Sonos has a new rival in town. Bose’s new Lifestyle Collection includes a $299 Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, a $1,099 Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, and the $899 Ultra Subwoofer, all of which are now available directly from Bose and third-party retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker

Where to Buy:

• $299 at Amazon (white)
• $299 at Amazon (black)
• $349 at Bose (beige)

The $299 Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is essentially Bose’s version of the Sonos Era 100. It’s available in either black or white from Amazon, Best Buy, and Bose, as well as a $349 beige build that’s currently exclusive to Bose’s online storefront. Of all the new Lifestyle devices, my colleague John Higgins was particularly impressed with the smart speaker. It offers a front-firing woofer and tweeter, and, unlike the Era 100, an up-firing driver. In his brief hands-on time with it, he was surprised by how big it sounded for its size and by its crisp vocal clarity.

Like the Sonos Era 100, the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker supports both Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect, though the addition of Google Cast provides yet another way to stream audio from supported apps. It can also be grouped with compatible non-Bose speakers via AirPlay and Google Cast if you want to play music in multiple rooms, and it’s the first third-party speaker to support Amazon’s generative AI-powered Alexa Plus.

For home theater fans, Bose also introduced the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, which supports Dolby Atmos and is now available from Amazon, Best Buy, and Bose. Dialogue came through clearly in our demo, and the speaker’s soundstage felt wide, even if the low end was somewhat lacking on its own. Bose’s new Ultra Subwoofer — also currently available in black and white from Amazon, Best Buy, and Bose — can help fill that gap, though. When paired with the soundbar, it noticeably filled out the missing bass and delivered fuller, more balanced sound.

Read our hands-on impressions of the Bose Lifestyle collection.

Last Thursday, in a staged home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, I sat on a couch that was a bit too low and a tad too deep in front of a small, beige-colored smart speaker sitting on the middle of a trio of arched midcentury storage cabinets. On either side of the smart speaker sat two tall curved white screens.

The speaker was the new $299 Lifestyle Ultra, Bose's answer to the Sonos Era 100. Alongside a $1,099 Ultra soundbar and $899 subwoofer, it's one of three new home audio products the company announced today, all of which seem to be gunning directly for Sonos - hopefully minus that company's recent missteps. I heard all three at …

Read the full story at The Verge.

When it comes to the best noise-canceling earbuds, the competition has gotten fierce. Apple, Sony, Samsung, and Google all offer excellent options, though, unsurprisingly, Bose still retains the noise-canceling crown with the latest QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. Luckily, you can now grab the second-gen earbuds at Amazon and Best Buy for $249 ($50 off), which matches their second-best price to date.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)

Where to Buy:

• $299 $249 at Amazon
• $299 $249 at Walmart
• $299 $249 at Best Buy

While the QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) aren’t a massive step up from the first-gen model, at least visually, they make noticeable strides in both sound and call quality. They still lean a little bass-heavy, but the high-end is clear and lively, whether you’re listening to the stock sound or fine-tune your preferences using the three-band EQ located in the Bose app. They also come with a wireless charging case and continue to support Immersive Audio, which is similar to Apple’s spatial audio in that it can add greater depth when listening to select content.

The ANC tech is where the latest Ultra Earbuds truly shine, though, particularly if you’re someone who likes to adjust the intensity. The wireless earbuds feature 11 steps, from full on to full off, which you can lock in with your own presets, whether for running or your commute. They’re fantastic at drowning out low-frequency sounds and loud spikes in sound, too, even when using Bose’s helpful transparency mode (aka Aware mode), making it easy to better focus on your conversation and everything else going on around you when you need to.

Read our full QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review.

More ways to save today

• It’s no 25W MageSafe charger, but Belkin’s last-gen BoostCharge Pro is on sale at Woot with an AC adapter for $34.99 ($65 off) through April 12th, which is the lowest price we’ve seen. The sleek, StandBy-ready 2-in-1 charging stand can still deliver up to 15W of power to newer iPhone models — specifically, from the iPhone 12 onward —while allowing you to top off a pair of earbuds via a second wireless pad located directly underneath.
• The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot has returned to its all-time low of $99.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy, making it a great time to pick up the versatile gamepad if you missed its big price drop in February. The wireless PC controller features drift-free Hall effect sticks, built-in social notifications, and a set of programmable back buttons; however, its calling card is a pair of swiveling modules that let you quickly transition from a traditional layout to one better suited for retro titles and fighting games. It even works with Xbox consoles via a wired connection.
• It’s kind of baffling to me that Apple hasn’t released a new entry-level tablet this year, which means the 2025 iPad remains the cheapest option available. The tablet’s A16 chip is definitely starting to show its age, though, if all you plan to do with it is simple tasks like check your email and mainline The Pitt on your day off, you can pick it up at Amazon and Best Buy right now with Wi-Fi and 128GB of storage starting at $299 ($150 off). Read our review.

We saw a host of excellent Bose discounts during Amazon’s so-called Big Spring Sale last month; however, none of them were quite as steep as the current price drop we’re seeing on the latest Bose Soundlink Flex. Right now, the portable speaker is on sale at Amazon in select colors starting at $109 ($50 off) at checkout, nearly matching its best price to date. It’s also available at Walmart, Best Buy, and directly from Bose in all eight hues, albeit for $119 ($40 off) instead of $109.

Bose Soundlink Flex (second-gen)

Where to Buy:

• $159 $119 at Amazon
• $159 $119 at Walmart
• $159 $119 at Best Buy

A few years back, we crowned the original Soundlink Flex the best portable Bluetooth speaker under $200. It was an impressive speaker with expansive sound and a surprising amount of low-end thump, not to mention a rugged, IP67-rated design that allowed you to take it pretty much anywhere. It was a real winner in many respects, particularly for its compact size, which is probably why Bose didn’t feel the need to completely reinvent the wheel with the second iteration.

The second-gen Flex is nearly identical to the first-gen model, only with a few subtle refinements. The travel-friendly speaker features a redesigned control strip with a new play / pause button and a power button that’s easier to locate — a welcome upgrade, given that the buttons on the original weren’t easy to use by feel alone. The 2nd Gen version also features adjustable EQ and support for higher-res AAC and aptX codecs, though you still get up to 12 hours of battery life, stereo pairing (if you own two), and weatherproofing, making the silicone-wrapped speaker a great picnic or poolside companion.

More deals and discounts

• Lego’s adorable R2-D2 replica is currently on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Target for $79.99 ($20 off), matching its lowest price to date. The 1,050-piece set is a nice, decor-worthy homage to everyone’s favorite R2-series astromech droid, complete with a 180-degree swiveling head, an attachable periscope, and a miniature Artoo that’s meant to sit alongside the included info plaque.
• If Google’s premium subscriptions don’t scare you off, the third-gen Google Nest Doorbell is down to $139.99 ($40 off) — its second-best price to date — at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. The new model supports 2K HDR video, a taller field of view than prior models, and a new sensor with a wider aperture lens for full-color low-light video. The wired video doorbell can also leverage Gemini for AI-generated text descriptions, assuming you’re willing to pay for Google’s Home Premium Advanced plan ($20 a month).
• I probably wouldn’t call Twelve South’s 4-foot PowerCord the God Cable we’ve been looking for, but it’s still a good option for charging a range of gadgets now that it’s on sale at Amazon for $16.79 (about $13 off), which is about $6 shy of its lowest price to date. The sleek, low-profile device combines a 30W fast charger with a USB-C cable, allowing you to top off your phone, tablet, and a host of other small electronics without the need for an extra wall adapter.

Update, April 10th: Updated to reflect a steeper $50 price cut on the Bose SoundLink Flex.

Welcome to the weekend, friends! While the rest of our team was checking out Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy S26 lineup and prepping for Apple’s “special experience” next week, we’ve been sifting through Woot’s “Video Games for All” sale and a truly weird slate of deals that, frankly, don’t have a throughline. (Some of us have also spent the last week unpacking what Huel is, but that’s neither here nor there.)

Here’s what we can tell you. If you’re thinking of picking up the Galaxy S26 Ultra at launch, putting in your preorder now isn’t a bad idea. It’s also a great time to pick up the midrange QuietComfort Headphones and what many of us at The Verge consider to be the game of 2024: Astro Bot. And who doesn’t want to save on a slick handheld vac?

Now let’s get to it.

If you’re craving a little peace and quiet, Bose’s QuietComfort Headphones are currently on sale at Amazon in multiple colors for $199 ($150 off), which is the best price we’ve seen this year.

The standard QC Headphones are essentially a refresh of the last-gen QC45s with some new software tricks, including the ability to adjust noise cancellation levels and set custom listening modes. That being the case, you still get up to 24 hours of battery life, excellent comfort, and multipoint support, making it easy to switch between Bluetooth devices on the fly. They lack Bose’s immersive audio mode and the higher-quality Bluetooth found in the newer QC Ultras, though, as well as support for lossless audio over USB-C. Then again, that probably shouldn’t come as a surprise given they’re retailing for $250 less.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones

Where to Buy:

• $359 $199 at Amazon
• $359 $229 at Walmart
• $359 $199 at Best Buy

As we alluded to earlier, Samsung announced its Galaxy S26 lineup this week. There are already plenty of preorder deals to consider, but one of the best comes courtesy of Amazon, which is throwing in a $200 gift card alongside a free storage upgrade when you preorder the 512GB Galaxy S26 Ultra starting at $1,299.99. Other retailers are also running promos ahead of the phone’s March 11th release date, mind you, though they’re not as impressive; Best Buy is only providing a free storage upgrade, while Samsung is offering a mere $150 in credit.

While the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus both feel like underwhelming, iterative updates, the 6.9-inch Galaxy S26 Ultra actually impressed our resident phone reviewer, Allison Johnson. That’s largely because of the new Privacy Display, which can help shield your screen from people sitting near you (if desired), and a more powerful camera array that should improve low-light performance. Plus, like the rest of the S26 lineup, the Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which supports more advanced generative AI tools and a souped-up version of Gemini that can carry out certain tasks in third-party apps on your behalf. No one likes calling an Uber themselves, anyway.

Read our S26 Ultra hands-on impressions.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Where to Buy:

• $1299.99 $1099.99 at Amazon (256GB)
• $1299.99 $1099.99 at Best Buy (256GB)
• $1499.99 $1299.99 at Amazon (512GB)

You can still grab a physical copy of Astro Bot at Walmart for $32.99 ($27 off), an all-time low. The fantastic PlayStation 5 exclusive — which won Game of the Year at the 2024 Game Awards — has players take on the role of Astro, a lovable robot who sets off on a space adventure after his crew is lost in a sudden attack. Despite the prior game being a pack-in title for the PS5, Team Asobi’s full-sized sequel brims with inventive platforming, whimsical power-ups, and a kind of lighthearted fun that recalls the best of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Thankfully, it never feels outdated, even if ‘90s vibes are totally there.

Read our Astro Bot review.

Astro Bot

Where to Buy:

• $59.99 $32.99 at Walmart

If you’re looking for a relatively compact handheld vacuum that can reach into car crevices and suck up crumbs on your desk, Fanttik’s foldable Fold V10 Apex is still on sale at Amazon for $85.49 (about $65 off), matching its best price to date.

Fanttik’s 17,000Pa vac features an extendable nozzle that pivots up to 210 degrees, along with a built-in LED light to help illuminate the dark corners of your vehicle. An onboard display, meanwhile, indicates the remaining battery life and suction mode, as well as the status of the washable filter. It also comes with a range of useful add-ons, including an upholstery tool, two brush heads, and an extendable hose with a crevice tool for hard-to-reach areas. It even charges via USB-C, making it easy to juice after the battery runs out in about 30 minutes or so.

Read our recent profile on Fanttik.

Fanttik Fold V10 Apex Foldable Car Vacuum

Where to Buy:

• $149.99 $85.49 at Amazon
• $149.99 $94.99 at Fanttik (with code V10APEX)

More ways to save this weekend

• You can pick up five second-gen AirTags for $99.99 ($24 off) at Costco, though non-members will have to pay a $5 surcharge. That’s the first discount we’ve seen on Apple’s latest location tracker, which builds upon its predecessor with an upgraded ultra-wideband chip and extended range, allowing for more precise tracking from up to 50 percent farther away. It’s also better at locating items in multi-story homes, and the built-in speaker is up to 50 percent louder, making it easier to hear. Read our review.
• AOC’s 27-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor (Q27G41ZDF) is on sale for $379.99 ($170 off) at Best Buy, which is its lowest price to date. The 1440p display is a great entry-level OLED, with a sharp 16:9 panel and a speedy 240Hz refresh rate. As a QD-OLED monitor, it delivers the deep blacks and vibrant colors the technology is known for, along with G-Sync compatibility to help reduce screen tearing. It also includes a three-year warranty for added peace of mind.
• You can snag the Sharge Pixel 100 from Amazon (with Prime) and Sharge for $69.90 ($30 off) right now, which is its lowest price to date. The small, retro-inspired GaN charger delivers up to 140W of power, which is enough to charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro to 50 percent in about 25 minutes. It also features three USB-C ports for powering multiple devices, along with a customizable dot-matrix display that shows the real-time wattage for each port.

This year’s CES introduced a bevy of unique headphones, including Fender’s first set and a pair that roll up to become a Bluetooth speaker when you want to share your music with friends. However, despite the interesting advancements, we doubt any of them will dethrone our favorite pair for travel: the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. Thankfully, the first-gen noise-canceling cans are currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Bose in several colors for $279 ($150 off), matching their lowest price to date.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Where to Buy:

• $429 $279 at Amazon
• $429 $279 at Best Buy
• $429 $279 at Bose

Although Bose introduced a second-gen pair of the QC Ultra in September, the original flagships offer many of the same hallmarks for $120 less, at least at the moment. They feature a comfortable build and a foldable design that makes them ideal for long flights and road trips, along with a commendable 24 hours of battery life. More importantly, they offer best-in-class noise cancellation and a pleasing, balanced sound signature that preserves highs and lows even when you dial back the volume. That’s on top of a natural-sounding transparency mode designed to pipe outside noise in and an Immersive Audio feature, which, while still hit or miss, can offer new depth to select tracks.

If you do decide to go with the first-gen model over Bose’s latest pair of headphones, you’ll only be giving up a handful of somewhat iterate update. The QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) — which also happen to be on sale for $50 off at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo — let you eke out slightly more battery life (30 hours vs. 24 hours), support lossless audio over USB-C, and feature an improved transparency mode. They also support Bluetooth 5.4 and a new Cinema Mode designed to bring dialogue to the forefront, though, for most people, we’d argue none of the features are worth shelling out an additional $120 for.

Read our full QC Ultra Headphones review.

More deals and discounts of note

• If cracking the case and solving (non-racist) Lovecraftian mysteries is your jam, Steam’s weeklong Detective Fest runs through 1PM ET on January 19th. It’s a lot more curated than Steam’s typical sales events; however, you can still find excellent discounts on The Case of the Golden Idol ($8.99), Disco Elysium ($9.99), and plant-based puzzler Strange Horticulture ($6.39). I, for one, will be picking up last year’s most surprising GOTY contender, Blue Prince ($19.79), along with a fresh set of pen and paper to go with it.
• The UE Wonderboom 4 has been my go-to Bluetooth smart speaker since it arrived in mid-2024, but Tribit’s StormBox Mini Plus remains an excellent budget alternative you can pick up at Amazon starting at $29.99 ($10 off), an all-time low. The portable speaker features a fabric-covered cylindrical design that’s eerily familiar to rival models from UE and JBL, not to mention IPX7 waterproofing, a 3.5mm aux input, a speakerphone, and balanced, 360-degree sound that belies its pint-sized stature.
• Sharge’s Pixel 140 charger is currently available from Amazon (for Prime members) and Sharge for around $79.99 ($20 off), which is just a dollar or two shy of its lowest price to date. The newer, fifth-gen GaN charger swaps the LCD and OLED screens that have become pervasive in the charging world for a retro-inspired dot matrix display, which lets you see the real-time power draw at a glance. The slick charger also outputs up to 140W and sports three USB-C ports, allowing you to charge all your favorite gadgets.

If you value peace and quiet, particularly when traveling, Bose’s first-gen QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are worth checking out. They’re our favorite noise-canceling headphones for travel, and right now, you can snag a pair for an all-time low of $279 ($150 off) in select colors from Amazon, Best Buy, and Bose. All three retailers estimate that shipments should arrive before Christmas, with Bose saying its cutoff for free two-day shipping is December 22nd at 12PM ET.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Where to Buy:

• $429 $279 at Amazon
• $429 $279 at Best Buy
• $429 $279 at Bose

The QC Ultra offer top-tier noise cancellation, allowing you to block out the chaos of the holidays. They also feature some of the best comfort you’ll find in this category, which is fitting considering the name. The design is lightweight, the ear cushions are nice and soft, and the headband features a relatively gentle clamping force, making them comfortable to wear over extended periods. They can also fold down for easy storage, while the battery can last up to 24 hours, so you don’t have to worry about charging while on the go.

In his review, former senior reviewer Chris Welch said the headphones put a bit more emphasis on bass than Bose’s Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which the first-gen QC Ultra replaced. The overall sound is more detailed and preserves the lows and highs even when the volume is dialed down. The QC Ultra also support high-end features like wear detection, which will automatically pause your audio when you take them off, and a natural-sounding transparency mode that pipes in ambient noise to keep you aware of your surroundings.

It’s worth flagging that Bose introduced a new version of the QC Ultra Headphones a few months ago with a higher starting price of $449 (though you can currently snag a pair at Amazon, Best Buy, and Bose for $50 off). While the latest model resembles the original, the second-gen headphones offer better battery life and several new features, including support for lossless audio over USB-C and an enhanced transparency mode that can filter out sudden noises. The first-gen version is still a great buy, though, and at just $279, a much better value right now.

Read our QC Ultra Headphones review.

Traveling during the holidays can be chaotic and loud, but a quality pair of over-ear headphones can provide much-needed peace and quiet on your journey. Fortunately, you can currently snag Bose’s QuietComfort Headphones on sale at Amazon for an all-time low of $169.99 ($180 off) in select colors. That’s more than 50 percent off the MSRP, and handily beats their previous low of $199.99.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones

Where to Buy:

• $359 $199 at Amazon
• $359 $199 at Best Buy
• $359 $199 at Bose

The QC Headphones are a great option in the company’s broader lineup of headphones and earbuds, which also includes the pricier QC Ultra Headphones, QC Ultra Earbuds, and entry-level QC Earbuds. The standard QC Headphones preserve the lightweight design of the last-gen QuietComfort 45 and include Bose’s terrific noise cancellation, so you can block out your snoring seat neighbor on the plane.

The QC Headphones allow you to quickly toggle between blocking out the outside world and letting ambient noise in, which is a nice feature when you need to hear a boarding call. Additionally, they support multipoint connectivity, allowing them to be paired with two devices simultaneously. They also offer up to 24 hours of battery life, so you’ll be able to get through a long travel day when an outlet isn’t nearby. And when you do make it to your destination, they fold up neatly, making it easier to store them in your bag.

Although we haven’t reviewed this specific model, Bose headphones consistently offer some of the best comfort around, along with top-tier ANC. If you’re looking for the best of the best, though, the QC Ultra Headphones are one of our favorite pairs for travel — and you can grab the first-gen model for just $298 ($131 off) at Amazon right now, which is the lowest price we’ve seen in months. The step-up headphones offer more immersive spatial audio, a feature that can fine-tune the audio and noise cancellation to your ears, and sensors to pause / resume music when you take the headphones off or put them on.