The Buying Game (Issue 33)
This week’s picks include headphones, a Lego set, and a cheap wireless speaker.
How I’d spend $500: Nothing Headphone (a)
The Nothing Headphone (a) is a brilliant follow up to last year’s Headphone (1). The (a) is cheaper, has color options, and has much longer battery life. The headphones sound great and although the Headphone (1) are better, you won’t be able to tell without doing a side by side comparison. For the $200 price, they still come with a 3.5mm cable, charging cable, and carrying pouch.
Price: $199 (link)
Value Score: Good
The Nothing Headphone (a) are available to pre-order now and begin shipping in about a week. White, black, and pink will be available first with yellow coming in April.
How I’d spend $150: Lego Up-Scaled Blue Astronaut Minifigure
This Lego minifigure isn’t so mini. The Up-Scaled Blue Astronaut looks like a Minifigure until you see it next to actual Minifigure. This a full Lego set with 793 pieces. Like you would hope, it has moveable arms, legs, and hands.
Price: $60 (link)
Value Score: Fair
Lego sets aren’t ever cheap, but this one doesn’t seem unreasonable. Or maybe there’s just something extra fun about building a large Minifigure out of Lego bricks. Either way, once this set comes back in stock it should provide to be a good time and look neat on display.
How I’d spend $50: IKEA Kallsup
How good can a $10 Bluetooth speaker really sound? The answer is, better than you’d expect. The IKEA Kallsup won’t rival wireless speakers over $50, but it will sound much better than playing music or podcasts right from your phone. There are buttons on the top for pausing and skipping. Its most significant feature, however, is that it can link with other Kallsup speakers.
Price: $10 (link)
Value Score: Great
This speaker is much better than it has any right to be. It’s perfect for moving around the house while you do chores, a kid’s room, or as a secondary speaker that you don’t need to stress over.
The winning pick: Nothing Headphone (a)
It’s hard to argue against picking a $10 wireless speaker as the winner, but I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the Nothing Headphone (a). They have good audio quality and ANC performance, especially compared to some of the other options on the market. It’s hip to be square and these wireless headphones lower the entry price to be hip.
Are you looking for even more picks this week? Here are a few things worth considering.
An expensive pick: Apple MacBook Neo
Can an expensive pick also be relatively cheap? Apple's MacBook is testing that idea since it's the lowest-cost laptop Apple has sold in decades, making it a worthy consideration for people with general computing needs. It's not "cheap" like some Chromebooks are. But it’s not that far off. The new MacBook starts at $599 with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 13-inch display. Education buyers can get $100 off, so it starts at $499.
Price: $599 (link)
Media pick: Harry Styles - “Clara’s Song”
If you haven’t listened to any of Harry Styles’ music then you’re missing out. There are a few tracks that instantly stick out on his new album out today, but mostly, I think this album will be a slow burn—in a good way. “Clara’s Song” seems to be a good example of that. By the end, the rhythm has grabbed you.
This week's other interesting deals and product news
- Apple’s AirTag 4-pack is down to $64.
- IKEA’s new E26 1,110-lumen smart lightbulb is available to buy.
- Anker’s Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds for sleeping are $60 off right now, down to $120.
- Peloton now has a Hyrox training program.
- Best Buy loops to have leaked a new Sonos speaker.
- Dyson has a new PencilWash cleaner. Like the PencilVac, but in mop form.
This week's published stories
- IKEA Kallsup review [Yahoo]
- Nothing Headphone (a) review [Yahoo]
- 3 reasons the MacBook Neo is an exciting computer [Yahoo]
- Audible has a new $8.99 plan, but there’s a catch [Yahoo]
- The iPhone 17e is worth buying for one major reason [Yahoo]
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