BIG brand techy presents are easily the most expensive items on Christmas lists – but there is a way to get similar products for a lot less.
Dupes aren’t usually the best idea for gadgets – but we’ve tested a whole bunch against well-known favourites and uncovered great alternatives from as little as £29.
Of course, there are plenty of Temu dupes around for things like AirPods, but chances are they aren’t very good.
Sound can be bad and the finish often looks plasticky, plus a lot of bargain basement offerings break quickly. Instead, we’d suggest going for middle-priced buys because they are usually considerably better quality.
If it still feels like a minefield don’t worry – we’ve tested the tech dupes so you don’t have to. Here are some worth checking out.
AirPods
AirPods have become something of a fashion statement thanks to their iconic hanging white stem.
But the best price you’re going to find them for is £99.
Fortunately, there are loads of really good alternatives around that look really similar and sound amazing.
One of my favourites is the CMF Buds 2a.
Chances are you haven’t heard of this brand before – it’s an offshoot of new London-based mobile brand Nothing which has made quite a splash on the tech market thanks to its design and affordability.
CMF is actually the company’s budget brand.
The sound clarity is great, as well as active noise cancellation and wind noise reduction.
They’re available in black, orange and light grey (the latter being the closest to AirPods).
Plus they boast a whooping 55 hours of battery.
And guess what? They only cost £29 – considerably less than AirPods.
Another good option is the Moto Buds for £49.99 – although there’s nothing close to white available, Glacier Blue is your best bet.
These are my favourite for comfort in particular.
The sound is super punchy and clear, as is the noise cancellation – and with up to 42 hours of battery too.
Ring
If you’re thinking about buying a Ring doorbell or camera for someone this Christmas remember that there are subscription fees to store videos in the cloud.
You’re not forced to save recordings but it’s an extremely handy security feature for the home.
The subscription starts at £4.99 a month and can be off-putting.
But there are very good quality alternatives around – and one is pretty close to Ring itself.
You may or may not know that Amazon owns Ring.
But the firm also owns another budget doorbell brand called Blink.
Blink has a subscription if you want to store videos in the cloud, but it’s also got a free option that lets you keep videos at home instead.
At the moment, you can get a Blink doorbell with the Sync Module to save videos for £59.99.
Blink’s video quality is great and it has a huge two year battery life too.
You can buy Blink from Amazon.
Fire TV Sticks
Fire TV Sticks are massively popular for streaming but the prices have shot back up after the Black Friday deals.
Currently, the cheapest one you can get is £39.99, but you could go for a Roku Stick instead.
They are very similar and have access to all the same apps – Roku even has its own free TV channels to watch.
Yet, it’s a fraction of the cost at moment for £19.99.
Pay a fiver more and you can get it for 4K TVs too.
Games consoles
Games consoles are sure to be high on some Christmas lists but with prices starting at £269.99 for the cheapest Xbox they’re a big investment.
So you might be pleased to know there’s another way to access Xbox and top game titles without an expensive machine.
Xbox Cloud Gaming lets you play with a smart TV app and controller.
Lots of modern Samsung and LG TVs support Xbox Cloud Gaming which you can download.
An official Xbox controller will set you back about £50, but loads of regular wired or Bluetooth controllers will also work.
You can sign up to the Xbox Game Pass, which starts at £6.99 per month with over 50 games to choose from – and the choice of titles is constantly being updated.
Or pay slightly more for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and get over 400 games.
You can buy individual titles as normal if you prefer.
TECH DUPES NOT TO CONSIDER
There are loads of other great alternatives around when it comes to tech – but some are probably not worth it.
We’ve seen earbuds as low as £2.89 – realistically, these won’t offer the same sound or quality most want.
So be careful not to fall for offers that are too good to be true.
Equally, you should consider safety.
When buying on third party seller sites the product may not have gone through the proper tests and checks.
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.
Always do your own research before making any purchase.
