CES 2025 has come and gone – and the world’s largest tech show once again proved to be a revealing (and sometimes disturbing) glimpse into the tech trends that will 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.
Yes, not every CES launch was one $175,000 humanoid robot or Panasonic’s flagship OLED TV. We also saw a surge in phone accessories, from power banks to SSDs, and some promising new contenders for our guides to the best budget wireless earbuds and the best cheap smartwatches.
So if you guys are completely aware of our CES recap podcastand you want a palate cleanser for the best tech announced at the show (and that won’t be too taxing on your wallet), read on for our top picks.
1. Anker Powerbank 25K
- Price: $90 / £72 (about AU$145)
One of the more curious trends we noticed at CES 2025 was power banks with retractable USB-C cables. Not a hugely futuristic advance, but if you’re tired of coiling cables around your backup batteries while traveling, then the new Anker Power Bank 25K might be for you.
Announced at CES 2025 and available now with 10% off (20% in the UK) from Anchor shopThis high-capacity bank for laptops, phones and tablets has a 25,000 mAh capacity and three USB-C ports (two of which have retractable cables).
With an additional USB-A port on top and a display that informs you of remaining charge, battery status and more, it certainly seems like a strong candidate for your next international trip.
2. Shokz OpenFit2
- Price: $179 (UK/Australia price is TBC)
Ny Breaking’s audio editor Becky Scarrott last year called the Shokz OpenFit Airs “my favorite sports-oriented open-ear earbuds yet,” so that bodes well for the OpenFit 2, which was announced at CES 2025.
Instead of using bone conduction technology, the OpenFit range uses DirectPitch technology (version 2.0 this time) to send the audio to your ears, while leaving your ear canals open to the sound of cars or cyclists.
We haven’t tested them yet, but we’re fans of the range (including the waterproof OpenSwim models for swimmers) – and these new models claim a decent 11 hours of battery life too.
3. Amazfit Active 2
- Standard version: $99 (about £80 / AU$160)
- Premium version: $129.99 (about £105 / AU$208)
If you’re looking for a cheap smartwatch with heart rate monitoring and voice commands, the Amazfit Active 2 should be on your shortlist.
The original version impressed last year with its variety of useful 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 to add events to your calendar or adjust the watch’s settings, the attractive design again makes it look like great value for money. It’s available now in the US, but will also be available worldwide from February.
4. SanDisk Creator Phone SSD
- 1TB model: $109.99 / £92 (about AU$180)
- 2TB model: $169.99 / £136 (about AU$275)
Another mini sub-theme of CES 2025 was small SSDs to increase your iPhone’s storage space – and SanDisk’s take on the idea got extra points for adding MagSafe to magnetically attach it to the back of your phone.
The main purpose of the awkwardly named Creator Phone SSD is to support creators, as you can record Apple ProRes 4K footage at 60fps directly to your compatible iPhone’s drive. But its fast read and write speeds (1,000 MB/s and 950 MB/s respectively) make it a useful travel companion overall.
It also has three meters of drop protection, in addition to IP65 water and dust resistance, and is available to purchase now.
5. Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi
- Price: $129.99 / £109.99 / about 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 number of major advantages over Apple’s earbuds. Firstly, they have an ANC (active noise cancellation) mode, despite costing the same as the ANC-free version of the AirPods 4.
They also use solid-state drivers, which can produce excellent sound quality (see our Creative Aurvana Ace 2 review). Finally, Creative thinks that by personalizing the audio and tailoring it to your needs, they will also protect your ears by removing the temptation to turn up the volume.
6. HMD OffGrid
- Price in advance: $199 / £169 (AU$330)
- Subscription: $14.99 / £14.99 (about AU$30) per month
I’m planning a big travel adventure in 2025, but I don’t want it to be a… Touching the voidsurvival documentary in style? It may be worth investing in HMD’s satellite-powered location sharing device.
The OffGrid is a pocket-sized gadget that basically brings satellite communications to any phone, no matter what operating system it’s running. The HMD OffGrid app allows you to send and receive messages through space or send out an SOS distress signal.
It’s a bit like a Garmin InReach, but cheaper: you can now buy an OffGrid for $199 / £169 upfront, plus an extra $14.99 / £14.99 per month for unlimited messages, check-ins and SOS warnings.
7. Soundpeats PearlClip Pro
- Price: $29.99 (about £23.99 or AU$48) for early birds, or $59.99 (about £50 / AU$97) afterward
Perhaps we’ve saved the biggest CES 2025 bargain for last here – if you sign up to the Soundpeats website before January 19, you can pick up the new PearlClip Pro open earbuds for half the usual price of $59.99.
Now, we haven’t actually tested these ridiculously cheap earbuds yet, but we have reviewed their previous offerings – like the Soundpeats Air 4 Pro – and found them to be good value.
The PearClip Pros adopt the popular clip-on, cuff-style design of other open earbuds and promise six hours of battery life (with an additional 18 hours from the charging case). If you need a pair of very affordable earbuds (or a spare pair), this early bird deal could be your highlight of CES 2025.