Six popular Christmas gifts everyone is wasting £100s on & the BEST alternatives

TECH and gadgets are some of the most expensive mistakes you can make when trying to buy on a budget this Christmas.

As The Sun’s Assistant Technology and Science Editor, I constantly see all sorts of gizmos – some are so overpriced they’re not worth it at all, and others are just plain poor quality.

Almost half of parents (45 per cent) are spending up to £100 per kid this year, while most of the other half are blowing way more than that, according to a recent YouGov poll.

So it’s no surprise most are looking for cheaper alternatives to the expensive buys topping a lot of Christmas lists.

However, there are some that are just not fit for purpose – and even a security danger.

Here are the Christmas gifts you really shouldn’t scrimp on, plus exactly what you should be going for instead.

#1 VR Headsets

VR is all the rage in gaming – but what’s on offer varies wildly, especially when it comes to price.

Top of the range is the Apple Vision Pro for a whooping £3,200 which is a big no for the vast majority of us.

Meta Quest is significantly cheaper, but still pricey at £230, with loads of online games packed into it.

PSVR2 is another option for the PS5 with some top titles like Gran Turismo 7 available on it but, again, it’s a steep £400 for the kit.

I’ve tried all these devices and they’re fantastic bits of technology but the prices just are not worth it.

Even if we all had that kind of money, I’ve found comfort and convenience a big setback – and you’ll find many others saying the same online too.

As someone who has a Meta Quest 3, I’ve found VR headsets to be something that’s fun to show friends and play with for a bit, but the sparkle quickly wears off.

On the flip side, sites like Temu are littered with extremely cheap VR headsets starting from as little as a fiver.

But what some may not realise is these rely on a smartphone being placed into them to act as the screen and are obviously nowhere near as advanced as the expensive ones.

If the kids really want to try a VR headset, these cheap and cheerful ones are a risk free bet at least.

Otherwise, I’d recommend avoiding VR altogether.

#2 Drones

Drones are great fun but be careful what you buy.

Prices have come down sharply and you can get hold of some pretty high performance kit, like the DJI Neo for £143, these days.

But devices like DJI Neo are meant for adults only.

There are very strict rules about where you can use drones in the UK and abroad, depending on various factors, so you’ll need to check before you do anything.

Due to how high some go, they can be dangerous too.

There are some very cheap drones on third party marketplaces for as little as £15 which I would be very wary of too.

These may not have useful features such as the ability to automatically return to the owner if it goes too far.

If the kids really want a drone, buy one from a trusted UK retailer instead such as Smyth’s or The Entertainer, which start from £20.

Just be warned, these are the sorts of things which will probably crash land a lot and eventually break.

Battery life might be terrible as well.

#3 Tablets

Tablets are a great gift but there are lots of cheap unbranded devices I would avoid.

These tend to perform quite poorly because they have low grade tech inside.

And they could be dangerous too.

It took me 20 seconds to find one that runs on Android 11 for sale – that’s an operating system that is no longer serviced with important security updates.

Without these, you can be more susceptible to hacking as cyber crooks will be on the lookout for bugs they can exploit.

It’s better to stick with trusted brands like Samsung, which has a budget friendly Galaxy Tab A11 for £99.

Don’t expect to push too hard on performance for things like games but at least it’s safe.

You can also go cheaper with an Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet for £45.

#4 Media boxes and streaming sticks

You’ll find lots of obscure, mysteriously unbranded streaming sticks and media boxes out there, and they’re usually dirt cheap.

But I would seriously question their performance.

They may have key apps missing and could be buggy.

And given that the known, trusted, Amazon Fire Sticks and Roku Streaming Stick can be bought for £20 at the moment there’s really no need to go any cheaper.

#5 Headphones

There are so many dirt cheap headphones knocking around you can pick a pair up in virtually any budget shop – but don’t expect them to sound good or last particularly long if you’re spending a fiver.

That said, good audio doesn’t have to break the bank.

As I revealed in a recent piece, there are some great AirPods dupes around for as little as £29 that don’t compromise on quality.

#6 Security cameras

If you’re thinking about gifting anyone a security camera or video doorbell, stick to the big brand names.

There are lots of unbranded or obscure ones around that may not, ironically, be very secure in a digital sense.

Given that they’re processing videos in and around your home online – and some may have online storage – you really want to know that footage can’t be accessed by hackers.

A few years ago, a Which? investigation found more than 100,000 wireless security cameras sold online had poor security that could let a cyber snooper intrude on your home.

So it’s best to stick with well-known names, such as Ring, Blink, Tapo, Eufy, Google Nest and Yale.