Noise cancellation is all the rage these days, but jamming a pair of earbuds into your ears that fully tune out the world around you isn’t exactly safe, especially if you live in a big city. Open-ear earbuds like the Sony LinkBuds pose a safer alternative, however, one that allows you to easily keep in touch with your surroundings even while biking in traffic. And right now, they’re on sale for around $128 ($52 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy, matching their best-ever price.
Along with a quirky design that lets outside noise in, Sony’s wireless earbuds boast a few Android-specific tricks (including Fast Pair) and terrific mics for taking hands-free calls on the go. They also sport IPX4 water resistance, so they are able to withstand sweaty jogs and even a bit of rain, along with multipoint functionality thanks to a software update that arrived in the fall. They offer good sound quality for a pair of open-ear buds, too, even if they can’t quite match the audio you’d get with a high-end pair of earbuds like Sony’s WF-1000XM5.
In case you need a refresher, the Z Flip 5 is a 6.7-inch flip phone that’s exceptionally portable given that it folds in half. This year, it has a larger exterior display that makes it easier to view content and access apps. The larger Fold 5, meanwhile, folds more like a book, with a massive 7.6-inch inner display that makes it feel almost like a tablet. Both phones also come with a great software policy and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, ensuring snappy performance for years to come.
Regardless of which Android phone you choose, be sure to clip the on-page coupon at Amazon to take advantage of the discount. Also note that, if you prefer a larger discount in the form of gift cards, Amazon is still offering up to $200 off the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and $150 off the Z Flip 5 — a promo it began running last week.
If you’re looking for a Bluetooth speaker to take with you on the go, the JBL Flip 6 is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for around $89.95 ($40 off), its best price of the year. The lightweight portable speaker features IP67-rated water resistance and up to 12 hours of battery life, along with the ability to pair in stereo mode with other JBL speakers.
Overall, the new model is a pretty minor update over the last-gen Flip 5 — it’s basically fully dustproof whereas the Flip 5 was not — but it’s a welcome upgrade given both speakers currently retail for about the same price.
