16 stocking filler gadgets for Christmas 2017

The ads on television are getting schmaltzy, the nights are drawing in, family tensions are bubbling up to the surface - Christmas must be on the way again. And of course that also means you're likely to be shopping for a variety of gifts to dish out to friends and family.

Here we're focusing on one particularly versatile type of gift: small gadgets that won't break the bank. They aren't too costly, they're not complicated to set up, and they'll do for everyone from uncles to nieces to the work colleague you picked in the Secret Santa.

• All our rocking Christmas buying guides are over here

1. Tile Sport

Tile trackers attach to anything you don't want to lose - keys, wallets, luggage, children - and let you see their last reported location on a map. They can also emit a loud sound to help you find them, and the Tile Sport has an extended range and is waterproof too.

2. Google Home Mini

This will just about fit in a stocking, if you take it out of the packaging first. It's all the power of Google Assistant, packed in a smaller form factor with a less powerful speaker than the original Google Home, and it can help to smarten up the dumbest of homes.

3. Take Better Selfies Lens Kit

Despite the name, the lenses in this compact pack can fit over both the front and rear cameras on your smartphone, giving you a load more options for your pictures: the lenses include a fish eye, a wide angle lens, a telescopic lens, and a macro lens for close ups.

Take Better Selfies Lens Kit, £19.99 (UK) or $26.69 (US)

4. SanDisk Ultra Fit 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Everybody needs more storage, right? And this drive from SanDisk packs in a whopping 128GB of it. It's also USB 3.0 compatible for faster transfers, and very small, making it very stocking-compatible. What's more, it's made by SanDisk, so you know it'll be reliable.

5. Amazon Fire TV Stick

Plug an Amazon Fire TV Stick into a spare HDMI port on any television and you get instant access to a host of video services, including BBC iPlayer, Netflix and of course Amazon Video. Alexa is built in too, so everything can be controlled with simple voice commands.

6. Mocoro Robot Cleaning Ball

You don't have to fork out hundreds of pounds or dollars for a robot vacuum cleaner, because this battery-powered, roving cleaning ball will do a decent job for a fraction of the price. The pink microfibre fur attracts dust and dirt, and it will keep cats entertained too.

7. Wemo Insight Smart Plug

You don't need much to start a smart home these days - this Insight Smart Plug from Wemo plugs into any of your normal, dumb sockets and appliances, and lets you turn the power on or off with a timer. As a bonus, it works with Google Home and Amazon Echo.

Wemo Insight Smart Plug, £45.97 (UK) or $39.99 (US)

8. LED Lenser K2 Key-Ring LED Torch

Torches can come in handy in all kinds of situations, from car breakdowns to power blackouts, and the LED Lenser K2 is perfect for attaching to a bunch of keys, ready and waiting to shine a light on any dark corners when needed, with batteries included.

9. Skeye Nano Drone

Pretty much the smallest drone you can buy at the moment, and it still comes with a little camera and a memory card, so the person you buy it for can spend all of Christmas Day having it patrol the living room and taking photos of unsuspecting relatives and pets.

Skeye Nano Drone, £29 (UK) or $34 (US)

10. Ray Gun Nose Trimmer

Get rid of unsightly nose hair and live out some sci-fi fantasies at the same time with the Ray Gun Nose Trimmer, available at Firebox in the UK. Just be careful who you gift this one to though, as they might think you're trying to make a point about their self-grooming.

Ray Gun Nose Trimmer, £12.99 (UK) or $17.29 (US)

11. Misfit Ray

Many a fitness tracker is bulking up and adding unnecessary features, but not so the Misfit Ray - it's able to track all the essential statistics while remaining lightweight and small enough to fit in a stocking. Plus, the battery lasts up to 4 months before it needs replacing.

12. Sony MDR-XB50APB headphones

You can easily stuff a pair of headphones in the stocking of your friend or relative or work colleague, and you do of course have a wealth of options to pick from. We like the Sony MDR-XB50APB set, which have a bundled carry case and a microphone on the cable.

Sony MDR-XB50APB headphones, £19 (UK) or $26.25 (US)

13. Beeline Smart Bike Compass

Add some extra smarts to any bicycle journey with the Beeline Smart Bike Compass. Originally funded via Kickstarter, it clips onto the bike's handlebars and syncs with an app on a connected smartphone to safely and accurately guide you to your destination.

14. GoPro Hero5 Session

You'll have to really, really like someone to spend this much money on them, but for your nearest and dearest the Hero5 Session is an excellent little action camera. It supports 4K video recording, has waterproof casing, and can even be controlled with voice commands.

15. Wooden LED alarm clock

You'll need a decent-sized stocking to cram this in, but it just about qualifies for our round-up, a stylish-looking wooden alarm clock with an LED display. It can get you up in the morning, tell you what the current time is, and display the ambient temperature too.

Wooden LED alarm clock, £11.99 (UK) or $19.99 (US)

16. Anker Astro E1 power bank

Give the gift of smartphone battery life this Christmas with the Anker Astro E1 power bank - it packs in 6700mAh of juice, which is at least one full charge for your mobile, and perhaps two in some cases. The bank comes with a carry case and is available in four colours.

• Still haven't found what you're looking for? Try the best Christmas gifts under £150