The holidays are rapidly approaching and if you’re on the hunt for great gadget gifts, take comfort in knowing there’s still some cool tech you can buy without breaking the bank.

Whether you’re buying for loved ones or want to treat yourself to something, the following suggestions are under a cool $50 apiece.

1. Back it up

Own an iPhone or iPad? Easily and quickly back-up your important photos and videos by snapping the SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive ($42.04 on Amazon) into the Lightning port of your device, where it will automatically back up your media—just in case your phone or tablet is lost, stolen, or damaged.

A hand plugging a small usb drive into a phone.
Photo: SanDisk

On the other end of this 32GB flash drive is a USB connector, which means you can plug it into a computer or television to view your photos and videos. As a bonus, if you’re running out of room on your iPhone or iPad, you can keep the iXpand Flash Drive plugged in to capture and save photos and videos directly onto the drive.

2. Sound advice

Enjoy your tunes untethered with a pair of Bluetooth over-the-ear headphones like House of Marley’s Rebel BT On-Ear Bluetooth Headphones ($49), which not only look cool, feel comfortable and sound great, but offer up to 10 hours of continuous play between charges.

Available in black or grey, these wireless headphones feature 40mm dynamic drivers, integrated wireless controls on the right earphone and an included (but optional) cable with in-remote and microphone.

3. Prints, please

Whether you need a wireless printer for documents or to print photos of the kids, grandkids and pets, the HP OfficeJet 6954 Wireless All-in-One Inkjet Printer is only $39, and it’s a Wi-Fi-enabled printer, scanner, copier and fax machine. Easily print from your smartphone, tablet, or PC, including the option for borderless, lab-quality photos. Other features include a 5.6 cm touchscreen display; automatic two-sided printing; and an auto-deploying output tray to catch your printed docs or pics.

4. Stay connected

Is there anything more frustrating than “dead zones” in your home, which prevent you from getting solid Wi-Fi for your favourite devices? If you answered yes, you might consider the D-Link Wireless AC750 Range Extender ($49.99 on Amazon). As its name suggests, this small doohickey extends the range of your wireless router. Simply plug it into the wall and press the WPS button, and the same button on the back of your router, to initiate the digital handshake. This product is ideal for spreading your Wi-Fi to the basement, upstairs bedrooms, or outdoor areas.

5. Control freak

While Logitech’s Harmony Remotes could set you back as much as $499, much of the same functionality is available in the Harmony 350 for $49.

Take control over your entertainment with a simple button layout, and easy setup for up to eight of your home theatre components; simply connect the remote to a computer’s USB port and answer a few easy questions to program it.

It also offers activity-based “macro” commands, which allow you to press just one button to turn on the applicable devices for a given activity.

The Amazon Fire tablet in several colours.
Photo: Amazon Fire

6. Keeping tabs

While slightly more than $50, you can pick up the Amazon Fire 7 tablet for just $59.99 on Amazon. It’s ideal for playing games, viewing videos, reading ebooks, listening to music, taking photos, browsing websites, and more.

Along with thousands of apps, it gives you access to the optional $79/year Amazon Prime service for millions of movies, TV shows, books, and songs. If the built-in 8 gigabytes of storage isn’t enough, add a microSD card (up to 128GB) for more. Battery life of this 7-inch colour tablet tops 7 hours between charges.