The holiday season is just around the corner. Do you have your shopping list ready yet? If you’re confused about what to get that one friend or family member who’s really into gadgets and Apple products, we’ve got the right list for you. And everything in this lists costs under $50!
RAVPower 20100 mAh Fast Charging Power Bank
Everyone needs a portable charger. But a true technology enthusiast needs a 20000 mAh power bank with fast charging. RAVPower’s portable charger comes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology and has a USB-C port as well. You can charge two devices together (one in fast charging mode) with ease.
Buy: RAVPower 20100 mAh Fast Charging Power Bank
Chromecast
If you don’t have a smart TV or something like Apple TV, you should buy the Chromecast. It’s a $35 HDMI dongle that will let you stream almost anything from the web or from your local drive on the Mac. It works best when you’re streaming online though. It doesn’t come with a remote so you use your iPhone to start the streaming and to control playback.
Buy: Chromecast ($35)
Chromecast Audio
This is just like Chromecast but specifically for speakers. You plug in any pair of normal speakers to Chromecast Audio and it instantly turns in smart speakers. You can now stream any music directly to the speakers from your iPhone, iPad or Mac (all wirelessly of course). And it can integrate with Google Home as well.
Buy: Chromecast Audio ($35)
Amazon Echo Dot
If you know anyone who hasn’t bought an Amazon Echo yet, you really should gift them one. This little smart speaker comes with Alexa assistant. You can use the Echo to play music, integrate with smart home appliances, order stuff from Amazon or do thousands of more interesting things using Alexa Skills.
Buy: Amazon Echo Dot ($49.99)
Google Home Mini
If your friend or family members are more into the Google ecosystem (if they already use Google Assistant, Play Music or Chromecast), get them a Google Home Mini instead. The product works similar to Alexa but the ecosystem is all based on Google. This means that it’s much better at answering questions and finding things than Echo Dot will ever be. Google Assistant also has a collection of third-party apps but it’s is nowhere near as exhaustive as Amazon Echo.
Buy: Google Home Mini ($49.00)
Fire TV Stick 4K
Fire TV Stick is a proper media center. Unlike Chromecast, it has a proper home theater interface, and you can navigate and browse through apps using the remote. It also comes with Alexa so you can just speak into the remote to start playing something. And the new Fire TV Stick even streams at 4K (with HDR 10, Dobly Vision, HLG and HDR10+). For under $50, this is a hell of a deal.
If you know someone who already has Amazon Prime and watches a lot of Netflix or Hulu on their TVs anyway, gift them a Fire TV Stick for a better experience.
Buy: Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K ($49.99)
Wyze Cam Pan Indoor Smart Home Camera
Wyze makes some of the best budget smart home cameras. It takes features found in cameras that cost hundreds of dollars and gives you for less than $50. Wyze Cam Pan comes with a 1080p 360-degree mechanism, night vision, and 2-way audio. Best thing is that it works with Amazon Alexa so you can ask Alexa to directly show you the front door camera on your phone.
If you know someone who’s moved into a new place or someone who can use a single security camera without setting up a whole security system that costs hundreds of dollars, gift them this Wyze Cam.
Buy: Wyze Cam Pan Indoor Smart Home Camera ($38)
Twelve South RelaxedLeather iPhone Case
If you know someone who just bought a new iPhone X or iPhone XS, get them Apple’s leather case. Trust me, they will not be disappointed. The RelaxedLeather case adds an awesome luxurious look to the already fancy looking iPhone. It is great at protecting the iPhone plus the leather starts to create a patina and changes color over time and it looks really cool.
Buy: Twelve South RelaxedLeather iPhone Case ($9.99)
Blue Snowball Ice
If you have a friend who’s been going on and on about starting a podcast or recording some music to put up on YouTube but doesn’t have any idea how to go about it, buy them a Blue Snowball Ice. It’s a simple USB microphone that’s dead easy to use and has amazing sound quality.
Buy: Blue Snowball Ice ($49.99)
Raspberry Pi 3 B+
This is for the computer geek in your life. You can’t get into a Mac anymore and there’s not much need to build a PC. But the DIY electronics community is well and alive with the Raspberry Pi. It’s a little motherboard that comes with a quad-core ARM chip, Bluetooth, 4 USB ports and Wi-Fi!
Buy: Raspberry Pi 3 B+ ($39.00)
Roku Premiere 4K HDR
Roku Premiere is a little streaming player that comes with a remote control It’s an alternative to Fire TV Stick 4K and it has almost all the features and costs 10 dollars less. Roku has a rich collection of apps and services.
Buy: Roku Premiere ($39.99)
Tile Mate and Slim Combo Pack
The perfect gift for the forgetful friend. The Tile Mate can attach to a key ring or a USB drive and a Tile Slim can easily slide in a wallet. Tile app can be used to easily track the Tile Mate or Slim when your possessions are lost.
Buy: Tile Mate and Slim Combo Pack ($39.99)
Wemo Mini Smart Plug
The perfect gift to get for someone who’s already using Alexa or HomeKit. Wemo mini Smart Plug is one of the few smart plugs that can be controlled with Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri.
Buy: Wemo Mini Smart Plug ($27.90)
Holy Stone HS170 Predator Mini Drone
This is a great choice for beginners. HS170 is designed to be a drone trainer. This is where you learn to fly and break things. And because it’s only $40, crashes won’t hurt nearly as much on your wallet.
The drone has a headless mode, 6-axis gyroscope for stabilization, and performs well in the range of 30-50 meters. It has a flight time of about 6-8 minutes and charging takes around 45 minutes.
Buy: Holy Stone HS170 Predator Mini Drone ($39.99)
Redragon Mechanical Backlit Gaming Keyboard
This mechanical keyboard is for the friend who’s either really into gaming or spends a lot of time typing. The Redragon Kumara mechanical keyboard looks damn cool and comes with custom mechanical switches (similar to Cherry Blue). Great mechanical keyboards usually cost more than a hundred dollars. But Redragon gives you similar experience at just $30.
Buy: Redragon Mechanical Backlit Gaming Keyboard ($29.99)
Logitech MX Anywhere 2S
Logitech makes the best, most ergonomic mice for Mac and PC. But some of their professional level mice cost a lot and a big and heavy. MX Anywhere 2S brings the same ergonomic setup in a package that’s much easier to carry and easier on the wallet too.
MX Anywhere 2S works on any surface, even glass and lasts for 70 hours on one charge. You can use one mice with up to 3 devices at the same time.
Buy: MX Anywhere 2S ($48.99)
Twelve South Curve Laptop Stand
This modern and minimalistic stand is a perfect gift for anyone who owns a MacBook Pro. It sits comfortably on the stand and elevates the screen so it’s at perfect eye level. They can pair it with a keyboard and a mouse for instant desktop setup.
Buy: Twelve South Curve Laptop Stand ($49.99)
Twelve South SurfacePad Leather Folio
Apple’s Leather Folio for iPhone XS costs over a hundred dollars. Twelve South gives you the same awesome look, with improved functionality at just $50.
The SurfacePad wraps your iPhone in a thin genuine leather jacket and automatically wakes up your iPhone when opened. Inside you’ll find two pockets for cards and IDs. What’s more, the folio acts as a stand so you can watch videos and make FaceTime calls with ease.
Buy: Twelve South SurfacePad Leather Folio for iPhone ($49.99)
Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones
Cowin’s active noise canceling headphones are huge, but they’re also amazing. They come with 40mm large-aperture drivers and deep bass. Cowen has managed to cram 30 hours of playtime into these wireless Bluetooth noise canceling headphones.
Buy: Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones ($50)
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x
Audio-Technica is the last name in over-ear headphones. And M20x gives you the best quality and fit possible at $50. It comes with 40mm drivers with rare earth neodymium magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils.
Audio-Technica has amazing build-quality and engineering as the headphones are designed for studio tracking and mixing. This means that listening to music or playing games while wearing them is going to be an amazing experience.
Buy: Audio-Technica ATH-M20x ($49.00)
Nomad Horween Leather Strap for Apple Watch
This is the best gift you can give for anyone who wears an Apple Watch. At just $50, Nomad gives you an amazing looking Horween Leather strap. It has a classic bold design that brings the old world artisanry in the new age of digital watches. It’s a perfect stylish complement to the Apple Watch.
Buy: Nomad Horween Leather Strap for Apple Watch ($49.99)
Your Favorite Holiday Gifts
What are some of your favorite gifts to give this holiday season? Share with us in the comments below.
