Published 2026-05-18 · Last updated 20 May 2026 by James Maxwell

The week’s standout shopping story isn’t really about any single product. It’s about the gap between what’s new and what’s now good value. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra launched recently, and in doing so, it pushed the S25 Ultra down by around £500 — making last year’s flagship one of the best deals in UK tech right now. That pattern repeats across this week’s picks. Read on for seven products our team rates as worth your money, each with a clear reason and a price.

Mid-May is a reliable moment for UK shoppers to act. The spring bank holiday weekend has passed, summer purchases are coming into focus, and several 2026 flagship products have settled into their real-world pricing after launch hype fades. Based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data, search volume is up across premium earbuds, air fryers, and flagship phones this week — a mix of people treating themselves and people replacing kit that’s finally given up.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is driving a lot of that interest, but not always for the reason Samsung would like. Many shoppers are landing on the S26 Ultra page and then clicking through to the S25 Ultra comparison. The £500 price drop on last year’s model is the real story, and we’ve flagged it prominently in pick number one below.

Here are the seven products our editorial team rates as worth buying this week, one per category, with prices correct at the time of writing based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data.

Pick 1: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (256GB), from £19/month

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung’s 2026 Android flagship, running a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset with 60W charging and a Privacy Display. Based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data, it’s available across 10 UK retailers from £19 per month on contract, with an outright RRP of around £1,279.

Here’s the thing worth knowing before you buy: the S25 Ultra has dropped to around £780 since the S26 Ultra shipped, a fall of roughly £500 according to Shopping.co.uk price tracking. Unless you specifically need the Privacy Display or the latest chipset, the S25 Ultra is the sharper purchase for most people. We’d read our [Galaxy S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra comparison] before committing either way.

Pick 2: Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro (White), from £199

The Galaxy Buds4 Pro are Samsung’s flagship true wireless earbuds for 2026, available from £199 at the time of writing across 12 UK retailers including Currys, AO.com, and Samsung UK directly. At that price, they sit £36.99 below the Sony WF-1000XM6 and £100 below the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.

For Samsung phone owners, the Buds4 Pro are the easiest recommendation at this price. Mic quality matches AirPods Pro 3, according to our [Galaxy Buds4 Pro vs AirPods Pro 3 vs Sony XM6 comparison]. If you’re not in the Samsung ecosystem, the Sony XM6 is worth the extra spend, see pick four.

Pick 3: Ninja Air Fryer PRO 4.7L AF140UK, from £79.99

The Ninja AF140UK is a 4.7-litre single-basket air fryer aimed at households of two to four people. It’s available from £79.99 at the time of writing across 17 UK retailers, including AO.com, Amazon, Currys, and B&Q, the widest retailer spread of any product on this list.

Per Which?, Ninja is the UK’s number one air fryer brand by sales, and this model is the entry point into the pro range. At £79.99, it’s around £33 below the top of its own price range across retailers (£113 at time of writing), so comparing before you buy is worth the two minutes it takes. See our [best air fryers guide] for how it stacks up against Philips and Cosori alternatives.

Pick 4: Sony WF-1000XM6, from £235.99

The Sony WF-1000XM6 are Sony’s 2026 flagship true wireless earbuds, available from £235.99 across 4 UK retailers including Amazon, Currys, and Sony’s own site. Per SoundGuys, the XM6 leads all 2026 earbuds on both ANC performance and battery life, a lead over the Galaxy Buds4 Pro and AirPods Pro 3 if you commute regularly or work in noisy environments.

The trade-off is fit. Sony’s oval tip design doesn’t suit every ear, and there’s no trial period if you buy from a third-party retailer. Currys offers a 14-day return window, which makes it the safer pick for first-time Sony earbud buyers.

Pick 5: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, from £299

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra are over-ear noise-cancelling headphones, available from £299 at the time of writing across 7 UK retailers including Amazon and Clove Technology. They cost £63.01 more than the Sony XM6 earbuds, but offer a different use case: long-haul flights, all-day desk work, or anyone who finds in-ear tips uncomfortable after an hour.

Battery life and padding make these the comfort pick for travel. See our [best noise-cancelling headphones guide] for a full breakdown against the Sony WH-1000XM6 over-ears.

Pick 6: Apple Watch Series 11 (42mm), from £299

The Apple Watch Series 11 is Apple’s current flagship smartwatch, available from £299 across 14 UK retailers at the time of writing. At that price, it matches the Bose QC Ultra headphones pound for pound, but serves a completely different purpose, fitness tracking, notifications, and Apple Pay for iPhone users.

It’s a strong all-rounder, though worth noting that watchOS features are most useful if you’re already in the Apple ecosystem. Android users should look elsewhere.

Pick 7: Sonos Beam (Gen 2), from £449

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a compact Dolby Atmos soundbar suited to rooms under 25 square metres, available from £449 across 6 UK retailers. It’s the most expensive product on this list and the one with the narrowest audience, but if you have a bedroom or small living room with a 40-55 inch TV, it’s the easiest upgrade you can make to your audio setup. See our [Sonos Beam value analysis] for whether the larger Arc is worth the step up.

Retailer availability varies significantly across this week’s picks, based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data at the time of writing.

The Ninja AF140UK has the broadest reach, stocked across 17 retailers including AO.com, Amazon, Currys, B&Q, and Debenhams. The Galaxy Buds4 Pro are available from 12 retailers including Currys, AO.com, and Samsung UK. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is listed across 10 retailers including Currys, iD Mobile, and OnBuy.com, with the contract price starting from £19/month.

The Sony WF-1000XM6 has the thinnest retail spread at 4 UK retailers (Amazon, Currys, OnBuy.com, and Sony’s own site), so price competition is limited. Currys is currently the best option there for returns flexibility.

For the Bose QC Ultra Headphones, Amazon and Clove Technology are the most accessible of the 7 retailers stocking them. Clove is worth checking if you want specialist advice and a UK-based warranty contact.

Currys and Amazon carry the majority of these products with next-day delivery options. For the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple’s own store offers trade-in credit that can meaningfully reduce the effective price.

For more, read our best wireless earbuds guide.

For more, read our best noise-cancelling headphones guide.

The clearest value story this week is the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Per Shopping.co.uk price tracking data, it has fallen roughly £500 since the S26 Ultra launched, one of the sharpest single-week drops we’ve tracked on a flagship Android phone. If you were planning to buy the S26 Ultra at £1,279, the S25 Ultra at around £780 deserves serious consideration first.

The Ninja AF140UK at £79.99 is the most accessible pick on the list. Per Which?, Ninja holds the top spot in UK air fryer sales, and this model sits at the low end of its own retail price range, 17 retailers means genuine competition and real price variation worth exploiting.

The Sony WF-1000XM6 at £235.99 is fair for what it delivers. Per SoundGuys, it leads 2026 earbuds on ANC and battery, and the price hasn’t moved much since launch. It’s unlikely to drop significantly before autumn, so waiting isn’t obviously the right call.

The Bose QC Ultra at £299 and Sonos Beam at £449 are both premium purchases where patience pays off. Both brands typically discount 15-20% around Black Friday, based on historical UK retail patterns. If you don’t need either urgently, October is worth waiting for.

The standout value pick this week is the Galaxy S25 Ultra at around £780, not the S26 Ultra at £1,279, a £500 saving for a phone that handles everything most people need, based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data.

Best place to buy: Currys, stocking the majority of this week’s picks with click-and-collect and next-day delivery, plus a 14-day return window that’s useful if you’re buying earbuds or audio kit you haven’t tried before.

vs. the previous model: The S25 Ultra’s £500 price fall makes the S26 Ultra’s Privacy Display and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 hard to justify for most buyers; the S25 Ultra is now the smarter spend unless you have a specific reason to need the new features.

Our take: Buy the Ninja AF140UK and the Sony XM6 now; hold off on the Bose and Sonos until Black Friday, and read the S26 vs S25 Ultra comparison before spending a penny on Samsung’s flagship.

Compare prices on Shopping.co.uk

Is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra worth buying over the S25 Ultra?
For most shoppers, no. Based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data, the S25 Ultra has dropped to around £780, roughly £500 less than the S26 Ultra’s £1,279 RRP. The S26 Ultra adds a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and Privacy Display, but those upgrades won’t matter to the majority of users. Read our full comparison before deciding.

Where is the cheapest place to buy the Ninja AF140UK?
At the time of writing, the Ninja AF140UK starts from £79.99 across 17 UK retailers including AO.com, Amazon, Currys, and B&Q. Prices vary by up to £33 across the range, so comparing before you buy is worth doing.

Are the Sony WF-1000XM6 better than the Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro?
For ANC and battery performance, yes, per SoundGuys, the XM6 leads all 2026 earbuds in both categories. The Galaxy Buds4 Pro at £199 are the better pick for Samsung phone owners who want tight ecosystem integration at a lower price. The Sony XM6 suits anyone who prioritises noise cancellation above all else.

Should I wait for a sale on the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones?
If you can wait until autumn, it’s worth doing. Both Bose and Sonos have historically discounted 15-20% around Black Friday in the UK. At £299 currently, a 15% discount would bring the Bose QC Ultra down to around £254, a saving worth having if the purchase isn’t urgent.