I keep rubbing my eyes, thinking my vision must be off, but these wireless earbuds are really on sale for less than one Jackson. That’s right, the Skullcandy Jib True 2 Bluetooth earbuds are just $16.99 ($23 off) at Amazon in their gray-and-blue color combo. These ultra-affordable buds often sell for around $24, but this is a new low that makes them an easy choice for a child or anyone on a tight budget seeking wireless convenience.
The Jib True 2 aren’t going to win any awards in the sound department, but while their predecessors were a little overly bass-y, they were more than serviceable for the low price. Plus, this new model has built-in Tile tracking to help locate a missing bud should you misplace one. So they’re not just for kids but also for those of us with memories of losing expensive earbuds in the past.
The Jib True 2 offer solid performance for the price. In addition to standard features like IPX4 dust and water resistance, each earbud also sports integrated Tile tracking and the ability to function independently.
We recently saw the new Samsung Galaxy A54 5G get bundled with a $50 gift card, but that $50 savings is baked into its deal price now that you can get one for $399.99 at Best Buy. Gift cards are nice, but raw savings are always better.
Samsung’s new midrange smartphone looks a lot like the flagship Galaxy S23 line but costs a whole lot less. It may not have the higher-end processor or low-light camera chops as its pricier sibling, but the A54 prioritizes two of the most important things you interact with each and every time you use it — its screen and its battery life. The A54 has a large 6.4-inch 1080p OLED panel with a fast refresh rate up to 120Hz and a sizable battery to power it all day. Plus, Samsung has said it will offer five years of security updates for the A54, so if the processor and battery hold up, it can be a worthy investment for a lot less money than most competitors.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G adopts the S23-series’ rear panel design and a couple of other flagship-esque features, starting with its 6.4-inch display.
One of my favorite MagSafe chargers for home use is the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 that I affectionately call “the charging tree.” While it’s great, it’s also pretty expensive. If you have a MagSafe-compatible iPhone and wireless charging AirPods, the better buy right now is Belkin’s BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charger with MagSafe, which is on sale for $54.99 ($45 off) at Best Buy and Amazon. It magnetically charges an iPhone at up to its maximum speed of 15W, and it holds it in a convenient angled position — either vertically or horizontally.
Belkin’s 2-in-1 charging stand achieves 15W MagSafe wireless iPhone charging speeds. It can also juice up a pair of AirPods on its base.
Apple’s Mac Mini remains the best value for a basic desktop computer today, as long as you don’t mind providing your own monitor, keyboard, and mouse, of course. Right now, B&H Photo is selling the M1 Mac Mini from 2020 for $479 ($220 off its original MSRP) as well as this year’s M2 Mac Mini for $529 ($70 off).
Both of these are base models with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. Neither has the most expansive port selection, with just two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports, but they beat out the entry-level Mac laptops by also having two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.0, and ethernet. You really can’t go wrong with either machine at these prices if you’re just doing basic work and everyday tasks, though if you can justify the extra $50, the M2 version will perform better and be the better investment in the long run.
The revised Mac Mini for 2023 starts at $599 for an M2-powered model with an eight-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD. The Mini can also be had with the M2 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and more robust port selection for $1,299.
More Monday Mondeals to mull over:
- Elgato’s Facecam is $129.99 ($20 off) at Amazon. The beefy webcam is a little on the large side, but it outputs a nice 1080p picture at up to 60 fps and has an extra-wide focal length for getting more in the frame.
- The Western Digital Black 1TB SN850X NVMe SSD with a heatsink is $99.99 ($80 off) at Amazon. It’s a very fast drive that makes a great boot disc for a gaming PC or add-on storage for a PlayStation 5.
- Razer’s Universal Quick Charging Stand for Microsoft’s Xbox Series X / S controllers is $29.99 ($10 off) in various colors at Amazon. If you’re sick of using AA batteries in your Xbox controller, this comes with a rechargeable pack that charges on the stand in about three hours.
- Apple’s 10th-gen iPad is down to $399 ($50 off) at Amazon in all four of its cheery colors. The latest iPad is a lot pricier than its previous generation, but it has a revised design with gesture controls and a USB-C port, much like the current Pro and Air lines.
