Best Gifts for Valentine’s Day in 2023

Valentine’s Day is a time when romance is in the air, roses are sold by the dozen, and everything from chocolates to rib-eye steaks becomes heart-shaped. But February 14 isn’t just a time for lovers. Even if you’re single, the day opens up an opportunity to make significant others in your life feel a little more special — and depending on your love language, expressing your affection to those you care about might involve finding the best gifts for Valentine's Day. 

What constitutes a great Valentine’s Day gift? It depends who you’re buying for, of course. Luckily we’ve compiled a list of the best Valentine’s Day gifts for anyone in your life that you cherish. Don’t wait until the last minute and be one of those panicked folks standing in a CVS line buying a box of Russell Stover chocolates that nobody actually likes. 

— Best for Audiophiles: Hisense HS312 3.1ch Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer
— Best for Healthier Living: Coway Airmega 250 Smart Air Purifier
— Best for Active Lifestyles: Jabra Elite 4 Active In-Ear Bluetooth Earbuds
— Best for Romance: Arcwave Ion
— Also Great for Romance: Magic Wand Plus
— Best for Gamers: 8BitDo Arcade Stick
— Best for Home Chefs: Joule Sous Vide
— Best for Handypersons: Dremel Smart Rotary Tool
— Best for Chocolate Lovers: Green and Black’s Chocolate Gift Set
— Best for Bibliophiles: Samsung Tab A7 Lite
— Best for Cozy Homebodies: Keen Howser Slide Slipper 

The Best Valentine’s Day Gifts: Reviews & Recommendations

Best for Audiophiles: Hisense HS312 3.1ch Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer

Key Selling Point: Crisp, cinematic sound for romantic movie dates and cozy nights in.

For the most part, your television’s built-in audio is pretty solid, especially if you’re the kind of person who mostly watches YouTube and streams Star Trek: Deep Space Nine reruns. But occasionally, your sound system could use a boost, especially if romance is in the cards. The Hisense HS312 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer not only offers serious fidelity, but it couldn’t be any more user-friendly. it has multiple EQ presets for whatever genre of music you want to woo your valentine to, from Luther Vandross to Billy Joel. The Hisense soundbar also has built-in Dolby Atmos sound, which means your humble television will produce cinema-quality sound to not only hear but feel every scene. It even comes Roku TV ready, so you'll be able to set up and navigate it even more easily. 

Best for Healthier Living: Coway Airmega 250 Smart Air Purifier

Key Selling Point: Breath easier, even in massive rooms, with this sleek purifier. 

New Year’s resolutions are still fresh in our minds, and hopefully, you’re still sticking to yours. And while you and your loved ones may be cutting calories and hopping on the exercise bike every day, you’re likely overlooking a crucial aspect of healthy living: fresh air. Pollutants and allergens are floating through the air, just waiting to be sucked into your lungs where they can potentially do damage. The Coway Airmega 250 purifies the air in rooms up to 930 square feet, reducing contaminants by up to 99.99 percent via the Green True HEPA Filter. The built-in LED bar even indicates how dirty or clean the air in your house is. Best of all, it’s energy-efficient because it adapts to the air of the room it’s operating in. Also, the Coway Airmega is quiet as a church mouse. And while this isn’t exactly a necessary feature for air purifiers, it certainly doesn’t hurt that it looks sleek as hell. As far as Valentine’s Day gifts go, it’s equally unexpected and fantastic. 

Best for Active Lifestyles: Jabra Elite 4 Active In-Ear Bluetooth Earbuds

Key Selling Point: For joggers, lifters, and bikers, these wireless earbuds are a must-have. 

Do you have someone in your life who simply won’t stop? Surely, at least one of your loved ones is the kind of person who exhausts you just by looking at them. The kind of person who’s always on the move, who hasn’t stopped to chill out since the first Obama Administration. Cardio isn’t just something they do a couple of times a week to counteract the effects of time on their bodies — it’s practically a religion. But surely, even the “natural high” these folks get when they exercise has to wear off. Luckily, a pair of solid in-ear Bluetooth headphones will help maintain their Energizer Bunny-lifestyle by pumping sweet tunes or podcasts into their ears. They’re IP57 waterproof, which means they can survive getting a little wet, whether it’s rain or sweat. For that next endurance race, Jabra Elite 4 earbuds last for seven hours on a single charge (28 if you’re using the fast-charge case). There’s even a built-in microphone in case the outside world is bothering your valentine when they're zoning out in the middle of a jog. It’s even got adjustable noise-cancellation, so they can stay as plugged in (or out) as they like. 

Best for Romance: Arcwave Ion

Key Selling Point: This air-powered stroker promises unmatched bedroom fun.

Valentine’s Day, perhaps above all, is a day for lovers. It provides a great opportunity for even the most trepidatious couples. And what better way to expand horizons in the bedroom than with this space-age device? The Arcwave Ion utilizes the power of air to provide a new type of orgasm. It touts the ability to generate the same sensations of vaginal orgasms for folks with penises. By targeting Pacinian pleasure receptors in the frenulum, the Arcwave Ion can help anyone achieve new pleasurable heights, whether you’re playing alone or with a loved one. Better yet, the actual maintenance of this device couldn’t be more user-friendly. The companion stand keeps the Arcwave running smoothly while drying it out completely between uses, so it’s ready to go at a moment’s notice. 

Also Great for Romance: Magic Wand Plus

Key Selling Point: The most popular personal massager is equally great for couples play or self-love for those with vaginas.

There’s perhaps no name more synonymous with “personal massager” than the Magic Wand. And while it works pretty solid as a neck and back massager, the potential of the Magic Wand Plus isn’t truly tapped until you use it in other — let’s call them “zones.” It offers powerful and penetrating vibrations that are similar to spa-like massages. When used in romantic situations, the pleasure possibilities can be explosive, literally and figuratively. With up to 6,300 vibrations per minute, you can go from soft rumbles to intense pulses with just a few button clicks. The soft silicone tip and flexible neck allow for much creative potential for you and your romantic partner. But the beauty of it is it’s great for even the loneliest of hearts on Valentine’s Day. Once fun time is over, it stores easily because the power supply is completely detachable. 

Best for Gamers: 8BitDo Arcade Stick

Key Selling Point: The magic of the arcade is updated to fit modern gaming hardware. 

There is nothing under the sun more aptly named than a “joystick.” For anyone old enough to remember skating rinks and mall pretzels, there are few smacks of nostalgia that hit quite as hard as playing on an arcade machine. And while owning a full-blown cabinet is both a cash and room space investment, you can still capture a bit of that coin-op magic with the 8BitDo Arcade Stick. It works equally well on Nintendo Switch and Windows, so everything from Street Fighter to Turtles in Time can be played the way it was meant to be played: with a joystick. And because your devices read it as a regular joystick, you can also use it on modern titles. Like any great gamepad, it comes with tons of customization options. It’s even modifiable, so you can switch out buttons and sticks at will. 

Best for Home Chefs: Joule Sous Vide

Key Selling Point: Lets you make restaurant-quality fare at home any day of the week. 

Valentine’s Day is an absolute amateur hour for couples who put off date night. Expect to deal with hellish crowds, unbearable wait times, and even price gouging. The truth is, you don’t have to be the Barefoot Contessa to make a fancy meal for your beloved in the confines of your humble kitchen. The whole concept of cooking food in Ziploc bags in circulated water is a method restaurants have been using for decades, and now, you can tap into this magic at home. Cooking via sous vide is a method for easy, and unfathomably delicious food, whether you plan on making a heart-shaped porterhouse or a shareable Mason jar of creme brulee. Ditch the crowds, and fall in love with this convenient and seemingly magic cooking technique. Breville’s Joule Sous Vide even comes with an app full of recipes and detailed instructions, so there’s no guesswork or stress come date night. 

Best for Handypersons: Dremel Smart Rotary Tool

Key Selling Point: A power tool with a companion app is a great home-improvement workhorse. 

Every family has one — the person who loves to build everything from shelves to treehouses. Why buy a pre-made swing set when you can build one that will cost more and also not look as good? Still, everyone needs a hobby. For these wannabe carpenters, the Dremel Smart Rotary tool is just the thing to improve their game. It’s compatible with up to 180 different attachments, from screwdrivers to grinders and sanders. Not only is it built with versatility in mind, but the smartphone app syncs up to optimize performance no matter what attachment you use. It may be cordless, but rest assured, it doesn’t sacrifice versatility for power. And like any great power tool, it comes with its own cozy carrying case. 

Best for Chocolate Lovers: Green and Black’s Chocolate Gift Set

Key Selling Point: This chocolate sampler is easy on taste buds as it is the environment

I was trash-talking chocolate boxes earlier, and I stand by the well-earned hate. I don’t know who Russell Stover is, but he belongs in a cage for his many crimes against the humble cacao bean. Luckily, there’s plenty of actually good chocolate to be had. This gift set comprises six of Green and Black’s best bars, including 70 percent and 85 percent dark, milk with or without almonds, and even a pretty stellar white chocolate. Tasty as each of these bars are, they’re made from fair trade sourced cacao beans that are grown sustainably and sourced ethically making them Climate Pledge friendly. Plus, the way they’re packaged is attractive enough to count as a great gift on Valentine’s Day or any gift-giving holiday. 

Best for Bibliophiles: Samsung Tab A7 Lite

Key Selling Point: For just a few dollars more, the Samsung Tab A7 Lite does everything the Fire Tablet can do and more. 

Even the most stauch book lovers will eventually fall for the convenience and portability of an eReader. And while the iPad and the Fire tablet are all but ubiquitous in this space, the Samsung Tab A7 Lite might be a more prudent choice for the bibliophile in your life. Using this humble and affordable tablet, they can read everything from Ulysses to the latest issue of Nat Geo easier than ever. The 8.7-inch screen is massive for a tablet at this price, and it works great as a dedicated streaming device for those extra lazy weekend mornings. It can even be used for some light gaming. Plus, it syncs up to other Samsung devices for a supreme level of connectivity. Let’s see a Fire Tablet do that. 

Best for Cozy Homebodies: Keen Howser Slide Slipper 

Key Selling Point: The humble house slipper gets an even cozier upgrade. 

Some of us feel our happiest when we’re in our homes. Current events aside, hermits are having a bit of a moment, since everything from a home theater experience to a restaurant-quality meal can be had without the cumbersome step of having to put on pants. For the loved one in your life who’s happy to be homebound, these slippers from KEEN are a godsend. They’re water-resistant and have non-marking rubber outsoles, so they’re equally comfortable indoors and during brief walks to the mailbox alike. The footbed is lined with memory foam for an unmatched level of comfort. They can even be worn to bed if you’re sly enough. 

Final Thoughts on The Best Valentine’s Day Gifts

The best Valentine's Day gifts depend on who you’re buying for of course, but in general, avoiding the obvious is usually the best choice. After all, what dad actually wants a tie on Father’s Day? Conversely, I’m not sure there’s anyone with a pulse who enjoys eating crummy chocolate. Teddy bears are cute, but they lose their charm once you reach learner’s permit age. And yes, roses are nice, but their beauty is ever so fleeting. Instead, why not get your loved one something that they actually want? Our selections cover a myriad of tastes and lifestyles. But if romance is in the cards, you could do worse than the Arcwave Ion or Magic Wand Pro. 

This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurism’s owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.