Features: 8-inch screen size | USB or SD flash connection | 4:3 aspect ratio
The Aluratek Digital Photo Frame is a personalized and sentimental gift for the ones you love. Simply insert a USB or an SD card into the frame's back slide slots, and photos will cycle through the frame. Photos are displayed on the frame's true digital LCD panels for clear and vibrant colors and definition.
- Fully adjustable to fit any phone and cupholder size
- Allows for hands-free calls
- No adjustable height
Features: 360-degree rotation | Compatible with all smartphones | Nesting cups for universal fit
As one of the most renowned brands in the car accessory market, WeatherTech's CupFone Cup Holder is perhaps its most popular product. It fits into your car's cupholder and has a tilting function so you can tilt your phone to the right angle to look at directions or make hands-free calls. WeatherTech promises the CupFone will fit "all known smartphones," including those with normal sized protective cases.
- Transfers notes from book to app
- Useful for to-do lists, calendars, goal-setting, sketching, and more
- Not hardcover
Features: 9 color options | 42 pages | 7 different page styles
For that one friend or family member that is always making lists and carries a notebook with them everywhere, the Rocketbook Fusion Smart Notebook is the perfect gift. The notebook's synthetic paper allows you to write the included Pilot FriXion pen, then wipe the page clean with a damp cloth to reuse again and again. You can save your pages to the Rocketbook app's cloud to make it easy to find later.
Also: The best smart notebooks
- Can use both buds together or use one solo
- Call, track, and volume control
- Complaints of connection issues
Features: 6 color options | Built-in Tile technology | IP55 rating
You might not be able to pick up AirPods for under $50, but that doesn't mean that you can't pick up a set of awesome earbuds. The Skullcandy Sesh Evo True Wireless In-Ear earbuds offer great sound, are IP55 rated to resist sweat, and water and dust resistant. You also get 24 hours of total battery life from the buds and the charging case. This is a superb package at the fraction of the cost of AirPods.
- Completely waterproof
- Noise-canceling speakerphone
- Lacks bass
Features: 12 different color options | 10 hours of battery life | 4 ounces
Give the gift of music with the JBL Clip 3 Portable Bluetooth speaker. It delivers a clear, loud, and booming sound perfect for any part. You can bring it anywhere to listen to your favorite tunes—even to the pool or beach since it is completely waterproof and has a convenient clip to clip onto a backpack, purse, etc. Also, you can take calls thanks to a noise-canceling speakerphone built into the speaker.
- Inexpensive
- Long-lasting battery
- No real-time tracking
Features: 1 year of battery life | Connects via Bluetooth and Apple's Find My Network | IP67 waterproof rating
Know an iPhone user who loses stuff all the time? AirTags are the perfect gift for them! AirTags integrate perfectly into the Apple ecosystem -- the Ultra Wideband chips in newer iPhones can pinpoint them, and if one is lost, people walking around with iPhones are secretly helping look for it! Features a replaceable battery, and is waterproof up to IP67.
Read the review: AirTags review: Tile trounced by the power of Apple's Find My network
- USB-A and NFC offer broad support
- Low cost
- No USB-C support
Features: USB-A | Supports password managers | FIDO 2 Certified
This is the perfect gift to help people protect their digital assets. Everything from your social media accounts, email, password manager, and much more can be secured by this one hardware key. I've been using these for well over a year now, and not only have they streamlined my online security, they've also been super reliable.
- Long battery life
- Different speeds and different heads for a customized massage
- Can be tricky to change out the heads
Features: 6 replacement massage heads | 6 adjustable speeds | 2 pounds
Everyone loves a good massage, and this massage gun by KZED relaxes muscles, relieves muscle stiffness, and improves soreness after exercise. The six types of massage heads meet the needs of different muscles, and the adjustable speeds allow you to customize the vibrations for either a lighter massage or a deep tissue one.
Features: 2.14 lbs | 6 color options | Left- or right-handed setup
For the family member or friend who loves to work from home, the LapGear Home Office Lap Desk has everything you need for a fantastic workspace. It is large enough to hold laptops up to 15.6 inches in size, and there's also a phone slot to hold your phone vertically while you work.
The included 5" x 9" mouse pad can come as a left- or right-handed configuration. And, the lap desk includes a dual-bolster cushion that forms itself to your lap for a more comfortable fit.
Also: The best lap desks
- Dolby Atmos audio
- Voice remote includes TV controls
- Compatible with every major streaming service
- Ads can get annoying
Features: Full HD streaming | Alexa Voice Remote | Dolby Atmos audio
For the person in your life looking to cancel their cable subscription, Amazon's Fire TV Stick will provide them all the entertainment they are looking for, but for much less. The remote offers direct access to Alexa, so they'll be able to control all of their smart home devices (like turning off the lights to watch a movie) or ask for random bits of information.
It also supports Dolby Atmos for the audio aficionados. As for streaming, there is access to the Fire TV catalog of apps and services with support for every major platform and even some games.
What is the best cheap tech gift under $50?
It all depends on who you're gifting to! We made sure to include a variety of tech products for all interests so there is something for everyone.
How did we choose these cheap tech gifts?
Our process in deciding these products included extensive research into each product including reviews (both good and bad), pricing, category of the gift, and trusted brands. We considered different gift options in various categories so gift givers would be able to find a gift for anyone on their list for any occasion.
Are there alternative cheap tech gifts to consider?
Here are a few other options to consider that are also under $50:
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