The Best Tech Gifts Under $100

Brace yourself: it’s holiday shopping time. Okay, we haven’t exactly hit snowy season just yet, but the best time to start planning your gift-giving is as early as possible, so Gizmodo’s Consumer Tech team has started doing some of the leg work for you. While lots of top-tier gadgets might not exactly be in your price range for a casual gift (check out our best tech gifts under $25 for that), there are also plenty that will hit your friends hard while doing far less damage to your bank account. You want your gift to make an impression on your family without making a huge impression on your wallet? We’ve got you. (Product prices were accurate at the time of publishing.) 16. Boox Picco © Boox / Gizmodo composite An e-reader makes an excellent holiday gift, but it’s not easy to find one that’s both well-made and inexpensive. The Boox Picco hits both of those notes and plenty more. It’s super portable (just about the size of a deck of cards), runs Android (so the receiver of your gift can use whichever reading app they prefer), and it handles basically every e-book file type known to man. See Boox Picco at Boox.com 15. Brick © Brick / Gizmodo composite We can all admit we spend a lot of time on our phones these days. Brick is a unique option for helping your friends and family members cut down on their screen time. You set a list of apps to block—and then you can’t unblock them unless you physically tap your phone against the Brick. Sure, there are plenty of software-based ways to block apps on your smartphone, but they’re all pretty easy to work around. Brick takes this to the next level to really help minimize the distractions created by our favorite pocket tech. See Gray Brick at Brick.com 14. Classic Super-Fast Thermapen © Thermapen / Gizmodo composite Anyone who’s ever been served (or has served) undercooked chicken will understand the importance of keeping a thermometer in your home kitchen. The Thermapen is basically the best you can get: super accurate, well-built, and incredibly fast—it provides readings in under two seconds. The cheap meat thermometer your friend replaces once a year or so could never compare. And next time you go over to your friend’s house for dinner, you can rest easy knowing that meat will be cooked to perfection. See Classic Super-Fast Thermapen at Thermoworks.com 13. JBL Clip 5 © JBL / Gizmodo composite Bluetooth speakers are a dime a dozen these days, and there’s a solid chance your friend or loved one already has one. JBL’s Clip 5 is one they certainly won’t mind adding to the collection, though. Its unique carabiner design makes it great for clipping to your backpack or belt loop, and it’ll last you upwards of 12 hours of playback before it needs a charge. This is also a perfect shower or poolside speaker, given its IP67 waterproof rating. See JBL Clip 5 at Amazon 12. Tessan 65W Universal Travel Adapter © Tessan / Gizmodo composite A universal adapter is the gift that truly keeps on giving for anybody who’s up in the air almost as much time as they spend on the ground. The Tessan 65W Universal Travel Adapter doubles up on the ports most devices actually use today with three USB-C and two USB-A ports to plug into. With its 65W power delivery natively, your giftee can keep most of your phone adapters at home and only have to take their larger laptop power bricks in their bag. See TESSAN Universal Travel Adapter at Amazon 11. Logitech Keys to Go 2 © Logitech / Gizmodo composite You’ll be surprised how often you need a keyboard, and in those moments when you’re dragging around some massive wired 100% keyboard and numpad, you’ll wish you had something like the Logitech Keys 2 Go 2. It’s a small form-factor keyboard that’s so skinny it doesn’t even have a USB-C port. Instead, it’s a battery-powered device that’s handy for taking on trips or for using as a backup pad for an iPad or gaming handheld. Best of all, it folds up so slim that you can stick it into any bag and never have to remember to give it any more juice until its time to swap the battery after about three years. See Logitech Keys-to-Go Bluetooth Keyboard at Amazon 10. Elgato Stream Deck Neo © Elgato / Gizmodo composite Despite its name, the Elgato Stream Deck Neo isn’t just handy for wannabe Twitch streamers. The compact desktop shortcut device is great for practically any dedicated office or gaming space thanks to its small stature, minimalist eight-button layout, and handy heads-up screen that can display the date and time. You can integrate the Elgato Stream Deck Neo with various controls on apps like Photoshop or have it there as a quick and easy way to call up your smart home controls. There are also two page-turn keys if you want to have even more potential controls loaded on your Stream Deck. See Elgato Stream Deck Neo at Amazon 9. Divoom FlowToo © Divoom / Gizmodo composite For people who can’t ever seem to get enough sleep, a white noise machine may finally be the help they need. Compared to many white noise speakers, Divoom’s FlowToo actually does triple duty as an alarm clock and tiny Bluetooth speaker as well. It’s small enough to fit onto most desks and bedside tables, where it can play from a variety of 90 ambient audio tracks. Not to mention, it’s also an incredibly cute device with its customizable retro time faces and physical knobs and buttons. See Divoom Flowtoo at Amazon 8. Nothing Ear 3a © Nothing / Gizmodo composite If you want the best of the best, it can be easy to skate to flagship products, but in Nothing’s case, you may get more bang for your buck by spending less. The Nothing Ear 3a give you good sound, solid active noise cancellation, and a look that’s just a bit different from competitors. There are some quirky features for recording calls and such, but the mixture of style and substance is why these wireless earbuds should earn your consideration in a holiday gift budget. See Nothing Ear (3a) at Amazon 7. Ikea Varmblixt © Ikea / Gizmodo composite Donuts aren’t just for eating; they’re also for inspiring cool lamps. The Ikea Varmblixt is eye-catching for its shape, but more importantly, it comes with smart features that let you pair it with Ikea’s app to set different colors and create automations that turn them off/on at specified times. As an added bonus, you can either mount the Varmblixt on the wall or lay it flat on a surface to accentuate the donut design of it all. See Ikea Varmblixt at Ikea.com 6. Snowsky Echo Mini © Snowsky / Gizmodo composite Digital audio players (DAPs) are so back, and some of them, like the Echo Mini from Snowsky/FiiO, are a hard shot of nostalgia. While it functions like an iPod of yore, its whole vibe is that of a cassette player, with an LCD screen that even makes the front look like a tape is inside. The tactile buttons on top control playback, too, and it has a 3.5mm/4.4mm jack as well as Bluetooth, so you can use it wired or wireless. You’ll probably want to get an additional microSD for storage (it supports a max of 256GB), which is a bit small, but what it lacks in space, it makes up for in vibes. See Snowsky Echo Mini at Amazon 5. Polaroid Go Generation 3 Pikachu Edition © Polaroid / Gizmodo composite If you’re a sucker for Pokémon branding like lots of us, then the Polaroid Go Generation 3 Pikachu Edition may be super effective at luring your gift consideration. This instant camera is built on the Polaroid Go Generation 3 platform and comes with a selfie mirror, self-timer, double-exposure mode, and built-in flash. All of that is good and fine, but let’s be honest—you’re getting this thing because it looks like Pikachu. See Polaroid Go Generation 3 Pikachu Edition at Best Buy 4. SmallRig Magnetic Phone Mount © SmallRig / Gizmodo composite Say you’ve got your mirrorless camera or DSLR with you to take high-resolution photos and videos, but you also want to record with your phone so you can instantly post a video to the ‘gram or the ‘tok in real time. This SmallRig phone mount is the solution. It fits into your camera’s hot/cold shoe and holds a supported iPhone with either MagSafe or Qi2 magnets (i.e., Pixelsnap on Google Pixel phones). The metal design is sturdy and even tilts. Leave it on the top of your camera and hit record while you snap photos, and you’ll be less likely to miss out on a moment. See SmallRig Magnetic Phone Mount at Amazon 3. DJI Mic Mini (2 TX + 1 RX) © DJI / Gizmodo composite There are newer versions of DJI’s wireless microphones out there, but maybe all those bells and whistles aren’t necessary for your giftee. This three-piece kit comes with two tiny wireless mics (TX or transmitters) that connect automatically to the included RX receiver when it’s plugged into any phone with USB-C. Clearer audio is captured directly into the RX, which is then baked into your recorded videos or audio recordings. Whether for man-on-the-street interviews or a podcast, this set is basic, cheap, and still works great despite being several years old. See DJI Mic Mini (2 TX + 1 RX) at Amazon 2. Copland Platinum Pad © Copland / Gizmodo composite Available in two versions (Chronology or Grid), these desk mats made by YouTuber Quinn Nelson, aka Snazzy Labs, feature 24 Macs from 1984 to 2024. If you’re a Mac fan or know someone who is, this dye-sublimated mat will not fade or peel. It’s a nerdy little piece of history, and it’s also quite spacious at 35 x 15 inches. You’ll feel good supporting a small business owner instead of another billion-dollar corporation, too. See Platinum Pad at Copland 1. Togconn Mini USB to USB-C adapter © Togconn / Gizmodo composite If you’ve still got some devices with an ancient mini USB plug that doesn’t connect via USB-C to your computer because—well, they’re old AF—get one of these adapters. They’re super cheap and do one job only. Stick them onto your mini USB plugs and never worry about compatibility again when the time comes. If your device is an old hard drive, use this little adapter to finally download your files and move them to a faster hard drive, an SSD, or back them in the cloud. See Togconn Mini USB to USB-C adapter at Amazon