These 12 under-$50 gadgets have upgraded my tech life, and they're all on sale during Spring Sale season

I build a lot of PCs, and I also do a fair bit of home improvement work around my apartment. So a cordless screwdriver is a nice thing to have. I also own a much slimmer Wowstick, but have found HOTO's NEX O1 Pro to be more useful thanks to its extra (and variable) torque. It's great for loosening those factory-installed screws on PC cases that just don't want to let go, and also good for assembling furniture.

The HOTO won't replace my DeWalt impact driver or drill for bigger, tougher jobs. But for everyday tasks, it's powerful enough, easy to charge over USB-C, and even looks good on my workbench.

I can also use the buttons on it to play / pause audio and video, move forward to the next track or backward to the previous one. It's totally plug and play as no drivers are needed.

What's not to love about a $40 SNES-inspired wireless gaming controller

that's compatible with Windows, Mac, Android and the Nintendo Switch? Not much, but I own the original Pro model and not one of these newer models with translucent plastic shells. That's peak late-90s nostalgia and I really don't want to love it as much as I do.

As you might expect given this controller's small size and many more buttons than the SNES controller it was based on, its Rumble motors aren't the strongest, and the layout can feel kind of cramped for some modern games. But for any kind of retro game and especially platformers (I'm looking at you, Super Mario Bros. Wonder), this is my go-to controller. At this price, maybe I should pick up another one.

I have wireless charging pads at my desk and three other places around my apartment, as well as my desk at the office, for keeping my phone and watch juiced up, and I take one with me when I travel. So when I saw Lenovo had a Go Wireless Multi-Device Mouse that charges wirelessly using the Qi standard, I was intrigued. And now that I've owned one for more than a year, it's my go-to travel rodent. In fact, I just retrieved this mouse from my suitcase after a trip to Scotland.

There's not much remarkable about this compact mouse in terms of its design. It houses a USB-C dongle under its magnetic top, and it also works over Bluetooth for pairing it with up to three devices. Lenovo claims 2-3 months of use if you use it a couple of hours a day, which is probably fairly accurate.

I experimented with a 4K webcam during the worst of the Covid pandemic. But the truth is, almost no one needs that level of image quality for office and family chats. And many chat programs will just down-res you to 1080p (or less), anyway. So unless you're a serious streamer or have some other niche case, I recommend something more affordable.

I've been using Anker's PowerConf C200 2K Webcam for the past two years and I couldn't be happier with it. Its somewhat nebulous "2K" resolution looks sharper than 1080p webcams I've used in the past, and its low-light performance is great. It has an easy-to-see red privacy shutter for when you're not using it, and it's compact enough to easily clip onto a laptop screen and toss into a bag if you want to travel with it. It also has a screw mount on the bottom for mounting to an arm or stand, which is how I use it with the 55-inch OLED TV I use as a monitor. My old 4K webcam is in a corner gathering dust. But I use Anker's PowerConf C200 2K almost every day.

OK, this one's only for the DIY-inclined, because it involves cutting a hole in your desk (or anywhere else you might want some flush-mount power ports, like a nightstand). Jgstkcity's recessed power strip lets you drop a couple of AC outlets and two USB charging ports (one 30W USB-C) anywhere you need them – again, once you've cut a hole for it.

While it's always smart to be wary of no-name power strips, I've owned the older non-PD version of this strip for over two years and it's been functioning just fine. I have it installed in the narrow stand I built right behind my couch. It's a super-convenient place for power outlets, especially when friends or family stop by. I just warn people not to put drinks there. Thankfully, the coffee table is even more convenient for that and it's right in front of the couch.

If there's one thing everyone with modern tech could probably use at this point, it's an extra high-speed and compact charger. The Baseus 65W Flat Wall Charger is my new-found favorite. It's especially great for travel, because it outputs 45W over USB-C for my laptop and up to 20W over USB-A for my phone or other devices, all while folding to a slim 0.66 inches thick. It's smaller than a deck of cards and easily fits in pretty much any bag pocket.

Its slim shape should also help keep the device fully inserted in loose hotel room power sockets, and while the outer shell is plastic, the build quality feels solid, and it includes a 3.3-foot USB-C charging cable for those of us who aren't already drowning in cables from other devices. You'll have to provide your own USB-A cable to charge a second device, but at its current sale price, there's hardly a reason to complain about that. And who doesn't have an extra USB-A charging cable at this point?

Do-it-all devices that pull together disparate features often turn out to be junk. But it’s hard to discount a $16 device that combines an under-the-desk headset hanger / cable holder and a three-port USB charging hub is hard to discount. Depending on where you place the device, the ports are great for charging phones and tablets. PD charging is supported, but only up to 20W, so don't expect to be plugging your laptop here. Cozoo's device ships with both 3M tape and screws for mounting under your desk, as well as cable tie-downs to help make the setup as tidy as possible.

Given the price (and the fact that I've never heard of the brand outside of these devices), I generally wouldn't want this to be my only charging option. But I've had this hanger under my standing desk for nearly a year now and it's always worked for me as expected.

If you to get a handle on the PC cables in your home or office, some cheap cable management trays will do the job. This two-pack comes with tape, though heavier loads will ultimately require some screws.

Besides the trays, this kit also comes with cable ties and a few cable clips you can place along the bottom or sides of your desk. One of these has been holding up the PC cable clutter in my living room for the past year. But I had to screw it into my desk because it's holding one of the above Anker power strips, plus the large external power brick from my LG OLED TV/Monitor.

After a rough start with the Mattel Aquarius as a child, Matt built his first PC in the late 1990s and ventured into mild PC modding in the early 2000s. He’s spent the last 15 years covering emerging technology for Smithsonian, Popular Science, and Consumer Reports, while testing components and PCs for Computer Shopper, PCMag and Digital Trends.