CES 2025 is over – and the world’s biggest tech show once again proved to be a revealing (and sometimes unsettling) peek into the tech trends that’ll shape our near future. But it was also a place where some real, affordable gadgets were launched – and we’ve rounded up the best you can buy today here.
Yes, not every CES launch was a $175,000 humanoid robot or flagship Panasonic OLED TV. We also saw a wave of phone accessories, from power banks to SSDs, and some promising new contenders for our guides to the best budget wireless earbuds and best cheap smartwatches.
So if you’re all caught up on our CES recap podcastand want a palate cleanser on all of the best tech that was announced at the show (and isn’t too hard on your wallet), then read on for our top picks.
1. Anker Power Bank 25K
- Price: $90 / £72 (around AU$145)
One of the more curious trends we noticed at CES 2025 was power banks with retractable USB-C cables. Not a wildly futuristic advance, but if you’re fed up with coiling cables around your backup batteries while traveling, then the new Anker Power Bank 25K could be for you.
Announced at CES 2025 and already available with a 10% discount (20% in the UK) from Anker’s store, this high-capacity bank for laptops, phones and tablets has a 25,000mAh capacity and three USB-C ports (two of which have retractable cables).
With a bonus USB-A port on top and a display to fill you in on its remaining charge, battery health and more, it certainly looks like a strong contender for your next international trip.
2. Shokz OpenFit 2
- Price: $179 (UK / Australia pricing is TBC)
TechRadar’s Audio Editor Becky Scarrott called the Shokz OpenFit Airs “my favorite sports-focused open-ear buds yet” last year, so that bodes well for the OpenFit 2, which were announced at CES 2025.
Rather than using bone-conduction tech, the OpenFit range use DirectPitch technology (this time version 2.0) to send the audio to your ears, while leaving your ear canals open to the sounds of cars or cyclists.
We haven’t tested them out yet, but we’re fans of the series (including its waterproof OpenSwim models for swimmers) – and these new ones claim a decent 11 hours of battery life, too.
3. Amazfit Active 2
- Standard version: $99 (around £80 / AU$160)
- Premium version: $129.99 (about £105 / AU$208)
If you’re in the market for a cheap smartwatch with heart-rate tracking and voice commands, the Amazfit Active 2 should be on your shortlist.
The original version impressed last year with its variety of helpful health-tracking features (for everything from strength training to chess), and this new model adds a redesigned heart-rate sensor plus (inevitably) some AI-powered tricks.
Whether or not you use the AI Zepp Flow voice command software for adding events to your calendar or tweaking the watch’s settings, its attractive design means it again looks great value for money. It’s out now in the US, but will also be available globally from February.
4. SanDisk Creator Phone SSD
- 1TB model: $109.99 / £92 (around AU$180)
- 2TB model: $169.99 / £136 (around AU$275)
Another mini sub-theme of CES 2025 was tiny little SSDs for boosting your iPhone’s storage – and SanDisk’s take on the idea got extra marks for including MagSafe to help it magnetically clip to the back of your phone.
The main purpose of the clunkily-named Creator Phone SSD is to support video creators, as you can record Apple ProRes 4K footage at 60fps directly to the drive from your compatible iPhone. But the nippy read and write speeds read speeds (1,000MB/s and 950MB/s respectively) mean it’s a handy travel companion in general.
It also has three-meter drop protection alongside IP65 water and dust resistance, and is available to buy right now.
5. Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi
- Price: $129.99 / £109.99 / around AU$218
Our AirPods 4 review says that “they’re good, but you can do better for the price” – and that was before we saw the launch of these promising new earbuds from Creative (and sound personalization experts Mimi) at CES 2025.
On paper, the Aurvana Ace Mimi have a couple of big advantages over Apple’s earbuds. Firstly, they have an ANC (active noise cancelling) mode, despite costing the same as the ANC-free version of the AirPods 4.
They also use solid-state drivers, which can produce some excellent sound quality (see our Creative Aurvana Ace 2 review). Lastly, by personalizing and tuning the audio to your needs, Creative reckons they’ll protect your ears too by removing the temptation of cranking up the volume.
6. HMD OffGrid
- Upfront price: $199 / £169 (AU$330)
- Subscription: $14.99 / £14.99 (around AU$30) a month
Planning a big travel adventure in 2025 but don’t want it to turn into a Touching the Void-style survival documentary? It might be worth investing in HMD’s satellite-powered, location-sharing device.
The OffGrid is a pocketable gadget that basically brings satellite communication to any phone, whatever operating system it’s running. You can send and receive messages via space or send out an SOS distress signal, using the HMD OffGrid app.
It’s a bit like a Garmin InReach only cheaper – you can buy an OffGrid now for $199 / £169 upfront, plus an extra $14.99 / £14.99 a month for unlimited messages, check-ins and SOS alerts.
7. Soundpeats PearlClip Pro
- Price: $29.99 (around £23.99 or AU$48) for early birds, or $59.99 (about £50 / AU$97) afterwards
We may have saved the biggest CES 2025 bargain till last here – if you sign up on the Soundpeats website before January 19, you can pick up the new PearlClip Pro open earbuds for half their usual $59.99 price.
Now we haven’t actually tested out these ridiculously cheap earbuds just yet, but we have reviewed its previous offerings – like the Soundpeats Air 4 Pro – and found them to offer good value.
The PearClip Pros adopt the popular clip-on, cuff-like design of other open earbuds and promise six hours of battery life (with an extra 18 hours from the charging case). If you need some highly affordable earbuds (or a backup pair), then this early bird deal could be your CES 2025 highlight.
You might also like
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wjgbPYYeUsqFxVT3UiJuZG-1200-80.jpg
Source link
mark.wilson@futurenet.com (Mark Wilson)
