Amazon's store brand makes a lot of great tech, but these are the 12 gadgets actually worth buying
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Since 2009, Amazon has sold a variety of products through AmazonBasics.
Its generic brand covers everything from tech and fitness to dining supplies. The goal is to give you the most bang for your buck, and while their products might not be as flashy as their competitors', they get the job done.
They're also significantly cheaper, and if you can get a solid product in a major category for less, it's definitely worth it.
I've used some AmazonBasics products before, and in some cases, check if they have something before looking at the rest of the market.
So I've sorted through the handful of AmazonBasics gadgets you can feel comfortable buying for less. None of them will ever be flashy, but, like an imitative box of cereal, they’ll get the job done. You might save some cash along the way, too.
Bluetooth speakers
While it hasn’t made our list of the best budget Bluetooth speakers, the AmazonBasics Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a more exciting value than its bland name suggests. It’s no UE Roll in the design department, but it’s not ugly, and while it doesn’t have the fullest sound around, its bright, mostly clean profile is decidedly solid for a $40 speaker.
AmazonBasics Portable Bluetooth Speaker, $30.00
Keyboards and mice
We’d still recommend the Logitech K380 or Anker Ultra Slim Bluetooth to most people looking for a new Bluetooth keyboard, but if you aren’t going to use it a ton and just want to save a few bucks, the AmazonBasics Bluetooth Keyboard is a decent, no-frills alternative.
It’s sturdily built (if a bit drab), well-sized, and comfortable enough, and, as usual, inexpensive. It’s entirely competent. It weirdly lacks a rechargeable battery, but it at least comes with a pair of pre-charged AAAs, and both user and professional reviews suggest it can get months out of them.
If you need just any mouse to pair with it, the AmazonBasics Wireless Mouse can work too. It’s the epitome of basic, but it’s functional, smooth, and not creaky. Ultimately, there aren’t bad products in tech so much as there are bad prices and misplaced expectations; for $12, this does what it has to.
AmazonBasics Bluetooth Keyboard for Android Devices, $23.99
AmazonBasics Wireless Mouse with Nano Receiver, $8.99
Laptop and monitor stands
My apartment (and life, for that matter) is full of little gadgets, but I'm actually kind of an organization freak. One of the ways I keep my desk at home clean is by using a laptop stand. Mine holds my laptop vertically, but there are benefits to the horizontal-style stand here. The biggest is that you can keep your laptop's display open and have a dual-monitor setup, which, if you're a multitasker, is a game changer.
At work I use a stack of books to keep my monitor propped up, but I may end up investing in one of these monitor stands. Besides being way more stable than a handful of paperbacks, Amazon's stand is hollow, so I can store things underneath it.
AmazonBasics Laptop Stand, Black $19.99
AmazonBasics Metal Monitor Stand, $15.99
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