Christmas is right around the corner, but if you’re still scrambling for the right gift, our last minute Xmas gift guide could just help you in a pinch.
With only two shopping days left until Christmas, if you’re still looking for that gift, you’re officially a last minute shopper.
So let’s make this easier with a small-ish gift guide made for the late Xmas shoppers, and even tell you where you can find the gifts at, linking to the ones where the prices are lowest to help you price match if you need to.
From phones to headphones and speakers, with tablets and a little bit more, we’re looking at what’s available and which stores are stocking them all to help you beat the rush and get your gifts sorted.
Technology for kids
Finding a gadget for the kids doesn’t have to be a struggle, because while you can look for a game console at any electronic store, here are some other options that could be helpful, too, last minute as they are.
JBL Pop Jr speaker
Price: $29
Cut down from just under $50, JBL’s pint-sized speaker made for little people is just under $30 at the moment at Big W, providing a burst of sound in a design that can be clipped to the backpack of a little person.
Other Australian outlets are running the JBL Pop Jr for between $39 and $49, so this is one you might want to try and price match if you want it.
They will need a way of playing music, and that’s likely where your phone comes in, or alternatively their phone depending on how old you want to give your child that device.
Available at Big W
Garmin Vivofit Jr 2
Price: $109
You’re probably not going to buy your kids an Apple Watch, but if they’re complaining about not having their own wearable endorsed with their favourite characters, the Vivofit Jr 2 could give them that and provide a way to track their health.
Garmin’s Vivofit Jr bands come in a variety of styles, from Frozen to Star Wars and more, and seems to be discounted a little for the holiday season.
We’ve seen prices as low as $109 at Big W and Officeworks, while Harvey Norman and Target sells these for $117 and $129 respectively.
Available at Big W and Officeworks
Canon Inspic C
Price: $150
A little on the stranger side for Canon, its Inspic C is a digital camera with a small printer inside.
Using the same ZINK technology that’s been around for years, the Canon Inspic C is a fairly low resolution camera, offering 5 megapixels of quality, yet a printer on the back.
You’d call this one a gimmick, because it really is, and Canon isn’t the first to try it. Polaroid did exactly the same thing a few years ago, but the execution here looks to be a little smaller and easier to carry.
ZINK paper is not tremendously inexpensive, mind you, but if you’re after a unique gadget that revitalises the whole Polaroid feeling of instant snaps, the Canon Inspic C could be worth a look. Typically a $179 item, Big W seems to have the best price at the moment for $150, while Digidirect offers it for $169 and Harvey Norman for $179.
Available at Big W, Digidirect, and Harvey Norman
Apple iPad 10.2
Price: $499
Saving money on an iPad often seems next to impossible, but with the holiday season comes a saving or two.
This year’s standard iPad is the slightly larger iPad 10.2, complete with the keyboard port on the side and Apple Pencil support, and it is seeing a drop from its recommended retail price of $529 down to $499 this holiday season. We’ve seen it at $499 at Big W and Officeworks, while JB is still pushing the standard $529 price alongside Harvey Norman, and Bing Lee sits marginally lower at $525.
If you ever wanted to price match an iPad, now might be your chance.
Available at Big W and Officeworks
Headphones & speakers
Thinking the gift of personal sound will work? No worries, because we have a few suggestions that could get portable audio properly sorted for the holidays in 2019.
BlueAnt Pump Air 2
Price: $129
A less expensive take than many of the truly wireless in-earphones you can find out in the world, the Australian BlueAnt Pump Air 2 are a tiny and lightweight take on the tech for a price that’s hard for many to pass up.
While they’re typically $169, the holiday season seems to have seen them drop to $129 at JB HiFi and also at Officeworks.
Available at JB HiFi and Officeworks
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2
Price: $98
Thinking of a small speaker, and need one that needs to be water resistant? The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 is this year’s take on the UE pint-sized speaker formula, offering a lot of sound in a squished can of a package.
Like previous Boom models, it’s resistant to water and comes with some pretty cool paint jobs, plus a good 13 hours of battery life.
The UE Wonderboom 2 is normally $129, but we’re seeing it for $98 at Officeworks and at Bing Lee for the same price, while you can find it for $99 at Harvey Norman, JB HiFi, and Myer.
Available at Bing Lee and Officeworks, as well as Harvey Norman, JB HiFi, and Myer
Google Nest Hub
Price: $129
What was originally the Google Home Hub is now the Google Nest Hub, but almost everything about it is still the same from when we reviewed it last year.
The Nest Hub offers a 7 inch smart display, able to provide music, news, weather, and take your commands, while showing off your favourite photos like the coolest digital photo frame.
Typically a $199 item, Harvey Norman has it for $127 alongside a similar deal at Officeworks, while Big W seems to have it for $129 matching JB HiFi’s price.
Depending on what’s closest and how much two bucks is to you, this could be one to price match.
Available at Big W, Harvey Norman, JB HiFi, and Officeworks
Apple HomePod
Price: $364
Apple’s thoroughly excellent speaker has never been quite this inexpensive, and yet for the holiday season, you might be able to grab one for a hundred bucks less than its regular cost.
Typically a $469 item, the HomePod is being pushed at Officeworks for a little over a hundred less, arriving for $364. We’re not sure if that means something is about to happen for the speaker, but no one else appears be hitting a price that low, with The Good Guys, JB HiFi, and Harvey Norman all pricing Apple’s speaker at $469.
If you ever wanted a price match, a one hundred dollar saving is sure to be a tempting idea.
Available at Officeworks
Smartphones
Thinking of grabbing a phone in the last minute rush? Whether you opt for prepaid or outright, you should be able to find an option to suit.
Oppo AX7
Price: $277
A not bad phone at a not bad price, the 6.2 inch Oppo AX7 was one of the year’s mid-range phones, but when it launched, it did so at $399.
At the end of the year, this 64GB 4G phone is sitting at $277, making it a cost effective entry for folks looking for enough of a phone that won’t break the bank, complete with two cameras at the back.
Officeworks has the Oppo AX7 for $277, while JB HiFi is selling it for $279, and other outlets tend to go for a $299 price.
Available at JB HiFi and Officeworks
Google Pixel 3a
Price: $549
Easily one of the best phones of the year, the Pixel 3a dazzles with its feature set and capabilities, performing almost as well as its Pixel 3 sibling, and even managing to feel more complete than the rather ordinary Pixel 4.
Typically, the Pixel 3a starts at $649, something we noted in our Pixel 3a review, but for the holidays, you can find it for a little under that, with a hundred lower being reported in Australian retail.
For the holidays, JB HiFi has it for $549 as does Officeworks, beating out some competitors which have dropped it to $598.
Available at JB HiFi and Officeworks
Gift cards
If you’re not finding anything works, you might want to consider a gift card. Whether it’s for iTunes so the person you’re buying for can get movies, music, apps, or games for an iDevice, or a Google Play card for their Android device, or maybe even something from another service, such as Netflix or Spotify, a gift card could fit the bill, too.
You typically won’t find many companies competing on gift cards, though you might find the odd retailer providing 10 or 15 percent off iTunes cards at times, as Officeworks, Coles, and Woolworths have been known to do.
An “IOU” can work, too
While you work your last minute holiday shopping magic, consider that you might not need to get anything more than a promise to get something in the holiday sales.
Not everything will go on sale, but much will, so if you’re wanting to buy some sort of gadget and suspect it could drop in price, you might want to consider waiting, or even asking the retailer cheekily whether it will see a bit of a price drop during the expected Boxing Day sales.
