20 of the Coolest Tech Stocking Stuffers For Under $50

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What if you make this the year you don't fill all the stockings with candy or socks? Both have their place, but if you want to really make this the best Christmas ever, you have to shove some tech in those stockings. The good news: tech gifts don't have to be expensive to be impressive.

No matter who you're shopping for, there are tons of affordable gizmos that are some combination of cool and useful and that feel pricier than they are. Here are 20 cool tech stocking stuffers to light up any holiday morning, all of which cost less than $50.

This handheld retro gaming console

If there's an old-school gamer on your list, their Christmas morning will be extra merry if it includes a tiny video game emulator. R36T Retro Gaming Console ($47.50) puts over 18,000 video games in the palm of your hand. It has a 3.5" screen, so whether they like arcade classics or consoles-of-the-past, they can fit 'em all in a pocket. You can even network up with another emulator for head-to-head action.

R36T Retro Gaming Console $47.49 at Amazon $49.99 Save $2.50 Shop Now Shop Now $47.49 at Amazon $49.99 Save $2.50 A teeny tiny e-reader

The Xteink X4 is an e-reader that's smaller than your phone. It uses e-ink like an Amazon Kindle, so you can whip a glare-free screen out of your pocket and start reading anywhere there's a light source. The X4 is a no-frills gadget-there's no lighting, touchscreen, or apps-but if you want a cheap, convenient way to read for around $50, it's perfect.

Xteink X4 $48.04 at AliExpress $69.00 Save $20.96 Shop Now Shop Now $48.04 at AliExpress $69.00 Save $20.96 An electric air duster

Those disposable cans of compressed air with the red straws are so 2015. Blow the dust off your electronics with an SDFM Electric Air Duster ($32.99) instead. With an engine that moves at 150,000 RPM, it shoots air such high speeds, the dust doesn't stand a chance. It's also cordless and comes with a variety of cleaning attachments to keep your gear in top shape.

SDFM Compressed Air Duster $32.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $17.00 Shop Now Shop Now $32.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $17.00 These sleep headphones

If your giftee likes to listen to music or podcasts while drifting off to sleep, there's no gift better than a pair of sleep headphones; except two pairs of sleep headphones! This two-pack retails for $29.99 and contains two headbands with built in speakers you can pair with your phone or other device easily. You could buy a single pair, but these things break fairly regularly, so a backup is good.

Mixiba 2-Pack Sleeping Headphones, Headband Headphones with Ultra-Thin HD Stereo Speaker, Bluetooth Headband for Sports, Workouts, Insomnia, Yoga, Air Travel, Meditation - Black&Grey $24.99 at Amazon $29.99 Save $5.00 Get Deal Get Deal $24.99 at Amazon $29.99 Save $5.00 These colorful smart LED light bars

Your giftee may have the tech side of their battle station/home office locked down, but I bet they don't have the aesthetics dialed in. Govee Smart LED Light Bars ($33) are programmable, colorful light bars work with Alexa and Google Assistant and can display light effects created from 16 millions colors. It even syncs with your music to provide trippy visuals.

Govee Smart LED Light Bars $32.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $17.00 Shop Now Shop Now $32.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $17.00 A mini chainsaw

My lifestyle doesn't involve cutting down trees, but I still need one of these miniature chainsaws. I mean, it's a chainsaw, and it's only six-inches long. This Dodowin mini chainsaw ($40) is battery powered, so no one will be accidentally cutting the cord. According to listing, it's suitable for tree pruning, garden artistry, shrub trimming, forest logging, and wood cutting. They don't mention it, but it's also perfect for tiny Texas massacres.

Dodowin 6-Inch Mini-Chainsaw $39.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $39.99 at Amazon A programmable macro keyboard

You know what computer fiends are missing in their lives? Knobs. This little $36 gadget lets you assign functions to four external knobs and 12 push buttons, so you can finally have a decent volume control, scrub through video smoothly, skip music tracks with a button push, and control any other function easily and physically. Perfect for gamers.

Programmable Macro Keyboard $36.19 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $36.19 at Amazon A laser measuring tool

You could use a tape measure like a caveman, or you could measure things with a frickin' laser that fits in your pocket. This $40 gadget has an LED screen that's easy to read and it doubles as a cat toy. But does it measure things? Goddamn right it measures things-big things, little things, middle-sized things-it doesn't give a shit what you put in front of it, it will measure the hell out of it! (Up to 98 feet, anyway.)

HOTO 98ft Laser Distance Measurer $39.99 at Amazon $45.99 Save $6.00 Shop Now Shop Now $39.99 at Amazon $45.99 Save $6.00 The X10 MAX Bluetooth speaker

This compact bluetooth speaker has an Amazon rating of 4.7 stars out of 5, and it's cheap-just $32. It's waterproof, it sounds great, and it features a built-in light show with six different settings so you can check out cool visuals with your tunes.

X10 MAX Bluetooth speaker $31.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $18.00 Shop Now Shop Now $31.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $18.00 These Bluetooth trackers

Keep track of the things in your life with these miniature tracking tags. Slip one in your wallet or your keys, and if you misplace them, you can hit a button and it will play a sound and/or give you a map that will lead you exactly to your missing item. Plus, it works in reverse, so you can hit a tag and it will ring your lost phone. I rely on these; no joke.

[iOS Only] Tukio Air Tracker Tags 4 Pack Black, [Apple MFi Certified] Bluetooth Key Finder & Smart Item Locator Work with Apple Find My for Keys/Luggage/Bags/Suitcases/Car, 365-Day Replaceable Battery $39.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $10.00 Get Deal Get Deal $39.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $10.00 This wearable heating pad

If you want to keep warm during the holidays, you could do a lot worse than this portable neck, shoulder, and back warmer. There are three temperature settings and a safety shut-off feature, and it heats up really fast.

Tovve Heating Pad for Back, Neck, and Shoulders $21.10 at Amazon $32.99 Save $11.89 Get Deal Get Deal $21.10 at Amazon $32.99 Save $11.89 A desktop vacuum cleaner

This tiny little vacuum will keep your desktop dustfree. It sucks at 1000Pa of suction power for 400 minutes off a single charge, and it's very easy to use: You put it in the palm of your hand and push it around. Cool!

ODISTAR Desktop Vacuum Cleaner, Mini Table dust Sweeper Energy Saving,High Endurance up to 90 mins,Cordless&360 Rotatable Design for Keyboard/Home/School/Office(White) $12.98 at Amazon $15.98 Save $3.00 Get Deal Get Deal $12.98 at Amazon $15.98 Save $3.00 This USB endoscope camera

It's not like most people need an endoscope camera every day, but if the need for a tiny camera does arise-if you need to see why the engine isn't working or if your wedding ring falls behind the oven or something-you'll be glad you have this Anykit USB Endoscope Camera. It plugs right into your Android or iPhone and captures HD photos and video.

Anykit USB Endoscope Camera with 8 Adjustable LED Lights, Borescope with Semi-Rigid Snake Camera, IP67 Waterproof Inspection Cam Compatible with iPhone and Android Devices (9.8 ft) $25.19 at Amazon $27.99 Save $2.80 Get Deal Get Deal $25.19 at Amazon $27.99 Save $2.80 A foldable mini Bluetooth keyboard

Why have you been carrying your laptop around to coffeehouses like a chump when you can just connect this foldable mini Bluetooth keyboard from iClever to your phone, turning it into an ultra-portable productivity device? It even has a little trackpad!

iClever Portable Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard (IC-BK03) $39.99 at Amazon $43.99 Save $4.00 Get Deal Get Deal $39.99 at Amazon $43.99 Save $4.00 A portable HD mini projector

Projectors have gotten really good over the last few years, and they prices have come down massively too. This mini projector costs only $40 and projects a 1080p image up to 201" and even comes with a remote control and a projection screen.

Mini Projector HY300 PRO, Portable Projector with Dual-Band WIFI6 5G Wireless 5.4 Bluetooth, Smart Projector Support 4K 1080P, Auto Keystone Correction 35"-130" Screen Video Projector $39.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $39.99 at Amazon The Amazon Echo Dot

If your giftee is into house automation within the Amazon ecosystem, you can't go wrong with an Echo Dot. This compact smart speaker packs a surprisingly nice sound along with built-in Alexa, so it can be used for for playing music, setting timers, and controlling your smart devices.

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Generation) $49.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $49.99 at Amazon The Roku Streaming Stick 4K

Alright, most people already have a media streamer attached to their televisions, but in case you're gifting someone who doesn't, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is a solid choice. This no-frills device serves up 4K HD video, gives you access to hundreds of free and premium channels, and is easy to setup.

Roku Streaming Stick 4K $29.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $20.00 Get Deal Get Deal $29.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $20.00 A wireless transmitter for your earbuds

The Twelve South AirFly SE is an ultra-compact Bluetooth transmitter lets you plug into any device with a 3.5 mm jack, like in-flight entertainment systems, gym machines, or TVs, and stream audio wirelessly to your Bluetooth earbuds or headphones. Leave those accursed wired headphone in the drawer where they belong!

AirFly Pro Bluetooth Wireless Audio Transmitter $34.97 at Amazon $39.99 Save $5.02 Shop Now Shop Now $34.97 at Amazon $39.99 Save $5.02 This portable tire inflator

A portable inflator is perfect for car emergencies or keeping your bike tires plump, and this one from Slime is a steal at only $50. It's rechargeable, has an onboard pressure guage, an LED flashlight, and can inflate a car tire in only eight minutes. You will never go back to a manual air pump, I promise.

Slime 40084 Tire Inflator, Cordless, Portable Air Compressor Pump, Lithium Ion Battery and LED Light, Rechargeable, 8 min Inflation $49.49 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $49.49 at Amazon This versatile Anker Nano II USB charger

I am 100% sure whoever you're giving a gift to will be able to use this compact, highpower Anker charger. It has two USBC ports plus one USBA, letting you power up your laptop, phone, and tablet all at once, from one plug.

Anker Nano II 65W 3-USB Port Wall Charger $23.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $16.00 Shop Now Shop Now $23.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $16.00