Holiday Gift Guide: Best Tech Gifts Under $50

The holidays are coming up fast, and retail shelves are expected to run low this year. Now’s the right time to start picking up those tech gifts for everyone on your list. But finding the perfect tech gifts can be hard to do — especially if you don’t want to blow your budget at the end of the year.

Check out our holiday gift guide below, made up of a number of tech gifts priced under $50. Each item on this list has favorable reviews, and the list covers a range of categories. Chances are, you’ll find an ideal gift for everyone on this list!

The best Roku player you can get under $50 is the Roku Express 4K+. It does just about everything you need out of a streaming device. You’ll get great 4K quality, including HDR support, plus Wi-Fi and voice search. The product includes a voice remote that can also control your TV (power and volume), which is highly convenient.

Higher-end Roku models add a remote finder, headphone listening, and wired internet connectivity. But for most people, the Roku Express 4K+ covers everything they need to get streaming.

A note on usability and content: a free Roku account will unlock some content, but most of the top-tier apps require separate subscriptions. That said, the app interface is simple to use. It's suitable for even the most tech-averse person on your list. As long as they have a TV and an internet connection, they can use this device.

If you’re looking for the least expensive but still fully functional way to get an Amazon smart speaker into a loved one’s home or room, the 5th generation Echo Dot is for you. It's a small, compact smart speaker and was updated in 2022.

Compared to older models of the Echo Dot, the 5th generation has the best audio yet. It has clearer vocals, deeper bass, and a vibrant sound. With this device, you can access Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and more. Plus, it only costs $49.99.

Alexa is pretty good at handling questions about the weather and other basic smart assistant stuff. You can ask it to play specific songs or to access specific services, and there are tons of Alexa skills out there to add.

There’s no shortage of inexpensive kid-oriented headphones available, but Jlab JBuddies stand out from the rest. There’s a volume limiter switch for keeping those decibels at kid-safe levels, which is a must. These headphones feature an over-ear design that’s comfortable for kids at most ages and stages, yet they’re large enough for (small) adults to use and test.

Wireless functionality in a pair of cheap kids’ headphones is a great plus, and the audio quality is more impressive than it needs to be. Best of all, these cost less than $20.

It’s practically unthinkable, but Amazon has produced a fully functional, not-terrible tablet that’s perfect for games, reading, listening and movie-watching — and it costs about $50.

Make no mistake: it isn’t fancy. But it is very capable, especially considering the surprisingly low price. It has 16 GB of storage, a 7-inch screen, and 10 hours of battery life.

This device isn’t a powerhouse. It won’t run Office (not well, at least), and it may struggle with high-demand applications (where they’re even available on the Amazon store). But for basic consumption and play, it’s hard to argue with the price. You can access Netflix, Facebook, Hulu, TikTok, and more through Amazon's App store.

Rocketbook makes some really interesting devices that should really be more widespread than they appear to be. The company’s smart notebook is nearly magical: it’s a notebook, one you can write on with the included FriXion pen.

Whatever you write or draw in your Rocketbook can be saved as a PDF or JPEG from your phone. This allows you to capture notes, designs, scribbles, musings — whatever comes to mind.

Best of all, Rocketbook pages are reusable. Just wipe them down and start again. The planners cost between $35 and $39.99.

The final item on our holiday gift guide is Apple AirTags. These devices are a convenient way to track just about anything. Gift one to that loved one who always loses their keys or wallet, and now they can locate their lost items from their iPhone, iPad, or Mac. It’s a great solution that most adults will love and appreciate.

If the best gift of all is peace of mind, then an extended warranty from Upsie is pretty close to the perfect gift. These affordable extended warranties protect you from defects, failures, and accidental damage. They’re easy to buy and even easier to use if you need to make a claim, too.

Upsie offers coverage for a wide range of devices, including notebooks, tablets, headphones, smart speakers and more. Take a look at Upsie’s plans to find the one that’s right for you.