Planning on gifting tech this Christmas? Here’s some news that will leave you feeling merry – our tests prove that you don’t always need to dig deep into your wallet to secure a Which? Best Buy.
Our experts have been hard at work this year to help you add the best tech products to your Christmas list. But while we’ve seen plenty of cheap, stand-out headphones, wireless speakers and tablets, there have also been some releases that have made our naughty list.
Below, we’ve rounded up some budget-priced tech ideas for Christmas. Make sure you consult our full reviews to see how each product scored in the Which? test lab.
Jump to:
- Headphones for Christmas
- Wireless speakers for Christmas
- Wearables for Christmas
- TV streamers for Christmas
- Ebook readers for Christmas
- Tablets for Christmas
- Radios for Christmas
Headphones for Christmas
Headphones for under £50
Mpow M30 Wireless Earbuds – £32.99
Available from: Amazon
We liked: Waterproof design, voice control support, easy to use
We didn’t like: L and R markings on each earpiece are tough to read
If you’re shopping for some budget-priced headphones this holiday season, these buds from Mpow might catch your eye. These truly wireless, in-ear headphones are sold exclusively on Amazon and are IPX8-rated, which means they’ll handle a dip underwater or a jog in the rain.
You can use Google Assistant or Apple’s Siri to interact with the Mpow headphones without having to tap anything. Alternatively, you can use the touch-sensitive controls to play/pause your music, skip tracks and answer incoming phone calls.
Read our full Mpow M30 Wireless Earbuds review, or buy it now at Amazon.
Want to spend more?
Huawei Freebuds 3i – £75
Available from: Amazon
We liked: Effective noise-cancelling
We didn’t like: Battery life could be better
If you’ve got a bigger budget to play with, take a closer look at these truly wireless, in-ear headphones from Huawei. The Huawei Freedbuds 3i headphones are aimed at Android users and come with active noise-cancelling that blocks out distracting noises so you can enjoy your favourite tunes.
You get four sizes of eartips bundled in the box, so you should have no problem getting the Freebuds to fit comfortably.
Read our full Huawei Freebuds 3i review, or buy it now at Amazon.
Our headphones expert says
‘You’re spoilt for choice with headphones under £100, but a small fraction of the hundreds of models you could choose from are head and shoulders above the rest, both for sound quality and comfort.
Our independent listening panel has found six pairs of headphones under £100 worthy of Best Buy status, and a further ten Great Value models. This includes all styles of headphones from cheaper truly wireless headphone alternatives to the Apple AirPods, to large over-ear pairs.
You’ll be able to get all the main features you might want at this price, such as wireless headphones and water resistance. However, those looking for effective noise cancelling will particularly struggle to get a great pair under £100, but even here we’ve found rare gems that pull well above their weight.
Head to our headphone reviews page, and filter by our Which? recommendations to find these superb value models to make the most of your money.’
Wireless speakers for Christmas
Wireless speakers for under £50
JBL GO 3 – £34.99
We liked: Small and lightweight, waterproof, easy to use
We didn’t like: We’ve tested better-sounding alternatives
A Bluetooth speaker that’s small enough to tuck into a Christmas stocking. There are a whopping 12 different colours to choose from, including a snowy white and a Reindeer nose red.
The JBL GO 3 is a lightweight Bluetooth speaker with a wrap-around rubberised look. It comes with a handy lanyard loop, which means you can attach it to a rucksack or hang it up. This speaker has an IPX67 dust and waterproof rating, so it can survive an afternoon by the pool if you take it on holiday next year.
Read our full JBL GO 3 review, or buy it now at JBL or Very.
Sony SRS-XB01 – £15.99
Available from: Currys PC World
We liked: Small and compact, easy to use
We didn’t like: Physical buttons need a strong press to register commands
An affordable Bluetooth speaker from Sony. To connect it to a smartphone or tablet, you just need to enable Bluetooth and then look for the SRS-XB01 in your Settings menu.
With this being a mini speaker, you shouldn’t expect heavy levels of bass. We’d say the Sony SRS-XB01 is well-suited if you’re looking for a speaker to put in a small room, rather than a speaker to fire out festive favourites in a larger room.
Read our full Sony SRS-XB01 review, or buy it now at Currys PC World.
Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) – £49.99
Available from: Amazon, Argos, Very
We liked: Acceptable sound quality, well built
We didn’t like: There are better-sounding speakers out there
The 4th-generation Amazon Echo Dot is sporting an all-new design. This sphere-shaped speaker has both wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity and is available in black, blue or white.
On the top of the Echo Dot, you’ll spot some controls that are used to play and pause music or mute the built-in microphone. Speaking of the microphone, you can use your voice to put Amazon’s Alexa assistant to work – it can run web searches, set alarms and control your other internet-enabled devices. There are a load of music streaming services supported, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and Deezer.
If you’re looking for more of a hefty sound from your next speaker, you might want to take a closer look at the Amazon Echo (4th gen).
Read our full Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) review, or buy it now at Amazon, Argos, or Very.
Want to spend more?
Google Nest Audio – £89.99
Available from: Argos, Currys PC World, Google
We liked: Great voice control, top-tier sound
We didn’t like: Can’t link to other devices with a wired connection
You can pick up the Google Nest Audio for a little under £100, making it one for the shortlist if you’re trying to keep costs fairly low. Google Nest Audio is powered by Google Assistant, which can answer questions, adjust the volume of your music or change the colour of the smart light bulbs above your Christmas tree.
There are three touch-sensitive areas on the Google Nest Audio – tap the front-left corner of the speaker to turn down the volume, front-right corner to turn it up, or tap the top-middle to start/stop playback.
Read our full Google Nest Audio review, or buy it now at Argos, Currys PC World or Google.
Wearables for Christmas
Wearables for under £50
Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 – £39
Available from: Amazon, John Lewis
We liked: Slim and comfortable, accurately tracks steps and distance
We didn’t like: No built-in GPS, we weren’t impressed by the accuracy of the heart-rate monitor
The Galaxy Fit 2 becomes Samsung’s cheapest fitness and activity tracker and could help you shed some pounds in the new year. Compared to the original Galaxy Fit, this model has a larger 1.1-inch colour display running at a higher resolution. It comes with a slim silicone band in black or red.
You can use the Galaxy Fit 2 to track steps, distance travelled, calories burnt and sleep. Luckily, there’s no mode that tells you how many Christmas puddings you scoffed in December. Various sports modes are included, with the full list including walking, running, cycling, swimming and indoor rowing.
However, note that this wearable doesn’t come with built-in GPS, so it might not be the best pick if you’re shopping for somebody that wants to track their outdoor runs.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 review, or buy it now at Amazon or John Lewis.
Honor Band 5 – £27.99
We liked: Lightweight, good screen, reasonably easy to use
We didn’t like: Poor heart-rate monitoring
Despite its price tag, this cheap wearable manages to pack in plenty of health-focused features. The Honor Band 5 comes with black, pink or blue bands and tracks steps, distance, calories and heart rate. There’s also a ‘find my phone’ app that can come to the rescue if you misplace your mobile while you’re building a snowman.
This fitness tracker is water-resistant to 50m. If you have an Android phone, You can tap at the gadget on your wrist to control music playing through your smartphone.
Read our full Honor Band 5 review, or buy it now at Amazon or Argos.
Want to spend more?
Huawei Watch GT – £94.99
Available from: Amazon
We liked: Responsive touchscreen, good battery life, customisable watch faces
We didn’t like: Can’t download third-party apps
The Huawei Watch GT follows on from 2017’s Huawei Watch 2 Sport. With this successor, you get an updated heart-rate monitor and far more sophisticated fitness tracking. This Bluetooth-enabled smartwatch can track your smartphone, load up messages from social media, show you calendar events and check the weather in case you fancy a walk on Boxing Day.
It tracks the sort of stuff you’d expect from a brainy smartwatch – step count, calories, active minutes and common exercises such as running, jogging and rowing. You can also track elevation on a hike with the built-in altimeter.
Read our full Huawei Watch GT review, or buy it now at Amazon.
TV streamers for Christmas
TV streamers for under £50
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite with Alexa Voice Remote– £29.99
Available from: Amazon
We liked: Plenty of apps, voice control is useful, can control volume and power of the TV
We didn’t like: Some features could be explained better
With the £30 Fire TV Stick Lite plugged into the back of your TV, you get instant access to popular TV streaming services including BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Netflix, ITV Hub and All 4.
We’ll admit that typing with the bundled remote can be a pain at times, but you can use your voice to open up your favourite apps in just a couple of seconds.
Read our full Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite with Alexa Voice Remote review, or buy it now at Amazon.
Amazon Fire TV Stick with 4K and Alexa – £49.99
Available from: Amazon, Argos, Currys PC World
We liked: Detailed 4K picture, voice search works well, easy to set up
We didn’t like: Can’t cast pictures and videos from your phone to the TV
This pricier Fire TV Stick model plugs into your telly as the Lite version does, but for around £20 more you get a TV streamer that’s capable of outputting video up to 4K at 60fps.
Read our full Amazon Fire TV Stick with 4K and Alexa review, or buy it now at Amazon, Argos or Currys PC World.
Ebook readers for Christmas
Ebook readers for under £100
Amazon Kindle 2019 (10th-gen) – £59.99
Available from: Amazon
We liked: Useful screen light feature, audiobook support
We didn’t like: No waterproofing, no local library lending
An Amazon Kindle could be the ideal present for any bookworm. This is the cheapest model in the range, featuring a 6-inch e-ink display and LED front lighting for enjoying page-turners in low light. You can also use the Amazon Kindle to listen to audiobooks.
The entry-level Kindle comes with 4GB of storage, which is plenty if you’re just looking to read normal books rather than image-heavy magazines. If you think you’ll need more storage space, you’ll have to break the £100 mark and think about the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (£119.99).
Read our full Amazon Kindle 2019 (10th-gen) review, or buy it now at Amazon.
Tablets for Christmas
Tablets for under £100
Amazon Fire HD 8 – £89.99
Available from: Amazon, Currys PC World, John Lewis
We liked: Compact and light, excellent battery life, handles the basics well
We didn’t like: Screen and speakers not the best
If you’re shopping for an Android tablet that won’t break the bank this Christmas, the 8-inch Amazon Fire HD 8 is up for grabs at less than £100.
There’s 32GB of storage on-board initially, although that’ll drop down to around 25GB after you’ve set up the tablet for the first time. If you need more storage space, you can bundle a microSD card with your order – this will let you increase the storage space up to 1TB (1,000GB).
Read our full Amazon Fire HD 8 review, or buy it now at Amazon, Currys PC World or John Lewis.
Radios for Christmas
Radios for under £100
John Lewis Arietta – £79
Available from: John Lewis
We liked: Versatile, great sound
We didn’t like: Control buttons could be better
You’re looking at John Lewis’ wood-styled, compact DAB+/FM radio. The retailer is promising that the John Lewis Arietta is the ‘ideal bedside radio’, thanks in part to a telescopic aerial, dual alarms and sleep and snooze functions.
Using Bluetooth, you can sync the radio with your smartphone or tablet to play your own music.
Read our full John Lewis Arietta review, or buy it now at John Lewis.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/2020/12/great-tech-christmas-gifts-for-under-100/