While they're slated to arrive after Christmas, Apple's second-generation AirPods have returned to a record-low price. Amazon has the earbuds for $90, which is only one dollar more than they were on Black Friday. If you can wait until after December 25th to get them, you'll get one of the best deals on these earbuds that we've seen all year.
These are the classic AirPods most people are familiar with by now. They have a similar design to Apple's old EarPods and they have the H1 chip inside that helps them quickly pair with iOS devices as well as switch in between devices like iPhones, iPads and Macs. While you can get better sounding earbuds at a similar price, AirPods remain one of the best options for those who primarily use Apple devices because they conveniently pair and switch between them. You'll also be able to monitor each buds' battery life, as well as the case's charge, from your iPhone. You'll get roughly five hours of use before needing to power up again, and the case provides more than 24 hours of total listening time.
While they don't have many of the new features that the latest, 3rd-generation AirPods have, the second-gen models remain a good option if you're on a budget and want those signature Apple perks. The latest AirPods are on sale for $150 right now, or about $30 off their normal price, and we'd recommend springing for those if you have the extra cash. We gave them a score of 88 for their more comfortable design, improved audio quality and longer battery life.
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If you're still struggling to come up with gift ideas for the holidays, you can't go wrong with mobile accessories. With so much of our lives driven by our devices, gadgets that help keep smartphones and tablets going will be useful to almost anyone. Anker makes some of our favorite mobile accessories and Amazon has a one-day-only sale going on that knocks up to 36 percent off some of the company's latest devices. A bunch of gadgets in the new MagGo lineup have been discounted, including the gray 5,000mAh magnetic battery pack, which is 25 percent off and down to $45, and the magnetic desktop charging station, which is also 25 percent off and on sale for $75.
All of the accessories in the MagGo collection work with the latest iPhones that have MagSafe, meaning they'll snap onto the back of the handsets to provide power, extra grip and more. The 5,000mAh battery pack will come in handy for those constantly on the go as it snaps to the back of iPhone 13s and provides up to 17 hours of additional juice. It also has a built-in kickstand, so you can prop up your iPhone while it's wirelessly charging. We also appreciate that it doesn't add much heft to the iPhone, measuring just 12.8mm thick, and that you can use it with MagSafe-compatible phone cases, too.
If you know someone who could stand to clean up their nightstand a bit, Anker's MagGo desktop charging station could do the trick. It looks similar to Amazon's now-discontinued Echo Spot, but with a powerful magnetic pad instead of a smart display. The orb magnetically holds on to your iPhone, positioning it at an angle that makes it easy to see and use the screen. On its back, it has a bunch of ports: three AC outlets, two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports. That lets you plug in almost any other gadget you have lying around like a tablet or your smartwatch, and it keeps all of your cables mostly out of the way. Its small size and cute design make it a good choice as a catch-all charging device for your nightstand or the desk in your home office.
While the sale mostly includes magnetic accessories, there are a few standard charging gadgets included, too. Anker's new Nano Pro 20W USB-C charger is 25 percent off, bringing it down to $15, while a pack of 3-, 6- and 10-foot Powerline II USB-C to Lightning cables is 36 percent off, knocking it down to just under $30. Depending on when you place your order, you could still get these accessories before Christmas, too.
Apple's latest Mac Mini is the most cost-effective way to get an M1 machine, and now you can get the desktop for even less. The base 256GB model is going for $570 on Amazon right now, which is a new record low. You'll get this price thanks to a $50 discount plus an additional coupon that knocks another $79 off at checkout. The 512GB version has also been discounted to $750, which is a price we've seen a handful of times in the past but remains a good deal.
The Mac Mini is the best option if a desktop fits better into your lifestyle than a laptop, and if you don't have a ton to spare a new computer. It packs a good amount of power into a compact device thanks to Apple's M1 chipset. While we haven't put the Mac Mini through its paces, we have tested out the MacBook Air M1 and the previous MacBook Pro M1 — both of which impressed us with their overall smooth performance and remarkable speed. It sports an eight-core CPU and an eight-core GPU, plus a 16-core Neural Engine that handles machine learning tasks. While the 256GB model is probably sufficient for most people, you'll future-proof the device a bit if you spring for the version with extra storage because you won't run out of space as quickly.
With all of the improvements being internal, the latest Mac Mini looks much the same as the previous version. The silver box has a seamless appearance on most sides, save for its back edge which holds all of its connectivity options including two Thunderbolt ports, two USB-A connectors, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Since we didn't get an updated Mac Mini this fall, there's currently no telling when Apple may introduce a new version of its small desktop. That makes a sale like this one a great opportunity to upgrade your home's computer without spending too much money. If you plan on gifting the device, just keep in mind that it may arrive after Christmas depending on which model you choose.
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If you're still on the hunt for good tech gifts to give this year, you still have time to grab some that will arrive before the holidays. Apple's second-generation AirPods are on sale again for $100, while the Fitbit Charge 5 fitness tracker is back down to $130. Both Amazon's Kindle and a few Fire tablets are cheaper than usual, and the company's new smart thermostat is 20 percent off. On top of that, some of the best tech deals we saw for Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still available. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Apple AirPods (2nd gen)
Chris Velazco / Engadget
The previous-generation AirPods are on sale for $100 right now. While not the latest models, these are still decent earbuds that we liked for their improved wireless performance and good battery life.
Apple's latest AirPods are down to $140 right now, or about $40 off their normal price. We gave them a score of 88 for their more comfortable design, much improved audio quality and longer battery life.
The latest Apple TV 4K is $30 off right now and down to $150, which is a new record low. It may be one of the more expensive streaming boxes out there, but it's worth it for Apple loyalists. We gave it a score of 90 for its speedy performance, Dolby Vision and Atmos support and much improved Siri remote.
The latest Apple Watch Series 7 is $20 cheaper right now, bringing it down to $380. It's the most comprehensive wearable Apple makes and it earned a score of 90 from us for its larger screen, faster charging and handy features in watchOS 8.
You can pick up the Fitbit Charge 5 for $130 right now, or $50 off and the same price as it was on Black Friday. This is Fitbit's most comprehensive fitness band and it earned a score of 82 from us for its full-color touchscreen, built-in GPS, onboard EDA sensors for stress tracking and multi-day battery life.
You can grab the standard Kindle for $55 and get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with it. We gave this e-reader a score of 91 for its improved contrast display, extra front lights and sleeker design.
A bunch of Fire tablets are on sale again — you can get the Fire 7 for only $35, the Fire HD 8 for $55 and the Fire HD 10 for $100. These are all close to Black Friday prices, so you're still getting a good deal even if you missed the sales a few weeks ago. We gave the Fire HD 8 a score of 81 for its refined design, good performance and new USB-C charging.
Amazon's new smart thermostat is down to $48 right now, or 20 percent off its normal price. Like similar gadgets, it's designed to save you money on your home heating and cooling by automating the process. it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that other, more expensive thermostats do, but it's Energy Star-certified and supports a feature called Hunches, which will automatically adjust the temperature based on your habits. You can also control it with Alexa if you have an Echo speaker or smart display in your home.
Walmart has an exclusive version of the 8-quart Instant Pot Duo Nova for $59. That's nearly half off the price that the normal model is going for on Amazon right now. You'll get seven cooking modes along with additional one-touch programs that make it easy to prepare things like soups, stews, porridge and more.
Our favorite pair of Sony headphones, the WH-1000XM4, are down to $248 right now, which is just about $100 off their regular price. We gave these cans a score of 94 for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.
The Roomba 694 is $95 off, bringing it down to $179. This model came out earlier this year and works well on both hard and carpeted floors, supports WiFi connectivity for Alexa and Google Assistant commands and can be controlled via the iRobot mobile app.
Samsung’s EVO Select microSDXC card in 128GB is down to $16, or 20 percent off its normal price. This is the latest model and while you can find microSD cards for less, EVO is a reliable brand and you're getting a full-sized adapter with this one.
This Ninja 10-in-1 multi-cooker remains 41 percent off, bringing it down to $119. In addition to pressure cooking, slow cooking and steaming, this machine can air fry, broil, dehydrate and more. It also has a 6.5-quart capacity, which should be big enough to make food for a mid-sized family or a holiday gathering.
The Chromecast with Google TV has dropped to $40, which is $10 cheaper than usual. We gave the device a score of 86 for its 4K HDR streaming capabilities, Dolby Vision and Atmos support plus its much needed and very handy new remote.
Bose's new QuietComfort 45 headphones remain on sale for $279 right now, or $50 off their normal price. We gave them a score of 86 for their clear, balanced audio, improved ANC and long battery life.
Sony's excellent WF-1000XM4 earbuds are down to $248. We gave them a score of 86 for their great sound quality, powerful ANC and improved battery life.
Bose's QuietComfort earbuds have been discounted to $199, which is $80 off their regular rate. These are some of the company's best true wireless earbuds and they earned a score of 87 from us for their clear sound, powerful ANC and comfortable size.
The second-generation Echo Buds are on sale for $70 right now. Amazon massively improved its wireless earbuds this time around and we gave them a score of 80 for their better sound quality, good ANC and smaller design.
iRobot's latest vacuum, the Roomba j7+, has dropped to $649 while the robot without the clean base is down to $449. This is one of the higher-end robo-vacs the company makes and it has new AI-driven computer vision technology that can detect objects and move around them as it cleans. That means it'll better avoid things like chairs and table legs, as well as unexpected obstacles like pet poop. The j7+ also comes with a clean base into which the robot will empty debris at the end of every cleaning job.
Samsung's 980 Pro is one of the best internal SSDs you can get right now and a 1TB model is on sale for $170 right now. It has sequential read speeds up to 7,000MB/s and it'll work with the PS5 as long as you have a heatsink attached.
Crucial’s P5 NAND NVMe SSD in 1TB is on sale for $145 right now, or 19 percent off its regular rate. This drive can reach sequential read speeds of up to 3,400MB/s and its M.2 format makes it a good option for both desktop and laptop users.
Razer's mainstream notebook, the Razer Book, has fallen to $1,500, or 25 percent off its usual price. The model on sale is specced out: it runs on an 11th-gen Core i7 processor, Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a 13.4-inch UHD+ touchscreen. This laptop includes a generous array of ports, eGPU compatibility and Chroma keyboard lighting.
Razer's Wolverine Ultimate gaming controller is down to $100, or $60 off its normal price. The controller that comes with your Xbox is pretty good, but sometimes you might need a little more features from your gamepad. The Wolverine Ultimate may be wired, but it also has interchangeable thumbtacks and d-pads, so you can actually tweak the controller’s layout according to the games you play and your own personal preferences.
Amazon's Echo smart speaker is on sale for $60 right now. We gave it a score of 89 for its solid audio quality, attractive design and inclusion of a 3.5mm audio jack.
The tiny Echo Dot has dropped to $30, and you can grab the Echo Dot with Clock for only $35. We gave it a score of 88 for its good audio quality for the price, compact design and tap-to-snooze feature.
The Nest Mini is down to $25. It's the affordable speaker to get if you want to put the Google Assistant in your home without dropping too much money, or taking up too much space.
One of our favorite VPNs, Tunnelbear, is having a holiday sale that knocks 50 percent off a one-year plan, so you'll pay just under $60 for the service. Tunnelbear supports most devices, including Windows, Android and iOS, and the plan comes with support for up to five devices and 256-bit AES encryption.
NordVPN is offering up a two-year subscription for $89, or 68 percent off its normal price. We like this service for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices.
Sonos has discounted a number of its refurbished products, including the Sonos One, which is down to $150, and the Beam soundbar, which is on sale for $259. The company has a pretty good refurbishment program and these prices are hard to come by on any Sonos devices, refurb or not. We gave the Sonos One speaker a score of 90 for its attractive design, excellent audio quality, compatibility with a wide range of music services and multi-room audio support.
The Nest Doorbell Battery is $50 off as part of Best Buy's most recent flash sale. This model doesn't require as much hardwiring installation as other smart doorbells since it runs on a rechargeable battery. It works with the Google Home app to send you alerts when people, packages and other things show up at your door, and you can set specific Activity Zones to narrow down which areas you want to keep a close eye on.
You probably already know about the conveniences an Instant Pot can provide, but choosing the right size can be a tricky task. If you've been on the hunt for a good deal on a large multi-cooker, Walmart has the 8-quart Instant Pot Duo Nova for only $59 right now. That's nearly half off the price it's going for on Amazon right now as well as the lowest we've seen in a long time.
This particular Instant Pot is a Walmart exclusive, but it's almost identical to the standard Duo Nova aside from its front panel looking a bit different. It's an upgraded version of the Instant Pot Duo, adding a lid that automatically seals shut when you close it. It's a 7-in-1 device, combining a pressure cooker, yogurt maker, rice cooker, cake maker, slow cooker, egg cooker and sauté machine into one. You're also getting a number of different one-touch cooking programs for things like soup, meat and stew, porridge and more, taking even more of the guesswork out of preparing a meal for your family. And with the 8-quart model, you'll be able to prepare a lot of food — it's arguably the best size for large families and those who entertain often.
The number of Instant Pot models has grown over the years to the point that there's almost a confusing number of these devices available. Some are more straightforward than others, like the Duo Crisp, which includes an air-fry mode and comes with the appropriate lid for it. But the Duo Nova remains a solid option for newbies as it combines the convenience of a pressure cooker with a bunch of other functions in a relatively counter-friendly appliance. You may need to make a bit more space for the 8-quart model in your kitchen, but it's a small price to pay for all of the cooking time you'll get back while using it.
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The holiday shopping season is one of the best times of the year to look for a robot vacuum. Since many are quite expensive, you'll usually find good discounts during this time, and even some of the most budget-friendly models can be on sale. Today, Amazon has a one-day sale on a mid-range Shark robo-vac that brings the machine down to its lowest price yet. The Shark AV2001 robot vacuum with AI navigation is on sale for $300, or $130 off its normal price.
Shark took the top spot in our budget robot vacuum guide, and this model is more advanced and has more suction power than the one we tested. It has a self-cleaning brush roll that will help it pick up debris and even pet hair more easily, and it supports UltraClean Mode, which lets you deep clean specific rooms of your home. It moves through your home in neat rows thanks to its AI laser navigation system and it should bump into furniture less than other robo-vacs thanks to its ability to detect and avoid objects four inches high or taller.
The AV2001 also has precision home mapping with LiDAR, which means it'll learn the layout of your home as it cleans the first few times. You can then use the companion mobile app to send the machine to clean your bedroom only, and you can also set "no-go" zones to block off certain areas. The mobile app also lets you control the robot from anywhere and set cleaning schedules, and since it's compatible with Alexa and the Google Assistant, you could do all that with voice commands if you prefer. While it doesn't have a clean base like some higher-end robot vacuums do, it does come with a dock that it'll automatically return to once it's done cleaning or when it's battery has run low. All of those features make it a pretty capable robo-vac and a good option if you've been holding out for a good deal on a mid-range device.
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8Bitdo controllers have been some of our favorites thanks to their charming designs and affordable prices. We called one of the latest, the SN30 Pro+, a near-perfect Nintendo Switch controller and now you can get that accessory at its best price yet. The SN30 Pro+ is down to $40 today as a Lightning Deal on Amazon, which means you have roughly six hours from the time of writing this to grab it before the price goes back up to $50. This is the same deal we saw on Black Friday, so if you missed it then, you have another opportunity to get it today.
The SN30 Pro+ will look familiar to those who loved the SNES. It has a similar design to that console's controller with a D-pad, circular A, B, X and Y buttons and start and select buttons in the middle. But it also has handles for better ergonomics, along with analog sticks and two more buttons. It's well-built and lightweight, making it easy to throw into a bag and take with you when you want to play with your Switch on the go. While plenty of people will want to use it with Nintendo's console, the SN30 Pro+ is also compatible with PC, macOS, Android, Steam and Raspberry Pi.
Not only did we find the SN30 Pro+ to be even more comfortable than Nintendo's own Switch Pro Controller, it also has the added benefit of a removable battery pack. It'll last about 20 hours on a single charge, but in a pinch, you can take out that pack and replace it with AA batteries instead. That'll come in handy on long flights, camping trips and other situations in which you can't charge up for a while. We also appreciate that the 8BitDo Ultimate Software lets you personalize the controller a bit further by remapping buttons and creating custom profiles.
The few gripes we had with the SN30 Pro+ were its somewhat tedious syncing process with the Switch (but thankfully you only have to do that once), its lack of a headphone jack and its lack of support for iOS, Xbox and PlayStation. However, if you're looking for a stocking stuffer for the gamer in your life, the SN30 Pro+ is hard to beat at this sale price.
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Despite the addition of the third-generation AirPods to Apple's earbud lineup, the second-gen versions remain a decent option for those that liked the fit of the company's old-school EarPods. They've also become a budget-friendly option this holiday shopping season as we've seen the second-gen AirPods go on sale a few times. Now you can pick them up for only $100, which is roughly $60 off their normal price. While they were on sale for $89 last month for a brief period of time, this remains one of the best prices we've seen.
You probably know the drill about AirPods by now, but we'll provide a refresher. These are the "classic" style AirPods that made Apple's earbuds some of the most popular in the wireless audio space. Their kicker is the H1 chipset inside that allows them to quickly pair and switch between Apple devices. Not only do they connect to your iPhone in seconds, but they can also switch to, say, your MacBook while you watch a YouTube video pretty seamlessly.
The EarPods-like design of these buds will be great for some, but a bit cumbersome for others. That's one of the improvements Apple made with its third-gen earbuds, but those come in at $179. The second-gen models have decent sound quality and a good battery life, too — you'll get around five hours of use before they need more power, and you can get more than 24 hours of total listening time after a few recharges with the included case. Overall, they may not have some of the newer bells and whistles you'll find on the latest AirPods, but these make a good pair of wireless earbuds for Apple users on a budget.
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The AirPods Pro remain the best sounding of Apple's earbuds and a good gift idea for the iPhone user in your life. If you missed them during the Black Friday sale rush, you have another opportunity to grab them on a good deal. Amazon has the earbuds for $170, or roughly $80 off their normal price. That's not the lowest we've seen them — they hit $159 on Black Friday proper — but it is one of the better prices of the season. Also, you can still get these before the holidays because, at the time of publishing this, Amazon estimates delivery by December 18.
These buds earned a score of 87 from us for their better fitting design, good audio quality and strong active noise cancellation. Their interchangeable ear tips give you more control over how they fit in your ears and they're IPX4-rated, so they'll survive even your sweatiest workouts. You'll be able to block out a significant amount of environmental noise with ANC enabled, and Transparency mode lets you easily jump in an out of conversations that you need to hear.
But the advantage that the Pros have over other earbuds, even some of our favorites like Sony's WF-1000XM4, is the H1 chip inside that allow them to pair with iOS devices easily as well as switch between them depending on what you're doing. That means you can go from taking a call on your iPhone to listening to music on your MacBook without any hiccups. The chip also enables features like hands-free Siri access, too.
While the earbuds themselves haven't really changed since launch, the "new" AirPods Pro have a MagSafe case. They were capable of wireless charging before, but now you can use them with any magnetic chargers you may have that also work with the latest iPhones. Overall, the Pros remain a solid choice if you or someone you love needs a convenient pair of all-purpose wireless earbuds that have extra perks for iPhone users.
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If you're looking to treat yourself this holiday season, a robot vacuum could be the gift that keeps on giving. We saw a bunch go on sale for Black Friday, but now Wellbots is having a sale on one of Roomba's most advanced models. The Roomba s9+ is $200 off right now when you use the code ENGADGET200 at checkout, so you'll end up paying $899 for the machine — that's the best price we've seen it and even cheaper than it was last month during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The s9+ is even more advanced than the new Roomba j7+ that came out recently, although it does not have Precision Vision Navigation like the latter. Instead, the S9+ has the most suction power of any Roomba along with dual multi-surface brushes and Direct Detect technology, the latter of which helps the vacuum focus on the dirtiest spots in your home until they're fully clean. "Power-lift suction" also helps it deep clean carpets and suck up pet hair. It has sensors to help it move around objects like chairs and tablets and, thanks to its mapping technology, you can have it clean only certain rooms or areas of your home if you wish.
This model also has the clean base that comes with other more expensive Roombas. After each job, the s9+ will automatically return to its base for a recharge, and it will empty its bin into the clean base, which is basically an attached garbage can. That means you don't have to fuss with the vacuum every time you run it, and you'll only have to empty the clean base once every 60 days. That combined with the robot's easy-to-use companion app makes it a premium convenience machine — if you use iRobot's mobile app to start or schedule cleanings, you may not even have to touch the s9+ for weeks at a time while it does its job.
Even on sale, the Roomba s9+ is a big purchase — but it may be worth it for those who hate vacuuming and want their homes to be as clean as possible without having to do much themselves. There are plenty of budget options, though, if you'd rather save a good chunk of money and still get the benefits of a robot vacuum. The Roomba 694 is a good option, as well as the Anker RoboVac 11S. The former can be controlled via a mobile app while the latter comes with a remote that lets you maneuver the vacuum like a toy car in addition to setting schedules and the like.
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