The RRP of these TVs ($4079 for the 55-inch model, $5249 for the 65-inch) makes them a pretty extravagant Christmas present, to be sure, but we’ve seen them on sale for 33 percent off or less. Which leads to this ingenious plan: buy one of these for your loved one, and use the money you save to get something nice for yourself.
Like, nice for $1000.
Around $3000 for the 55-inch model and around $4000 for the 65-inch model.
Apple Watch Ultra
Rugged, even handsome – the Apple Watch Ultra has a half-decent battery life.
You don’t have to be a rock climber or a polar explorer to understand what Apple’s latest smartwatch, the Watch Ultra, has to offer. You must be someone like us who thinks that charging your watch every day is absolutely absurd.
The Ultra is Apple’s first watch with half-decent battery life. And we mean that literally. It can last three days without recharging, which is still only half of what one would expect, but still a big improvement over what Apple is offering.
It’s rugged, ruggedly handsome, and has a second button not found on other Apple Watches. But really, better battery life is what matters.
Oh, and whoever you give it to should also be an iPhone user. Sadly, Apple doesn’t let Android users anywhere near its toys. $1299
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Headphones
Sennheiser’s Christmas surprise: Momentum 4 wireless headphones.
In an era with a plethora of fantastic Bluetooth headphones, Sennheiser has pulled off a Christmas miracle by coming up with a pair that stands head and shoulders above its similarly priced rivals.
Not only do the Sennheiser Momentum 4 wireless headphones have twice the battery life of many of their competitors (60 hours with noise-cancellation turned on!), they’re also very comfortable, reasonably easy to control, and support desirable Bluetooth standards such as great sound. aptX adaptive and multipoint, allowing you to connect them to two devices at the same time.
The earphones are a bit dull to look at, but that cannot be remedied by the judicious application of stickers.
What’s more, the headphones come with a good old-fashioned headphone jack, which is a bit of a surprise these days.
Yes, they’re a bit bland to look at, but like most things in life, that’s nothing that can’t be fixed with the judicious application of stickers, which led to this ingenious plan: get a loved one a pair of Sennheiser, a sticker maker for yourself, and include a personalized sticker in the box.
$550 for a Cricut Maker 3 for you, and $600 or more.
Satechi USB-C 4-Port GaN Charger
It’s not the prettiest gift, but Satechi’s USB-C 4-Port GaN Charger will grow on the recipient.
You can’t quickly thank someone for giving them a gallium nitride (GaN) charger for Christmas. Of course, you can never say thank you. But mark my word, whoever you give it to will appreciate the gift (and, by proxy, the giver), especially when traveling or having multiple devices that need to be charged at once.
The Bomb is GaN chargers that pack a ton of wattage into a very compact and energy efficient power brick.
Satechi’s four-port USB-C GaN charger can deliver up to 165 watts of power to a laptop, a tablet, a phone, a pair of headphones — anything that takes USB power. Depending on how much power the laptop draws, the Satechi may allow you to power them all at the same time without overheating and/or blowing up. (When I said “bomb” earlier, I meant it figuratively. GaN chargers don’t heat up as easily as older technology.)
However, it’s worth noting that any one port on the Satechi is limited to 100 watts of output (165 watts is the total output across the four USB ports), while it’s powered. almost Of all the USB-powered notebooks on the market, there are some notebooks like the 16-inch MacBook Pro that require 140 watts.
Satechi will still work, but it may recharge such notebooks a little slower. $199
STM Goods Airstrip and StickAir
STM Goods’ AirStrip and StickAir perform better than they look. Bling them with Christmas baubles.
Last Christmas we recommended AirTag, Apple’s game-changing tracker device that uses a vast network of iPhones and iPads to help you track everything from keys to pets.
We believe you took our advice and haven’t lost a single item since.
But if Airtags have any weakness other than privacy concerns that they could be used to track people, they’re difficult to attach to certain items like skateboards and bicycles. (For example, we had to use a 3D printer to create an Airtag mount for our e-bike.)
Enter Australian accessory maker STM Goods, which makes slotted stickers (SticAir) and wrap-around bands (AirStrip) for AirTags to help you attach them to a wide variety of items.
We especially like the StickAir, which looks like a big bandaid and might help you hide your AirTag in plain sight. AirTags have the two drawbacks I’ve already mentioned, and if the first thing a thief does is remove them, they’re useless against theft.
Other brands of Bluetooth tracker tags could also fit into the slot, but given the high iPhone ownership in Australia and the way iPhones are set up to report the location of Air Tags By defaultThis ingenious plan is the most effective way to go: Get some AirTags and some AirStrip for your favorite Android owner, and a new iPhone for yourself to help them find stuff when it goes missing.
A two-pack of Stick Air is $24.95 and a two-pack of Airstrip.
Therabody Smart Goggles
Therabody SmartGoggles aren’t for everyone, so you might want to keep them.
Therabody’s products are not everyone’s cup of tea. For example, people love the Theragon Percussive Massager, which we featured in last year’s Christmas gift guide, or they hate it.
We feel this rule applies to Therabody’s SmartGoggles, a battery-powered eye mask that heats, vibrates and performs a kind of acupressure massage around one of the most sensitive parts of your body.
SmartGoggles, which you control with your phone, can be set for five- to 30-minute programs designed for relaxation, concentration or sleep. With these programs, the sound of the vibration and massage machine can be a bit overwhelming, and you can go from wondering if you’re on a big machine. is A big machine. It might be weird.
But put on a pair of headphones or earbuds, there’s another way to use the smartwatches: as part of a guided meditation that takes you out of the machine and into a dream state.
As I said, it won’t be for everyone, which is why this strategic plan: find a way to try them yourself, and if you like them, buy them as a gift for someone. There is a 50:50 chance that they will return to you a day or a week later. $299
Life & Leisure’s bumper Christmas gift guide edition will be published in The Australian Financial Review on Friday 2 December and Saturday 3 December.
