5 Cheap Gadgets At Target Actually Worth Buying For Less Than $5

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Target is one of the biggest retailers in the United States. It owns more than 40 brands, and around one-third of all the products it sells cannot be found at any other retailer, such as Best Buy or Amazon.

While searching at Target will make you discover many useful gadgets, like a wireless keyboard, Apple AirTag, or Apple AirPods, you can also unearth a few options you've never seen before, especially ones with incredibly low price tags. However, since cheap gadgets are a popular niche and Target has a huge catalog — and because low-cost gadgets can be gimmicky — it can be tough to single out ones that are actually practical.

After intensive research, we found five Target products under $5 (yes, you read that right) that punch above their price bracket, are well-built, and genuinely capable of improving your day-to-day life. Thanks to Target's return policies, you don't need to worry about these cheap gadgets being shams. Our selection includes a wireless speaker, a USB light, a power bank, and other products with solid ratings and substantial purchase volumes.

Today's smartphone cameras are getting closer and closer to full-fledged digital cameras, and their convenience and portability are unbeatable. Still, shooting with a smartphone doesn't give the same feeling or satisfaction as holding an actual camera. The GEMS Mini Digital Camera is just as portable and convenient as any smartphone today, so it scratches that photography itch at a super-affordable price.

This $5 digital camera weighs 0.12 pounds and measures 3.28 inches by 1.91 inches, which is small enough to fit into one of your jacket pockets. It captures 2-megapixel photos and 720p video, which look decent enough. If you also want the camera to match your style, you can choose between yellow, sky blue, pink, and black models.

We'd argue it's an even better purchase now that slightly blurry, low-resolution pictures have become trendy again, thanks to the vintage vibe they give off. For storage, you'll need to pop in a microSD card, which must be between 8GB and 32GB. The camera also comes with a playback button, letting you view the pictures and videos you've shot on the camera's 2-inch LCD screen.

If you're on your computer at night or very early in the morning and find your room's light a bit too muchgetting a USB light is one of the most effective ways to look after your eyes. It will help you work on the keyboard with higher accuracy (in case yours doesn't have built-in lights) and reduce eye strain when you stare at the screen in a dark room.

While there are various options to choose from, we found the Vivitar USB Light on Target to be a great choice for most users, primarily because it offers excellent bang for your buck. Despite being just $3, it comes with a durable, flexible neck that allows you to position it to your liking. The light is bright (30 lumens) but not too bright, which is perfect for working on the computer or reading and writing in the dark.

It's also easy to use. There are no switches or batteries to deal with, as it lights up when you plug it into your laptop or power bank's USB-A slot. According to the manufacturer, the single LED bulb has a life of up to 20,000 hours. It comes with a cute cloud or pink flower design that adds a small but noticeable boost to its overall appeal.

The GEMS Mini Wireless Speaker, available on Target for just $5, produces crisp sound for its size. It has four buttons along the bottom bar that let you control playback if you don't want to use your connected device to change tracks and adjust volume.

Like the GEMS Mini Digital Camera, this speaker comes in multiple colors: pink, sky blue, yellow, and white. It provides up to four hours of playback on a single charge, even when using its built-in lights, which is more than acceptable for the $5 price tag. For charging, a micro USB cable comes in the box. Portability is one of its biggest strengths; it weighs just 0.25 pounds and is less than 3 inches tall and 2.5 inches wide.

ince these speakers come with true wireless stereo, you can buy two and pair them together. But keep in mind that this will be a stereo pairing, meaning one speaker will play the left channel and the other will play the right. This is usually more immersive than a standalone speaker, but it doesn't rival a true surround-sound setup. With over 4,000 purchases in the last month, these speakers have an average rating of 4.3 out of 5.

The GEMS Cat Wrist Rest is available for only $5 and is a great product. It measures over 5 inches long, 2.65 inches wide, and 1.74 inches thick, and is built using soft foam that makes it comfortable and suitable for extended use. And if you're not a cat person, you can pick the GEMS Corgi Wrist Rest or the GEMS Cloud Wrist Rest.

A wrist rest is a small but important desk gadget, especially for folks who spend a lot of time in front of their computer tapping away at the keyboard, drafting emails, blogs, or code, or using the mouse for hours to craft the perfect video edit. It helps you steer clear of the potential consequences of poor wrist positioning during prolonged periods, such as strained muscles, numbness, or fatigued fingers and forearms.

Irrespective of your choice, you'll get a strong, non-slip base that keeps the wrist rest firmly in place, even after long hours when you might start sweating. Yep, wrist rests can cause sweating because they don't typically use breathable material.

If you want a power bank that gives you aura points aside from charging power, the GEMS Figural Power Bank can help you with its retro-style handheld gaming look. While it's not one of the best power banks on the market, it's listed on Target for just $5. Despite the low price, it's a good device.

Even though it weighs just 0.27 pounds, it houses a sizable 2,000 mAh battery and is capable of charging smartphones at 10.5 W. I agreed that a single charge won't take your phone from 0% to 100% battery, and you'll likely be recharging it whenever it's idle, but it's still an excellent value-for-money purchase and more than capable of adding nearly an hour's worth of charge to a dying phone, good as an emergency backup. Note that the average phone battery today has 4,000 mAh to 5,000 mAh.

For the price, it's also impressive that this power bank comes with a charging cable in the package. Plus, the brick itself is built using two layers of strong PVC, making it sturdy enough for bumpy travels. And similar to other GEMS products, this $5 power bank comes in multiple design options. In addition to this video game-style one, there's also a lavender flower option you can choose.

To find underrated, cheap gadgets that will improve your daily life, we scoured the Target website, trying out various search queries and filters (price, ratings). We only picked products with a healthy amount of purchases and rock-solid customer ratings. In addition to ensuring each of the five products is priced at $5 or below, we prioritized sellers who've taken the time to answer all customer queries under the product listings.

We also carefully reviewed the build quality and shelf-life claims by the provider, and only picked products that looked robust and were backed by healthy return and refund policies. This was an important consideration for us, as cheap gadgets have a bad reputation for being flimsy. Finally, you can rest assured that none of these products are sponsored picks; they've all been handpicked only after thorough, independent, and bias-free research. We also avoided any double entries and ensured that all five picks differ in the utility they offer.