Given all the talk of supply chain issues this year, it's no surprise that we're starting to see early Black Friday sales hit the internet before November 1. Best Buy announced last week that it's first early Black Friday event would begin today, and as promised, the company has discounted hundreds of gadgets from headphones to robot vacuums to electric scooters.

Best Buy is also has a "Black Friday Price Guarantee" on these deals, which means that you shouldn't see these gadgets go on sale for less at Best Buy before Black Friday proper comes around. And if they do, you can get the difference reimbursed to you if you're a My Best Buy or Best Buy Totaltech member (the former is free to sign up for, so it's worthwhile to make an account).

We sifted through this first round of early Black Friday deals and picked out the ones that are worth your money. Also, some of the sale prices are being matched on Amazon — we've made note of which those are below so you can decide where you want to shop.

Sony WH-1000XM4

Engadget

Our favorite pair of Sony headphones, the WH-1000XM4, are down to a record low of $248 right now. We gave these cans a score of 94 for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.

Sony WF-1000XM3

Billy Steele/Engadget

The Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds are down to $128, or more than $70 off their usual price. We gave these buds a score of 89 for their excellent sound quality, great battery life and comprehensive companion app.

iRobot Roomba i7+

Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

The high-end Roomba i7+ is down to $549, or $250 off its normal price. It earned a score of 87 from us for its solid cleaning performance, handy room mapping and automatic emptying into the included clean base.

Google Nest Mini

Google

Google's second-generation Nest Mini smart speaker is half off, bringing it down to $25. This model has improved Google Assistant performance, better sound, and a charming minimalist design that should fit into any room.

55-inch LG G1 Series OLED evo 4K smart TV

LG

This sale knocks $300 off the 55-inch LG G1 OLED smart TV, bringing it down to $1,700. This is one of LG's newest OLED sets, featuring brighter, punchier images, the α9 Gen4 AI Processor 4K, G-SYNC and FreeSync compatibility and support for Google Assistant and Alexa voice commands.

55-inch Samsung The Frame LED 4K smart TV

Samsung

The 55-inch The Frame smart TV from Samsung is $500 off, knocking it down to $1,000. This is best for those that don't want a black rectangle messing up the vibe of their living room. The Frame supports Art Mode, which lets you display artwork on the TV when you're not using it. It also supports Quantum Dot technology and 4K AI upscaling.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go

Engadget

The Surface Laptop Go is $200 off right now, bringing it down to $700. This model has a 10th-generation Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a 12.4-inch 1,536 x 1024 resolution touchscreen.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

The Surface Laptop 4 is down to $1,150, or $150 off its normal price. This is the latest model of the laptop that earned a score of 87 from us for its speedy performance, excellent battery life and great keyboard.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

David Imel for Engadget

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable smartphone is on sale for $850, or $150 off its normal price. This is the best and most practical version of a Samsung foldable yet, and we gave it a score of 82 for its impressive screen, attractive build and water resistance design.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

Billy Steele / Engadget

Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro are down to $150 in this sale, which is close to a record low. We gave these buds a score of 85 for their comfortable fit, good sound quality and wireless charging capabilities.

SanDisk microSDXC card for Nintendo Switch (400GB)

SanDisk

Best Buy knocked a whopping $115 off this 400GB microSD card for the Nintendo Switch, bringing it down to $65. It supports read speeds up to 100MB/s and write speeds up to 90MB/s, and 400GB should be plenty for those just starting to build up their game library.

Jabra Elite 75t

Billy Steele / Engadget

The Jabra Elite 75t earbuds are on sale for $80 right now. While these have been replaced by the newer 85ts, these are still great earbuds that earned a score of 87 from us for their solid audio quality, small and comfortable design and long battery life.

Blue Yeti USB mic

Blue

The Blue Yeti USB mic is down to $100 right now, while the more compact Nano is on sale for $80. The standard mic provides professional quality sound for streaming, podcasting and the like, and it includes onboard controls for headphone volume, mute, pattern selection and microphone gain. The Yeti Nano supports 24-bit sound, no-latency headphone output and takes up less space with its smaller design.

Philips Hue White & Color starter pack

Philips

This white and color Philips Hue starter pack is on sale for $140, which is $50 off its normal price. It's a good set to get for yourself or someone you know who's interested in setting up a smart home but don't know where to begin. It includes three bulbs that support multiple colors, a bridge to connect them all and a dimmer switch.

Joby GorillaPod 3K kit

Joby

This Joby GorillaPod kit is half off, knocking the final price down to only $40. This flexible tripod stand is really handy for photographers and videographers, but it's also a great way for anyone to more easily take a selfie or a family photo. It can support smartphones and cameras up to 6.6 pounds and the legs can wrap around a bunch of objects, making it easier for you to get the perfect angle.

Dell G15 gaming laptop

Dell

Dell's already affordable G15 gaming laptop is $270 cheaper in this sale, bringing it down to $900. This model runs on an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 15.6-inch FHD display.

Samsung The Premiere 4K projector

Samsung

Best Buy knocked $1,000 off the Samsung Premiere 4K projector, bringing it down to $2,500. This ultra short throw projector supports 2,200 lumens of brightness, a 2.2 channel sound system along with Bixby, Alexa and Google Assistant voice controls.

Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight bundle

Arlo

A four-pack of Arlo Pro Spotlight cameras is on sale for $400 right now, or $200 off its normal price. This pack doesn't just include the cameras either — you're getting four rechargeable batteries, a charging station, three anti-theft mounts and a security yard sign on top of that. We found these cameras to be relatively easy to set up and we like their reliable alerts and HomeKit support.

Razer Huntsman Elite keyboard

Razer

Razer's Huntsman Elite mechanical keyboard is down to $130, which is $70 off its normal price. In addition to the company's optical switches and RGB lighting, this keyboard has multimedia controls and a multi-function dial that you can program how you'd like.

Segway Ninebot ES2-N electric scooter

Segway

Best Buy slashed $250 off the Ninebot ES2-N electric scooter, bringing it down to $400. This foldable scooter uses 700W of power to reach a max speed of 15.5mph, and its non-pneumatic tires keep you stable even on rough terrain. It also has a built-in headlight for safer riding in the evening and an LED display that shows speed and battery level.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Did Apple just make its Macbook Pros interesting again? As expected, its high-end laptops were the star of its Unleashed event yesterday and are the first machines powered by Apple’s new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. (The company is borrowing iPhone nomenclature, it seems.)

It’s been hard for me to get too excited about the MacBook Pro’s slow, cautious evolution over the last few years. The OLED Touch Bar was a misstep, nixing function keys for a light-up bar with customizable touch panels. There were fewer ports than older models, including the SD card slot. This added another dongle to my bag, alongside a USB-C converter for any devices that hadn’t caught up with the MacBook’s own USB-C ports — which were few and far between. And don’t get me started on the "butterfly" style keyboard that appeared in 2015.

Apple

The 2021 MacBook Pro literally brushes away most of my problems. Yes, there’s an SD card reader, more ports, no more Touch Bar to accidentally hit and close internet tabs, more ports and a blast from the past.

Yep, MagSafe is back. While the term returned on recent iPhones, it’s been years since Apple offered the magnetic cable safety feature on its computers. It’s different from the old connector, and, in worst case scenarios, you can still charge through USB-C.

The screens have been expanded, featuring micro-LED display tech first used on iPad Pro and also marking the first appearance of a notch on MacBooks. Long live the notch!

These machines are for power users — and Apple is seriously talking up the capabilities of its new chips, more on that below. But that’s not what intrigues me. It’s the fact that Apple is walking back some of its pretty major missteps in recent MacBook Pro history and making it more usable in the process, tempting me to buy myself a new MacBook for the first time in a decade.

The 14-inch base model and 16-inch base model are set to start at $1,999 and $2,499 respectively. You can pre-order both today, with machines arriving on October 26th. Expect our reviews of both the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros very soon — I should start saving.

— Mat Smith

All the big Apple news you might have missed 

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The M1 Pro and M1 Max are Apple's high-end Mac chips

Finally, pro chips for the MacBook Pro.

It's been almost a year since Apple unveiled its first custom chip for Macs, the ARM-based M1. As we saw in our review of the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and colorful iMac, the M1 was a marvel, if not quite the pro-level of power many might have been expecting.

With the M1 Pro and M1 Max, the two chips underpinning the company's new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, it’s making a renewed pitch for power users. Both chips have 5nm 10-core processors, with eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency units. Apple says the chips offer up to 1.7X faster performance than competing eight-core PC chips, which makes them particularly compelling for people doing heavy-duty 3D and video rendering.

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Disney delays all of Marvel’s 2022 films

At least three major movies will all hit Disney+ later as a result.

Disney has shaken up its movie release calendar, with several Marvel Cinematic Universe flicks delayed. The revamped schedule, which Variety reports is due to a production-related snowball effect. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was penciled in for March 25th, but now it's taking Thor: Love and Thunder's old date of May 6th. The next Thor movie will arrive on July 8th, in turn pushing back Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to November 11th.

The schedule shifts mean there will only be three Marvel movies next year instead of the planned four.

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Apple's redesigned AirPods bring Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ for $179

The entry-level AirPods finally get an updated design and new features.

Apple

Alongside all the Mac Stuff, Apple debuted the third-iteration AirPods with an updated design, Spatial Audio, Adaptive EQ and one-touch setup. Apple says the newest AirPods are safe for workouts thanks to IPX4 sweat and water resistance. Hands-free Siri is back, while a skin sensor detects when you're wearing the earbuds, automatically pausing when one is removed. 

As for battery life, you can expect up to six hours of listening and 30 hours of total usage with the charging case. The third-generation AirPods are up for pre-order today for $179 and will begin shipping on October 26th.

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'Squid Game' documents may show how Netflix rates the success of its content

The show reportedly created $891 million in 'impact value.'

Netflix has always closely guarded the exact streaming metrics that may reveal why programs are considered a success... or cancelled. That black box has cracked open a bit with documents obtained by Bloomberg detailing the company's scores for "impact value" and "efficiency." One example was Squid Game, which generated $891.1 million in impact value on a budget of just $21.4 million. Other figures showed that around 132 million people watched at least two minutes of Squid Game in the first 23 days, beating a record set by Bridgerton.

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Fisher-Price launches a working Chatter telephone for adults

Pick up the phone.

Fisher Price

Fisher-Price has made a special edition of the iconic Chatter telephone for its 60th anniversary — one that's fully functional and can make and receive calls.

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PS5 overtook Switch as the best-selling console in the US last month

A Sony system claims the top spot for the first time since November 2018.

For the first time in nearly three years, the Nintendo Switch wasn’t the best-selling console in the US. In September, that distinction went to Sony’s PlayStation 5 instead. According to NPD’s Mat Piscatella, the PS5 outsold Nintendo’s portable last month both in unit volume and dollar amount, thereby ending the Switch’s impressive 33-month streak as the best-selling console in the US.

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AMD Radeon RX 6600 review: The opposite of future-proof

Engadget Deals: Sony's impressive WH-1000XM4s fall back to an all-time low of $248

Foxconn unveils three new EV prototypes

Unannounced Beats Fit Pro earbuds leak in iOS 15.1

Sinclair Broadcast Group says it has been hit by a ransomware attack

Zoox has been testing its Level-3 (L3) autonomous vehicles in Las Vegas and the Bay Area for four years, way before Amazon acquired the self-driving company in 2020. But to be able to train its technology further, it has to hold trials in other locations with different environmental conditions — like Seattle. Zoox has announced that it will soon start testing its L3 vehicles in the city to collect data and trial new hardware in the face of frequent rains. 

"It rains more frequently in Seattle than it does in San Francisco," the company said in its announcement. Zoox built special hardware into its sensors to give its vehicles the capability to automatically remove water and debris when needed. The Seattle trial will help it validate whether its system and new hardware will work as intended. At the beginning of its trial, the company will deploy a small fleet of L3 vehicles to assess the demands of the Seattle area, including its narrow tunnels and one-way roads, before expanding its tests.

Zoox introduced a fully autonomous robotaxi last year, which is a tiny four-wheeled bi-directional vehicle without a steering wheel. Its existing L3 vehicles, however, are Toyota Highlanders outfitted with Zoox's sensors and powered by its autonomous driving software with a human driver behind the wheel. That said, all its vehicles will use the same sensor architecture, so any data the L3 vehicles collect will also benefit its Level-5 robotaxis. 

Ahead of Steam Deck’s December release, Valve has detailed the compatibility program it will use to let people know if they can play their games on the portable PC. Dubbed Deck Verified, the system groups games into four categories: “Verified,” “Playable,” “Unsupported” and “Unkown.”

If you see a game with the first badge, it means it will work great out of the box. Of the playable category, Valve says you may need to do some tweaking. For example, in a title like Team Fortress 2, you might have to download a community controller configuration before you can use the Steam Deck’s thumbsticks and face buttons to play the game. Valve lists Half-Life: Alyx as an example of an experience that you won’t be able to play on Steam Deck, suggesting the unsupported category will be mostly occupied by VR titles. Lastly, an unknown tag means the company hasn’t had a chance to test that game for compatibility yet.

Valve

To earn verified status, a game must meet four criteria. First, it should include full controller support, and the onscreen keyboard should appear when needed. Second, you shouldn’t see any compatibility warnings. The game should also support the Steam Deck’s native 1,280 by 800 resolution, and text should be easily readable. Lastly, if the title is playable through Proton, everything, including any anti-cheat software, should work through the compatibility layer.

To make things easy, you’ll see the badges appear both in your Steam library and the store. Moreover, each time you go to buy a game, you’ll see a full compatibility report that lists any issues to expect when playing it. Valve says it’s also working on a system that will allow you to see what compatibility category each game in your library falls under before Steam Deck is available in December. 

If nothing else, the system should make it easier to decide if it makes sense to buy a Steam Deck. The last thing anyone wants is to spend $400 on a new gadget and not be able to play their favorite games.  

Even more so than the Z Fold 3, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G is a foldable that could be your daily driver if you can deal with a few compromises. It's arguably the best and most practical version of a Samsung foldable yet, and now it's been discounted by $150 on Amazon as part of the deals-focused event dubbed Samsung Week. That brings the final price down to $850, which is a record low.

We gave the Z Flip 3 a score of 82 in part because Samsung fixed a few things about its predecessor with this smartphone. First off, it seems to be more durable than the last — it doesn't scratch as easily and now is IPX8 water resistant. The main 6.7-inch AMOLED display runs at a 2,640 x 1,080 resolution and supports 120Hz refresh rates. Yes, you will notice its crease, but it doesn't hinder readability — you'll notice is more so because you're probably not used to a screen that folds in this way. When closed, you can use the 1.9-inch external screen to get small bits of information like the weather and calendar events, as well as quickly access features like Samsung Pay and media controls.

The new Flex Mode kicks in when you half-fold the device, and it'll split the screen in half when in certain apps. When watching a YouTube video, for example, the video player will be on the top half of the screen while the video's details and comments section will be on the bottom. It's a clever way to ensure that the entirety of the main screen is useful even when the device is partially folded, although we'd like to see a greater variety of apps support Flex Mode sooner rather than later.

The Z Flip 3 runs on a Snapdragon 888 processor and 8GB of RAM, and it has a dual camera setup on the back along with a 10-megapixel selfie camera. The two 12MP rear cameras took colorful, detailed shots, and even nighttime photos looks very similar to those taken by competing phones from Apple and Google.

The biggest sacrifices you'll have to make with the Z Flip 3 are in durability and battery life. The former is a bit of a toss up — we only used the Z Flip 3 for a short period of time when we reviewed it, so it's unclear how well its foldable screen will hold up after months and years of use. As for battery life, it will depend on how much you use the external display. The Z Flip 3 lasted more than a day in our testing, but that figure dropped to around 11.5 hours when the external display was in always-on mode. If those sound like acceptable trade-offs to you, Amazon's sale on the Z Flip 3 is the best way we've seen so far to get the foldable at a more affordable price.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

If you're on the market for a new TV, it's not too early to check out the sales already available online ahead of Black Friday next month. We'll only see more pop up as the day gets closer, but those who want to jump on an opportunity now need look no further than Amazon's one-day Sony sale. The online retailer has discounted a bunch of Sony tech today — including some of our favorite headphones — and a couple of Sony 4K smart TVs are on sale, too. Key among them are the 65-inch Sony A9G Master Series Bravia OLED smart TV, which is 43 percent off and down to a record low of $1,700. Sony's X950H LED 4K smart TVs are also up to 25 percent off, so you can get one for as low as $950.

While the Bravia set is from 2019, it remains a solid OLED TV with a lot of high-end perks. First and foremost, you're getting all of the benefits of OLED, which means better colors, great contrast and deep blacks. It plays 4K HDR content, supports Dolby Vision and it includes the company's Acoustic Surface Audio+ speaker built-in, giving you more immersive sound quality. The set runs on Android TV, which means you can call upon the Google Assistant to play content and otherwise control the system — but it also supports Alexa voice commands too, if you prefer to use that. On top of all that, it has a dedicated Game Mode for smoother gaming sessions and it supports AirPlay 2 and HomeKit.

Those not set on OLED for their next TV should consider the 2020 Sony X950H sets on sale — the 55-inch model is down to $950 while the 65-inch set is on sale for $1,200. While the picture quality won't be the same as the OLED set, these TVs do have local dimming LED backlighting as well as many of the advanced features present in the A9G. You'll get the Android TV operating system, Google Assistant and Alexa support, Game Mode, plus AirPlay 2 and HomeKit compatibility.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

As November inches closer, we're starting to see even more early Black Friday deals on gadgets crop up across the web. Roku products are the latest to be discounted: the Roku Streambar is down to $100 at both Amazon and Best Buy, and both retailers also have the Roku Ultra for only $69. Those are all-time low prices that are worth jumping on if you have streaming devices on your gift list this year.

The Roku Streambar would make a great gift for anyone who wants to up their living-room sound game. The compact soundbar will blow most built-in TV speakers out of the water, and it supports Dolby Audio, too. It also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, so you could use it to pump out tunes during your next gathering.

While you could just use the Streambar for its sound chops, it also includes the same streaming tech as the Roku Ultra. That means it plays 4K HDR content, gives you access to all major streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video and others, and it comes with Roku's voice remote. Whether you're eyeing the Streambar for someone on your list or for yourself, it's a solid, affordable way to upgrade your home theater system.

For those that already have a capable soundbar, the Roku Ultra focuses on the streaming aspect of things by playing 4K HDR10+ content along with Dolby Vision content. It has the best WiFi capabilities of any Roku streaming device and it has an Ethernet port so you can hardwire it into your setup if you wish. Its voice remote also supports private listening if you connect a pair of headphones as well. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Ikea may soon release a new Bluetooth "Vappeby" speaker with a couple of interesting twists, according to an FCC filing spotted by The Verge. It also functions as a lamp, for one thing, with an integrated 2700K bulb. More interestingly, it could be the first Bluetooth speaker with a Spotify Tap button that lets you quickly resume your music from where you last left off. 

Ikea

Spotify Tap launched last month and is available on Bluetooth headphones from "Samsung, Microsoft Surface, Bose, Skullcandy, and Jabra, with even more brands coming later this year and in 2022," Spotify said. However, it doesn't appear to have appeared in any Bluetooth speakers yet. 

Ikea already has a range of Vappeby Bluetooth speakers ranging from $25 to $90 (known as Eneby in the US), but they're box-shaped models and none double as lamps. With an IP65 dust, rain and low-pressure water rating, the new model looks to be designed for outdoor use at barbecues, parties, etc. There's no pricing as it's not yet official from Ikea, but an FCC clearance means it could hit stores soon. 

Apple’s second fall product event kicks off later today at 1 PM ET. We’ve laid out what to expect, but it’s not the only big tech event week. Spare a thought for some of our staff, who will go straight from Apple reportage into Google.

Yep, Tuesday October 19th is Google’s Pixel 6 event. While we know what the phone will look like — and some of its specifications — expect to see some software surprises. We’ve pulled together everything we know into an event preview story right here.

The biggest question remains: How much will the new Pixel 6 cost? Will it be a humbly priced (and specced) device, like the Pixel 5, or something to challenge iPhones and Galaxy devices?

— Mat Smith

Russian crew returns from shooting the first feature film on the ISS

You'll have to wait a while for the movie.

Shooting for the first feature-length movie in space has wrapped. Russian actress Yulia Pereslid, producer Klim Shipenko and cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy have returned to Earth after the first two spent 12 days filming their movie The Challenge aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov were originally slated to return aboard the Soyuz capsule, but they’ve both had their stays extended by six months to accommodate the film producers. Vande Hei will set a record for the longest spaceflight by a US astronaut as a result, spending exactly one year in orbit. 

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2021 Security Outcomes Study for Small Businesses

McDonald's will trial its plant-based burger in the US on November 3rd

It's a small test run for the McPlant.

McDonald's

You may soon be able to try McDonald's plant-based burgers. The fast-food chain will offer the McPlant at eight restaurants across the US, starting on November 3rd. It's a limited-time trial run for the burger, and it's supposed to help the company figure out how offering the item will impact kitchen operations. It’s worth noting that because it’s cooked on the same grill as meat and egg products, it's not classified as vegan.

McDonald's didn't mention the exact store locations of the stores trialing the McPlant, but it said they’re in Irving and Carrollton, Texas; Cedar Falls, Iowa; Jennings and Lake Charles, Louisiana and El Segundo and Manhattan Beach, California.

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Analogue Pocket still isn’t here, but it might be the 'definitive' platform for retro games

The company is sharing details about its OS.

Analogue's Pocket handheld won't arrive until late this year, but the company has detailed AnalogueOS, the platform both Pocket and future Analogue devices will run on, pitching as the "definitive" OS for retro games.

Rather than simply play cartridge games, the Pocket and future hardware will tap a library of all the useful data surrounding a game, ranging from box art and publisher data to guides.

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UK schools will use facial recognition to speed up lunch payments

Trading privacy for faster lunch service?

The Financial Times reports nine schools in the UK will start taking payments for school lunches by scanning students' faces. The technology should help minimize touch during the pandemic but is mainly meant to speed up transaction times.

CRB Cunningham, the company behind the tech, as well as the schools, argue the systems would address privacy and security concerns. The company said its hardware wasn't using live facial recognition (actively scanning crowds) and was checking against encrypted faceprint templates — though I’m not sure that addresses the concerns.

The schools were already using fingerprint readers, too, so this was more of a shift in biometric technology than a brand new layer of security.

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Apple's new MacBook Pro chips may be called the M1 Pro and M1 Max

Not long until we find out.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes the chips for the widely expected 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models have surfaced in developer app logs under the names "M1 Pro" and "M1 Max." It's not certain Apple will use these names for its high-end silicon, but they suggest Apple won't go with M1X. Earlier rumors hinted at two processors destined for the new MacBook Pros. For everything we’re expecting from Apple’s big event, check out our preview story.

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You can actually pre-order the Xbox Series X Mini Fridge

The $100 appliance will ship in December.

Microsoft

Microsoft will start shipping its Xbox Series X Mini Fridge in time for the holidays. The company said the fridge costs $100 and pre-orders start on October 19th. It will ship in December.

The mini-fridge has its roots in an image Xbox tweeted to show the scale of the Xbox Series X versus a full-sized fridge. Microsoft actually made a six-foot fridge last year to promote the launch of the console, but this one’s a little more manageable.

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The biggest news stories you might have missed

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Engadget Deals: Jabra's wireless earbuds are up to 40 percent off at Amazon for today only

Dbrand stops selling PS5 faceplates after Sony issues legal threats

FIFA isn't thrilled with EA's dominance of soccer games

'Suicide Squad' game trailer shows why you'll take down the Justice League

Sony's WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones received one of Engadget's highest review scores ever thanks to the immersive sound quality, powerful ANC and other features. If the $350 price has given you pause, however, Amazon is now offering them for $248 ($102 off) in black, blue and silver — matching the best price we've seen yet on that model.  

The WH-1000XM4s deliver great sound quality with punchy bass, along with ANC that blocks out more noise than rivals across the entire frequency curve. They also offer multi-device connectivity and Speak-to-Chat, which automatically pauses audio when you talk. An update earlier this year brought support for Sony's 360 Reality Audio that offers a similar surround-sound experience to Dolby Atmos. You'll get around 30 hours on a charge and you can eke another five hours from a quick 10-minute charge.

If $248 is still a bit much, Amazon has an even better deal on Sony's budget WH-CH710N model. They're now available for $78 in black or blue (57 percent off the regular $180 price), again tying the best deal we've seen on Amazon. 

These models don't offer the same sound quality and level of noise cancellation as the WH-1000XM4s, of course. However, they made our 2021 top headphone list under the "best budget" category thanks to decent audio range and good clarity. Thanks to the dual noise sensor technology, they also offer enough sound-blocking power to reduce distractions. Other features include an ambient-sound option so you can keep tabs on what's going on around you, plus 35 hours of battery life, a quick charge feature and onboard controls.