Whether you’re looking to spoil your spouse or surprise your new girlfriend or boyfriend with something special, February 14 is made for showcasing your romantic side, and if you need some help coming up with a Valentine’s Day gift idea, we’ve got you covered.
Remaining true to TechRadar, our gift ideas all have a techy side, but they’re no less thoughtful. Think excellent earbuds for lovers of music, an ereader to store their treasure trove of books and a bouquet of roses that will never die.
And who says Valentine’s Day is only for celebrating romantic love? Our gift ideas work just as well if you’re looking to surprise your mum, show some love to your friends or just treat yourself. Our selection of Valentine’s Day gift ideas cater to a variety of budgets and can be given to anyone.
Last-minute gift ideas
Gift cards
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With little time left until Valentine’s Day arrives, a gift card is always good in a pinch, and it’s perfect for the person who loves to shop for themselves. You could pick up a gift card from your love’s favourite store, or choose a retailer such as Amazon or The Iconic which both have plenty of options. Right now on Amazon, you can get up to 15% off select gift cards.
• Buy a gift card from Amazon
• Buy a gift card from The Iconic
Disney Plus
Disney Plus has become so much more than just a Disney vault. It also has plenty of Marvel’s catalogue as well as movies and shows from the Star Wars universe. The addition of Star on Disney Plus also adds a huge library of films and TV shows, including the award-winning series The Bear, and classics such as The Simpsons, Scrubs and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia just to name a few. What’s a better Valentine’s gift than one they can enjoy all-year round?
Read our full Disney Plus review
Binge
Binge is the home of HBO in Australia, so if you want to be up-to-date with the latest TV obsession (you know, like True Detective season 4) then Binge is a must for you and your Valentine. There’s also a new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm out now with new episodes dropping each week, and plenty of other HBO shows to binge-watch including The White Lotus and House of the Dragon.
But it’s not all about HBO. Countless movies have found a home on the streaming service too, including blockbuster hits Fast X and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, every movie from the Harry Potter series, the Jurassic Park franchise and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy to name a few.
Read our full Binge review
BritBox
Got a lover of British TV in your life? Then a BritBox subscription is a last-minute gift they’ll be chuffed with. This streaming service is packed full of British telly, including classic crime dramas such as Midsomer Murders, Father Brown and Inspector Morse, and recent hits such as Line of Duty and All Creatures Great and Small.
Read our full BritBox review
Audible
Audible is the biggest name in the audiobook space, and it’s the ideal choice if you purely want audiobooks. While it costs a little bit more than Everand – it’s AU$16.45 a month compared to Everand’s AU$14.99 – Audible has a bigger library of audiobooks, and you get access to tons of Audible Originals as well. To listen, all you need is to download the app on your phone, or head to the Audible website on your laptop or PC.
Readly
Readly is home to thousands of magazines, and you can get access to all of them for just AU$14.99 a month. Available titles include Forbes, Men’s Health, Time magazine and Vogue, along with numerous tech mags that some of TechRadar’s writers are frequent contributors to. While we do love flipping through a physical magazine, you just can’t beat the value for money offered by Readly.
Read our full Readly review
Groupon
If their love language is spending quality time rather than gifts, Groupon is an easy solution for finding something you can do together, and the packages available are often discounted. You can find three-course fine dining experiences, spa packages, cooking classes and relaxing country escapes on Groupon, so you can find something special to do together on Valentine’s Day.
• Buy an experience on Groupon
Gifts under AU$100
Lego – Bouquet of Roses
Love the idea of giving your significant other a bunch of flowers for Valentine’s Day? Well, what about a bouquet that will never wilt? Lego has just released a gorgeous new set called Bouquet of Roses, and it includes a dozen classic red roses and sprigs of white baby’s breath. In our experience, Lego sets for adults are fun to build with a partner, and they make for unique decorative pieces for your home or workplace.
Who’s it for? The creative type who’ll love something you can build together. If they’re looking for new activities to reduce their screen time, even better.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2023)
Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K can turn your old TV without any smarts into a hub for Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, YouTube and many more. Even if it is smart and you prefer a different interface, it will do just as well. It works simply by plugging into your TV’s HDMI port, and all you need to do is connect it to Wi-Fi to get it up and running. It’s worth noting that Prime Video’s content is front and centre on the Fire TV interface, but you can still access all other streaming services with this device.
Who’s it for? The loved one who’s rocking an old TV like it’s 2013. An Amazon Fire TV Stick will help get them up to speed with the latest shows, and they’ll no longer have to binge watch from their laptop or tablet.
Read our full Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2023) review
Ninja Nutri-Blender Plus
We think this compact Ninja Nutri-Blender is the best blender for small kitchens, and it’s especially good if your loved one wants to make their morning smoothie and then take it to go. This blender is really made for creating smoothies and frozen drinks, with a 900 watt motor that can crush ice and blend fruits, veggies, seeds and frozen ingredients. You get two cups included with the blender and each comes with its own travel lid.
Who’s it for? Busy mums and dads who are always on the go. Making a fresh smoothie in the morning may seem like something only those with lots of time on their hands can do, but it really doesn’t have to be when you can take the drink with you.
Rocketbook Core
A Rocketbook is not your average notebook. Instead of paper, the Rocketbook has reusable pages that are more like a whiteboard… kinda. You can write and draw on the pages using a specialised pen, and when you’re done, you can use the Rocketbook app to scan the page and save a digital copy of your notes. After that, you can simply add a drop of water and wipe the page clean with a microfibre cloth.
Who’s it for? The environmentally conscious partner who’s a notorious Post-it user, or just someone who wants less clutter in their life. If they’re starting university this year or take lots of notes for work, they’ll doubly appreciate it.
Divoom Bluetooth speaker
A unique twist on a Bluetooth speaker, the Divoom Pixel Art speaker is a desktop gadget that will bring your loved one hours of joy. It’s housed in a retro PC-inspired casing, and features a small pixel RGB display that can be customised to show clocks, visualisers, art and more through the Divoom app.
From our own experience we can say it has surprisingly good sound quality, but that’s not all it can be used for. There’s a range of games programmed in, and a small 6-key keyboard – complete with RGB backlighting – that can be used to switch between different functions or simply adjust the volume.
Who’s it for? The gamer girl or boy in your life who loves kitschy gadgets. This little speaker and pixel art hybrid won’t be for everyone, but we’ve certainly had a lot of fun playing with it.
Buy the Divoom Bluetooth speaker on Amazon.
Gifts under AU$300
JBL Flip 6
If you want to give your significant other a more serious Bluetooth speaker, you can’t go past the JBL Flip 6. It rates among the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy in our books, and it’s built rugged to be used both indoors and outside. Most importantly, it also sounds great, with the ability to pump out powerful bass despite its relatively small size. The JBL Flip 6 is available in a nice selection of colours, but if you’re feeling romantic, you can get it in a striking red.
The JBL Flip 6 has an official price of AU$169, but as of February 1 it’s on sale at Amazon and Bing Lee for AU$128.
Who’s it for? The social butterfly who wants a portable Bluetooth speaker they can take to the beach or the park, or use to help entertain at home.
Read our full JBL Flip 6 review
Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2
The Instax Mini Link 2 is a portable photo printer made for the mobile generation, and it’s small enough to fit inside a pocket. You can use it to print photos you’ve taken on your smartphone onto a glossy Instax print, which are about the size of a credit card.
It’s not just photos either, even a moment you’ve captured on video can be sent to the Instax Mini Link 2 for printing. The companion app lets you resize your photos, add filters and even draw on your images, but if you want to skip all that, it’s excellent for printing smartphone snaps.
Who’s it for? The partner who’s always taking snaps on their phone and would love mementos of their favourite memories.
Philips Hue Iris Special Edition
The Philips Hue Iris is a gorgeous new take on a table lamp with smart light capabilities. It can emit everything from bright white light to a soft yellow glow, or you can get a little more adventurous by creating a vibrant splash of colour in the room. It’s all controlled through the Philips Hue app, giving you a unique table lamp that you can use to set any mood at home. Whether you’re planning a cosy night of Netflix or a romantic dinner for two, this lamp is a wonderful addition.
Who’s it for? For the lover who’s favourite place to be is at home, this Philips Hue table lamp will help add a little flair.
SodaStream Art
SodaStreams do more than just creating sparkling water these days. There’s also a bunch of flavours you can add in, including Pepsi, 7 Up and Lipton Ice Tea, as well as mixers like kombucha and lemon, lime and bitters. And we haven’t even mentioned the more subtle flavours you can add to sparkling water, such as cranberry or raspberry. The carbon dioxide canister is refillable and there are plenty of places throughout Australia that will do it for you, including some major supermarkets, stores and petrol stations.
Who’s it for? This is another gift idea for your eco-friendly lover, and surely we need more of them. This gift helps reduce single-use plastic and will find a lot of use through the Aussie summer months.
Coravin Pivot
Got a wine connoisseur in your life? Look no further than the Coravin Pivot as the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day. This strange-looking contraption is a bottle topper, and Coravin says it’ll keep your vino tasting fresh weeks after you’ve opened it. While we haven’t reviewed it on TechRadar, one of our colleagues and resident wine-lover has spent hands-on time with it, and found it kept her reds, whites and rosés tasting crisp for three weeks after opening – an impressive feat.
Who’s it for? Anyone with a penchant for an after-work wine with dinner. If your partner in crime is a wannabe sommelier, you can show them support with the Coravin Pivot.
Kobo Clara 2E
If your other half is happiest buried in a book, the Kobo Clara 2E will let them carry all their favourite novels with them wherever they go. We think this compact ereader is one of the best ereaders you can buy thanks to its clear, crisp and responsive 6-inch screen and support for audiobooks. And it’s waterproof too. One reason we think Kobos are excellent ereaders for Aussie booklovers is because they come with OverDrive support baked in, which lets you borrow books from your local library’s digital collection (provided they’re set up for it and a lot of them are, so be sure to check).
Who’s it for? The reader in your life who’s growing collection of books is more than they can carry (or fit on a bookshelf). Help them downsize with a compact ereader that can store hundreds of books in one place.
Read our full Kobo Clara 2E review
Gifts under AU$500
Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer
We think the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 is the best air fryer you can buy overall, and it can also roast, bake, grill, reheat and dehydrate. It has a 5.7L basket for large capacity cooking, and we love that it’s got a built-in window and light so you can keep your eye on how your food is looking. There’s plenty of heat, more than enough power and the usual performance that we’ve come to expect from the Instant brand.
Who’s it for? Domestic deities are the people that will benefit the most from this air fryer. When you find yourself someone who loves to host and feed those around them, an air fryer is the perfect addition to their arsenal.
Read our full Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook review
Sony WF-1000XM5
The WF-1000XM5s are the latest top-tier earbuds from Sony, and they boast incredible sound quality. If your better half will appreciate crisp-sounding bass, they’ll be especially happy with these Sony earbuds. We should say that while the active noise cancellation is good, it can be beaten by the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, so take your pick depending on what they’ll like more – zealous, exciting music or blissful peace and quiet.
Who’s it for? The music lover who won’t settle for anything less than perfection. You’re getting excellent audio with enthusiastic bass, a comfortable and secure fit and very decent battery life. Sounds like a winning combo that’s music to our ears!
Read our full Sony WF-1000XM5 review
Garmin Lily 2 Classic
Garmin has just released its new Lily 2 smartwatch, and we particularly like the Classic model for its elegant look that feels much more like a real timepiece. It’s a petite watch designed specifically for the feminine wrist, and it comes with all the health tracking essentials, including heart rate monitor, step counting and calories burned. On top of that, you also get health tracking catered specifically to women, with features for menstrual cycle and pregnancy.
Who’s it for? The lady in your life who takes pride in health and wellbeing, and wants a smart way to track it all with equal parts style and substance.
Nintendo Switch
OK, we know a Nintendo Switch is a rather expensive Valentine’s Day gift, but hear us out. Unlike most V Day presents, this is one you can actually enjoy together. One pair of controllers come included with the console, but there’s plenty of games where you’ll only need a single Joy-Con to play in multiplayer, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Whenever you or your partner want some time-out from each other, the two Joy-Cons can be attached to play in single-player handheld mode or on the TV – it’s a win-win.
Who’s it for? We live in stressful times, so if you and your partner need something lighthearted to take your mind off it, the Nintendo Switch is for you. We also have a guide to the best Nintendo Switch games available if you’re not sure which ones to buy.
Read our full Nintendo Switch review
Shark FlexStyle
We know you’ve heard of the Dyson Airwrap, but the Shark FlexStyle is a more affordable alternative that costs half as much. This hair styling tool dries your hair with ease, and like the Dyson it comes with a range of attachments to curl, straighten, volumise or smooth out your strands. A diffuser is included too for those with curly hair. The paddle brush attachment is one of the best we’ve tested, and could replace the need for a hair straightener for some people – it’s a no-brainer for getting sleek locks with minimal effort.
Who’s it for? For the woman who has everything and wants to take good care of her tresses.
