Tag: Apples

The latest MacBook Air has only been out for three weeks, but it’s now $100 off and down to $999 at Amazon, albeit with a shipping delay. This deal is for the base 13-inch Air with Apple’s M3 chip, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, so it’s best suited for those who won’t use the notebook for more intense work. If you need more memory and storage, a configuration with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is down to $1,449 at B&H as well. That’s a $50 discount. If you prefer a larger display, Amazon is also selling the base 15-inch Air for $1,204, which is $95 off and another all-time low.

We gave both sizes of the M3 Air a review score of 90 and currently list them as the top picks in our laptop buying guide. They can run a little hot, and they’re still limited to two USB-C ports, but they continue to provide slim and sturdy frames, comfortable keyboards and trackpads, long battery life, accurate displays and strong performance for everyday tasks. Apart from the upgraded chip, these new models support Wi-Fi 6E and can output to two external monitors (when the laptop itself is closed, at least). The base configurations technically have faster storage than before, too.

Just note that these offers don’t apply to every color finish. We’ll also mention that the still-great M2 MacBook Air is down to $899 at Best Buy — that’s $50 more than the all-time low we saw earlier this week, but it’s a good price if the slightly faster processor and expanded external display support isn’t worth another $100 to you.

A four-pack of Apple’s AirTag trackers is on sale for $75 at Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. That matches the largest discount we’ve tracked and comes in $24 below Apple’s list price. Unsurprisingly, we consider AirTags to be the best Bluetooth trackers for iPhone users since they leverage the enormous Apple device network and ultrawideband (UWB) wireless tech to locate lost items precisely. A waterproof design and replaceable battery help, too, though you’ll need to pay for a separate accessory if you want to physically attach an AirTag to a keychain or other belongings.

If you use a Samsung Galaxy phone, however, we recommend Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag 2 in our Bluetooth tracker guide instead. A four-pack of those is now down to $70 at Amazon and B&H, a $30 discount that matches the lowest price we’ve tracked. The SmartTag only works with Samsung devices, but it’s easy to set up if you’re already onboard the Galaxy train, and its water-resistant design has a cutout for keychains, luggage and the like. While Samsung’s crowd-finding network isn’t as extensive as Apple’s, there are generally enough Samsung phones out there for it to be effective, an idea that held true in our testing.

The Logitech Brio 500 webcam is on sale for $88 at Amazon and Lenovo, which is roughly $25 off the device’s average street price in recent months and only about $5 more than its all-time low. This is the top pick in our guide to the best webcams. It streams up to 1080p/30fps, which should be sufficient for most, and it does well to automatically correct for the lighting of your room. It autofocuses quickly, and it has a handy “RightSight” feature that keeps you in frame even when you move around. It also has a built-in privacy cover, though its USB cable isn’t detachable.

If you want to save some cash, the Anker PowerConf C200 is the runner up in our guide, and it’s now $12 off at $48. That one can shoot at a sharper 2K resolution, though its image quality isn’t quite as impressive on the whole, and the device itself is more cumbersome to adjust.

If you buy an Apple gift card worth $100 or more at Target, the retailer will throw in a $10 Target gift card for no extra cost. We see this promotion pop up every few months, but if you plan on buying any sort of Apple product in the near-term and shop at Target anyway, it’s effectively free money. The deal applies to digital cards and will run through March 30. As a reminder, you can put an Apple gift card toward subscriptions like Apple Music or iCloud+, the App Store, physical Apple retail stores and more.

The latest USB-C version of the Backbone One mobile game controller is on sale for $80 at multiple retailers. That’s $10 more than the all-time low we saw around Black Friday last year, but steeper discounts have been uncommon, and this is still $20 off the controller’s usual price. Both the standard black and PlayStation-branded white models are on sale. Backbone says the offer will run through April 1.

We’ve previously recommended the One for people who want to stream console or PC games to their phone or play more complex mobile games without having to use touch controls. It’s not as luxurious as a normal gamepad, but it’s not too far off, and it has all the necessary buttons to play modern titles. This second-gen model has a revised D-pad and can fit neatly with a wider range of phones, including the iPhone 15 series.

You can still take up to $60 off an annual Max subscription if you pay for a year upfront. The sale brings Max’s top-level tier, which removes ads and includes 4K streaming, down to $140, or about $12 per month. Normally, it’d go for $200. The most affordable tier, meanwhile, is now available for $70 instead of $100. That works out to roughly $6 per month, though you’ll have to deal with ads. Max says this promo will run through April 9 and is available to new, returning and existing subscribers — though, if you subscribe an annual plan already, you can only use the offer to switch to a separate tier of service. Still, if you want to stream The Last of Us, A24 films and other works from HBO and Warner Bros. studios, this deal makes the service formerly known as HBO Max a little more affordable. Just note that your subscription will be set to auto-renew by default.

The Apple Watch SE is still down to $189 at Amazon and Walmart for models with an aluminum case and a nylon Sport Loop. We’ve seen this deal for much of the past few weeks, and it’s $10 more than this model’s all-time low, but it’s still a good price for those looking to buy their first smartwatch. For reference, Apple sells the wearable for $249.

The SE earned a review score of 89 back in late 2022, and we recommend it for those on stricter budgets in our best smartwatches guide. Compared to the flagship Apple Watch Series 9, it has a slightly smaller display that isn’t always-on, so it’ll only wake when you tap it or raise your wrist. It lacks fast charging and some more advanced health features like a skin temperature senor and ECG monitor as well. But it still gets you the core Apple Watch experience for much less cash, with support for notifications, heart-rate monitoring and crash detection, among other features.

The JBL Charge 5 is back down to $130 at several retailers, which isn’t an all-time low but is still $30 or so less than the average street price we’ve seen lately. We recommend the Charge 5 in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers. It packs a big sound for its reasonably compact frame (8.7 x 3.8 x 3.7 inches) and it’s IP67-rated, so it can survive in the pool or shower. It also gets a solid 15 to 20 hours of battery life, plus it can double as a power bank in a pinch. There’s no aux port for wired listening, though, nor is there any speakerphone functionality. Note that this is the standard Bluetooth model, not the newer Wi-Fi-enabled version. This deal comes as part of a wider sale on JBL wireless speakers and headphones.

The Anker Soundcore Space A40 is still available for $49 at Amazon, which is a record low and $10 less than its usual sale price over the last couple of months. This deal applies to the black version; if you’d like a different color, the blue and white models are also on sale for a dollar more. The Space A40 is the top pick in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds: It offers strong noise cancellation, a pleasantly warm (and customizable) sound profile, wireless charging, multi-device pairing and a solid eight hours of battery life per charge. It’s not very clear for phone calls, and it won’t automatically pause when you remove an earbud, but it punches well above its price range, especially with this discount.

If you prefer a more AirPods-style design with longer stems, meanwhile, the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is the runner up in our guide and offers most of the same benefits. It’s still on sale for $74.50, which is a $25 discount and only $5 more than its lowest-ever price.

The latest Amazon Echo Buds are still $15 off and on sale for $35, too. That matches the lowest price we’ve tracked. We highlight the Echo Buds in our budget earbuds guide for those who prefer an open design, one that doesn’t totally seal off the ear canal and makes it easier to hear the outside world. They can’t produce much deep bass as a result, but they’re comfortable, and they can still sound better than most devices with this kind of design with a little EQ tweaking. They support wear detection and multi-device pairing as well, and they make it possible to access Alexa hands-free. Their five-hour battery life isn’t great, though, and their IPX2 water-resistance rating is too weak to use comfortably in the gym. They also lack wireless charging. But decent unsealed earbuds in this price range are rare. We gave the Echo Buds a score of 77 in our review.

Amazon has the Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds available for $160. While that’s not an all-time low — this pair dropped as low as $135 during Cyber Monday last year — it’s about $20 off the earbuds’ average street price over the last few months. The Elite 8 Active is the runner up pick in our guide to the best running headphones due to their durable and comfortable design (complete with an IP68 rating), solid eight-hour battery life and well-balanced yet customizable sound. They have useful noise cancellation and ambient sound modes as well, though neither is superlative.

Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick 4K Max is still hanging around at $40, which is $20 below the streamer’s list price. We’ve seen this deal a bunch of times in recent months; nevertheless, it matches the device’s lowest price to date. The 4K Max is the fastest streaming stick in Amazon’s lineup. It supports all the major streaming services and HDR formats, Dolby Atmos audio and Wi-Fi 6E with a compatible router. Its Fire OS software is less solid: Amazon isn’t shy about displaying ads and pushing its own content above others in search. For most, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K or Google Chromecast will feel tidier. Still, that may not be a big deal if you use Alexa, Prime Video and other Amazon services already, and the OS does include an “Ambient Experience” mode that displays artwork and other info when the device is idle. Other Fire TV devices are on sale, too, including the standard Fire TV Stick 4K for $30 and the 1080p Fire TV Stick Lite for $20. Neither of those are all-time lows, though.

The Meta Quest 2 VR headset remains available for $199 at Amazon, Walmart and others, a $50 discount that’s only a couple bucks more than the lowest price we’ve tracked. (A prior Walmart deal that also included a $50 Meta Quest Store credit is no longer available, unfortunately.) The Quest 2 is the top budget pick in our guide to the best VR headsets. It’s not as sharp, fast or feature-rich as the newer Meta Quest 3, but it can still run just about all the platform’s best games and apps, and its design is still completely wireless. It can also play VR games from a gaming PC with a link cable. To be clear, the $500 Quest 3 is worth the upgrade if you can swing it, but the older model is a strong value if you’re new to VR and plan on using your headset casually. This deal only furthers that.

The second-generation Apple Pencil is available for $79 at Walmart and Best Buy. We’ve seen this deal for the past few weeks, but it matches the stylus’ all-time low and takes $50 off Apple’s list price all the same. We highlight the second-gen Pencil in our iPad accessories guide. It’s comfortable to hold, and it’s the only stylus to support pressure sensitivity across iPadOS, so it makes drawing and note-taking feel a little more natural than most competitors. It’s also easy to charge and connect, as it snaps to the side of a compatible iPad Air, mini or Pro magnetically. It’s worth noting that we could see a new Pencil as soon as May, but we’d expect the current model to remain a good value at this price.

The Kobo Libra 2 ereader is down to $170 at Amazon and Kobo direct. That’s not an all-time low, but it still marks a $20 discount. We recommend the Libra 2 in our ereader buying guide for those who like physical page-turning buttons. Its design is premium, waterproof and ergonomically-friendly, and its 7-inch, 300 dpi display is comfortable to look at for long periods. Convenient integration with Overdrive makes it easy to borrow, download and read ebooks from your local library as well. If you don’t want to lock yourself into the Kindle ecosystem, it should impress.

The 128GB Google Pixel Tablet is still $100 off and available for $399, while the 256GB model is $150 off and down to $449. These deals have been available at multiple retailers for a couple of weeks now, but both represent all-time lows. Google says they’ll run through April 3. 

While the Pixel Tablet isn’t a formal pick in our buying guide, it’s still a compelling option for those who’d like a tablet that can double as a sort-of smart display. With its included charging speaker dock, the 11-inch slate can work somewhat like a Nest Hub Max, controlling smart home devices, displaying photos and so on. It’s not as remarkable without the dock, but it’s still fast and vibrant enough for everyday streaming, reading and gaming. We gave the Pixel Tablet a score of 85 in our review last year.

In other Google deals, the Pixel Fold is down to $1,299 at Amazon, the Google Store and others. That’s $500 off the foldable phone’s list price and a new low for the unlocked 256GB model. The 512GB version is also $500 off and down to $1,419. Both deals beat the phone’s prior lows by $100.

The Pixel Fold is the runner up in our foldable phone buying guide. It’s thinner than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5, and its 5.8-inch cover display is shorter and wider, so it’s easier to use like a traditional phone when the whole device is closed. It also takes better photos. Other foldables can run faster, however, and the Z Fold 5’s displays are a bit more vibrant. Plus, all foldables still carry some durability risk. But this is a slightly more manageable price if you’ve been thinking about making the leap. We gave the Pixel Fold a score of 85 in our review last year.

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is down for $320, an $80 discount that matches the best price we’ve seen over the past several years. The deal is available at multiple retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy and Williams Sonoma. We recommend this hefty appliance in our guide to the best air fryers. As its name implies, it’s a combination device that can air fry as well as toast, broil, roast and bake food. Its 40-pound steel frame is big and heavy, but its two-rack interior is spacious enough to cook a 14-pound turkey or fit a five-quart dutch oven. Most people don’t need something this heavy-duty, and it’s fairly pricey even with this discount, but it could be worth the splurge if you often prepare food for large groups of people.

A bundle that pairs the most recent Amazon Echo Show 8 with an AmazonBasics smart bulb is on sale for $100. We’ve seen the Echo Show 8 go for $10 less in the past, but this is still about $30 off the 8-inch smart display’s average street price as of late. A similar bundle with the smaller Echo Show 5 is available for $75, though we’ve seen that display fall as low as $40 in the past, so it’s not as strong of a deal.

We haven’t formally reviewed this newest model, but it’s a straightforward upgrade over the previous-gen Echo Show 8, which we called the best smart display for Alexa users. It remains the best blend of price, size and functionality in the Echo Show lineup, with a better camera and more spacious display than the Echo Show 5 and a much lower price than the Echo Show 10. This latest model has a more centered front camera, an upgraded processor, a slightly revised design and compatibility with other smart home devices using the Matter, Zigbee and Thread protocols. There’s also a built-in camera cover and mic mute button, though no device like this will be truly comfortable for the privacy-conscious. Still, if you’re happy with Alexa and want a hub for pulling up recipes, displaying photos, streaming music and the like, this is a decent value.

Up through April 11, Samsung will throw in a 65-inch 4K TV for no extra cost when you pre-order one of its new OLED, 8K, 4K or Frame TVs for 2024. It’s hard to call this a great deal: Many of the better Samsung TVs from last year are now available for much cheaper, and we can’t say how much of an upgrade the new models will be until we see more reviews drop. On paper, they don’t look to be huge leaps, though the top-end S95D OLED TV may be notable for its new anti-glare panel. The freebie TV is also a basic entry-level model from 2022, the Samsung TU690T. 

Still, this is a decent sweetener if you’re willing to pay for one of the latest models and could use any sort of large screen for a secondary room around the house. The offer may be particularly appealing if you want a new Frame TV, as the previous version is currently going for the same price as the 2024 model. You can read more about this discount here.