You might already be sweating bullets if you have a bunch of people to buy gifts for this holiday season, so we put together a list of the top tech gifts under 250 to make your life a little easier. Affordable electronics can make an ideal gift for your techie loved ones, and they’re even easier to afford because of all the deals coming out over Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
There’s no reason you have to wait for any specific date to buy specific gifts if something has caught your eye, however. Online retailers and distributors often treat all of Thanksgiving week and part of the week after as a time for sales, so you should act early and grab what you’re looking for as soon as you can.
Anker PowerCore 10000 External Power Bank
Need a small stocking stuffer for someone who’s always plugged into their phone? Try the Anker PowerCore 10000, which is one of the smallest and lightest 10,000 mAh external batteries on the market. It works with Apple, Samsung, and almost all other smartphone and tablet brands because it provides essentially the same type of power output these devices expect from the charging block they go into. You might find that the recipient ends up using it later that day if they end up running down their phone battery texting during that special holiday meal.
Anker’s special VoltageBoost and PowerIQ technology help it provide the fastest possible charge for any compatible device that’s plugged into it. In most cases, the PowerCore can charge a device up faster than the stock charger.
AOMAIS GO Mini Bluetooth Speakers
Do you have a party animal on your list who wants to turn the holidays into an EDM festival? If you’re finding it hard to buy for a techie with a taste for the hottest rave music, then you’ll want to take a look at these GO Mini Bluetooth Speakers from AOMAIS. They’re wireless and relatively inexpensive, but they still sound better than many actual bookshelf loudspeaker systems. The active stereophonic two-way fractional frequency system and double-passive radiator gives you extra strong bass and go separation of high and low pitches.
Not only are these speakers waterproof, but they’re also completely wireless. The rechargeable battery pack only takes around 2½ hours to charge up using the included micro USB cable. It’s compatible with all iOS and Android devices that support the Bluetooth 4.2 specification and even comes with a flashing multicolored strobe light for an authentic rave feel that your favorite techie will keep using long after New Year’s Day.
Amazon Fire TV Cube
Fire TV Cube is the first hands-free media unit that comes complete with Alexa connectivity built right in, which means it can do way more than just play what you want to watch. You can dim the lights if you live in a house with smart home automation features or get questions answered easily. However, it’s the media functionality that really makes it a perfect gift idea. You can search, play, pause, fast-forward, and perform many other chores with the sound of your voice. This gives you the power to stop wasting time with a remote and get back to enjoying your TV and movie binge. If you’re thinking of giving one away, then you might want to buy a second one to enjoy those last few days of the holiday break before you go back to work.
Best of all, you can experience excellent high definition picture quality up to genuine 4K Ultra HD running at 60 FPS. You’ll certainly have enough content to stream with built-in access to all of the following:
• Netflix
• Prime Video
• Hulu
• Showtime
• NBC
• HBO
• YouTube
Cube users also have access to Amazon’s own massive library of over 500,000 movies. It supports dozens of compatible TVs, A/V receiver boxes, and soundbars, so you shouldn’t have too many problems if you’re buying a gift for a techie individual who already has a home theater system.
Roku Ultra 4K Pack with Premium JBL Headphones
Considering how it’s basically like the electronics equivalent of a fruit basket, it’s almost like Roku was trying hard to get their Ultra 4K pack on our 2018 top tech gifts list. It comes with a newly redesigned streaming media player that came out earlier this year. Notably, the new model features an added microSD input for additional channel storage. If the included list of home entertainment options wasn’t enough as it was, then you can keep adding if you wish. The kit also comes with a voice-controlled remote unit that can help locate itself when it inevitably gets lost when everybody comes over to celebrate the holidays.
With the ability to watch everything from live sports to movies in 2160p resolution, the Roku Ultra is an interesting gadget in its own right. However, they made sure to add a number of other things to make it more attractive for the holiday season. Most notably, the kit comes complete with a set of premium JBL headphones that would have made an excellent gift idea for techies and audiophiles by itself. It also offers access to the private label Roku Channel without any additional subscriptions or fees. If any of the techies you’re buying for demand serious performance, then they’ll love the included wired USB and Ethernet jacks too.
Fitbit Charge 3 Fitness Activity Tracker
With interchangeable small and large bands as well as an advanced calorimeter, the Fitbit Charge 3 took a good idea and improved on it. This new model makes a great gift if you’re planning on putting something in a small box and you don’t want the recipient to know what’s inside until they open it. With a battery life that can last as long as a week and more than fifteen different exercise modes, it’s the ideal gadget for the techie person on your list who loves staying active.
The Charge 3 is waterproof up to a depth of 50 meters, which means users can wear them to track how many laps they do in the pool. Those who have a taste for analytics will love how you can get real-time stats during a workout. Best of all, you can stay connected with a number of everyday apps while also getting smartphone app notifications right on your wrist.
Ring Home Security System
Ring’s latest design puts a whole-home security system in your pocket. It makes a great gift idea for anyone on your holiday shopping list who is riding the recent wave of home automation. They’ll be able to manage everything that their new installation has to offer from a single app on their smartphone or tablet. It comes complete with a doorbell and camera, which gives users the ability to get a live look-in on what’s going on at their house from nearly anywhere that has an Internet connection.
We had to add this one because the package includes so many goodies. Each eight-piece Ring kit comes with all of the following gadgets that are sure to tickle the fancy of even the techiest person on your gift list:
• Base station
• Range extender
• 3 contact sensors
• 2 motion detectors
• Keypad
In spite of all the items that come with it, the whole setup only takes just a few minutes to install with only the most basic of tools. This might make it an attractive option for someone on your list who has just recently joined the digital revolution as well.
Amazon Echo Show HD 2nd Generation
Plenty of reviewers were saying that they thought the 2nd Generation Amazon Echo Show was one of the best tech gadgets to come out in a long time when it got released earlier this year, but they didn’t like the price on Amazon’s latest model. They’ve dropped the price to celebrate the holiday shopping season, which makes it a great gift idea for someone you know who needs a 10.1-inch HD smart home device that also comes complete with Alexa integration.
Premium Dolby-certified speakers provide stereo-quality sound for Amazon’s own music streaming service as well as voice chats made through Skype or any of Amazon’s own services. Whether you plan on watching Prime Video streams or your smart home’s automated feed through the included ring app, the latest version of the Echo Show has everything you’ll need from the moment you open the box. A beefy Intel Atom x5-Z8350 CPU and 5MP camera make it a pretty good general-purpose smart home hub as well as a hands-free household and kitchen assistant.
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