Now February is virtually upon us, Valentine’s Day, is almost here on 14th February and is a prime opportunity to treat the one you love, surprise them with thoughtful gestures (and perhaps even splash out on a well-chosen gift.) However, if a picture of yourself in a cheap photo-frame isn’t quite going to cut it with the other half, think smarter, check out the current raft of savvy money-saving deals online retailers are running.
Below are gift suggestions for Valentine’s Day costing under £30, under £60, under £80 and finally, under £100.
These affordable gifts will still make a big impression, yet won’t cost the earth.
UNDER £30.00
All-new Echo Dot (3rd Gen) – Smart speaker with Alexa – Charcoal Fabric
Give your loved one the gift of having every question answered at a mere shout of a question, with the Echo Dot from Amazon. They will be able to ask the voice-controlled speaker to play music, answer questions, read the news, check the weather, set alarms, control compatible smart home devices, and more. You will benefit from it too, as music can be streamed through the handy little device including songs from Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn and others through the speaker for richer and louder sound. Calls can be made hands free and even in the largest of rooms, Alexa hears the voice instructions from across the room. You can also connect to your own speakers over Bluetooth or with a 3.5 mm audio cable. Available in three different colours and is reduced by £20.00 to £29.99 from Amazon.
Alcatel U3 smartphone in Black, SIM-free
This nifty, affordable smartphone, the Alcatel U3 sits comfortably right in the palm of the hand with a high-grip, crosshatch texture on the back. Social media fans will love it, as it is quick and easy to open multiple apps instantly and browse with no lag, thanks to the fast 3G+ chipset.
Compact, with a 4-inch bright display, the device has front and rear cameras – with flash. Handily, the phone comes with up to 32 GB expandable memory and 480 hours talk time, as well as 400 hours standby time, so an ideal gift for those that like to store photos and videos, and love a good old chin wag to family and friends.
Now reduced and available for £29.00, SIM-free at Tesco Mobile.
UNDER £60.00
Cashmere pink Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM Bluetooth Waterproof Portable Speaker
Fans of baby pink will enjoy this portable, waterproof yet surprisingly loud wireless Bluetooth speaker from Ultimate Ears. The imaginatively named WONDERBOOM (in large capital letters) boasts a good 10 hours battery life, comes with a useful 2-year guarantee and is designed to emit room-filling 360-degree sound in all directions.
There are 11 colours to choose from just in case the pink is a little too, well, pink! Being dustproof, shockproof, and waterproof (for up to 30 minutes underwater), it’s built for use outdoors so ideal for taking on a winter sun holiday to listen to music around the pool. Using Bluetooth, it is easy to connect the speaker wirelessly to your phone or tablet, and control the music from up to 30 metres away. The WONDERBOOM Bluetooth Waterproof Portable Speaker is available now at John Lewis for £59.99.
UNDER £80.00
JBL Tune 600BTNC Wireless Bluetooth Noise-Cancelling Headphones – Pink
Lightweight and portable, the JBL Tune 600BTNC Wireless Bluetooth Noise-Cancelling Headphones connect wirelessly using Bluetooth, for high-quality sound. Ideal for those that love to listen to tunes or audio books on their commute, the JBL Tune 600BTNC Wireless Bluetooth Noise-Cancelling Headphones are super portable and mean no more snagging your cable on your bag during your commute. The headphones provide 16 hours of battery life when using noise-cancelling and Bluetooth, so they don’t need to be charged up every day. When they start running low, a quick 2-hour charge gives you 12 hours of listening. With active noise-cancelling, the JBL headphones cleverly recognise and block out background noise, meaning music can be enjoyed interrupted. Available now for £79.00 from Currys.
Smartbox by Buy A Gift Time Together Gift Experience
Be cunning, and actually secure yourself an experience gift of time with your partner, when you purchase Smartbox’s ‘Buy a Gift’ experience for two. If you are someone who finds their other half a little challenging to buy for, and you are never quite sure what really floats their boat, then take the stress away with this simple gift experience, which leaves it up to them. With a selection of over 995 fantastic Short Break, Adventure, Pamper Day and Dining Out experiences for two, they’ll be spoilt for choice.
You can choose from mini-breaks, decadent afternoon teas or a variety of days out visiting some of London’s best attractions, there is something for everyone. The Time Together Experience is now available for £79.99 from John Lewis.
UNDER £100.00
Spectrum Black or Gold Alcatel 3V smartphone
If your betrothed is always on their smartphone then this Alcatel device in glossy high-shine Spectrum Gold or Spectrum Black, will be an affordable alternative to many of the costly premium brands. Handily, it has many of the same features as top-of-the-range devices such as the iPhone XR, including Face Recognition to unlock the phone and a handy Fingerprint Scanner. Other top tech includes a good 16GB capacity for storing photos and videos, a 12MP rear camera for crisp family photos and a 6-inch HD screen.
Best of all, it costs around a tenth of the cost of premium devices, now reduced to £99.99 at Carphone Warehouse. The Alcatel 3V also has an 18:9 screen ratio meaning it has a display that is taller than a typical 16:9 screen and as a result, provides you with a bigger screen in a smaller device for a better grip.
Netflix aficionados will love the high-quality 2K Display, that really brings those gripping Bird Box style dramas to life on a bright and crisp screen, in a fully immersive viewing experience. The Alcatel 3V is now available in glossy Spectrum Blue at Carphone Warehouse.
