[ad_1]
if your valentine isn’t a fan of flowers and chocolate, there are plenty of other options to surprise them with—whether it’s a partner, friend, or family member. But for those struggling to find the perfect alternative, we’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find a number of discounts on gift ideas that cover a wide range of interests, including photography, books, self-care, fitness, and more. And, while you’re at it, don’t forget to treat yourself.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
Instant Camera and Digital Photo Frame Deals
Polaroid’s Now+ instant camera comes with a smartphone companion app. It doesn’t offer the best user experience, but it does allow you to utilize features like Tripod Mode, Manual Mode, and set a custom f-stop in Aperture Priority Mode. Of course, you’ll also get the signature Polaroid features like vintage aesthetics and roll-out film.
If you’re looking for a printer to accompany your instant camera, Fujifilm’s Instax SP-3 Mobile Printer holds the title of Best Instant Printer in our buying guide. It’s simple to set up and use. However, we recommend using your own photo editing app instead of Fujifilm’s for tweaking your snapshots before hitting print.
At WIRED, we love digital photo frames—it’s a great way to revisit and display tons of old photos we might’ve forgotten we even had. NixPlay has a great aesthetic but looks more like a smart display than a traditional photo frame, with the ability to add a small clock to the screen. You can also control it using Google Assistant or Alexa (the latter had more capabilities). We like the 10.1-inch frame specifically because we prefer its slight matte finish. If you’d rather have a shiny finish and have extra cash to spend, the 9.7-inch 2K Ultra is on sale for $200 ($100 off).
Monster’s digital frame isn’t as good as the options from Nixplay, but it’s a solid affordable option. The touchscreen is responsible and the 1280p display provides crisp photo quality. It comes with support for Google Assistant and Alexa. It’s worth noting that it does have a limit of 4,000 photos, but we think that’s plenty of storage. This is the lowest price we’ve seen.
Ebook Reader and Weighted Blanket Deals
This is our favorite Kindle alternative ebook reader, which is great if you prefer not to shop on Amazon. The Libra 2 comes equipped with a responsive 7-inch E Ink screen (with an adjustable front light and dark mode), 32 gigabytes of storage, physical page-turn buttons (a welcome feature), and Bluetooth support to connect headphones for audiobooks. It’s waterproof, which is ideal if you enjoy reading in the bath or by the pool.
We specifically like the Nook Glowlight 4e because it’s great for reading and comes with physical page-turn buttons. The bookstore offers a variety of cheap ebooks, all of which are $3 or less. Our only gripe is how frustrating it is to get a library book on this device since you’ll have to go through Adobe Digital Editions. Aside from that, it’s a solid option.
Let’s face it, almost every relationship has a blanket hog—whether it’s you or your partner. But Layla’s weighted blanket is the perfect solution thanks to its king-size option, which should be a lot easier to share. This blanket is discounted often, but this is the lowest price we’ve seen.
This is technically a budget version of Gravity’s weighted blankets, but it feels anything but. The 15-pound blanket is made of excellent, cool cotton that feels high-end. If your Valentine is more of a robe type, Gravity’s Fleece Weighted Robe (which we also love) is on sale as well for $40 ($90 off).
If you’re looking for a wide variety of weight options and sizes (including kid-specific ones), look no further than the Luna. We also love that it’s machine washable and comes in a bunch of nice designs and colors.
This is our favorite weighted throw. It’s not too thick or too hot, and its small size is perfect if you share a bed with someone who isn’t a fan of weighted blankets since it’ll only cover one of you. This blanket has dipped lower to $135 in the past, but we still consider this a solid deal. If you order directly from the site (use code HUG15 to apply the discount), the company will monogram the throw for free.
Since Casper’s weighted blanket is made of cool cotton, we recommend it for those who tend to get hot when bundled up. You have the choice of weight options, including 10, 15, and 20 pounds. Stuck on which one to get? WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says the lighter option provides a “comfortably squished feeling” while the heavier one is “a Thundershirt for humans.”
This is a great blanket for solo sleepers. It’s thin, so it’ll keep you cool throughout the night. It’s available in a number of weight options, including 10, 12, 15, 17, and 20 pounds.
This blanket is made out of cool cotton, but it comes with a cover made of Yogibo’s well-known cotton-and-spandex blend. It’s super soft, stretchy, and smooth. The blanket isn’t machine washable, but the cover is. Yogibo says this blanket comes with an antimicrobial treatment that keeps it “fresh longer.” We recommend the Yogibo Weigh Mate as well, which is on sale for $53 ($4 off).
If your significant other has ever expressed interest in being swaddled like a baby, we recommend the Sleep Pod. As with weighted blankets, which use deep-touch pressure therapy to soothe you—but without the weight and heat. The stretchy material clings to you instead, mimicking the feel of a soft hug. Prefer to have your feet out? Check out the Sleep Pod Move for $95 ($35 off). In addition to these discounts, Hug Sleep is offering a buy one, get one 50 percent off promotion.
Earbud, Headphone, and Smartphone Deals
The Google Pixel Buds Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are great earbuds for Android users who want a simple experience. You’ll also get the most bang for your buck. These buds pack beam-forming microphones, noise-canceling tech, and eight hours of battery life (complete with a wireless charging case). With multi-device pairing, you can connect them to your phone and laptop simultaneously.
If you want to block out the noise around you, Sony’s WH-1000XM4 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) are the best wireless earbuds on the market. These buds come equipped with foam ear tips, Sony’s digital signal processing, and a companion app to adjust the equalization and how much outside noise you want to hear. With an auto-pause feature, they can detect when you’re speaking and pause the music. Sony’s buds dipped lower to $179 in December, but we still think this is a solid deal.
The Arctis Nova 3 with Bluetooth is our favorite choice for voice chat on Switch—especially if you regularly play online Switch games that rely on Nintendo’s Switch online app for microphone input. These headphones allow you to listen to both audio sources at once. But they work with every major system.
The OnePlus 10 Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends) packs powerful hardware with a 120-Hz AMOLED screen, swift performance, and some of the quickest wired and wireless charging you’ll find in the US. Its cameras aren’t up to par with the Pixel 7 or Galaxy S22, but it does take nice photos. It’s worth noting it only packs sub-6 5G connectivity (no millimeter-wave here), and the T-Mobile version has an IP67 water-resistance rating while the unlocked version doesn’t. The 128 GB model is also discounted on Amazon for $590 ($109 off).
The ASUS ROG Phone 6 is our favorite gaming phone. It packs a massive 6.78-inch AMOLED screen, 165-Hz refresh rate, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, and 12 GB of RAM—making it a powerful phone. All of these features make for the smoothest gaming experience you’ll find in a phone.
Smartwatch and Fitness Tracker Deals
This is our favorite Garmin for most people, especially if you prefer the look of a traditional watch but still want smart-connected features. The entry-level smartwatch has an analog watch face but also packs a plethora of health and fitness features, including the ability to track heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep metrics, and more. It comes in attractive colors like Cocoa, Cool Mint, and Peach Gold.
The Forerunner 745 is the perfect companion for those who participate in triathlons. The smartwatch comes equipped with an altimeter, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a thermometer, and a blood oxygen sensor, along with underwater-based heart rate measuring for swimmers (a rare feature with wearables). You’ll have access to Garmin’s advanced training software, which helps to predict metrics such as your finish times, heat tolerance, and more.
For partners or family members who are dedicated runners, we recommend the Forerunner 45. Even though it’s an entry-level tracker, it comes with advanced features like satellite tracking to help determine your distance, pace, and stride length more precisely—making it easier to pinpoint where you need improvement. It comes with Incident Detection, which sends your real-time location to emergency contacts for peace of mind when running alone.
The Inspire 3 is our favorite budget tracker. Equipped with a pedometer and SpO2 sensor, it tracks the basics like steps and sleep. Since it connects to your smartwatch, you’ll receive notifications for incoming calls, texts, and more. In our testing, we experienced some connectivity issues and inaccurate tracking (like overestimating the amount of sleep we got), but we still think it’s a solid and affordable fitness tracker if you just want to keep an eye on your metrics.
Click the coupon button on the page to see the discount at checkout. This smartwatch doesn’t have the most impressive battery life (you’ll most likely have to charge it in the morning after tracking sleep) and it feels a bit cheap. But if you’re mainly focused on fitness tracking, it’s an affordable smartwatch that accurately logs metrics. It’ll also receive Wear OS 3 in the future.
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best smartwatch if your valentine has an Android phone—especially a Samsung. It’s just as accurate as the Apple Watch when tracking health and fitness metrics, including heart rate, SpO2, and sleep. It takes electrocardiogram measurements (although that’s exclusive to Samsung phones) and has a GPX feature that allows you to download hiking routes to the watch. It’s worth noting this watch is on the larger side, so we recommend it for those with big wrists to avoid inaccurate tracking.
Fitbit’s Charge 5 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is affordable, comfortable, and easy-to-use. In addition to the basics like tracking step count and calories burned throughout the day, it packs advanced fitness features such as onboard and connected GPS (so you can accurately track outdoor workouts), an SpO2 sensor to track blood oxygen levels throughout the night, an ECG app for heart monitoring, and more.
Massage Gun Deals
Click the coupon button on the page to see the discount at checkout. Sportneer’s Percussive Massage Gun received an honorable mention in our roundup. You’ll get six attachments (two of which are metal-topped to use with massage oil) and six intensity levels—the last two or three feel were a bit too intense for us, though.
Click the coupon button on the page to see the discount at checkout. In our testing, we found that the Lairlux proved to be a bit difficult to figure out in terms of placement. And its attachments were only just fine compared to other massage guns we’ve used. But if you’re interested in one with digital controls that allow you to set an exact intensity level (this one goes from one to 20), it’s a solid option.
Click the coupon button on the page to see the discount at checkout. Massage guns can get intense, but this one features one of the lowest intensity levels we’ve tested. And if it’s too low, there’s also a higher level that still feels rather powerful. It comes with seven attachments, including one that’s designed to help with cellulite.
Sex Toy Deals
The Sona 2 Cruise is the best suction toy we’ve tested. It’s also our number-one recommendation for those who want to try something new. The body fits perfectly in the hand, the buttons are intuitive, and it offers a variety of intensities that’ll suit almost any preference. With Lelo’s Cruise Control technology, it’ll increase intensity when it’s pressed hard against the body.
With gentle vibrations and soft suction, we suggest the Sila if you’re looking for a slow build. It has eight quiet settings—the highest one being noticeably less intense than what you might be used to. The wide mouth focuses more on surrounding erogenous zones than similar sex toys out there, leading to a deeper and longer-lasting orgasm.
The Enigma is built to stimulate both the clitoris and the G-spot. But rather than relying on vibration, its clitoral stimulation arm features a powerful air pulse mechanism with suction that mimics the sensation of receiving oral sex. Meanwhile, the bigger, rounder end of the toy is home to the vibration motor. Its body is flexible, allowing you to use one end or the other at a time, or both simultaneously.
Squeezing lube out of a bottle until the cold goop squirts out isn’t the most arousing act. But the Pulse dispenser helps make the task a lot easier. All you have to do is plug it in, add the lube, and hold your hand underneath the sensor to dispense warmed lube onto your hand. It’s also a great option if you or your partner have dexterity issues and have difficulty pumping a bottle of lube. Our only grip is that you have to buy Pulse’s proprietary lube pods which are a bit more expensive than the standard option.
Subscription Box and Meal Kit Deals
The word Quintal refers to the weight in which coffee beans are both bought and sold in South America—which makes sense for this service that works directly with growers and roasters in some of Central and South America’s most acclaimed coffee-growing regions. Since it ships straight from the origin within one to three days of roasting, your coffee is going to arrive as fresh as possible. It’s a great subscription for the coffee lover in your life.
Atlas is one of our favorite services particularly because it brings you coffee from all around the world. You can choose between light-to-medium roasts, medium-to-dark roasts, or both. In our experience, each arrived on time, was nicely packaged, and came with some notes about the country of origin. This coffee subscription is great for the adventurous type though, since it’s possible you might get beans you’re not a fan of. In honor of Valentine’s Day, you’ll get your first bag free.
If your Valentine is a tea drinker, we love this subscription box from Sips By. Each box comes with four types of teas per box (which is about 16 cups a month) with the option to choose between pre-bagged teas or loose leaf and filters. You’ll get information on how to properly steep each type of tea. And if you don’t want to choose the specific flavors for your giftee, you can opt for a gift card for the number of boxes you’d like to send.
This meal kit offers a variety of soups, noodle bowls, grain bowls, smoothies, and shots. So, yes, it’s for the type of person who likes a very natural taste to their food. All meals are plant-based and free of GMOs and gluten. You can schedule deliveries as infrequently as once per month. This deal applies to your first three boxes on plans that cost $100 or more.
[ad_2]
Source link
