If you’re looking to shop for some weekend tech bargains, you’ve come to the right place. Best Buy just launched a huge sale with deals on best-selling TVs, laptops, headphones, and tablets from brands like Apple, LG, Samsung, Sony, and HP.
I’ve gone through today’s sale and hand-picked the 15 best deals, which include record-low prices and outstanding value on everything from premium OLED displays to cheap laptops and our best-rated headphones.
Some of today’s Best Buy deals require a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total membership, which I’ve noted below. The good news is that you can sign up for a membership that starts at $49.99 and enjoy the perks of a My Best Buy membership, such as free two-day shipping, 24/7 tech support, and AppleCare Plus protection plans with the purchase of an Apple device.
Whether you’re a Best Buy member looking for exclusive savings or just browsing for tech bargains, Best Buy’s weekend sale (which ends Sunday at midnight) offers plenty of fantastic deals for everyone.
In tech, the terms “hotly anticipated” and “long-awaited” are often bandied around with little research into how invested anyone really is over the return of a brand or product. When it comes SoundMagic however, a wired in-ear homecoming is worthy of either phrase.
Why? Because the 2018-issue SoundMagic E11C raised the affordable IEMs bar at the time, quickly becoming the audiophile-on-a-budget go-to. They’re still sitting pretty in our best wired headphones and best earbuds for small ears guides to this day – and the 2019 SoundMagic E11BT built on that, but without the wires.
This time, SoundMagic has taken its flagship E80 model and produced a digital USB-C version to bring us right up to cutting-edge hi-res audio for 2024.
To clarify, where the traditional 3.5mm jack would once have been (see also any soon-to-be-obsolete Lightning-terminated options, now that Apple‘s proprietary iPhone plug has been laid to rest), SoundMagic has designed the E80D to end with a USB-C connector.
DAC’s a great idea
But this is 2024, so that’s not all! The E80D also have a built-in DAC chip capable of supporting 24-bit/96KHz audio files for high-resolution playback, which can easily plug directly into a Mac, PC, or smartphone (including the best iPhone models).
It’s an idea that’s not dissimilar to the Hidizs ST2 Pro Digital, released at CES at the start of the year, although pricing and availability for those has yet to be made official, while they have for SoundMagic’s option – they cost just $45.99 / £39.98 (which is around AU$75) and they’re available from today (April 16) via Amazon or selected retailers.
For the E80D, SoundMagic tells us it’s used the same cable technology as found in the multi-award-winning E11 earphones, involving silver-plated copper. In my experience, the main benefit of this cable design is that it’s both durable and virtually impossible to tangle, even when thrown in my bag in a rush.
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For the audiophile, the ideal companion for the new SoundMagic E80D would probably be one of the best hi-res audio players, but of course, with that USB-C termination and onboard DAC, the E80D are probably going to make the best laptops sound much better, too.
I cannot wait to hear what they can do – watch this space for a full review.
Visible Wireless Plus plan was already one of the best cheap cell phone plans money could buy, but it’s even better value now thanks to a host of excellent new features.
The Visible Plus plan still costs $45/mo, but it now includes more generous mobile hotspot speeds, a free additional line for a smartwatch, and one free global pass per month. All the main selling points from before are still here, too – namely, the 50GB of premium data allowance on parent company Verizon’s 5G Ultraband network.
Combined, you’re getting post-paid perks for a prepaid price with the Visible Plus plan right now. Even though it’s not the cheapest unlimited data plan on the market right now, it’s certainly one of the most feature-laden for the price and a good choice for a heavy user who wants to save a bit of cash. By comparison, the Verizon Welcome Unlimited plan offers similar perks right now but clocks in at a hefty $65 per month for a single line – and you’ll also need to sign up for a contract, unlike at Visible.
Visible Plus new features
How does Visible shape up against the competition?
Pretty well right now – mostly because the Visible offers two very strong unlimited data plans for an excellent price. For example, if the Visible Plus plan is out of your price range, you can go for the standard Visible plan at $25 per month. The standard plan still includes completely unlimited data and free mobile hot-spotting, although you’ll get slower speeds in general.
There are other options right now, however. Mint Mobile is currently one of the most popular prepaid plans on the market and features a great unlimited data plan on the wider T-Mobile network for $30 per month. You have to pay for a whole year of service upfront to get the cheapest rates at Mint, but it’s a fantastic choice if you get the best local coverage at T-Mobile (Visible uses the Verizon network).
Another good option you could consider is US Mobile. This carrier has recently launched three tiers of unlimited prepaid plans, the cheapest of which starts at an almost unbelievable $15/mo. The cheap ‘Unlimited Flex’ plan is extremely stripped-down for features, but the ‘Unlimited Premium’ plan, which is $37.50/mo, is roughly equivalent to the Visible Plus plan. You do, however, need to pay for a full year of service upfront to get the lowest price – much like at Mint Mobile.
There’s perhaps no better cheap gaming PC deal right now to kick-start your 1080p setup on a budget than this RTX 4060-equipped Cooler Master HAF Pro for $845 at Amazon.
The combination of an upfront discount and handy coupon code at checkout makes this machine easily one of the cheapest we’ve seen to feature an RTX 4060 graphics card. Usually, machines carrying this mid-range GPU run around the $1,000 mark so this HAF Pro is a bargain for those on a budget.
A few other selling points include the combination of a 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM, plus a decent case and power supply that should set you up for easy upgrades down the line. Straight out of the box, you get great performance out of this HAF Pro if your target is playing games smoothly at 1080p resolution.
You do, however, get a 12th gen Intel Core i5 chipset in this machine, which is a little older now. It’s a decent pairing with the RTX 4060 (the graphics card does most of the heavy lifting), but it’s coming up to two generations old now so it’s definitely a candidate for an upgrade. Thankfully, the low asking price of this deal at Amazon means you should have plenty of cash left in the bank for the next upgrade.
Even though we at Engadget test and review a number of new Windows laptops every year, the cheapest notebooks don’t often make headlines. You won’t find pricey panels on these machines, nor will they include the latest high-powered graphics cards or ultra thin-and-light designs. But they have their place and can do a lot of things well. And it’s worth noting that not everyone needs a pro-level laptop — they just need the best machine that will fit their budget.
Companies like Acer, Dell and Lenovo make plenty of cheap Windows laptops that can be great for those who primarily use a computer to check email, shop online and occasionally video chat with friends and family. They can also be great for kids who have no business touching their parents’ pricey daily driver. We’ve tested a number of budget-friendly Windows notebooks — these are our favorites below, and we outline some buying advice for anyone looking for a cheap Windows laptop that balances capability with affordability.
What about Chromebooks and tablets?
You may be inclined to recommend a Chromebook or a tablet to anyone considering a budget Windows laptop. Those instincts aren’t wrong, but Chromebooks and tablets aren’t the best buy for everyone. Tablets have the most portability, but they will only work for the most mobile-competent users like kids who have been grabbing smartphones out of their parents’ hands since they’ve been dexterous enough to do so. Tablets can also be just as expensive as some of the cheapest Windows laptops, and that’s without a mouse or keyboard.
Chromebooks are a good alternative for those that basically live in a browser, the trade-off being you must give up the “traditional desktop.” And Chrome OS is a more limited operating system than Windows when it comes to the programs you can install and run.
What Windows laptops do well
Wachiwit via Getty Images
What can you realistically accomplish on a cheap Windows laptop? Quite a bit, especially if you’re doing one thing (or a limited number of things) at a time. They’re great for web browsing, checking email, video streaming and more. All of those things can be done on Chromebooks as well, but Windows laptops have a big advantage in Microsoft Office. While yes, there is a browser based version, the native, desktop apps are considered a must have for many and will run smoothly on even the most bare-bones budget laptop. The only caveat is that you may run into some slowdown on low-powered devices if you’re multitasking or working with large data sets in Excel or a lot of photos and graphics in Powerpoint.
When it comes to specs, a bright spot for Windows laptops is storage. Even the most affordable devices tend to have at least 128GB SSDs. That will come in handy if you prefer to keep your most important files saved locally on your laptop. In contrast, cheaper Chromebooks often have less storage because they’re built on the assumption that you’ll save all of your documents in the cloud. Not only is that less convenient when you need to work offline, but it also limits the size of programs and files that you can download. So, Chromebooks aren’t the best for hoarding Netflix shows before a long trip or for use as a gaming laptop.
Windows also has thousands of apps that you can download from its app store. Chromebooks have some Chrome apps, numerous browser extensions and the ability to download Android apps, but quality control is… inconsistent. Android apps, in particular, often haven’t been optimized for Chrome OS, which makes for a wonky user experience. Windows may not have as many apps as Android, but at least the experience is fairly standard across the board.
Windows also gives you the ability to download and use programs from other sources, like direct from the developer. You can run things like Adobe Creative Suite, certain VPNs and programs like GIMP, Audacity and ClipMate on a Windows device, which just isn’t possible on Chrome OS. Chromebooks limit you to the apps and programs in The Play Store and the Chrome Extensions store, reducing any others to unusable, space-sucking icons in your Downloads folder.
What to look for in a budget-friendly Windows laptop
While you can do a lot even when spending little on a Windows laptop, you must set your expectations accordingly. The biggest downside when purchasing a budget laptop (of any kind, really) is limited power. Many Windows laptops under $500 run on Intel Celeron or Pentium processors, but you can find some with Core i3/i5 and AMD Ryzen 3/5 CPUs at the higher end of the price spectrum.
Specs to look for in a sub-$500 Windows laptop
We recommend getting the most powerful CPU you can afford because it will dictate how fast the computer will feel overall. RAM is also important because, the more you have, the easier it will be for the laptop to manage things like a dozen browser tabs while you edit a Word document and stream music in the background. However, with sub-$500 laptops, you’re better off getting the best CPU you can afford rather than a laptop with a ton of RAM because the CPU will have enough power to handle most tasks that cheap Windows laptops are designed for (If you’re editing RAW images or 4K video, you’ll want to invest in more RAM… and a laptop well above $500).
When it comes to storage, consider how much you want to save locally. If you primarily work in Google Docs or save most things in the cloud, you may not need a machine with a ton of onboard storage. Just remember that your digital space will also be taken up by apps, so it may be worth getting a little extra storage than you think you need if you know you’ll be downloading big programs. A final side note: SSDs are ubiquitous at this point, not to mention faster and more efficient than HDDs, so we recommend getting a laptop with that type of storage.
You also don’t have to settle for an entirely plastic notebook either. There are options in the sub-$500 price range that are made, at least in part, with metals like aluminum. Those will not only be more attractive but also more durable. As for screens, there’s a healthy mix of HD and FHD options in this price range and we recommend springing for a notebook with a 1080p display if you can. Touchscreens aren’t as common in the under-$500 space as standard panels, but you’ll only really miss one if you get a 2-in-1 laptop.
See Also:
A final note before we get to our picks: The best cheap laptop models change all the time. Unlike more expensive, flagship machines, these notebooks can be updated a couple times each year. That can make it hard to track down a specific model at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart or any other retailer. Also, we’ve seen prices vary widely depending on the configuration and retailer you’re looking at. We’ve listed some of our current favorite models below, but if you can’t find any of them available near you, just keep in mind our list of specs to look for in a cheap laptop – they’ll guide you to the best machines available at the moment.
Acer
Acer’s Aspire 5 series has been a reliable, budget-friendly pick for quite some time now. Most recently, we tested out a model that had a 14-inch 1080p display and runs on an 11th-gen Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM and has 256GB of storage. Currently, you can pick up a model with a 15.6-inch display, an 11th-gen Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD for around $300-$400.
Performance on our review unit was similar to the previous Aspire 5 model that we tested, the display is good and the keyboard offers a comfortable typing experience. The latest Aspire 5s support Wi-Fi 6, and most models have a nice variety of ports including one USB-C (that’s separate from the power back), three USB-A, an HDMI connector and a (gasp) Ethernet port. Battery life is solid as well: this model gets an average of 10 hours of battery life. On the previous version, we were clocking in roughly six, so this is a much-needed improvement.
Lenovo’s Flex 5 14 is a good alternative if you want a more portable cheap laptop with a battery life that will keep you going all day long. It runs on an AMD Ryzen 3 4300 processor, with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, and it’s accompanied by a 14-inch 1080p IPS display and an array of ports that includes one USB-C connection. If you care about future-proofing, that USB-C port will be critical.
The typing experience is also top-notch: while it doesn’t have a number pad, its keys have that rounded-bottom shape that’s similar to keys on Lenovo’s ThinkPad machines. They make a satisfying clicking sound while you’re typing, but they’re not loud enough to bother those around you.
And despite being a budget laptop, the Lenovo Flex 5 14 isn’t flimsy. The palm rests don’t creak under pressure and it’s easy to carry this machine one-handed around a room. I also appreciate its convertible design, which gives you more flexibility. And like most Lenovo machines, the Flex 5 14 has a webcam that you can cover with a physical shutter.
The Flex 5 14 also has the upper-hand over the Aspire 5 when it comes to battery life: The former lasted about 16.5 hours in our testing, whereas Acer’s machine lasted roughly 10 hours. That makes the Lenovo option the clear winner if you’re looking for a laptop that can last all day and then some.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 here, even though it starts at $800. It has one of the best designs you’ll find on any cheap Windows notebook, with a slim frame, minimalist aesthetic, thin bezels surrounding its 12.4-inch PixelSense touchscreen. While we would have preferred to see a true 1080p panel on a device like this, the 1,536 x 1,024 resolution on the laptop’s display is just fine and still pretty crisp and bright.
The Laptop Go 3’s design isn’t too much different than the previous model, which is a good thing. In addition to its ultraportable look and feel, it also has a stellar keyboard and a great trackpad — two things that are staples in the Surface lineup. The port situation could be better, but that’s often the case with thin-and-light laptops like this. The notebook has one USB-A connection, one USB-C port, a headphone jack and a Surface charging port.
The biggest changes are internal, with Microsoft giving the Laptop Go 3’s specs a decent bump. The base model has a 12th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The additional RAM is key here, since the base model of the previous generation only came with a paltry 4GB of memory. While the Surface Laptop Go 3’s $800 starting price is more than our other top picks, its justified given its upgraded specs — and that’s still cheaper than most flagship laptops anyway.
If you’re looking to buy a cheap TV, you won’t find much better than the incredible deals currently at Amazon. The retailer is offering stunning prices on its Fire TV lineup, and I’m rounding up the best offers below, with deals starting at just $89.99.
All of the TV deals below include the Fire TV experience, which allows you to stream movies and TV shows from apps like Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and more. The Fire TVs also feature a voice remote with Amazon Alexa, so you can use your voice to launch apps, search for titles, play music, and control compatible smart home devices.
Shop more of Amazon’s best cheap TV deals below, and if you’re looking for more offers around the web, check out our guide to this year’s best March Madness TV sales.
Today’s best cheap TV deals at Amazon
Shop more of today’s best TV deals, and if you’re looking for a premium display, you can see our guide to the best OLED TV deals.
We highlight Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A9+ in our Android tablet buying guide for those who just want a competent slate for as little money as possible. If that describes you, take note: The 11-inch device is now on sale for $170 at several retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy. This deal has technically been available for a couple of weeks, but it still represents the lowest price we’ve tracked. For reference, Samsung typically sells the tablet for $220. Both the Graphite and Silver finishes are discounted.
Samsung
This matches the lowest price we’ve seen for the top budget pick in our Android tablet buying guide. Another version with more RAM and storage is also on sale for $220, another all-time low.
Do note, though, that this price applies the base model, which includes 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The latter is expandable with a microSD card, but the limited memory can cause some stutters if you want to push the the tablet for anything beyond casual streaming and web browsing. Samsung sells a higher-spec model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage: That one will be a better buy for gaming and more involved use, and it’s also $50 off at $220, another all-time low.
As my colleague Sam Rutherford notes in our buying guide, the Galaxy Tab A9+ isn’t likely to wow you in any one area, but it covers the basics well. Its 11-inch LCD display is well-sized and has a faster-than-usual 90Hz refresh rate, which helps the UI feel smooth to scroll through. The screen has a wide 16:10 aspect ratio, so it’s better suited to landscape mode than the 4:3 display on an iPad. The metal and plastic frame is slick for the price, while the 7,040mAh battery should hold up for a day or two of casual use. And though no Android tablet really nails the software experience, most people should find Samsung’s One UI to be cleaner than something like Amazon’s Fire OS. The company says it’ll provide OS updates through the eventual Android 16 and security updates through October 2027.
That said, this is still a cheap tablet. The Galaxy Tab A9+’s Snapdragon 695 chip is speedy enough but no powerhouse, and its charging speed tops out at a relatively meager 15W. There’s no fingerprint reader, included stylus or formal water-resistance rating, either. If you’re not beholden to Android, one of Apple’s iPads will still be more well-rounded (though we expect to see new models arrive in the coming weeks). Still, at these prices, the Galaxy Tab A9+ is a solid buy if you’re on a tighter budget.
You don’t need to shell out a four-figure sum to find a great smartphone. In fact, you don’t even need to spend half of that to snap up one that covers all of the basics and then some. At its regular price of $300, was already our pick for the around. It’s currently on sale for $250 ($50) off, which makes it an even better deal. That’s close to a record low price. The discount is part of a broader sale on .
OnePlus
Our pick for the best cheap smartphone is currently $50 off its usual price.
The OnePlus Nord N30 5G offers great value however you slice it. The phone has a relatively zippy Snapdragon 695 5G processor, along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is expandable with a microSD card.
You’ll get a 16MP front-facing camera and, on the rear, 108MP main and 2MP macro lenses. The 5,000mAh battery should last you a day of moderate use, while OnePlus says the 50W fast charging support will top it up from a one-percent charge to 80 percent in 30 minutes. The OnePlus Nord N30 5G also has a 6.7-inch, 120Hz IPS display that’s great for gaming.
On the downside, there’s no IP rating for dust or water resistance. And while the handset runs on Oxygen OS 13.1 (which is based on Android 13), OnePlus has only committed to bringing one major Android update to the N30, along with three years of security support. That’s a pity for those looking for something that’ll stay up to date for a few years without breaking the bank, but that level of Android support is typical for budget phones.
Smart rings are connected devices with sensors designed to collect lots of data about you, like your steps, sleep and heart rate. They’ve been around for a while; Finnish health tech company Oura released the first version of its smart ring back in 2015. Since then, several other brands have come and gone because creating a smart ring isn’t easy – a lot of tech needs to fit into a small space while still feeling and looking good.
They can also be hard to market. Companies need to convince people to take a risk on an unknown design rather than opt for a more affordable smartwatch or fitness tracker that can (for the most part) do all of the same things. But 2024 could be the year more companies get it right – Samsung is set to release its Galaxy Ring in late 2024, and there are rumors that even Apple is working on one, too.
However, as more brands enter the space and compete for our hands and our money, there’s been an influx of lower-quality, cheap smart rings that don’t clarify how their wearable tech works or who made it.
I’ve encountered several of these myself while reviewing them for TechRadar’s best smart ring guide, and I’ve been approached by brands that won’t divulge what their tech really does or where it’s from. Let’s take a closer look at what to watch out for and how to ensure you find the best smart ring.
Carbon copies: One ring, many brands
(Image credit: Gloring)
I first became suspicious of several smart ring brands when I was researching new devices and discovered a few looked eerily similar despite being sold by different brands. I wanted to know why, and my research led me to Art Parnell, an Enterprise Systems Architect based in Northern Virginia, US. He created the SmartRings community on Reddit, which is dedicated to sharing news and holding brands accountable.
“I push for the resolution of current smart ring issues and seek improvements with app UI and connectivity,” Art tells me. “This was initially to improve my personal experience with these devices, but now I use those connections to elevate broader community concerns.”
One of the big problems with smart rings is licensees, or clones. Generally speaking, this is when a company buys a wholesale product from a third-party manufacturer – in this case, a big batch of smart rings – and then brands them as their own. This happens much more commonly than you might think across various industries, including consumer technology. If you go to Amazon and look up fitness trackers, you’ll see many cheap devices from brands you may not have heard of, and there’s a chance several of these are from the same manufacturer.
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Of course, many tech companies, including big players like Apple and Samsung, don’t create every component of their new devices themselves. However, there’s a difference between outsourcing the screen or processor of a TV, and buying the whole TV from someone else and sticking your logo on top of it.
Art calls these licensees ‘clones’ and tells me he’s dedicated to weeding them out. “I ended up creating a ‘cheat sheet’ image so that someone could recognize the most prevalent examples at a glance,” he says. “This has had mixed reactions from people loyal to one of these devices. But, most of the time, they have not even compared the device they own to another.”
It might be easier to spot clones if you’re buying a fitness tracker for your wrist, but because the smart ring market is so new, it seems that buyers aren’t doing their due diligence. They’ve just taken a new brand’s word for it.
Why would a company sell a clone? “I believe many of the licensees are just trying to take a shortcut into the smart ring space,” Art says. “Why invest in R&D when you can just buy a commercial device at wholesale and just start raking in the money?” He tells us that some companies may buy these smart ring clones for legitimate reasons, but they do it without realizing how many other companies have also licensed that same device.
The result? A whole load of rings that look the same with slightly different branding. Maybe some people won’t care; they like their new ring, the app looks nice, and everything works. But when I started reviewing one and asked the company whether it was licensed or not, they wouldn’t give me an honest answer.
Health data concerns
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Art says there are also other reasons why the company not actually ”owning” the ring and its app can be a problem. “Licensees do not always have access to the data in their companion apps,” he explains. “Instead, some are only granted the perception of ownership with a space for their branding, perhaps a registration page, and sometimes control over the color palette.”
This is a concern for users who may think their data isn’t being stored on-device or on company servers. Health data is extremely valuable, and should remain confidential. Most legitimate companies take data privacy very seriously. However, if the ring is a clone, it could be sending the health data it collects to an unknown company for unknown purposes. You’d have to read the fine print to know it, and even then it’s not clear.,
The prevalence of smart ring clones isn’t the only problem Art has noticed over his years running the SmartRings Reddit community. He says the more rings that are being rushed to market, the more companies seem to be cutting corners.
“So many of the rings that are emerging highlight their overall features and analysis, without really seeming to care about accuracy,” Art explains. “ But, accuracy should be the foundation.” He uses the example of stress, saying that several smart rings market their stress-tracking capabilities, but that’s not something they can measure directly yet. Instead, it’s algorithms paired with heart rate data. Yet that may not account for other non-stressful situations that might increase heart rate, leading to misleading results.
He also has an issue with how smart rings are sold as providing personalized insights and recommendations, but the baselines used to make recommendations are often too general. Not considering things like non-traditional sleep schedules, shift workers or mothers tending to babies. “It’s a reasonable expectation that when people buy these rings to help them monitor their own health, that it should be exactly that. Not how your personal baselines contrast with arbitrary baselines that don’t factor in these variances,” he explains.
Some of these concerns are problems we’ve faced when assessing the accuracy of fitness and health tracking tech more generally, not just smart rings. But this doesn’t always come across in the big, bold ways they’re marketed. “Smart rings are not medical devices,” Art says. “But that doesn’t mean they should get a free pass on accuracy.”
Why honesty is the best policy for smart ring manufacturers…
(Image credit: Circular)
Art says another problem concerns customer expectation, especially given that many smart rings are crowdfunded or have faced technical difficulties. Delivery dates slip and devices don’t always look the same as early press photos. “Those who are the most vocal critics just don’t understand how crowdfunding works. Or they only have limited experience with it,” Art says “Crowdfunding platforms are not stores!”
But this problem, and most others, can be addressed by more transparency from smart ring brands every step of the way. “If [a company is] licensing a ring, be honest about its capabilities, and don’t imply or directly say that the device is made by (company country) and it is their own invention,” Art says.
The same goes for marketing claims. “Sometimes, through no fault of their own, the internal or outsourced marketing teams that companies use are often deceptive,” Art says. For example, if you say a ring is the thinnest in the world and cite specific numbers, those numbers better be right.
“Many of these products are being developed by people who don’t have experience with communications… But the better they’re able to communicate honestly on a regular basis, the more people trust them.”
…And why patience is a virtue for smart ring buyers
(Image credit: Becca Caddy)
The research firm Exactitude Consultancy predicts the smart ring market may balloon from $314.52 billion in 2023 to $2,570.30 billion by 2030, a 718 percent increase. This means more and more new devices will be hitting the market, and anyone who wants one will need to be wary.
Art’s Reddit community is a good place to start, but finding the best smart ring still requires you to do your research, which isn’t easy for everyone. “You need to verify that the company is legitimate and that the device they’re pushing is not only something unique that they’ve developed on their own, but also that their claims are realistic,” he tells us. It’ll be no surprise if people default to the big brands that have already had a lot of press interest, which means smaller brands that are genuinely creating innovative new devices could miss out.
He also tells us that people need to be wary of reviews that aren’t honest, even on Reddit communities and tech sites. “It’s a disturbing reality and part of the reason that I created the SmartRings community,” Art says. He tells us that many companies have dedicated communities, which he says have become “echo chambers of praise”. In contrast, he tries to make his community as honest as possible. “I allow company representatives to interact with posters, and I flag them as company reps so there is full transparency,” Art says.
As with all new tech developments, taking it slow and doing your best to scrutinize bold claims is the best – albeit not the easiest – advice. “Don’t take marketing hype at face value. Dig deeper, and you might find your way to your ideal device.”
Art says he’d advise most people to wait until a device is out on the market and has been tested by multiple people, even though it can be hard to wait. “Early adopters like myself know to take everything with a bit of scepticism and know that much of the time, the promises will not match reality,” Art tells us. “But everyone isn’t wired to accept this, and most don’t want to ‘invest’ time and money into something that may not pan out.”
Based on the leaks and rumors it seems increasingly likely that Meta is working on a cheaper version of the Meta Quest 3 – expected to be called the Meta Quest 3 Lite or Meta Quest 3s.
It’s not yet been confirmed, but the gadget is expected to be a more affordable version of the Quest 3 – at a price closer to the Quest 2 – that would see the Meta fully phase out its last-gen VR hardware. The trade-off would be the device wouldn’t have all the capabilities of the Quest 3 – likely sporting lower-resolution displays, less RAM, a worse chipset, or dropping mixed reality support (though that last point seems unlikely).
We’ve collected the latest news and rumors here so this page can serve as your one-stop shop for all things Meta Quest 3 Lite. As we learn more about the device we’ll be sure to update the page and keep you in the loop with all the latest information.
Is the Quest 3 Lite the true Quest 2 replacement? (Image credit: Shutterstock / Boumen Japet)
Meta Quest 3 Lite: Price
As the Meta Quest 3 Lite isn’t yet official – meaning Meta itself hasn’t confirmed (or denied) its existence – we can’t say for certain how much it’ll cost or when it will be released.
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But based on rumors and previous Meta hardware releases, we can make some reasoned predictions on what the gadget might cost and when we could see it in action.
Price-wise, we can reasonably expect it’ll cost around the same as Meta’s last-gen headset, given the Lite is billed as a super-affordable model meant to fully replace the Oculus Quest 2. It’ll certainly cost less than the Meta Quest 3.
This would likely see it released at around $299 / £299 / AU$479, which is where the Quest 2 started life. Honestly, we’d be more than a little disappointed if it was more expensive.
The Meta Quest 3 could soon have a sibling (Image credit: Zenni)
Meta Quest 3 Lite: Release date
As for the Quest 3 Lite’s release date, Meta usually likes to release new hardware in October. However, it might decide to mix things up with this budget-friendly gadget to avoid confusing it with its main line Quest and Quest Pro lines.
We predict the Quest 3 Lite will be announced and released as part of this year’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase, which should be around June based on previous years.
If Meta sticks to its usual hardware release schedule, though, then a launch after this year’s Meta Connect – which we expect will land in September or October – could be on the cards.
Of course, this assumes the Meta Quest 3 Lite even launches at all.
The Meta Quest 3 Lite will likely look a little different to the Quest 3 (Image credit: Meta)
Meta Quest 3 Lite: Specs and design
So far we haven’t heard many specs for the Meta Quest 3 Lite. The main leaks so far have been renders showing off its possible design.
These leaks suggest it’ll be bulkier than the Quest 3, likely because the Lite would adopt the fresnel lens system used by the Quest 2. This makes some sense as fresnel lenses are cheaper, partly because the alternative pancake lenses require brighter displays. However, considering pancake lenses lead not only to a slimmer headset design but also better image quality (and we’ve seen cheap headsets like the Pico 4 use pancake lenses) we’d be surprised if Meta didn’t use them in the Lite.
One of the leaks went into more detailed specs, suggesting it’ll have 128GB or 256GB of storage (instead of the 128GB or 512GB in the Quest 3) and 1,832 x 1,920 pixel displays (one per eye). Something seems off about the leak, though, in terms of the assets shared and the included info that could help identify the leaker (which seems like a bad idea for anyone trying to avoid the wrath of Meta’s well-funded legal team).
Meta Quest 3 Lite may actually be “Meta Quest 3S”u/LuffySanKira on Reddit claims they were shown these graphics in what was likely a Meta User Research Zoom meeting.I can’t verify them, but I CAN verify Meta does feedback sessions like these. pic.twitter.com/DjkZnVMP6bMarch 16, 2024
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As such, color us skeptical when it comes to the details highlighted in the post.
Meta Quest 3 Lite: Software
Assuming the Meta Quest 3 Lite has the same or similar mixed-reality capabilities as the Meta Quest 3, we expect it’ll have access to all of the same software – which is to say, everything available on the Quest platform’s Store (and many other games and apps available through sideloading via third-party digital storefronts).
If it has significantly worse specs – such as the Quest 2’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chipset – there may be some software that launches in the future that would be exclusive to the full Quest 3. But we expect the Quest 3 Lite would use a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 so, hopefully, this won’t be an issue.
We’ll have to wait and see what Meta announces.
The Meta Quest 3 Lite needs to have mixed reality (Image credit: Meta)
Meta Quest 3 Lite: What we want to see
As for what we want to see from the Quest 3 Lite VR headset – acknowledging that its lower price will necessitate lower specs than the Meta Quest 3 proper – our ideal setup would boast the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and 8GB of RAM as the Quest 3, though 6GB of RAM like the Quest 2 is, admittedly, a lot more likely.
Storage options would start at 64GB – as frankly, you don’t need a lot of storage space for VR apps, especially if you’re willing to download and delete them as necessary – and the displays would be a lower resolution than the Quest 3. A leak suggested the 1,832 x 1,920 pixels per eye option, and considering this is what’s used by the Quest 2 it does make some sense.
Pancake lenses seem like an easy win from a design and image-quality perspective (especially if Meta opts for poorer displays), and mixed-reality passthrough that’s at least as high-quality as the Quest 3 is also a must.
Beyond this, one rogue cost-cutting measure could see Meta scrap or change its Quest 3 controllers. However, given how much developers have emphasized to us the importance of VR handsets having a standard design, and the fact that many Quest titles don’t support hand-tracking, this might be a step too far.
