The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?

10 best last-minute gadget gifts

Techy presents you've still got time to buy – hurry

David Phelan
Saturday 20 December 2014 15:03 GMT
The Tesco Hudl2: An exceptional Android tablet that's powerful, well-built and outstanding value
The Tesco Hudl2: An exceptional Android tablet that's powerful, well-built and outstanding value

So you’ve left present-buying to the last minute. Again. Never mind, there are plenty of places which deliver next day, often for free. And there’s even more choice if you are near to a store but don’t want to take a chance on what’s in stock. Now you can order online and breeze in to pick it up the next day or, in the case of Currys, an hour after you order. There are gifts for hardcore gadgeteers, big kids and fitness fans.

1 Anki Drive Starter Kit £149.99, currys.co.uk

Model car track racing revolutionised: Anki Drive has cars with artificial intelligence that learn how you drive, controlled from iPhone or Android smartphone. The starter kit has a race track, set of chargers and two cars. It’s enormous fun. Currys delivers next-day (from £4.99) or you can order online and collect from store an hour later.

Buy now

2 Star Trek Original Phaser Universal Remote Control £119.95, firebox.com

You’re going to be watching TV this Christmas, right? So why not change channel in style with this remote that’s designed like a phaser. It makes Star Trek sounds, controls TVs and other gadgets and is handsomely crafted. It won’t make the programmes any better, mind. If you prefer a different icon, there are two versions of Doctor Who’s Sonic Screwdriver available from Firebox as well. Next-day delivery costs from £5.95.

Buy now

3 Bowers & Wilkins T7 Bluetooth speaker £299.95, johnlewis.com

Bowers & Wilkins became a household name before speaker companies had to distinguish themselves through Spotify integrations and voice recognition capability

The best-looking Bluetooth speaker around, and thankfully it sounds great, too. It’s light enough to be truly portable but still has decent bass. If you order by 8pm on Saturday [20 December] John Lewis will deliver the speaker for free in time for Christmas. Or if you place your order by 8pm Sunday, you can collect it the next day from branches of Waitrose. Or order by 8pm Monday and collect next day from John Lewis branches.

Buy now

4 Amazon Fire TV £69, amazon.co.uk

Amazon’s little TV box offers access to thousands of movies and TV episodes to stream – though these cost extra. Careful buffering means you’re not kept waiting for streaming to start and excellent voice control through the remote’s microphone works well. Amazon Prime members can get free delivery if they order by midnight Sunday or evening delivery on Christmas Eve provided they order by 9am 24 December, though this isn’t free.

Buy now

5 Spotify Gift Card From £10, giftcloud.com

Spotify Premium is the best way to enjoy the superb music streaming service. It works on scores of devices from Sonos to smartphones and the premium version is versatile: play music even offline, and access and share playlists. It costs £10 a month and you can buy gift cards for £10, £30 or £50. Giftcloud, which has lots of gift cards for everything from Apple to Zizzi, delivers instantly because the card, which you can personalise, is sent by email.

Buy now

6 G-Technology G-Drive Mobile £148.80, jigsaw24.com

Perfect for the tech-head in your gift list, the G-Drive is a portable hard drive that’s both powerful and stylish: it has an aluminium case. Ideal for backing up a computer, it’s set to work with Apple Mac, but can be reformatted for PC users. The 1TB storage will be enough for most users. Jigsaw24 delivers next day for £5.99 (£11 in Northern Ireland). You can order up until Tuesday 23 December for delivery on Christmas Eve.

Buy now

7 Sony HX60V camera £259.95, amazon.co.uk

Small but very powerful, the HX60V is a 20.4-megapixel compact with a huge 30x optical zoom so it’s great for everything from sports to wildlife photography. Features include sharing photos with suitable mobile phones with one tap and fast focus even in low light. Amazon Prime deliveries apply, as for Fire TV above.

Buy now

8 Bose QC25 noise-cancelling headphones £269.99, selfridges.com

The latest Bose headphones are the company’s best yet: comfortable and great-sounding with sensational noise-cancelling – perfect for that upcoming winter holiday flight. Rich, bassy, powerful sound that doesn’t escape to the world outside. You can order online and collect instore – last date is Monday 22 December. That’s also the last date for next-day delivery, which costs £8.

Buy now

9 Jawbone UP24 fitness tracker £125, mrporter.com

Not everyone wants to be told to get fit when they open their Christmas present, so tread carefully. But if you know this is what somebody wants, the UP24 is a sensational tracker. Wear it at night and it’ll measure your sleep by quality or quantity and even wake you gently at the perfect moment in your sleep cycle. Mr Porter currently has free next-day delivery on all orders, though you should order by 3pm on Monday 22 December. Londoners take note: you can order up to 10am on Christmas Eve for a cost.

Buy now

10 Tesco Hudl2 £129, tesco.com

The Tesco Hudl2: An exceptional Android tablet that's powerful, well-built and outstanding value

This is an exceptional Android tablet that’s powerful, well-built and outstanding value. The 8.3-inch touchscreen looks great, the processor keeps it running at speed and battery life is decent at eight hours. It comes in lots of colours, too.You can order online and pick up from any Tesco (even a local Tesco Express) the next day. You need to order by 5pm and pick up after 3pm.

Buy now

Verdict

Your budget will determine what you can spend as much as anything else, though the best buy on this list is probably the Tesco Hudl2 which packs in so much for the money it’s a great choice for anyone who wants a tablet. The Spotify gift card is ideal as a stocking filler – and of course there are lots of other gift cards you can choose from. But if you’re looking for something to keep them busy during those quiet moments after Christmas lunch and before Downton, Anki Drive is hard to beat.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in