This Week’s Top Deals Feature Sony XM5 Headphones and the Newest Kindle
If you’re feeling the crunch of last-minute holiday shopping and missed the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up some fantastic gadgets that are currently on sale and will arrive in time for the holidays. A highlight is the ongoing promotion for Sony’s WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones, which come with a complimentary pair of wireless earbuds. Other notable discounts include significant price cuts on Amazon’s latest entry-level Kindle and the new Echo Dot Max.
Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones have consistently wowed us with their impressive audio quality, active noise cancellation, and comfort. Right now, you can snag them on Amazon with a free pair of Sony’s WF-C700N earbuds for just $248, a savings of $152. The headphones feature a sleek design with a thinner headband, enhanced memory foam ear pads, and repositioned microphones that minimize wind noise during calls. Despite these upgrades, they remain lightweight and offer an impressive 30 hours of playtime with active noise cancellation enabled.
In our tests, the XM5 headphones delivered a sound that was “more refined, detailed, and spacious,” although we found the bass response a bit lacking for genres like EDM or hip-hop. With eight microphones—four dedicated to voice—the noise reduction during calls is exceptional, even in noisy environments. The WF-C700N earbuds, priced at $89.99, are a solid midrange option featuring noise cancellation, an IPX4 rating, and up to seven and a half hours of battery life with ANC on, all in a sleek design.
Amazon’s 11th-gen Kindle is our top pick for a budget-friendly e-reader, currently available for $89.99, a $20 discount. This entry-level device boasts a six-inch 300ppi E Ink display that eliminates glare, making it perfect for reading outdoors. It has ample storage for thousands of books or numerous audiobooks from Audible, which you can enjoy through Bluetooth headphones or speakers.
The Kindle’s battery can last up to six weeks, depending on your reading habits and backlight usage, and it recharges via USB-C. While it shares the same screen resolution and storage as the Kindle Paperwhite, it lacks waterproofing, which could be a consideration for beach or bath readers.
Amazon’s “Super Saturday” sale is in full swing, but some of the best deals are on their own devices, many of which have been discounted for weeks. For instance, the new Echo Dot Max is available for $79.99, a $20 savings, marking the best price since its launch.
Despite its name, the Dot Max is more of an evolution of the fourth-gen Echo from 2020. It features a compact knit fabric design, simplified controls, a more powerful processor, and enhanced smart home capabilities, supporting Matter, Thread, and Zigbee protocols. It still delivers impressive sound for its size and can also act as a Wi-Fi extender if you’re building an Eero mesh network. Plus, it’s one of the first devices to come with Amazon’s AI-powered Alexa Plus, which is still evolving but shows promise.
Several more great deals are worth checking out:
* Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of the standout games of the year, and the PC version is now just $15.99, a $4 discount, as part of Steam’s annual Winter Sale. The challenging Metroidvania features over 200 enemies and 40 bosses, requiring skill and persistence to conquer.
* If you’re looking to add some fun to your space, the Lego “Up” House is currently priced at $30.39, a savings of about $30. This 598-piece set includes mini figures of Carl Fredricksen, Russell, and Dug, along with the iconic house adorned with balloons, and reveals intricate details inside.
* The Keychron V1 Max, dubbed the “Toyota Corolla of keyboards” for its reliability and value, is now available for $95.99, a $24 discount. This mechanical keyboard features quieter Silent K Pro Red switches and allows for key remapping through the Keychron Launcher web app. You can connect it via USB-C, a 2.4GHz adapter, or Bluetooth, making it versatile for any setup.
