Coffee pods are OK in a pinch, but in my experience even the best ones can't compare with the rounded, full flavor you get from freshly-ground beans. I test over a dozen coffee makers a year, of all different types, and none of the capsules I've tried can match the taste of traditionally-made espresso.

A recent survey of TechRadar readers' coffee-brewing habits revealed that although 52% of people agree with me and brew their morning drink with beans, 25% are committed to their pods. I can see why — pods are definitely convenient, and there's no grinding or measuring necessary — but they also produce waste, you're limited to one particular type of pod, and the pods can be expensive. But there is an alternative.

I recently had the opportunity to test a new espresso machine that makes brewing with whole coffee beans as easy as using pods, is very reasonably priced, and is a piece of cake to keep clean. It's called the Philips Baristina, and if you want to break away from coffee capsules, it's perfect.

At first glance the Baristina looks a bit like a manual espresso machine, with a portafilter (the tool with a handle that holds the coffee grounds), but don't be intimidated - all you need to do is push that into the machine and slide it a few inches to the right, then press a button for either a single or double shot of espresso. That's it — there are no barista skills needed at all.

After you press the button, the Baristina will measure and grind the appropriate quantity of coffee directly into the filter basket. The machine will then tamp it down, and the portafilter will move to the left all by itself and pour hot water through it at high pressure to produce your drink.

At the end, just pull out the portafilter, knock the used coffee grounds out into your food waste bin (they will come out in a solid puck, with no mess), wipe the filter basket and you're done. It's much easier and less hassle than using a super-automatic espresso machine (where all the brewing happens inside the case) for a fraction of the price. It's so good, I didn't hesitate to award it a full five stars.

The only downside is that, like most capsule coffee makers, the Baristina doesn't have a steam wand for foaming milk — but don't worry. The machine is also available bundled with a separate milk frother, which my colleague Max Langridge gave four stars out of five in his review.

If you're one of the 25% of our readers still brewing with pods, the Baristina will open up a whole world of speciality coffees, letting you brew with any beans you like, experimenting with new beans, roasts, and blends. If you'd like to move away from the limits of pods, I don't think you'll look back.

Memorial Day, or the last Monday in May, has become a big moment for discounted shopping and travel in the US. This year, it falls on May 26, and as someone who is always on the lookout for great deals and smart travel hacks, I've rounded up the best Memorial Day eSIM deals you can grab already.

Whether you're heading abroad for the long weekend or planning a summer getaway, having an eSIM for international travel is the perfect way to stay connected on the go.

We have partnered with some of the best eSIMs in the market to bring you these deals exclusive to us.

And if you are staying home and planning to get things for your house or yourself, we have been seeing big retailers and brands already having Memorial Day sales that you can shop now.

Memorial Day eSIM deals

I love getting outdoors. As someone who lives in a big city, I find escaping the hustle and bustle and getting into hills and forest terrain incredibly invigorating. The sound of the birds! The smell of the trees! The feel of the rain soaking through my sweater, because I forgot to bring a waterproof! It’s all very idyllic. 

But sometimes, when I go for a short hike, I feel as though it’s not enough of a challenge – which is when I discovered rucking. Born out of military drills, rucking is simply hiking with a weighted backpack. There’s no minimum amount of weight and no set method of weighing down your backpack – anything from water bladders to rocks is fair game, although, of course, one of those is more comfortable than the other. 

I had a great opportunity to try rucking on a guided hike in England’s beautiful Lake District National Park, and now I’m hooked. So, although getting outdoors is technically free, I’m planning on using the Memorial Day sales to make sure I’m fully equipped to take on the great outdoors from head to toe. If you’re interested in rucking, or simply hiking for that matter, here are the deals I’m looking out for. 

Watches:  Garmin Instinct 2 / Garmin Fenix 6 / Apple Watch SE 2 

I’ve made it no secret that I love the best Garmin watches for all manner of outdoor-orientated pursuits. They’re fantastic fitness watches designed to help you get the most out of hiking, running, cycling, and more, with a long battery life and advanced GPS features, such as the ability to hit “Back to Start” and follow a breadcrumb trail back to the start of your activity, should you get lost. 

The 40mm Garmin Instinct 2, which we adored and gave five stars in our review, is down to $199.99 on Amazon right now from $299.99. That’s just five dollars off its lowest price ever, so you’re unlikely to find a better deal on an outdoor watch this Memorial Day. The larger 44mm version is also discounted down to $249.99 from $349.99. The Instinct 2 has a mammoth 28-day battery life, loads of health and workout features, the advanced GPS tools we mentioned earlier, a barometer, a compass… everything you need for the great outdoors.

Well, almost everything. The thing missing here is displaying full-color GPS maps of your surroundings on your wrist, so you’re not relying on 5G signal or having to constantly check your phone – after all, you’re enjoying nature, not playing Pokemon Go. The Garmin Fenix range of outdoor watches do provide this service, although they’re a little pricier. Rather than go for the top-of-the-line Fenix 7, drop down an iteration to save a packet: the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro is currently down from $649.99 to just $519.99, its lowest price ever at this size. 

Finally, if you’d rather have a do-it-all smartwatch on the cheap than a dedicated Garmin device, iPhone users might want to consider the Apple Watch SE 2, paired with an app like AllTrails. AllTrails will use your phone’s GPS for guidance and the premium version of the app (which does require a paid subscription) will show a full-color map on your Apple Watch, connected to your phone via Bluetooth. Right now, the SE 2 is available on Amazon for $189.99 down from $249.99, saving 24%. 

Backpack: Cotopaxi & Modgear 

In order to hike with a weighted backpack, you’ll need a backpack and some weight. I was provided a Cotopaxi backpack to test, and was really pleased with the volume and comfort it provided on several hikes around the Lakes. 

Named after an Ecuadorian volcano, Cotopaxi is a brand with roots in Latin America, and it creates backpacks entirely out of recycled ripstop nylon and polyurethane as part of a “gear for good” mission statement. Its hefty 25L hiking hydration pack, with two cross-body clips for better weight distribution, is down from $160 to $120 right now in the Cotopaxi store, while the smaller 15L version is discounted from $145 to $108.75.

Now for the weight. While rocks, books and general hiking gear will weigh you down, you don’t want to load up on anything you can’t discard in a hurry if you find yourself running out of steam on the trail. With that in mind, water is your friend here: you can either drink it or pour it out with no repercussions. The Modgear Water Weight 2 is a custom-designed rucking water bladder, and although it’s not on sale right now, we’ll be keeping an eye on the deals.  

Shoes: Merrell and North Face

Finally, the Memorial Day sales are the perfect opportunity to grab yourself a solid set of hiking shoes. Even the best running shoes aren’t going to take much punishment on steep hills, over sharp rocks, in mud, puddles and occasionally submerged in shallow rivers. You’ll need some dedicated hiking shoes for the job. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of deals about this Memorial Day in sports outlet stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods. The North Face Women's VECTIV Taraval hiking shoes were rated four stars out of five by our sibling site Advnture, and they’re down from $125.99 to just $99.99 at Dick’s right now. 

For men’s shoes, Merrell is a popular, trusted brand, and these Moab Speed men’s hiking shoes are designed to be lightweight while hardy enough to guard your feet with its protective toe cap. It’s also made with plenty of recycled materials too, from laces to its Vibram Ecostep sole, which is made from 30% reused rubber. It’s down from $129.99 to $99.99, a $30 discount.  

You can almost guarantee that storage devices will receive big discounts in any major sales event and the upcoming Memorial Day sales are no exception. This is great news for gamers, as many of us need to upgrade the storage capacity of our consoles at least once in order to keep more games installed and will finally get the opportunity to do so without completely breaking the bank. Whether you’re a PlayStation player, an avid Nintendo fan, or even batting for Xbox over on Team Green, there’s likely going to be something for you that’ll get the discount treatment.

But which products should be at the top of your wishlist this Memorial Day? I cover all kinds of storage devices ranging from SSDs to external hard drives and SD cards and I’ve picked out a few of each that I think should be on your radar. If you’re a more casual player or someone that is completely new to upgrading your console’s storage capacity, don’t worry as I’m also going to break down the advantages and disadvantages of each option while providing you with some alternatives to consider.

PS5 owners: expect steep SSD discounts

Getting your hands on a compatible SSD should be a top priority for any PS5 owner and sales events are always a good opportunity to grab some of the cheapest PS5 SSD deals. They’re easy to install (especially with our how to install a PS5 SSD guide on hand) and will dramatically increase your console’s storage capacity without compromising speeds. Just bear in mind that not every drive is going to be compatible with the PS5, as they require a read speed above 5,500 MB/s and a heatsink installed to work properly.

If you have a particularly generous budget, I would recommend the Samsung 990 Pro. It’s the absolute cream of the crop, one of the best SSDs for PS5 with blazing-fast speeds and excellent thermal performance. Past sales events have seen the normally pricey 2TB model drop down to as low as $136.56 at Amazon in the US and £128.49 at Amazon in the UK. If you see one going for anything close to that price, be sure to snap it up quickly.

Other good choices include the officially licensed WD Black SN850P, which has been slashed as low as $99.99 at Amazon in the US and £94.99 at Amazon in the UK in its 1TB configuration. It’s a strong contender if you’re looking for a no-fuss storage upgrade as it is officially licensed by Sony and designed specifically for the console. Also keep an eye out for any big savings on the older SN850, which is still a strong performer and a great choice.

No matter which model you buy, make sure that you’re getting at least 1TB of storage. Any less than that is likely to fill up pretty fast and generally represents quite poor value for money in 2024. Where possible it’s definitely worth spending a little more for a 2TB model to really future-proof your purchase.

It’s not all SSD discounts, though, as there are still likely to be some good deals if you’re sticking with the PS4 or even want to look at external storage options for your PS5. Despite its branding, the Seagate Game Drive for PS5 is still fully compatible with the PS4 and offers a huge storage boost if you find a good price cut on its 5TB version. If you really don’t want to have to worry about capacity, watch for savings on the mammoth 8TB configuration of the WD Black D10. It’s one of the best PS5 external hard drives right now and, while it lacks portability, can hold hundreds of games to make up for it.

While this doesn't affect PS4 owners, be aware that the use of slower HDD storage means that you won’t be able to play any current-generation games without first moving them to the console’s internal storage on PS5.

Xbox storage expansion cards should get a little cheaper

I was recently put in the unenviable position of having to buy an Xbox storage expansion card to slot into a chronically overstuffed Xbox Series S. Although they’re a lot easier to install than a PS5 SSD, it’s hard to ignore the fact that they represent quite bad value for money at full price. The Seagate Storage Expansion Card, for example, hovers at around $150 / £150 in its 1TB configuration - which is more expensive than most high-end 1TB SSDs. That said, we’ve seen it dip as low as $129.99 at Amazon in the US and £139 at Amazon in the UK which definitely helps soften the blow to your wallet a little.

In addition to Amazon, keep an eye out for potential discounts on listings at Best Buy, Target, and Walmart in the US or Argos and Game in the UK. Seagate also isn’t the only manufacturer creating Xbox storage expansion cards at the moment. The WD Black C50 Expansion Card generally comes in at a similar price to the Seagate offering and has received discounts down to as low as $124.98 at Amazon in the US and £128.99 at Amazon in the UK in the past.

Definitely avoid the 512GB models for both of these products. The slight saving might seem tempting compared to the 1TB version, but it’s not going to take long for such a small capacity drive to fill up. For reference, most AAA titles come in at around 100GB in my experience - so you’re looking at about five or so big releases at most. Although I own an Xbox Series S, these cards are also fully compatible with the Xbox Series X making them a good choice for owners of the other Xbox too.

Consider an external hard drive if you don’t mind having to copy current generation titles to your internal storage in order to play them. I’m personally watching for any major savings on the super snazzy Seagate Ghost-Spider 2TB FireCuda Hard Drive purely because I love its Marvel-inspired design, but I would recommend the more plain Seagate Game Drive for Xbox for most players. The massive 4TB version has fallen as low as $89.99 at Amazon in the US and £66.99 at Amazon in the UK and is well worth picking up if it ends up in that price range again.

Prepare for big price cuts on top Nintendo Switch SD cards

Nintendo Switch owners are likely going to be in for a treat this Memorial Day. Many of the best SD cards for Switch receive fantastic discounts in sales, so it’s especially worth keeping a lookout. They’re also super easy to install: you just pop the card into the back of your console and you’re ready to go. I use the brilliant 512GB Samsung EVO Select in my personal Nintendo Switch OLED, which has received discounts down to as low as $24.49 at Amazon in the US and £25.59 at Amazon in the UK. It’s got excellent endurance too, meaning that it’s likely to last for a long time before it starts to slow down.

Other good microSD card options include the various officially licensed cards offered by SanDisk. The 128GB model is a great budget pick, as it comes in at well under $20 at Amazon in the US and £15 at Amazon in the UK during sales. If you don’t want to have to worry about your Nintendo Switch storage again, consider the 1TB model which has dipped as low as $87.99 at Amazon in the US and £104.99 at Amazon in the UK. It’s a lot to spend on an SD card, but this one big purchase is going to ensure that most players never run out of storage space again.

There are lots of other good options to pick from too, but my biggest piece of advice when shopping for a Nintendo Switch microSD card is to always stick to reliable brands. There are plenty of less-known brands at various online retailers for bargain bin prices and, while they might work well enough if you’re lucky, there’s no guaranteeing their longevity or that the quoted speeds are accurate. Some reputable names you can have confidence in include Samsung, SanDisk, Lexar, Kingston, Micro Center, Amazon Basics, PNY, and Sony.

You might also like...

• To get an overview of best PS5 deals available now
• To see the best Xbox deals in your region
• Or to consult our guide to the cheapest Nintendo Switch bundles this month

If you're hoping to score a cheap mattress, you're in luck. This year's Memorial Day mattress sales feature fantastic deals on highly-affordable models. What's more, a lot of these budget mattresses benefit from trickle-down technology, so they're more similar in quality to some of the best mattresses on the market than in recent years. 

Tapping into my experience as a seasoned mattress tester and professional deal hunter, I've rounded up three of the best cheap mattresses you can buy in the Memorial Day sales. Meanwhile, if your budget can stretch well into the mid-range category, I have three more mattress deals you may want to consider, as well. Let's take a look...

3 cheap mattresses in the Memorial Day sales

More great Memorial Day mattress deals

These options aren't quite in the cheap mattress category, but they're solid mid-range models that are competitively priced. If you can stretch your budget a little further, consider either of these choices...

1. Nectar Memory Foam Mattress

Nectar's flagship model offers exceptional value for money among mid-range mattresses. It's always marked down during Nectar mattress sales and comes with a lifetime warranty, free returns, and a one-year sleep trial. While Nectar has been known to include free sheets and pillows with purchase, the brand has pivoted to charging a lower price up-front for its popular memory foam mattress – although there's an option to add a massively-discounted bedding bundle if you're so inclined.

The current Nectar sale cuts 33% off sitewide, which is the brand's standard discount as of late. This brings the price of a queen Nectar Memory Foam Mattress down to $699 (was $1,049). However, Nectar has been running occasional 40% off flash sales, including one in early May. During these limited-time events, you could bring home a queen Nectar mattress for $629, which is one of the lowest prices we've ever tracked for it. Stay tuned to see if Nectar brings back its 40% off promotion over Memorial Day weekend.

Who should buy a Nectar Memory Foam Mattress? Sleepers who love being hugged by their mattress will appreciate the sink-in comfort of the Nectar. Its body-contouring foam layers provide exceptional pressure relief so it'll appeal to anyone with joint or back pain. Side sleepers in particular should find it comfortable, as well.

• Read more: Nectar Mattress review

2. The DreamCloud Hybrid Mattress

The DreamCloud is a luxury hybrid mattress with a surprisingly modest price tag. Much like its sibling brand Nectar, DreamCloud never sells at list price thanks to frequent DreamCloud sales and deals. It's effectively a mid-range model that's a more affordable alternative to its chief rival, the Saatva Classic mattress.

The DreamCloud Memorial Day Sale is now live and boasts the lowest prices we've ever seen for its flagship hybrid. A queen DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid can be yours for $799 after 40% off. That's $200 less than last year's Memorial Day sale price, although notably missing this year is the free bedding bundle worth up to $499. However, if you're simply on the hunt for a new mattress then sacrificing the freebies to pay less overall is certainly the better deal. Plus, you'll still receive a forever warranty and a 365-night risk-free trial. 

Who should buy The DreamCloud Mattress? For hot sleepers, hybrids generally sleep cooler than their all-foam counterparts. The DreamCloud is no exception as it does a solid job of dispersing heat. Low motion transfer makes it a great choice for couples, and it's also one of the best mattresses for back pain for heavier sleepers.

• Read more: DreamCloud Mattress review

3. The Casper Memory Foam Mattress

The Casper was just released this April with a design inspired by the brand's very first all-foam bed-in-a-box. Casper mattress deals aren't terribly common, so the fact that this latest addition is already on sale is a nice surprise – and this new mid-range model is the least expensive among Casper's current lineup. 

The Casper Memorial Day Sale takes 20% off all mattresses, dropping the price of The Casper queen mattress from $999 to $796. It includes a 10-year warranty and a 100-night sleep trial. The Casper is a lot like the Casper Original mattress, which is currently on sale for $1,036 in a queen. While The Casper lacks the three-zone ergonomic support of the Original, it otherwise features Casper's Signature Foam with AirScape for enhanced airflow and a layer of premium memory foam to absorb pressure.

Who should buy The Casper Mattress? Reviews are sparse for this new release and we've yet to try it ourselves. With a medium-firm feel, The Casper should suit most back and stomach sleepers. Meanwhile, combination sleepers may like the responsiveness of the premium memory foam layer.

Don't go into this year's Memorial Day mattress sales unprepared. We've put together four expert shopping tips to help you win this year's sales.