La descarada marcha de Cole hacia Riverlands confunde a la mayoría de los jugadores del juego, incluido… Gwen Hightower (Freddie Fox)El Lord Comandante parece dudar de sus objetivos. El plan comienza a sentirse débil una vez que Bella (Bethany Antonia) y Mondancer persiguen a Cole y sus fuerzas hacia el bosque, obligándolos a reducir la velocidad y solo moverse después del anochecer. Sin embargo, la cautelosa paciencia de Cole da sus frutos una vez que sus fuerzas rodean a Lord Staunton y sus hombres, exigiendo sumisión, y las dos fuerzas chocan violentamente. La verdadera violencia se produce después de que Rhaenys (Eve Best) viaja sola con Millie, quemando a la mayoría de los andadores de Cole para aplastar sus esfuerzos. Pero, sin que ella lo sepa, lo peor aún está por suceder.
Aemond llega con Vagar mientras Aegon vuela hacia la batalla con Sunfire, lo que lleva a una feroz batalla aérea con Rhaenys en turnos separados. Es importante señalar que Aemond se contiene mientras Sunfire y Melise pelean, y el coraje implacable de Rhaenys la hace victoriosa, ya que controla la pelea con precisión experta. Sin embargo, ninguno de estos dragones es rival para Vagar, quien irrumpe en escena con una ferocidad incontrolable, rivalizado sólo por su jinete, quien grita “Drakaris” mientras dirige el aliento del dragón hacia su hermano. El alivio inicial de Aegon, que pronto se convierte en shock, pone fin a esta traición, y cae impotente al suelo con su dragón, quemado e indefenso.
“Fire and Blood” describe estos eventos en detalle, pero el combate de dragones tiende a presentar un dos contra uno que rápidamente se sale de control, con hermanos formando equipo contra Rhaenys y dragones luchando entre sí sin control. Aquí, calculado (y emocional). la traición aumenta la brutalidad, incluso cuando Vagar y Amund luchan contra Rhaenys y sus dragones con la intención de desgarrar carne y quemar todo lo que está a la vista”.
Como el remolques de duelo Antes de eso, este nuevo Casa del Dragón El clip muestra las líneas de batalla entre Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma Darcy) y su medio hermano Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn Carney), mientras cada uno compite por el Trono de Hierro. También ofrece una tremenda ayuda de acción de dragones, drama familiar Targaryen y presagios para los fanáticos. George R. R. Martín Fuego y sangre. Desde batallas devastadoras hasta nuestro regreso al Norte, aquí están los 7 momentos más emocionantes de… Casa del Dragón Tráiler de la temporada 2.
¿Tomará asiento? Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
El tráiler comienza con Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) entrando a la sala del trono de la Fortaleza Roja y mirando al Trono de Hierro. ¿Podría ser esto el resultado de alguna batalla importante? ¿Secuencia de sueños? ¿O simplemente un día en el que la seguridad de la Fortaleza Roja fue particularmente laxa? De cualquier manera, como le dice a Rhaenys (Eve Best) más adelante en el tráiler, definitivamente planea ir a Desembarco del Rey. En otras palabras, el equipo Negro lleva la pelea al equipo Verde. ¡Elevemos el nivel de la danza del dragón a un nivel superior!
¡Rhaenyra tiene una espada!
Comportamiento de la reina. Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
Durante gran parte del tráiler vemos a Rhaenyra contemplando su decisión de ir a la guerra y preguntándose si cuenta con el apoyo de quienes la rodean, pero este momento en el que empuña la espada es puramente crucial. Con suerte, podremos verla usar su espada en la batalla, ¿tal vez incluso desde Dragonback? Hablando sobre…
Espere más dragones Casa del Dragón Temporada 2: y más batallas de dragones.
Aegon y Fuego Solar van en serio. Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
Remolque para Casa del Dragón Repleto de dragones, incluidos Rhaenyra y su dragón Cyrax, y Aegon en su dragón Sunfire, como se muestra arriba, parece que no traman nada bueno.
El dúo dinámico de dragones de Daemon. Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
Daemon y su dragón Caraxes también aparecen, aterrizando en una enorme estructura de piedra en medio de una tormenta. Al final de la temporada 1, Daemon propuso apoderarse del castillo de Harrenhal en Riverlands, tal vez cumpliendo su promesa, de la manera más amenazadora posible.
Baela y Moondancer están en pie de guerra. Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
La hija de Daemon, Baela (Bethany Antonia), también surca los cielos en su dragón Moondancer en el tráiler. Por lo que parece, está persiguiendo a Ser Creston Cole (Fabian Frankel) durante una gran batalla. Haga lo que haga, estoy seguro de que merecía ser la presa del dragón.
Historias principales mezclables
Rhaenys y Melis siempre saben cómo hacer una entrada. Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
Si estás demasiado cerca de Vhagar, ya es demasiado tarde para ti. Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
Por supuesto que no lo será Casa del Dragón Fiesta del dragón sin Vhagar, el antiguo dragón de Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). Con suerte, cometerá menos asesinatos de niños esta temporada, aunque estoy seguro de que hay una buena cantidad de asesinatos de adultos sobre la mesa según la cantidad de disparos que esté disparando aquí.
Casa del Dragón La temporada 2 nos lleva de regreso a Winterfell y el Muro.
“Está oscureciendo y ahora comienza la vigilancia”. Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
El hijo mayor de Rhaenyra, Jakyris (Harry Collette), se dirigió al norte al final de la temporada 1 para conseguir aliados, así que ya sabes lo que eso significa: ¡es la hora de Stark!
Esta temporada, Jakaris conocerá a Kerrigan Stark (Tom Taylor), el actual Señor de Winterfell. A juzgar por el tráiler, los dos irán al norte y terminarán en el Muro donde el querido Jon Snow pasó la mayor parte de sus días. Es como volver a casa (y además congelarse).
Se acerca la batalla del descanso de Rook.
¿Mi conjetura? Nos fijamos en el descanso de la torre. Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
remolque para Casa del Dragón La temporada 2 está llena de promesas de grandes batallas, desde ejércitos movilizados hasta dragones que deambulan por los cielos. Una imagen que sigue apareciendo en estas tomas es el castillo de arriba, hacia el que también vemos a Rhaenys y Myles volando. La importancia de este sitio me hace creer que se trata de Rook's Rest, la sede de la familia Staunton y el lugar de una gran batalla en Fuego y sangre. No hay spoilers, pero los lectores del libro lo saben: este es uno importante.
Los disturbios en Desembarco del Rey amenazan las vidas de Alicent y Helena.
Alicent Hightower necesita salir de aquí. Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
Todo el camino de regreso en la temporada 2 de Game of ThronesLos disturbios en Desembarco del Rey interrumpieron una procesión que incluía personajes como Joffrey Baratheon, Cersei Lannister y Sansa Stark. Parece que algo similar sucederá en la temporada 2 de Casa del Dragón, con Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) y su hija Helena (Via Saban) atacadas por una turba enfurecida. ¿Qué los llevó a las calles de Desembarco del Rey y, más importante aún, qué enfureció a sus súbditos hasta el punto de provocar disturbios?
Las transacciones encubiertas prometen un horror sangriento y cursi.
¿sangre? ¿queso? ¿Este Eres tu? Crédito: Captura de pantalla: HBO
En un momento del programa, la maestra de espías Misaria (Sonoya Mizuno) le dice a alguien que hay “más de una forma de librar una guerra”. A continuación, vemos tomas de figuras sospechosas atravesando el edificio a la luz de las antorchas. Esto, junto con las palabras de Mesaria y el rápido destello de las monedas intercambiando manos, sugieren uno de los momentos más oscuros de la historia. Fuego y sangre: La llegada de dos personajes conocidos simplemente como Blood and Cheese. Digamos que esta es la venganza del Equipo Black por la muerte de Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), y es comprensiblemente brutal.
The new iPad Pro and iPad Air — and the internet’s reaction to how they’ve been advertised — may have been the big Apple news of the week, but we’re turning our attention to AirPods for our latest deals roundup. More specifically, all four models in Apple’s wireless headphone lineup are currently on sale. The noise-canceling AirPods Pro and third-gen AirPods back down to lows of $180 and $140, respectively, while the entry-level earbuds and top-end AirPods Max are both cheaper than usual at $80 and $450. Beyond that, we’ve also found noteworthy discounts on Amazon’s Kindle, LG’s C3 OLED TV, Keychron’s budget-friendly C3 Pro keyboard and annual Paramount+ with Showtime subscriptions, among others. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget
Apple’s AirPods Pro are back down to $180 at Amazon, Target, Walmart and Best Buy. That’s just a dollar more than their all-time low. Apple sells the noise-canceling wireless earbuds for $249, though they’ve frequently sold between $190 and $200 for the past few months on Amazon.
We gave the second-gen AirPods Pro a score of 88 in our review. They continue to offer a number of perks when used with other Apple devices, from faster pairing and hands-free Siri to Find My tracking and an adaptive EQ. We specifically recommend them to iPhone owners in our guide to the best wireless earbuds as a result. The pair’s sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC) remain above-average as well, though its call quality and battery life are just OK. Note that this deal applies to the latest model with a USB-C charging case; if you have the older Lightning version and just want the new case, you can buy that separately for $99.
The rest of Apple’s AirPods lineup is also on sale at various retailers, with the second-gen AirPods down to $80, the third-gen AirPods available for $140 and the over-ear AirPods Max on sale for $450. That ties the lowest price to date for the third-gen AirPods, coming in $10 to $20 below the pair’s usual going rate. The other two aren’t quite all-time lows but still match the best prices we’ve seen for each over the past several months.
We don’t recommend any of these as heartily as we do the AirPods Pro: The one-size-fits-all designs of the second- and third-gen AirPods won’t fit everyone comfortably, while the AirPods Max are still pricey and bulky next to the top picks in our wireless headphones buying guide. But each could make sense if you really want the usual spate of AirPods conveniences. The Max’s ANC and sound quality are still excellent, for one, while the third-gen AirPods remain one of the better-sounding options for those who prefer open-style earbuds that don’t dig into the ear canal. Just be aware that we may see updated versions of all three headphones later in 2024, according topast reports from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.
From now until July 14, new and returning subscribers can get a year of Paramount+ with Showtime for $60. That’s half off the usual price of an annual plan. This is the premium tier of Paramount’s streaming service. It’s hard to call it “essential” given the sheer glut of content out there these days, but if you’ve been meaning to catch up on recent buzzy shows like Yellowjackets, The Chi, and Nathan Fielder’s The Curse — or just binge old episodes of Twin Peaks, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dexter or Beavis and Butt-Head — here’s a good chance to save. (My mother is also a fan of that Halo adaptation, for whatever that’s worth, though she seems to be alone there.) Know that your subscription will be set to auto-renew by default, so you may want to set a reminder to cancel if you take the plunge.
The top budget pick in our mechanical keyboard buying guide, the Keychron C3 Pro, is down to $27.47 on Amazon. That’s a new low. The tenkeyless keyboard technically has a list price of $50, though it’s more commonly available for $37, so you’re really saving about $10 here.
Regardless, the C3 Pro delivers a superb typing experience for the price. Presses have a soft, springy feel and a pleasing, clacky tone. Its ABS keycaps aren’t as high-quality as our top picks, it only has a red backlight and the switches on these discounted models aren’t hot-swappable, but it should be a welcome upgrade for those looking to make their first leap away from a laptop-style membrane keyboard. This deal applies to the variants with Keychron’s tactile Brown switches and linear Red switches.
Getting back to the Apple-related headphone deals, the Beats Fit Pro is on sale for $160 at various retailers, including Amazon, Target and Best Buy. While not an all-time low, that equals the best price we’ve seen for most of the past year. The earbuds have been available for this price in a few colorways for much of 2024, but this deal applies to a wider selection of finishes. For reference, Beats normally sells the earbuds for $200.
The Fit Pro is the top workout pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide, as it provides many of the features you’d get with a set of AirPods in a sportier and more secure design. It pairs with and switches between Apple devices quickly, it lets you call on Siri hands-free and it works with Apple’s Find My network if you ever misplace it. Its IPX4 water-resistance rating should be enough for all but the sweatiest gym sessions, and its punchy sound plays well with most popular music. That said, this pair’s ANC is a step behind that of the AirPods Pro, it doesn’t support wireless charging and, like Apple’s other earbuds, it can’t connect to two devices at once. But it should do the job for iPhone owners who need wireless earbuds for the gym first and foremost. We gave the Fit Pro a review score of 87 back in 2021.
The entry-level configuration of Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air is down to $1,150 at Amazon with a $49.01 on-page coupon. This notebook goes for $1,299 at Apple.com, though it’s generally sold for $50 to $100 less at Amazon since arriving in March. Either way, this is its best price to date.
The latest MacBook Air is the top pick in our laptop buying guide, and we gave this 15-inch version a score of 90 in our review. It ticks all the requisite design and performance boxes for a mainstream laptop, limited port selection aside. Apart from its more spacious display, the 15-inch model also has a robust speaker system than its 13-inch counterpart.
The key thing to note with this config, though, is that it only includes 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Both are meager, so you shouldn’t count on this model for media editing and more involved workloads. If you can afford to at least double memory and storage, it’s worth doing so — those models are $150 off and down to $1,550 with a coupon as well. But if you’ll stick to more casual tasks, either option gives a decent chance to save.
The Amazon Kindle is available for $80 at Amazon, Target and Best Buy, a $20 discount that represents the best price we’ve seen since last October. The base Kindle is the top budget pick in our guide to the best ereaders. Its 6-inch display is just as crisp as the screen on the pricier Kindle Paperwhite, it gets you access to the same giant ebook library and it’s all comfortable to hold. There are still trade-offs: It’s not waterproof, unlike the Paperwhite, and its front light isn’t as robust. You’ll also have to deal with lock screen ads unless you pay an extra fee. But if you just want a competent ereader for less than $100, this is a solid deal.
The Paperwhite, meanwhile, is also on sale for $115 this week. That’s not an all-time low, but it’s $35 below the device’s usual rate and the lowest price we’ve seen in 2024. That model has a more spacious 6.8-inch display and an adjustable warm light feature on top of the aforementioned waterproofing and improved brightness. We call the Kobo Clara 2E a better choice for around the same price in our buying guide, however.
The Astro A40 TR is our favorite gaming headset, and right now it’s on sale for $100 at Amazon, Logitech and B&H. That’s not the lowest price we’ve ever seen, but it’s still $30 off the pair’s usual street price. The A40 is a wired model that’s been around since 2019, but it continues to deliver a more spacious and enveloping sound profile than most dedicated gaming headsets we’ve tested. As an open-back headphone, it lets in and leaks outside noise fairly easily, so it’s not the best choice if you often play in a noisy room. Its built-in mic isn’t especially high-quality, either, and its design is largely plastic. But it’s comfy, and it sounds much less closed-off and boomy than most headsets specifically marketed for gaming. If you need a mic and audio quality is your chief concern, it’s a nice value.
If you and a friend happen to be in the market for an Android smartwatch, Samsung is running a rare BOGO (buy one, get one free) deal on its Galaxy Watch 6. Just scroll down and select the prompt that says “Get a second Galaxy Watch 6 on us” to see the deal at checkout. The offer applies to the 40mm and 44mm models in both LTE and non-cellular configurations, which cost between $300 and $380. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic — which is built with stainless steel instead of aluminum and can be controlled with a rotating bezel mechanism — is not included in the deal, however.
The Galaxy Watch 6 is the top pick for Android users in our smartwatch buying guide. It offers a robust list of health-tracking features, and it does well to auto-detect and log your workouts accurately. Its OLED display is sharp and bright, its rounded design is understated but not ugly and its Wear OS software gives access to a fairly wide selection of apps. It’ll still work best with a Samsung phone, but it’s not nearly as closed off to other devices as an Apple Watch. This is only a deal if you need a second watch, though; other retailers currently have the device for as low as $230 on its own. Samsung, for its part, is angling the promo toward Mother’s Day.
The 48-inch version of LG’s C3 OLED TV is down to $847.44 at eBay with the checkout code SPRING15OFF. That’s not its lowest-ever price, but it’s roughly $150 off the TV’s typical going rate over the last few months. This discount comes via Electronic Express, which LG lists as an authorized dealer on its website. eBay says the coupon will expire on May 12.
The C3 is a midrange OLED model from 2023, so it’s currently being phased out in order to make room for recently-launched C4. However, the 48-inch version of that newer set is going for $1,497 as of this writing and doesn’t look to be a night-and-day upgrade in practice. For most, the older model should be a better value when it’s discounted to this extent.
The C3 itself isn’t as bright or color-rich as a good QD-OLED panel from Samsung or Sony, so it’s not class-leading in any one regard. Still, if you’ve never owned an OLED set, its high contrast, deep black tones, wide viewing angles and smooth motion should delight. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports that can output up to 120Hz, which is the fastest refresh rate the PS5 or Xbox Series X will allow, and it supports Dolby Vision HDR, unlike rival sets from Samsung. Just be aware that 48 inches is on the smaller side for a modern TV, so this model may work best in a smaller room or on a desktop.
Amazon’s Echo Show 8 is down to $100 at Amazon, Target and Best Buy. We’ve seen this discount multiple times since the 8-inch smart display was released last September; it’s not an all-time low, but it’s $50 off Amazon’s MSRP, and it equals the best price we’ve seen in a couple of months.
The Echo Show 8 itself is generally the best blend of price, size and functionality in Amazon’s smart display lineup. It has a more spacious screen, faster processor and better camera than the Echo Show 5, but it’s far more affordable than the Echo Show 10. It can work with other smart home devices through Matter, Zigbee and Thread, plus it has a dedicated camera cover and mic mute button. (Though no smart device like this is especially privacy-conscious.) Google’s Nest Hub is a better choice if you heavily use Google services like Gmail and Google Calendar — or if you don’t just want another camera in your home — but if you prefer Alexa and want a display for video calls, recipes and the like, this is your best bet.
If you don’t need a display at all, meanwhile, the most recent Echo Dot is also on sale for $28. Again, we’ve seen better deals in the past, but this is a larger discount than usual, taking $15 or so off the smart speaker’s average street price over the last few months. We call the Echo Dot the best option for less than $50 in our guide to the best smart speakers.
Up until May 13, Adobe is offering a year of its individual Creative Cloud All Apps subscription for $36 per month, or $396 if you pay for the full 12 months upfront. Normally, Adobe says an annual plan would set you back $60 per month or $660 upfront, so this is a 40 percent discount. The offer is only available for first-time subscribers, though. As a refresher, this plan gives access to more than 20 Adobe apps, including Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, After Effects and Lightroom. It also includes 100GB of cloud storage, among other perks. It’s far from a must for the vast majority of people, but this a relatively rare discount if you work in the visual arts professionally and have been eyeing a subscription. Just note that the plan will auto-renew at its standard rate after the discounted year.
Google took the wraps off its new Pixel 8a phone this week, and to sweeten pre-orders it’s bundling the handset with a $100 gift card at Amazon, Best Buy and its own online store. This deal applies to the base model, which costs $499 and has 128GB of storage, or a new 256GB variant, which costs $559. At Best Buy, the offers also include a month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (for some reason). The phone starts shipping on May 14.
We’ll have to fully review the Pixel 8a before we can truly say if it’s worth buying, but at first blush it appears to be a fairly straightforward upgrade over last year’s Pixel 7a, which we recommend in our guide to the best smartphones. You can read my colleague Sam Rutherford’s hands-on preview for a rundown of what to expect, but the highlights include a newer Tensor G3 chip, a faster 120Hz display and a promised seven years of software updates, the same as Google’s flagship phones. Again, we’d advise most people to wait for our full review before pulling the trigger, but if you’re already sold and you know you’ll use the Amazon, Best Buy or Google Store cash anyway, this isn’t the worst pre-order deal we’ve seen.
As we reach the end of another week, we’re looking back to see what tech deals popped up that are worth checking out. This coming Tuesday, Apple will almost certainly announce new iPads, which is probably why a slew of discounts have materialized for the company’s slabs. We didn’t highlight those here — even if you want an older model, it’s probably wise to wait a few days to see how the announcements affect pricing. Deals that are worth checking include sales on three flagship smartwatches: Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Google Pixel 2. A couple of our favorite Anker power banks are on sale, with the USB-C Nano battery down to a new low. You can also save on one of our top gaming mice and our favorite dual-screen gaming laptop. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget
The Apple Watch 9 is back down to $299 at Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart. That’s about $30 more than the lowest price we’ve tracked, when certain colorways went down to $269. Overall this current deal is $100 cheaper than paying full price and about $30 less than the sale prices lately. The deal applies to the 41mm case size with GPS and Bluetooth connectivity and is currently valid for all four colorways. If, like me, you prefer the larger 45mm case size so it’s easier to see the numbers on the display, you’ll have to pay the full $429 unless you want it in Starlight. Then it’s $100 off.
The Series 9 is the top pick in our guide to smartwatches and Engadget’s Cherlynn Low gave it a review score of 92 when it came out last September. It’s a great companion for an iPhone and the always on display makes it much easier to see things at a glance. The health and fitness tracking is comprehensive and the new Double Tap feature is handy (when it works) for answering calls and pausing timers.
We call Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 the best option for Android users in our guide to smartwatches. Walmart is now selling the wearable for $229, which is $70 off the list price. That’s not an all-time low, but still a decent savings if you’re looking for a wrist computer that plays nice with your Galaxy phone. The deal applies to the 40mm case size with Bluetooth connectivity in the Graphite colorway.
We gave the Galaxy Watch 6 a review score of 84 when it came out last September. It’s not a huge change from its predecessor, but that’s not a bad thing. The bezels are thinner and the screen is brighter, plus it gives you lots of health and fitness tracking features. The battery life is decent for a smartwatch, lasting more than a full day with the always-on display enabled. If you want a wearable that lasts even longer, you might be better off going with a fitness tracker. Our top pick in that category, the Fitbit Charge 6 is on sale for $140 directly from Fitbit.
The Google Pixel Watch 2 has dropped back down to $300 after a 14 percent discount at Amazon, Best Buy and directly from Google. Engadget’s Cherlynn Low gave the smartwatch a review score of 79 when the wearable came out last October. The design is beautiful, the stress management features are useful, and the health-focused sensors accurately produce helpful data. But software quirks, like the clunky integration of the Fitbit app for fitness tracking and some confusing presentations of your health data.
The Echo Dot, our favorite smart speaker under $50 is now down to $28 at Amazon after a 44 percent discount. That’s about $5 more than the lowest its ever sold for, which we saw during last year’s Black Friday sales. The Echo Dot puts out surprising sound for its size and lets you access the helpful skills and voice controls Alexa has to offer. It’s a good entry point into the world of smart home automation and can play music with decent audio when its not turning off your lights, telling you the weather or reminding you it’s trash night. If you’d rather buy from Target, the Echo Dot is the same price from that outlet.
The even smaller Echo Pop is also on sale and down to $20, or about $2 more than its all-time low. We haven’t tested this one yet, and wouldn’t expect the sound to be particularly robust, but if you’re just looking for another access point to Alexa’s abilities, this is one of the cheaper ways to go.
The unlocked Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is on sale for $1,100 at Amazon and Best Buy. Even with the discount, that’s still an expensive phone. The deal applies to the base 256GB model and takes $200 off the list price.
We named the S24 Ultra the “best premium” pick in our guide to the best Android phones. Samsung’s flagship has a speedy Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, a long battery life and a bright and clear 6.8-inch OLED display. The titanium frame feels premium and it comes with the pretty responsive S Pen built-into the handset. Plus you’ll get a full seven years of software updates out of Samsung.
Our top recommendation, Google’s Pixel 8 Pro, has a slightly better camera set and cleaner software (not to mention a much lower price as it’s currently on sale for $800 at Amazon and from Google).
The 6.7-inch Galaxy S24+ is back down to $850 as well. That’s a $150 discount and another all-time low for the unlocked model. We gave the S24 Ultra a score of 89 in our review earlier this year, while the S24+ earned a score of 87.
The Bluetooth tracker we recommend for anyone who uses a Galaxy phone is Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag2. And currently Amazon is selling a single tag for $21. If you’ve got multiple things to keep tabs on, you can get a four-pack from Best Buy for $77, which works out to $19.25 a pop.
The tags only work with Samsung phones, and use a similar approach to Apple’s AirTags in that the fobs anonymously ping nearby Samsung phones to help locate your lost items. In our tests we found the SmartTags2 to be loud and nearly as precise in their finding abilities as AirTags. Of all the tags out there, I thought these had the most attractive design with a smooth and rounded shape with a large eyelet. The left-behind feature wasn’t as quick and the ring-to-find wasn’t as loud as our top pick, the Chipolo One, but the SmartTag2 remains a good companion for Samsung phones.
The second generation Apple Pencil is back on sale for $79 at Target, Walmart and Best Buy. That’s a $35 discount off the full price and matches the lowest price yet for the stylus. While this is a deal we’ve seen a number of times before, it’s important to note this time that Apple will host a product launch event on May 7 and a new Pencil is likely to be part of the announcements. It might make sense to wait until then before you buy. That said, at $79, it’s a relatively inexpensive way to get your hands on a responsive stylus. It’s currently the top pick in our iPad accessories guide and pairs quickly and works well with the current generation iPad Air, Pro and Mini models.
When Engadget’s Sam Rutherford reviewed the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, he said, “the main factor preventing it from being a great mobile gaming battle station is its price.” Amazon is now selling the base model for $1,700, which is a 32 percent discount off the $2,500 list price. This configuration comes with a NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
We named the Duo 16 the best gaming laptop with a dual screen in our guide because it’s powerful and the extra screen makes multitasking a lot easier. If you don’t love being without your extra monitor when you’re away from your main workstation setup, this is a decent mobile solution — though at five-and-a-half pounds and nearly an inch thick, this isn’t a lightweight portable by any means. But at least some heft has been removed from the price.
Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are $50 off and down to $249 at Amazon, Walmart and directly from Bose. That deal has surfaced quite a few times over the past year, and matches the buds’ lowest price.
Engadget’s Billy Steele gave the QC Ultra earbuds a score of 88 in his review, and they’re the top pick in our buying guide for best noise cancellation. If you want to shut out the world, these are the buds to get. The earpieces are on the large side but we found them comfortable. There’s no wireless charging or multi-device connectivity, however, and both the battery life and mic quality could be better.
Anker’s 20,000mAh Prime portable charger is down to $90 from its list price of $130. That’s a discount of 31 percent and matches a previous record low. It’s our pick for a premium power bank in our guide to the best power banks. It looks slick, has a built-in screen and offers one USB-A and two USB-C ports. It charged an iPhone 11 from near dead to full in about an hour and 45 minutes and did that three times, with enough left over for a 75 percent refill. Stick this in a pack (with a cable) and you won’t have to worry about a dead phone.
Another pick from our guide, the Anker Nano Battery with fold out USB-C connector is on sale for $16 with an on-page coupon, which is $14 off the device’s list price. That’s if you don’t mind getting it in white. Other colorways are $19. The fold out connection means you can leave the cables at home and its small size makes it easy to keep with you so you can give a partial refill to any phone with a USB-C port.
Wi-Fi dead zones are annoying, but if you’re not ready to step up to a full mesh system, an extender may be your best bet. TP-Link’s RE315 Wi-Fi extender is our pick for the best budget option in our buyer’s guide and right now, Amazon is selling it for $23, which is a 23 percent discount and the lowest price we’ve tracked.
It provides up to 867 Mbps speeds on the 5GHz band and 300 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, and covers up to 1,500 square feet. That won’t cover a huge house and if you need lightning fast speeds or support for Wi-Fi 6, you may want to go with a more expensive model.
The Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite is down to $50 after a 38 percent discount, which is the lowest price we’ve seen since last year’s Black Friday sales. Engadget’s Jeff Dunn named it the best gaming mouse for MMOs thanks to its comfortable shape and 12 programmable side buttons. Those let you access several in-game actions with just a press, and some of the buttons are textured to help you tell them apart without looking. He does note, however, that Corsair’s iCue software to assign the keys is wildly unintuitive.
We recommend this mouse in our guide to work-from-home gear for new grads, but anyone will appreciate the ergonomic features of the Razer Basilisk V3 X HyperSpeed. Right now, Best Buy is selling it for $60, which is a mere $10 discount, but is within a dollar of the lowest price we’ve seen this year.
It’s marketed toward gamers, but the contoured shape and thumb rest make it comfortable for most right handed people, gamer or not. The mouse feels sturdy has a precise scroll wheel and lasts for hundreds of hours on a single AA battery.
The Litra Glow from Logitech is one of the things we recommend for anyone who’s just getting started on their game streaming journey. Right now, Amazon is selling it for $49.50, which is $10 off the list price, though its not the lowest price we’ve seen. It clips onto the top of a monitor and generates a clean, even glow to help you look better on camera.
JBL’s Flip 6 is on sale for $100 at Amazon, Target and directly from JBL. That’s a 23 percent discount off the $130 price tag and about $10 more than the all-time low it hit for Black Friday last year.
In our guide to Bluetooth speakers, the Flip 6 earns high marks for overall sound quality, durability and volume considering its size. The unique shape lets you stand it on its end or rest it on its side, depending on where you’re listening. Based on our guide’s recommendation, I went ahead and bought one and have been impressed with the easy pairing and clear audio — that I can easily take from room to room and out into the backyard.
If you want bigger sound and more battery life, go for the midrange JBL Charge 5. It’s on sale for $140 instead of $180 at Target and from JBL.
Another pick from our Bluetooth speaker guide, Bose’s SoundLink Flex, is back down to $119 at Target, Amazon and Bose which is a 20 percent discount and matches the all-time low we saw for last year’s Black Friday sale. It’s not a room filler, but the sound is bright and dynamic and the bass is impressive for its size. The outside feels nice with an exterior sheathed in soft-touch silicone, except for the powder-coated steel speaker grilles. It’s also IP67 rated so you can feel comfortable using it near a pool or at the beach, or just in the backyard where the hose might get it.
If you want bigger sound and don’t mind paying full price, Bose will soon offer a bigger version, the SoundLink Max, for $399.
Apple’s Studio Display is expensive at $1,600, but now Amazon is selling it for $1,300 after a 19 percent discount. That’s the lowest price we’ve tracked and beats the price it went for during Amazon’s October’s Prime Day sale. The deal applies to the tilt-adjustable stand, not the height and tilt stand. That version is also on sale, but is going for $400 more.
As we Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar said in his review, the display is really just for the Apple faithful, everyone else would be better served by another monitor. That said, the build is solid, the speakers are good, and the screen is bright and accurate. Plus the A13 Bionic chip inside make its webcam and mics a little more responsive.
One thing to note is that Apple is hosting its iPad event in a few days, though a new display is not one of the things we’re expecting (this model was introduced along with the iPhone 13 in 2022).
Another week is coming to a close, which means it’s time for another roundup of good tech deals. This week’s highlights include a new low on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is $200 off and down to $1,100 for an unlocked model. That’s not exactly cheap, no, but any savings should be welcome for what we consider the best premium Android phone. Elsewhere, a trio of recommendations from our wireless earbuds buying guide are on sale, including Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds for $249, Google’s Pixel Buds Pro for $135 and Anker’s Soundcore Space A40 for $49. Apple’s latest MacBook Air has dropped to a new low of $989 as well, while Best Buy has the HomePod mini down to $70 in a rare discount. Other gadgets we like are discounted beyond that, so here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Photo by Sam Rutherford / Engadget
The unlocked Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is on sale for $1,100 at Amazon and Best Buy. That’s still pricey, but it’s the biggest outright discount we’ve seen for the base 256GB model, taking $200 off Samsung’s list price.
The S24 Ultra is the “best premium” pick in our guide to the best Android phones. Google’s Pixel 8 Pro, our top recommendation overall, still gets you a slightly better camera and cleaner software at a lower price, but Samsung’s flagship runs on a faster chip (the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3), lasts longer and has a gorgeous 6.8-inch OLED display. Its titanium frame feels high-end, and Samsung is promising the same seven years of software updates as Google. It still comes with the company’s S Pen stylus, too. Our chief complaint is that Samsung jacked up its already-high starting price by another $100, but this discount mitigates that at least a little bit.
If you want a slightly more affordable big-screen Galaxy phone, the 6.7-inch Galaxy S24+ is back down to $850 as well. That’s a $150 discount and another all-time low for the unlocked model. The S24+ gets you the same fast chip, update support and AI-touting software as the Ultra, with a vibrant 120Hz OLED display and long battery life. It uses an aluminum frame instead of a titanium one, however, and the Ultra has a more advanced camera system with a sharper main lens and an extra telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. We gave the S24 Ultra a score of 89 in our review earlier this year, while the S24+ earned a score of 87. The standard Galaxy S24 is also on sale for $725, though that isn’t an all-time low.
Anker’s PowerConf C200 webcam is back on sale for $48 at Amazon and Anker’s own online store. At the latter, use the code WS7DEEOYAT at checkout to get the discount. We’ve seen this deal a few times in recent months, but it matches the second-best price we’ve tracked and takes $12 off the webcam’s typical price. The C200 is the runner up in our guide to the best webcams. It’s easy to set up, it records crisp video up to a 2K resolution, and we found its autofocus and integrated mics to perform well. It also has a built-in privacy cover. It still can’t match the image quality of our top pick (Logitech’s Brio 500), but it costs far less, and it’s a clear upgrade over a typical laptop camera. Its biggest issue is that it’s fairly chunky and can’t swivel side-to-side. Its USB cable is fairly short, too.
The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard is $30 off and down to $70 at Amazon subsidiary Woot. That’s a new all-time low. This deal applies to the board’s Fami Edition, which is inspired by the Famicom game console Nintendo sold in Japan during the ’80s. A separate model that resembles the American NES is also available, but that one currently costs $90.
You’d get the Retro Mechanical Keyboard for its aesthetics above all else, but the “keyboard” part of it is perfectly solid. It’s a wireless, tenkeyless model with crisp PBT keycaps, a sturdy frame and minimal rattling on larger keys, plus it comes with a pair of giant “Super Buttons” that you can program to perform certain commands. It’s all comfortable for typing, though its default switches make a high-pitch click sound that may aggravate anyone else nearby. There’s no backlighting, either. That said, the switches are hot-swappable, so it’s easy enough to change them down the road if needed. So long as you dig the look, it should be a fun dose of nostalgia. We recommend this device in our retro gaming gift guide.
The Anker Soundcore Space A40 is back down to $49 at Amazon, matching the all-time low we last saw last month. These noise-canceling earbuds have a list price of $100, but they’ve retailed for $59 for most of this year, so you’re really saving about $10. Regardless, the Space A40 tops our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds thanks to its strong active noise cancellation (ANC), pleasant sound and robust feature set. Its design is small and lightweight, it can connect with two devices at once and its compact case supports wireless charging. Battery life sits at a solid eight hours a go. Just know that it won’t auto-pause when you remove an earbud, plus its mic isn’t the best for phone calls. But if you want to stay under $50, it’s an excellent value. Note that this price applies to the black colorway, while blue and white models are available for $1 more.
In other Anker earbud deals, the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is the runner up in our guide, and it’s also on sale for $74.50. That’s not quite an all-time low, but it’s roughly $25 off the pair’s typical going rate. This set performs very similarly to the Space A40, but it has a longer “stem” design that’s more in line with Apple’s AirPods, and its sound is more bass-heavy out of the box (though you can customize the EQ on either model).
If you’re willing to pay more for a set of true wireless earbuds, the Google Pixel Buds Pro are also on sale for $135 at Wellbots. Just use the code ENGPIX65 at checkout. This isn’t an all-time low, but it’s the best deal we’ve seen for the earbuds in 2024 and $65 off Google’s list price.
We call the Pixel Buds Pro the best option for Android users in our wireless earbuds buying guide, and they indeed offer several conveniences when used with Google’s mobile OS. You can access the Google Assistant hands-free, for example, or use a live translation tool through Google Translate. With Google’s own Pixel phones, the earbuds’ settings and features are accessible on a system level, similar to how the controls for Apple’s AirPods are baked into iOS. There’s a robust ANC mode beyond that, and the default sound profile should suit those who like a hyped-up bass and bright treble. (Though you can customize the sound with a graphic EQ.) Wireless charging, multi-device pairing and reliable touch controls help as well. However, call quality isn’t great, and the design might be tricky for some smaller ears. There’s also no support for higher-quality Bluetooth audio codecs like aptX or LDAC. Still, this is a well-rounded choice for Google diehards. We gave the Pixel Buds Pro a review score of 87 back in 2022.
Wrapping up this week’s standout headphone deals are Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, which are $50 off and down to $249 at Amazon, Walmart, Bose.com and others. We’ve seen this deal on numerous occasions since the earbuds arrived last year, but it nevertheless matches their lowest price to date. Bose’s pair earned a score of 88 in our review, and we recommend it in our buying guide for those who specifically want the strongest ANC possible. It does a superlative job of muting the outside world, and Bose’s app lets you adjust the intensity of the ANC if the effect ever feels uncomfortable. It’s another one with a bass-heavy sound profile out of the box, though that can be tweaked, and while the earpieces are fairly large, they’re comfortable. There’s no wireless charging or multi-device connectivity, however, and both the battery life and mic quality could be better. But if you absolutely must have top-notch ANC performance, you might be able to look past that. This discount comes as part of a wider range of discounts on Bose headphones and speakers.
The entry-level configuration of the latest 13-inch MacBook Air is down to $989 at Amazon. While that’s just $10 less than the sale price we’ve seen for the past couple of weeks, it represents a new all-time low all the same. For reference, Apple sells the notebook for $1,099. We gave the MacBook Air a review score of 90 last month and currently name it the top pick in our laptop buying guide. This config is limited to 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, so you should only grab it if you’ll stick to less intense workloads. For everyday use, though, the Air continues to provide a slim and sturdy frame, long battery life, a comfortable keyboard and trackpad, an accurate display and steady performance from its new M3 chip.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the previous-gen MacBook Air is still on sale for $849 as well. That model can’t output to two external monitors and technically has slower storage, but the performance gap between its M2 chip and the M3 isn’t huge, and its design is virtually identical. It’s not quite as futureproof, but it’s still a great buy if you really want to save an extra $140. Apple reportedly plans to release a faster M4 chip later this year, but those aren’t expected to hit new MacBook Airs until 2025, so neither of the current models should feel out of date anytime soon.
A few older yet still worthwhile Anker chargers are at or near their respective all-time lows, too. Here’s a quick rundown:
The Anker 735 Charger is down to $32, which is $8 less than usual. This is a three-port wall charger (2x USB-C, 1x USB-A) that can supply up to a combined 65W of power.
The Anker Nano 3 wall charger is also on sale for $14. That’s roughly $5 below Anker’s typical street price. This one maxes out at 30W and only has a single USB-C port, but it’s highly compact, and that charging rate is still enough to refill recent iPhones (but not all Android phones) at full speed.
The Anker 525 Charging Station is back down to $40, which is about $15 off the device’s average street price in recent months. If you need one place to charge several devices simultaneously, this unit includes two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports and three AC outlets. The USB ports can split up to 67W of power, which isn’t class-leading by any means but is enough to not feel slow with many phones, tablets and smaller laptops.
The Anker 622 Magnetic Battery is available for $35, which is a deal we’ve seen a few times before but takes $15 off Anker’s MSRP. This wireless power bank doesn’t support the faster Qi2 standard and maxes at a meager 7.5W, but it can still work as a cheap, pocket-friendly way to extend a dying iPhone’s battery through MagSafe. We’ve highlighted it before.
Google’s entry-level Nest Thermostat is on sale for $90 at various retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy and Google’s online store. Again, that’s not an all-time low, but the device has fluctuated between $100 and $130 for the past few months, so this is a better price than usual. This model comes with a few trade-offs compared to the higher-end Nest Learning Thermostat: It has a cheaper plastic frame with no rotating dial; it doesn’t support remote temperature sensors; and it can’t learn your heating and cooling habits to make automatic adjustments over the course of the day. All that said, it still lets you control your home’s climate and schedule changes remotely, and it still has features like HVAC monitoring and voice controls. Unlike the pricier Nest, it also supports the Matter standard, so it can work with a wider range of smart home platforms such as Apple Home. Its biggest selling point, though, is its price, and this deal furthers that.
Apple’s HomePod mini speaker is now on sale for $70 at Best Buy, a rare $30 discount and the lowest price we’ve seen to date. For Apple loyalists, the mini remains the best value smart speaker more or less by default. It provides just about all the same features as the standard HomePod — letting you use Siri to play music, answer questions and control other Apple Home devices — but at a much lower price, and in a much smaller form factor. It’s generally improved over time as well, as it now supports Matter and can utilize temperature and humidity sensors. That said, you have to be deep into Apple World to get the most out of it. If you’re not completely tied to Apple, we recommend Amazon’s Echo in our smart speaker buying guide for offering more powerful sound and being more platform-agnostic. But if you want a dedicated hub for HomeKit or Apple Music, this deal should make the mini a little more palatable.
Best Buy is selling the 65-inch version of Samsung’s S90C OLED TV for $1,500, which is $100 below the set’s usual going rate over the past several months, and the retailer is throwing in a $100 gift card alongside the purchase. The TV is available for the same price at several other retailers without the gift card. A similar deal is available for the 77-inch model: That one is down to $2,000, which is $300 off the TV’s recent street price, and again it’s available with a bonus $100 gift card at Best Buy.
The S90C is a year old and still far from cheap, but it’s received consistently positivereviews for delivering a premium image. The key is that it uses a QD-OLED panel, which blends the high contrast and wide viewing angles of a traditional OLED TV with a layer of quantum dots that boosts its peak brightness and color saturation. It’s an excellent option for gaming, too, as it includes four HDMI 2.1 ports that can play up to a fast 144Hz refresh rate. The main downside, as with all Samsung TVs, is that it doesn’t support Dolby Vision, which many consider to be the richest HDR format.
It’s worth noting Samsung recently released this TV’s successor, the S90D. That series is also on sale this week, but the discounts only bring the 65-inch model down to $2,500. Early reviews suggest that the S90D isn’t a major upgrade, so for now, the older set should remain the better value. On top of that, Samsung has attracted controversy for releasing the S90D with both QD-OLED and more traditional WOLED panels, with no obvious way to know which one you’re buying with certain sizes. That means the new model could wind up being a downgrade over last year’s set in some cases.
It feels like the PlayStation Store pushes a new sale every other week, but its current “May Savings” event includes a few PS5 game discounts that are actually worth considering. The bombastic action-RPG Final Fantasy XVI is down to an all-time low of $35, for one, while the recently acclaimed fighting game Tekken 8is available for a new low of $49. (The latter is also on sale at Amazon for $1 more, if you’d prefer a physical copy.) Jusant, a soulful platformer we highlight in our list of good relaxing games, is at a low of $17.49, while last year’s Resident Evil 4remake is down to a low of $20. A couple of recent Xbox ports (and staff favorites) in Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment are also on sale for $21 and $13.39, respectively; the former is another all-time low. Beyond PSN, the delightfully punishing RPG Elden Ring is worth a shout at $40, which is a roughly $10 discount.
Before you head into the weekend to hike, pull weeds, play games or go to work, you may feel a hankering to snap up a few tech gadgets. If that’s the case, here’s a roundup of all the deals we found this week on gear we’ve tested, reviewed and just generally recommend. To get cleaner floors without much work, check out the discount codes below from Wellbots on three different iRobot robot vacs. We found discounts on streaming dongles including Google’s Chromecast HD and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max, as well as new sales on security cameras from the same companies (Google Nest and Blink). There are also savings to be had from Anker, 8BitDo and Sonos. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Anker
A number of Anker power banks and chargers are on sale right now at Amazon. The sale includes 25 percent off the price of the 10,000mAh Qi2 MagGo Power Bank, which brings it down to $67.50 from $90. Just note that the deal only apples to the white model.
We named the portable charger the best MagSafe-enabled banks in our guide. It’s Qi2-certified and brought an iPhone 15 from four percent to half full in around 45 minutes in our tests. It delivered a full charge plus an additional 70 percent before needing a refill. I also appreciated the display that shows the amount of charge the bank has left and the kickstand so you can watch something while you refuel.
The 552 USB-C Hub is also part of the sale and down to $30 after a big 57 percent discount. You can also save on Anker’s Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank with the 100W Charging Base included. It’s down to $164.50 from $235 and is another top pick in our buyer’s guide to power banks.
Our favorite smart plug is currently on sale at Amazon. A four-pack of the Kasa EP25 smart plug is down to $32.58 instead of $50 after a 25 percent discount and an on-page $5 coupon.
The Kasa EP25 works with Alexa, Google Home, HomeKit and Samsung SmartThings. I found the connection to be stable and the initial setup was quick to do through the companion app. Once initialized, it’s easy to add the plug to whichever smart home eco system you rely on.
Amazon’s Smart Plug is also on sale for $20 instead of $25. Our guide calls it the best smart plug for Alexa-enabled homes, so if you already have a few Amazon Echo speakers at home, the plug will make a good addition. The only real advantage is has over the Kasa plug is its near-instant pairing with Alexa.
Sonos not only makes quality speakers, they also have a respectable refurbished program which can save you some cash on the otherwise pricey audio equipment. Right now, a refurbished Sonos Arc SL soundbar is down to $509, which is $170 off the renewed price and $240 off the speaker’s full $749 price tag when it was new. A decent selection of similarly like-new soundbars and speakers are also on sale, with up to 25 percent off the refurb prices. That includes our pick for a midrange soundbar, the second-generation Beam soundbar. It’s down to $299 after a $100 discount off the refurbished rate.
We named the Sonos Arc the runner-up premium soundbar in our buying guide, praising its stellar sound quality and ability to calibrate its sound to match the room its in. Compared to the standard Arc, the Arc SL lacks a microphone, so you won’t be able to use voice assistants directly from the soundbar.
Sonos refurbished gear comes with the same, one-year warranty, all necessary cables and manuals plus all-new packaging. They also donate one percent of refurbished sales to environmental non-profits as part of 1% for the Planet.
Right now a code at Wellbots will get you iRobot’s flagship Roomba Combo J9+ for $400 off. The vacuum-mop hybrid robot, which only arrived last fall, automatically empties itself and refills the device’s mopping liquid. That convenience doesn’t come cheap, though. The unit usually sells for $1,399 but enter the coupon code ENGA400 at Wellbots and get it for $999 instead.
Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar gave the Combo J9+ an 85 review score when it first came out, calling it a godsend for tired parents. It’s also our pick for the best combo vacuuming-mopping robot. It has an upgraded motor and four-stage cleaning system that takes multiple pass-throughs across your carpets and floors.
The base that empties the debris and refills the mop solution also doubles as a storage unit that looks more like living room furniture. Setup is as simple as adding water and cleaning solution to a reservoir and attaching a mop pad. Upkeep is limited to swapping mop pads and leaning the vacuum’s bristles and dust bin.
If you don’t need a mop you can save some cash by going with the standard Roomba J9+ $599, which is $300 with the code ENGA300. It includes all the vacuum-related features from the more expensive Combo variant, including a three-stage cleaning system, multi-surface rubber brushes and stronger suction.
The previous-generation Roomba Combo j7+ vacuum-mop cleaning robot is $200 off with coupon code ENGA200.
The Blink Mini 2 home security camera was only announced a month ago and it’s already on sale for 25 percent off, making it just $30 instead of $40. It can be used indoors or outdoors, though it needs a weather-resistant power adapter for use outside. A bundle with the adapter is on sale as well. The camera shoots HD footage day or night and has an LED spotlight.
Amazon-owned Blink announced the Mini 2 camera in March, touting improvements to image quality and the option for HD night view in color thanks to the spotlight. The camera also has motion detection and two-way audio. The camera can detect motion, and alert you when it does, but if you want person detection and the ability to live-stream continuously (up to 90 minutes), you’ll need a Blink subscription. The Mini 2 comes with a 30-day free trial of the Blink Subscription Plan, too. After that, it’s $3 per month per device or $10 monthly for unlimited coverage.
If you’d prefer security cameras made by a different tech company, you can get Google’s wired Nest security camera for $70, which is 30 percent off and its lowest price to date. The deal is available at Amazon, Walmart and directly from Google.
The Nest Cam uses AI to discern between people, animals and vehicles and sends alerts via the Google Home app, and, unlike Blink cams, you don’t need a subscription for that. The Nest Aware plan does let you save 60 days of video history, however, otherwise you get three free hours of history. It also has two-way audio function and the ability to view live video feeds on mobile devices and compatible smart displays.
For keeping an eye on your outdoors, you can grab the Outdoor Nest Cam with Floodlight which is 29 percent off and down to $200.
Annual subscriptions to the budgeting app Quicken Simplifi are half off through April 21. It has dropped from $4 monthly to $2 per month, billed annually at $24.
Quicken Simplify topped both our list of the best budgeting apps and our collection of the best apps to replace Mint. We like the user-friendly interface and instantaneous access to various metrics, like top-line balances, net worth, recent spending, upcoming recurring payments and more.
It also lets you set up customized savings goals and the clean UI keeps things interesting with playful animations. .You can also invite a spouse or a financial manager to co-manage the account.
The 10th-gen Apple iPad is on sale for $349 at Amazon and Best Buy, which matches the lowest price we’ve seen from major retailers. The deal applies to the base model with 64GB of storage. The 256GB model is also $100 off the list price and down to $499.
Keep in mind that Apple reportedly plans to release new iPad Airs and iPad Pros in early May, so you may want to wait to see what is announced — and whether today’s models drop even further. The standard iPad may not be refreshed until later this year.
We gave the 10th-gen iPad a review score of 85 in late 2022. Its aluminum design feels premium, it gets a solid 10-plus hours of battery life and its A14 Bionic chip is still plenty fast for media consumption — though its the only remaining iPad without an M-series chip and it only works with the older generation Apple Pencil and requires an adapter.
8BitDo’s Ultimate Bluetooth Controller is $60 right now on Amazon. Last week it dropped to $59.49, but only for Amazon Prime members. Neither deal is an all-time low, but still around $10 off the list price.
Engadget’s Jeff Dunn is a fan of the wireless Switch and PC gamepad and its Hall effect joysticks, which use magnets to read inputs, making them less susceptible to “drift” over time. While it may be a touch small for those with especially large hands, it has a sturdy design, customizable buttons and comes with a charging dock.
If you’re looking for a smart TV streaming dongle and don’t need 4K video, check out this sale on the Chromecast with Google TV (HD). It’s dwon to $20, which is $10 off the list price and close to the all-time low. You can get the same deal from Amazon, Target or directly from Google.
This is the HD version of our top choice for streaming devices. We were impressed by the user interface which does a good job of integrating all the various services you subscribe to in one place. There’s a universal search function and the setup is relatively easy: Just plug it into your TV’s HDMI port and give it power with the included USB cable and power adapter. Then use the Google Home app to get things going.
Of course, if you’ve got a 4K TV and want to see that higher def content, you’ll want the more expensive model, though that one isn’t on sale.
The newest Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is still sale for $40, which ties the lowest price we’ve tracked. The 4K Max is Amazon’s fastest and most featured streaming stick and supports HDR formats, Dolby Atmos audio and WiFi 6E. The user interface isn’t as streamlined as other streaming devices and the homepage and search heavily promote Amazon’s own content. But the sticks recommended in our buying guide — from Roku and Google — aren’t on sale right now.
The standard Fire TV Stick 4K is also back on sale for $30. That’s not an all-time low, but the only time it’s been cheaper was during Black Friday.
The USB-C AirPods Pro are back down to $189, which is $10 more than the all-time low we saw last month but $10 less than their usual street price on Amazon and $60 less than buying from Apple direct. Best Buy has the pair for a dollar more. Engadget’s Billy Steele gave the second-gen AirPods Pro a score of 88 back in 2022 and they’re our top pick for iOS devices. Note that new AirPods are likely on the horizon, but new AirPods Pro reportedly aren’t coming until 2025.
The 55-inch Hisense U6K TV is down to an all-time low of $350 at Best Buy, which is roughly $50 below the average street price we’ve seen over the last few months. The U6K is a budget-level TV from 2023 that’s received almostuniversallyhighmarks from reviewers we trust. It’s one of the only TVs in its price range with quantum-dot color, a mini-LED backlight and full-array local dimming, so it should provide better contrast and color volume than most cheap sets. It’s still not ideal for gaming, as it lacks HDMI 2.1 features and is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. Its brightness levels won’t blow anyone away, either. But at this price, it looks to be a great value.
It’s worth noting that this TV’s successor, the U6N, recently went on sale and promises even better brightness and contrast. However, that one currently costs $600 for a 55-inch set. For now, the older model should remain the better value for most people. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Commerce Writer
Another week is coming to a close, which means it’s time for another roundup of good discounts on good tech. This week’s highlights include the return of the best price we’ve seen for Apple’s M2 MacBook Air, which is down to $849. No, this isn’t the latest and greatest MacBook, and yes, a Bloomberg report this week said that Apple may debut a new M4 chip later in 2024. If you need a new laptop right now, though, the M2 model gets you most of the way to the newer M3 version for a good bit less cash. Beyond that, we’ve also found all-time lows for the 10th-gen iPad, Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K and a Nintendo Switch Lite bundle, among others. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still buy today.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
The 13-inch version of Apple’s MacBook Air with an M2 chip is back down to $849 at Amazon, Best Buy and B&H. That matches the lowest price we’ve tracked for the entry-level configuration, which includes 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Apple normally sells this model for $999. Just note that Amazon’s listing includes a shipping delay as of this writing.
The M2 Air is a generation old, but it remains a good value when it’s discounted to this extent. The performance gap between the M2 and the M3 chip found in the newest Air isn’t huge, and the design of the two laptops is largely the same, so you still get a great screen, comfortable keyboard and thin aluminum chassis. You do lose the ability to use two external monitors, and the M3 Air technically has faster storage, though the latter shouldn’t be a major issue unless you often deal with large files. In general, the limited memory and storage in this config means it’s not a great fit for media editing and more involved work. But if you only need a notebook for the essentials and really want to save a couple hundred bucks, this is a nice price. We gave the M2 Air a score of 96 back in 2022.
The 10th-gen Apple iPad is on sale for $349 at Amazon and Best Buy, which matches the lowest price we’ve seen from major retailers. Apple sells the 10.9-inch tablet for $449, though we often see it drop between $350 and $429 on Amazon. This deal is for the base model with 64GB of storage; if you need more space, the 256GB model is also $100 off its MSRP at $499.
Before you pull the trigger, note that Apple reportedly plans to release new iPad Airs and iPad Pros in early May. If you don’t need a new tablet right this second, it’s probably best to wait a few weeks. However, a refresh to the base iPad isn’t expected until later in 2024, so this should remain a decent deal if you must buy a slate today and want to stay under $400.
We gave the 10th-gen iPad a review score of 85 in late 2022. Its aluminum design feels premium, it gets a solid 10+ hours of battery life and its A14 Bionic chip is still plenty fast for media consumption. Because its webcam is located on its landscape edge, it’s also a bit more convenient for video calls than other iPads. That said, it doesn’t support the highest-end Apple Pencil or Magic Keyboard, and its lack of an M-series chip means it can’t work with some high-endgames. Its display isn’t laminated, either, so there’s a small but noticeable air gap between the display and cover glass. Still, it’s an iPad, and it’s a noticeable upgrade over the cheaper 9th-gen model if you just want a nice tablet for reading and streaming.
Walmart is selling a bundle that pairs an Animal Crossing-themed Nintendo Switch Lite with a digital copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for $179. That’s $20 below the bundle’s usual price and an all-time low.
It’s a tricky time to buy a Switch: The console is seven years old now, and murmurs of a next-gen follow-up have circulated for months, with the most recent reports suggesting that it’ll arrive early next year. If you’ve waited this long to pick one up, it’s probably worth holding out a little longer. But if you want to start catching up today, or if you just want something appropriate for a kid, the Lite is the smallest and most affordable route into Nintendo’s excellent library. As a reminder, this is the only Switch that can’t hook up to a TV, but it can run all the same games with no performance drop-off. New Horizons, meanwhile, remains one of the device’s most relaxing games, a cozy sim about developing your own personal island. It normally costs around $50 on its own.
The JLab Go Air Pop is a good buy for those who just want dirt-cheap wireless earphones that aren’t horrible. Right now the pair is on sale for $15 at Amazon and Best Buy, which isn’t quite an all-time low but still takes roughly $5 off the set’s usual street price. As we note in our budget earbuds buying guide, the Go Air Pop feels light in the ear, lasts a solid eight to nine hours per charge and has touch controls that actually work (which is far from a given in this price range). It’s also water-resistant with an IPX4 rating, so it can survive light workouts. Its bass-heavy sound isn’t exactly balanced, and it does lack any sort of app support. But again, we’re talking about $15 earbuds. As a cheap backup pair, the Go Air Pop is a great value.
Best Buy has the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus on sale for $389, which is $110 off Lenovo’s list price and only $10 more than the all-time low we saw around Black Friday. This is the top pick in our Chromebook buying guide. It’s fast enough for everyday emailing and web browsing, its 14-inch touchscreen is solid for the money and it has a better keyboard and trackpad than most cheap laptops we’ve tested. The IPS display has a tall 16:10 aspect ratio, so it’s well-suited for reading and writing. There are still trade-offs: The webcam isn’t great, battery life is mediocre, and the plastic design is a bit hefty at 3.6 pounds. But for a sub-$500 laptop, it gets more right than wrong. This configuration includes an Intel Core i3-1315U processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of eMMC storage, two USB-C ports, one USB-A port and a microSD slot.
The black version of 8BitDo’s Ultimate Bluetooth Controller has dropped to $59.49 for Amazon Prime members. Though we’ve seen the device go for less in the past, steeper discounts aren’t super common, and this deal still takes about $10 off 8BitDo’s usual selling price.
This is a wireless gamepad for Switch and PC whose praises I’ve sung in the past. The main advantage it has over standard controllers is its Hall effect joysticks, which use magnets to read inputs instead of contact-based potentiometers. In plain English, this means the sticks should be much less susceptible to annoying “drift” over time. The rest of the design feels sturdy, too, with responsive buttons and an accurate d-pad. It may be a smidge too small for those with especially large hands, but its Xbox-style design should feel natural for everyone else. It’s also fairly customizable, with a set of programmable back buttons and a clean app that lets you assign macros and remap inputs as you see fit, plus it comes with a dedicated charging dock.
The top pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers, the Chipolo One, is down to $20 at Amazon via Chipolo direct. That’s $5 off the device’s usual street price and an all-time low. The deal is technically available at Best Buy, too, though it doesn’t include free shipping there. The One doesn’t have the giant crowd-finding network or Apple-friendly features of an AirTag, so it won’t be as helpful for finding an item you’ve misplaced very far away. But for simply making sure you don’t forget your keys or wallet when leaving a house or restaurant, it’s great. It rings loud, and it’s consistently quick to alert you when you’ve left a tagged item behind. It also has a built-in keyring hole, unlike AirTags, and it plays nicely with both iOS and Android. If you need multiple trackers, a four-pack is on sale for $60, though that deal has been live for almost all of the past month.
The 55-inch Hisense U6K TV is down to an all-time low of $350 at Walmart and Best Buy, while the 65-inch version is down to a low of $500. Each deal is roughly $50 below the average street price we’ve seen over the last few months. The U6K is a budget-level TV from 2023 that’s received almostuniversallyhighmarks from reviewers we trust. It’s one of the only TVs in its price range with quantum-dot color, a mini-LED backlight and full-array local dimming, so it should provide better contrast and color volume than most cheap sets. It’s still not ideal for gaming, as it lacks HDMI 2.1 features and is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. Its brightness levels won’t blow anyone away, either. But at this price, it looks to be a great value.
It’s worth noting that this TV’s successor, the U6N, recently went on sale and promises even better brightness and contrast. However, that one currently costs $600 for a 55-inch set. For now, the older model should remain the better value for most people.
The USB-C AirPods Pro are back down to $189, which is $10 more than the all-time low we saw last month but $10 less than their usual street price on Amazon and $60 less than buying from Apple direct. Best Buy has the pair for a dollar more. The AirPods Pro continue to offer a host of conveniences for iPhone users, from faster pairing and integrated controls to hands-free Siri and Find My device tracking. Their active noise cancellation isn’t quite best-in-class, but it’s still above-average, and their warm sound profile plays well across musical genres. Call quality and battery life are just OK, though. We gave the second-gen AirPods Pro a score of 88 back in 2022. It’s worth noting that Apple is expected to launch new noise-canceling AirPods later this year, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, but new AirPods Pro reportedly aren’t on tap until 2025.
The newest Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is once again on sale for $40, tying the lowest price we’ve tracked. We’ve seen this deal pop up a number of times over the last three months, but it’s still about $10 below the streamer’s average street price over that period. The 4K Max is Amazon’s fastest and most featured streaming stick, with support for all the major apps and HDR formats, Dolby Atmos audio and WiFi 6E (with a compatible router). Its software isn’t as pleasant to use as rival devices from Roku and Google, however — voice search is fast, but there are prominent ads on the home screen, and Amazon likes to promote its own Prime Video app across the UI. Still, those other sticks aren’t on sale as of this writing, so this is a decent deal if you just want a fast way to put apps on a TV.
The standard Fire TV Stick 4K is also back on sale for $30. That’s not an all-time low, but the only time it’s been cheaper was during Black Friday. This model has a slightly slower chipset than the Max and lacks that device’s Ambient Experience mode, which displays artwork and other info when your TV is idle. It also stops at WiFi 6 instead of 6E. But it isn’t that far off the Max if you really want to save another $10.
The GoPro Hero 12 Black is on sale for $350 at Amazon, Best Buy and GoPro.com. While this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this $50 discount, it still ties the lowest price we’ve seen. The Hero 12 Black is GoPro’s latest flagship action camera. You can read our review from last September for a fuller breakdown, but in short, it continues to offer excellent image quality, top-notch video stabilization, a rugged design, a variety of shooting modes and a robust ecosystem of accessories. It makes it easy to shoot vertical videos for platforms like TikTok or Instagram, and now its battery life is a bit better than its predecessor. This model lacks GPS functionality, and all action cameras can have issues in very dark settings, but this is a good bet whether you’re new to action cams or looking to upgrade from a years-old model. A Creator Edition bundle that includes a battery grip, video light and Media Mod frame is also on sale for $499, another all-time low.
The Eufy RoboVac 11S Max is the most affordable robot vacuum we recommend in our budget robovac buying guide, and it’s now down to $140 at Amazon and Newegg via Eufy direct. This is another deal we’ve seen a few times in recent months: It’s not quite an all-time low, but the device usually goes for $250 otherwise. The 11S Max is an older and largely basic model with no Wi-Fi, but it’s slim, durable and relatively quiet, and it cleans well enough across surfaces. Eufy says its battery can last up to 100 minutes on hard floors, and the fact that it lacks Wi-Fi might actually be a plus to those conscious of their privacy. You can still do better, but this is a solid deal if you just want a decent robovac on a tight budget.
As another week winds to a close, it’s time for Engadget’s roundup of the best deals we spotted this week. There’s no giant sale happening right now, but we still found a few decent discounts on some of our recommended tech, including 40 percent off a year’s subscription to Max’s streaming service, $130 off our favorite Android tablet and a new low price on our top mouse for gaming. If you’ve been considering a foldable phone but have been (understandably) turned off by the high prices, a both Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google’s Pixel Fold are currently on sale and going for $400 and $500 off, respectively. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Max
Max will run its 40-percent-off promotion until Tuesday, April 9. If you think you’ll watch the streaming service a fair amount in the next twelve months, you may want to take advantage. Any new subscriber can get the deal, but some returning and existing customers are eligible too. If you previously had a plan through the Apple App Store or Google Play, and are returning, you can save. If you’re a current member and signed up for your subscription through Max’s site, you’re eligible.
All three tiers are seeing the discount, including the top-tier, ad-free plan with 4K support, which is now $140 annually instead of $240. The mid-level plan is also ad-free but doesn’t support 4K content and that one is $105 for the year, instead of $192. The cheapest plan is ad-supported and down to $70 yearly, instead of $120.
If you need extra storage for a device that takes microSD cards, here’s a good price on a terabyte. The 1TB version of Lexar’s Professional 1066x card is now down to $76.49 on Amazon which is a 47 percent discount off the list price (though it regularly goes for $85) and the lowest price we’ve tracked.
The Professional 1066x is not a formal pick in our microSD card guide, as it’s a bit slower than our top choices, though not drastically. Those top picks are Samsung’s Pro Plus and Pro Ultimate, but neither are seeing much of a discount right now. Other storage that is on sale includes sales on more Lexar gear, Seagate cards and Crucial RAM.
The entry-level, second-generation Apple AirPods from 2019 are down to $89 from their full price of $129 at Amazon and Walmart (note they regularly sell for $99). The sale isn’t an all-time low, but beats the lowest we’ve seen this year by a dollar. These don’t have active noise cancellation or transparency mode, have an older chip and the audio isn’t as good as the later generations. But if you’re just looking for a pair of buds that work well with Siri at a sub-$100 price, this could be the way to go.
For upgraded sound, check out the third-generation Apple AirPods which are 13 percent of making them $149 from their $169 list price. In addition to better sound, these add an hour of battery life and Spatial Audio support.
Apple’s top-of-the-line second-gen AirPods Pro are marked down to $199 from $249 at Amazon and down to $200 at Target — a 20 percent discount that they’ve seen for many months now. They are our top pick for earbuds for iOS and deliver active noise canceling, great sound with an H2 chip and a MagSafe USB-C charging case.
The top gaming mouse in our buyer’s guide is down to $40 after a 43 percent discount which matches the all-time low. The Razer Basilisk V3 offers a complete blend of price, performance, build quality and comfort. We liked its sturdy body and textured matte finish. Plus the grip is comfortable and likely will be for most people, though perhaps not for those with the smallest hands. Also the buttons are relatively quiet and not tiring to press repeatedly, an important consideration in a gaming mouse.
Our top Android tablet is now on sale. Currently, Amazon, Best Buy and Samsung’s own site are selling the base-model Galaxy Tab S9 for $670. That’s $130 off the list price and the lowest price we’ve seen yet, beating the previous low it hit a few weeks ago. The Tab S9 family is our top choice for Android tablets, thanks to their multitasking abilities, aided by DeX mode that adds PC-like function and a speedy Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. The OLED displays are gorgeous and the included S Pen makes note taking and drawing rather pleasant. Add accessories like a keyboard case and you’re getting a tablet that acts a lot like a PC.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A9+ is also on sale and down to $170 instead of $220 at Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy. That’s the lowest priced we’ve tracked, though the discount has been around for a few weeks now. The deal applies to the base model in either Graphite or Sliver with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which is expandable with a microSD card. If you want a little more RAM for gaming and heavier use, you may want to go for the model with 8GB of memory. That model is down to $220 after a $50 discount.
We named the Tb A9+ the budget pick in our Android tablet buying guide because it covers the basics well. It has an 11-inch LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The battery is decent but the charging rate is rather slow at 15W.
A decent key light can improve how you look on camera and now Logitech’s Litra Beam is $10 off and down to $90, which is only $5 more than the lowest price we’ve seen.
It’s a stylish-looking accessory with a three-way adjustable stand, allowing you to adjust the height, tilt and rotation. It can run on either USB or AC power so you can put it wherever makes sense for your setup. The device uses TrueSoft tech, which, according to Logitech, provides “balanced, full-spectrum LED light with cinematic color accuracy for a natural, radiant look across all skin tones.” The frameless diffuser should mitigate harsh shadows, too.
The JBL Charge 5 is back down to $130 at Amazon and directly from JBL. That’s not an all-time low, but still $30 or so less than it’s been selling for lately. The Charge 5 is a mid-range pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers. It packs a big sound for its roughly two-pound size and it’s IP67-rated, so it can survive a dunk in water. The battery is big enough to supply up to 20 hours of listening and can even lend a little refill to your phone if you need it. The new low price may have something to do with the release of the Wi-Fi-enabled version — this one just connects via Bluetooth only.
A robot vacuum can be a low-effort way to start your spring cleaning, which makes this sale on Shark robovacs particularly timely. One notable deal is a 44 percent discount on Shark’s AI Robot Vacuum and Mop. That brings it down to $270 from $480, which is just $20 more than its all-time low price. It’s pretty similar to one of the top picks in our guide to robot vacuums, Shark’s $700 Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop, except the discounted model doesn’t have a self emptying base.
If you’ve been thinking of getting a folding phone, now might be a good time to shop. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is $400 off the list price at Amazon, dropping the base model with 256GB of storage down to $1,400 instead of $1,800 — that’s still not cheap for a phone, but the savings does take out some of the sting.
It’s a solid phone though we do wish Samsung was doing more to take advantage of its head start in the foldable space — or at least brought down the price. Amazon is also selling Google’s entry in the foldable race, the Pixel Fold for $500 off.
If you have Wi-Fi dead spots in your home and aren’t ready to pony up for a mesh system, you may want to look into an extender. The RE700X model of TP-Link’s AX300 Wi-Fi extender is on sale for $90 after a 25 percent discount. That’s within a dollar of the all-time low it hit last year as part of Black Friday sales. This is a variation of the extender we named the best overall in our guide and lacks adjustable antennae, but the other specs are the same.
We liked the AX3000 for its their coverage range, Wi-Fi 6 support and a high max speed of up to 2402 Mbps on the 5GHz band and 574 Mbps on 2.4GHz band.
One of our favorite ereaders, the Kobo Libra 2, is down to $170 directly from Kobo. That’s a $20 discount, though not an all-time low. We recommend the Libra 2 in our ereader buying guide as the best model with buttons. It has a premium feel, a waterproof design and an ergonomic build that’s a pleasure to hold for long periods of time.
The 7-inch, 300 dpi display is crisp and the built-in integration with Overdrive makes it easy to borrow, download and read ebooks from your local library. Plus the Kobo store has a selection that’s nearly as vast as Kindle — it’s just missing the self-published and Amazon-published titles.
Smartphones don’t have to cost as much as the rent on a Santa Monica studio apartment — you can easily find one at Cleveland rental prices. The OnePlus Nord N30 5G is our pick for the best cheap phone you can buy and right now it’s $50 off, making that recommendation even more relevant. That isn’t a record low price, but its close. The discount comes as part of a larger sale on OnePlus phones and earbuds.
The Nord N30 5G offers has a relatively speedy Snapdragon 695 5G processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There’s also a 16MP front-facing camera and, a 108MP main and 2MP macro lens on the back.
According to Sony’s PS5 landing page, this deal should have expired at the end of March, but here we are nearly a week into April and it’s still live as of this writing. A bundle pairing the PlayStation 5 with a digital copy of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is still $50 off, bringing the standard console down to $449 and the disc-drive-less version down to $399.
There are rumors of a “PS5 Pro” but the current model can still play many games at 4K and/or 60fps, and its library has steadily improved over time. Spider-Man 2 is of the system’s more acclaimed exclusives; we called it “perfectly balanced” in our review. The game normally goes for $70 on its own.
The Meta Quest 2 VR headset is $199 at Amazon and Walmart, a $50 discount, but sadly, the sweeter deal that included a Meta Quest store credit in addition to the discount has expired.
The Quest 2 is the budget pick in our guide to 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 serves as a good introduction to VR.
The base model, 256GB Pixel Fold is $500 off and down to $1,299 at Amazon and the Google Store. The 512GB version is also $500 off and down to $1,419. The previous low for both versions was $100 more.
The Pixel Fold is the runner up in our foldable phone buying guide and we gave it a score of 85 in our review last year. It has a 5.8-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch interior display. We found it takes better pictures than the Samsung Galaxy Fold 5, and the wider shape makes it easier to use the exterior screen than the Galaxy’s thinner design. However Samsung’s foldable phone has a brighter screen and faster performance. The Galaxy Fold 5 is on sale for $1,400.
If you’re looking for an air fryer that could very well replace your oven, you’d do well to check out the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro. Right now it’s down for $320, which is an $80 discount that matches the best price we’ve seen. You can get the same deal at Amazon, Best Buy and Williams Sonoma. This made the list in our guide to the best air fryers as an option that can toast, broil, roast and bake in addition to air frying. It’s big enough to cook a 14-pound turkey or fit a five-quart dutch oven just keep in mind that it’s rather large, taking up a cubic foot of space with its 40-pound girth.
There’s still time to get a free TV from Samsung when you pre-order one of their new models for 2024. Until April 11, Samsung will throw in a 65-inch 4K TV when you pre-order a new OLED, 8K, 4K or Frame TVs for 2024. We hesitate 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.
One of the Anker chargers from last month’s sale is still on sale, though it’s $2 more than the low it hit in March. The 735 Nano 2 65W wall charger goes for $56 at full price but now, thanks to a 29 percent discount and an additional 15 percent, on-page coupon, it’s down to $34. It has three ports, including two USB-C connections and one standard USB-A connection.
In case you missed the last week in the busy world of tech we’re here with your weekly update that’ll catch you up to speed on all the most important stories.
This week we finally got a date for Apple’s WWDC 2024 event – which might very well be the most important conference in Apple’s history. We also saw some weird creations from OpenAI’s Sora bot, got to hear some impressive ANC earbuds, and even witnessed the marriage of Disney Plus and Hulu.
To find out about these, and the other biggest stories of the week scroll down this page – and be sure to check back next Saturday for another quickfire round-up.
7. Apple WWDC 2024 was announced for June 10
(Image credit: Apple)
Apple’s next Worldwide Developer Conference got a date this week – and it’s due to land on June 10, 2024. During the opening keynote we expect to get our first look at Apple’s next batch of software updates – iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 – as well as some hardware reveals – perhaps new Macs, a new Apple silicone chipset, or maybe even a Vision Pro successor (though that seems unlikely).
One reveal that seems all but certain is the announcement of Apple’s big generative AI plans. While it hasn’t said anything specifically, Apple’s senior VP for marketing Greg Joswiak gave a less than subtle hint with a Tweet saying of WWDC 2024 “It’s going to be Absolutely Incredible!” – note the capitalization of Absolutely and Incredible.
We’ll have to wait until June to know what’s in store, but WWDC 2024 looks set to be an Apple event you won’t want to miss.
6. OpenAI wowed us with Sora videos
(Image credit: OpenAI / shy kids)
If you’re like us (and who isn’t?) you’ve been watching OpenAI Sora videos on TikTok with an increasing level of wonder and worry. The company responsible for DALL-E and ChatGPT has been posting all manner of bite-sized video creations that, if they weren’t so other-worldly, would look as if they were filmed in a real world. Put simply, this prompt-based generative AI video tool is unlike anything we’ve seen before, and no one really knows what it’ll do to the film, television, and animation industry.
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With an apparent nod to that concern, OpenAI recently opened up Sora to a set of independent artists and creators. Instead of throwing their hands up and running away in fear for their livelihoods, they created a set of unforgettable short films, including one that might rival an Oscar-winning short (okay, a very short film). You just have to see these AI-generated films to believe them. We guarantee you’ll be shocked and a little entertained. It won’t be long, we think, until Sora is credited as the cinematographer on a full-length film.
5. The Samsung Galaxy Ring dropped another big launch hint
(Image credit: Samsung)
Sometimes it feels like the Galaxy Ring is launching in slow motion, but the wearable inched closer to lift-off this week when it was spotted inside the battery widget on Samsung phones.
This didn’t really tell us anything new about the Oura rival, other than hinting that it’s on track for a full launch – most likely in July alongside phones like the Galaxy Z Flip 6. But it got us excited about the Galaxy Ring’s potential again, particularly for sleep tracking. If all goes well, it could be one of the gadgets of the year.
4. Hulu officially merged with Disney Plus
(Image credit: Disney)
Hulu and Disney Plus have officially tied the knot. Now in the US alongside hubs for Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic you’ll see a Hulu option that’ll show you shows and films from the Hulu catalogue.
Of course, to watch this content you’ll need to pay for a Hulu subscription. A Disney Plus and Hulu bundle will start at $9.99/month for the standard subscription with ads (just $2 more than Basic Disney Plus). Meanwhile, you’ll pay $19.99/month if you want a Premium subscription to both services that offers 4K video and no ads.
Just note that some shows – like Modern Family and Love Island – won’t appear in Disney Plus right away thanks to “content licensing restrictions” per Variety. It’s unclear when these restrictions will stop getting in the way of Disney’s new one-stop streaming service shop, but we hope it’s soon.
3. Nikon launched a versatile zoom lens
(Image credit: Nikon)
We get the occasional 10x optical zoom lens for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, but 14x? That’s unheard of, until now. Nikon dropped the new Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR, which looks like a superb all-in-one zoom lens for its full-frame mirrorless cameras such as the Nikon Z6 II. Its wide end covers shooting everyday observations and landscapes, its telephoto setting is ideal for distant wildlife and landmarks, and its close-up photography skills are super impressive thanks to its close minimum focus distance.
At 725g it’s pretty compact, too, ideal for your travels. The lens also comes equipped with 5 stops of image stabilization which is exactly what you’ll need for those telephoto snaps. It won’t be as sharp as a prime lens, but the 28-400mm could just be the last Nikon lens you ever buy.
2. Cambridge unveiled its first-ever noise-cancelling earbuds
(Image credit: Cambridge Audio)
The company that launched one of our all-time favorite sets of earbuds (namely the 2021-issue Melomania 1 Plus) is back with a new earbuds proposition – and the fact that they’re CA’s first noise-canceling option isn’t even their biggest selling point.
The firm has actually launched two models: the regular Melomania M100 and a limited edition Melomania M100 How High Edition. The latter comes in a bright yellow case that’s an homage to the music video for The Charlatans’ hit How High, in which singer Tim Burgess wore a glorious bright yellow mackintosh. But both products come with a veritable ace up their sleeves: the slinky vocal stylings of Matt Berry, aka Steven Toast (Toast of London/Toast of Tinseltown), aka Lazslo (What We Do in the Shadows). That’s right, Matt Berry will purr ‘Noise canceling’ or ‘Transparency’ in your ear as often as you’d like, for the princely sum of £169 (about $219 / AU$326). If that doesn’t make Apple nervous, we don’t know what will.
1. Google pulled the plug on the Pixel 6a
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
This week Google unceremoniously killed off the Pixel 6a – with the budget smartphone being pulled from all of its official online stores all over the world. Even the official protective case has disappeared from the digital shelves.
Of course, you can still buy the device from third-party retailers, but you might not want to as we believe this is a sign that Google is planning to launch the Pixel 8a very soon.
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale ended earlier this week, but a handful of the better tech discounts we saw during the event are still kicking. We’ve also found a few new deals of note, including all-time lows on the newest MacBook Air, the best price to date for an Apple AirTags four-pack, a larger-than-usual drop for the top pick in our webcam buying guide and more. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
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.
