This Week The Trend (Issue 45)

How I’d spend $500: Marshall Milton ANC

Most wireless headphones these days completely cover your ears. The Marshall Milton ANC sit on top of your ears. The ear cups are smaller, so the Milton are able to fold up very compactly. They include ANC, 50 to 80 hours of battery life, and Marshall's classic style.

Price: $230 (link)
Value Score: Fair

The $230 price (Marshall's retail price) is a tad high with the ANC isn't quite as strong as other headphone options. But overall, the Milton sound good and should make for some really good travel wireless headphones.

How I’d spend $150: Google Fitbit Air

The Google Fitbit Air isn't an Apple Watch replacement, but it is an alternative to Whoop or Oura Ring. The passive wristband tracks fitness, sleep, and health, and does so really well. I've been wearing it for a week, and Google's AI coach provides some interesting insights about the data without having to try to decipher it yourself. And if it doesn't proactively offer the right insights, you can ask it about your info.

Price: $99 (link)
Value Score: Great

The $99 device provides basic sleep, fitness, and health tracking. That aspect of the device is a terrific value. If you want the AI aspects, that costs $99 per year. Luckily, there's a free trial of Google Health Premium to decide if it's worth it.

How I’d spend $50: Twelve South PowerClip

Most of the power banks I recommend are above 5,000mAh—usually 10k or more. That's because that's about the amount it takes to charge an iPhone 17 Pro between 70 and 100%. The Twelve South PowerClip has a 2,000mAh capacity. It's advertised as being able to provide a 30% charge. At first, I thought it was silly, but I'd rather have some extra, backup power that I can carry in my pocket than none because the power bank is too big to bring along.

Price: $40 (link)
Value Score: Fair

While the PowerClip isn't overly fancy, it does have two USB-C cables attached. The cables can be used for getting power or delivering it. You can also use both at the same time as a pass-through.

The winning pick: Google Fitbit Air

For anyone who doesn't want a smartwatch or deal with sizing a smart ring, the Fitbit Air is a really great way to keep tabs on your daily activity. If you can deal with wearing something on your wrist, it makes for a good sleep tracker. The seven-day battery life rings true from my tests, too.

Are you looking for even more picks this week? Here are a few things worth considering.

An expensive pick: Oura Ring 5

Oura just announced its new Oura Ring 5, which is up to 40% smaller than the previous model. Despite the size reduction, the new model still gets around one week of battery life. The Ring 5 also still features tracking of 50 health metrics, which include sleep, activity, stress, heart health, metabolic health, and women’s health. The drawback is that the Ring 5 starts at $399, instead of $349. If you want the gold, brushed silver, or deep rose colors, those cost $499.

Price: $399+ (link)

This week's other interesting deals and product news

• Apple's 11-inch iPad Air is down to $519 from $599.
• Right now, if you buy a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), you can get a free refurbished pair of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.
• You've probably seen it, but Ferrari unveiled its Luce EV.
• Apple increased the value it's paying to trade in some of its phones and computers.
• Sennheiser announced its new Momentum 5 headphones.
• If you buy Ryobi's two-battery starter kit from Home Depot for $99, you can get a free power tool, up to $79 in value.

This week's published stories

• Google Fitbit Air review [Yahoo]
• Cotopaxi Coraza carry-on review [Yahoo]
• Updated: Here's how to go through airport security without a ticket [Yahoo]
• Updated: Tap your hotel key to your iPhone to have it give you directions [Yahoo]

You can follow This Week The Trend directly on Yahoo by clicking the "follow" button on that landing page. You can also follow videos on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.