The holiday season is here. The season of gifting and Boxing Day purchases is right around the corner. With so many great gadgets and items to choose from this year, it may seem a bit chaotic when selecting the perfect gift.
Some of the best gifts don’t have to break the bank. These affordable items can make for incredible stocking stuffers or Secret Santa gifts between co-workers, friends, and family.
For your consideration, here are some of the best gadgets under $30 you can find this holiday season.
Rotibox Bluetooth Beanie
The toque or beanie has become a winter essential for us Canadians. Sometimes, this prohibits the use of earbuds or over-the-ear headphones. This is where the Rotibox Bluetooth Beanie comes in. Keep the head and ears warm with the 100 percent soft acrylic, double knitted beanie and pair it to a mobile device.
Using Bluetooth, the beanie can play music and audio for up to 8-10 hours on a single charge through its stereo speakers. It has a built-in microphone to take calls and playback functions. It’s also washable so the wearer can be sporting a clean and reliable hat and audio device the next time they go out to weather the Canadian winters.
Buy from Amazon Canada for $29
UBeesize 8inch Tabletop Ring Light
Having the right lighting for an Instagram feed doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, getting a tabletop light with adjustable lighting can be very accessible. UBeesize offers an 8-inch ring light bundle with two supporting tri-pods. One is to secure a smartphone on and the other is designated to the ring light.
The ring light comes with a dimmable setting and the user can select from a colder white light to a warmer orange glow and somewhere in between. Through USB support, the light can be plugged into a laptop, wall plug, etc. and controlled via the included switcher.
Buy from Amazon Canada for $27
Joy-Con Charging Dock for Nintendo Switch
For anyone with multiple Joy-Con controllers for the Nintendo Switch, a charging dock is a must. It’s too much of a hassle to swap out Joy-Cons to charge them via the Switch hardware, especially when a Smash Bros. Ultimate party is going on.
The Joy-Con Charging Dock can hold up to four single Joy-Con controllers at once. Keep track of their charging status by the LED lights, which display the charge level. It’s compact and easy to set up. Plus, it connects via USB so the user will be able to move the dock and connect to an available plug or device.
Buy from Amazon Canada for $29
Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer
Cold weather calls for warm drinks. Whether it’s coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, there’s nothing worse than being distracted by work or activity and returning to a lukewarm beverage. With the Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer, users can place a mug on the warmer to keep their beverage at the desired temperature.
The Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer is compact, easy to use with a simple on/off switch. The company claims the warmer is able to heat up a beverage in two minutes, making it a snappy process.
Buy from Amazon Canada for $24
Lenovo Wi-Fi Smart Plug
For simple smart home solutions that don’t cost an arm and a leg, a smart plug is a viable option. Perhaps it’s used on Christmas lights, air purifiers, or coffee makers. A smart plug can turn non-smart household items and elevate them.
The Lenovo smart plug syncs to the user’s wi-fi and instantly enables the perks of a traditional smart outlet. Using a Google Assistant or Alexa, the user can control when the plug is operational. This way, the user can control when the lights, coffee maker, etc are active and when to turn them off. Users can also control it via the Lenovo Link app on iOS and Android.
Buy from Best Buy Canada for $9.99
Tile Mate
Keeping track of essential items like car keys, wallets, purses, and other valuables is more accessible. The Tile Mate tracker is a small, compact tracker that can be attached to all sorts of items to help if and when lost. The tracker can pinpoint an item within a 200-foot range.
Using the Tile app on iOS and Android, a user can track down their misplaced keys. If they are really hidden, the Tile can emit a loud tune to better help locate a set of lost keys from the couch cushion or in a park.
Buy from Best Buy Canada for $19
Note: Tile is currently in the process of being purchased by family tracking company Life360, a company well-known for selling user data to third-party companies.
Amazon Echo Dot (3-Gen)
It’s relatively inexpensive to get a smart home voice assistant. The third-generation Amazon Echo Dot is a great entryway that provides all the base essentials you need from a smart home hub. Using Alexa, users can ask for weather and news updates, control other smart home devices, and play music.
The Amazon Echo Dot has a full speaker that can play music from Prime Music, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn. Additionally, it can be connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth and play audio. There’s no shortage of commands that can be completed using Alexa.
Buy from Best Buy Canada for $24
JLab GO Air POP Earbuds
If you’re looking to sneak a pair of earbuds into someone’s stocking, the JLab GO Air POP earbuds could be a good option. They’re perfect for listening to music while on the go or when exercising at the gym.
The in-ear wireless headphones come featured with a compact design and three sizes of gel tips to use based on comfort. They also feature water and sweat resistance. These earbuds sport a 30-hour battery life. Users can control playback through on-ear controls and take phone calls as well.
Buy from Best Buy Canada for $24
1-Month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscription
It’s the holidays so there’s no better time to sit down with a great game. Whether on PC or console, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate opens up a world of possibilities thanks to Microsoft’s robust Netflix-style all-you-can-play service.
In addition to getting Xbox Live perks, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers gain access to 100+ games including Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite. Additionally, the Microsoft Xbox Cloud Gaming platform is available through the subscription so subscribers can play where they want, how they want.
Buy from Best Buy Canada for $16
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