Best Christmas gifts for under $100: Bose and JBL wireless speakers, SNES Classic and more

Looking for a tech gift that's not too expensive? This list of gifts for less than $100 may be right in your wheelhouse.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.

Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials

Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer

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David Carnoy

Dec. 13, 2018 8:47 a.m. PT

4 min read

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, there are still plenty of good deals out there for those of us who don't want to spend too much but also don't want to appear too cheap. What price range is that? That's easy: $50 to $100. Sure, I may be a little biased because I rounded up a bunch products that cost between $50 and $100, but I also believe it.

I've posted a few of my top picks here, but I have plenty more in my full roundup. I've also compiled the best tech gifts under $50 for those looking for something a little more affordable.

Watch this: Our favorite holiday gifts for under $100

02:45

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Bose's smallest wireless speaker sounds excellent for its tiny size (yes, it fits in a pocket). Usually $99, it was as low as $69 during Black Friday weekend, but it's been on sale since for $79. Hopefully, that price holds. It's waterproof, too.

See at Amazon

JBL's Link 10 is its entry-level portable Wi-Fi speaker (it also has Bluetooth) and is voice-enabled with Google Assistant (Google's version of Alexa). It lists for $150, but Best Buy has it on sale for a limited time for $60. That's a very good deal.

See at Best Buy

Our biggest gripe about the UE Blast was its high price ($180 list). But Best Buy has it on sale for $100. That's a good deal for one of the top portable Alexa-enabled speakers.

See at Best Buy

If you're shopping for someone who spends all day on a Mac or Windows PC, a top-notch mouse like the Logitech MX Master 2S is just the ticket. It's the sequel to the original MX Master, which we quite liked. It lists for $100 but can be had on Amazon for less than $70.

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Amazon is running a limited-time sale on its new Paperwhite e-reader, which is slightly lighter and thinner than the previous version, has Bluetooth connectivity for listening to audiobooks and is fully waterproof. It normally retails for $129.99, but is now $99.99.

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For students who want to relive their parents' school-age gaming, the Super Nintendo Classic is the way to go. It packs 21 awesome retro games into one tiny box that hooks up to any HDTV, and it even includes a second controller for two-player matches in Super Mario Kart and Street Fighter II. After being in limited supply for several months, this one is now easy to find at its normal retail price of $80.

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If you don't need battery power and prefer a smart speaker, Amazon's second-generation Echo is a great first choice, especially now that it's discounted for the holiday to $70. Its ubiquitous Alexa voice assistant handles a boatload of queries and smart-home controls, and the audio quality is better than that of the entry-level Echo Dot. And with seven plastic or fabric finishes, it can fit into any decor.

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The Fitbit Versa and Apple Watch are both great, but they'll cost you $200 minimum. In the under-$100 category, you're best off going with the Amazfit Bip. It somehow crams all the must-have smartwatch features into an $80 package that delivers marathon battery life. (The newer Amazfit Verge is available for preorder, but that costs twice as much.)

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The Roku Streaming Stick Plus has been out for a while but still offers the best value in this category -- especially considering that Roku is always updating the software, and the price was recently cut from $70 to $60 (and is currently on sale for $49). The plug-in design gives you full 4K and HDR compatibility, and a remote with both voice control and the ability to control your TV's volume and power. Oh, and it streams every major video service out there (and hundreds of minor ones), including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu, Movies Anywhere and HBO Go.

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Not only does this fully waterproof speaker (IPX7) have improved battery life and better sound than the Clip 2, it's more durable. That's thanks to the integrated carabiner framing the entire perimeter of the speaker acting as a bumper, according to JBL. It's one of the top speakers for its tiny size. Its price recently dipped down to $50 but has now popped back up to $60.

See at Amazon

Amazon makes the only tablet priced under $100 that we can enthusiastically recommend. The 2018 version of the $80 Fire HD 8 tablet supports hands-free Alexa, which means you can issue voice commands without touching the screen by simply saying "Alexa." For a limited time, Amazon has the Fire 8 HD on sale for $60. It's unclear how long that deal will last, but it makes for a good kids tablet, especially if you're a Prime member.

See at Amazon

For a limited time, Amazon has its larger Fire HD 10 tablet on sale for $99.99 (down from $150), which is why it's included for now in this roundup of tech gifts under $100. We thought this tablet was a decent value at $150.

See at Amazon