February 14th is steaming towards you and you only have a few days to buy a gift for your loved one. And while we’re not pressuring anyone into celebrating one of the most commercialised days of the year, it’s still a nice gesture to acknowledge your partner on a day someone somewhere once decided was going to be all about celebrating love.
If you and your partner treat Valentine’s Day as a gift-giving occasion, then you’ll want to get a move on. Here are some of the things we’ve been playing around with lately that we think would make great gifts for anyone.
Fujifilm Instax Square Link
Is your partner a polaroid fanatic? It’s hard not to be won over by the simple nostalgia factor of a great polaroid, especially when this nifty little device has made the time-honoured art even more accessible. Now anyone can turn any shot into a polaroid with this Bluetooth printer.
You simply connect to the Instax Square Link via the companion app and you can print any smartphone photo as a polaroid, with a great amount of options when it comes to sketches, filters and stickers.
$219 from instax.com.au.
QT Hotel Gift Card
You’ve got all of February to get this one right. And it’s a simple process, you go online and you buy a QT Gift Card so you and your partner can have a little Valentine’s Day staycation this month. But this year, there’s much more you’re buying. Grabbing a gift card online will also make you eligible for the hotel group’s Get A Room! promotion. Basically, one lucky couple who stays at a QT hotel will be chosen to pretty much take the room with them when they check out. Everything from the mini bar fridge (and its contents) to the bed and the premium bathroom amenities are yours.
Varies from qthotels.com.
GoPro Hero 12
Have you got an adventure seeker in your life? Or maybe just a keen traveller who’s planning to see more of the world next year. They’ll need a beastly action camera to make memories with so take a look at the latest from GoPro. The Hero12 Black continues the brand’s solid legacy when it comes to building durable, highly versatile cameras that can be used to create all kinds of content and practice a wide range of angles and styles.
With some clever upgrades, GoPro has delivered its most rugged camera to date. With longer runtime, users are now able to shoot for over 1.5 hours at 5.3K30 with HyperSmooth 6.0 video stabilisation and a large image sensor that can capture an ultra-wide 156-degree FoV in 8:7. For content creators, being able to up the standard of content to dial in vivid, crispy memories is invaluable.
Other features include the ability to take 27MP photos with 24.7MP stills from videos, a case that’s waterproof up to 33 feet, and advanced Bluetooth support for users can use AirPods or other audio devices for wireless sound recording and voice control.
$649.95 from gopro.com
Gozney
Head of the Gozney Dome? Well, if you haven’t at least come across a mention of this incredibly popular portable pizza oven, you’re living under a pizza stone. The brand has done so well in Australia that it’s just brought out a new range of pizza ovens, at a more affordable price point. If you’re partner wants regular pizza parties, get them the Gozney Arc which is $2,000 less expensive than the Dome yet retains many of the same features including an easy set-up, smart heat retention and a new lateral side burner for greater control and consistency.
Both the 16-inch and 14-inch Gozney Arc models aren’t shipping in Australia until early March, however. So now is a good time to get on a pre-order so your partner has something new to look forward to for the next few weeks.
From $1,199 from gozney.com
Google Pixel 8 Pro
Google has emerged as the Android manufacturer to beat over the past few years. The seventh generation Pixel phones were routinely regarded as some of the best ever made, and it’s clear the tech giant wanted to continue all that good will for its 2023 flagship smartphones.
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is the ultimate Android phone. It’s affordable, wickedly fast, feels premium with a beautiful, bright display, and has one of the best camera systems to date. Portrait mode has always been a big strength for Google so there’s no surprise that you get really vivid, crispy results here. The AI-editing tools like Magic Erasure are also very fun to play around with.
If you know someone in need of a new Android phone, this is your best choice in 2024.
From $1,699 at google.com.
iPhone 15 Pro
Apple has finally given us one of its best updates in years with the iPhone 15 Pro models. The Pro and Pro Max are easily the most valuable phones the behemoth has presented in years, representing innovation with new features like a programmable Action Button and a design making use of lightweight titanium.
You can actually feel the difference. The iPhone 15 Pro is not only lighter, but is stronger and more durable. Then you’ve got a significantly improved max brightness for better legibility, better integration of the Dynamic Island notch, and improved cameras with more optical zoom than ever before. If you get the Pro Max, you’ll even get a whopping 5x optical zoom.
It looks like the technological gap between iOS and Android is finally started to close.
From $1,849 at apple.com.
Koala Beauty Sofa Bed
After owning the bedroom, Koala moved into the living room some years ago and since then the Australian brand has been going strength-to-strength. From sustainable couches made entirely of cork to big, beautiful sofa beds that balance affordability and quality so well, Koala’s now known as the country’s most reliable furniture brand.
So the new Beauty Sofa Bed is a must have for any design lovers in your life looking for a bit of a glow-up. Seamlessly transforming to reveal a Kloudcell topper, this sofa bed has been designed to offer the same comfort as one of Koala’s award-winning mattresses.
$2,090 from koala.com.
Cloud Nine Airshot Pro
The most foolproof Valentine’s Day for any partner who cares about their hair looks is a good, premium hair dryer. For that, you’ll want to Cloud Nine Airshot Pro with its intelligent temperature control, self-regulating 100 times a second for optimal care. Powered by an eco-precision motor with a very lush, portable design, this is one of those products that’ll pay for itself very quickly. Get in quick and you’ll get a nice little 20% discount as the brand is currently offering a 20% discount on any product worth over $200, as well as a free Perfect Duo (Magical Potion and Magical Remedy).
$549 from cloudninehair.com.au.
BookArc Flex Vertical Laptop Stand
Simple, effective. Sometimes the best gifts on Valentine’s Day are those more practical ones that aren’t the sexiest but are the most helpful. If you’re partner has a work desk they need cleaning up, and a Macbook that takes up most of the space, get them this handy vertical laptop stand. The well-designed, ergonomic and lightweight stand is able to prop up a MacBook while it’s connected to a second monitor, basically turning any set-up into a mobile desktop.
$90 from twelvesouth.com.au.
Tsarine by Adriana
I usually don’t like suggesting just one bottle of wine in these gift guides, but I’ve decided to keep it to just one this year. I’ve been loving the drops from Maison Chanoine Frères lately. If you want to make Wednesday a bit more special, grab a bottle of Tsarine by Adriana. Don’t let the garish gold bottle put you off, these stars taste excellent with a very expressive flavour preceded by a lovely nose of peach and brioche.
$199 from Dan Murphys.
