Great tech gifts for $100 or less
We’re at the point where the holiday season is staring us in the face, which means you’ll have to start shopping soon if you haven’t already. But you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a great gift. There are plenty of awesome options for tech lovers for less than $100. These gifts will make their day, and you’ll surely be happy to see their reactions when they open them.
Each product has been either comprehensively reviewed or personally tested to bring you the best tech gifts for no more than a Benjamin. And if these don’t ring your chimes, check out our complete list of 20 great gifts for $100 or less at cnet. co/3gyDlw2.
BEST VALUE SMART THERMOSTAT: AMAZON SMART THERMOSTAT
Amazon’s Smart Thermostat sets a new standard for the category. It has a clean, modern touchscreen design, and it’s easy to use, whether you’re adjusting the temperature at the thermostat, through the Alexa app or with Alexa voice commands with a compatible Alexa-enabled speaker or display. It is an affordable gift that earned a CNET Editors’ Choice Award for best value smart thermostat.
SMARTPHONE GAME CONTROLLER: RAZER KISHI V2
Buying for someone who likes to game on their phone? Whether they are an iPhone user subscribed to Apple Arcade or an Android or iPhone user using Xbox Cloud PS gaming, PS Remote Play or Google Stadia, the improved second-generation Razer Kishi smartphone controller is a good option.
Similar to the iPhone-compatible model (the iPhone version is MFi-certified and will work with the iPhone 6 Plus and any newer model), the Android version allows Android phone owners to play Xbox
Cloud gaming with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. It connects via USB-C instead of a Lightning cable and like the iPhone version, has pass-through charging but no built-in battery to supply extra juice. The controller allows you to game in style with mobile games that have gamecontroller support (and benefit from it). Just make sure you’re matching the right model to their phone.
SOLID SMART DISPLAY: GOOGLE NEST HUB (2ND GEN)
There are plenty of great Alexa-powered Echo products, but in this price range, we’re fans of the new Google Nest Hub. The upgraded smart display delivers more bass along with a new Sleep Sensing feature. It also gives you instant access to a world of answers whenever you say, “Hey, Google,” and allows you to cast content directly to the screen from any Android device.