Labor Day is another good time of the year to pick up a new TV. While not as rife with sales as Black Friday or even the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, this holiday weekend still has TV deals worth considering. Plenty of 4K smart TVs have been discounted across Amazon, Best Buy and other sites, but those who are looking for an OLED set will find a number of new models discounted by hundreds. Here are all of the best Labor Day TV sales we could find.
55-inch Sony Bravia XR A80J OLED 4K TV
One of Sony's premium OLED TVs, the 55-inch Bravia XR A80J set, is down to $1,700 at Amazon and Best Buy, or $600 off its normal price. It packs most of Sony's best TV technology into one set, including the Cognitive Processor XR, HDMI 2.1 support, 4K upscaling, XR Motion Clarity and improved sound with Acoustic Surface Audio+ and built-in subwoofers. It also runs the Google TV operating system, so you can call upon the Assistant for all your entertainment needs.
Amazon and Best Buy knocked $500 off Sony's 48-inch Bravia A9S OLED TV, bringing it down to $1,300. It runs on the company's Processor X1 Ultimate and supports HDR and Dolby Vision, Acoustic Surface Audio, X-Motion Clarity technology, AirPlay 2 and more.
A 55-inch LG G1 OLED TV will set you back $1,900 if you grab it this weekend, saving you $300 off its normal price. It's part of the "gallery" series and it uses OLED evo panel technology, which provides better brightness and clearer whites than standard OLED displays. It also runs on LG's a9 Gen4 AI Processor 4K and supports features like G-SYNC, FreeSync, OLED Motion Pro and voice commands via Alexa and the Google Assistant.
The latest LG OLED lineup just became available a few months ago and now you can grab the 55-inch A1 model for $1,300. The A1 series is the most affordable of the bunch, making these sets good options for anyone looking to upgrade to OLED while on a tight budget.
If you're looking for a basic upgrade for your living room tube, this 55-inch TCL Roku TV could do the trick. It's on sale right now for $430 and it includes 4K HDR support, 4K upscaling, four HDMI inputs and voice control with Siri, Alexa and the Google Assistant.
Samsung's 50-inch Frame 4K smart TV is down to $1,148 right now, or roughly $150 off its normal price. This is the TV to get if you'd prefer to look at something more interesting than a black box when not actually watching a TV show or movie. Its art mode lets you select images to display on the screen whenever you want, and it also supports 4K AI upscaling and truer colors using Quantum Dot technology.
Best Buy knocked $150 off the price of this 55-inch Samsung QN90A Neo 4K TV, bringing it down to $1,550. This set uses mini LEDs for improved contrast, and it supports Quantum HDR 32X for vibrant colors. It also includes 4K AI upscaling, a 120Hz refresh rate, technology to minimize motion blur and more.
This week brought more and more gadget deals as Labor Day weekend inched closer. Many of this week's deals are still available right now, including Amazon's discount on the first- and second-generation Echo Show 5 smart displays and a $20 discount on Google's Nest Audio speaker. Plus, a bunch of new sales are running now through the holiday, including those on Dyson vacuums, OLED smart TVs, wireless earbuds and more. Here are the best Labor Day tech sales we could find.
MacBook Air M1
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Apple's MacBook Air M1 is back down to an all-time low of $850 thanks to an automatically applied coupon. It earned a score of 94 from us for its stellar performance, attractive, fanless design and its comfortable keyboard and trackpad.
Apple's AirPods Pro are down to $190 right now, or $60 off their normal price. These are the best sounding earbuds you can get from Apple, and we gave them a score of 87 for their better, more secure fit, IPX4 water resistance and solid audio quality.
Apple's Mac Mini M1 returned to its all-time-low price of $600 this week thanks to a sale and an automatically applied coupon. You're getting all of the performance boosts provided by the M1 chipset in a compact desktop package. This is a good machine to get if you have an older desktop that needs replacing, but you don't want to spend a ton of money.
Both the first- and second-generation Echo Show 5s are on sale right now — the original is down to $45 while the updated version is only $10 more. These stand out as excellent smart alarm clocks thanks to their compact size, sunrise alarm feature and tap-to-snooze function. The main difference between the two is the improved, 2MP camera on the second-gen version, which will make for slightly better video calls.
Google's Nest Audio smart speaker remains on sale for $80, or $20 off its normal price. This is one of the best mid-range smart speakers you can get right now and it's especially useful for those already relying on the Google Assistant. We gave it a score of 87 for its solid audio quality, stereo mode with two paired together and attractive design.
Amazon's updated Echo Buds are on sale for $90, or $30 off their normal price. You could pick up the model with a wireless charging case instead and you'd only spend $105. Amazon improved these true wireless earbuds in nearly every way — we gave them a score of 80 for their better sound quality, ANC and small, comfortable design.
Samsung's Premiere Projector is $1,000 cheaper both at Amazon and Samsung's own site. The 4.2.2 sound channel model is down to $5,498, which is still quite expensive, but much better than its normal $6,500 price. We included this in our best projectors guide for its separate red, green and blue lasers that cover the full Rec.2020 color range, maximum 2,800 lumens of brightness and 4K resolution.
Google's Pixel 4 smartphone is down to a new low of $379 at B&H Photo. We believe the launch of the Pixel 6 to be right around the corner, so you may want to wait if you want the latest phone from Google. However, the Pixel 4 remains a solid handset — we liked its speedy performance, lovely display and stellar camera experience.
Samsung's T7 Touch portable SSD in 1TB is down to $170, or $10 off its normal price. It has dropped to $160 in the past, but this is the best price we've seen in a number of months. In addition to read speeds up to 1,050 MB/s and write speeds up to 1,000 MB/s, this tiny SSD has a shock-resistant body and a built-in fingerprint reader for an extra layer of security.
One of Sony's premium OLED TVs, the 55-inch Bravia XR A80J set, is down to $1,700 at Amazon and Best Buy, or $600 off its normal price. It packs most of Sony's best TV technology into one set, including the Cognitive Processor XR, HDMI 2.1 support, 4K upscaling, XR Motion Clarity and improved sound with Acoustic Surface Audio+ and built-in subwoofers. It also runs the Google TV operating system, so you can call upon the Assistant for all your entertainment needs.
Google's Nest WiFi pack with one router and one access point is down to $200 right now at Best Buy. That's $70 off its normal price and a great deal on one of our favorite mesh systems. We gave it a score of 84 for its minimalist design, simple installation and built-in smart speaker.
Through September 18, Omaze is giving away another $20,000 to build your ultimate gaming PC. This sweepstakes is free to enter, but funds donated with purchased entries will benefit Schools on Wheels, an organization that provides free tutoring and mentoring services to children experiencing homelessness across Southern California.
Through December 8, you can enter to win four-day passes to San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Along with the passes, you'll get access to a special preview night, reserved seating in Hall H, a personal concierge, a private tour of the Comic-Con Museum, dinner in Balboa Park and tickets to the "Night at the Comic-Con Museum" event. It's free to enter, but funds from this sweepstakes will go to the San Diego Comic Convention.
Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes.See official rules on Omaze.
New Labor Day tech sales
Dyson Labor Day sale
Dyson knocked up to $150 off a number of its vacuums and air purifiers for Labor Day. Of note are the Dyson V7 Absolute for $250 and the Dyson V8 Animal for $350. Although both models are a few years old at this point, they remains solid cordless vacuums made even better by these sale prices.
Weber knocked hundreds off its high-end SmokeFire grills — both the EX6 and EX4 are $200 off, bringing them down to $999 and $799, respectively. These WiFi-connected grills are some of our favorites because they're relatively easy for even grilling novices to use and their companion mobile app gives you a number of convenient features like remote temperature adjustment and SmokeBoost activation.
Optoma's CinemaX P2 ultra-short throw projector is $300 off this weekend, bringing it down to a record low of $3,000. This made it onto our list of best projectors because it improves on the P1 while costing less. It can reach up to 3,000 lumens of brightness and it has an improved contrast ration and 80 percent DCI-P3 coverage. You'll get close to a 4K image with this machine, and it looks pretty nice too, so you can leave it out in your living room without drawing too much attention.
Roborock's S6 robot vacuum is down to a record low of $380 thanks to a $102 discount along with a clippable coupon for an extra $168 off. In addition to 2000Pa of suction, this vacuum supports multi-floor mapping, integrated mopping and app and voice control.
You can get up to 35 percent off AeroGarden gadgets when using the code LABORDAY at checkout through September 7. We've long been fans of the Harvest series, which lets you grow multiple herbs and plants indoors without any hassle.
Nanoleaf's Labor Day sale knocks $20 off its triangle LED light kit, bringing it down to $180. It's a cool way to spice up your home office or living room with funky lights and shapes, especially since you can arrange the pieces in any way and control the lights via a mobile app.
BioLite's Labor Day sale has begun and it knocks 20 percent off everything on the company's website. BioLite's gadgets, like the Headlamp 200, has made it into many of our guides in the past, and it's a good place to go when you need new gear for your backyard or for your next camping trip.
One of our recommended VPNs is running a decent sale on a two-year subscription. You can sign up for NordVPN for $99 for the first two years, which comes out to $49.50 per year, and get three additional months of access for free. We like NordVPN 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.
You can get 15 percent off site-wide at Satechi using the code LDW15 this weekend. We like the company's Bluetooth keyboards and mice, and it also has a wide array of other accessories including USB-C dongles, charging stations, phone and tablet stands and more.
Vantrue's 3-channel dash cam is down to $210 when you clip the on-page coupon and use the code DVVZGJWE at checkout. This is a high-end dash cam that includes a dual camera that records the road ahead as well as the interior of the car, and a separate rear camera for recording what's happening behind you. While that much coverage might be overkill for most, it ensures you'll capture footage at all angles if you're ever in an accident.
A decade ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find a laptop weighing less than three pounds with a profile slimmer than a paperback book. Now every manufacturer has at least one, making even some of the most jaded tech reviewers exclaim “how did they do this?”
But, even with the ubiquity of ultraportable laptops, some continue to stand out for their ability to balance sleek designs with powerful performance. As with any else, though, the best ultraportable laptops still demand some sacrifices. We’re here to help you decide which ones are worth making.
What to expect
The first thing to remember is that the term “ultraportable” is subjective. There aren’t any hard-and-fast rules governing the weight and thickness. We at Engadget define an ultraportable laptop as one that weighs less than three pounds and measures less than 0.75 inch thick at its widest point. Usually that means you’re talking about 13-inch and 14-inch laptops, though occasionally a 15-inch device hits the mark too.
Most ultraportables have high-end design touches like ultra-slim bezels, gem-cut edges, and premium materials because they tend to sit at the top of the line. Companies spend a lot of time and money engineering them to be as thin and light as possible without sacrificing too much on power and battery life. They tend to be made from metal, carbon fiber or a mix of the two, and their enclosures are usually just thick enough to include the latest Intel or Ryzen processors, large batteries and enough RAM and storage for most people’s needs.
Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
What you won’t find in most ultraportables are high-powered GPUs or loads of ports. Most have integrated graphics chips (think: Intel UHD) because anything more powerful would take up space and pose heat-management problems. When it comes to ports, the edges of these laptops simply don’t have a lot of free space. You’re almost guaranteed to get a couple Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C ports on the newest notebooks, but some have already abandoned the USB-A standard, which is a shame.
Also, due to the flagship caliber of most ultraportables, you can expect to pay top dollar for these. Most start at $1,000, gradually increasing in price as you bump up the specs. However, there are a few we’d recommend that often come in below the $1,000 mark, either thanks to slightly lower starting prices or frequent sales. We’ve included a “budget” pick in this guide, but just know that “budget” in this case doesn’t mean cheap; it means relatively affordable.
One other thing that’s important to consider is battery life. Manufacturers have gotten better at eking out more juice from their devices. We recommend buying one rated for at least eight to 10 hours.
You can take all of that advice and wade through the plethora of product pages on the Internet to find the best ultraportable laptop for you. But if you don’t have that kind of time or patience, we’ve compiled a list of the devices that we consider to be the best options available right now.
Engadget picks
Best overall: Dell XPS 13
Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
Dell didn’t overhaul the XPS 13 for 2021, because why fix what isn’t broken? Instead, the company brought in more optional add-ons so customers could make its flagship laptop as personalized as possible — as long as they have the cash to do so.
The XPS 13 has been one of our favorite laptops for years thanks to its slim, attractive design, powerful performance and solid battery life. In 2020, we saw Dell remove the excessive chin bezel below the screen, letting the 13.4-inch display extend from corner to corner. It now has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is better than before but not quite as good as a 3:2 ratio. We prefer taller screens because they reduce the amount of scrolling necessary to browse web pages and review documents comfortably. The XPS 13’s display continues to support HDR and Dolby Vision, so you’ll get top-notch video quality whenever you stream. New for 2021 is the optional 3,456 x 2,160 OLED display, which you can add to the XPS 13 for about $300 extra.
The XPS 13 remains just as thin and light as it has been for the past couple of years. It weighs only 2.64 pounds and measures just over a half-inch thick at its widest point. We also like its spacious trackpad and comfortable, scissor-switch keyboard. It may not be the flashiest ultraportable on our list, but honestly we kinda dig the XPS’ subtle design. It looks and feels like a flagship device, but it never feels ostentatious.
Those set on the XPS 13 in 2021 will find Tiger Lake processors powering the laptop, and the option to trick it out with up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. Notably, the base model includes 8GB of RAM much better than the 4GB minimum on past models. Four gigs is rarely enough for a daily driver (unless you’re looking at a Chromebook), and it’s reassuring to see Dell finally came around on that. If you’re going to upgrade anything when ordering directly from Dell, we recommend springing for the Core i5 processor instead of sticking with the base Core i3.
Apple continues to make the MacBook Air a compelling option for most people thanks to the M1 chipset in the latest model. And that’s really the star of the show here — the MacBook Air M1 is blazing fast, running native apps like Safari and GarageBand without breaking a sweat. The laptop wakes almost instantly when you open its lid, sites load swiftly and scrolling is seamless. And because M1 is ARM-based, you’ll be able to run iOS apps on the Air, too.
While the MacBook Air M1 looks familiar on the outside, a big difference under the hood is that there’s no fan. Although you sacrifice a bit in the way of heat management, it means the laptop runs more quietly than before. And just because its appearance hasn’t changed, doesn’t mean it looks dated. It still has an attractive 2.8-pound unibody enclosure, a gorgeous 13.3-inch Retina Display, a TouchID fingerprint sensor and a comfortable keyboard with springy buttons (no problematic butterfly keys to be found here).
Along with the M1 processor, the latest MacBook Air comes most readily with 8GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. If you order directly from Apple, you can increase the RAM to 16GB and get as much as 2TB of internal storage. A fully specced-out model will set you back $1,800, but most people will find that their needs are met by the 256GB base model.
The Spectre x360 13 is the culmination of years of improvements on HP’s part. It combines most of the things we’d want in a laptop, including a versatile convertible design. Old-school 2-in-1s had a tendency to be wobbly and unstable, but this is anything but. Its metallic hinges provide a sturdy structure for the machine when in laptop mode and spin smoothly whenever you need to work in tent or tablet mode.
The model we reviewed in 2019 had a 1080p touchscreen, but HP gives you the option to outfit the Spectre x360 13 with a 4K AMOLED panel — a good choice for creatives and streaming aficionados (just be prepared for shorter battery life). By no means is a 4K display necessary on a 13-inch machine, but companies have been adding them as options on flagships to satisfy all the display nerds out there. Regardless of the screen you choose, the laptop’s 90-percent screen-to-body ratio will provide an immersive experience when you’re watching movies on Netflix. The keyboard is also quite comfortable and we particularly like that HP made the buttons as large as possible, stretching them all the way to the edges of the chassis.
In addition, HP included an IR camera for Windows Hello, a Precision touchpad and a few more ports than you’d expect to see on an ultraportable of this size. Its edges hold two USB-C ports for charging and data, a USB-A port and a microSD slot. The machine’s 14.5-hour battery life makes it even more versatile, as it lasts an entire work or school day with juice left to spare.
The worst thing we can say about the Spectre x360 13 is that its webcam produces grainy video and HP includes a bit more bloatware than other OEMs. Also, the machine's jewelry-like design may not be to some shoppers’ tastes, but it’s not garish enough for us to knock it either. It also helps that the base model now includes an 11th-gen Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and an FHD touchscreen for just over $1,000. What’s more, HP is one of the few companies to include a stylus with its flagship convertible at no extra cost, meaning you can use it as a digital notebook straight out of the box.
In order to appeal to Gen-Z users, HP made its Pavilion Aero 13 laptop as thin and light as possible while keeping it at a relatively affordable price. Starting at $749, the laptop weighs only 2.2 pounds and takes some design notes from the company's Spectre and Elitebook lines. That makes it a pretty attractive machine, and that's not something we take for granted at this price range.
While its keyboard is not backlit by default, it is comfortable to type on even if the layout is slightly more cramped than usual thanks to the page up/down key column on the right side. You also get a big trackpad and a 13.3-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display on the base model, plus the option to upgrade to a 2,560 x 1,600 display if you like. We also appreciate the port variety on this machine: two USB-A ports, one HDMI connector, one USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio jack. HP has generally done a good job keeping as many connectors as possible on even its flagship laptops, and it's nice to see that its budget notebooks received the same treatment.
We reviewed the top-tier model that costs $999, but the base model isn't anything to scoff at. It includes a Ryzen 5 5600U processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is impressive when you consider other flagship laptops with similar RAM and storage amounts cost $250 more to start. While it does force some sacrifices, the Pavilion Aero 13 is not one to overlook if you want a good value laptop.
Apple's Mac Mini M1 is a good option for those eager to replace an aging desktop but also want to conserve space. We've seen the machine go on sale a number of times this year, and now it's back down to a record low of $600. Amazon has the Mac Mini M1 for $659 right now, but an automatically applied coupon for $59.01 will bring the final price down to just about $600.
We haven't tested the Mac Mini fully, but we have tested Apple's M1 laptops and we've been mostly impressed. Designs haven't changed much across the board with Apple's latest computers, so the M1 chipset really is the star of the show. Using an eight-core CPU and an eight-core GPU, it makes everything run more smoothly and quickly, and there's an additional 16-core Neural Engine that handles machine learning tasks. The base Mac Mini M1 includes 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, which should be just fine for most people, but keep in mind that neither RAM or storage are upgradeable.
All of the new stuff is inside the desktop, so the Mac Mini M1 will look very familiar to those that have used the machine before. It's a small box that will fit neatly in most desk setups, and it includes two Thunderbolt ports, two USB-A connectors, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Even at its normal price, the Mac Mini M1 is the cheapest device you can get with Apple's latest chipset, making it a cost-efficient option if you're itching to get a new desktop. However, there are rumors that Apple could debut a redesigned Mac Mini soon. However, there's no guarantee we'll hear about that if and when Apple announces the latest iPhones later this month.
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One of Samsung's latest ultra-short throw projectors has been discounted by $1,000 as part of a larger sale on Amazon. The Premiere Projector with a 4.2.2 channel sound system is down to $5,498 — yes that's still quite expensive even for a projector, but it's a much better buy now than at it's normal $6,500 price. We've only seen it cheaper in June during Prime Day when it was an additional $300 off. If you feel comfortable sacrificing on sound, the same model with a 2.2 channel system has dropped to $2,998. Samsung's matching both prices, so you could buy direct from the company if you prefer.
The Premiere made it onto our list of favorite projectors in a premium category, and it's worth the price if you want one of the best big-screen experiences available. It includes separate red, green and blue lasers so it can cover the full Rec.2020 color range, which is something even most high-end TVs cannot boast. This is as close as you'll get to a true 4K projector too, and it supports HDR10+ and up to 2,800 lumens of brightness.
That 4.2.2 surround sound system completes the package, allowing you to get close to a theatrical experience in your living room or backyard. We also like its relatively attractive and compact design — it looks nice enough to keep out in your home and, being an ultra-short throw machine, you can place it close to a wall and still get a crisp image.
The Premiere also has most smart features you'd expect a projector to have today, including virtual assistant support and streaming apps. Running on Samsung's Tizen operating system for smart TVs, you can ask Alexa, the Google Assistant or Bixby to do things for you as well as stream from services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and others. So while it's not cheap by any means even when on sale, the Premiere is an investment gadget that will provide an excellent entertainment experience for a long time.
If you missed the previous sale earlier this month, you have another chance to grab one of Amazon's Echo Show 5s for less. Both the first- and second-gen versions of the compact smart display are on sale right now, with the original Echo Show 5 going for $45 and the updated version, which came out earlier this year, only $10 more.
Unlike the new Echo Show 8, the Show 5s are designed to fit neatly on your nightstand and act as smart alarm clocks. Each have a 5.5-inch, 960 x 480 touchscreen that shows the time along with things like weather forecasts, news headlines and more. They are also capable of making video calls thanks to their built-in camera and mics, and if you have multiple Alexa devices in your home, the Show 5s can be part of your larger intercom system. And when you need more privacy, you can shutter the camera and flip a switch to turn off the microphone. The smaller display isn't ideal for streaming video, but you are able to do so if you wish, along with music, podcasts, audiobooks and more.
Both Show 5 models shine as smart alarm clocks thanks to their sunrise alarm feature, which slowly brightens the screen 15 minutes before you're supposed to wake up, and tap-to-snooze function. Both also have an ambient light sensor that adjusts the screen's brightness depending on the light in your environment, so you'll never get woken up in the middle of the night by an ultra-bright display.
When it comes to differences between the first- and second-gen devices, there aren't many. The new Echo Show 5 has a 2MP camera, better than the 1MP camera in the first-gen, and it comes in a blue color in addition to the standard black and white options. Only those who plan on using the Show 5 to make video calls and drop in on family members would get the most out of the second-gen model — but when you can grab the latest version for only $10 more than the previous, it's not such a hard sell anymore.
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Google's Nest Audio has been one of our favorite smart speakers since it came out almost a year ago. When compared to other $100 devices, it packs a lot of value and will be especially attractive for those who already use the Google Assistant a lot. But now you can grab the speaker for even less because Best Buy and B&H Photo have the Nest Audio for only $80. While we did see the speaker drop to $75 ahead of Amazon Prime Day back in June, this is the best price we've seen since then.
The Nest Audio is Google's answer to Amazon's Echo and Apple's HomePod mini and it holds its own against both of those devices. We like its attractive, minimalist design and you have five colors to choose from, so you'll likely find one that fits well with the rest of your home decor. It takes only a few minutes to set up the Nest Audio via the Google Home mobile app, and once that's set, you're able to ask the Google Assistant to play music from a bunch of sources like Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music and Pandora.
If the Nest Audio is your first smart speaker that costs more than $50, you'll immediately notice the difference in audio quality. It's leaps and bounds better as a music player than the Nest Mini or the Echo Dot, and it sounds even better if you have two Nest Audios playing in stereo mode. It even has Media EQ, which adapts the audio to better fit what you're listening to (like music vs. podcasts), and Ambient QI, which changes the Assistant's output so you can hear it better in louder environments.
And as with other assistant-toting devices, you'll be able to call upon the Google Assistant when you have a question that needs answering, when you want to know what the weather will be like tomorrow, when you want to turn on your smart lights and more. If you're an Android user or simply use a bunch of Google services every day, the Nest Audio is one of the best smart speakers you could add to your home that will make it easier for you to access your information at any time.
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Labor Day sales are starting to pop up across the internet as the holiday weekend gets nearer. Apple's MacBook Pro M1 remains $200 off at Amazon while a few models of the Apple Watch SE with GPS + Cellular are on sale as well. You can still grab the August WiFi smart lock for $179, a record low, at Wellbots with Engadget's exclusive discount code, and ThermoWorks' latest open-box sale brings the Thermapen Mk4 down to only $60. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Apple Watch SE
The 44mm, GPS + Cellular model of the Apple Watch SE is $59 off right now, bringing it down to $300. This is the smartwatch to get if you're new to the wearable space and have an iPhone. We gave the Watch SE a score of 88 for its solid performance, comfortable design and comprehensive feature set for the price.
Apple's MacBook Air M1 has fallen back down to its lowest price ever — only $850, or $150 off. Only the gold model is available right now, so if that color works for you, you can save a bunch on what we think is the best MacBook for most people right now. We gave the Air M1 a score of 94 for its excellent performance, fanless design and good battery life.
The MacBook Pro M1 is $200 off at Amazon thanks to a sale price and an automatically applied coupon on top of that. That means you can get the model with 256GB of storage for $1,099. We gave the Pro M1 a score of 84 for its powerful performance, solid keyboard and trackpad and healthy battery life.
A slew of Razer laptops and gaming gear is on sale at Amazon for today only. Of note is the Raze Blade 15 Advanced gaming laptop, which has a 10th-gen Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage and is down to a record-low of $1,700. Razer keyboards, headsets, mice and more have been discounted as well, so you can pick up a whole new machine or just a few peripherals for less.
August's 4th-generation WiFi smart lock is down to $179 at Wellbots when you use the code ENGADGET20 at checkout. This is the best price we've seen on the smart home gadget that impressed us with its simple setup, attractive design and good security measures. You can use it to remotely lock or unlock your door and, whenever you want to open it up the old-fashioned way, your normal key works with it.
ThermWorks' latest open-box sale is still live, so you can get things like the Thermapen Mk4, the 4-channel BBQ thermometer and the ThermoWorks Dot for much less. The Mk4, one of our favorite instant-read thermometers for cooking, is down to $60 while the Dot probe-style thermometer is on sale for $32. Just remember that these open-box items are a mix of cosmetic seconds, customer returns, sale demo items and more.
GOG.com is running a sale through September 9 on Myst Complete Collection, dropping it down to just under $60. If you were to pay for all of the games separately, it would set you back around $110.
In this Omaze giveaway you can win two seats on one of the first Virgin Galactic flights to space. In addition, you'll go on a tour of Spaceport America in New Mexico with Richard Branson. You don't have to pay to enter, but funds from all paid entries will support Space for Humanity, an organization that hopes to make space more accessible for all. The sweepstakes is open through September 1, so you still have some more time to enter.
Through September 18, Omaze is giving away another $20,000 to build your ultimate gaming PC. This sweepstakes is free to enter, but funds donated with purchased entries will benefit Schools on Wheels, an organization that provides free tutoring and mentoring services to children experiencing homelessness across Southern California.
Through December 8, you can enter to win four-day passes to San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Along with the passes, you'll get access to a special preview night, reserved seating in Hall H, a personal concierge, a private tour of the Comic-Con Museum, dinner in Balboa Park and tickets to the "Night at the Comic-Con Museum" event. It's free to enter, but funds from this sweepstakes will go to the San Diego Comic Convention.
The Jaybird Vista 2 earbuds are $20 off right now, bringing them down to $180. These true wireless earbuds are more durable than most with an IP68 water-, dust- and sweatproof design, plus they have active noise-cancellation and a 24-hour battery life when you include the extra juice provided by their charging case.
BioLite's Labor Day sale has begun and it knocks 20 percent off everything on the company's website. BioLite's gadgets, like the Headlamp 200, has made it into many of our guides in the past, and it's a good place to go when you need new gear for your backyard or for your next camping trip.
One of our recommended VPNs is running a decent sale on a two-year subscription. You can sign up for NordVPN for $99 for the first two years, which comes out to $49.50 per year, and get three additional months of access for free. We like NordVPN 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.
We rarely see the MacBook Air M1 drop below $900, but that's the case today on Amazon. Apple's thin-and-light laptop is on sale for $850 right now, or $150 off its normal price. The base model has been hovering at $900 on Amazon for the past few months, likely to stay competitive with Apple's education pricing during the back-to-school season, but this is the first time since a brief moment at the end of July that we've seen the Air M1 this low. At the time of writing this, only the gold model is in stock — both silver and space gray have sold out.
This is far and away the best Apple laptop for most people thanks to its slender body, lack of fan noise and killer performance. We gave it a score of 94 in part for those attributes, plus we also like its lovely Retina display, comfortable keyboard and trackpad and excellent 16-hour battery life.
The star of the show here is Apple's M1 chipset, which makes the Air run incredibly fast. The notebook wakes almost instantly when you open the lid, native apps run super smoothly and the machine as a whole is impressively responsive. You're also able to run iOS apps with the M1 chip, which is a fun feature to have. Graphics performance is noteworthy, too: MacBook Airs have not been gaming machines in the past, and we probably still wouldn't use it to run intense titles, but it performed well while playing Apple Arcade games and even Fortnite. And since the laptop doesn't have a fan inside, it'll be much quieter than most previous Apple laptops you may have had.
Our biggest complaints about the MacBook Air M1 are its paltry 720p webcam and its limit of two USB-C ports. While living the dongle life can get frustrating, it's a small price to pay for an otherwise stellar laptop that can handle most things you'll through at it.
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Amazon is ushering in the weekend with a one-day-only sale on a bunch of Razer laptops and gaming accessories. Everything from headsets to mice to microphones has been discounted, but the biggest savings you'll find are on some of the 2020 Razer Blade 15 laptops. Of note is the Raze Blade 15 Advanced gaming laptop with a 10th-gen Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which is down to a record-low of $1,700.
Those looking for slightly better graphics and more storage have another option. The Blade 15 Advanced with the same specs as listed above but with NVIDIA RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics and 1TB of storage has dropped down to $2,200, or $285 off its normal price. The 2020 Blade 17 Pro is also on sale: a model with a 10th-gen Core i7 processor, RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is $950 off, bringing it down to $2,250. If you're just looking to get your foot in the door with one of these gaming laptops, you can snag the Razer Blade 15 base with a Core i7 processor, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $1,048 (although we did it about $50 less on Prime Day back in June).
The Blade has been one of our favorite gaming notebooks for a while. It's on the pricier side, but it's worth it if you want a slick-looking laptop with a bunch of customization options when it comes to specs. And since it is on the higher end of the price spectrum, it's always better to wait for a sale like this so you can get the model you want while saving a bit of cash. Just keep in mind that these discounted models aren't the latest from Razer. The 2021 laptops came out recently, decked out with 11th-gen Intel processors, NVIDIA RTX 30-series graphics and QHD displays — along with steep price tags to match.
If you already have a solid gaming machine, there are a bunch of Razer peripherals on sale, too. The BlackWidow V3 mechanical keyboard is down to an all-time low of $90, and it has yellow switches, a a digital roller and media key, Chroma RGB lighting and an included wrist rest. Also discounted are the Kraken headset, which is down to $50, and the DeathAdder Essential wired mouse, which you can grab for only $20.
