Amazon’s 2023 Echo Buds are already some of our favorite budget-friendly earbuds of 2025, and right now, you can grab yourself a pair for 30% off. That drops the price down to just $35, which is the same price we saw during Amazon’s recent Big Spring Sale. Both the black and white color variants are on sale at the moment, and there’s no telling how long this offer will last, so we suggest you get your order in sooner rather than later.

These affordable Amazon earbuds impressed our reviewer with the features that they offer at a budget price point. They support hands-free Alexa access, as well as multipoint Bluetooth pairing and in-ear detection that will automatically pause your music when you remove them.

They’re equipped with 12mm drivers, which provide decent audio quality, and the semi-open design makes them a great choice if you find eartips uncomfortable. The buds themselves boast a five-hour battery life, which jumps up to 20 hours total with the charging case. Just note that they only have an IPX2 water resistance rating, so you should be wary about using them in the rain or for intense workouts.

Why this deal matters

With a spot on our list of the best budget earbuds for 2025, these 2023 Echo Buds are already an impressive value at full price. Now that you can grab them for 30% off — a discount that matches the deal we saw during Amazon’s last major shopping event — they’re a pretty serious bargain. If you’re after a decent pair of earbuds that boast well-rounded features and solid audio at a budget price, this is one of the best offers out there right now.

That being said, there are plenty of other discounts to be found, so check out our full list of all the best earbud and headphone deals for even more bargains.

I struggle to sleep on planes, which means I spend a lot of time perusing the in-flight entertainment. But unfortunately, the flimsy on-ear wired headphones provided by the airline can make it tough to make out the dialogue, and subtitles take up a substantial portion of the tiny screen. If you can relate, then we’ve got the perfect solution for you. The Twelve South AirFly Pro is a Bluetooth transmitter that allows you to use your own wireless earbuds or headphones with any 3.5mm aux port, and right now you can pick it up for just $47, which is a 15% discount and the lowest price of 2025.

The AirFly Pro is one of our favorite AirPods accessories on the market right now. It’s easy to pair, and can connect to two pairs of earbuds or headphones simultaneously. It features Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and supports multiple high-fidelity audio codecs like low latency aptX. It boasts an impressive 33-foot range, and has a battery life of up to 25 hours. You can also use it while it’s charging via USB-C. Plus, it fits in your pocket and is incredibly lightweight at just 18 grams. Just note that only the black color variant is on sale, and you’ll need to activate the on-page coupon to get the discount.

Why this deal matters

This Bluetooth transmitter is compact, convenient and a must-have if you’re a frequent traveller. Our reviewers named it as one of the best AirPods accessories of 2025, and it doesn’t go on sale very often, so we’d recommend taking advantage of this discount while you can.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be tricky. I couldn’t really make the connection between all the words until I read the spangram. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: That’s quite a (tasty) mouthful.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Long food words.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

• FOUR, FLOW, WOLF, FATE, LABEL, LABELS, WEAR, WARE, WARES, CARE, FILL, ABLE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you’ve got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

• ARUGULA, AVOCADO, WATERMELON, CAULIFLOWER

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is FOURSYLLABLES.  To find it, start with the F that’s three letters down on the far left column, and wind down, up and over.

Toughest Strands puzzles

Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest in recent weeks.

#1: Dated slang, Jan. 21. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.

#2: Thar she blows! Jan.15. I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT. 

#3: Off the hook, Jan. 9. Similar to the Jan. 15 puzzle in that it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.