The ultimate Christmas gadget will go on sale at Sotheby's in New York on Saturday. From the studio of Apple design guru Jonathan Ive, it is an aluminium-coated Leica camera, a minimalist digital take on a mid-20th century classic.

Unfortunately for amateur photographers looking to add to their gift lists, only one has been made. The Ive Leica will be auctioned to raise money for charity, and its designer thinks it could sell for $6m (£3.7m).

Few can afford to shop at Sotheby's, but the UK economy is getting stronger and, despite the cost-of-living squeeze, Britons are forecast to increase their spending this Christmas by 2.2% – which would be the biggest rise in five years.

Shoppers will spend more than £88bn in the final three months of 2013, according to research firm Verdict and technology gifts will be a big part of the return to conspicuous consumption. The biggest sellers are expected to be:

Retro digital cameras

Retailers are predicting that cameras, tablets, smartphones and games consoles will be among the most popular presents this Christmas.

Leica, Fujifilm and Pentax are ready to capitalise on the wave of interest in what is being hailed the iCamera with ranges of retro digital devices. Resembling a vintage camera from the front, and accessorised with old-fashioned leather cases, the Leica X Vario – which costs more than £2,000 – is fitted with a three-inch screen and records high-definition video and sound.

"Retro cameras generate a lot of interest and what they stand for is the re-emergence of photography as a popular pastime," said Matt Leeser, the head buyer for communication technology at John Lewis. "People spent the previous decade downscaling to a compact camera, but with smartphones we are becoming a nation of amateur photographers, and a lot of customers coming into our stores are interested in upgrading."

John Lewis has seen a boom in the mid-range SLR cameras, with sales up 62%. It expects games consoles to sell well, because Sony and Microsoft have new machines in the market, and believes the Xbox One will outsell the just-launched PlayStation 4.

Tablets

But the biggest sellers will be tablets. John Lewis expects to sell a tablet computer every 15 seconds during the festive period. Apple's thinner, lighter iPad Air will be on many wish lists, and Google's Nexus models will do a brisk trade, but the biggest selling piece of electronic equipment this Christmas is forecast to be the iPad mini.

"Tablets were top of the electricals category last year and they will be again this year," said Neil Saunders of retail consultancy Conlumino. Many tablets will end up in the hands of children, for whom screen-swiping often has more attraction than dressing dolls or assembling wooden railways.

The dilemma for parents is whether to opt for an educational tablet especially designed for children, such as the £50 LeapPad, or give in to the pestering and buy an adult tablet. One deciding factor is choice – the best ebooks and games, such as Angry Birds or Temple Run, are largely unavailable outside the Apple and Android universes.

"There is the biggest reluctance from the parents' point of view – these are quite expensive things to break," said Saunders. "You can see why people have cashed in on making kids' versions of tablets, but the truth is when they get to five or six, they want the iPad because that's the thing they can do most on. We will see 'cascading' – parents will get the brand-new model and pass the old tablet down to the kids."

Phones

This could be the last year to buy a BlackBerry for those who prefer their keyboards in three dimensions. The launch of a new smartphone designed to turn around the Canadian company's fortunes earlier this year flopped, and questions are being asked about how long it can keep manufacturing.

But for many, the choice will simply be which iPhone to buy. The colourful 5C is cheaper but not enough to outsell the 5S, which recognises its owner's fingerprints and for the first time comes in gold. Apple is expected to sell at least 47m phones in the final three months of the year, and there are already waiting lists for some models. "The gold iPhone is very much in constraint across the marketplace," said Leeser. In fact John Lewis has no supplies, although the sought-after colour is available from mobile networks and Apple shops.

Robots and fairies

Argos is predicting that two of the top-selling toys this Christmas will be technology related. The Teksta robotic puppy responds to voice and gesture commands, goes to sleep in the dark and wakes up to greet you. At £55 from Asda it is affordable enough for most families, as is the apparently miraculous Flutterbye flying fairy, whose wind-up skirt allows her to hover like a magic-dust sprinkled helicopter.

Bake-off ware

The digital revolution has yet to enter the kitchen, with internet-connected fridges and cookers still confined to electronics fairs, but retailers are betting that the BBC's Great British Bake Off (GBBO) pastry extravaganza will inspire amateur chefs to upgrade their counter-top gadgets.

"Breadmakers have seen an increase [in popularity]," said Argos appliance buyer Kate Gibson. "With the price of a loaf of bread increasing, the desire to do it yourself is becoming more popular. Dietary requirements such as gluten-free and wheat-free mean many people want to know exactly what they are eating and baking your own bread is an appealing solution."

Among the likely topsellers will be Kenwood's kMix food mixer, a colourful 1950s-inspired machine – with matching toasters and kettles. Katie Bryson, author of the Feeding boys and a firefighter blog, said the splash guard that keeps the clouds of icing sugar at bay was a big plus.

"Stand mixers are the ultimate Christmas present for the growing army of GBBO-inspired home bakers out there," said Bryson. "I'm more than a bit partial to a kitchen gadget or 10. My favourite of this last year has been the Vitamix – not only does it blitz up amazing smoothies, but it can make soups and even a hot cheese sauce without using any heating element, just the friction from the blades."

Fitbands

For a post-feasting workout, exercise wristbands are becoming popular with fitness fanatics and could make an ideal gift for those whose new year resolve extends to purchasing, but not necessarily using, a gym membership.

Nike developed the concept with its FuelBand. The latest version encourages the wearer to compete with friends for the most Fuel points. Adidas has responded with the miCoach, which is built like a large watch with a touch-sensitive screen, connects with Android phones, monitors your heart rate and uses GPS to record speed and distance travelled. At £350, it is more than double the price of Nike's gadget, but less expensive than a personal trainer.

Christmas 2013 – the top 10 gadgets

iPad mini with retina display from £319 at Apple

Xbox One £429.99 from Amazon

Google Nexus 7 tablet, £199.95 at John Lewis

Nike+ FuelBand SE £129 at nike.com

Leica X Vario camera £2,150 at Selfridges

Kenwood kMix stand food mixer £379.99 at Argos

Gold iPhone 5S from £549 at Apple

Bose noise-cancelling in-ear headphones £259.95 at John Lewis

Teksta robotic puppy £55 at Asda

Flutterbye flying fairy, £29.99 at Argos