personal finance

Tech gift guide: 10 ideas for last-minute presents


Stuck for a gift for Christmas with the clock steadily ticking on? Here are some tech suggestions for all range of budgets.

Apple AirPods

apple airpods



Apple’s AirPods are great, truly wireless earphones that help you ditch the cable. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

Price: £159

Truly wireless earbuds are the future and the Apple AirPods are some of the best out there. They sound great and the batteries last ages, and they have quickly become the little white sticks to be seen with.

Anker PowerCore+ mini

anker powercore+ mini



The Anker PowerCore+ mini has enough juice to keep your phone going when you need it most. Photograph: Anker

Price: £12.99

When your smartphone running out of juice could leave you stranded, put an Anker PowerCore+ mini in your bag or pocket and recharge your phone on the go with enough power for at least half a charge.

Tile Mate Pro

tile mate pro



Find your keys whether you drop them at work or lost them down the sofa with the Tile Mate and Mate Pro Photograph: Tile

Price: £30

Ever lose your keys? The Tile Mate Pro Bluetooth key tracker is for you. It’ll make a loud ring from up to 90 metres away and links to your phone to show its last known location.

Google Home Mini

google home mini



Google Assistant in the Home Mini is ready to inform, entertain and control. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

Price: £29

The Google Home Mini is perfect for answering almost any question under the sun, controlling smart home devices and playing your favourite radio station or Guardian podcast. Its price has just dropped back from £49 to Black Friday levels.

OnePlus 6T

oneplus 6t



Smartphones don’t come much better than the OnePlus 6T, particularly under £1,000. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

Price: £499

If you want a really good phone that costs under £500, the OnePlus 6T is it. Simply brilliant. You have to spend double to get better.

Amazon Fire 7

The Amazon Fire 7 is a lot of tablet for just £50.



The Amazon Fire 7 is a lot of tablet for just £50. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

Price: £49.99

If you want a smallish tablet for watching video about the home or on the commute, you can’t go far wrong with the £50 Amazon Fire 7. It gets the basics done with a minimum of fuss.

Xiaomi Mi Band 3

xiaomi mi band 3



The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is packed with features for much less than the competition. Photograph: Zhe Ji/Getty Images

Price: £26.99

You simply don’t get better bang for your buck than with the Xiaomi Band 3, including heart rate monitoring, activity tracking and OLED touchscreen. It’s cheap, and a good alternative to a Fitbit.

Bose QC35 II

bose qc35 II



Switch on the Bose QC35 II to block out the noise of the world. Photograph: Bose

Price: £289

Sometimes you want to give the gift of silence. You can’t get better than the Bose QC35 II. They cost a bomb, but put them on and block the rest of the world out.

Anki Vector

anki vector



Anki’s smart little Vector robot is like a 21st century Tamagotchi that can take selfies for you. Photograph: Anki

Price: £199

The Tamagotchi reinvented, and then some. Anki’s Vector is a tiny AI-powered robot that can recognise people, objects and its surroundings, speak to you, take selfies and generally hang out.

Instant digital gifts and subscriptions

netflix



Give the gift Netflix, a game from Steam or a month of Spotify, with instant email delivery, even at 11pm on Christmas Eve. Photograph: Ryan Anson/AFP/Getty Images

Price: from £4

If you need a present to be delivered at the very last minute, digital gift cards are they way forward. They’re available for Google Play from £15 (through PayPal), Apple’s iTunes from £10, Netflix from £15, Steam (above) from £4, Spotify from £9.99 and many others.

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