Best tech gifts under $100 for grads

The ideal gift for someone graduating high school or college is a new pair of wireless headphones -- and there are now plenty of great choices in this under-$100 range. The Plantronics BackBeat 500 is one of our recent favorites, and it costs just $80.

The older BackBeat Sense wireless headphones have also dipped just south of the $100 mark.

The $65 Skullcandy Grind Wireless headphones are a good value for the price, too.

If you're buying for a runner or an athlete, the sporty BackBeat Fit wireless headphones may be just the ticket.

Monster's Adidas-branded Sport Adistar In-Ear Wireless ($100) is one of the better fitting in-ear wireless sports headphones -- and it also sounds decent for the money. Another good choice for anyone with an active lifestyle.

If your gifting budget is limited to around $60, the Sony MDR-XB50BS wireless in-ear headphones are a worthy choice.

Jabra Halo Smart is a wireless "neckband" model. Its stereo earbuds magnetically hold together around the neck when not in use.

Moving from wireless to wired headphones: The Sony MDR-7506 headphones are invariably older than the grad you're buying them for -- they first debuted in 1991 -- but they're also the best-sounding headphones you can get for under $100.

With its stainless steel build, the $99 Beats EP may be the best value in the Beats line. It comes in black, white, red and blue.

This in-ear headphone is an older model, but it delivers solid sound -- and the comfy eartips will keep the buds in place during workouts.

If you're buying for someone who cares more about sound quality than familiar brands, consider the 1More Triple Driver. It's one of the best sounding in-ear headphones under $100.

The $99 Wonderboom is the latest wireless speaker from Ultimate Ears. It sounds great, and even floats -- making it the perfect speaker for summers around the pool.

The Wonderboom's predecessor, the UE Roll 2, is also fully water-resistant -- and can be found for as low as $55.

The $99 JBL Flip 4 is also waterproof, and delivers similarly great sound.

The Flip 4's predecessor, the Flip 3, is still pretty great, and you can find it on sale for closer to $80.

At just $90, the Amazon Fire HD 8 is the best ultracheap tablet you can buy -- and a pretty great gift to boot.

Amazingly, Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite e-reader is actually more expensive than the Fire tablet. But this $119 unit is often discounted to $99. It's a good choice for bookworms who enjoy distraction-free reading.

Turning to video streaming: There are plenty of Roku models at $50 or less. But in the $100 range you'll find the Roku Premiere+. It's worth the extra cash if you're buying for someone who has a 4K TV with high dynamic range (HDR) video compatibility. But even if they don't, they'll like the Wi-Fi remote (no pointing needed) with a headphone jack for private listening.

The best alternative to Roku at this price point is the Amazon Fire TV. The core Fire TV bundle is now $90, the antenna bundle is $100 and the gaming edition bundle (with gamepad) is down to $130.

Young grads are obsessed with their smartphones. And the Chromecast Ultra lets them beam most video apps (except for Amazon prime) from the phone to a TV, with 4K and HDR compatibility.

The Fitbit Charge 2 and Alta 2 will cost you around $150, but you can gift the more minimalist Flex 2 fitness tracker for closer to $90.

If you're buying for someone who spends all day on a Mac or Windows PC, a top-notch mouse like the Logitech MX Master is just the ticket.

The MX Anywhere 2 mouse is basically a downsized, portable version of the MX Master.

Another good gift for outdoorsy grads: Biolite's $80 SolarPanel 5+ is equipped with an internal battery that stores energy from the sun, which means it will keep a charge in reserve for phones and other devices, although tablets will take longer to charge.

If your giftee is heading off to a post-graduation vacation, the Mophie PowerStation Plus is a good travel companion. The $60 external battery charger has an integrated Lightning cable with a micro USB adapter, so it can juice up most mobile devices.

Is your grad moving into a new place? Get it smart home-ready with the Philips Hue White LED Starter Kit. The Alexa-compatible lighting kit includes two dimmable bulbs and a control bridge.

Does your grad have a recent Samsung Galaxy phone? The latest Gear VR headset will turn it into a full-fledged virtual reality headset, with a cool new controller to boot.

The same goes for owners of Google's new phones. The $79 Daydream View turns the Pixel and Pixel XL into VR viewers -- and it includes a small controller as well.

If $100 is outside your budget, don't worry: We have a whole separate list of great graduation gift ideas for under $50, too.

See CNET's complete grad tech gift guide