The Buying Game

The Buying Game (Issue 3)

This week’s deals and picks include new luggage, smart glasses, and a retro-looking power adapter.

Tyler H

20 Jun 2025 — 3 min read

TL;DR: This is a weekly commerce post that highlights three products worth buying, each within a different price category. Each pick is given a score and the best pick based on value wins.

This week:

Meta announced new smart glasses: Oakley Meta HSTN. The first edition retails for $499 with more models debuting later this summer, and starting at $399.
Spotify may finally release its Hi-Fi, lossless streaming tier. This will provide a higher bitrate for better audio quality. The feature was first announced back in 2021 before the company went silent on it.
You can get $10 off tickets the new F1 movie through Fandango, using Apple Pay. The movie is in theaters beginning June 27.
Spigen debuted a new Apple Watch charger that looks like an iMac G3. It works with any Apple Watch model and retails for $34.99.

How I’d spend $500: Bellroy Lite Carry-On

I'm using this suitcase this week and it's really great. Personally, I’ll gladly trade off any extra durability of a hard shell carry-on for a lightweight, store-flat bag. The internal organization is simple, but versatile. Some people prefer four wheels, but the two rollerblade-like ones are beefy and handle great on all surfaces.

Price: $269 (link) 
Score: 7/10

In terms of space, this is a 38-liter bag. I'm able to use it for a seven-day trip, but at minimum it should handle five days without a problem.

How I’d spend $150: Sharge Pixel 100

The Sharge Pixel 100 power adapter is both practical and eye-catching. It features up to 100W of power spread across four USB ports—three Type-C and one Type-A. The retro design shines light through the pinholes to show information like how fast each port is charging a device. The info can also be rotated to be displayed in any orientation.

Price: $64.90 (link) 
Score: 7/10

A 100W charger is plenty of power for a modern laptop or device like the Nintendo Switch 2. Once you load up all four ports, that speed drops. So, if you need more power, there's also a 140W version of the adapter for $84.90.

How I’d spend $50: Twelve South PowerCord

Twelve South’s all-in-one PowerCord combines a 30W power adapter and a USB-C cable to create a grab-and-go power solution. I like the idea of not having to think too much about the two pieces within certain situations. I also like the 10-foot option to be able to reach across a couch or a far outlet.

Price: $49 (10-foot) (link) 
Score: 5/10

Although the better value is to buy a power adapter and cable separately, sometimes people just want a no-fuss charging option.

An expensive pick: Apple MacBook Air (M3)

If you want the latest and greatest Apple laptop at a moderate price, the $999 M4 MacBook Air is the one to get. However, if you want a new MacBook at a cheaper price, then the $699 M3 MacBook Air on sale at Best Buy is the second-best option. It has 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 13-inch display. All in all, it's a great value for this machine. (link)

A cheap/free pick: Snapseed

Google finally updated its cross-platform photo editing app Snapseed, and it's pretty good. Although there are plenty of apps to add filters or remove unwanted objects, this free one might be worth giving a try.