Twenty bucks might not sound like a whole lot, but you’d be surprised what you can get for such a small sum of money. We live in a world where you can get a cheeseburger for $1, a functioning computer for $5, and thousands of HD movies for $10 — so it stands to reason that you should be able to pick up some pretty sweet gadgets for less than the cost of a cab ride. In this article, we’ve rounded up some of the best tech under $20, so you can ball out without breaking the bank.
If you can stretch your budget a bit further, we’ve also compiled lists for the best tech under $50, and the best tech uder $100.
PalmVid Clothes Hook Hidden Camera with DVR
You can file this one under “Things James Bond Would Have In His House.” The Clothes Hook Hidden Camera from video security provider PalmVid tucks a three megapixel camera with 720×480 video resolution into a barely visible hole in the top of the clothes hook. It can record up to four hours of continuous footage on a fully charged battery and has a motion-detection option that will only record when there’s movement in front of the camera. The footage is saved on a separately sold microSD card, giving you the freedom to choose how much spying you wish to capture. You may never look at someone’s closet the same again.
Price: $19
Buy one from:
PalmVid
Techboy TB-802
In just the last three years, the number of hobbyist drones has skyrocketed, but most drones are still fairly expensive. If you aren’t trying to break the bank in order to play in the sky, the Techboy TB-802 is a great choice. The coolest thing about this 1.2 ounce quadcopter is that you can fly it using a motion control remote that fits in your hand. You can simply press a button on the controller and tilt your hand to send your Techboy into a 3D flip. The remote controller can control the Techboy from up to 20 yards away.
Price: $16
Buy one from:
Tom Top
Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation External Battery
Mophie is always a great source for powerful, portable external batteries and its Juice Pack Powerstation is a buget-friendly steal. For less than $20, the 4-lb Juice Pack Powerstation can give nearly any USB-connected device hours of extra battery life, depending on what you are charging. With its smart battery technology, the Juice Pack adjusts how much charge to give without overheating your device.
Price: $15
Buy one from:
Best Buy
Anker Ultra Portable Pocket Size Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
Anker has put out quality bluetooth speakers at reasonable prices for years, and its A7910 model is one of its best. The A7910 portable speaker is the size of a ring box, and can easily fit in a backpack or purse. The device can pump out music for up to 12 hours on a full charge and only takes three hours to fully recharge. The speaker’s miniature stature belies the impressive sound quality it pumps out via its 3W audio driver and passive subwoofer.
Price: $17
Buy one from:
Amazon Anker
Sandisk 32GB MicroSDHC Card
If you can expand your phone’s memory (sorry iOS users!) and want to do so on the cheap, SanDisk is your best choice. With 32GB of storage you can store more than 11,000 compress photos and 480 hours of videos shot with a standard 8 megapixel cell phone. Of course, you can use this card for plenty of other things as well (action cams, DSLRs, etc.), but if you plan on shooting RAW photos or high-FPS video, you’ll probably want something with faster write speeds.
Price: $19
Buy one from:
SanDisk
LESHP HD 1080P 12MP Sports Camera
Why spend $200+ on a GoPro Hero when you can get the same specs for just 20 bucks? LESHP’s generic “waterpoof action sports camera” packs nearly all the same features and functionality that you’ll find in a first-gen GoPro, but for a fraction of the price. On top of that, it can handle greater submersion depths than some more expensive action cameras on the market. It sports a 12 megapixel camera, and provides a good 70 minutes of recording time on a single charge.
Price: $19
Buy one from:
Walmart
Google Cardboard
Virtual reality is still relatively new, but with more than 10 million units sold, the Google Cardboard is one of the most popular VR headsets around. Don’t let the exterior fool you, either: a lot of engaging entertainment can be found inside that piece of cardboard. You can view live soccer matches, YouTube videos, and even stand next to Paul McCartney while he performs on stage. Best part is, all you need is an Android or iOS phone running the appropriate software and you are all set.
Price: $15
Buy one from:
Google Amazon
Sony ZX110 Headphones
Decent headphones usually cost a bundle of cash, but Sony’s ZX110 headphones are a rare exception. Despite the fact that they cost just $11 bucks, these badboys pump out sound that’ll put your stock Apple earbuds to shame. The foam cushions add much needed ear comfort for those long listening sessions, while Sony’s Acoustic Bass Boosting technology gives you more low-end punch than most in-ear headphones can offer. For under $20, you will seldom see a headphone deal better than the Sony ZX Series.
Price: $11
Buy one from:
Best Buy
WONBSDOM Universal 200X Zoom Clip-On Microscope Lens
If you think a phone is only as good as its camera, WONBSDOM’s clip-on microscope lens is great way to beef up your photography arsenal. The mini lens clips onto your phone and has dials on top for adjusting focus and zoom. The tiny lens adds a ridiculous 200x zoom to your phone, effectively transforming it into a microscope that also answers calls. The zoom is so crisp, people have been able to see the fibers in their carpet. Since the zoom attachment is a clip-on, it should work with phones no bigger than 13 millimeters in thickness, which most phones fall under. For less than an LED iPhone case you can get deeper into your pictures than ever before.
Price: $15
Buy one from:
Amazon
Logitech K360 Wireless USB Desktop Keyboard
Logitech usually offers elite wireless keyboards, and the K360 is no different. The sleek keyboard is only compatible with certain versions of Windows, but is packed with versatility. It comes with six hot keys for play, pause, play previous, play next, adjust volume, and mute functions — all of which make interacting with media much simpler. You can also customize 12 programmable F-keys to give you quick shortcuts to your favorite websites, applications, and almost anything you want to access on your device.
Price: $20
Buy one from:
Amazon