Eight must-have tech finds from Currys, Dunelm, and Lakeland

03 February 2024 , 07:00

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Retro and colour was a clear theme on my shopping trip, and I was on a hunt to find the cheapest prices

February is here and for hundreds of bargain-hunting shoppers, it's a prime time to stock up on your favourite products and brands, as January deals start whistling to an end. And this time around I'm included in the bunch as I'm on a mission to upgrade my household tech as I try and make my brand new flat feel more homey..... without breaking the bank.

Having made the jump from fully-furnished to completely bare there are a lot of products I've been buying over the last few months, and the costs can quickly ramp up. From my clearance bargain sofa to IKEA goodies I had a hard time finding cheaper anywhere else.

When it comes to tech there are a few places in our new home we needed to fill, from plug-in heaters to make the bedroom feel cosy this winter, home office add-ons, and kitchen appliances. Even though I already have a very gratefully received hand-me-down HITACHI TV the thought of one of Samsung's newest models I have to admit is pretty tempting.

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Currys was the first port of call, and potentially the most obvious choice for anyone on the lookout to browse products from the latest brands, in-person, and all under the same roof. And as soon as I walked I was immediately drawn to the pink aura of the Philips Hue section.

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These Philips Hue products are bound to make any space feel tranquil

It's a brand of product I've seen raved about online many times before but I've never actually come across in person before, designed to create inviting light and cost atmosphere around the home I'm not surprised the first product that caught my eye was the Philips Hue Bar, you can also pick up a set-for-two.

Fitted with LED lights the gadgets are designed to change the ambience of a room with different colours and transitions but these Philips devices go a step further and change depending on the sound being played around the house - I could fit these behind my TV and get dramatic cinema-like mood lighting each time there's a tense part of a thriller film.

The second product that caught my eye was the mesmerising The Frame TV by Samsung, even up close its picture-like design is scarily accurate. If a high-tech 4K smart TV is for you but you want something that's going to blend in with your living room or bedroom interiors (or wherever you need a TV) then this device is certainly one for you.

Even in person it's hard to believe that Samusung's The Frame TV isn't an oil painting

The Frame TV blends into its surroundings as once you've switched off your favourite film or binge-wroth series (at the moment my fix is Love Island All Stars) the screen transforms into a digital frame, packed with real-life colours to look like a piece of wall art. In-store they had multiple transitions of eye-catching pink and purple.

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The one that caught my eye (above) is the 85-inch model, the biggest at most expensive in Samsung's swanky range, priced at £2,799, as Currys was paying a lot of attention in-store to its £200 discount, I also spotted a sign that said you'd get £300 in cashback when you buy - that's £500 in savings.

If I didn't already have a working keyboard and mouse for my home office set up I would have gone straight to the tills

We want to add some colour to our currently monochrome black, grey, and white home office and the next product I stumbled across looked perfect to add a touch of colour - plus it's an everyday essential I couldn't work without. This Logitech Pebble Keys 2 would certainly stand without taking up too much desk space thanks to its sleek look.

You can add the matching mouse to a bundle order online

Of course being an overexcited shopper I couldn't spot the pastel pink Logitech keyboard without picking up the matching pink mouse, intrigued to see how much the set would be. The Logitech Pebble Keys 2 is priced at £44.99 and you can pick up the donning mouse, the Logitech Pebble 2 Wireless Optical Mouse for £24.99.

Office, living room, bedroom and even hallway this next product can pretty much be added to any room in your home. I certainly had ideas this Roberts Stream94L would go perfectly in our kitchen, next to the bar cart. Priced at £199 the smart speaker is pretty on par with rival brands, like Sonos when it comes to price, especially considering its size and trendy design.

Adapted from Roberts classic tuned-in radio this smart speaker upgrade has a 2.8-inch display and 120 different radio presets. Of course, you can also stream your favourite playlists online with access to Spotify, Amazon, and Deezer.

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I loved this nostalgic styled Roberts radio turned smart speaker

Happy with my mooch around Currys, and keen to branch out from my seemingly pink-themed tech finds (apart from the Roberts radio) I tried my luck across the road at Dunelm. This unlikely tech retailer was home to some bargain finds, and I caved just metres from the front door on this Smeg look-alike Kettle and Toaster.

If there's one take from my afternoon of retail therapy is that anything pastel, pink or retro is likely to catch my eye as this kitsch Dunelm-own set did. At £45 this kettle was a no-brainer for me and I couldn't help but think it had the same look as a £134 Smeg Kettle. To add matching appliances to my new worktop I also spotted the toaster in the same retro range, also priced at £45 which brings the full set to £90.

Dunelm is currently selling a £90 Kettle and Toaster set that has a similar look to Smeg, but a lot cheaper (Harriet Morphy-Morris)

I was trying my best to stay clear of the gorgeous home goods, like Morocon-style rattan baskets, toiletry hangers and Oliver Bonas-style front door matts - I certainly have acquired enough of these over the last few weeks. So my next pick was a lot more practical.

It's certainly felt freezing over the last month, and with touches of snow still forecasted for February I was on the lookout for an affordable heater to help curve the chill. I'm quite lucky that our new flat traps in the heat quite well, with sun-facing windows (for the rare glares at this time of the year) and no outside access to create drafts.

Dunelm has added this handy plug-in heater to its stock, and it costs less than £20

This £18 Plug-In PTC Heater may just work, and it's ideal for anyone with the lack of space for a bigger floor-standing one, as you can see even the box fits in one hand. It may be small but a quick look on the back of the box shows it creates 500W of energy and has two different fan speed settings, as well as a thermostat to set the the right temperature.

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Cooking up a storm is something I enjoy doing (well I try) so kitchen tech wasn't at the top of my appliance list, bar the toaster and kettle I desperately need, but I still decided to take a peak to see what was hot-in at Lakeland - a brand of tech I've come to love to use in the kitchen and a firm-favourite rival for more expensive products at Ninja and Tefal (in my opinion).

This is why I headed straight over to the air fryer section at the back of my local store, home to its Ninja-rivalling Lakeland Dual Basket AirFryer. At £99.99 Lakeland's own brand of worktop air fryer has two baskets (an eight litre and five litre), eight different cooking programmes, a touchscreen display, and can reach temperatures of up to 200 degrees.

The £99 Lakeland Dual Basket Airfyer is often compared to Ninja's more expensive model

Also out on display was a range of different airfrying accessories, including liners and the Lakeland Budget Airfryer Cookbook. Priced at £16.99 the book is filled with affordable home cooked meal ideas that can all be done in the worktop device, instead of a convectional oven (if that wasn't obvious).

From swanky Samsung Frame TV's home office staples, plug-in heaters and popular airfryers all three retailers; Currys, Lakeland and Dunelm had a handful of eye-catching deals. Although it was certainly Currys that stood out on top with its £300 cashback offer on the Samsung TV set.

Harriet Morphy-Morris