We start today’s deals with the OnePlus 8T 5G, which is getting a $100 discount, leaving the US unlocked version with 256GB storage, 12GB RAM, a Fluid Display with 120Hz refresh rates, and a quad-camera setup for just $649. The best part is that you can choose between the Lunar Silver and the Aquamarine Green color options, as they are both getting the same discount. If you’re looking for another 5G enabled device, you can get the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G with 128GB for $800 with a $200 discount. The Galaxy Note 10 with 256GB is also on sale, and you can get yours for just $778 with $172 savings.
However, you can also get a new Samsung 5G device for less if you have a device to trade-in. You can currently get the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 for $450. The Samsung Galaxy S20 series starts at $420, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip can be yours for $500, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is up for grabs at $1,000 with a $1,000 discount, but like I said, if you have an eligible device to trade-in.
We also have the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go for $600 with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 128GB storage space with $100 savings. However, you can get the Microsoft Surface Go 2 for $533, and you would get the same 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, but an Intel Pentium processor powers it.
Finally, if you’re looking for a new pair of headphones, you can get the Sennheiser Momentum 3 for $300 with $99.97 savings, the HD 450BT doe $146, and the PXC 550-II for $188, with $53.95 and $162 discounts, respectively.
However, if you’re not a fan of over-ear headphones, you may also want to consider the Sennheiser CX 400BT, which are getting a $70 discount, leaving them at $130. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 for $250 with a $49.97 discount and the Google Pixel Buds gen-2 are currently getting a $20 discount, which leaves them at $159.
The latest Sennheiser PXC 550-II headphones with ANC are up for grabs at a discount of 43%. These usually sell for $350. On the occasion of Cyber Monday, they are selling for just $200, making them one of the best purchases in the segment. The Sennheiser PXC 550-II feature amazing sound quality, and an excellent battery life alongside providing ANC support. If you’ve been looking for a pair of headphones with awesome battery life, superb sound quality and ANC, and a gorgeous design under $200, this is your chance!
It feels a bit odd writing this in the middle of a pandemic-struck world, but the Sennheiser PXC 550-II are built for the frequent travelers out there. It provides a foldable design for easy storage. You can listen to music, take calls, interact with AI assistants, or simply journey in tranquillity without distractions. Plus, the Adaptive Noise Cancellation automatically adjusts to your surroundings to suppress unwanted background noise, for your ever-changing environments.
These headphones are compatible with virtual assistants such as Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri. With the triple microphone array offering unrivalled speech clarity when giving voice commands. Moreover, these feature an excellent 30-hour battery life. Hence, they are likely to last your entire journey without the need to recharge. And with the advanced ergonomic design and rotating earcups, the PXC 550-II is effortlessly portable with a perfect fit for your ear.
There is a Smart Pause feature that reacts to your movement with seamless and practical automatic switch-off. The headset automatically turns on and connects via Bluetooth as it’s unfolded so you can listen exactly where you left off.
As mentioned above, these $350 headphones are selling at a discount of 43%. These are one of the best in the sub-$200 segment right now. You can purchase the Sennheiser PXC 550-II headphones for $200 via Amazon.
The Sennheiser HD 450BT were launched above $200. Soon after, they were selling for $199.99 and then $150 (sometimes). Now, on the occasion of Black Friday, the wireless Bluetooth headphones havegone down to $99.99! That’s straight 50%off on one of the best sounding headphones in the segment. This is a steal deal!
These headphones offer necessities from active noise cancellation to terrific battery life and good sound quality. They feature an all-plastic build but do not feel cheap. The plastic is smooth and condensed. Further, the Sennheiser HD 450BT weigh only 238 grams. I wore them for a stretch of three hours straight without feeling the need to take them off. The clamping force is tight enough without becoming uncomfortable.
The Sennheiser HD 450BT supports SBC, AAC, APTx, and APTx-LL, which helps lower the latency that at times wireless headphones suffer. I had no latency problems while watching videos on Netflix, YouTube, or Prime. Further, connection stability is good and I was able to listen to music while doing the dishes when my phone was kept in the other room 15 meters away.
The Sennheiser HD 450BT feature ANC, which is uncommon for a headphone priced under $150.
The sound performance is smooth, detailed, and the instruments don’t get lost in the mix. The Sennheiser HD 450BT feature ANC, which is uncommon for a headphone priced under $150 (you are now getting it for $99.99). Moreover, it can deliver up to 30 hours of playback time with ANC-on on a single charge. The battery life on these is excellent. It takes about two hours to charge from zero to full.
With up-to-date tech like Bluetooth 5.0, APTx-LL, USB Type-C, and excellent battery life, good sound quality, and above-average ANC, the Sennheiser HD 450BT are an excellent deal for $100! Go grab them.
The Black Friday deals season is in full swing right now, and if you’re looking to score some deals on audio equipment, it can be a tedious task to find the best ones on Amazon, Best Buy or any other retailer of your choice. To save you the hassle, we’ve rounded up some of the best deals across a wide range of audio products, ranging from premium headphones affordable true wireless earbuds at different price points. Let’s get straight into it:
Best Black Friday deals on premium over-ear headphones
Sony WH-1000XM4 noise cancelling headphones
The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones build on the success of a widely acclaimed predecessor and further refine the formula by adding support for seamless multi-device pairing. Usually priced at $349.99, you can currently snag them at a sweet discounted price of $278, which is not too shabby for a device that launched barely a month ago.
However, if that asking price is too much, you can get the older Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones and enjoy their terrific noise cancellation output. Originally launched for over $300, you can buy one from Amazon at $224.99 right now.
However, if you’re a Bose fan and like the sonic signature of its audio products, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II are one of the best noise cancelling headphones you’ll find out there. They usually go for $299, but right now, you purchase them for $199. Another option from the house of Bose are the noise-cancelling Headphones 700, which are currently up for grabs at $299, down from their usual asking price of $379.
Black Friday deals on affordable noise cancelling earphones
Jabra Elite 85h Noise-Canceling Headphones (L) and Sennheiser HD 458BT Noise Cancelling Headphones (R)
If noise cancellation is your top priority, but you don’t want to spend a fortune on ANC headphones, there are few awesome deals for you as well. The Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones are a great pair of water-resistant headphones that are currently available at $149.99, down from their usual price tag of $249,99 on Amazon.
An even more affordable alternative are the Sennheiser – HD 458BT Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones. They offer a 30 hour battery life, support a wide range of audio codec, and are available at an irresistible price of just $99 right now, a straight 50% discount on their normal price.
Jabra Elite 75t, Sony WF-1000XM3 and Apple AirPods Pro
One of the best Black Friday deals you can find on premium true wireless earbuds begins with a surprising name – Apple. Armed with active noise cancellation, the AirPods Pro are currently up for grabs at just $199.99, down from the normal asking price of $250 on Best Buy.
If you’re looking at an alternative, the Sony WF-1000XM3 have received widespread acclaim for their design, audio quality and ANC output. Right now, they are available at $168, way below their regular pricing of $229.99. Another solid alternative are the Jabra Elite 75t noise cancelling earbuds. These solid pair of long-lasting earbuds can be yours for $139.99, down from their street price of $179.99.
You don’t always have to spend a ton of cash on a pair of decent wireless earbuds. Right now, the best deal you can get on TWS earbuds are the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live. These bean-shaped earbuds offer ANC and are currently available for just $119.99 with a trade-in offer on Samsung’s website, juch lower than their usual $170 asking price. In case you’re fine without ANC, the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ are a terrific value at $89.99, down from their regular market value of $149.99 via a trade-in discount.
If you happen to be a fitness enthusiast, the Jaybird Vista are a great pair of waterproof earbuds with military-grade durability that are currently on sale for just $99.99, far below their street price of $179.99. And if your priority is a thumping audio and high comfort, the Beats Powerbeats Pro are a good bargain at $159.99, which is quite a discount on their regular price of $249.99 on best Buy.
Sony WF-XB700, Jabra Elite 65t, Skullcandy Sesh Evo and JBL Tune 225 TWS earbuds
If you are on the lookout of an affordable pair of TWS earbuds, the Sony WF-XB700 EXTRA BASS with its thumping bass output and comfortable in-ear design are the best option right. Usually going for $130, their discounted price of $68 makes them a great purchase. Another affordable pair of TWS earbuds that offer great sound quality are the Jabra Elite 65t, which are currently going for just $69.99 at the moment, way below their street value of $120.
Another great TWS earbuds option, but one with a lot of AI smarts, are Amazon’s own Echo Buds with always-on Alexa. They also rely on Bose’s Active Noise Reduction technology to filter out unnecessary audio signals. Right now, they can be purchased at $79.99, down from their normal price of $130.
The Skullcandy Sesh Evo come in a variety of vibrant colors, offer a balanced sound output and are currently up for grabs at a dirt-cheap price of just $24.99, much lower than their regular asking price of $59.99 on Best Buy.
You can also check out the Skullcandy Indy true wireless earbuds , which are currently going for $34.99, which is a sweet price from their value of $84.99 on Best Buy. Going a tad higher up the hierarchy, the JBL Tune 225TWS offer a stem design and a promise of better audio quality for $49.99, which is a straight 50% discount on their normal $49.99 price tag.
A month ago, I was looking for a pair of wireless headphones with necessities from active noise cancellation to terrific battery life and good sound quality. I shortlisted about half a dozen products, but the ones I liked were too pricey (above $250 / Rs 20,000). Further, no sale was going on either so I had no scope for getting a good discount. That’s when Sennheiser sent us the HD 450BT for review.
Sennheiser is known for producing quality headphones and I’ve got to say, the HD 450BT are no different. That said, for most of the benefits they offer, there is a “but” to it, which I’ve mentioned throughout my review here. I’ve been using these headphones for the past three weeks now, and here’s what I make of them.
Build, Design and Comfort
The Sennheiser HD 450BT come in two color options – Black and White. We received the latter. While I prefer my tech to be black in color, the HD 450BT in White look absolutely gorgeous. They sport golden-silverish trims at each end of the headband, which gives them more appeal than the black ones. Overall, the minimalism here makes for a good-looking product. Further, I’ve used many headphones that creak while you open and close the ear flaps. Thankfully, the build is solid and these do not creak at all.
They feature an all-plastic build but do not feel cheap. The plastic is smooth and condensed. Further, the Sennheiser HD 450BT weigh only 238 grams. I wore them for a stretch of three hours straight without feeling the need to take them off.
The clamping force is tight enough without becoming uncomfortable. In-room temperature, the ear cushions – made of faux leather – don’t become overly warm with use. However, if you wear them during a run or even while walking, they do collect sweat since there is no IP rating. While we are on the ear cushions, it is worth mentioning that the space given to your ears in the cushion is not the biggest. And those of you who have big ears might face some discomfort during longer sessions.
It feels weird talking about portability at this point in time while we are in the middle of a pandemic and people aren’t traveling. But we need to mention this anyway. The Sennheiser HD 450BT are well suited for portability. You can fold them inwards, which makes them easier to store in your bag. Moreover, they come with a pouch for you to keep your purchase clean. Further, you also get a 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable. It is hard to get so you don’t want to lose it.
So many buttons!
Rather than opting for pricey touch controls, Sennheiser went with an all-button layout on the HD 450BT. There are four buttons that are all located on the right earcup. The button layout includes three multi-use keys – a power/pairing/ANC key, a volume rocker, and a multi-button key that you can use for answering calls and skipping tracks.
The learning curve is real, folks! I’ve been using these for three weeks now and I still fumble my may to the button I need. I haven’t gotten used to it yet, and it seems like I won’t either. Now, don’t get me wrong here, having a button for each function I need is a blessing. I don’t need to pick up my phone for changing the track or answering calls or even calling somebody. I can do the latter by asking the Assistant from the headphones itself. But I wish Sennheiser had a better way to implement the button layout.
Performance
The Sennheiser HD 450BT supports SBC, AAC, APTx, and APTx-LL, which helps lower the latency that at times wireless headphones suffer with. I had no latency problems while watching videos on Netflix, YouTube, or Prime. Further, connection stability is good and I was able to listen to music while doing the dishes when my phone was kept in the other room 15 meters away.
It delivers on what you’d expect from a Sennheiser product. The sound performance is smooth, detailed, and the instruments don’t get lost in the mix. I enjoyed listening to my favorite tracks on these. I’m not a heavy-bass-person. That said, if you are looking for a pair of cans that are bass-heavy and thump your head with each beat, the HD 450BT are not for you. While the bass never gets overpowering, it hits where its need in electronic and hip-hop tracks. All in all, it delivers a balanced bass.
The details are good, and the treble is sharp. Moreover, you can add a little more treble from the Smart Control app to slightly increase vocal performance. Notably, the app is pretty useless apart from that.
The audio depth and dimension is good. However, the soundstage is more compact than expansive. Hence, some tracks felt a little enclosed. From Queen’s Rock to Kodaline’s Indie music, I loved listening to songs on these. Folk music like Riptide from Vance Joy had a good separation between the instrument (ukulele here) and the vocals.
While the range of upper frequencies can be improved, for the price, the HD 450BT offer above-average performance. Further, if you listen to a lot of podcasts, you are going to love the Sennheiser HD 450BT. The audio sounds clear with no noise or hiss in the vocals.
Coming to the mics, the listeners on the other side said that I sounded good and they couldn’t notice the difference if I was on the phone mic or my headphone mic.
Disappointingly, Sennheiser chose not to include the auto-pause feature on these headphones. What this means is the tracks don’t pause when you take the headphones off. This is a bummer.
Noise Cancellation
The Sennheiser HD 450BT feature ANC, which is uncommon for a headphone priced under $150. The noise-canceling is not as good as the Sony WH-1000XM3, but then the Sony ones I mentioned cost a lot more as well.
To activate ANC, you need to tap the power button. Surprisingly, there is no notification when the feature is on or off. When deactivated, there is a slight pause, and when activated, there’s a slightly longer pause. You need to pay attention to the small pauses. Moreover, if you power off the headphones with ANC on, the feature will still be activated when you power up the headphones next time. Further, the HD 450BT do not offer degrees of noise-canceling. It is either turned on or turned off. There is no middle ground.
ANC on the Sennheiser HD 450BT is good but not the best, which is acceptable for the price tag. While the lower audio frequencies, voices, and TV sounds are blocked, it struggles in dealing with high pitched sounds and sharp noises. On the positive side, there is no cabin pressure, which is a godsend for me as I’m a bit sensitive to ANC.
Battery life
Sennheiser claims that the HD 450BT can deliver up to 30 hours of playback time with ANC-on on a single charge. The battery life on these is excellent. It delivers on the promise. Further, there is a USB Type-C port for charging your device. It takes about two hours to charge from zero to full. In short, you are getting 30+ hours of playback if you charge your headphones for two hours. The company has done an excellent job here.
Conclusion
You no longer need to shed a premium on a pair of noise-canceling headphones with a good build and sound quality.
While these aren’t perfect, with up-to-date tech like Bluetooth 5.0, APTx-LL, USB Type-C, and excellent battery life, good sound quality, and above-average ANC, the Sennheiser HD 450BT are a good deal for $150. For reference, these were launched for $200 in February but are now selling for under $150 on Amazon, which makes them good value-for-money.
As for Indian consumers, for Rs 15,000 too, the Sennheiser HD 450BT are worth considering.
Sennheiser has launched the Momentum True Wireless 2 earphones in India. They are being made available in only black variant as of now. However, the white color variant is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
The product is priced at Rs 24,990, which is similar to the pricing of its predecessor at launch. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 earphones feature aptX Bluetooth codec for improved wireless audio transmission and active noise cancellation. The company claims that it has improved the battery life on the new product.
The device promises seven hours of battery life per charge, with the case offering an additional three charges for a total of 28 hours of battery life per charge cycle. The earphones pack 7mm drivers, and the listening experience can be tweaked and customized using the Sennheiser Smart Control app, available for iOS and Android.
Apple’s 27-inch iMac, Razer Blade Stealth 13 and more, on sale today
Deals. For those of you looking for a laptop, Amazon has the Razer Blade Stealth 13 Ultrabook for $400 off, leaving the Core i7, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD variant for $1400. B&H also has the early 2019 27in iMac for $400 depending on the variant, for example: the Core i9, 32GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD is available for $2999. We have more deals on Sennheiser headphones, Vizio TVs and more in the links in the description.
President Trump extends US trade ban on HUAWEI for another year
It’s been a year since the whole Huawei trade war started which means, Huawei has been banned of working with US entities like Google for a year now. If you were expecting Google Play Services to come back to Huawei devices, you’re out of luck because President Trump just signed a new 1 year extension on the ban. This means that Huawei will have to “survive” without working with Google and other US companies until May 2021. We have the specifics of the extension in the link in the description.
LG Wing to arrive in H2 to redesign the Second Screen to a rotating design
We know that LG is reluctant to hop on the foldable trend so they have been making dual displays instead. A new report claims that the company is working on a phone codenamed ‘Wing’ which would have the secondary display in a swivel design for it to become a rotating display. The main display would be a 6.8in panel which will rotate to a T-Shape, revealing the secondary 4in display. Their current dual displays are focused on productivity while this one would be more focused on immersion, with capabilities like having you edit a picture in the main display while the controls are on the secondary display. This phone is expected to come out in the second half of 2020, probably at IFA.
The brains behind Pixel phones’ great camera performance has left Google
The Google Pixels are known for their cameras but, the brains behind these cameras just left the company. According to The Information, Marc Levoy who led the computational photography team which is responsible for things like Night sight and HDR+ left the company back in March. Yes this is the guy who was famous for saying that UltraWide is nice, but they believe Telephoto is better. Some other reports claim that executives like Rick Osterloh weren’t happy with the Google Pixel 4’s performance and sales, with it selling less than the Pixel 3 and 3a. Which might be another reason why many people have been leaving the company since January, like the GM and VP who responded directly to the CEO.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 won’t have a LTPO and 120Hz display after all
It seems that this year we’ll see more differences between the Note 20 and the larger Note 20+. We recently got some leaks for the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20+ displays. Now, the same source claims that the Note 20+ will bring that 120Hz LTPO display but, the regular Note won’t and will stick to an LTPS 60Hz panel. In theory, you should still be able to get 120Hz with LTPS but, it will consume a lot of power so it might not make it to this phone. He also claims that the price for this regular Note 20 will be significantly cheaper, around Note 10 Lite territory.
Story of the day:
These are the results of the Google Pixel 4a’s performance and battery test
We have a full on hands on video of the Google Pixel 4a which just went through some benchmarks and tests. Now, this unit is clearly a pre-production unit as you can clearly tell it has some funky software and it won’t be what you will most likely get at retail. The benchmarks show that it is slightly less powerful than the Pixel 3 XL and it’s also less powerful than the regular Pixel 4. The video also shows a battery test for the 3080 mAh battery which show 5 and 7hrs of screen on-time which doesn’t really reflect real life. We’re expecting this phone to come out in a little less than a month.
We start today’s deals with Apple’s 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display. This is the early 2019 model, and it can be yours for $2,999 after a $400 discount. You would get a 3.6 GHz Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB storage, and 512GB SSD.
The Razer Blade Stealth 13 Ultrabook gaming laptop is also getting a $400 discount. This powerful laptop comes with an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q graphics card. It usually sells for $1,800, but right now, you can get it for just $1,400
You can also get a new VIZIO M-Series Quantum M658-G1 65-inch HDR 4K UHD Smart Quantum Dot LED TV for $600 after a $150 discount. You also get a 12-inch high-speed HDMI cable, a $30 value for free.
Sennheiser’s PXC 550 Wireless headphones with NoiseGard adaptive noise canceling will give you up to 30 hours of non-stop playtime. They usually sell for $350, but right now they can be yours for $200 after a $150 discount.
