The old “times have changed” applies to a lot of things — the way we consume media, the general office environment, Taco Bell. It also applies to wireless earbuds, which have come down drastically in price since the first pair of Apple’s now-iconic AirPods landed in 2016. Sony’s WF-C700N earbuds are a prime example of how you can now get a lot of functionality for very little, particularly since they’re available from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sony for as little as $98 ($21 off).
So what does a sub-$100 pair of earbuds look like in 2023? Well, in the case of the entry-level WF-C700N, you get a terrific fit and balanced sound for the price. Sony’s latest pair of noise-canceling earbuds also offer a slew of software features, including location-based sound settings, Fast Pair support on Android, and — thanks to a firmware update that will supposedly arrive this summer — the ability to connect to two devices simultaneously. Where they falter is active noise cancellation, but there aren’t a lot of earbuds at this price point that fare much better when it comes to drowning out city life.
Read our Sony WF-C700N review.
At this point, it’s probably safe to presume that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a game that needs little introduction. However, if you have yet to grab Nintendo’s latest blockbuster, you can currently pick up the physical version at Amazon for about $62 ($8 off), at Walmart for about $66, or at Costco for $59.99 ($10 off) if you’re a member. Note that Walmart is selling it via a third-party seller, though the retailer itself is fulfilling the order.
Nintendo’s recently released Nintendo Switch title has been making tsunami-level waves since it arrived last month, partly due to it being a direct successor to the wildly successful Breath of the Wild and partly due to what feels like a never-ending feed of TikTok videos showcasing the game’s highly inventive building mechanics (which are impressive). Whether it truly lives up to its predecessor, it’s a game-of-the-year contender deeply rooted in exploration and mystery, with visuals that somehow leverage an aging console from 2017 in ways that, frankly, I just never thought possible.
Read our Tears of the Kingdom review.
Microsoft is no longer making Xbox One games, Starfield is on the way, and the recently announced black version of the Xbox Series S is up for preorder at Amazon, Best Buy, and the Microsoft Store for $349.99. The forthcoming gaming console — which is slated to arrive on September 1st — isn’t all that different from the original model aside from the slick paint job, but it does feature an expanded 1TB of built-in storage.
The Series S still can’t compete with the more powerful Xbox Series X in terms of raw specs, but the storage bump is a welcome upgrade for Microsoft’s compact console, which remains a great Xbox Game Pass machine that can also tackle the same games as the larger Series X (albeit, often at a lower 1080p resolution). It’s also likely to be one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest, ways to experience Bethesda’s ambitious space title when it arrives in the fall. Now, fingers crossed the latter is as bug-free as Microsoft thinks it is.
Read our review of the original Xbox Series S.
A few additional discounts worth sharing
- You can pick up a four-pack or AirTags at Verizon for $79.99, which is an additional $9 off their usual sale price and matches the lowest price we’ve seen on a four-pack to date. We’ve seen a ton of deals on Apple’s handy item trackers as of late, but given a forthcoming feature in iOS 17 will allow you to share them with up to five other people, it’s not a bad idea to stock up if you or a family member is the forgetful type. Read our review.
- Samsung’s A54 5G is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $399.99 ($50 off), which is the second-best price we’ve seen on the unlocked Android phone to date. Although it can’t compete on the camera front with midrange devices like the Google Pixel 7A, the 6.4-inch phone still offers solid day-to-day performance, an IP67 rating, and five years of security updates, meaning it should be plenty suitable for years to come. Read our review.
- The latest Echo Dot is down to just $27.99 ($45 off) at Amazon with a Kasa Smart Plug Mini — a sale price that’s typically reserved for the Echo Dot on its own. It’s a handy pairing given you can use the Alexa-based smart speaker to control the plug, which lets you control lamps, fans, and other devices that don’t natively support Amazon’s voice assistant. If you prefer a more old-school method for checking the time, you can also pick up the LED-equipped model with the same plug for $34.99 ($48 off). Read our Echo Dot (fifth-gen) review.
