Amazon Prime Day offers a great opportunity to upgrade your work-from-home setup. You've probably been using it a lot recently and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, but it can get expensive to upgrade the tools you may have been using for the past two or more years. One of the biggest expenses can be an external monitor, but it can also be one of the most useful gadgets in your setup. If you spend most of your day hunched over a laptop, an external monitor can help you improve your posture and overall comfort throughout the day. Whether you're looking for your first monitor or want to upgrade the one you currently have, a number of good ones are on sale for Prime Day. Here are the best monitor deals we found for Amazon Prime Day 2022.
Samsung monitors
Samsung
A variety of Samsung monitors are on sale for Prime Day, and they include the company's M5 smart monitor. Both the 27-inch and 32-inch versions of the M5 have been discounted, and these displays double as smart TVs. You can use either as a regular external monitor, but built-in technology gives you access to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and others.
BenQ has a handful of monitors on sale that cover both work and play purposes. Some of the best deals are on "gaming" monitors, but they can be used for both your next streaming session and general work tasks. This 27-inch EX2710S monitor is $121 off and down to $209, while this 27-inch EX2710R curved monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate is $310 off and down to $290. You can also pick up BenQ's 34-inch EX3410R ultrawide display for $470, or $130 off its usual price.
LG has discounted a bunch of monitors for Prime Day, including curved, UltraWide, UltraGear and other types. Those on a budget will find a few options under $200, while those who want larger displays or screens with faster refresh rates can save hundreds on higher-end models.
Dell gaming monitors are up to 35 percent off for Prime Day, with the steepest discount being on this 24.5-inch 240Hz FHD monitor, which is down to only $200. It has fast refresh rates, a 1ms GtG response time and 99 percent sRGB color coverage. You can also pick up a 32-inch 165Hz curved gaming monitor for $254 and this 34-inch WQHD curved monitor for $390.
December 2017 feels like a lifetime ago and yet that's how long it's been since Nintendo announced Bayonetta 3. Fast forward four and a half years and the long-awaited sequel finally has a release date. It's coming to Switch on October 28th, meaning that Nintendo's sticking to its pledge of releasing the game this year.
Nintendo revealed a fresh trailer and more details about what to expect. Bayonetta 3 takes place in Tokyo, the mountains of China and some other locations. Bayonetta will have a new ability at her disposal called Demon Masquerade, which taps into the power of the demon that's linked to her weapon to help her attack foes with hellish combos. There's a new character as well. You'll be able to control Viola, a witch in training who can unleash a feline demon named Cheshire on enemies.
Along with the base game, fans will be able to snag a Trinity Masquerade Edition from some retailers and the My Nintendo Store. It includes a full-color, 200-page art book and reversible cases for all three games in PlatinumGames' series (Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are sold separately). More details about the bundle, including pre-order info, will be revealed later.
Perhaps with that collectors' edition in mind, Nintendo announced a physical version of the original Bayonetta for Switch. It will arrive on September 30th and cost $30, but it will only be available in limited quantities.
Although it delayed the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild until next spring, Nintendo currently has the most extensive first-party slate of any of the big three console makers for the rest of the year. A remake of Live a Live will arrive on June 22nd. One week later, Nintendo will release Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Splatoon 3 will be available in September and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will land in November, with Bayonetta 3 filling the gap between those.
Amazon has discounted most of its Blink wireless security cameras for Prime Day this year, but one of the best deals is on the budget-friendly, wired version of the camera. You can pick up a two-pack of Blink Minis for only $30 right now, which is more than half off the original rate. Along with that, you can grab a Blink Indoor kit for as low as $55, an Outdoor kit for only $60 and a Blink Video Doorbell for $35.
If you're on the fence about choosing the Blink system for your home, giving a Blink Mini a try is a great place to start. Not only are they the most affordable of the bunch, but they also include most of the features the standard Indoor and Outdoor cameras have. The biggest drawback is that the Minis are wired, so you'll have to place them inside and need an outlet. Otherwise, they act much the same as the regular Blink cameras do, recording 1080p video, sending you motion alerts and supporting two-way talk. The Minis also have infrared night vision for clearer nighttime footage, plus Alexa support.
For those that already have Blink cameras around their home, Prime Day offers the chance to pick up a couple more at the best prices possible. Both the Indoor and Outdoor cameras have all of the features that the Blink Mini does, plus they're completely wireless. That makes it much easier to place them anywhere around your home, especially if you have the right mounting accessories to pair with them. Both versions run on AA batteries that will last up to two years before they need replacing, and the Outdoor models are weather-resistant, too.
Amazon recently expanded the Blink system to include a Video Doorbell, which is essentially a cheaper version of a Ring doorbell. Blink's has a slimmer profile and can be installed either wired into your doorbell's hardware or wirelessly. Just like the cameras, the Video Doorbell records in 1080p, will send you motion alerts and lets you speak to people at your front door using its two-way audio feature.
If you're on the hunt for budget wireless noise-cancelling earbuds in the Apple family, don't forget about the Beats Studio Buds. They're already well-priced at $150, but now you can pick them up at Amazon on Prime Day for just $100 ($50 off), matching the lowest price we've seen yet.
The Studio Buds earned an 84 score in our Engadget review and also made our list of best wireless earbuds for 2021. The small, comfortable design and IPX4 water resistance makes them great for workouts and, more importantly, they deliver good sound quality with Beats' famous punchy base. Active noise cancellation is solid as well, and they can adjust the volume based on your environment via the active gain feature.
The Studio Buds use Apple's H1 chip, so they support Apple's Spatial Audio feature and let you easily switch between Apple devices — just as you can with a pair of AirPods. However, they're also device agnostic, so you can use the Fast Pair option to quickly set them up with your Android device. They also work with Find My Device on Android, so you can see their last known location.
The main drawbacks are a lack of wireless charging and onboard controls, but most budget wireless buds lack those features. And at that $100 price point, you won't find many rivals that can match its features.
There are no shortage of robot vacuum deals for Prime Day, but some of the most affordable devices lie in Anker's Eufy family. A number of those robo-vacs are on sale for Amazon's shopping event, with one of our favorites being 48 percent off. You can pick up the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max is down to inly $130 right now, or nearly half off its original price. Another solid pick, the Eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid, is $270 off and down to $380, which is the best price we've seen it.
The 11S Max is actually a stronger version of the robot vacuum that made it into our budget robot vacuum guide. The standard 11S has 1300Pa of suction power, while the Max has 2000Pa, so you're getting a device that should do an even better job of sucking up dirt and debris. Otherwise, the 11S Max is basically the same as the standard model: at only 2.85-inches tall, it's slim enough to get underneath some furniture and it'll return to its base when it needs a recharge. It's not a WiFi-connected robot vacuum, which means you can't control it from your smartphone. However, it comes with a handy remote that has options for most of the big things you'd want to do with a robo-vac like change cleaning modes, set schedules and more.
While the 11S Max is probably best for those who aren't sure how much they'll use a robot vacuum, the X8 Hybrid is for those who know a machine like this will fill a void in their home. It's a vacuum-and-mop hybrid device that comes with a 250-milliliter water tank that you can fill when you want to run a mopping job. As a vacuum, though, it's pretty powerful and we appreciated its accurate home-mapping skills, four different cleaning modes and its "tap and go" feature, which lets you send the machine to a specific spot in your home to clean.
Have you ever wanted to see your own face on the body of a Power Ranger or a Ghostbuster? Thanks to an ingenious partnership between Hasbro and 3D-printing specialists Formlabs, now you can. The Hasbro Selfie Series will let would-be heroes take a scan of their face with their phone and have a custom-made, look-a-like action figure delivered at some point afterward. In this initial blast, you can opt to become an X-Wing Pilot, Ghostbuster, Power Ranger or Snake Eyes from GI Joe, amongst others.
It’s part of Formlabs’ growing project to turn 3D printing into a technological cul-de-sac into a viable way of making customized, mass-market products. The company has already teamed up with Sennheiser to make 3D-printed earbuds, and has branched out into making jewelry moulds, ventilator parts and false teeth. It also teamed up with Gillette to create customized razor handles which were manufactured using Formlabs’ industrial printers.
Hasbro's Brian Chapman explained that, a few years ago, the company ran a competition at a comic-con to make custom action figures for five winners. They found the interest in the promo was so enormous that the company has always had an eye on developments in the 3D printing market.
The Hasbro Selfie Series launches today, with figures priced at $60, plus taxes. In order to start, you'll need to download Hasbro Pulse, the company's dedicated mobile app, and then make sure your face is ready to be immortalized. Once scanned, you can check your face and hair looks good, and then sit back and wait for the six-inch "collector-grade" figure to arrive, with shipping expected to begin in the Fall. Unfortunately, for now, the offering is only available to customers in the US, but hopefully over time, we'll see this make its way across the world.
If you're looking for a way to upgrade your home's WiFi, Amazon's Eero 6 routers are a good option. Not only are there are a number of WiFi 6 options to choose from, but all of them have been discounted for Prime Day. The Eero 6 is on sale starting at $71, while the Eero Pro 6 starts at $148 for the two-day shopping event. The company's newest editions, the Eero Pro 6E and the Eero 6+, are available for $194 and $90, respectively.
Most people will be best served by either the Eero 6 or Pro 6 systems. The former can cover up to 1,500 square feet with just one node, and you can add additional routers into the mix to expand coverage for larger homes. It's a dual-band system that can reach speeds up to 900Mbps, and each router has two Ethernet ports built in. For Gigabit internet, the tri-band Eero Pro 6 is your best bet as it supports that level of speed, plus one router can cover up to 2,000 square feet.
Amazon came out with both the Eero Pro 6E and the 6+ earlier this year, but they're very different systems. The Pro 6E is the best WiFi 6 system you can get from Amazon right now, and it gives you access to the 6GHz band to reach speeds up to 1.3Gbps. Each node covers up to 2,000 square feet, and you'll be able to connect up to 100 devices at once. The Eero 6+ sits in the middle of the standard Eero 6 and the Pro 6 systems. The dual-band router will give you speeds up to 1Gbps, coverage for up to 1,500 square feet and a device cap of 75. Plus, it has access to a 160MHz radio channel, which should provide faster wireless speeds.
We've recommended the stainless steel Solo Stove fire pits before because of the advantages over standard fire pits. They actively channel smoke away from the user thanks to a double-walled design that pulls hot air through vent holes and back into the fire. This keeps flames hot while reducing smoke and creating fine ashes.
The Campfire model is the number one wood-burning camp stove out there and comes recommended by Backpacker Magazine and others. Along with the double-walled design, it's lightweight at just 2.2 pounds and designed to burn twigs, leaves, pinecones and wood as fuel, eliminating the need carry heavy and polluting cannister fuel. For serious campers, the Prime Day deal of $66 should be a no-brainer.
I bought my first tube amp last year, after playing guitar for about 25 years. Before then I’d been completely reliant on solid-state amps and digital models. It was a revelation. And then a few weeks ago I had an almost equally revelatory experience when I first plugged in one of Universal Audio’s UAFX amp modelers.
UA is well known for its high-quality plugins that recreate vintage hardware. But last year it decided to get into the guitar pedal game with a trio of classic effects. And now it’s expanding that lineup with three amp modelers in pedalboard-friendly formats. The company isn’t the first to try this. It’s not even the first to do it well. But it’s clear after just a short time with them that the UA modelers stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Let’s start with the basics. The UAFX Amp Modelers come in three flavors: Dream '65 Reverb, Ruby '63 Top Boost and Woodrow '55 Instrument Amplifier. These are emulations of a Fender Deluxe Reverb, Vox AC30 and Fender Tweed Deluxe, respectively. I’m not gonna spend much time focusing on how close they come to recreating the originals down to the tiniest details. There are some shootout videos on YouTube that directly compare them, and I highly suggest you watch those if that’s your biggest concern. But, let’s just say they managed to trip up ears that are far more astute than my own.
What’s more important, as far as I’m concerned, is that they sound good, are easy to use, pack a host of advanced features and deliver an incredible value despite the seemingly lofty $400 price. I’ll dig more into the tones later, but they sound amazing. Full stop. They’re easily the best sounding amp sim pedals I’ve ever heard.
Now, I’m not going to pretend that I’ve done side-by-side comparisons of every high-end amp sim out there. Specifically, I have never used a Kemper Profiler or a Headrush. But those are much more complex products with built-in effects, tens of amp sims and prices that can climb well north of $1,500 in the case of a Kemper.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Each UA pedal is focused with laser-like precision on capturing the essence of a specific amp. Which, frankly, should be fine since most guitarists aren’t showing up to gigs with a truck full of amps to switch between mid set. That’s not to say there isn’t variety or versatility here, though. Each pedal has multiple speaker cabinet options (three out of the box, plus three bonus cabs when you register) and can emulate classic mods or different revisions of the amp. They also have options and controls that are unique to each model. For instance the Ruby ‘63 has a high cut knob, while the Woodrow allows you to dial in room tone to recreate the natural ambience of a recording studio.
This slight difference in features and controls is one of the reasons UA has cited for making three separate pedals, rather than cramming all three amps into a single unit. While it’s true that the hardware and the software platform are more-or-less the same across the lineup, the difference in control schemes could needlessly complicate things. Right now the six knobs and three switches have at most two functions and are mode-dependent. So if you have the Dream ‘65 in “amp” mode you get treble and boost controls, but flip the middle switch to “alt” and those become speed and depth for the vibrato (which is really tremolo, but don’t worry about that). If you tried to cram all three amps in a single pedal, some knobs would have to control four or five different parameters. That’s simply too complicated if you ask me. The UAFX Amp Modelers strike an excellent balance between depth of control and ease of use.
While the onboard controls are easy enough to wrap your head around, the UAFX app makes things even easier. You can’t control every parameter using the desktop or mobile apps, but you can change presets, tag your favorites and customize the function of the two footswitches. Out of the box the left footswitch turns the pedal on and off, while the right switches between your last preset and live controls. But that’s probably not the most useful configuration. Chances are you’re just going to leave the amp sim on all the time. So using one switch to engage the boost or turn on the vibrato makes more sense.
The app also comes loaded with presets that make dialing in excellent tones a cinch. There are over a dozen factory settings, plus artist presets from people like Nels Cline of Wilco, Jessica Dobson of Deep Sea Diver, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and Cory Wong of Vulfpeck.
The one thing to note here is that you can only update the pedals’ firmware using the desktop app over USB. Which is probably for the better, since I’ve found that the Bluetooth connection to the mobile app can be a bit unstable. A recent firmware update improved the situation, but it still drops every so often.
The last thing to mention before we move on to the sounds is the build quality. The UAFX modelers are just absolute bricks. While any stompbox worth its salt is going to be pretty rugged and made out of metal (they have to survive being repeatedly stepped on, after all), these are in a class of their own. They’re quite a bit heavier than your average pedal, are cast from extremely dense aluminum and would definitely cause some serious damage if dropped on an exposed toe – barefoot players beware.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Alright, so we’ve established that they’re well built, feature excellent connectivity options (all three are stereo as well) and sound great, but what is it about the sound that sets them apart from the rest of the amp modelers out there? Well, the short answer is, the feel.
I know, that’s a bit nebulous, but there’s something about the way these pedals respond to your playing that feels more natural and authentic than many modelers, even those based on impulse responses (IRs). An IR can get you a great sounding amp or cab sim, but because they’re based on audio files, they tend to be less dynamic than the real deal. The UAFX pedals clean up considerably if you turn down the volume on your guitar, or play very delicately. And they creep into break up as you start playing harder.
They also take effect pedals incredibly well, which isn’t something you can assume in my experience, especially when it comes to dirt. My Fuck Overdrive and Part Garden fuzz pedals posed no challenge, and honestly the overdrive probably sounded better though the UAFX modelers than it does through my Blues Jr.
This demo features a few sounds from the Ruby '63 Top Boost Amplifier with only slight EQing done in post. The last portion of the clip adds a delay pedal to the mix.
This is where we have to stop lumping the three pedals together, though, because they all sound incredibly different from each other. No one is better than the other, but your personal preference will dictate which is the best choice for you. Do you want crisp clean tones that you can pair with iconic spring reverb and vibrato? The Dream ‘65 is the ticket. Need super bright chimy sounds that be pushed into classic blues-rock crunch? Then it’s the Ruby you’re looking for. And if you want darker, dirtier sounds, go for the Woodrow.
Personally, I’m into the Dream. Its cleans are pristine and glorious. And when paired with the built-in spring reverb emulation it becomes a perfect machine for surf rock or more ambient styles where your pedalboard is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. It’s also an excellent vehicle for funk and soul where you want something sharp that will cut through the mix without stealing the spotlight.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Even though I have a board full of fancy reverbs and a tremolo pedal I’m head-over-heels for, I actually still found myself turning to the built-in versions of the Dream pretty frequently. The spring reverb here is as close to the real thing as you’re gonna get. It drips and rattles just like the spring in my Blues Jr and I don’t think I could pick it out as a digital effect in a blind taste test. The vibrato (which, again, is actually tremolo) is equally great. It has a warm vintage feel that is closer to the tube-power vibrato of yore, than my new-school tremolo.
I also think that the three different boost channel options and six different cab simulations give you the most tonal versatility of the three pedals. Pairing the stock boost with the GB25 cab delivers excellent clean tones even at higher volumes. But flip to the lead mod and go with the EV12 cab and you can rip a pretty searing solo.
The pedal even starts to break up a bit if you hit it with too hot of a signal. But it doesn’t clip the way that, say, a digital audio interface would. Instead, it kind of crackles just like a real amp might. It’s these nice little touches that make the UAFX pedals so convincing.
The Woodrow goes in the opposite direction of the Dream. While you can certainly get clean tones from it, it excels at riff-rock crunch and arena-filling distortion. You can even push it into full on fuzz territory without the aid of pedals. With my humbucker-equipped Fender Toronado tuned down to C standard it was the perfect partner for knocking out Queens of the Stone Age songs.
Overall, it has a darker, edgier tone that can almost reach sludge metal territory. It even works well with bass, which is handy if you want to have a single amp modeling pedal for everything. I used it to track a few bass parts on some demos and it sounded way better than any dedicated bass amp VST I’ve tried (which is admittedly very few).
This demo features a few sounds from the Woodrow '55 Instrument Amplifier with only slight EQing done in post. The last portion of the clip adds a fuzz pedal to the mix.
The Woodrow has few tricks up its sleeve too. One is that, like the Fender Tweed amps it’s emulating, it has two channels: instrument and mic. They have slightly different characters and you can blend the two together here allowing you to take advantage of both the cleaner, but warmer, mic channel, and the brighter, dirtier instrument one simultaneously. There’s also a dedicated knob on the front for dialing in room tone, allowing you to recreate the ambience of a miked amp in a studio.
The Ruby also has a room emulation, and I will say it’s one of the few things I think UA could improve on a bit. At lower settings – say, with the dial below nine o’clock – the effect is reasonably subtle and can make recording directly through your audio interface sound a little more alive. Anything beyond that, though – a full 75-percent of the range – is just too much for my tastes. At the extreme high end It makes your guitar sound like it’s being played at the other end of a 100-yard stretch of sewer pipe. I’m sure there are some artistic applications for it, but I can’t imagine there are many.
This demo features a few sounds from the Dream '65 Reverb Amplifier with only slight EQing done in post. The last portion of the clip adds a reverb pedal to the mix.
If you just ignore the room tone thing, the Ruby is another winner. It might cover the widest range of tones of the three, though I’ll admit finding it the hardest one to dial in the way I like. (But once I did, it contained some of my favorite sounds.) As you’d expect from an AC30 emulator the Ruby handles the bright chimes of REM and U2 with ease, but when cranked gets the creamy sustain you associate with Queen. Plus, it’s basically the quintessential British Invasion amp.
You can easily push further into full on distortion too since it incorporates two popular boost options on the channel switch, and also changes between two different revisions of the amp. Normal mode is a 1961 AC30, which lacked the top boost circuit, paired with an emulation of the Dallas Rangemaster treble booster. Dialed in right you can get the thick sounds of Black Sabbath here. The Bril and Vib options are based on the 1963 top-boosted AC30, which is really what you want if you’re going for that classic bright cutting tone.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any three of the UAFX Amp Modelers. Which one is best for you will depend entirely on your personal taste. That said, I suppose you could buy all three which, even at $400 apiece, would cost less than just one of the vintage amps they’re modeling. And they’re not just cheaper, but lighter, require less maintenance and are more versatile than their inspiration. They’re never going to completely replace the real deal for a true enthusiast, but for someone recording in a small home studio or playing a lot of gigs in smaller venues it could become an indispensable part of their setup.
This demo features the three UAFX modelers used on all of the instruments except drums and fully mixed.
The UAFX Amp Modelers make it easy to lay down polished sounding guitar tracks without firing up my amp or worrying about mic placement. I can record in the middle of the night while my kids are sleeping or on a Sunday morning without annoying the neighbors. And for gigging musicians these can go straight into a PA system and almost nobody would know the difference. That means no lugging a heavy tube amp up and down stairs, or on a train. You can just grab your pedalboard and go. The one thing missing is a dedicated headphone out jack, which would make it an ideal practice companion while traveling.
A decent amp sim is a useful thing for any guitarist to have. And while there are plenty of excellent ones out there, many of which offer multiple amp emulations in a single pedal, for my money the UAFX Amp Modelers are the ones to beat.
The Meta Quest 2 is already pretty affordable at $299, but now Amazon is sweetening the deal by bundling it with a free $25 gift card. While you still have to pay its full price upon checkout — that's $299 for the headset with 128GB of storage — the deal still translates to seven percent in savings when you factor in the gift card you're getting from the purchase. You can also get the 256GB version of the headset formerly known as the Oculus Quest 2 with a free $25 gift card, though that option will set you back $399.
We found the Meta Quest 2 to be an excellent standalone VR headset when we reviewed the device back in 2020. It's smaller than its predecessor and around 10 percent lighter, making it more comfortable to use. It has fast-switching LCDs with a resolution of 1,832 x 1,920 per eye and have 50 percent more pixels than the previous model. Shortly after the device's release, Meta rolled out an update that enabled 90Hz refresh rate for games, as well.
We also praised Meta for addressing people's concerns with the first Quest's hardware. That said, you need a Facebook account to be able to use the headset, at least for now. The company is changing that requirement soon and will instead require users to have a Meta account, which doesn't have to be linked to Facebook.
Amazon's free $25 gift card offer will only be available until the end of the day. Take note that the gift card might ship separately from the headset itself and might arrive at a different date.
