We're in the thick of the biggest sales event of the year as Black Friday merges into Cyber Monday, and we're swarmed with deals upon deals. We have plenty of deal hubs to help you all make informed decisions on the things we think you might want to buy, but they're also there to help us decide if there's anything worth spending our hard-earned money on. After all, who can ignore a good sale?
The Android Central staff took to some of the deals to purchase various items, and some of us actually purchased tech products, either for ourselves or for others. So here's a list of the things we bought in case you find something that might interest you.
Derrek Lee, Managing Editor
Sony ULT Field 1: I've been looking for a new portable Bluetooth speaker for some time since my UE Boom is so old that it just can't hold a charge anymore. I was tempted to get a new UE Boom 4, but the reviews deterred me, so I settled on this 25% off Sony ULT Field 1 deal (which you can read more about here). From what I've read, including from our own Sony ULT Field 1 review, the speaker is just what I need, with plenty of volume and bass, thanks to the ULT button. I'm excited to take this out on my upcoming New Year's get-together!
Andrew Myrick, Senior Editor — Smartphones, Chromebooks, Tablets
SanDisk Extreme 2TB microSD Card: I'm of the mindset that there's no such thing as having too much storage, although I haven't reached peak-Harish status just yet. Even still, SanDisk JUST launched its first 2TB microSD card, and it's already on sale. This is going to be perfect to store my emulation library so I can alternate between the different gaming handhelds I'm using at any given time.
Nick Sutrich, Senior Content Producer — Smartphones, VR
New Meta Quest 3/3S games: I bought a bunch of games on Steam and through the Meta Quest 40% off sale (Into Black and Medieval Dynasty so I can play with my son), plus a few board games from Barnes & Noble that we've been eyeing, like Botany. I'm considering picking up a second Meta Quest 3S for my wife so all three of us can play VR games together since there have been so many great sales on the new headset.
Harish Jonnalagadda, Senior Editor — Smartphones (Asia, Europe)
Sharge Shargeek 170: The Sharge 170 is unlike any other power bank I have, and the unique design is eye-catching. Distinctive design aside, the Sharge 170 delivers 140W via a single port, making it the ideal power bank to charge notebooks, and the 24,000mAh battery is travel-friendly while still having enough capacity to charge a notebook and two phones. It charges up to three devices at once, and unlike most power banks, the chassis has IP66 ingress protection. I used it throughout 2024 and liked it so much that I'm now buying a unit to give as a gift. Cyber Monday is the best time to do so as it's on sale for $135, $52 less than its usual retail price.
Michael Hicks, Senior Editor — Wearables
New watch bands for the Garmin Fenix 8: Garmin may have discounted its watches for Cyber Monday, but its bands are still pretty expensive. I've tried Abanen hook and loop nylon bands before, and I like how they make Garmin watches even lighter, but I'm excited to try this EKINGEEK band that looks a bit more rugged and secure than a traditional nylon band. Together, both cost less than one official Garmin band, and they give me more options to keep my Fenix 8 comfortable.
Patrick Farmer, eCommerce Editor
Google Pixel 9 at Mint Mobile: I decided to use Black Friday as an opportunity to upgrade my phone and finally ditch Verizon as my wireless carrier. It's sold out at the moment, but Mint Mobile caught my attention a few days ago by slashing $500 off the Pixel 9 during its Black Friday sale. That was good enough for me, but I realized that Mint was also pairing that discount with 50% off its Unlimited plan when I paid for a year in advance. So, for the price of a midrange phone, I basically got a full year of wireless and a Google Pixel 9, and now I don't have to think about my phone bill again for another 12 months.
Brady Snyder, Full Time Contributor
ANNAPRO head strap: This Black Friday, I picked up an ANNAPRO pressure-reducing head strap for my VR headset. While you may not have heard of ANNAPRO, the company specializes in creating supplemental head straps that combine with your VR headset's existing strap to add extra support, usually near your forehead. It can reduce facial pressure and make the headsets more comfortable to wear.
There's an ANNAPRO head strap for Apple Vision Pro and an ANNAPRO battery head strap for the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S — plus an ANNAPRO A3 Max strap for the Quest 3 series with a 10,800mAh battery and extra facial support. They're all about $10+ off their usual sticker price through Cyber Monday.
These are just some of the things we've picked up during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. You can also read how Jerry Hildenbrand is planning to build his own NAS on the cheap with a Raspberry Pi and some other products on sale. He has also put the Motorola Razr 2024 in his cart, and he is finally ready to pull the trigger on a flip phone, thanks to this impressive Google Fi Wireless discount.
With Black Friday over, plenty of deals are still live as we move into Cyber Monday on December 2. However, you don't want to wait to pick up that band, strap, charger, or phone before the price goes back up.
