Worthwhile Apple Watch deals can be hard to come by, and even more difficult if you're set on a specific size and color. Amazon has a slew of sales going on right now, some of which knock up to $60 off Series 7 models. The 45mm GPS Series 7 in midnight has that precise discount, bringing it down to a record low of $370. Numerous colors of the 41mm GPS Series 7 are down to $350, which is $50 less than usual and only $10 more than the all-time-low price. Finally, those that want cellular connectivity can get it by opting for the 41mm GPS + Cellular Watch, which is $50 off and down to $449 in a bunch of colors.
This is the latest flagship wearable from Apple and we gave it a score of 90 when it came out last October. If you're familiar with the Apple Watch, you'll notice that there's nothing starkly different about the Series 7 in its design. The biggest thing is its larger display, which is 20 percent bigger than that of the Series 6. Apple whittled down the bezels to only 1.7mm, so you'll get a bit more screen area to play with and you may even notice that text on the Watch is easier to read on the Series 7 because of this.
Other noteworthy changes are all under the hood. The Series 7 has a new SiP and performs just as well as the Series 6 did, plus it supports faster charging. The new charging pad that comes with the Series 7 helps it power up 10 percent in 10 minutes, and we reached 100 percent in under an hour of charging in our testing. This will come in handy if you plan on using the Watch to track sleep overnight and need more juice in the morning before heading out for the day.
Apple didn't reinvent its Watch with the Series 7, but thanks to those small hardware features and improvements made in watchOS 8, it'll feel like an upgrade for anyone coming from an older Watch. And if you're new to the Apple Watch, the Series 7 is the model to get if you want all of the features watchOS has to offer. If your budget is tight and you're willing to sacrifice some features, namely an always-on display and an ECG sensor, the Apple Watch SE could do the trick and it's also on sale for $249 right now.
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The AirPods Pro may not have received the major update that the standard earbuds did last year, but they're still the model with the best sound quality. Plus, they now come with a MagSafe charging case, which is a great perk. Today only, you can grab a pair of AirPods Pro for $180, or 28 percent off their normal price. While not the all-time low we saw last Black Friday ($159), it's still a good deal for this time of year — and lower than Amazon's current going rate of $197.
You probably know the deal about AirPods Pro by now, but in case you need a refresher: these earbuds have a more comfortable design thanks to their interchangeable tips and the sound quality is much better than other Apple earbuds. They have a built-in amplifier and support Adaptive EQ, which automatically tunes frequencies to each user's ear. Their active noise cancellation does a good job of blocking out most surrounding noises and you can use Transparency mode to jump in and out of conversations when necessary. We also like that audio automatically pauses when you take one of the buds out of your ear, so you won't miss a beat.
And like other Apple earbuds, the AirPods Pro have the H1 chip inside, which enables things like hands-free Siri access and quick pairing. If you use a lot of Apple devices, the AirPods Pro will also automatically switch to the gadget you're currently using — that means you can take a call from your iPhone and go back to listening to music from your Mac seamlessly. You can expect the Pros to last about five hours before needing a recharge, and their MagSafe case lets you use magnetic wireless chargers to power them up.
They may not be as cheap as they were on Black Friday, but those deep discounts are hard to come by outside of the holiday shopping season. Woot's one-day sale is a good one to consider if you've had your eye on the Pros for a while. Just remember to check out the site's return policy, as it differs greatly from that of its parent company, Amazon.
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Bose's QuietComfort family of headphones is a safe bet for those who want both great sound quality and strong active noise cancellation. You'll have to shell out quite a bit of money for a pair, however right now one of the latest models is back down to a record low. The QuietComfort 45 wireless headphones are on sale for $279, or $50 off and a return to their Black Friday price.
They may not be the slickest looking headphones (the Bose 700 take that title), but the QC45 have plenty of other things to love about them. They're comfortable to wear for hours on end and have handy onboard control buttons, a switch to go from ANC to ambient sound mode, a USB-C port for charging and an impressive 22.5-hour battery life. They pump out clear and balanced sound and Bose managed to improve upon its already stellar ANC. Multiple microphones along with a "proprietary digital chip" in the QC45 help detect and silence more mid-range frequencies, which should quiet things like the subway train you're riding or the sound of someone else's Zoom call nearby.
All of those features lead us to award the QC45 a score of 86 in our review, but the cans come with a few downsides. Aside from the lackluster, albeit comfortable, design, the QC45 don't have automatic pausing and their multi-device connectivity can be frustrating due to the fact that they don't automatically reconnect to a second device after you take a call. But if you can live with those compromises, the QC45 are a solid pair of wireless ANC headphones that are made even better by this sale price.
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If you're looking for a way to upgrade your TV setup before the big game without dropping too much money, one of Roku's soundbars could do the trick. Both the Streambar and the Streambar Pro are already competitively priced compared to other soundbars, but now you can get the Streambar Pro at its lowest price yet — only $150. The smaller Streambar has also been discounted to $100, but it's hovered at that sale price for a few months now.
The Streambar Pro is the larger cousin of the standard Streambar, and it adds a few extra features into the mix. First and foremost, it's larger and houses four 2.5-inch full range drivers and supports virtual surround sound. We were impressed by the Streambar's audio capabilities, particularly when watching action movies and content that has a lot of sound effects, so you'll likely get even better sound out of the Streambar Pro. The larger soundbar also supports private listening with included headphones, personal shortcut buttons on its remote and a lost remote finder using the Roku mobile app.
On top of that, the Streambar Pro has all of the features that the smaller soundbar does, including built-in 4K HDR streaming technology, Dolby Audio support and Bluetooth speaker capabilities. You're essentially getting a 3-in-1 device here — a soundbar, a Bluetooth speaker and a set-top box all in one. You also have your choice of voice assistant to use with the Streambar Pro as it supports commends with Siri, Alexa and the Google Assistant. If you don't want to drops hundreds on a new TV this year before the big game, updating your sound system while you can get the Streambar Pro for less is a good alternative.
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This week was a good one for those holding out for discounts on Apple gadgets. Most AirPods models remain on sale at Amazon, so you can grab the second-gen earbuds for only $100 or the latest AirPods Pro for $180. The 2021 Apple TV 4K is also on sale for $160, or $20 off its normal price. Elsewhere, GOG.com's New Year sale has discounted hundreds of titles and you can still pick up a few Roomba robot vacuums for hundreds of dollars less than usual. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
AirPods Pro
Billy Steele / Engadget
The AirPods Pro are 28 percent off, bringing them down to $180. These updated buds have the MagSafe charging case and we liked them for their good sound quality, solid ANC and improved fit.
Apple's second-generation AirPods are down to $100, and that's only $10 more than they were on Black Friday. While the third-gen buds fix some issues that these have, the original AirPods remain a good option for those on a budget. We gave them a score of 84 for their improved wireless performance, decent sound quality and good battery life.
A few colors of the high-end AirPods Max are $100 less than usual, bringing them down to $449. These cans earned a score of 84 for their excellent, balanced sound, strong ANC and good battery life.
The latest Apple TV 4K is on sale for $160, or $20 off its normal price. While the 2021 version isn't drastically different from the previous model, its new Siri remote is a big selling point. We gave it a score of 90 for its speedy performance, HomeKit integration and the easy of use that comes with the improved Siri remote.
A few colors of Apple's iPad Air are on sale for $539, or $60 less than usual. We gave this tablet a score of 90 for its speedy performance, fast WiFi, updated design with USB-C and healthy battery life.
GOG's New Year sale knocks up to 90 percent off popular titles, making it a good time to pick up a few that will help carry you through the winter months. Key among them are Cyberpunk 2077 for 50 percent off, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for 80 percent off, Control Ultimate Edition for only $12 and more.
The new Roomba j7+ is $250 off right now and down to $599 at both Amazon and Wellbots. The higher-end Roomba s9+ is also $250 and down to $850. The former just came out at the end of last year and has 10x the suction power of a standard Roomba plus advanced obstacle avoidance, which means it will avoid things like pet poop more easily than other models. The s9+, on the other hand, has 40x suction power and a more corner-friendly design. Both also support automatic emptying and come with clean bases, too.
The Roomba 694 is down to $179, or $95 off and a return to its record-low price. It earned a spot in our best budget robot vacuums guide thanks to its strong cleaning power, on-device button controls and handy companion mobile app.
Fitbit's Charge 5 is on sale for a record low of $120 right now. We gave the fitness tracker a score of 82 for its large, full-color display, built-in GPS, standard Fitbit Pay and long battery life. The Fitbit Sense smartwatch is also on sale for $100 less than usual, bringing the price down to $200.
All Eero 6 WiFi packs are on sale right now, so you can one for as low as $90. The three-pack of routers is down to $244 while the three-pack with one router and two extenders has been discounted to $195. This system supports WiFi 6, up to 5,000 square feet of coverage and it has a built-in Zigbee smart home hub.
Microsoft's Elite Wireless Series 2 controller for Xbox remains on sale for $140, or $40 less than usual. If you want to treat yourself (or someone else) to a fancy gaming accessory, this is a good option. It comes with six thumbsticks, four paddles, two D-pads, a charging dock, a carrying case and a USB-C cable, and its battery can last up to 40 hours on a single charge.
The Galaxy Buds 2 are down to $100 right now, or $50 off their normal price. We gave them a score of 84 for their improve sound quality, adjustable ambient sound mode, comfortable design and support for wireless charging.
Samsung's latest smartphone, the Galaxy S21 FE, is officially available and starting to ship and Amazon throws in a $100 gift card if you order the handset through the online retailer. We briefly tested the FE at CES 2022 and called it "last year's flagship without the frills," and it includes a 5-nanometer processor, a 120HZ display, a 32-megapixel front-facing camera, a larger battery and more.
The Samsung T7 Touch SSD in 1TB is down to a record low of $140 right now. That's even better than the price it was during the holiday shopping season last year. We like the drive's compact design, fast speeds and built-in fingerprint reader for extra security.
Engadget readers can get a total of two free audiobooks when signing up for Libro.fm, the audiobook subscription service that supports local bookstores. Similarly to Audible, a Libro.fm membership costs $15 per month and gives you one audiobook credit per month, plus 30 percent off any audiobooks you buy á la carte.
Ultraloq's U-Bolt Pro smart lock with its WiFi bridge is $45 off when you use the code ENGADGET45 at checkout, bringing it down to $154. This model gives you six different ways to unlock your door including a fingerprint sensor, a personal numerical code, an e-key or using the companion mobile app. And with the included bridge, you can control the lock from anywhere, allowing you to remotely unlock or lock your door at any time or give digital keys to your loved ones.
Through January 31, you can get 40 percent off Master & Dynamic's MW07 Plus earbuds when you use the code TAKE40 at checkout. This sale fixes one of our main gripes with these buds — their high price tag. We gave them a score of 86 for their great sound quality, reliable onboard controls and 10-hour battery life.
Hisense's 55-inch Quantum Dot 4K TV is 30 percent off and down to just under $600. It packs a lot of value into a relatively affordable TV — the set supports a 120Hz native refresh rate, Dolby Vision and Atmos, 1,000 nits of peak brightness and Game Mode Pro, the latter of which makes use of HDMI 2.1, low latency mode, variable refresh rates and more.
A bunch of Garmin smartwatches are $50 at Wellbots when you use the code ENGADGET50 at checkout. Key among them are the Venu 2 for $350 and the Lily for $150. The former has a number of advanced features like a pulse ox sensor, Garmin Pay and a built-in GPS, while the latter is more affordable and stylish to boot.
There are plenty of ways to update your home's WiFi today, but many of them are on the expensive side. And if you have a big home, outfitting every corner with a decent connection will cost you. However, you can get a good deal on Amazon's Eero 6 mesh WiFi systems right now. All of the packs have been discounted, so you can get just the router for $90, which is 30 percent off, or up to three routers for $244, which is 37 percent off its normal price. The three-pack with one router and two extenders is arguably the best for most people and that's 30 percent off and down to $195.
The three-pack will cover up to 5,000 square feet, which should be more than enough for a typical home. As the name suggests, these Eero devices support dual-band WiFi 6 and wireless speeds up to 500Mbps. You'll get speeds up to 900Mbps if you're hardwired in, but you'll only be able to do that near the router's location as its the only one out of the three to have two, built-in Ethernet ports.
The Eero 6 will come in handy if you want to add to your smart home system as it has a built-in Zigbee home hub for you to connect things like smart lights, thermostats and more. And like many Amazon products, it works with Alexa so you can use your voice to control all of the compatible smart home devices that are on your network. It may not have the advanced features that the Eero Pro 6 has, like tri-band support and gigabit speeds, but the Eero 6 system will be more than enough for most people and an upgrade for those currently relying on aging routers.
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Fitness trackers and smartwatches can help keep you honest as you try to get more active and healthier in the new year. If you or someone you live is looking for a new one, Fitbit's latest sale has discounted a bunch of its latest wearables. Key among them is the Charge 5 fitness tracker, which is $60 off and down to a new record low of $120. The Versa 2 and Sense smartwatches are also on sale for $130 and $200, respectively.
Maybe you're not totally on the smartwatch bandwagon but want a wearable to track things like heart rate, steps, workouts and more. Fitbit's Charge 5 might do the trick since it's a band-style tracker and not a full-fledged smartwatch. It has a fairly low-profile design and a full-color touchscreen that supports always-on mode. Arguably more importantly, it has a bunch of sensors inside to track all-day heart rate, movement and stress.
It also has a built-in GPS, which means it'll map your outdoor runs and bike rides without the help of your smartphone. And with Fitbit Pay support, you could leave your phone at home while you go for a run and pay for a coffee on your way home without having your wallet on hand.
There are a few downsides, though, like the lack of music controls and the fact that Fitbit devices still don't integrate with Apple Health or Google Fit. However, the Charge 5 still packs a lot of value and does so even at its normal $180 price.
If you're ready to embrace the smartwatch life, or want to replace an aging wearable, Fitbit's Versa 2 or the Sense would make good options. We'd recommend the Sense over the Versa 2 purely because the latter is about a year older than the former. Also, the Sense is the most powerful smartwatch that Fitbit makes, so you'll get things like a built-in heart rate monitor and GPS, stress tracking with the EDA Scan app, an ECG monitoring app, onboard music storage, Fitbit Pay, Alexa and Google Assistant voice command support and more.
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If you missed the sale earlier this month, you have another chance to get $60 off Apple's 2020 iPad Air. At the time of writing this, the green, silver and blue models are down to $539, which is 10 percent off and one of the best prices we've seen in months. We considered this to be the best iPad for most people when it first came out and it remains a great option for those that want a powerful, versatile tablet that won't break the bank.
Yes, there are newer iPads available now — even the base 10.2-inch iPad Air received an update last year — but the Air still sits in the middle of Apple's lineup. It runs on the A14 Bionic chipset with a six-core CPU and a four-core GPU, and these discounted models have WiFi 6 support, 64GB of storage and a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display with True Tone. The updated, flat-edged design has a USB-C port for charging and a power button with a built-in fingerprint reader for extra security. The iPad Air also supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, so artists and those who prefer to take hand-written notes could use it as their main digital notebook.
While we suggest considering the M1 iPad Pros if you want a true laptop replacement, the iPad Air can act as one, too. It has speedy performance, a 12.5-hour battery life and it can connect to Apple's Smart Keyboard Folio and the Magic Keyboard, so you have a number of ways to turn it into a 2-in-1 machine. There are plenty of perks to the M1 iPad Pros when it comes to productivity, but you'll pay at least $200 more for one of those. So despite the fact that it is almost two years old, the iPad Air remains a good option if you want a tablet that can keep up with you on your busiest days.
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From time to time Engadget editors take time out to talk about what they've been buying for themselves, with their own money. This week, Commerce Editor Valentina Palladino gives her take on the Kobo Libra 2 e-reader.
I’ll be honest, the pandemic took a toll on my reading habits. A lot of the time I previously spent reading was now spent doom- and hate-scrolling on my iPhone. I didn’t want to drag that habit into 2022, so I deleted the biggest scroll-hole culprits from my phone (Instagram, Twitter) and decided to upgrade to the Kobo Libra 2 as a gift to myself.
The Libra 2 isn’t my first e-reader – an old Kindle Paperwhite still languishes in my drawer – but I wanted a change that would both get me out of a physical reading slump while also lessening my dependence on the juggernaut that is Amazon’s Kindle store. I came to this decision late last year after pulling out my old 2018 Paperwhite and reading a book on it. The experience was noticeably laggy, taking several minutes to properly sync my books and fetch titles I had borrowed from my local library. It was also apparent to me how annoying the Kindle was to hold. I primarily read with the device in my right hand, and because the Paperwhite’s size bezels are quite thin, that meant I was often accidentally turning the page when my fingers brushed the screen’s edge.
Enter the Libra 2, one of the company’s latest e-readers whose larger chin is home to physical page buttons. I knew I wanted one with this design, and if I had wanted to go the Amazon route, I would have been left with only the Kindle Oasis to consider. On top of the fact that Amazon’s devices support a limited number of file types, I just didn’t want to drop $250 on an e-reader. Kobo, on the other hand, has four devices with this design, with the Libra 2 being the most affordable of that bunch at $180.
Valentina Palladino / Engadget
The practicality of the larger chin and page-turn buttons can’t be overstated; they’re some of my favorite things about the Libra 2. My hand doesn’t cramp anymore when I read because I can easily switch from one hand to the other depending on if I’m at my desk, curled up on the couch, or peeking an eye out from under the covers in bed. Landscape reading mode has become a favorite, too, and I also like the tactical feel of the page-turn buttons so much that I rarely, if ever, tap the screen to progress in my current read.
The screen on the Libra 2 is also noticeably sharper than that of my old Kindle Paperwhite. It’s a seven-inch E Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen with what Kobo calls “ComfortLight Pro,” which just means you can adjust the brightness and color temperature. I keep the temperature adjustment on the “auto” setting so the screen’s lighting becomes less blue and more yellow as the day goes on, making it my most comfortable screen to stare at right before bedtime. Plus, the numerous font, font sizes, line spacing and margin options let me customize text to my liking, making the entire reading experience more comfortable and enjoyable.
The Libra 2 is also waterproof, but it’s one of those features I don’t actually use every day and I’ll only fully appreciate it if the e-reader gets an unexpected dunking in a hotel pool. Same goes for the audiobook feature: I listen to books primarily through Overdrive's Libby app, so I haven’t tested the Libra 2 as an audiobook machine yet. However, the USB-C charging port is something I can appreciate in my day-to-day as it charges the device from nearly zero to full in a couple of hours. So far, the Libra 2 has lived up to its promise of having a weeks-long battery life as I’ve only had to charge it once in the month or so that I’ve had it.
So the Libra 2’s hardware has proven to be just as good in practice as it was on paper. But in addition to hardware, Kobo’s Overdrive and Pocket integrations were two big things that made me seriously consider making the switch from Kindle. Having all of my reading material in one place – specifically a place that’s not my phone – would surely stop me from falling down a scroll hole every night, right?
The answer is yes – mostly. (I still scroll sometimes, I’m but a mere mortal.) Saving articles to Pocket throughout the day is super easy and I can turn to them at night when I have more time to read. But the kicker for me is Overdrive, which I can browse directly on the Libra 2 and borrow titles from my library with just a few taps. I also use the Libby app in conjunction with this – when Libby and my Libra 2 are signed in with the same library card, any e-book I borrow via Libby automatically shows up on my Libra 2 like magic. Holds also show up on the e-reader with the amount of time I have left to wait; once it’s my turn, a cute little “borrow” button pops up, allowing me to get reading almost immediately. While Amazon’s Send-to-Kindle feature is also an easy way to get library books from Libby to a Kindle, I find this direct integration more convenient.
Valentina Palladino / Engadget
Where this becomes a bit cumbersome is if you have multiple library cards attached to your Overdrive account (which I do). You’ll have to sign out on the e-reader and sign in again with the specific library you’re trying to access. Most people will probably never have to do this, but just be aware if you’re like me and frequently check out multiple libraries’ catalogs with the hopes of getting the shortest wait time possible for your next read.
I try to use my library as much as possible, but it’s also worth noting that buying books on the Libra 2 is also convenient. You can purchase titles directly on the device from the Kobo store and I’ve yet to find a book that I want to purchase that Kobo doesn’t have. I frequently dump titles that none of my libraries have into my Kobo wishlist, and I was surprised to find that it had lesser-known books like This Green and Pleasant Land by Ayisha Malik along with anticipated upcoming titles like How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix.
If you live in the US, you’ve probably been fed the idea that Amazon’s Kindle book store is the most formidable on the web – and while that may be true, it’s not the only option available. Same goes for Kindles themselves: they may be the most ubiquitous e-readers, but if you’re even remotely interested in loosening the vice-grip Amazon has on your reading life, a Kobo device could do the trick.
The Apple TV 4K has many things going for it, but its relatively high $179 price tag isn't one of them. We consider it to be the best premium streaming device thanks to its feature set but also its price tag. But now you can get the latest set-top box from Apple for $20 less — Amazon has the 32GB Apple TV 4K for $160 thanks to a sale and an automatically applied coupon that knocks another $10 off the discounted price. While we saw it drop to $150 during the holiday shopping season last year, this is the best price we've seen since then.
If you're looking for a higher-end streaming device to complement the rest of your home theater setup, the Apple TV may be the one for you — especially if you also already live in the Apple ecosystem. The latest model streams 4K content and supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, AirPlay 3 and screen mirroring. It also has handy HomeKit integration, so you can ask Siri to show you feeds from your home security cameras and they'll show up directly on your TV screen.
All of those features impressed us, as did the latest model's speedy performance. But arguably the biggest upgrade that the 2021 version has is the new Siri remote. Apple fixed a lot of problems that the previous remote had — the new one is larger and generally easier to use, plus it has a directional clicker that's also touch sensitive. The latter makes it smooth and easy to scroll through watch options or scrub backwards and forwards in a video. In addition to new back, home, play/pause and volume buttons, the remote also has a new infrared power button that will let some power on and off their TV.
The new Siri remote is a big selling point for the latest Apple TV 4K. Is it enough to upgrade if you have the previous model? It's not a clear-cut decision, especially since the performance improvements in the latest version may not be noticeable to everyone. But if you've had your eye on the Apple TV 4K for a while, the 2021 model is the one to get.
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