10 of the best budget gadgets for less than £50
From fitness trackers to mini computers, here's our pick of the best wallet-friendly tech around
10 of the best budget gadgets you can buy for less than £50
Getting good gadgets needn’t mean spending a bomb – as this collection of tech proves. From TV streamers to smart home assistants, each of these could be yours for just 50 big ones and you’re almost guaranteed to get bang for your buck if you pick one up.
Flic Smart Home Button (£30)
If you’re prone to mumbling or you speak with a regional accent, asking Alexa to turn up the heating can sometimes result in her scheduling a meeting with the dog. Fortunately, Flic Smart Buttons mean the smart home life is still viable for mumblers and northerners. With a simple click, double click or long press they can turn on your Hue bulbs, start playing Spotify playlists, or lock the door when a well-spoken friend comes calling.
Google Chromecast Audio (£30)
Remember the Chromecast, that nifty little thing that made every TV smart enough to stream Netflix? Well, the Chromecast Audio is here to do the same for your hi-fi. This little disc, which plugs into speakers via 3.5mm, optical or RCA ports, doesn’t just transform the streaming capabilities of your speakers – it can increase their sound quality, too, thanks to its ‘High Dynamic Range’ option. And it’s superior to streaming via Bluetooth, with less battery drain and no interruption from calls.
Amazon Echo Dot (2nd Generation) (£40)
At just £40, the Echo Dot is the most obvious pickup for anyone just dipping a toe into the virtual assistant pool. And it’s still our pick of the Echos. It’s impressively cheap for what it is, and is just as capable at answering queries and assisting you. The Echo Dot trims the original cylinder design down to just a hockey puck full of tech. You’ll plug it in, set it up with your smartphone, and then Alexa will be there to answer your random queries, tell you the weather, play music, or tell a joke.
SoundMagic E10C (£45)
Neither new nor expensive, SoundMagic’s E10C remain one of the best bang-for-buck pairs of earphones going. Not only do they sound stellar for the price, they’re also attached to a decent quality cable and come with a range of tips – so they’ll sound sweet to every ear. Oh, and there’s a three-button remote, too, for volume and music control.
Tile Slim (£19)
Know someone absent-minded? Help them keep track of their wallet, keys and other possessions with this Bluetooth tracker. It’ll show where them where they left an object, or sound an alarm to reveal where it is.
Ikea Tradfri Dimming Kit (£15)
Thought Ikea was only useful for MDF furniture and meatballs? With its Tradfri smart lights range you can toggle or dim the lights via your smartphone, with broader smart home compatibility in the pipeline. This Dimming Kit includes one ready-to-use bulb and a wireless dimmer, so you can activate the mood lighting without having to get up from the sofa.
Amazon Fire 7 (£35)
The cheapest and most basic tablet in Amazon’s range, the Fire 7 is primarily made for a bit of video here and a spot of Kindle reading there. The Fire HD is better, but at this bargain price it’s tough to complain. Yes, it can be prone to crashes and has a dreary screen – but the latest version has Alexa onboard, it won’t fall over at the drop of the hat and has a good enough battery life to keep the occupants of the backseats of a Volvo entertained all the way to Cornwall.
Raspberry Pi Zero W Essentials Kit (£15)
A gift perfect for someone who remembers tower PCs and Christmas ’94: a 6cm computer capable of running desktop software and playing 1080p videos. Its best trick is being a retro gaming machine (Google ‘RetroPie’) – but it can do loads of other cool stuff, too. This new version has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth onboard, while the Essentials Kit includes a load of extras to help you get it up and running.
Fitbit Zip (£50)
At £50, the Zip is the cheapest in the entire Fitbit range, and offers basic tracking in the form of steps taken, distance travelled, and calories burned. Aside from displaying the time (but lacking the silent alarm functionality present on all of its brothers and sisters), that’s pretty much it. The benefit to all this simplicity, apart from the price, is its massive six-month battery life, which comes thanks a coin cell battery.
Amazon Fire TV Stick (2017) (£30)
A brilliant, cheap streamer with added Alexa, Amazon’s updated Fire TV Stick is the best budget streaming stick out there. With a fast, reliable performance and most of the major services included – as well as a veritable feast of other apps, games and curios – it’s the best option out there for expanding the horizons of your old HD TV. If you’ve already got an HD Smart TV with in-built apps for Netflix, BBC iPlayer and the like, then you don’t need it – but if you’re not planning an upgrade anytime soon, this is well worth the small amount of money it’ll set you back.
