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Sometimes, the most expensive option is the best option.
As a product reviewer, I no longer believe that devices have to cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to be high quality. I’ve found several budget-friendly products that perform nearly as well as their high-end counterparts. Nevertheless, sometimes I test a product that does indeed cost hundreds of dollars and is indeed worth it.
Also: The best Black Friday deals right now
Must you shell out hundreds of dollars to get one of these products? No. Especially during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when nearly every retailer is cutting the price of its technology by 20% to 60%. I’ve rounded up some of my favorite higher-end products that are on the expensive side (but are supplemented by Black Friday discounts that make their higher prices a little more approachable). Whether you plan to give one of these devices to a loved one or treat yourself to some new tech, the deals on these devices lessen the holiday shopping load (and the number on your credit card bill).
My favorite splurges
You might think around $50 is a lot to spend on inner peace, but Brick is one of the few phone restriction devices that actually works. If you are over-reliant on your phone and it’s causing you to be less productive and present, the Brick could be a helpful solution.
Brick is a gray square with NFC tech underneath. Before using, you download the Brick app, select the apps you’d like to restrict, and then tap the Brick, effectively blocking yourself from using those apps. To unblock your list of apps, you have to tap the Brick again. I keep the Brick far away in the kitchen, so I have to walk there to untap it. I’ve gotten into the habit of Bricking my phone before bed and before I start work. In both cases, I spend less time dilly-dallying on my phone and more time performing the task at hand — whether that’s reading a book and winding down hours before I would’ve if I spent my night scrolling, or churning out articles without distraction while on the clock.
Also: I curbed my phone addiction with this unexpected device
The Brick has reminded me that incessant phone checking is killing my focus — and it is, frankly, unnecessary. These tech companies have convinced us that things are constantly happening around us that we must be present to observe instantaneously, that we’re always seconds away from receiving an important text or call. Bricking my phone for several hours and returning to a notification-free device has reminded me that all those incessant checks aren’t changing my life, they’re ruining it.
During Black Friday sales, the Brick is $12 off, slicing the price to $47.
Spending a sum of money on a charging station might sound frivolous, but this 3-in-1 MagSafe charging station for my AirPods, Apple Watch, and iPhone has made an optimized space out of my cluttered mess of multiple charging cords. The top of my dresser has never looked better.
I’ve used TwelveSouth’s 3-in-1 HiRise 3 Deluxe for two years, and it’s still going strong. During Black Friday sales, the device is 60% off.
A $350 smart ring (with a $70 annual subscription) isn’t cheap. I know. But as someone who has tested every smart ring competitor on the option, I gotta give it to Oura. Its smart ring really is the best.
Oura’s sleep, stress, and exercise-tracking smart ring nails the big and the small stuff. It discreetly and accurately measures my sleep, and offers helpful insights each morning explaining how and why my sleep was great or poor. I’ve learned about what keeps me from falling asleep quickly, whether that’s a heavy meal or a few alcoholic drinks before bed, because of Oura’s helpful analysis and explanations.
Also: Oura Ring 4 review
It measures my stress throughout the day and compares that average stress level to my baseline — it even shows me, through Cumulative Stress, my daily stress level’s overall impact on my health. Oura’s Symptom Radar has accurately detected illness within a day of me getting sick.
The smart ring also has integrations across different apps and products, like Dexcom’s Stelo, a continuous glucose monitor, or Natural Cycles, a hormone-free menstrual cycle tool.
During Black Friday sales, the Oura Ring 4 Titanium is 30% off. That brings the starting price of $350 down to $250 — not too shabby.
I don’t think better earbuds exist for iPhone users than the AirPods Pro 3. I take them to the gym, on the subway to my office, on walks around the block, and on important calls.
Also: AirPods Pro 3 review
Listening to my favorite songs in these earbuds uncovers a landscape of sound I couldn’t quite hear using other earbuds. The noise cancellation on the earbuds is impressively strong, a godsend on a loud, overstimulating subway. Apple’s transparency mode works just as well, and I’m able to keep my earbuds in and on as I walk around the city or meander through stores without feeling alienated from my surroundings. These earbuds come with heart rate sensors, so you could ditch your smartwatch at home on your next run and bring these instead.
Similar to the AirPods Pro 3, the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones unlock sound — and silence — in whole new ways. I use these headphones when traveling long distances or working long hours because of their marathon battery life, strong noise cancellation, comfortable wear, and beautiful sound.
Also: Sony WH-1000XM6 review
Sony dials in on noise cancellation in these headphones, and it pays off. I can’t hear the engines on the airplane when I’m traveling with these on my head, and office conversation dims to a hum once I put these on and lock in to my workday.
Sony is discounting the headphones by $160 right now.
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