Our current favorite Chromebook, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is down to an all time low of $270 right now on Amazon. We've seen it dip down to $300 before, but this is an exceptional low and a great time to pick up a lightweight but speedy Chromebook. When we tested it out for our Chromebook guide, we particularly liked the extra bright and sharp touchscreen paired with the responsive performance. In fact, we said the Flex 5i offers a "level of quality and performance that’s pretty rare to find at this price point." That goes double on Black Friday.
This configuration runs on Intel's Core i3 chip and stocks 8GB of RAM along with 128GB of storage. While that's not a ton of storage, it's more than enough for the way Chromebooks work best, which is as a browser-focused laptop working in harmony with all of Google's apps. It's got a 13.3-inch touchscreen and a good amount of ports, including USB-C and USB-A ports, a microSD card slot and a security lock. Though we found the keys a bit on the smaller side, we still think it's the best Chromebook for most people.
The Flex 5i discount is part of a larger Chromebook sale Amazon is running for Black Friday, which includes laptops from Acer, HP and ASUS in addition to more Lenovo devices. The Acer Chromebook Spin 314 is $90 off, bringing it down to $290. It's the lightweight cousin to the Acer pick from our guide, sharing the same convertible features that allows you to fold it backwards for a tablet-like experience.
Google has revealed some minor, albeit handy, updates for Workspace. Soon, when you join a Google Meet call or start presenting on one from a Docs, Sheets or Slides file, you'll have an easier way to share that file with other attendees through the meeting's chat panel. You can grant everyone on the call access to the file or limit it to select attendees. You'll all be able to collaborate on the document, spreadsheet or presentation while you're on the call.
Elsewhere, Google says it will take your recent Gmail search activity into account to improve search results when you use the email service on the web. The company says this will make your Gmail search results more relevant and contextual. Lastly for now, there's a requested feature on the way to Sheets that will enable users to resize the pivot table editor side panel. This should come in useful when the names of some pivot table columns or fields are too long and you'd like to see all of the text.
Google says these updates will be available to all Workspace and G Suite users within the next 15 business days. The company recently announced a welcome upgrade to the Workspace individual plan by increasing the amount of storage from 15GB to 1TB at no extra cost to users.
That tablet supports a "hover" feature. It can detect when the Pencil is within 12mm of the screen. You'll be able to see a preview of any mark you plan to make on a sketch or design before you apply it. Apple says this feature will allow for greater precision. If you hold the peripheral over an app on your homescreen or dock, the screen will zoom in slightly, as though you're aiming a mouse pointer at the app.
The second-gen Apple Pencil pairs with your iPad automatically, so you won't need to futz around with Bluetooth to connect them. The peripheral can also magnetically attach to the side of certain models, which will charge the Pencil too.
It's definitely worth making sure your iPad is compatible with this device before you snap it up. It works with the sixth-gen iPad mini, iPad Air (5th and 4th-gen), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd, 4th, and 5th generations) and 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd, 2nd, and 1st generations). The second-gen pencil is not compatible with the entry-level iPad, not even the redesigned model that Apple released last month.
Smartwatches and fitness trackers have become some of the best phone accessories available now. Not only can they prevent you from whipping out your smartphone every second to check alerts, but they can help you get healthier by promoting habits like regular exercise, standing up throughout the day and more. If you're shopping for yourself on Black Friday, you probably have a good idea of which wearable you want — but the decision can be harder if you're looking to gift one of these gadgets. We've collected the best deals on our favorite smartwatches, fitness trackers and other wearables here so you don't have to go searching for them.
Apple Watch Series 8
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
The Apple Watch Series 8 is $50 off and down to $349 for Black Friday, which is a record low. While not a huge departure from last year's Series 7, it does build upon that wearable's solid foundation. You'll find all of the Series 7's features on the Series 8, along with a new skin temperature sensor and crash detection. Essentally, Apple didn't fix what wasn't broken and we consider the Series 8 to be the best smartwatch you can get right now.
The second-generation Apple Watch SE is on sale for $229, which is an all-time-low price. Apple upgrade a lot in this smartwatch — it has a new SiP and a larger screen, both of which help the new SE look and feel more modern. Apple still left some features to the Series 8, include an always-on display, ECG reader, skin temperature sensor and a few others, but if you can live without those upgrades, the Apple Watch SE gives you a ton of value at its relatively affordable price.
The Apple Watch Ultra is $60 off and down to $739 for Black Friday, which remains high, but still represents a good deal on this high-end smartwatch. This wearable was designed for the most adventurous among us, with a titanium case, a larger digital crown, physical buttons, 100m of water resistance and more. We gave it a score of 85 for its big, bright display, durable build and even longer battery life when compared to other Apple Watches.
Fitbit's Charge 5 is $50 off and down to only $100 for Black Friday. It's the most capable fitness tracker the company makes, complete with built-in GPS, a full-color touchscreen, on-device EDA sensors for stress tracking and more. We gave it a score of 82 when it came out last year in part for all of those reasons, along with its Fitbit Pay functionality and its multi-day battery life.
The new Fitbit Inspire 3 is down to $70 for Black Friday, which is $30 off its usual price. We named this the best budget fitness tracker you can get right now, and that's only more true when you can pick it up while on sale. The Inspire 3 is more slim than the Charge 5, and while it doesn't have built-in GPS, you can use its connected GPS feature to map runs and bike rides if you have your phone with you. We also like its automatic workout tracking and long battery life.
Fitbit's Sense 2 smartwatch is $100 off and down to $200 right now. This is the latest model of the company's flagship smartwatch, and it supports all-day stress monitoring with cEDA sensors, blood oxygen measurements and an ECG app. That's on top of all the standard features you'd expect in a smartwatch at this price range: daily movement and sleep tracking, built-in GPS, Fitbit Pay, onboard Alexa capabilities and more. If you're looking for something even more affordable, the Fitbit Versa 4 has dropped to $150 for Black Friday.
Google's new Pixel Watch is $50 off and down to $299 for Black Friday. This is one of the most anticipated wearables of the year, being Google's first Pixel-branded smartwatch and a marriage between the Android giant and Fitbit (which is now owns). We gave the Pixel Watch a score of 74 — while we liked it, we didn't love it. It has a super attractive design and excellent health and fitness tracking features, but it's brought down by bad battery life. Google promises 24 hours of wear, but we typically only got through 12 hours before getting low-power warnings.
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 has dropped to $229 for Black Friday, which is a record-low price. While it's a modest update to the Galaxy Watch 4, we believe the Watch 5 is the best wearable for Android users. We gave it a score of 85 for its durable yet attractive design, comprehensive health tracking features and its slightly improved battery life.
A number of Garmin wearables are on sale for Black Friday, key among them being the Vivoactive 4s for $175 — that's nearly half off its usual price and a record low. We like this model's clean design and its extensive health tracking features, which include blood oxygen monitoring, built-in GPS, more than 20 pre-loaded workout profiles and more. The Vivoactive 4s also support smartphone alerts, Garmin Pay, space for onboard music and a battery life of up to seven days.
Withings' ScanWatch has dropped to $240 for Black Friday, which is $60 off its normal price. It has a hybrid design, meaning its face is analog but it includes two subdials that show you information like steps, heart rate and more. It also has an ECG measurement tool, blood oxygen monitoring, water resistance up to 50m and a whopping 30-day battery life. If you like the look of the ScanWatch but want something a bit more budget-friendly, Withings' Steel HR is also on sale for $135 right now.
When it comes to aesthetics, innovation and user-friendly interfaces — not to mention pure desirability — Apple's a tough act to beat. But Apple devices aren't cheap. Black Friday deals have made many of the brand's best and most recent products much more affordable, and many of these discounts happen to be the lowest we've seen yet. We've sifted through what's out there (and it's a lot) to find the best prices on the latest tech from the folks in Cupertino. Anyone looking to get or gift Apple Watches, AirPods, iPads, and more, these are the deals to go for. Here are the best Black Friday deals on Apple devices.
AirPods Pro
Released just a few months ago, the AirPods Pro are the second generation of Apple's premium ear buds and deliver a massively improved sound quality with excellent noice cancellation. Amazon has them for just $200, which is $50 less than we saw it for during Prime Day back in October. Our reviewer and audio expert Billy Steele gave them an 88 in a hands-on review, saying they have "the best transparency mode you’ll find on earbuds."
The third generation of Apple's AirPods are $30 off for Black Friday, bringing them down to $140. They scored an 88 in our review, earning high marks for a comfortable fit, massively improved audio and more than six hours of battery life on their own and 30 hours with the case. They don't have active noise cancellation (ANC), for that feature, grab the Pros up above. If you want the previous generation of AirPods, those are going for $79 right now.
Released about two years ago, Apple's AirPods Max, the company's premium (and only) over-ear headphones have gone up and down in price, but this deal is a near-best at $449.With an Engadget review of 84, AirPods Max pair up a sleek design with solid noise cancellation and on-board controls that are a joy to use. At their usual MSRP of $549, they aren't cheap, which makes this Black Friday deal a very attractive buy.
We gave the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple's latest and most premium watch, a solid 85 in our review. If you've had your eye on the toughest wearable Apple's ever made, grab it now. Amazon has it for just $739, which is 8 percent off and the lowest it's been since its debut. When we took it on a hike, we had to admire its monster (yet comfortable) build and slew of outdoor-focused features, including a customizable Action button and on-board SOS siren. Of course you also get all of the health and fitness tracking Apple Watches are known for, plus a full three days of battery life on a charge.
The Apple Watch Series 8 came out just one week before the Ultra, making it the latest non-top-tier Apple Watch, and it usually sells for $389. Black Friday has brought that price down to $349, which means you save $50 on a premium smartwatch that's only a couple months old. In our real world test we called it "superb watch that makes a great multipurpose wearable with excellent health and fitness tools." While it doesn't have the hype of the new Ultra, or the budget appeal of the SE, it's still the best smartwatch around.
In our review back in September, we called the new Apple Watch SE "the best smart watch $250 can buy," awarding it a score of 89. Now that the pre-holiday sale has dropped the price down to $229, Apple's most affordable smartwatch is an even better buy. While the battery doesn't have the same longevity as its Apple Watch siblings, we found it lasted until midnight even with heavy use, and never took more than an hour to refill. We liked its crisp display and snappy responsiveness and found that the health and fitness tracking were on par with the more expensive Series 8.
Apple's Bluetooth trackers come in one shape and size: small and round. But the amount of accessories made to hold them has reached dizzying heights. They make great stocking stuffers for anyone with a penchant for losing stuff and right now a four-pack of AirTags is going for $80. That's the lowest price the pack has seen, making each tag $20 each, against their usual $28-per-piece price. They pair up with the Find My app on your iPhone and you can even digitally label each AirTag.
Apple TV 4K, the brand's third generation set-top streaming device just came out in October and is down to $124 for Black Friday. It got an enthusiastic score of 94 in our review earning high marks for its zippy speeds, polished interface and glorious picture quality. If you've been thinking about upgrading your existing TV or if you want to turn any display with an HDMI port into a powerful streaming device, this is a the time to snap this up.
Apple's 2022 standard-model iPad is the 10th generation of the multipurpose slate, earning an 85 in our review back in October. We were concerned at the price hike over the previous generation, which brought it to a steep $449. But now that it's going for $426, it's a little bit easier to add the base model iPad to your life (or someone else's). What we did like was the complete redesign, the solid 10-plus hours of battery, and the addition of a landscape-oriented front-facing camera. Note that the iPad standard only works with the first generation of the Apple Pencil. For iPads that work with the second-gen pencil, go with the Pro or Air below.
The latest iPad Pro earned an 87 in our review for its fast and powerful M2 chip and having "one of the best screens Apple has ever made." At the $800 list price, it's steep. But right now Amazon has the premium slate for $40 off the 11-inch and $100 off most storage sizes of the 12.9-inch. Both came out in October of this year, and this is the biggest discount we've seen so far. That's a good opportunity to get one of the best designed tablets on the market, complete with a nine-hour battery life and second-gen Apple Pencil support.
While it might be the lightest of the iPad lineup, the latest iPad Air is curiously performed just as nimbly as the Pro in our tests. It earned a 90 score, with our reviewer and Apple expert Nathan Ingraham calling it "the best iPad for most people." It runs on Apple's zippy M1 chip, which combined with the 5G connectivity option, effectively future-proofs the slate. We got two hours more than the promised 10-hour battery life in our tests and were impressed by the fast speed and lovely screen. For Black Friday, you can pick it up for $500 thanks to a discount and a coupon that will be applied at checkout.
If an eight-inch iPad is more your speed, Black Friday has knocked $100 off the price of the latest iPad Mini. We gave it an 89 in our review, impressed with the complete design overhaul the latest Mini received. It's got a great new Liquid Retina display with bezels that are the perfect size for carrying the (ultraportable) tablet around or using the Mini as an e-Reader. Overall, we're calling this "the best small tablet out there." And now the price is even smaller.
Apple's MacBook Air M2 earned an enthusiastic review score of 96 back in July. Right now it's 13 percent off, bringing it down to $1,049. Our senior editor and computer expert Devindra Hardawar said this version of the MacBook Air "set a new standard for ultraportables." You get the blazing fast M2 chip and an expansive and engrossing screen, all tucked into a frankly gorgeous, razor-thin computer. One of the only downsides we noted was the high price, but Black Friday is fixing that for now.
If you want to save even more and aren't worried about having the latest model, the MacBook Air with the M1 chip is on sale for just $799. We gave it an 87 in our review, calling it a the MacBook for most people, especially those looking for a casual computer.
Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro is a whopping $500 off and down to $2,000 for Black Friday. We gave it and the 16-inch model scores of 92 in our review, with appreciation for the fast M1 Pro and Max processors, excellent display and solid battery life.
If you've been thinking about connecting your home with Siri's helpful AI interface, the HomePod mini is on sale for $94 for Black Friday. The diminutive home speakers earned an 84 score in our review, thanks to their solid sound quality and Siri's continuing improvements to user interactions.
Amazon's latest entry-level Kindle has received its first discount in time for Black Friday. The company is selling the 2022 ad-supported Kindle for $85, or $15 below the official price. That makes it tempting if you're planning a gift for the bookworm in your life, or have just been waiting for a deal to treat yourself to Amazon's most affordable e-reader.
The refreshed starter Kindle is a major upgrade. The centerpiece is a 6-inch 300 pixels-per-inch display that's much sharper than the 167PPI screen of its predecessor, making text that much easier on the eyes. A longer six-week battery life, USB-C charging and doubled storage (16GB) also make it decidedly more practical than the previous model. You might not need more than this to have your dream e-reader, although you may want to pay extra to avoid lockscreen ads.
If you do need more, though, Amazon's ongoing Black Friday sale gives you options. Most notably, the Kindle Paperwhite is still available for $95. You won't have as much storage for that money (you'll need to spend $100), but you will get a larger 6.8-inch display, bath-friendly water resistance and an adjustable warm light. If you don't need those perks or just want the smallest reader in the lineup, though, the base Kindle is still easy to justify.
Sony has more exclusive games than Xbox does, according to Microsoft, which claims that many of its rival's first-party titles "are better quality." Lest you believe Microsoft is dunking on its own game studios for no reason, the company made the assertion in a filing with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is conducting an in-depth review of the planned Activision Blizzard acquisition. Although the filing is dated October 31st, Eurogamer notes that the document has just been made publicly available.
"In addition to being the dominant console provider, Sony is also a powerful game publisher," Microsoft wrote in its response to the CMA. "Sony is roughly equivalent in size to Activision and nearly double the size of Microsoft's game publishing business." The company added that "there were over 280 exclusive first- and third-party titles on PlayStation in 2021, nearly five times as many as on Xbox."
Along with Sony's own franchises — such as The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War and Spider-Man — the company signs deals with third-party publishers for exclusive rights to games. Microsoft cites Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Bloodborne, as well as the upcomingFinal Fantasy XVI and Silent Hill 2 remake as major titles that aren't or won't be available on Xbox.
Console exclusives account for a higher percentage of global game sales for Sony than Microsoft, the latter claimed (Sony just revealed that it sold 5.1 million copies of God of War Ragnarok in the game's launch week). However, many Xbox players opt to access Microsoft's exclusives through Game Pass instead of buying them outright — a point that Microsoft doesn't touch on while discussing the companies' sales proportions for their exclusive games.
In addition, Microsoft pointed to review scores for PlayStation and Xbox games. "The average Metacritic score for Sony’s top 20 exclusive games in 2021 was 87/100, against 80/100 for Xbox," Microsoft claimed.
Microsoft is spotlighting these factors because game exclusivity and competition concerns are important considerations that regulators reviewing the proposed Activision buyout are exploring. From Sony's perspective, one of the key sticking points of the Activision merger is the possibility that Microsoft will make the Call of Duty franchise (said to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year to PlayStation) exclusive to Xbox. Microsoft said it offered Sony a 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation earlier this month. Nevertheless, Microsoft claimed in the filing "it is implausible that Sony, the leading console with a more than 2-to-1 lead, would be foreclosed as a result of not having access to a single franchise."
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer suggested on The Verge's Decoder podcast last week that the Activision deal was largely about scooping up mobile gaming giant King. Mobile "is a place where if we don’t gain relevancy as a gaming brand, over time the business will become untenable," Spencer said. (Xbox Cloud Gaming runs on phones and tablets as well.)
Microsoft doubled down on the mobile side of the deal in its CMA filing. "As it stands, Xbox has no material presence in mobile and its ability to reach gamers on mobile is impeded by Apple and Google’s effective duopoly in the provision of mobile app stores. The acquisition of Activision provides Xbox with capabilities and content on mobile, which it currently lacks, while creating new distribution options for game developers outside of the mobile app stores." Of note, the CMA said this week it's investigating Apple and Google's "stranglehold over operating systems, app stores and web browsers on mobile devices."
If you’re looking for something to help you get in shape or assist someone else on their health journey, a fitness tracker can be a worthwhile purchase. With Black Friday around the corner, Amazon has discounted a selection of Fitbit’s most popular devices. To start, the entry-level Inspire 3 is currently 30 percent off, putting it just under $70. That’s a new all-time low for the wearable. What’s more, the Inspire 3 is a great option if you’re looking for a no-thrills fitness tracker that nails the essentials. It includes Fitbit’s handy automatic workout detection feature and the usual activity tracking capabilities. Best of all, you can expect to get about 10 days of battery life from the Inspire 3.
For those looking for a more robust offering, the Charge 5 is also on sale. After a 33 percent discount, one of the best fitness trackers you can buy is $99.95, down from $149.95. Think of the Charge 5 as a more capable Inspire 3. It features a full-color AMOLED display and built-in GPS support for more accurate tracking when running and cycling. Fitbit also integrated EDA sensors into the Charge 5, giving the wearable the ability to measure your stress levels. Engadget awarded the Charge 5 a score of 82, praising the wearable for its comfortable design and multi-day battery life.
Lastly, the sale includes Fitbit’s smartwatches. The more affordable Versa 4 is $149.95 after an $80 price cut, while the top-tier Sense 2 is $199.95, down from $299.95. Both offer continuous heart rate monitoring paired with activity, stress and sleep tracking. They also include Google Maps integration for turn-by-turn navigation on your wrist and support for Google Wallet. By paying for the more expensive Sense 2, you get a device that can also take skin temperature readings and track your stress levels.
If you’re looking for an affordable gift to help your friend or loved one be more productive over the next year, Logitech’s mice and keyboards are never a bad starting point. With Black Friday around the corner, Amazon has discounted a selection of the company’s products. One of the highlights of the sale is the Signature M650. Engadget recommended the M650 in our recent holiday gift guide. After a 25 percent discount, the mouse is $30. The M650’s customization makes it a great stocking stuffer. Logitech offers the mouse in six colors, two different sizes and both right- and left-handed configurations, meaning you should have no problem finding one that will work for a friend or family member.
Another interesting option is the MX Anywhere 2S. At the moment, it’s $40, down from $60. The seven-button MX Anywhere 2S is notable for featuring support for Logitech’s Flow app. The software makes it possible to use the mouse with up to three computers at the same time. That’s useful if you use PCs with different operating systems installed on them since the Flow app allows you to easily move files, as well as copy and paste text and images. Even if that functionality doesn’t appeal to you, the MX Anywhere 2S has other things going for it, including a comfortable design and battery that can power the mouse for up to 70 hours.
The sale also includes Logitech’s multi-device keyboards. With Amazon’s promotion, you can get the K780 for $60 after a modest $5 discount, while the more affordable K480 is $30 after a $20 price cut. Like the MX Anywhere 2S, the K780 and K480 are useful if you want a peripheral that will work with more than one device. You can pair both keyboards with up to three devices and they feature handy slots for holding your phone or a small tablet in place. Of the two keyboards, the K780 is the more premium model and comes with a full set of numeric keys.
Earlier this year, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was consulting on a possible probe into Google and Apple's dominance in the mobile phone market. Now, the regulator has announced that it received "widespread support" for its proposals and has launched a market investigation into the two tech giant's "duopoly" in cloud gaming and mobile browsers.
"Many UK businesses and web developers tell us they feel that they are being held back by restrictions set by Apple and Google," said the CMA's interim chief executive, Sarah Cardell in a statement. "We plan to investigate whether the concerns we have heard are justified and, if so, identify steps to improve competition and innovation in these sectors."
The CMA noted that Apple and Google have a "stranglehold" over mobile device operating systems, app stores and browsers. It said 97 percent of UK web browsing in 2021 happened on either Apple or Google's browser engines, "so any restrictions on these engines can have a major impact on users' experiences." It also noted that cloud gaming services count 800,000 UK users, "but restriction on their distribution could hamper growth in this sector."
Many responses to its earlier consultation came from browser vendors, web developers and cloud gaming services, the CMA said. Developers in particular complained about bugs and glitches in web pages, giving them "no choice but to create bespoke mobile apps when a website might be sufficient."
The UK authority has been a thorn in the side of technology companies of late. It recently forced Meta to sell Giphy after the former lost an appeal, is investigating Google separately over competition in ads, and is looking into Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition. "Market investigations can result in changes to companies’ behavior and restrictions, which improve competition and lead to greater choice for consumers and better-quality products," it said with regard to its latest probe.
