Every spring, a new class of graduates is unleashed on the world, many of them carrying gadgets that have been put through the ringer over the years. Graduation is traditionally a big time for gift-giving — so if you know someone who is heading out into the real world who could use an upgrade after four (or more!) long years of higher education, here’s a host of options that’ll be a serious improvement over their trusted but beat-up tech.

Laptops

Apple

As useful as tablets and smartphones are, nothing beats a traditional laptop when you really want to get things done. It’s also a very personal purchase, so you’ll want to know if the recipient prefers Windows, Mac or Chrome OS before you pull the trigger. But once you have that settled, these laptops are some of the best and most well-rounded options on the market. Unless the person you’re shopping for has some very specific needs, one of these machines will probably fit the bill.

For years, we’ve considered Dell’s XPS 13 to be the best overall Windows laptop, and that hasn’t changed. At this point, Dell has almost perfected its industrial design: it’s thin and light, but not at the expense of power or battery life. The keyboard and display are excellent, and you can get impressive specs without breaking the bank.

If you want to gift your grad something that’ll last for years, we recommend the configuration with Intel’s 11th-generation Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. That also includes a UHD+ resolution touchscreen, which works out to 3,840 x 2,400. Right now, that version sells for $1,469.99 direct from Dell.

For someone who’s a gamer, though, we recommend going in a different direction. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is an excellent laptop that combines relative portability (3.75 pounds and a 14-inch screen) with serious power. In our review we said that the laptop was incredibly compelling, even if it’s more expensive than it used to be. It has a powerful AMD processor and graphics card coupled with a great display, comfortable keyboard, spacious trackpad and solid design. It’s not a champ on battery life, but we got seven hours of non-gaming use out of it – pretty decent considering the specs.

As is usually the case with ASUS products, you can get the Zephyrus G14 in a wide variety of configurations, but one we’d recommend comes from Best Buy. The $1,649.99 model includes an AMD Ryzen 9 6000 Series processor, 16GB of RAM, an AMD Radeon RX 6700S graphics card, 1TB of storage, and a 14-inch 2,560 x 1,400 display with a 120Hz refresh rate. That’ll be plenty to handle modern gaming as well as all the “real life” tasks that come with being out of school.

For people who prefer a Mac, the MacBook Air is usually our go-to recommendation, but not this year. While there’s nothing wrong with the current Air, Apple hasn’t updated it in more than 18 months – if you buy one now, it’ll likely be replaced with something better soon. With that in mind, a great upgrade pick for a Mac user is the 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple completely redesigned the MacBook Pro last fall, adding back crucial ports like the HDMI slot and SD card reader. The company also removed the Touch Bar and put in a full-size function key row with Touch ID. There’s a lot more worth talking about than just what Apple fixed compared to the previous MacBook Pro, though.

The new model has an outstanding 14-inch mini-LED display (as long as you can get past the camera notch), a 1080p webcam, a great keyboard and trackpad and powerful internals that should make the MacBook Pro capable for years to come. Most people will probably be set with the $1999 configuration, which includes Apple’s M1 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage space. Apple’s custom silicon has been extremely impressive, boasting both extreme speed and efficiency that lets you use this laptop away from a charger longer than almost any other computer on the market.

Given how dominant a force Chromebooks are in education, it’s entirely possible that someone just finishing school might want to continue using Chrome OS. Fortunately, there are lots of premium Chromebooks that are well-designed and capable enough to last for years. One of our favorites is Acer’s Chromebook Spin 713. It has a screen with a taller 3:2 aspect ratio, which means you’ll see more of a webpage or document you’re working on without having to scroll. Add in a solid keyboard and trackpad, as well as powerful hardware (Intel’s 11-generation Core i5 processor) and you have a Chromebook that doesn’t offer many compromises. The battery life could be longer, but that’s the only major knock against it.

Tablets

Samsung

When thinking about tablets, put aside the question of whether or not they can replace laptops, and focus on what they do best. They can be a great option for getting work done, engaging your creative side with art and music-making apps or just enjoying movies and games. For the vast majority of people, Apple’s iPad is the only tablet worth considering, even if they don’t otherwise use Apple products. That’s thanks to time-tested, reliable hardware and a massive software library with hundreds of thousands of apps optimized for the iPad’s larger screen.

As for which iPad is the best, the iPad Air is probably the right choice for most – especially if you’re looking for a good graduation gift. While the basic iPad is a great value, you get a lot when you step up to the Air. Perhaps most importantly, the Air has Apple’s M1 chip, the same one that’s in the iPad Pro and numerous Macs. This means the Air is extremely fast and one of the more future-proof products Apple makes.

The rest of the iPad Air’s hardware is also impressive for the price. It has a large 10.9-inch screen with thin bezels and an anti-reflective coating; the display is also laminated directly to the glass, so there’s no distracting gap beneath the surface. The Air also includes 64GB or 256GB of storage, 10 hours of battery life, support for the second-generation Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard and an improved 12-megapixel front-facing camera. For $599, you’re getting almost everything that the iPad Pro offers without spending over $800.

However, if you’re shopping for an Android diehard, Samsung’s $700 Galaxy Tab S8 is an excellent choice. It features a high-resolution 11-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, and has an S-Pen stylus included in the box. And while Android historically hasn’t been the best option for large-screen devices, Samsung’s Dex feature switches things up into a more desktop-like multi-window mode, which can be great for productivity. Samsung’s built-in apps that take advantage of the S-Pen are solid as well. You might have a hard time finding apps that are designed for the Tab S8’s larger screen, but if you’re buying this for someone familiar with Android, they’ll likely be aware of the trade-offs.

Smartphones

Google

As useful as a laptop or tablet can be, chances are good that the most important computer most people own is their smartphone. And if you know someone who is still rocking the same device they brought to campus with them four years ago, they’ll definitely appreciate an upgrade. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to pick out a phone that’ll satisfy just about anyone, regardless of whether they prefer Android or iPhone.

This year, we’re recommending the iPhone 13 Pro. While the standard iPhone 13 is an excellent device, the Pro model includes more meaningful upgrades than in years past. Perhaps most importantly, the battery life is noticeably better. The Pro’s display has a 120Hz refresh rate, the first iPhone with this feature. Its three-lens camera system offers more flexibility than the two-lens setup on the iPhone 13 – plus it has the new macro-mode shooting, which lets you get as close as 2cm to your subject.

All the other iPhone niceties are here, including Apple’s newest and fastest mobile processor (the A15 Bionic), an excellent OLED display, 5G, 128GB of storage (at least) and all the features of iOS 15. It’s not a cheap phone at $999, but its extremely fast processor and Apple’s track record of delivering software support for years means this investment should last a long time.

If you know much about Android phones, you won’t be surprised that we’re recommending the Samsung Galaxy S22+. Samsung has been the most popular Android phone manufacturer for years, and phones like the $1,000 S22+ show why. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip provides more power than you’ll need, battery life is excellent (and fast charging means you can quickly top off if needed), the 6.6-inch display is a standout and the cameras are among the best you can find on a smartphone (low-light performance got a nice upgrade this year). Given how thoroughly Samsung dominates the Android space, this isn’t a surprising recommendation, but it will make most Android fans happy.

However, Google’s Pixel 6 Pro is also worth considering. The $899 phone is easily the most interesting Pixel device Google has made in years, with the company’s own custom Tensor processor powering the whole affair. Performance and battery life are both outstanding; it’s impressive how Google nailed these aspects on the first try with its own custom chip. As with several past Pixel phones, the Pixel 6 Pro has about the best camera you can get in the Android world, and the fact that this phone is built by Google means it’ll get software updates before any other Android phone on the market.

Both of these phones are big (the Pixel 6 Pro’s screen is 6.7 inches while the S22+ has a 6.6-inch display), but the good news is that both Google and Samsung offer smaller-screened devices that keep most of the same features and specs as their larger siblings. You’ll save some cash with a smaller-screened device, too.

Headphones

Sony

Almost anyone would benefit from a good pair of noise-canceling headphones, and once again we’re recommending Sony’s WH-1000XM4 as the best over-ear option on the market. At $350, they’re not cheap, but they offer a combination of incredible sound, refined design and excellent noise-canceling that is hard to beat. This latest model also has a number of smart software features like wear detection, which pauses playback when you take the headphones off. They can also connect to two devices simultaneously, a big missing feature from earlier models. They even fit better and more comfortably than ever.

Of course, not everyone wants to wear large, over-ear headphones when they’re out and about. That’s where Jabra’s Elite 7 Pro comes in. These noise-canceling earbuds are the successor to the flagship Jabra Elite 85t we recommended last year. And while we haven’t reviewed the Elite 7 Pro, Jabra’s track record makes us comfortable recommending these. They have a number of improvements over the Elite 85t, including nine hours of battery life with ANC activated, a major improvement over the 5.5 hours the Elite 85t were rated for. The Elite 7 Pro buds are also smaller than Jabra’s Elite 75t, which were previously the smallest buds the company made. Smaller earbuds are typically more comfortable to wear, and it’s impressive that Jabra managed to shrink the size and promise improved battery life.

If you’re buying earbuds for an Apple user, though, consider the Beats Fit Pro. They offer many of the same benefits as the AirPods Pro for $50 less. These features include one-touch pairing and easy switching between Apple devices, Spatial Audio, hands-free Siri and ANC. They also have a fit wing to help them stay put when you’re exercising, and have an IPX4 rating for water resistance, so sweat from a workout shouldn’t be a problem. In our testing, they provided well-balanced audio quality with punchy bass and impressive noise cancelation. Battery life isn’t quite as good as what Jabra promises with the Elite 7 Pro, but we got almost seven hours of usage in our review before we had to pop them back in the case.

Monitors

Dell

There are a dizzying number of monitors on the market, at basically any price point you can think of, which makes recommending a single monitor a very difficult task. But Dell reliably offers some of the best screens you can get at a reasonable price. With that in mind, we’re recommending Dell’s 32-inch 4K USB-C Hub Monitor (model number P3222QE). For $799, this monitor has basically everything you could want out of a display.

A 32-inch screen has become the sweet spot for a lot of people, offering a vast workspace without being overwhelmingly large, and a 4K resolution will make sure everything looks sharp. This screen only has a 60Hz refresh rate, so we wouldn’t recommend it if you’re keen on gaming, but it’s sufficient for everyday tasks. The monitor also has a ton of ports, including HDMI, Displayport, USB-C, and multiple USB-A connections. And the stand lets you adjust it to the right height and angle, something that’s a lot better than stacking books under a monitor.

If the Dell is a bit too expensive, ASUS has a couple solid options worth considering as well. The ASUS ProArt Display is a 27-inch screen that you can get in either 4K or quad-HD (2,560 x 1,400) resolution. The 4K screen currently costs $499 on Amazon, while the QHD model sells for $370. Obviously, it isn’t quite as large as the Dell, but it has most of the same amenities, including an adjustable stand and a host of ports.

Bags

Waterfield

As important as the right gear is, your grad also deserves something classy and stylish to carry all that stuff around. The Executive Leather Messenger from Waterfield Designs is an expensive choice, but it’s worth the cost. Waterfield makes everything by hand in its San Francisco shop, and the materials it uses are top notch. I’ve owned a lot of their products over the years, and I can safely say this bag will last a decade or more, and the leather will only look more attractive as time goes on.

On the inside are two padded slots, one for a tablet and one for a laptop. There are also two pockets, one zippered, as well as a pen slot and a metal key fob. Finally, there are two easily-accessible hand pockets under the flap, both with an extremely soft plush lining. The Executive Leather Messenger comes in three different leather colors and costs either $380 or $400, depending on which size you choose. It’s an investment, for sure, but it will last a long time.

If you’d prefer a non-leather choice, Peak Design’s Everyday Messenger is a great and more affordable option. The $220 bag was originally designed for photographers, but (as the name implies) it works as a tough, well-designed option for whatever you need to carry. It has a dedicated 13-inch laptop sleeve and “stretchy” pockets that make it easier to keep track of smaller items. The bag also comes with a few flexible interior dividers so you can customize it in any way you want. The recently-released V2 update boasts 100 percent recycled outer fabric, a redesigned shoulder strap that should be less prone to slippage, a “MagLatch” magnetic buckle and a more efficient design that makes it 24 percent lighter than the original.

It only took about 15 years, but Amazon’s Kindle will finally support the ePub format. First spotted by Good E-Reader, Amazon updated its Kindle section with the news that the Send to Kindle function will convert ePub files to a format that can be opened on the e-reader. The update is scheduled to occur in late 2022.

It’s a change that — at first glance — seems rather minor, but in truth solves a lingering problem in the ebook industry. Amazon’s Kindle Store is a major ebook seller and ePub is the most widely-used ebook format. But up until now, Kindle devices couldn’t read the ePub format. For Kindle owners who’ve had to grapple with manually converting their ebook library to a more Amazon-friendly format with an app like Calibre, this will be a welcome change.

But another upcoming change is that Kindle will finally lose the ability to support MOBI, an older French file format that was Amazon’s proprietary ebook format for a while. Amazon acquired the company Mobipocket in 2005, and subsequently rebranded MOBI to AZW. If you already own ebooks in either format on your Kindle, you can still access them. The update only applies to new ebooks.

As the European Commission continues to look into whether Apple has abused its market dominance by restricting mobile payments on iOS devices, Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager today confirmed that it has formally charged the iPhone maker, which could result in a hefty fine if it is upheld.

In a statement, Vestager said that the Commission had "indications that Apple restricted third-party access to key technology necessary to develop rival mobile wallet solutions on Apple's devices," adding that the company "may have restricted competition, to the benefit of its own solution."

Developers, the Commission argues in its Statement of Objections, have been barred from "accessing the necessary hardware and software" to create their own NFC payment services on Apple devices. Contactless payments are popular across Europe, but Apple Pay remains the only contactless option for in-store payments on iPhone and iPad.

With this in mind, the Commission opened a dual review into both Apple's in-app and NFC payment systems in June 2020, noting that the company's choice could stifle competition and therefore reduce consumer choice. The Commission says that today's announcement relates only to the "NFC input by third-party developers of mobile wallets for payments in stores" and not online restrictions against or "refusals of access to Apple Pay" for competing services.

Apple has previously said that it limits third-party access to contactless payments in order to boost security. It claims that its own technology prevents fraudulent payments by using a secure chip inside the iPhone antenna. 

A Statement of Objections provides Apple with a list of exceptions that it argues go against EU antitrust rules. The company will now be invited to reply to the issues raised and request a meeting with officials, which means it could be some time before an official decision is reached.

Engadget has contacted Apple for comment and will update the article should we receive a reply.

Over the past few days, Amazon has begun slashing the price of its own gadgets as part of a wider Mother's Day sale. Yesterday, we saw the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 15 fall back to all-time lows, and today it's the turn of the retailer's popular Kindle e-readers, which are now offering savings of up to 41 percent.

Leading the way is the Kindle Paperwhite, which is typically priced at $140, but has fallen back to an all-time low of $105 in this particular sale. The standard Kindle is also down to $55, just $5 off its lowest ever price.

The fifth-gen Paperwhite, which was refreshed for the first time in three years this past September, has a larger screen than the previous model at 6.8 inches (compared to the six-inch display on its predecessor). Amazon says the 300 ppi screen looks like real paper and its glare-free screen enables "easy reading" in all conditions, even direct sunlight. Not only is it compact, but it has a waterproof design that will ensure it remains operational when splashed. There's also support for USB-C fast charging.

If you're looking for something a bit more premium, the Kindle Oasis is on sale too. The 8GB model, which typically costs $250, is currently available for $200. The e-reader has previously been as low as $175, so it's not currently near its all-time low, but still offers $50 off its usual price. The Oasis features a 300 ppi display, though the screen is slightly larger than the Paperwhite at seven inches. It has physical page turn buttons, an IPX8 waterproof rating and a color-adjustable front light.

It may also be a good time to encourage your child's love of reading. Amazon is selling the Kindle Paperwhite Kids for $120, or a full $40 below the usual price. The standard Kindle Kids is also on sale for today at $65 with a decent $45 (or 41 percent) discount. They both come with a two-year "worry-free guarantee," a protective cover and a 12-month Kids+ subscription with access to thousands of books.

Apple's latest iPad mini has been on sale for a little under a year, but we've seen numerous price reductions on the (almost) pocketable slate. Having hovered around the $459 price point in recent times, Amazon has now discounted the 64GB iPad Mini further, bringing it down to a new all-time low of $400. That's $99 off the original price or a savings of 20 percent.

If you're looking for a bit more storage, Amazon has also reduced the 256GB model, which now costs $540. That means you'll save $109 or 17 percent compared to the retailer's list price.

The 2021 iPad mini received a score of 89 in our review, gaining marks for its "all-screen" design without the home button its predecessors have. It has a Liquid Retina 326ppi panel with a 2,266 x 1,488 resolution. The tablet's edges are flat, and also sports a TouchID-capable power button, dropping the Lightning port for USB-C charging.

The slate features a new 12-megapixel ultra-wide front camera with Center Stage support, which like Facebook's Portal devices will automatically pan and zoom to keep you at the center of the screen during video calls. 

Thanks to the A15 Bionic chip powering the tablet, it was also able to handle we threw at it. It typically lasts up to 12 hours between charges and it also supports the second-gen Apple Pencil so you can use it for doodling or note-taking while on the go.

Apple recently sent notices to some indie developers, warning them that their app will be pulled from the App Store if it's not updated within 30 days. The tech giant has had a policy in place against outdated and abandoned applications since 2016, but the move suggests that it's now more rigorously enforcing that rule. Some of the letters' recipients criticized the policy for being a barrier to indie developers, what with how tough it is to keep up with platform changes and how much work it takes to roll out even a minor update. Now, Apple has published a post clarifying why some old apps are in danger of being removed, along with the announcement that it's giving developers more time to update their applications. 

In the post, the company said that it will only send removal notices to developers whose apps haven't been updated in three years, as well as to devs whose apps have not "been downloaded at all or extremely few times during a rolling 12 month period." Apple said that dropping outdated apps makes newer ones more discoverable and also ensures users can enjoy games and tools that have been optimized for its latest OS and devices. 

As a lot of people know, there are older apps don't work as well on the latest generation of phones, tablets and laptops anymore, delivering a subpar user experience. Still, 30 days might not be nowhere near enough time for smaller developers to conjure up an update. The good news is that Apple has extended its grace period and is now giving them up to 90 days to update their applications. Users will get to keep apps that are already installed on their devices even if they end up getting deleted, and developers can continue earning from them through microtransactions. 

The public Android 13 beta is here, and it’s our first chance to look at what might be coming in Google’s OS update. We’ve already learned a bit about what the company will be focusing on improving for the next version, and a lot of it sounds like backend changes that might not make a huge impact on daily use. Android 13 is supposed to bring finer privacy controls and more themed app icons. Though, there’s probably stuff in the works that the company has yet to share – don’t forget Google I/O coming up in two weeks.

Most of the updates in Android 13 beta 1 are barely noticeable, and many of them are developer-centric. Things like more-granular permissions for media file access, better error reporting and “anticipatory audio routing” aren’t things that will immediately make an impact on how you use your phone. These are tweaks that app makers will have to implement before you’ll see a difference, as are upcoming features like themed app icons. Still, there are a few new functions that might pique your interest.

Before I go any further, I have to warn you, as usual, that installing any beta software comes with the risk of losing data. You’ll be opting into a platform that might not be stable, meaning your apps might crash or no longer work. If you’re very certain you want to give this beta a shot and are fully aware of what you’re getting into, you can enroll a supported Pixel phone on Google’s website, and a notification will appear on the device. I signed up with a Pixel 4a and downloaded the 1.79GB update with no trouble.

One of the first things I noticed after installing the beta was the refreshed media playback box. It’s taller in Android 13, compared to the one on my Pixel 6 Pro (running Android 12), and uses album art as the background. Instead of just showing pause, previous and next buttons in addition to the song title and artist, the new panel shows an animated progress bar that squiggles as the music goes on. On the card for Spotify, at least, I also got options for shuffling and liking the track.

Screenshots

This box’s new layout is great. Not only does it show more information and in a more attractive way, it also lets you drag the slider to fast forward through parts of podcast episodes without having to unlock your phone or launch an app. That said, I do miss the bigger buttons for skipping a track. Plus, it’s slightly buggy and said my music was playing on the Pixel 4a instead of my Nest Audio speakers where it actually was streaming.

Android Police also spotted a new QR code scanner shortcut in the quick settings panel that launches a dedicated viewfinder. In my brief testing, this was not only super speedy, as Android Police pointed out, but it’s much easier to use. Instead of having to open your camera, aim it at a code and try to hit the tiny little Chrome bar that pops up, you can just point this new scanner in the direction of the symbol and it latches on instantly. A box pops up at the bottom with an “Open” button that’s larger and much easier to tap, and the viewfinder closes, instead showing a picture of the code you just snapped. That means you’ll no longer have to hold your phone steady to keep the code in view while using your other hand to tap the tiny, tiny link.

Screenshots

This is definitely a more convenient way to scan QR codes, which have become more prevalent during the pandemic, with many businesses using them to serve up contactless menus. But I will say that, on very rare occasions where you are aiming for one particular code out of a few, this version of the scanner is trickier to handle. Since it immediately snaps a photo of the first QR code it sees, you’ll have to wrangle it a bit to get the one you actually want.

Some other changes include new Material You themes and improvements to app suggestions in the large-screen friendly L version. You can now choose from about 12 more color palettes automatically generated from your wallpaper to apply throughout the system.

Though Android Police reports that the lock screen shortcut to access Android’s page of smart home device controls can now be accessed without unlocking your device, this wasn’t true for me. I was still asked to enter my pin when I tried to turn on my living room lights from my Pixel 4a. But this could be a bug and it might be working for other beta users.

All told, there were surprisingly more user-facing changes in Android 13 beta 1 than I had expected, and I’ll need some time to dig around for things we may have missed. But I still wouldn’t recommend anyone other than the most eager early adopter to install it — unless you scan dozens of QR codes a day. For now, it’s still too early to tell what Android 13 will look like, but it’s nice to see Google is working on some thoughtful new features at least.

You can grab the newly launched 2022 Apple iPad Air for just $559 right now. While the device dropped to as low as $550 on Amazon for a grand total of eight hours last week, this latest deal shaves $40 off its retail price of $599. That's a decent discount for a device that only became available in March. The catch is that only the purple version is on sale for $559, though you can still get the other colors for $20 less than retail at $570. 

The 2022 iPad Air gets a huge performance boost over its predecessor from its M1 chip, which also powers the tech giant's Mac computers and the considerably more expensive iPad Pro. We gave it a score of 90 in our review, mostly thanks to how significantly faster it is at both single- and multi-core tasks than the previous versions of the tablet when we ran Geekbench 5 on it. 

We also praised the device for having an excellent battery life despite the chip upgrade — it even lasted close to 12 hours during our test instead of just 10 like the company's claim. Apple also upgraded its front cam and gave it a 12-megapixel ultra wide angle camera that enables Center Stage. That's the tech giant's feature designed to follow you around and keep you in the frame during video calls. 

The version that's currently on sale for $559 is the WiFi-only variant, but you also have the chance to grab its 5G-capable counterpart at a discount. Its purple version has been available for $700 at Amazon over the past week: That's $49 less its retail price and the lowest we've seen for the 2022 cellular Apple iPad Air so far.

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

Google is making good on its promise to deliver the first Android 13 beta in April. The company has released Android 13 beta 1 for Pixel devices ranging from the 4 to the 6 and 6 Pro. The inaugural beta only includes three new features (two of them for developers), but there are now more granular permission controls for shared media files.

Beta 1 also includes all the upgrades from Android 13 Developer Preview 2, including a requirement that apps ask for permission to send notifications. You'll also find a new photo picker, Bluetooth LE audio and support for MIDI 2.0 instruments over USB.

Anyone can install the beta. As before, though, you probably won't want to load this release on a primary phone. While betas are generally more reliable, Google doesn't expect to focus on platform stability until June and won't release the finished Android 13 until sometime after July. This is meant more for developers who want apps ready by the time the operating system is available to the public.

As it is, these early Android betas don't typically include every user-facing feature. Google didn't show Android 12's Material You redesign until I/O 2021, months after the first previews arrived. While the beta is still useful, it may be worth waiting for I/O 2022 in May if you're mainly interested in top-level changes.

You have another chance to grab a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 for $200 if you weren't able to get one at a discount earlier this year. The 40mm version of the smartwatch is currently on sale for $50 off its retail price of $250, which is a solid deal if you're looking for a smartwatch that's still getting regular updates. It went on sale for an all-time low of $180 ahead of Black Friday in 2021, but it hasn't been available at this price since February. Meanwhile, the larger 44mm version of the Galaxy Watch 4 is also available for $230, or $50 off its original retail price. 

If you prefer the looks of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, though, with its spinning bezel and stainless steel case, you can also get its LTE-enabled version right for now for $299. That's $101 off its retail price and an all-time low for the wearable, putting it at the same price as its Bluetooth-only sibling. 

The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic devices are the first devices to run the "Wear OS powered by Samsung" platform. They're powered by new 5nm processors, have sharper screens than their predecessors and come with upgraded biometric sensors. Samsung also added gesture controls via their new UI that would allow you to answer or dismiss calls by lifting your arm or flicking your wrist.

When it comes to health features, Samsung's new sensor enables bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for body mass scans and can let you know how many pounds of water, fat and skeletal mass it detected. The devices have improved sleep-tracking features, as well, including continuous blood oxygen detection that the system will consider a factor when it computes your sleep metrics.

While we had an issue with the devices' short battery life, we found the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic the best smartwatches for Android users overall at the time of our review. In case you're also on the lookout for a new Android phone to go with a new smartwatch, Samsung's Galaxy S22 devices have dropped to an all-time low at Amazon. The Galaxy S22 Ultra and the S22+ are both $200 off and are down to $1,000 and $800, respectively, while the standard Galaxy S22 is $100 off.