The 14 best tech deals under $25 that make great gifts

Once December gets going, it starts to feel like time quickly accelerates, and before you know it, your remaining holiday gift shopping starts bumping up against shipping deadlines. But if you’re in need of some simple and easy gift recommendations that don’t cost too many pennies, you’re in luck. In addition to our extensive collection of holiday gift guides, we’re also keeping a watchful eye out for great gifts that are currently on sale.

So to help you “win” this year’s holiday gift exchange, we’ve hand-picked a collection of gadgets and tech-adjacent deals under $25 that may make a great present for all types of people in your life. Some of these discounts may even make it seem like you spent more than you actually did, but we’ll never tell (it’s the deal hunters’ honor).

You’d be surprised how much smart home tech you can get for very little money. Now, part of that is because companies like Amazon and Google desperately want to get a foothold in your home — because once you buy in, brand loyalty is awarded with the best features and integrations.

So, if you’re okay with welcoming Amazon into your home, you can buy the third-gen Echo Dot for just $14.99 ($25 off). What’s more, you can get that same Echo Dot with a 1,100-lumen Philips Hue smart bulb for $17.98 ($38 off). The puck-like smart speaker may be more than a few years old at this point, but it’s still more than adequate if you’re looking to add Amazon Alexa to a room. It can control smart home devices, including the bundled Philips Hue bulb, or read you information on command, like the weather and sports scores. An Echo Dot and a smart bulb is like a smart home starter pack, but now at a stocking stuffer price point. Read our review.

Believe it or not, you can gift someone a pair of true wireless earbuds for less than a Jackson and a Lincoln — and no, they’re not the no-name junk you find in the checkout line at the grocery store. The Skullcandy Jib True are an adorable and colorful set of Bluetooth earbuds with some fine sound quality, six hours of battery life, IPX4 sweat resistance, and easy-to-learn physical button controls.

They don’t have features like noise cancellation, sure, but the Jib True are selling for as low as $21.56 (about $10 off) at Amazon in select colors. That’s a great price for a pair of wireless buds, making them a great gift for your kids, younger cousins, or nieces and nephews, especially if you have a whole brood to treat to holiday gifts.

Wireless earbuds are great, but even in 2022, wired earbuds often sound better for the price and offer their own merits. Many of them have hardly any audio latency, for example, which is something even expensive wireless earbuds struggle with and will jump through hoops to try and circumvent.

If you’re shopping for someone who is into mobile gaming, give the Logitech G333 wired earbuds a look. They’re normally $49.99, but Amazon is currently selling them for just $19.99. They offer plenty of bass without turning your audio into a mushy, incoherent mess, and they come with three sizes of silicone ear tips to best fit your ears.

Plus, in addition to some fun color options, the G333 include a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter. Most manufacturers charge anywhere from $9 to $12 for the adapter alone, and with their native 3.5mm jack or the bundled adapter, the G333s can be used with modern consoles, PCs, newer iPads, and Android phones and tablets.

If anyone in your family has a MagSafe-compatible iPhone, Belkin’s BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless charger is on sale for just $14.99 (half off) at Amazon with a 20W power adapter. The charging puck isn’t an official MagSafe accessory, but it still magnetically attaches to newer iPhone models and wirelessly charges at 7.5W. That’s a perfectly adequate speed, especially if you mostly charge overnight. Compared to Apple’s own MagSafe Charger, the Belkin has a longer, more convenient cable built in. The cable’s six-foot length is also a small blessing if you want to be able to use your phone while it wirelessly charges. This affordable magnetic Qi charger makes for a great gift, especially for folks who may not even realize that their phone has this convenient functionality.

Wyze’s colorful Wi-Fi Smart Bulbs are available in a two-pack right now for just $19.98 at Amazon, which makes them an inexpensive gift for someone who can’t get enough RGB lighting. The $7 discount drops the bundle into our price threshold, and it means each bulb costs just $9.99 — a bargain for a bright, 1,100-lumen LED bulb.

Wyze’s bulbs are easy to set up, as they don’t require a hub, and you can control them with the Wyze app as well as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. While their range of colorful lighting options may be a big draw, they’re also appealing for normies since you can pair them with timers and have them automatically match the sun with cool daylight lighting during the day and warm, relaxing light in the evening.

• The Tile Mate location tracker is just $17.99 (normally $24.99) at Amazon, Target, and Walmart. They’re a great gift for anyone who is a little forgetful when it comes to their keys or other small items — assuming they won’t take offense to that when they open the gift. Also, unlike Apple’s AirTags, they’re platform-agnostic and work with both iPhones and Android phones.
• A microSD card may sound boring to many folks, but if you’re in need of an affordable gift for someone with a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck, they’re part of the vital lifeblood to fitting more games on their console. Right now, the Samsung Pro Plus microSD is just $24.99 ($8 off) at Amazon in the 256GB configuration, slotting nicely into our budget guide.
• The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller, which is our favorite budget gamepad for Xbox consoles and PC, is just $23.91 (regularly $37.99) in purple or the two-tone seafoam fade at Amazon. Its only real downside is that it still uses Micro USB, but at least the cable is detachable.
• In lieu of dedicated outdoor smart lighting, you can turn just about any dumb light into a smart home appliance with the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug-in Dimmer — which is on sale for $16.99 ($13 off) at Amazon. It’s compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa without the need for a hub, and it’s perfect for dimmable outdoor string lights to set the festive mood.
• The JLab Go Air are just $14.99 (about $15 off) at Amazon in their four available colors. The wireless earbuds offer about five hours of battery life with another 15 on reserve from their included charging case, which houses a built-in USB-A charging plug for extra convenience.
• Streets of Rage 4 is on clearance for $19.99 ($15 off) for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 at Best Buy. It’s great for retro co-op beat-em-up action during the holidays when everyone is around, as you can play with up to four players locally or two online. Read our review.
• OlliOlli World is possibly low-key one of the best games of the year, and it’s on sale for $17.99 ($10 off) on Amazon as a Steam download code. This lo-fi skateboarding game mixes in some rhythm-based vibes for a charming and fun experience. Read our review.
• You can get $30 worth of PlayStation Store e-gift cards (in $10 increments) for around $24.46 at Eneba when you use promo code 10PSPLUS at checkout. Eneba’s prices fluctuate by a few dollars or cents since the retailer is based in Europe, but it’s an easy way to save a little while allowing someone to buy the games or DLC they want. Just think about getting creative with the gift wrapping since they’re just voucher codes.
• Speaking of gaming deals, The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox is an excellent book to gift to anyone who loves classic video games and appreciates a dose of nostalgia. It’s $20.79 at Amazon when you click the on-page coupon to save $5.20.