With the rising cost of living straining many families — not to mention the Fed’s massive rate hike (to curb inflation) that will hit your credit card and mortgage payments — Americans are looking for ways to save.
In fact, Google Search says there was a huge spike over the past few months for words like “cheap” and “affordable,” which peaked in June (so far), says Colette Garcia, Global Communications & Public Affairs, Confirmed the search on Google, in an email to USA Today.
And with gas prices up to a record $5 per gallon (on average) nationwide, it’s no surprise that Google also says there has been a surge in search queries involving electric vehicles (EVs).
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Speaking of technology, those who still want to treat themselves or loved ones—perhaps as gifts for dads and grads this month—don’t need to break the bank on premium products to get the premium experience.
That is, you may not have heard much about cheap gadgets, but they do exist, and often, without any compromise.
“As consumers feel the effects of inflation in fuel and food, they may seek bargains in discretionary tech purchases,” confirms Avi Greengart, president and principal analyst at TechSponential, a firm that specializes in technology companies and retailers. Provides research and advisory services to , “The good news is there are deals to be had, especially in television and smartphones.”
The following are five such examples of “best bang for your buck” tech items.
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bundle
The only thing better than snagging a powerful smart speaker for $38 when a smart light bulb is included in the price.
Similar is the case with the new Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen), which comes with a Wi-Fi-enabled LIFX smart bulb.
Use your voice to summon Alexa, your personal assistant, to control your lights and other smart home gear (like Wi-Fi thermostats), stream music and podcasts, shop online, set alarms or weather , Request information such as news and sports scores. (While you can, you might not want to ask about stock prices until the market bounces back!)
Unlike some other smart lights, this dim LIFX bulb doesn’t require a bridge or hub.
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smart phone smart price
For just $258, the recently announced TCL Stylus 5G is a fraction of the cost of many premium smartphones, yet manages to impress for its deep feature set.
The 6.8-inch Android phone packs a 50-megapixel AI-quad camera, a 13-megapixel front-facing camera, and up to 26 hours of talk time.
“TCL’s Stylus 5G has a 5G chipset from MediaTek, a large display and software features for note-taking and drawing,” Greengart confirmed. As the name of the product suggests, it also ships with a stylus pen.
“Is there a compromise to hit that price point? Of course, there are [as] It’s not the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, but the Stylus 5G offers a lot of productivity for $1,000 less. ,
thanks for the memory
Starting at just $11 (for 32 gigabytes), the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Lux USB Type-C is a small storage solution that lets you easily transfer files between your USB Type-C smartphone, tablet, and Mac and USB Type-A computer. allows to transfer.
The swivel design lets you choose between a USB-A and a USB-C connector.
With a capacity of up to 1 terabyte, the all-metal Ultra Dual Drive Lux USB can be easily connected with a keyring, so you can go anywhere this summer.
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File transfer is fast, thanks to USB 3.1 Gen 1 performance with 150MB/s read speeds.
When plugged into an Android phone, the free SanDisk Memory Zone app automatically backs up photos and videos as well as music, documents, and contacts.
(On the other hand, iPhone users can buy an iXpand flash drive starting at $16 for 32GB, which has a Lightning connector on one end.)
sound advice
Don’t want to spend $179 on AirPods or love the look of white stems sticking out of your ears? (Or maybe they just won’t stay in your ears, period?)
For music lovers on a budget, NexiGo’s Air T2 earbuds ($69) are a pair of ultra-thin, lightweight, and truly wireless earbuds.
Available in black, silver or rose gold, they offer a comfortable fit, surprisingly powerful audio (with 13mm drivers) and four embedded microphones for clear voice calls.
While they lack powerful active noise cancellation (ANC) technology—instead, it has the CVC (“clear voice capture”) that’s more associated with phone calls—you can’t beat the price, especially with the impressive design and sound. looking at.
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The battery lasts up to 7 hours per charge and up to 28 hours with the charging case on.
gaming, too
“As supply chain limits on computer chips are gradually reduced and crypto mining becomes less profitable, it should also be much easier to find game consoles and PC graphics cards at regular retail prices,” Greengart says.
“However, for a real deal, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass allows you to play games on PC and even Samsung Smart TVs – just add a controller.”
Instead of paying $60 or $70 for each new video game, Xbox Game Pass is a $9.99/month subscription service that lets you play over 100 high-quality games on Xbox, Windows PC or Samsung Smart TV (any Console not required) or $14.99. /month for a “final” plan (both platforms).
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