It’s that time of year when the giving spirit makes its way out of the closet. Holiday dinners, parties, and work events will take place all throughout December and that means you’re likely involved in a White Elephant gift exchange. Don’t be the person who brings the gift that everyone makes fun of, instead put some effort into your gift and make someone’s day. We’ve gathered our favorite tech gifts under $30 that we think would be perfect for your White Elephant gift exchange.
Anker PowerCore Fusion portable battery and wall charger combo – $25.97 at Amazon
Almost everyone could use another wall charger to keep their phones, tablets, and wireless accessories going. Why not get our favorite portable battery/wall charger combo from Anker with the PowerCore Fusion 5000mAh battery pack. Not only can you use it as a wall plug to keep two USB devices charging at the same time, but you can also use it as a portable battery when you need extra juice on the go. The Fusion has a 5000mAh internal battery which is good enough to charge your iPhone XS up to two times, or your Samsung Galaxy S9 one and a half times.
SENSO Bluetooth Headphones – $27.97 at Amazon
Another top choice is the Senso wireless Bluetooth headphones. These headphones are so popular that they have earned a four-star rating from over 29k reviewers on Amazon. What makes them so good is the tremendous value you get for your buck: IPX7 water resistance rating (for joggers or gym goers), eight-hour battery life, loud volume, and impressive sound. The Bluetooth headphones from Senso are a no-brainer pick for this holiday season.
Amazon Echo Dot (3rd generation) – $29.99 at Amazon
It’s pretty crazy to think you can get a device that can play music, order a pizza, open your garage door, turn off/on your home lights, read audiobooks, find TV shows, and control your TV all with voice commands for under $30! The Echo Dot (3rd generation) is currently on sale from Amazon for $29.99 down $20 from its regular price of $49.99. The Echo Dot is one of our favorite smart speakers because it’s affordable, compact, and helps us get through our daily routines all with simple voice commands. The Dot is capable of connecting to any speaker system that uses a 3.5mm audio jack just in case you wanted to make your dumb speaker setup smart.
Zippo Rechargeable Hand Warmer – $27.18 at Amazon
With temperatures at their lowest this time of year, the portable hand warmer from Zippo might actually be the most popular gift this holiday season. It’s an affordable warmer that doubles as a portable power bank. It can heat up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit for six hours keeping your hands warm in any climate.
TP-Link Mini WiFi Smart Plug – $15.82 at Amazon
The smart plug from tp-link might be the least glamorous gift on this list, but it’s one of the most useful. Why would you need a smart plug? How about programming your Christmas lights to come on through your Android or iOS device? Or even scheduling a lamp to come on before you get home from work so your pets aren’t sitting in the dark. If you have a Google Home or Amazon Alexa the tp-link smart plug can be controlled with voice commands as well.
Anker Wireless Charger – $19.99 at Amazon
There’s a high chance that just about everyone you know is using an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy Android smartphone. These devices have the ability to charge wirelessly and they’re not using that awesome feature. Get them a wireless charger from Anker, and they’ll be happy they never have to fiddle with the tiny plug to charge their smartphone ever again.
Boogie Board Jot – $24.99 at Amazon
The Boogie Board Jot is surprisingly one useful tool. It can be used to takes notes, doodle, draw, use as a whiteboard replacement, and best of all, it never needs to be charged. I use one for basic note taking and it feels like I’m writing on real paper. It’s good for the environment as it replaces paper that ends up in landfills.
OontZ Angle 3 – $21.99 at Amazon
Just about everyone loves music which means they would love getting the Oontz Angle 3 Bluetooth speaker as a White Elephant gift. It has stereo speakers for enhanced sound (it won’t be Bose quality but still sounds great), 14-hour battery life, IPX5 water resistance rating so you can use it by a pool or shower, and can connect to any smartphone over Bluetooth. It also fits in the palm of your hand making it extremely portable.
Netflix Subscription – Amazon
You can give the gift of thousands of hours of entertainment with a $30 gift card to Netflix. When the weather is cold outside, it’s time to stay inside and catch up on some great shows and movies. Netflix has a vast library of content that will please all, including its own award-winning shows Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.
Leatherman Multi-tool – $29.95 at Amazon
Lastly, you can’t go wrong with a Leatherman multi-tool. It’s a high-tech tool that has tweezers, pliers, scissors, a file, screwdrivers, wire cutters, and a bottle opener. It’s useful enough that it can be used daily and can last years if treated properly.