Five affordable digital gadgets small enough to fit on your keychain

[Henry10]

BGR has put together a list of cheap digital gadgets that are small enough to clip onto a keychain, and a few of them are surprisingly clever. None of them cost more than about $45, which makes them fun impulse buys or stocking fillers. It is a nice change from the usual lists of expensive flagship tech. Here is what made the cut

The most practical is probably the Rorry CharmGo power bank at $43. It packs 10,000mAh with built in USB-C and Lightning cables, 45W USB-C power delivery, an Apple Watch charger and a small digital display. BGR points out it weighs about half a pound, which is a lot for a keychain, but that is the price of that much capacity. Recharging it takes a couple of hours

For fun, there is the Kodak Charmera at $35, a tiny camera with a 1.6 megapixel sensor that gives photos a lo fi, retro look. It has built in filters, stores to microSD and comes in blind box collectible designs. Then there is the TinyCircuits Thumby, a Raspberry Pi powered game console for about $30 with five preloaded games that you can program yourself in MicroPython. Several of them can even link up for multiplayer. It is a lovely little thing for tinkerers

The more serious picks are the Vandlion voice recorder at $40, with 32GB of storage for around 450 hours of audio and a sound activated mode, and the Life360 Tile tracker at $25. The Tile has a handy trick where a double press makes your phone ring, which is great if you are more likely to lose your phone than your keys. Both are aimed at people who like to be organised

The Charmera and the Thumby are the ones that made me smile. Nobody needs a 1.6 megapixel camera in 2026, but that is kind of the point. They are toys for grown ups and at those prices, why not? Would anyone hang a half pound power bank off their keys, though?

5 Affordable Digital Gadgets That Can Fit On Your Keychain - BGRwww.bgr.com

[HollywoodHogan92]

Nice to see a list of gadgets that are cheap and a bit playful. Tech has become so expensive that anything under $50 feels like a treat. The Thumby and the Charmera would make great Christmas presents. I might pick one up for myself

[Busquets]

Kodak putting its name on a blind box toy camera is a little sad when you think about the brand's history. That said, lo fi photos are having a proper revival. Plenty of younger people want pictures that do not look like every other smartphone shot. A 1.6 megapixel sensor gives that without any effort. I can see these selling well

[Molly17]

Blind box designs are a clever sales trick. People end up buying three or four to get the one they want. Collectors will love it and parents will hate it

[Cole_55]

Tile versus AirTag is still the big question for anyone with an iPhone. Apple's network is so much larger that Tile struggles to find things far from home. The phone ringing feature is handy though, and it works across Android too

For Android users Tile is still one of the better options. Samsung's own tags only work with Samsung phones

[IonStorm99]

Half a pound on a keychain would wreck my trouser pockets. That power bank belongs in a bag, not on your keys. Still a good deal for 10,000mAh with built in cables

[Seb93]

Does anyone else find keychains with loads of gadgets annoying? I stripped mine back to keys and a small tracker after scratching my car's steering column

A camera, a power bank and a games console dangling off the ignition sounds like a recipe for damage. Older cars especially. Ignition barrels are not cheap to fix

[Apogee Evan]

Would like to know how long the Charmera's battery lasts. A camera on your keys is only useful if it is charged when you spot something worth photographing. USB-C charging is a plus at least

[IronFist21]

A voice recorder with 450 hours of storage is overkill for most people. Useful for students and journalists, sure. Lecture halls are a good fit

Most phones do a decent job these days. I would only buy one if I needed something discreet and separate from my phone

[Brooke_40]

The Tile deal at $20 on sale is the pick of the bunch for me. It solves a real problem for very little money. Everything else is nice to have rather than necessary. Buy two and put one in your bag

[Priya_39]

The Thumby is brilliant. Being able to code your own games in MicroPython on something that small is a great way to get kids into programming

My nephew has one and has already made a very basic version of Snake. For $30 it has been worth every penny