The best gadgets for students under $50 | Engadget

This cube has two USB-A ports, one 30W USB-C socket and three AC outlets, giving you more ways to keep your laptop, phone, tablet, headphones and other devices charged up. The USB-C port is for charging only, but that’s not necessarily a downside — you can use it with your laptop’s power adapter and USB-C cable to power your machine while using the adapter at the same time.Buy Lention 4-in-1 hub at Amazon - $20When you're a student, there’s nothing worse than realizing your iPhone is down to 2 percent battery when you’re in the middle of submitting an assignment online. And for those who don’t have iPhones, Anker has a 10-foot USB-C to C cable that should serve your handsets well, too.Buy Powerline II USB-C to Lightning cable at Amazon - $23We’re all familiar with the panic that ensues when you realize you’ve misplaced your keys, wallet, phone or other valuables. We appreciate the dual USB connectivity, the device’s tiny size and its affordable price — you can grab a 256GB model for only $30 to $40.Buy SanDisk Dual Drive Go at Amazon - $30The Echo Dot is Amazon’s most popular smart speaker for a reason: It’s small, it sounds pretty good for its size, and it does a lot more than just play music. It doesn’t take up much space on a desk and its nearly four-foot-long cable makes it easy to plug into a power source — probably your laptop since it’s likely to be close by while studying, but it could also be a USB adapter connected to an AC outlet or even a portable battery pack.