Razer's 2022 base model Blade 15 gaming laptop is on sale for $250 off at the manufacturer's site. We named the Blade 15 our top pick for a premium gaming laptop in our best gaming laptop guide. At just $1,550, it's a great deal, considering the 2021 model, with an older processor, is holding steady at $1,700 on Amazon.
We put the premium version of the Blade 15 through its paces and were impressed by Razer's superb build quality. While that premium-level computer isn't budging from its $3,700 price, this deal on the base model is a chance to get that same Razer quality in a solid gaming laptop.
This configuration of the Blade 15 has two graphics cards, one integrated Intel UHD graphics processor for your day-to-day and a discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 card that kicks in to handle gaming graphics. The 15.6-inch full HD screen has a solid 144Hz refresh rate that should keep all but the most intensive FPS looking smooth.
It also has 16GM of dual-channel RAM, 512GB of SSD storage and there's an open M.2 slot for memory expansion when the time comes. The Blade 15 comes stocked with the older Windows 10 but includes a free upgrade to Windows 11 once you get the unit home. It all runs on Intel's 11th-gen Core i7 chip and has plenty of ports for your peripherals, including a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C. While it's not the most powerful configuration of the Blade 15, this is an excellent entry point into Razer's gaming devices — especially when you can keep an extra $250 in your pocket.
Black Friday doesn't officially arrive for a few more weeks, but we're already starting to see retailers run early holiday sales on several gadgets we recommend. Roku's Streaming Stick 4K, for instance, has fallen to a new low of $25, while Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones are back down to the price we saw during Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale last month. There are offers on Amazon and Google devices beyond that, plus discounts on Roombas, MacBooks, Logitech gaming mice, and Samsung storage gear, among others. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Roku Streaming Stick 4K
Roku
This drop to $25 represents a new low for Roku's Streaming Stick 4K, which is currently the top streaming stick in our guide to the best streaming devices. The streamer has normally retailed closer to $40 in recent months. While it's not as luxurious as a new Apple TV 4K, the Streaming Stick 4K still gives you the essentials in a more affordable package. It's fast enough, it supports all the major streaming services (apart from Twitch), and it works with the big HDR standards (Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG). Its tile-based interface is relatively basic and not devoid of ads, but it remains dead-simple to navigate and not as intense about pushing you toward certain services as other streamers. The device also works Apple's AirPlay protocol, so you can beam video to it straight from an iPhone or iPad.
Note that Roku also sells a Streaming Stick 4K+ with an upgraded remote that adds hands-free voice search, a built-in headphone jack for private listening, a rechargeable battery and a lost remote finder function. That device retails for $70, however, and it's not on sale as of this writing. You can still use the Roku app for private listening with the non-Plus model, too. If you prefer a set-top box design and need an Ethernet port, the Roku Ultra is currently discounted to a new low of $70 from its usual $95. And if you prefer the more personalized interface and (far) superior search capabilities of Google's 4K Chromecast, another streamer we recommend, that one is still on sale for $40.
Sony headphone sale
Billy Steele/Engadget
Sony has discounted a number of its most popular wireless headphones ahead of Black Friday, including deals on its best noise-cancelling and true wireless models. Perhaps most notably, the Sony WH-1000XM5 are back down to $348. That's a roughly $50 discount, matching the lowest price to date for what we consider the best wireless headphones you can buy. We gave that pair a score of 95 in our glowing review, but if you want something a bit more affordable, the older but still-capable WH-1000XM4s are available for $228, which also matches an all-time low. (Yes, the names of these things still aren't great.)
The active noise cancellation on both pairs is still among the most effective you can buy, and both headsets come with useful features like a "Speak to Chat" function that automatically pauses your music when you start speaking to someone. The battery on both headphones lasts around 30 hours per charge, which is good, and the two each come with a fun, bass-heavy sound profile out of the box that can be adjusted to something more neutral through an EQ in Sony's companion app.
That said, the XM5s are generally more comfortable to wear for extended periods, and they have a better microphone for making calls. We also found the newer pair to be a bit better at muting out higher- and mid-range noises like human voices, though some may not like that its automatic adjustment system — which re-optimizes the headphone's ANC profile based on your surroundings — can't be turned off. If you prefer physical control buttons to touch inputs or a more neutral default sound, we'll also note that the similarly comfortable Bose QuietComfort 45 is still on sale for $250, though that pair trades away some battery life and extra features by comparison.
If you're looking for noise cancellation in a true wireless form factor, the WF-1000XM4 are available for $178, which again matches the lowest price we've tracked. While Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds II have this pair beat when it comes to raw ANC strength, Sony's earbuds are still far from ineffective, and our review found them to be more well-rounded when it comes to overall features and sound quality. Plus, the Bose earbuds cost $300, and we don't expect them drop this low for Black Friday. Sony's LinkBuds S, meanwhile, are on sale for an all-time low of $128; that model's ANC is a step down from the others noted here, but its design is lighter and more comfortable in the ear.
At $75, this isn't the all-time lowest price we've seen for Amazon's 10.1-inch tablet — the device briefly dropped to $55 at Target earlier this year — but it does match the deals we saw during last year's Black Friday sales and this year's pair of Prime Day events. Discounts on the Fire HD 10 haven't been uncommon over the past year, but most of those sales have dropped the device to either $100 or $110.
When it's discounted to this extent, the Fire HD 10 is a strong value for those who just want a competent tablet for media consumption on the cheap. Amazon's Fire OS still omits access to the Google Play Store and heavily steers you toward the company's own services, but the Fire HD 10's general performance and 1920 x 1200 resolution display are perfectly solid for the money. The device gets a good 12 or so hours of battery life per charge, and a useful "Show Mode" feature lets it double as an Alexa smart display if desired. This deal comes as part of a wider sale on Amazon slates, but of those, the Fire HD 10 should provide the best blend of price and performance for most people.
Apple iPad Air (2020)
Dana Wollman/Engadget
The 256GB variant of Apple's fourth-gen iPad Air is currently on sale for $499 at Walmart, which marks the lowest price we've seen. Now, hear us out on this one. If money is less of a concern, then no, you shouldn't get the 2020 iPad Air when the 2022 model is right there (and still on sale) with its faster M1 chip, upgraded camera, and improved USB-C port. The entry-level 10.2-inch iPad is still a better value for those who just want the essentials, too. However, if you were specifically thinking of getting the new 10th-gen iPad, the last-gen Air packs the same A14 Bionic chip and a nearly identical design (save for a camera on the landscape edge) without giving up support for the second-gen Apple Pencil or a laminated display with a wide color gamut.
The 256GB version of the 10th-gen iPad is priced at $599, so if you must have more than the base 64GB of storage and you can't afford to step up to the current Air, this last-gen model is the better buy despite being two years older. Just note that this deal only applies to certain colorways. Since this looks to be an inventory-clearing situation, we wouldn't be surprised if stock runs dry sooner rather than later, either.
Samsung storage device sale
Samsung
If you're running out of space on your PC, game console, camera or whatever else, Amazon is still running a sale on various Samsung storage devices. Not every deal in the sale is a winner, but the highlights include the 1TB T7 Shield, a ruggedized and water-resistant version of the T7 portable SSD we recommend, marked down to a new low of $90. Though Samsung recently launched a faster 990 Pro internal SSD, the prior 980 Pro is still a fine PCIe 4.0 drive for newer PCs or a PlayStation 5 (with a heatsink), and it's back down to a low of $120 for 1TB. If you need a speedy microSD card, meanwhile, the 256GB Evo Select is a decent buy at $23; that doesn't quite match the all-time low of $20 we saw earlier this year, but it's the best price we've tracked otherwise.
Though no cloud gaming service feels quite as fluid as playing a game locally, NVIDIA's GeForce Now is one of the better takes on the concept, particularly if you already own a hefty library of games on PC. Right now, NVIDIA is running a promotion that doles out a six-month subscription of the "Priority" tier of the service for $30. Normally, that would cost $50. NVIDIA says the deal is only available to new members, free-tier members, Priority members currently on a 1-month subscription plan and "users on an active promotion or gift card," so the idea is to upsell customers who aren't on one of the service's higher-end plans already. This promo is set to run through November 20.
As a refresher, "Priority" is GeForce Now's middle tier: you don't get the 4K/120 fps support of the pricier "RTX 3080" subscription, but you can still stream in resolutions up to 1080p and frame rates up to 60 fps. You're also allotted up to six hours per session instead of the one-hour session length of the service's free tier. (The RTX 3080 tier, meanwhile, allows up to eight-hour sessions.) It's also worth remembering that GeForce Now doesn't follow the same model as other cloud services like Google Stadia (RIP) or Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming: The idea is that you bring games you already own on platforms like Steam or the Epic Games Store, then GeForce Now will let you stream them elsewhere when you're away from your gaming PC. Just make sure enough of your games are actually supported before you take the plunge, and note that your subscription will be set to auto-renew by default.
Google Pixel 6a
Engadget
A quick PSA for anyone looking to buy a good Android phone on a budget: the unlocked Google Pixel 6a is still on sale for $299, which matches the lowest price we've tracked. The handset has a list price of $449, but we've typically seen it float between $350 and $400 over the past few months.
We recommend the Pixel 6a in our best smartphones guide, and we gave it a review score of 89 back in July. Like past Pixel phones, the main perks here are stellar camera performance and a clean take on Android, with OS and security updates guaranteed into 2025 and 2027, respectively. The first-gen Google Tensor chip and 6.1-inch OLED display compare favorably to most phones in this price range, and while its back is made of plastic, the design doesn't look cheap. It's also IP67-rated for dust and water resistance. The 6a isn't without flaws: There's no headphone jack or wireless charging support, the display is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, and the battery life, while good, isn't top-of-the-line. Still, for less than $300, it's difficult to do better.
Amazon Echo Show 5
Nicole Lee/Engadget
It's a good week to be in the market for a smart display, as nearly all of Amazon's Echo Show devices are on sale. Among the highlights, a two-pack of the diminutive Echo Show 5 is down to $60 when you use the code SHOW52PK at checkout. That's about a $20-25 savings off a two-pack's usual street price in recent months. Individual models are on sale for $35, which is a price we've seen a handful of times lately but still a solid value. We gave the 5.5-inch display a review score of 85 last year: You won't want to use it for more involved smart home tasks or video calls, but it works particularly well when used as a smarter alarm clock.
If you'd prefer something bigger and faster, both the 10.1-inch Echo Show 10 and 15.6-inch Echo Show 15 are still available for a low of $170, though our reviews for those devices had a few more reservations by comparison. If you prefer to use the Google Assistant instead of Alexa, meanwhile, Google's seven-inch Nest Hub also plays nice on a bedside table, adding a modicum of sleep tracking functionality and removing any built-in camera. We gave that one a score of 89 last year, and it's currently back to its usual deal price of $50.
At $179, this deal matches the best price we've seen for iRobot's Roomba 694, the top pick in our guide to the best budget robot vacuums. We've seen this price a few times over the course of the year, though over the past few months the device has retailed closer to $225 on average.
We've found the Roomba 694 to be a dependable and easy-to-manage robovac, with decent battery life of at least 45 minutes per charge — and potentially longer depending on the mix of surfaces in your home — and a sturdy design that'll survive its inevitable bumps into your furniture. Since it's WiFi-enabled, you can turn it off and on, and set cleaning schedules, through the iRobot app. You still get what you pay for: Pricier robovacs will be more robust at cleaning larger spaces, and they'll do so in a more orderly fashion than the semi-random, "bump and run" style of the 694 here. (A couple of higher-end Roombas are also on sale as of this writing.) If you only need to clean a smaller area, though, or if you're willing to trade some cleaning smarts for something a bit more affordable, the 694 should do the job at this deal price.
Logitech G Pro X Superlight
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
Logitech's G Pro X Superlight is a high-performing gaming mouse we like for both work and play, and right now it's down to its all-time low of $110, or about $25 off its usual street price. That's still not cheap, but G Pro X Superlight stands out for being exceedingly light (at roughly 63 grams), quick to glide (with its PTFE feet), and consistently responsive in faster-paced games. It has a particularly comfortable scroll wheel, too. You only get a couple of customizable shortcut buttons, and the whole thing only connects over a USB dongle, not Bluetooth. Still, we've found the design comfortable for most hand sizes and grip types. You should still only get a mouse like this if you're serious about PC gaming, but if that's the case, this one should serve you well in and out of those twitchy FPS games. Note that this discount is just one of a handful of deals currently available for mice we recommend.
We've seen Apple's M1 MacBook Air fall to $799 a few times in recent weeks, but if you missed out before, this is still a nice opportunity to save on what remains a commendable laptop for lighter work and casual use. The average street price for this SKU has sat around $920 in recent months.
If you can afford to step up to the newest MacBook Air model based on Apple's M2 chip, you still should: it packs a refreshed design, a bit more performance, a vastly superior webcam and speaker system and a brighter display, among other upgrades. But if you could use the savings, the M1 chip in found in the 2020 MacBook Air is still plenty performant for most tasks, while the notebook's battery life, keyboard, trackpad and overall build quality remain excellent. The 720p webcam, on the other hand, is a disappointment, and the 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage in this specific SKU aren't well-suited to heavier-duty work. But for everyday browsing, streaming and word processing, the M1 Air remains a solid value at $799.
48-inch LG A2 OLED TV
LG
The 48-inch version of LG's A2 OLED TV is still available for $570 at Best Buy, which is the best price we've tracked and matches the lowest price we saw for last year's A1 model in the same size. This is LG's entry-level OLED TV, so it's limited to 60 Hz and lacks gaming-friendly features like a variable refresh rate or HDMI 2.1 ports. If you're looking for a secondary TV away from the living room, though, the A2 still gets you the deep contrast, vibrant colors, and wide viewing angles you'd expect from a good OLED TV. Best Buy is advertising this offer as part of an ongoing "early Black Friday" sale, so we'd expect this to be the lowest price we'll see for this model over the holidays. If you're willing to trade some picture quality for a more striking design, meanwhile, we're still seeing sales on Samsung's The Frame TVs as well.
Sony's latest flagship noise-canceling headphones and their predecessors, along with their earbud counterparts, are on sale right now on Amazon. Some of them are even back to their old Prime Day pricing, while others are down to a new all-time low. The WH-1000XM5, which we think are the best headphones you can buy right now, are probably the crowning glory of this sale. They're back to their Prime Day and all-time low pricing of $348, or $52 less than their retail price. We gave the headphones a score of 95 in our review and praised Sony for giving their exterior a big redesign that massively increased their comfort.
Sony has upgraded sound quality for the new flagship headphones and made bass punchier, gave it more depth and more clarity. Everything seemed more immersive as a result. The company has doubled the number of processors and the number of microphones for noise canceling, as well, making the model better at blocking higher frequency sounds, such as voices.
If you're looking for something a little more affordable, Sony's previous flagship headphones are also on sale for $228. That's how much the WH-1000XM4 went for during Amazon's Prime Day sale in July, and that represents 35 percent or $122 in savings. While we believe the WH-1000XM5 are the best headphones you can get at the moment, the WH-1000XM4 were our top pick before their successor came out. We praised them for having powerful ANC, immersive sound, automatic pausing when you speak and multi-device connectivity.
Sony's WF-1000XM4 earbuds are also on sale, in case you're looking for in-ear headphones instead. They're down to a new low of $178 or 36 percent lower than their retail price. The earbuds come with Sony's Noise Isolation Earbud Tips made of spongy foam instead of silicone, which never felt quite comfortable for us. That said, we found the earbuds to have great sound clarity and praised them for having wireless charging and support for high-res audio.
Outside of Sony's high-end models, Amazon is also selling Sony's WH-XB910N ANC headphones for $123 or 51 percent off their retail price of $250. They're not quite as advanced as the company's flagship models, but they're a solid noise-cancelling headset with extra bass. Need something even cheaper? The WHCH710N wireless noise-canceling headphones are now available for only $68, as well. That 55 percent lower than their typical price. Finally, the LinkBuds S are now being sold for $128, which is a new low for the mid-range ANC earbuds that typically go for $200.
Gaming mice are different — faster, lighter, more responsive than standard mice — which means they're usually more expensive, too. Right now Amazon has five of the mice that made the cut in our productivity tests at discounts between 24 and 47 percent off. Some of the prices (like that of the Logitech G PRO X Superlight and G502 Lightspeed) are the lowest we've seen so far.
Our weekend editor Igor Bonifacic bought the Superlight for himself and uses it for both gaming and everyday computing. While he was impressed with the lightweight feel and accuracy, he also noted that it has "one of the best scroll wheels" he's ever used. Note that the mouse is not Bluetooth-compatible but uses radio frequency wireless connectivity for faster speeds. You'll need to use the included dongle, which stores in a clever magnetized compartment for travel. At $110, it's the lowest price we've seen so far and a full $50 off the usual MSRP.
Also on sale is the Viper Ultimate from Razer. In our testing, we gave it high marks for being a truly ambidextrous mouse with a light, 74-gram design that "glides across the desk, making it a pleasure to use for extended periods." It packs 70 hours of use on a charge and has eight programmable buttons to carry out in-game operations. At the usual list price of $130, it's pricey but worth it. At this sale price of $60, it's a much easier buy.
Two more gaming mice, the G502 Lightspeed from Logitech and Razer's Orochi V2 (in white and grey) are also discounted right now. The G502 comes with a bevy of gaming-focused features like removable weights and 11 customizable buttons. It's $60 off right now for an all-time-low of $90. For take-it-with-you gaming, the Orochi is a compact ultraportable with six buttons and a whopping 950-hour battery life. Snag this one for 30 percent off in the white or grey colorway.
While not a gaming mouse, Microsoft's Arc Mouse is a sleek and stylish travel pick that pops into an ergonomic arc, then packs flat when you need to take it with you. It's a Bluetooth mouse, with a trackpad area that allows for clicks as well as touch-generated scrolling. It takes two AAA batteries that'll last about six months. At 24 percent off, it's a great mobile mouse for less than $55.
If you want a more ergonomic work experience or need a mouse that's both precise and speedy for gaming, this is an ideal time for an upgrade.
Now's a great time to stock up microSD cards for your phone or console, or new portable drives for all of your most important files. A new sale at Amazon has knocked up to 67 percent off Samsung storage gadgets, including some of our favorites. The latest model in the company's T7 drive series, the T7 Shield, has dropped to a new record low of $90 for the 1TB model, plus you can get Samsung 980 Pro SSD in 1TB for only $120 or a 256GB EVO Select memory-card-plus-adapter set for only $24.
Samsung's T7 family of portable SSDs has been one of our favorites for some time thanks to its generally fast read/write speeds and its pocket-friendly design. All of the T7 drives can easily fit into your back pocket or a stuffed travel bag, making them one of the better options for professionals who travel often and need extra space to store important documents and files. The T7 Shield is the newest addition to the series and, along with being IP65 water- and dust-resistant, it has a more rugged exterior that helps it survive nearly 10-foot drops. When it comes to performance, it supports 1,050/1,000 MB/s read/write speeds and its Dynamic Thermal Guard controls heat to help maintain performance even when you're pushing the drive to its limits.
If you're finally getting around to expanding the storage available on your PS5, Samsung's 980 Pro internal drive is a good option, particularly at this sale price. It supports read speeds up to 7,000 MB/s and it uses a nickel coating to control heat levels for improved efficiency. You will need a heatsink in order to use this drive with the PS5, though, and if you want to keep things simple, you could spring for the $150 bundle that includes one with Samsung's drive.
Any of the microSD cards included in this sale will work well with the Nintendo Switch, smartphones and tablets, cameras and more. We like the 256GB EVO Select model on sale because the discount is pretty solid (it's only $4 more than it was during the Prime Early Access Sale last month) and it comes with a full-sized adapter.
Amazon's Fire HD tablets are still worthy options if you just want a competent media consumption device for as little money as possible, and within that lineup, the Fire HD 10 provides the best value for most. This is especially the case when the device is discounted, and as of this writing the 10.1-inch slate is back on sale for $75 at Amazon and Best Buy, among other retailers.
While this isn't the absolute lowest price we've seen — the tablet was briefly available for $55 at Target earlier this year — it does match the price we saw during last year's Black Friday sales and Amazon's latest Prime Day events. The 32GB model here technically has an MSRP of $150, though regular discounts mean its average street price has fallen closer to $130 in recent months.
This is a nice price for what was already one of the better values on the tablet market. Like Amazon's other Fire tablets, the Fire HD 10 is a no-frills device: It's largely made of matte plastic, the front and rear cameras are mediocre, and very little about its performance or design feels as premium as what you'd get from even an entry-level iPad. But for the money, it's all good enough if you're just looking for casual web browsing, ebook reading, video streaming, and Alexa stuff. Its eight-core MediaTek Helio P60T processor and 3GB of RAM won't blow anyone away — don't expect much in the way of gaming — but it can handle the basics without consistent slowdowns, and it's generally more fluid than the lower-cost models in the Fire lineup.
Similarly, the 10.1-inch panel isn't the brightest or most vibrant you'll see, but it's plenty fine for $75. Again, its 1920 x 1200 resolution is a firm step-up from the lower-res Fire 7 or Fire HD 8, and simply having more real estate makes it more pleasing for Zoom calls and video streams. The tablet gets a good 12-ish hours of battery life per charge, and it charges over USB-C. While the discounted model here only has 32GB of built-in storage, you can expand that with a microSD card. (A version with 64GB of storage is also on sale for $95.)
The caveat with any Amazon tablet is, as always, software. Amazon's Fire OS is still a forked version of Android that lacks access to the Google Play Store — and thus, native Google apps like Gmail or YouTube — and frequently pushes you toward the company's own apps, services and online store. There are still lock screen ads, and it still costs a $15 fee to get rid of them. It remains easy enough to sideload the Play Store and its more expansive app library, but that's clearly not the most user- or security-friendly solution. Instead, a Fire tablet will work best if you stick to Amazon apps like Kindle and Prime Video, popular apps like Netflix or basic web browsing. All that said, the OS is still fairly robust when it comes to parental controls and supporting multiple user profiles, and there's still a handy "Show Mode" that can essentially turn the tablet into an Echo Show-like smart display when you're not holding it.
The deal here comes as part of a wider sale on Amazon tablets. The Kids and Kids Pro versions of the Fire HD 10, for instance, are both back to their all-time lows at $120. Those come with large protective bumper cases (the Pro's is a bit slimmer), two-year warranties and a year of Amazon's Kids+ child-focused content service, though their hardware is otherwise identical, and it's worth noting that you can set up a kid-friendly profile on the base Fire HD 10 as well.
The Fire HD 10 Plus, meanwhile, is on sale for $105, which matches the lowest price we've tracked. That one adds another gigabyte of RAM and wireless charging support, which are nice upgrades — particularly if you want to use that smart display functionality — but nothing we'd call essential for most people in the market for a good affordable tablet. We'll also note that the Fire 7 is down to a new low of $42, but we'd recommend waiting for the recently-updated Fire HD 8 and its altogether superior hardware to go on sale if you're simply looking for the cheapest usable slate.
Amazon's Fire HD tablets are still worthy options if you just want a competent media consumption device for as little money as possible, and within that lineup, the Fire HD 10 provides the best value for most. This is especially the case when the device is discounted, and as of this writing the 10.1-inch slate is back on sale for $75 at Amazon and Best Buy, among other retailers.
While this isn't the absolute lowest price we've seen — the tablet was briefly available for $55 at Target earlier this year — it does match the price we saw during last year's Black Friday sales and Amazon's latest Prime Day events. The 32GB model here technically has an MSRP of $150, though a handful of smaller discounts have dropped its average street price closer to $130 in recent months.
This is a nice price for what was already one of the better values on the tablet market. Like Amazon's other Fire tablets, the Fire HD 10 is a no-frills device: It's largely made of matte plastic, the speakers and cameras are mediocre, and very little about its performance or design feels as premium as what you'd get from even an entry-level iPad. But for the money, it's all good enough if you're just looking for casual web browsing, ebook reading, video streaming, and Alexa stuff. Its eight-core MediaTek Helio P60T processor and 3GB of RAM won't blow anyone away — don't expect much in the way of gaming — but it can handle the basics without consistent slowdowns, and it's generally more fluid than the lower-cost models in the Fire lineup.
Similarly, the 10.1-inch panel isn't the brightest or most vibrant you'll see, but it's plenty fine for $75. Again, its 1920 x 1200 resolution is a firm step-up from the lower-res Fire 7 or Fire HD 8, and simply having more real estate makes it more pleasing for video streams and quick Zoom calls. The tablet gets a good 12-ish hours of battery life per charge, and it charges over USB-C. While the discounted model here only has 32GB of built-in storage, you can expand that with a microSD card. (A version with 64GB of storage is also on sale for $95.)
The caveat with any Amazon tablet is, as always, software. Amazon's Fire OS is still a forked version of Android that lacks access to the Google Play Store — and thus, native Google apps like Gmail or YouTube — and frequently pushes you toward the company's own apps, services and online store. There are still lock screen ads, and it still costs a $15 fee to get rid of them. It remains easy enough to sideload the Play Store and its more expansive app library, but that's clearly not the most user- or security-friendly solution. Instead, a Fire tablet will work best if you stick to Amazon apps like Kindle and Prime Video, popular apps like Netflix or basic web browsing. All that said, the OS is still fairly robust when it comes to parental controls and supporting multiple user profiles, and there's still a handy "Show Mode" that can essentially turn the tablet into an Echo Show-like smart display when you're not holding it.
The deal here comes as part of a wider sale on Amazon tablets. The Kids and Kids Pro versions of the Fire HD 10, for instance, are both back to their all-time lows at $120. Those come with large protective bumper cases (the Pro's is a bit slimmer), two-year warranties and a year of Amazon's Kids+ child-focused content service, though their hardware is otherwise identical, and it's worth noting that you can set up a kid-friendly profile on the base Fire HD 10 as well.
The Fire HD 10 Plus, meanwhile, is on sale for $105, which matches the lowest price we've tracked. That one adds another gigabyte of RAM and wireless charging support, which are nice upgrades — particularly if you want to use that smart display functionality — but nothing we'd call essential for most people in the market for a good affordable tablet. We'll also note that the Fire 7 is down to a new low of $42, but we'd recommend waiting for the recently-updated Fire HD 8 and its altogether superior hardware to go on sale if you're simply looking for the cheapest usable slate.
Amazon's Fire HD tablets are still worthy options if you just want a competent media consumption device for as little money as possible, and within that lineup, the Fire HD 10 provides the best value for most. This is especially the case when the device is discounted, and as of this writing the 10.1-inch slate is back on sale for $75 at Amazon and Best Buy, among other retailers.
While this isn't the absolute lowest price we've seen — the tablet was briefly available for $55 at Target earlier this year — it does match the price we saw during last year's Black Friday sales and Amazon's latest Prime Day events. The 32GB model here technically has an MSRP of $150, though a handful of smaller discounts have dropped its average street price closer to $130 in recent months.
This is a nice price for what was already one of the better values on the tablet market. Like Amazon's other Fire tablets, the Fire HD 10 is a no-frills device: It's largely made of matte plastic, the front and rear cameras are mediocre, and very little about its performance or design feels as premium as what you'd get from even an entry-level iPad. But for the money, it's all good enough if you're just looking for casual web browsing, ebook reading, video streaming, and Alexa stuff. Its eight-core MediaTek Helio P60T processor and 3GB of RAM won't blow anyone away — don't expect much in the way of gaming — but it can handle the basics without consistent slowdowns, and it's generally more fluid than the lower-cost models in the Fire lineup.
Similarly, the 10.1-inch panel isn't the brightest or most vibrant you'll see, but it's plenty fine for $75. Again, its 1920 x 1200 resolution is a firm step-up from the lower-res Fire 7 or Fire HD 8, and simply having more real estate makes it more pleasing for Zoom calls and video streams. The tablet gets a good 12-ish hours of battery life per charge, and it charges over USB-C. While the discounted model here only has 32GB of built-in storage, you can expand that with a microSD card. (A version with 64GB of storage is also on sale for $95.)
The caveat with any Amazon tablet is, as always, software. Amazon's Fire OS is still a forked version of Android that lacks access to the Google Play Store — and thus, native Google apps like Gmail or YouTube — and frequently pushes you toward the company's own apps, services and online store. There are still lock screen ads, and it still costs a $15 fee to get rid of them. It remains easy enough to sideload the Play Store and its more expansive app library, but that's clearly not the most user- or security-friendly solution. Instead, a Fire tablet will work best if you stick to Amazon apps like Kindle and Prime Video, popular apps like Netflix or basic web browsing. All that said, the OS is still fairly robust when it comes to parental controls and supporting multiple user profiles, and there's still a handy "Show Mode" that can essentially turn the tablet into an Echo Show-like smart display when you're not holding it.
The deal here comes as part of a wider sale on Amazon tablets. The Kids and Kids Pro versions of the Fire HD 10, for instance, are both back to their all-time lows at $120. Those come with large protective bumper cases (the Pro's is a bit slimmer), two-year warranties and a year of Amazon's Kids+ child-focused content service, though their hardware is otherwise identical, and it's worth noting that you can set up a kid-friendly profile on the base Fire HD 10 as well.
The Fire HD 10 Plus, meanwhile, is on sale for $105, which matches the lowest price we've tracked. That one adds another gigabyte of RAM and wireless charging support, which are nice upgrades — particularly if you want to use that smart display functionality — but nothing we'd call essential for most people in the market for a good affordable tablet. We'll also note that the Fire 7 is down to a new low of $42, but we'd recommend waiting for the recently-updated Fire HD 8 and its altogether superior hardware to go on sale if you're simply looking for the cheapest usable slate.
Some of the biggest deals in tech right now come courtesy of Samsung Week, a sales event running through November 1st, in which the electronics giant has discounted a wide swath of their current-model devices. We're seeing record low prices almost everywhere — as in, lower than Amazon's October Prime Day deals. Google dropped some compelling offers of their own, with a third off the Pixel 6a and 25 percent off their Pixel Buds Pro. We also found Halloween sales from JBL, XBOX and PlayStation with discounts on older models and titles. Amazon's Echo devices are also on sale, with the Echo, Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 5 all at least 40 percent off. Here are all the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Google Pixel Buds Pro
Back in July, we named the Pixel Buds Pro Google’s best earbuds yet, giving them a score of 87 in the review. This week they hit their lowest-yet price of $150 on Amazon, that's even lower than it was for October's Prime Day and a full $50 off the MSRP.
Our senior news editor, Billy Steele, was particularly impressed with the punchy bass and solid noise cancellation, noting that the active noice cancellation (ANC) is a new feature for Google's latest buds. Our tests matched Google's claims of seven hours playback with ANC on and around 11 hours with it off. A fully charged case will more than double those times and the case can be charged wirelessly, unlike the non-pro (A-Series) model.
The controls let you access the Google Assistant, skip tracks, activate ANC, take calls and more with on-board taps and presses that are fully configurable. While they don't yet offer spatial audio, the audio still felt spacious. One reservation we noted in our review was the $20 price bump from the previous model. Now that you can save $50, it's a good time to dive in.
The Galaxy Watch 5, our current top pick for an Android smartwatch, dropped to a near-lowest price since Samsung released the wearable back in August. Both sizes are $30 off, bringing the 40mm model to $250 (Bluetooth model) and the larger 44mm to $280. Our wearables expert Cherlynn Low gave the Watch 5 a solid 85 in her review, confirming that "for Android users, this is the best smartwatch around." The heftier, outdoor-focused Pro version of the Watch 5 earned an 86 in the same review and it's currently on sale for $400 for the Bluetooth version. Both sizes of the LTE-enabled models are $70 off.
As Samsung's current flagship watch and at just a few months old, this is a rare discount for the Galaxy Watch 5. As part of Samsung Week, the discount will likely go away after November 1st. So if you're an Android user itching for the best tracking and coaching you can put on your wrist, you might want to check out the deal.
If you like the idea of having something other than a black void staring back at you when your TV is off, this is the week to go for Samsung's The Frame TV. We're seeing a discounts that go up to $1,000, depending on screen size, with the big-but-not-too-big 55-inch model at $998 (that's $500 off). The home theater-style 85-inch model is where you see the $1,000 savings, bringing the price down to $3,298.
When on, the TV delivers a vivid, quality image, and has an intuitive Tizen OS-powered smart TV experience. Even at a discount, The Frame isn't cheap, so it's best for those who care what their walls look like (or really don't vibe with black mirrors).
I have one of these myself and can attest to the realism of the effect. With an anti-reflective glass, light-adjusting output and a thin, flush-mount profile (thanks to a separate CPU) The Frame really does look like a piece of art hanging on the wall. An $8-per-month subscription is required to access the very extensive and curated Art Store, without it, there's a smaller subset of art to display, or you can use your own photos.
Samsung is also discounting their Galaxy Tab S8 to $550 for Samsung Week. That's 22 percent off and just five bucks more than the lowest-ever price. We gave high marks (85) to the mid-range Tab S8+, but like our reviews writer Sam Rutherford noted, "there are two kinds of Android tablets: Samsung's Galaxy Tab S line and everything else."
The Tab S8 is the most affordable of the Tab S8 lineup, even when it's not on sale, due to its smaller screen size (11 inches). You still get the power to treat your tablet like a PC, using Dex mode that switches from a standard Android interface to a more powerful desktop-like view. The improved Qualcomm Snapdragon chip makes the S8 speedy and responsive, and the included S Pen feels great in the hand and makes for satisfying doodle sessions and easy note taking.
The all-day battery means you won't have to stop what you're doing to find an outlet (though that capacity takes a noticeable dip with graphics-heavy tasks like streaming or gaming). With its bright display and full-sounding speakers, it's a great pick for a premium tablet — and now it's at a less-premium price.
True, it's not the latest model Pixel, that honor goes to the just-released Pixel 7, but the Pixel 6a is still a great smartphone in its own right — and honestly, it's less than six months old. If you're not one to queue up for midnight releases, you can save a hefty $150, snagging a great phone for $299.
Our hands-on review honored it with a score of 89, with our deputy reviews editor calling it "easily one of the best phones for the money." Now that you'll be handing over less money, the 6a is looking even better.
While the Pixel 6a is a mid-range smartphone, we gave it high marks for its impressive 12-megapixel cameras, vivid OLED screen with tough Gorilla Glass 3 protecting the screen and a whopping battery — delivering 19+ hours in our tests, crushing Apple's iPhone SE budget model. There's no wireless charging and the refresh rate isn't as fast as possible at just 60Hz, but for under $300 it's an impressive entry.
Depending on which AI assistant you prefer, now may be a good time to get a couple more Alexas managing your space, with steep discounts on three different Echos. At half-price, Amazon's fourth-generation Echo smart speaker drops below the discount offered for October's Prime Day, down to just $50.
Upon its debut, we reviewed the fourth-generation Echo and gave it an 89, praising the surprisingly formidable sound coming out of a relatively diminutive unit. We found that two speakers delivered a better listening experience than just one — and now that the $100 price point has been halved, getting two is an easier move. The speaker puts Alexa front and center and its abilities continue to improve and adapt to what users want in an AI, though the assistant is far from perfect, sometimes requiring a few goes to find the music tracks asked for in our tests.
If you prefer a display on your smart hub, the current-model Echo Show 8 is selling for $70, which is the same price it went for during Prime. The smaller, nightstand-friendly Echo Show 5 is nearly 60 percent off at $35. And if you want to get two Show 5s, use the code SHOW52PK after adding two to your cart and pay just $60 for the pair at checkout. We reviewed both units at once last year when they came out and gave the 8 an 87 and gave the 5 an 85.
We like it when a discount applies to every colorway of a product, which is the case with this deal on Beats Studio Buds. The newer Ocean blue, moon grey are 40 percent off at Amazon, right alongside red, white, and black. The discount puts them at $90, a new low that beats their October Prime Day price. When the Studio Buds came out last year, our own Billy Steele gave them a score of 84, particularly noting their balanced sound, unobtrusive size and in-ear comfort.
They'll give you eight hours of listening time on their own and a total of 24 hours with a fully (non-wirelessly) charged case. They deliver reliable active noice cancellation and are rated to withstand a sweaty workout. Best of all, they're OS agnostic, pairing as happily with your iPhone as with your Android device. We think these buds give premium earbuds a run for their money at the $150 list price — at 40 percent off, they're really pulling their weight.
We called the Jabra Elite 3 buds "the new standard for affordable wireless earbuds" in our review last year and right now they're back down to $50 — that's just $3 more than their lowest ever and an impressive $30 discount off the MSRP. While they're not going to compete with premium offerings, say from Bose or Sennheiser they're an impressive set of budget buds.
They'll pair with iOS or Android devices and have a compact design that's comfortable in the ear. Their IP55 water resistance is perfect for working out and the on-board controls are reliable push buttons (as opposed to touch panels). There's no ANC or wireless charging and, again, the sound can't compare to premium versions, but if you're looking for a low cost pair of earbuds that will deliver admirable sound quality, these might be your new set.
No one likes running out of juice, and a wall charger isn't always around, which makes Anker's 622 a great backup for iPhone users. This week, the price dropped to $45 which is 25 percent off the MSRP and the lowest we've seen it. The portable battery pack delivers wireless charging with magnets that align with the iPhone 12, 13 and the new iPhone 14.
In our test, we found a fully charged Anker 622 charged an iPhone 13 from empty to about 80 percent in just a few hours. What's more is you can use your phone while it charges. With the on-board, fold-out kickstand you can even prop up your iPhone (landscape or portrait) and watch your IG Reels hands-free.
Note that just the grey and blue versions are at this price point right now, but it's a nice price for an extra charge on your phone, no matter where you are.
Amazon just took 54 percent off a two-pack of their Blink Mini indoor security cameras, lowering them to $30 for the pair. That's the same low they hit during Prime Day a few weeks ago, which means if you want to add cameras to your smart home set up, now might be the time. T
The Blink cameras take clear and sharp 1080p images and offer the ability to see, hear and talk to whatever or whomever moves into view. They're motion activated and pair up with your Alexa-enabled smartphone or other Alexa home devices (like the Echo Shows, above). This particular set is wired, so you won't have to swap out batteries, but you'll need to factor in wall-outlet access when setting them up.
Rather see what's going on outside your home? The Blink Outdoor cameras are also on sale, with a single camera going for $60 (40 percent off) and a three-pack coming in at $125 (half price). These happen to be our current favorite wireless security cameras, even when they're full price. The cams also pair up with Alexa and can be mounted anywhere there's something to attach them to, even somewhere they'll get rained on.
All Hallow's Eve doesn't get the same love, sale-wise, as other holidays do, but JBL has decided the right way to celebrate spookiness is with a Halloween Sale on a bunch of their earlier model speakers and headphones. We named the Flip 6 a top pick for portable Bluetooth speakers in 2022. The JBL Flip 5 is the previous year's model, but still delivers 12 hours of playtime and a IPX7 water-resistance rating that can handle a dip in three feet of water. During the sale, the Flip 5 is 46 percent off, bringing it down to $70, which is a pretty decent price for high-output sound packed up in a fairly rugged case that can go anywhere you do.
When the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE debuted, we gave it an 84, calling it a refined gaming notebook that "delivers all the power you'd want from a large gaming notebook" — without any unnecessary bling. Amazon is offering the Triton 500 SE at a $500 discount, which is about $60 lower than we've ever seen it and definitely the lowest it's dipped since coming out in April of this year.
The large, 16-inch screen delivers smooth and gorgeous graphics, thanks to the inclusion of Intel's 12th-gen Core i9 processor and NVIDIA's latest RTX 3080 Ti GPU. Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar particularly liked the Triton's performance, noting that it was often on par with the more expensive Razer Blade. He also liked the fact that the laptop could easily transition from gaming den to an office meeting since its clean metallic design is free of any flashy (or downright obnoxious) decoration.
While the keyboard and trackpad weren't the best, and the speakers sounded a little tinny, that may not be an issue if you're planning on plugging in peripherals. The "bag bundle" deal comes with an unassuming black slip case, but the real draw is the $500-savings on a high-performance gaming laptop.
We'd be remiss if we didn't include something for the kiddos (and the kiddos at heart) by mentioning two Halloween sales on older, dark, creepy, gory or otherwise holiday-appropriate game titles. Both Playstation and Xbox are running sales with discounts up to 80 percent on titles like Witcher 3 (80 percent off at XBOX), Resident Evil 3 (70 percent off at PS) and Dying Light 2 (40 percent off, both stores).
We called Apple's latest MacBook Air "near-perfect" in our review back in July when the ultraportable laptop came out. It remains one of the best general-purpose laptops we've tried and right now Amazon has it for $1,049 a savings of $150 over the list price.
We were particularly impressed with the overall lightness of the Air, weighing just 2.7 pounds. It's also much more balanced that previous models as Apple's done away with the wedge shape and gone for a uniform thickness. The screen is beautiful, the speakers are great and the performance of the M2 chip makes the laptop plenty speedy.
The battery lasted over 16 hours in our tests — more than enough for a full work day plus a streaming unwind afterwards. This is the 256GB configuration, which should be fine for most use cases, as long as you're not trying to edit huge video files on a regular basis. The discount only applies to the midnight and silver colorways, but if didn't necessarily have your heart set on the starlight hue, you can nab this all-purpose workhorse for a sweet discount.
Sonos just launched a 20-percent-off sale covering bundles of their soundbars, speakers and subwoofers. If you've been thinking about upgrading the sound from your smart TV to something a little more room-filling, this is worth checking out.
We're big Sonos fans, giving 85+ scores to both the Arc and the Beam in our hands-on reviews. Both of those are covered in different configurations during the bundle sale. Here's a fuller breakdown of what's on offer:
Sonos Beam (Gen 2) + 2x Sonos One SL for $678, down from $847
Sonos Arc + 2x Sonos One SL for $1,038, down from $1,297
Sonos Beam (Gen 2) + Sonos Sub (Gen 3) for $958, down from $1,198
Sonos Arc + Sonos Sub (Gen 3) for $1,318, down from $1,648
Sonos Beam (Gen 2) + Sonos Sub (Gen 3) + 2x Sonos One SL for $1,277, down from $1,596
Sonos Arc + Sonos Sub (Gen 3) + 2x Sonos One SL for $1,637, down from $2,046
The market for wireless earbuds is loaded with quality options, but in the sub-$100 range, the selection is generally a bit spottier. We've found Jabra's Elite 3 to be a standout for those on a budget, though, and as of this writing the earbuds are down to $50 at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Jabra's online store. We've seen the Elite 3 hit this price a few times this year, but the discount is still about $15 off the device's average street price in recent months and $30 off Jabra's MSRP.
The earbuds briefly dropped to $47.49 earlier this month, but this matches the lowest price we've seen outside of that. It's also worth noting that Best Buy is marketing this as the Elite 3's "Black Friday price" as part of a wider early Black Friday promotion, so this is likely to be the earbuds' going rate during any upcoming holiday sales.
Our audio expert Billy Steele gave the Elite 3 a score of 88 last year, deeming it "the new standard for affordable wireless earbuds" in the process. We were particularly impressed in the sound department: it's not purely neutral, and it can't match pricier models like Apple's AirPods Pro or Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 3, but the overall clarity is greater than what you typically get for less than $100, let alone $50, and the bass-forward profile lends tracks a nice amount of body.
We found the Elite 3's compact design to be light and comfortable in the ear, with reliable physical control buttons on each earpiece. The buds have an IP55 dust and water resistance rating, which is enough to survive most workouts. Battery life comes in at roughly seven hours of continuous use, which is good, with another 20-ish hours available through the included charging case. A recent firmware update also added the ability to create a custom EQ profile, addressing one of the issues we had in our initial review.
To be clear, these are still Jabra's "budget" earbuds, so their overall feature set is limited compared to more expensive alternatives. There's no active noise cancellation, no wireless charging support, no ability to connect to more than one device simultaneously, and no automatic pausing when you remove an earpiece. Call quality is just average, and while there is a "HearThrough" ambient sound mode, it generally sounds more muffled than the equivalents on higher-end pairs. Anker's Soundcore Space A40 is a good budget-friendly alternative for those who want ANC and other advanced features, though it's still pricier at $100.
Nevertheless, the Elite 3's overall package remains a strong value when it's discounted to this extent, so consider this a PSA if you're been looking for a quality set of no-frills wireless earbuds without spending a ton.
