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SalesLast updated: 25 Aug 2026Posted byLiam Harris

8 Best Tech Gifts for Dad This Father's Day

8 Best Tech Gifts for Dad This Father's Day

The best tech gifts for dad share one trait: he's still using them in December. That rules out gadgets that need charging schedules he won't keep and apps he won't open, and it rules in the four categories dads actually wear out: phones, tablets, smartwatches and laptops. Father's Day falls on Sunday 6 September this year, and below are eight picks from A$369 across those four categories, matched to different kinds of dads, budgets and the tech he already owns. Every one is refurbished, which is the quiet trick of good gift-giving: the same budget buys one tier better than retail, with a 12-month warranty either way. All eight are live in our Father's Day sale with free Australia-wide shipping in time for the day.

How We Chose These Picks

Four filters produced this list. First, daily usefulness: every pick is something a dad uses every day without changing his habits. Second, software life: each device still has years of official updates ahead, because a gift that stops getting security patches in eighteen months is a bad gift at any price. Third, condition: everything here is available in Like New or Grade A condition, the grades we recommend for gifting since they look essentially untouched out of the box. Fourth, live Australian pricing: every price below was checked against current Phonebot stock, not RRPs from a press release.

The 8 Best Tech Gifts for Dad at a Glance

GiftBest forWorks withPrice from
Apple Watch Series 10The health kick he keeps mentioningHis existing iPhoneA$369
iPhone 13The overdue phone upgradeAny carrier, his old iPhone backupA$499
iPad 10th Gen (Cellular)News, sport and the group chatAny data SIM or eSIMA$519
Samsung Galaxy S24The Android dadAny carrier, his Google accountA$559
Microsoft Surface Pro 8The home-office dadFull Windows 11A$599
Google Pixel 9The family photographerAny carrier, his Google accountA$649
iPhone 16eThe modern iPhone, sensibly pricedAny carrier, pairs with Apple WatchA$689
iPhone 16 Pro MaxThe big family giftAny carrier, the full Apple ecosystemA$1,319

1. Apple Watch Series 10, from A$369

The gift that nags him to move, so you don't have to. The Series 10 carries the largest, thinnest display of any Apple Watch generation before it, and its health stack is the real gift: continuous heart-rate monitoring, irregular-rhythm and low-cardio-fitness notifications, sleep tracking with sleep-apnoea detection, and fall detection that can call emergency services automatically. For dads in their 50s and 60s, those alerts have a documented habit of sending people to checkups they'd been putting off.

The compatibility rule: an Apple Watch requires an iPhone, so this pick only suits an iPhone dad. Pairing takes five minutes, and his notifications, calls and Apple Pay move to his wrist. If he's the hiking, fishing or tradie type, step up to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (from A$669): a 49mm titanium case, dive-grade water resistance, a 3,000-nit display readable in full sun and roughly double the battery life at up to 36 hours. Browse all refurbished Apple Watches.

2. iPhone 13, from A$499

If dad's phone is four or more years old, nothing under A$500 changes his daily life more. The iPhone 13 runs Apple's A15 Bionic, the same chip Apple kept selling in new phones until 2025, so it handles the current iOS and everything in the App Store without lag. The 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED is dramatically sharper and brighter than the LCDs on the iPhone 8, XR and 11 generations he might be coming from, and the dual 12MP cameras add Night mode, Cinematic video and sensor-shift stabilisation, which is the feature that fixes shaky dad-hands.

Why it beats a new budget phone at the same price: a new A$500 Android is a mid-range phone; a refurbished iPhone 13 is a former flagship with better build, better cameras and longer remaining software life. Battery health on our units is tested as part of the 72-point diagnostic, and the 12-month warranty covers it either way. See refurbished iPhone 13 prices.

3. iPad 10th Gen with Cellular, from A$519

The armchair upgrade. The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display turns the news, the cricket and YouTube into a properly readable experience for eyes that find phone screens small, and the A14 Bionic chip keeps it smooth for years of iPadOS updates. The front camera sits along the landscape edge, which puts dad at the correct angle on FaceTime instead of the classic up-the-nose grandparent shot.

Why Cellular matters for this gift: the Wi-Fi-only iPad assumes a dad willing to join networks and remember passwords. The Cellular model takes a cheap data SIM or eSIM from any Australian carrier, so it simply works: in the caravan, at the holiday house, in the shed. For a retired dad who travels, that difference is the whole gift. Browse refurbished iPads.

4. Samsung Galaxy S24, from A$559

For the dad who's team Android, the S24 is the smart-money pick on this list: a 2024 flagship now under half its launch price. The 6.2-inch 120Hz AMOLED display is one of the best ever fitted to a phone this size, the 50MP main camera with 3x optical-quality zoom covers everything from receipts to grandkids' sports, and Galaxy AI features like Circle to Search and Live Translate are genuinely useful rather than gimmicks. Samsung committed seven years of OS and security updates to the S24 series from its January 2024 launch, so this phone stays officially supported into 2031, longer than most dads keep a phone.

Transfer note: coming from any Android, Samsung Smart Switch moves his apps, photos and even home-screen layout across in under an hour. See refurbished Galaxy S24 prices.

5. Microsoft Surface Pro 8, from A$599

The laptop slot, for the dad who runs his life from a spreadsheet, edits the club newsletter, or finally wants to sort twenty years of photos. The Surface Pro 8 pairs an 11th-gen Intel Core i5 with a 13-inch 120Hz touchscreen in a 2-in-1 body: a laptop with the kickstand out and a keyboard attached, a tablet on the couch. It runs full Windows 11, so the software he already knows, from MYOB and Excel to the golf club's ancient membership database, works without workarounds, and Thunderbolt 4 ports drive an external monitor at the desk.

Alternatives in the range: the clamshell Surface Laptop 4 (from A$499) suits dads who just want a normal laptop, and the compact Surface Go 3 (from A$249) covers email-and-browsing dads on a tight budget. Browse all refurbished Microsoft Surface devices.

6. Google Pixel 9, from A$649

The best camera-per-dollar gift on this list, and the pick for the dad who documents everything. Google's Tensor G4 chip does the photographic thinking: the 50MP main and 48MP ultrawide sensors feed computational photography that makes one-handed, badly lit, slightly shaky shots come out looking deliberate. Magic Eraser removes the stranger who wandered into the family photo, Best Take fixes the shot where someone blinked, and Add Me finally gets the family photographer into the frame. Like the S24, the Pixel 9 carries seven years of OS and security updates from its 2024 launch.

Who it suits: any Android dad, and especially one already living in Gmail, Google Photos and Google Maps, since a Pixel is Google's ecosystem with nothing added. Currently A$649, down from A$749. See refurbished Pixel 9.

7. iPhone 16e, from A$689

The sensible way to put a current-generation iPhone in the gift box. The 16e runs Apple's A18 chip with 8GB of RAM, the same silicon family as the flagship iPhone 16, and supports Apple Intelligence in full. The 48MP Fusion camera shoots 4K video, and Apple's first in-house modem, the C1, makes it the most power-efficient iPhone yet: up to 26 hours of video playback, which translates to a phone that ends dad's day with 40 percent left. Because it launched in 2026, its software support runway is the longest of any phone on this list.

The honest trade-offs: one rear camera instead of two (no ultra-wide), a 60Hz display, and no MagSafe. None of those register for a dad upgrading from anything older than an iPhone 14, and they're why it costs A$300 under Apple's A$999 price. See the full iPhone 16 range.

8. iPhone 16 Pro Max, from A$1,319

The one for a milestone birthday year or when the whole family chips in. The 16 Pro Max is Apple's everything phone: a 6.9-inch ProMotion display at 120Hz, a titanium frame, the A18 Pro chip, and a triple 48MP camera system whose 5x telephoto finally makes the birdwatching phase viable. Battery life leads every iPhone before it, and the Camera Control button turns it into the family's designated event camera.

Going even bigger: the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (from A$1,099) answers it on the Android side with a 200MP camera and built-in S Pen, and the iPhone 17 (from A$1,199) is the newest name in the catalogue. All three sit in the Father's Day sale. Browse refurbished iPhones.

What About Older Dads and Grandads?

For a dad or grandad who finds modern phones fiddly, simpler is kinder: a compact iPhone with the classic home button, text size turned up, and his contacts loaded before you wrap it. The right pick depends on his eyesight, dexterity and what he's used to, and we've covered the full spectrum, from big-button basics to senior-friendly smartphones, in our guide to the best phones for seniors.

How to Pick the Best Phone for Dad

If you've settled on a phone but not a model, three questions get you there:

  1. What does he have now? Match the platform. An iPhone dad gets an iPhone, an Android dad gets the S24 or Pixel 9. A platform switch means new logins, relearned habits and weeks of tech-support calls to you: a project, not a present.
  2. What does he actually do with it? Calls, banking and the group chat: iPhone 13. Photos of everything: Pixel 9. Wants to feel current: iPhone 16e. Lives on a big screen: iPad or the 16 Pro Max.
  3. What's the budget? Refurbished stretches it roughly 30 to 50 percent further than buying new, with the same 12-month warranty. If refurbished is new territory for you, our refurbished phone buying guide explains grading, testing and warranties in five minutes.

Before You Wrap It: A 10-Minute Setup Checklist

The difference between a gift he loves and a gift that sits in the drawer is usually the first ten minutes, so do them for him:

  • Charge it to 100 percent so the unboxing isn't followed by an hour on the cable.
  • Phones: if you can borrow his old phone, run the transfer (Quick Start for iPhone, Smart Switch for Samsung, or Google's transfer tool) the night before. If not, leave the phone at the setup screen; never set up your own account on it.
  • For older dads: turn on larger text and display zoom, load his contacts, and set up his email. Five minutes for you, a month of frustration saved for him.
  • Cellular iPad: add a cheap data SIM or eSIM before wrapping so it works out of the box.
  • Add a case and screen protector to the parcel. A phone gifted naked meets a concrete garage floor within the month; find the right fit in our cases and covers range.

Posted by Liam Harris

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Liam Harris

Liam Harris

Liam Harris is a tech writer at Phonebot, covering refurbished phones, tablets and wearables since 2022. His buying guides and model comparisons draw on live Australian market pricing and Phonebot's experience rehoming over one million devices.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best tech gift for dad?

For most dads, an Apple Watch Series 10 (from A$369) or a phone upgrade like the iPhone 13 (from A$499) delivers the most daily use per dollar. For the big milestone gift, the iPhone 16 Pro Max from A$1,319 refurbished is the one he won't expect.


How much should I spend on a Father's Day tech gift?

Refurbished pricing puts a meaningful tech gift at every budget: a smartwatch or quality phone under A$550, a current-generation phone or laptop between A$550 and A$700, and flagship territory from A$1,099. Afterpay and Zip split any of them into four interest-free payments.


Is a refurbished device okay as a gift?

Yes. A properly refurbished device is tested, graded, data-wiped, and warrantied, and a Like New grade is barely distinguishable from new when unwrapped. The savings typically fund a whole-tier-better gift than buying new.


Should I buy dad an iPhone or an Android phone?

Whichever he uses now. Staying on his current platform means his apps, photos, and contacts transfer in one evening, and the gift starts working for him immediately instead of frustrating him.


What should I set up before gifting a phone?

Charge it fully, run the data transfer from his old phone if you can, and add a case and screen protector. For older dads, also enlarge the text and load his contacts. Leave the account sign-in to him; a phone must be set up with his Apple ID or Google account, not yours.