Black Friday has come early for Sony and those who love the company's audio gadgets. A bunch of our favorite headphones and earbuds are already on sale, including the excellent WH-1000XM5. They're currently discounted by 13 percent, so you can grab them for $348. That's still a steep price for a pair of ANC headphones, but considering they're our favorites at the moment, this discount is a good one. Meanwhile, the still solid WH-1000XM4 cans are $122 off and down to $228; the budget-friendly WH-CH710N cans are down to only $68; and the Sony LinkBuds S earbuds are on sale for $128.

Sony built upon the solid foundations in the XM4 to make this year's XM5. The new design makes them even more comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and they have noticeably better active noise cancellation as well. Now, the ANC in the XM4 was already stellar, so Sony just took it up a notch with the XM5 by adding a separate V1 chip to accompany the QN1 chip that was the star of the show in the XM4. In addition to that, the XM5 have a total of eight ANC mics, double the number in the XM4, and all of that adds up to a system that does a fantastic job of blocking out all kinds of noise.

Aside from that, the XM5 have all of the same features that the XM4 had: good sound quality, solid touch controls, multi-device connectivity, Speak-to-Chat and a 30-hour battery life. It's not surprising that they topped our list of best wireless headphones, nudging its predecessor off the list, so it's also not surprising that you'll have to pay a premium for them. We don't expect them to drop much lower than $348, so this is a good deal that you can get even before Black Friday proper. However, if you're willing to skip the enhancements in the XM5, the XM4 are still really great headphones that are made much better by this Black Friday sale price of $228.

If you're sticking to a strict budget this holiday season, Sony's WH-CH710N headphones are a steal at $68. They don't have as slick of a design as the XM5 (or the XM4, really), but they are comfortable and have decent ANC. We also like their 35-hour battery life, plus the fact that you can take calls hands-free if you link the headphones up with your phone's virtual assistant. As for the LinkBuds S, they are some of Sony's newest wireless earbuds and their key feature is smart playback. The buds will automatically play and pause music depending on your activity, plus they support ANC and high-resolution audio.

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Black Friday is good time to pick up a robot vacuum for less than usual, especially considering these can be some of the most expensive smart home gadgets out there. Thankfully, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get a decent one. Right now, iRobot's affordable Roomba 694 is even cheaper than usual at $179, which is $95 off its normal price.

iRobot's early Black Friday sale makes our favorite budget robo-vac even more compelling. Typically priced at $274, the Roomba 694 impressed us with its sleek design, good suction power that cleans carpeted and hard floors well and its ability to navigate around most household objects. There are more expensive machines that do a superior job sucking up pet hair, but the 694 was surprisingly good at it, too.

You can start a cleaning job by pressing the button on the robo-vac itself, or by using the iRobot mobile app. That's one of the biggest selling points of a Roomba – iRobot's app is quite easy to learn how to use, and it lets you do things like set cleaning schedules, send your robot home and more. The latter is useful if you want to abruptly stop a cleaning job, but the Roomba 694 is smart enough to automatically go back to its charging base when its battery gets to low. It'll then recharge on its own and be ready for the next time you call upon it. Overall, it may not have a ton of bells and whistles, but the Roomba 694 is a solid starter robo-vac that's made even more compelling by this Black Friday price.

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There's no doubt that air fryers have been having a moment, but they haven't pushed the humble multicooker completely out of the limelight yet. If you somehow haven't jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet, you can give it a try for much less right now. Amazon has discounted the six-quart Instant Pot Duo by 50 percent, bringing it down to $50. We've seen this model dip slightly cheaper in the past ($48), but this is the best price we've seen in many months.

The benefit of a multicooker like this one is that it can do many things, acting as a jack-of-all-trades in your kitchen. The Duo in particular has seven cooking modes: pressure cook, slow cook, rice cooker, steamer, sauté, yogurt maker and warmer. It also has 13 customizable "smart programs" that take a lot of the guesswork out of preparing common foods like soup, beans, rice, poultry and more.

Both kitchen newbies and seasoned home cooks can make use of an Instant Pot like this. For those just getting into cooking, it'll help you prepare new foods that you may have never tried before, sometimes even more quickly than you could do just with a pot on stove. For those who cook all the time, it'll make it easier to prepare a lot of food during the holidays by giving you another countertop machine to employ when your other appliances are in use. Plus, it's a great tool for meal prepping. 

It's also worth noting that the model on sale has a six-quart capacity, which sits in the middle of the Duo's lineup. It's a great size for most families as it's able to make food for up to six people at once. If you decide to take the plunge into the Instant Pot world, be sure to check out our guide for tips and tricks, recipe inspiration and more.

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If you're itching for a new pair of AirPods but have strict holiday-shopping budget to stick to, you're in luck. You can pick up the second-generation AirPods for only $90 right now at Amazon, which is 43 percent off their normal price. While we did see them $10 cheaper during Amazon's October Prime Day, this remains a great sale price that doesn't come around very often.

These buds are a bit old at this point, but any AirPods are hard to beat if you live within the Apple ecosystem. The second-gen buds pair almost instantly with your iPhone during setup, and then they'll switch seamlessly between other Apple devices as you use them. That means you can go from taking a call on your iPhone to listening to music from your MacBook without any hiccups. Apple's H1 chip inside the AirPods also enables hands-free Siri access, allowing you to call upon the virtual assistant to answer questions, send messages and do other tasks without touching your AirPods at all.

Unlike the AirPods Pro, the standard AirPods have a fit that's akin to Apple's old-school EarPods, so if you always liked those that used to come with new iPhones, you'll probably like the fit of these buds, too. Sound quality is decent and wireless connectivity has been improved since the original versions of the buds. As far as battery life goes, you'll get five hours of listening time on a single charge, and a total of 24 hours of use when you employ the charging case that comes with the buds. Just keep in mind that these AirPods do not come with a wireless charging case, so you'll have to power them up with a Lightning cable.

The most compelling reason to pick up the second-gen AirPods is their sale price. They're the cheapest Apple earbuds you can get right now — but if you're willing to spend a bit more, you'll get a lot more in return. Apple's third-gen AirPods are currently on sale for $160, and they provide much better audio quality, Adaptive EQ, spatial audio, six hours of battery life on a single charge and up to 30 hours of use overall. And if you want active noise cancellation, a more custom fit and a wireless charging case, you'll have to spring for the AirPods Pro, which are currently on sale for $230.

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Even if you live for the holiday season, the shopping portion of it can be daunting for us all. Maybe you made a resolution last year to be better prepared this time around, but it’s easy to get sidetracked by all the other demands of everyday life. Holiday sales may have already begun, but if you’re just getting your list together now, you’re not alone.

This is where our holiday gift guide comes in. Every year, we gather our favorite gadgets and other miscellany into one big (and, we hope, helpful) guide. You’ll find gift ideas for the audiophile in your life, video gamers, board gamers, frequent travelers, people who work from home, and others. We also have all of our bread-and-butter gadget categories represented, with lists of our favorite laptops, tablets, smart home devices, home theater gear and gaming accessories.

We also know that gadgets can get expensive fast, so in addition to having a bunch of types of gifts covered in our guide, we have every budget represented, too. Whether you’re ready to splurge this year or need to find inexpensive gifts, we have options for you. And if you’re willing to wait, Black Friday and Cyber Monday should bring a number of great deals on some of our favorite gadgets. If you haven’t crossed everything off your list by that point, be sure to follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter so you don’t miss any of the worthwhile tech deals this season.

We hope that our product recommendations can lessen your holiday stress because you’ll spend less time worrying about which gift to get for whom. And don’t forget to pick up something for yourself along the way – you deserve it.

Check out all of our holiday gift guide stories right here.

You don't always need to invest in a brand new TV or an expensive sound system to up your home-entertainment game. A soundbar could do the trick, providing much better audio quality than most TVs offer and costing much less than a whole sound system. Roku's Streambar is arguably one of the most convenient options available now, and it's even cheaper ahead of Black Friday. You can pick up the compact device for only $80 right now, which is $50 less than usual and the lowest we've seen it.

We gave the Streambar a score of 86 when it first came out because it not only provides a solid sound upgrade for most TVs, but it also includes 4K streaming technology inside. That means if you have an old set that isn't smart, you can turn it into a smart TV with the Streambar — no additional device required. It supports 4K HDR content and it'll give you access to more streaming services than you'll likely be able to use, including the big ones like Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and others.

As for audio, the Stremabar supports Dolby Atmos and really makes sound effects and music in TV shows and movies pop. It doesn't quite replicate the feeling of being in a movie theater of course, but it certainly makes your viewing experience more cinematic by upping overall sound quality. It can also double as a Bluetooth speaker, which will be useful if you want just one device in your living room that can do many things.

The Streambar also has the advantage of being relatively small. It's roughly the size of a carton eggs, and its fabric-wrapped design is pretty attractive, if a little basic. It's much smaller than other soundbars, so it'll fit into even the most cramped of living-room setups.

But if audio isn't your biggest concern and you just want a reliable yet affordable streaming device, there are a couple of other Roku deals worth considering right now. The company's Streaming Stick 4K is down to only $25, while the Roku Express is on sale for $18. The former connects directly to your TV's HDMI port to provide 4K streaming capabilities, Dolby Vision support and voice commands via its remote. The Express is a bit more limited, as it supports HD content, connects via an included HDMI cable and comes with a remote that doesn't have voice command support.

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If you've been waiting for the holiday shopping season to grow your smart home ecosystem without dropping unnecessary amounts of money, you're in luck. Ahead of Black Friday, Amazon has already knocked down the price of the standard Ring Video Doorbell to $60. That's $15 cheaper than it was during Prime Day in July earlier this year and the best price we've seen it. There are a couple of compelling bundles you could get, too: pair the Video Doorbell with an Echo Show 5 for only $10 more, or get it with a battery-operated Ring Stick Up Camera for a total of $160.

While Ring has come out with multiple new versions of its signature doorbell, the standard model likely has everything most people would need from such a smart home device. It records 1080p video and will send alerts to your smartphone when it detects motion outside your door. It also supports two-way audio, so you can talk to visitors, delivery drivers and others when they ring the bell. This updated version of the original video doorbell has crisper night vision, along with support for privacy zones.

Installing the video doorbell is pretty easy, and you have two power options: hardwire the device to your home for constant power, or keep it running using the built-in rechargeable battery. Just keep in mind that the battery in this model isn't removeable, so you'll need to take the whole device off its perch to power it up every once in a while. If that seems like a hassle to you, you'll have to spring for either the Video Doorbell 3 or Video Doorbell 4 to get a detachable battery. You'll also get advanced features like 5GHz WiFi and an included corner kit with both of those, too.

Both another thing all Ring Video Doorbells have in common is the ability to sync with Alexa devices. If you have an Echo Show device in your home, or even a more advanced Fire TV streamer, you can use those displays or your TV to check your doorbell's camera feed.

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Now's a great time to stock up microSD cards for your phone or console, or new portable drives for all of your most important files. A new sale at Amazon has knocked up to 67 percent off Samsung storage gadgets, including some of our favorites. The latest model in the company's T7 drive series, the T7 Shield, has dropped to a new record low of $90 for the 1TB model, plus you can get Samsung 980 Pro SSD in 1TB for only $120 or a 256GB EVO Select memory-card-plus-adapter set for only $24.

Samsung's T7 family of portable SSDs has been one of our favorites for some time thanks to its generally fast read/write speeds and its pocket-friendly design. All of the T7 drives can easily fit into your back pocket or a stuffed travel bag, making them one of the better options for professionals who travel often and need extra space to store important documents and files. The T7 Shield is the newest addition to the series and, along with being IP65 water- and dust-resistant, it has a more rugged exterior that helps it survive nearly 10-foot drops. When it comes to performance, it supports 1,050/1,000 MB/s read/write speeds and its Dynamic Thermal Guard controls heat to help maintain performance even when you're pushing the drive to its limits.

If you're finally getting around to expanding the storage available on your PS5, Samsung's 980 Pro internal drive is a good option, particularly at this sale price. It supports read speeds up to 7,000 MB/s and it uses a nickel coating to control heat levels for improved efficiency. You will need a heatsink in order to use this drive with the PS5, though, and if you want to keep things simple, you could spring for the $150 bundle that includes one with Samsung's drive.

Any of the microSD cards included in this sale will work well with the Nintendo Switch, smartphones and tablets, cameras and more. We like the 256GB EVO Select model on sale because the discount is pretty solid (it's only $4 more than it was during the Prime Early Access Sale last month) and it comes with a full-sized adapter.

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While most of the Prime Early Access Sale deals have come and gone, there are a few sales still thriving on Amazon. Google's Pixel 6a smartphone remains down to one of the best prices we've seen, while one of our favorite budget robot vacuums is close to a record-low price. A number of earbuds from Beats, Jabra and others are still discounted, plus you can still pick up a 48-inch LG OLED TV for less than $700. Here are the best October Prime Day deals that you can still get today.

Roomba 694

The Roomba 694 is on sale for $199 right now, which is close to its record-low price. It earned a spot in our best budget robot vacuum guide for its strong cleaning power, slick design and easy-to-use mobile app. This deal is part of a larger sale on iRobot machines that has also knocked the Roomba j7+ down to $599 and the high-end s9+ down to $799.

Google Pixel 6a

Amazon has knocked $100 off Google's Pixel 6a, bringing it down $349. We gave the budget-friendly smartphone a score of 89 for its attractive design, great cameras and long battery life.

Samsung Pro Plus microSD card

Samsung's Pro Plus microSD card in 128GB is only $2 more right now than it was on Prime Day, putting it at $20. It also comes with an adapter, so you can use it with more types of devices. You'll get read/write speeds of up to 160MB/s and 120MB/s, respectively, and a card that's temperature, magnet- and drop-resistant.

Beats Fit Pro

The Beats Fit Pro are 20 percent off and down to $160 at the moment. We gave them a score of 87 for their comfortable, water-resistant design, good sound quality and ANC and long battery life.

Jabra Elite 3

Jabra's excellent Elite 3 earbuds have dropped to $50, or $30 off their normal rate. These already affordable buds earned a score of 88 from us for their impressive sound quality, good battery life, reliable touch controls and comfortable fit.

48-inch LG A1 OLED

LG's 48-inch A1 OLED smart TV is cheaper than ever at $647 right now. This is one of the company's more affordable OLED sets and it runs on LG's a7 Gen 4 AI Processor 4K and supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, Game Optimizer and voice controls with Alexa and the Google Assistant.

Echo Show 5

The Echo Show 5 is on sale for $40, or a little more than half off its usual price. If you want a smart alarm clock, this is the smart display to get. We like its sharp 5-inch display, ambient light sensor, smart home controls and tap-to-snooze feature.

Google Nest Thermostat

The Google Nest Thermostat is back on sale for $107 right now, which is close to its all-time low. It's an Energy Star-certified device that intelligently monitors the temperature in your home and suggests ways you can save money on energy usage. You can also control it from your phone, changing your home's environment from anywhere at any time.

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Amazon's October Prime Day offers a great opportunity to pick up a new monitor for your work-from-home or gaming setup. They're often some of the most expensive peripherals to get, so it always helps when you can wait and pick up a new model on sale. A number of monitors from brands like LG, Samsung, Dell and others have been discounted for the Prime Early Access Sale, so chances are you'll find one that's been discounted that's the appropriate size and resolution for your needs. Here are the best monitor deals we could find for October Prime Day.

LG monitor deals

LG

LG discounted a mixture of standard and gaming monitors for Prime Day this time around. The cheapest of the bunch is this 32-inch FHD IPS display for $180, or 28 percent off its normal rate. But if you're a gamer, you should consider this 27-inch LG Ultragear QHD monitor — it has a 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and support for NVIDIA G-Sync.

Samsung monitor deals

Samsung

Samsung's monitor deals include the Smart Monitor M8 for only $500. That's the best price we've seen on the display that doubles as a smart TV. When you're not using it for productivity, you can access streaming services like Netlfix and Prime Video directly from the device, and it has a built-in smart home hub, too. If you don't need all those extra bells and whistles, displays like the $160, 24-inch SR35 monitor and the $280, 32-inch Odyssey G5 are also good options.

Dell monitor deals

Dell

There's a big sale on Dell and Sceptre monitors that knocks up to 43 percent off select models. This 24-inch Dell IPS gaming monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate is cheaper than ever at $200, and you can get this all-purpose, 27-inch Dell FHD USB-C monitor for only $224.

Acer monitor deals

Acer

If you're looking for a true budget monitor, Acer's got a handful of deals worth considering. You can pick up this 23.8-inch FHD IPS monitor with a 178 degree wide viewing angle for only $95, or this 27-inch Nitro WQHD gaming monitor, with AMD FreeSync Premium and overlocking to 170Hz refresh rates, for only $210 — $90 off its usual rate.

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