12 Fun Amazon Gadgets You Can Get For Under $20

2025 is going to be a big year for tech nerds. Some of the most anticipated gadgets coming out include the long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2, a real PlayStation Portable (not just an expensive streaming device), and the next generation of Sony's top-tier noise-canceling headphones. Great news, if you've got a few hundred dollars to burn. Budget options can be had for just about every category, whether it's great gaming accessories for your setup or affordable smartwatches that aren't the Apple Watch. But what if you've only got a budget of $20 or less, and you want to make the most of your Amazon Prime same-day shipping?

To help you out, we've concocted a list of cheap gadgets that go hard for their (comparatively) small price. Things that are actually useful to a wide variety of people and don't just feel like mass-manufactured slop that's destined for the dumpster before the year is through. Everything on this list costs two crisp Hamiltons or less and ranges from tools to toys to accessories — and hopefully, at least one of them stands out as worth your hard-earned cash.

The Rubik's Cube is already over 50 years old, but it hasn't diminished one iota in popularity. The current world record for solving a 3x3 Rubik's Cube is 12 seconds, and that's blindfolded. The world record for solving it without a blindfold is about three seconds, and that goes up to just under six when using only one hand. Anyway, there's a new kid on the block, and its name is Flipside. Flipside leans heavily into the Rubik's Cube aesthetic but gives it a modern, electronic flavor.

Instead of a cube, Flipside is a single group of four squares with a pair of two-square appendages that can shift around to a different side or spin. The central squares have their own electronic lights, which require you to line up the physically color-coded appendages in the correct orientation. If it sounds complex, that's because it is, and it requires a new paradigm of thinking compared to the original Rubik's Cube. You can see it in action with this video review from TTPM Toy Reviews.

Reviews describe it as being easy to learn but hard to master. The only thing it seems to lack is long-term durability — and it can get a bit loud. Still, whether this is a fidget toy for you or a tech stocking stuffer for teens to keep them off their phones, it's well worth its low price of $17.99, often going on sale for less than $15. Who knows, maybe someday people will be competing to solve this one in record time at world tournaments.

A good tool set can be a lifesaver when circumstances demand, but most aren't keen to lug around a heavy — and expensive — toolkit just to be prepared when the moment arises. The 711L Mini Ratchet Wrench aims to solve that problem, at least in the wrench department. It's a small yet incredibly versatile wrench that you can throw in your pocket and take with you literally everywhere.

The 711L has a number of features that make its "mini" moniker a moniker only: It's able to handle 22 lb-ft of force, can fasten a longer grip handle with any hex head shanks you have lying around, and packs in a precise 60-tooth gear for even the smallest adjustments. Most importantly, its size has other benefits. It measures only about two inches and weighs just under 20 grams, making it perfect for tightly confined auto shop work that would be impossible with a full-sized wrench — or with something too fragile for anything but a gentle hand. And if that wasn't good enough, it comes with a three-year warranty.

Reviews for the 711L are glowing, praising the power and functionality you get out of such a small package. It can become part of your existing toolset, or you can attach it (with some MacGyvering) to your keychain and bring it everywhere you go. For something that comes in just shy of our $20 limit at $19.90, you'd be hard-pressed to find so much tool for so little price.

Slowly but surely, the world is transitioning from Apple Lightning cables and USB-A to a single USB-C standard. Still, we've got a ways to go. You likely have a handful of proprietary cables lying around for that one device that needs them — perhaps a 15V laptop charger or an old micro USB for a portable Bluetooth speaker. The FARSENSE USB-C adapter kit may just make you throw away those cables and use it instead.

The FARSENSE adapter kit comes down to basically three parts: your USB-C plug-in, an LED voltage reader, and a replaceable tip that can fit one of its ten supported connectors. It includes the most common power supply plug-ins up to 20V (and supports up to 65W), as well as old dinosaur standards like mini USB. Connectors are stored on a wheel-like "barrel," making them easy to swap at a moment's notice. Importantly, you can monitor and control the input through the LED voltage display to make sure you are not underpowering (or overpowering) delicate devices.

Reviews are fairly positive, although some users do admit that the connectors don't last too long. Being fair to FARSENSE, though, it's hard to fault what is effectively ten different cables for only $12.99. Full disclosure: Amazon lists this as a frequently returned item, so grab it with a healthy dose of caveat emptor.

When buying an external hard drive, you should probably go with the latest and greatest SSDs. The problem is, those SSDs usually aren't cheap. The SanDisk 1TB Portable SSD, as one example, is listed at $99.99. If you have a spare M.2 NVMe drive lying around — such as when you replaced the SSD on your Steam Deck to free up storage space — then you can transform it into an external hard drive that punches way above its weight. The JEYI 2230 Only M.2 Enclosure is a great way to do this for only $19.90.

The enclosure is exactly that, an enclosure. Plug in the NVMe drive, and you get a USB 3.2 Gen2 stick with up to 2TB capacity, shaped like an oversized thumb drive. NVMe drives are blazing fast as is, so your brand-new USB stick will be tossing around files at 10 Gbps — for reference, that's the equivalent of downloading a 1GB file in a second. If that wasn't enough, the enclosure is a looker, too. It comes in a sleek aluminum chassis that does double duty: It dissipates heat and makes it the slickest-looking USB drive to ever stick out of the side of your laptop.

Bear in mind, its price comes with a caveat: no active cooling. Your drive will get uncomfortably hot during large file transfers and could thermal throttle — reducing performance — to maintain acceptable temperatures. If that's a deal-breaker, consider buying an NVMe enclosure with active cooling, like this Sharge Disk M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure.

The 711L isn't the only tool out there doing the work of larger ones and still punching above its weight. The 8-in-1 multi-blade hand saw by TOOLAN will quickly become a close competitor — albeit for a different use. It provides the most portable and versatile way to cut anything that its saw blades can handle, whether that's sheet wood or small branches.

The TOOLAN is compatible with the typical reciprocating blades you'd find at your local Home Depot, though bear in mind this is a handsaw. You'll be doing the back-and-forth, not relying on batteries. TOOLAN says it can cut materials like "drywall, metal, wallboard, plywood, plastic, PVC," and likely just about anything else — within reason, of course. While cutting 2x4s might be pushing it for a device that weighs only 8 ounces, you get an impressive amount of power out of something that will quite literally fit in your pocket.

TOOLAN's 8-in-1 costs $19.98, and that includes one each of the eight different blade types it's capable of using. Reviews are practically unanimous with praise. Despite the low cost, build quality is high, it's easy to use, and it really is as compact and portable as the pictures suggest.

Every year, it seems like millions of people buy a bunch of brand-new notebooks for their New Year's resolutions to journal, only for the notebooks to gather dust. If you're conscientious about the environment and want to find any little way to reduce your waste, then the Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook might be just the ticket. It's a 48-page spiral-bound notebook with a specialized FriXion pen that works and feels exactly like a traditional notebook — except it can be reused endlessly, and everything you write can be digitized for safekeeping.

Once you've written your notes, you can use the free Rocketbook app to take pictures of the pages and have them automatically transcribed into digital text. The app also uses AI to sort your scribbles into searchable categories. It's the best of both worlds for people who love the paper-and-pencil feel but prefer to keep the bulk of their notes in the cloud.

When you want to reclaim those pages, just take a damp microfiber cloth and wipe them clean. The special ink disappears as if it was never there, and the notebook should — in theory — be reusable as long as you have that ink. Rocketbook sells the Mini Spiral for $17.99 on Amazon, and it offers a whole menagerie of notebook options for other use cases.

The word "audiophile" conjures images of custom-made studio IEMs that easily cost thousands of dollars. While some audiophile claims are bunk (vinyl records don't actually sound better than CDs), trust us when we say that a decent pair of cans will make you experience your music in a way you never have before. Enter KZ Audio, a brand of IEMs that brings top-of-the-line specs to prices literally anyone can afford. The KZ EDX Pro fits perfectly into our under-20 list, coming in at only $17.99.

Naturally, how good a pair of IEMs is depends on you. But taking a quick peek at reviews across the internet, the consensus is almost universally positive, especially considering the price point. Amazon reviews pin the EDX at 4.4 stars across 3,258 ratings at the time of writing. Acho Reviews says it "still holds the record for the cheapest set of IEMs that [they] find pleasurable." Bear in mind, that low, low price includes detachable cables and a microphone.

To be clear, this is the pair of IEMs you buy if you just need the cheapest yet best-sounding earbuds possible. If you're looking for a hard-hitting budget daily driver, it's worth doubling or tripling your budget since that's where you get the really good stuff. For $49.99, you can nab the KZ ZS10 Pro with four balanced armatures and one dynamic driver per ear. Translation: a full complement of speakers in your ears.

One MacBook Pro M4 could run circles around a thousand classic Macintoshes, but the latter is certainly the more memorable design of the two. If you miss the Steve Jobs days of Apple, then the elago W3 Stand for the Apple Watch is right up your alley. It's a 1-for-1 miniaturized copy of the OG Macintosh 128K that Jobs unveiled back in 1984, except it uses your Apple Watch as the screen. You can buy the stand to both charge your watch and decorate your desk for only $14.49.

Keep in mind that this is only the stand; it does not include an Apple Watch charger or the miniature keyboard shown in the Amazon listing. Also, stands like these (speaking entirely from personal experience) can be a bit of a pain to squeeze your Apple Watch charger into — making it tricky to remove for any reason — and they may cause charging issues. 

AirTags are hands down one of the best Apple products out there. They're arguably the easiest way to know if your luggage made it to your destination airport and can even work as a GPS car tracker of sorts. So what about finding a lost dog? If you've got a fur baby that loves to get wet and muddy, the AirTag's lack of waterproofing makes it a no-go ... until you grab something like this AirTag Dog Collar Holder.

The holder, made by Tieuwant, claims to be all kinds of proof: scratch-proof, waterproof, dust-proof, you name it. The soft silicone design allows it to work with an existing dog collar (between 0.8 and 1.3 inches wide) rather than replacing it with one you don't want. Inside the holder, it uses a separate enclosure to ensure this thing is really, truly locked down from moisture and dust. Our only complaint is that it does feel a bit pricey at $9.99 per unit, which is practically halfway to buying an AirTag already. As a consolation, though, the reviews place it at 4.5 stars.

Love or hate Amazon, it's impressive how easy it makes it to get a package anywhere, even if you want it delivered to your travel destination. What hasn't improved is dealing with all those cardboard boxes afterward. The CANARY Corrugated Cardboard Cutter will change the way you deal with packaging. It looks unassuming but saws through cardboard, thick tape, and anything in between like a hot knife through butter, making it easy to break down boxes in any way you like. The tip comes in handy for dislodging packing stickers from a box you want to reuse, and the handle is surprisingly sturdy for the price.

More importantly, though, it's safe to use. You'd have to be especially careless to cut yourself with this — I speak from personal experience — whereas kitchen knives and box cutters can nick you even despite your best efforts. So it's an excellent kid-safe choice.

Reviewers say that it takes a long time for the blade to go dull and require replacement. When that day comes, it won't be a big deal since it only costs $7.90 a pop. The CANARY certainly isn't as cheap as a box cutter with a set of replaceable blades, but that extra cost is arguably worth saving your time and your fingers. So grab a 5-pack for $35.80, and you'll be covered for all your Amazon deliveries over the next decade.

Remember fidget spinners? Though the toys lost public interest almost as fast as they rose to popularity, they did seem to address a need most people have: keeping their hands busy when doing something boring. In that vein, the HKDGYHON Toy Pen (a very memorable brand name) serves as both a gel-tipped writing implement and an on-demand plaything. It's a series of 13 metal cylinders that can be connected via 12 magnetic balls to make all sorts of shapes and figures. So whether you're at the office or working from home on Zoom, this might be a better alternative to chewing through your pen during a meeting.

The only potential downside is the rainbow-colored patina, which makes it look like a child's toy from a mile away. At the time of writing, this is the only color option available. You might want to wait for more options to come back in stock unless you don't mind drawing a few raised brows in a work setting. But if you're working remote or want it for your home office, then full steam ahead. The HKDGYHON Toy Pen retails for $16.99 on Amazon and often goes on sale for less.

One thing every prospective MacBook owner needs to know before buying is that the I/O on an Apple computer leaves a lot to be desired. The MacBook Pro, a device that starts at $1,600, gives you only a paltry three USB-C ports. Once you factor in peripherals, a hard drive, and a charging cable, you've already got no more room for anything else. You could get a USB-C dongle, but they're a bit unsightly and always induce anxiety when dangling off the side of your MacBook. A better alternative might be the RayCue USB-C Adapter for MacBook.

The adapter does take up two USB-C ports, but the tradeoff is worth it. For one, it's a lot more stable, lays flush against the side without hanging, and better matches the look and color of the aluminum casing. For another, having access to two USB-C ports ensures all your connected peripherals get the best speeds, and powered accessories get the juice they need. This particular adapter gives you one USB-C port, three USB-A ports, and slots for an SD and microSD card.