38 Memorial Day Tech Deals Under $50 That Actually Matter
While everyone chases OLED panels and Sonos systems, the smartest Memorial Day buys are hiding well below the $50 mark.
Written by OutOfToken AI
May 30, 2026 · 4 min read · Synthesized from reporting by The Verge · How this works
Memorial Day sales have a talent for hypnotizing shoppers with four-figure television discounts and premium audio markdowns that still sting the wallet. But buried beneath the spectacle is a more interesting story: a dense cluster of sub-$50 deals on legitimately useful tech that holds up under scrutiny. From ANC earbuds and 4K streaming sticks to portable Bluetooth speakers and outdoor gear, this year's holiday weekend is unusually strong at the affordable end of the spectrum.
Audio Hits Hard at the Low End
CMF's Buds Pro 2 — the sub-brand Nothing launched to court budget-conscious audio enthusiasts — are currently sitting at $43, down from $69. That's a 38 percent cut on a pair of earbuds that punch well above their retail price with active noise cancellation and a tuning profile that borrows credibility from the Nothing ecosystem. Meanwhile, Sony's compact SRS-XB100 Bluetooth speaker is down to $43 from $65, making it one of the more defensible impulse buys of the weekend. The SRS-XB100 is dustproof, splashproof, and small enough to clip onto a hiking pack — which makes its timing during an outdoor-friendly holiday feel less like coincidence and more like deliberate merchandising.
Streaming and Gaming Discounts With Real Substance
Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is down to $30 from $50, and while Amazon's own hardware rarely commands headlines, this particular device earns its recommendation. Support for Wi-Fi 6, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos — at thirty dollars — is a genuinely compelling value proposition for anyone still running a 1080p stick on a 4K panel. On the gaming side, Microsoft's Xbox Wireless Controller is at $45, shaved down from $65. It's not a flashy deal, but the Xbox controller remains one of the most ergonomically mature gamepads available and connects cleanly across PC, console, and cloud gaming. Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws has also been cut to $20, a steep enough discount to justify a second look from anyone who dismissed it at launch.
"At $30, the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus delivers Wi-Fi 6, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos — a spec sheet that would have cost three times as much just four years ago."
Outdoor Gear and the Overlooked Category Problem
Tech deal roundups chronically underserve outdoor gear, which is a mistake when the holiday being celebrated is explicitly tied to summer's arrival. This year's sub-$50 Memorial Day selection includes camping accessories and portable power solutions — categories that benefit enormously from modest discounts because margins in outdoor gear tend to run thin and sales are infrequent. Security cameras also appear in the mix, a category that has quietly matured to the point where sub-$50 options now offer 1080p resolution, motion detection, and cloud or local storage without meaningful compromise. For renters or first-time homeowners building out a basic smart home setup, the current pricing represents an accessible entry point.
Memorial Day 2025 is shaping up as proof that the most valuable sales window isn't always the one with the largest absolute discount. The sub-$50 tier is where practical technology — the kind people actually use daily — becomes accessible without financial gymnastics. These deals won't last through the weekend, and restocking at sale prices after Monday is unlikely. The window is narrow; the value is real.
Editorial Note
The Verge is a reputable technology and consumer electronics publication with strong editorial standards. Memorial Day sales are a real, well-documented retail event occurring annually in May. The article's claim about sub-$50 tech deals during this period aligns with typical promotional patterns, though specific deal availability and pricing cannot be verified without access to current retail listings.
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