Why You Can Trust CNET Weekend deals: $22 drones, $6 fairy lights and a $30 AirPods Pro alternative
The kid-friendly indoor quadcopter comes with two batteries for extra flight time.
The holiday is over. The BBQ grill still needs to be cleaned, the kitchen is still piled high with dirty dishes, and the dog is reeling from a night of terrifying neighborhood fireworks. Sounds like you need a reward just for surviving the weekend so far. Well, here you go: A trio of surprisingly good deals, including a cheap drone, true-wireless earbuds, and a couple of spools of fairy lights. The latest episode of The Cheapskate Show podcast discusses drones, so let's lead with that.
Potensic may not be a household name, but the company makes drones in all shapes and sizes (including some fancy ones). This one is for kids (and drone-curious adults), a tiny indoor flier with blade guards, altitude hold and one-button takeoff and landing.
You also get two batteries instead of just one; each is good for about 5 to 6 minutes of flight time.
The A20 normally sells for $28, but the price drops to $20.59 when you clip the on-page 5%-off coupon and then apply promo code 3QR8HINU at checkout.
Like the "pipe" design of Apple's AirPods Pro but not the $250 price tag? As regular Cheapskate readers know, there are zillions of less-expensive alternatives. Here's another one, and it's just ridiculously decent for the price: $29.24 when you clip the on-page 10%-off coupon and then apply promo code EFXUSFYN at checkout. Regular price: $41.
I wore these for a couple hours the other day while cleaning the garage. Sound quality? Surprisingly good given the price. As long as you get a good inner-ear seal (a requirement for all earbuds like these), you'll enjoy slightly bass-forward audio with considerable noise isolation.
Meanwhile, the charging case uses USB-C and promises a total of 40 hours of play time. This is yet another example of a really solid AirPods alternative at a fraction of the cost.
"Fairy lights" are little LEDs embedded in a wire you can wrap around poles, string along walls, pile inside a glass jar and so on. Govee's 16.4-foot strings are battery-powered and Bluetooth-equipped: You control them using an app.
For a limited time, and while supplies last, you can get a two-pack of these things for just $5.99 with promo code 9RY4D7SH. Regular price: $13.19. Amazingly, they're waterproof, meaning you can even set them up outdoors.
This article was published earlier this week.
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