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Historically, Amazon Prime Day has been a boon for storage deals. For the past few years, we've seen the online retailer knock hundreds off of flash drives, microSD cards, internal and portable SSDs and more for its members-only shopping event. It's no different this year, with devices from Crucial, SanDisk, Samsung and others being heavily discounted for Prime members. Now's a good time to pick up a portable drive for the upcoming school year, an extra SD card for your DSLR or a pricey internal drive for your PS5 while they're much cheaper than usual. Here are the best storage deals we found for Prime Day 2022.
Samsung Pro Plus microSD card
Samsung
Samsung's Pro Plus microSD card in 128GB is half off and down to only $18 for Prime Day. It also comes with an adapter, so you can use it with more types of devices. You'll get read/write speeds of up to 160MB/s and 120MB/s, respectively, and a card that's temperature, magnet- and drop-resistant.
Crucial's MX500 in 1TB is on sale for $85, or 15 percent off its usual price. It’s a good option if you need a standard 2.5-inch drive that works with both laptops and desktops. It also has AES-256 bit hardware encryption and integrated power loss immunity to protect your data.
Samsung's 980 Pro is one of the best internal SSDs you can get right now and it's 43 percent off and down to $120 right now. That's a great price for the 1TB model, and if you need more space, you can pick up the 2TB version for only $230. It has sequential read speeds up to 7,000MB/s and it'll work with the PS5 as long as you have a heatsink attached.
SanDisk's Extreme Pro SSD in 1TB is down to $160 right now. We like its compact, durable design that's IP55 water- and dust-resistant, plus its support for up to 2,000 MB/s read and write speeds.
Samsung's new T7 Shield portable SSDs have been discounted for Prime Day. You can pick up the 1TB model for $100 or the 2TB model for $200 — both new all-time-low prices. Samsung just came out with these drives back in April, and they're designed to be more durable versions of the standard T7 series with extra drop protection and an IP65-rated design.
Samsung's T7 Touch is on sale for $150, but you can clip an on-page coupon to get an additional $22 off the 1TB model.. This portable SSD has a sleek, palm-sized design, optional password protection, read speeds up to 1,050 MB/s and a built-in fingerprint reader for extra security.
Amazon has knocked 45 percent off SanDisk's 1TB Ultra microSD card, bringing it down to $110. This model supports 120MB/s read speeds and will work in a variety of devices, including the Nintendo Switch.
SanDisk's Dual Drive Go is on sale for $50 right now, or 32 percent less than usual. It's a more modern version of a thumb drive featuring a swivel design with a USB-A connector on one end and a USB-C dongle on the other. We like its sleek, portable design, its 150MB/s read speeds and the fact that you'll be able to use it with almost any device.
The Patriot Viper VP4300 SSD in 1TB is on sale for $105. It's our current top pick on our list of best drives for your PS5 thanks to its speedy 7,400 MB/s sequential read speeds and its pre-installed heatsink.
Crucial's P5 Plus SSD in 2TB has dropped to $190, or 41 percent off its usual rate. It's one of our favorite drives for the PS5 thanks to its 6,600 MB/s sequential read speeds, plus its relatively budget-friendly starting price.
Another one of our favorite PS5 SSDs, the PNY XLR8 CS3040, has dropped to $105. It's an already affordable drive made even better by this sale, and we like its 5,600 MB/s read speeds and its five-year warranty.
The 500GB Crucial P2 SSD is down to $43 right now, or 23 percent cheaper than usual. This model has read speeds up to 2,400 MB/s and comes with SSD management software that will help you optimize performance and install firmware updates.
Crucial's compact X6 portable drive in 1TB has been discounted to $80. It supports 800 MB/s read speeds, plus it works with all kinds of machines include Windows, Mac, Android and iPad devices, and even game consoles if you have the right connecting cable.
The 1TB LaCie Rugged Mini hard drive is down to $55 right now, or 35 percent less than usual. This drive works with Windows and Mac devices, although you'll need to reformat it to use it with the latter, plus it has built-in password protection and shock- and drop-resistant design.
For the first time in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Television Academy has nominated a non-English series for Outstanding Drama. Netflix’s Squid Game earned the distinction on Tuesday when the organization announced the nominations for the 2022 awards. In addition to Outstanding Drama, the runaway hit earned 14 total nominations, including an Outstanding Lead Actor nod for star Lee Jung-jae.
Depending on how you want to count the nominations, Netflix either earned the most or second-most of any streaming company on the list. All told, Netflix productions scored 105 nominations this year, second only to the 140 netted by HBO and HBO Max, but the grouping of HBO’s cable and streaming operations under one umbrella has been an ongoing source of controversy within the industry.
HBO also had the most-nominated series with Succession. The show earned 25 nods from the Academy, including nominations for Outstanding Drama and two Outstanding Actor considerations for Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong. With 20 nominations, Apple’s Ted Lasso earned the most nominations of any streaming-exclusive series. Jason Sudeikis will get a chance to defend his best actor win from last year. Thanks to shows like Ted Lasso and Severance, Apple had a strong performance. It earned 51 nods, up from 35 the year prior. Notably, Jon Stewart, who returned to late-night TV last year with the Problem with Jon Stewart on TV+, was snubbed in the Outstanding Variety Talk Series category.
Disney’s performance was a mixed bag. On the back of 17 nominations for Only Murders In The Building, Hulu more than doubled its nominations from last year to 58. Disney+, however, only came away with 34 nods, a significant drop from the 71 it netted last year. That said, other streaming platforms didn’t do nearly as well as even Disney+. Amazon’s Prime Video secured a modest 30 nominations, while Paramount+ and Peacock only came away with 11 and three nods apiece.
Heardle, a music trivia game that popped up following the massive success of Wordle, has a new owner. Spotify has announced it's buying the game. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. As The Verge notes, Heardle is Spotify's first game acquisition.
Heardle is a straightforward game of name that tune. Players are given six attempts to guess a popular song. They hear one second of the intro at first. Heardle lets them hear a little more after each incorrect guess (they can also skip turns). There's only one song each day for everyone to guess.
Whether or not you correctly identify the song, you can click through to hear the full track after finishing a round. That caught the attention of Spotify, which is pegging Heardle as a music discovery tool. Until now, the game has been using music hosted on Soundcloud.
“We are always looking for innovative and playful ways to enhance music discovery and help artists reach new fans,” Spotify's global head of music Jeremy Erlich said. “Heardle has proven to be a really fun way to connect millions of fans with songs they know and love and with new songs... and a way to compete with their friends as to who has the best musical knowledge. Since its debut, the game has quickly built a loyal following, and it aligns with our plans to deepen interactivity across the Spotify ecosystem.”
As The New York Times did with Wordle after it bought that game, Spotify says it will keep Heardle free to play for everyone and retain the existing look and feel. The font Heardle uses has been updated to align with Spotify's branding, however.
The integration between Heardle and Spotify has already started in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Players in those countries can listen to each day's song on Spotify instead of Soundcloud. The game is now hosted on Spotify's website too. Players who want to keep their stats will need to visit the old site to transfer them over.
Spotify says players in other countries will soon be able to play Heardle in other languages. It plans to eventually "integrate Heardle and other interactive experiences more fully into Spotify to allow music lovers to connect more deeply with artists and challenge friends."
However, the transition doesn't seem to be going entirely smoothly. Some players have claimed they can't accessHeardle in their location. Conversely, some say they can now play for the first time as Soundcloud isn't available where they are.
Let's face it: creating your dream gaming setup can be difficult and expensive. But Amazon Prime Day and sales like it present great opportunities to grab a couple of things on your wish list for less. Unsurprisingly, the online retailer has discounted a plethora of gaming laptops, monitors, peripherals and accessories for its members-only shopping event. Brands including Razer, Logitech, SteelSeries and others have dropped most of their devices down to record-low prices, so you can get everything from mice to keyboards to gaming chairs for much less than usual. Here are the best gaming deals we found for Prime Day 2022.
Razer Blade 14
This powerful version of the Razer Blade 14 is 18 percent off and down to $2,285. It runs on an 8-core Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. It earned a score of 84 from us for its sturdy yet premium design, powerful CPU and GPU, bright display and its multitude of ports.
Elgato's Stream Deck is down to $100 for Prime Day, or $40 off its normal price. This is a handy accessory to have for game streamer because you can customize its 15 LCD keys to do things like open apps, switch scenes, adjust audio and more.
The Elgato Facecam is 18 percent off and down to $140. Running on a Sony sensor, this webcam supports 1080p recording, an 82-degree field of view and a USB-C port for connectivity.
HyperX's QuadCast S microphone is 29 percent off and down to $113. We like this accessory for its light-up core with customizable RGB lighting, internal pop filter, anti-vibration shock mount and four polar patterns.
The HyperX Cloud Alpha headset is down to a record low of $60. It works with most game consoles, including the PS5 and the Nintendo Switch, plus it has a study aluminum frame, a detachable braided cable and a removable noise cancellation microphone.
Logitech's Blue Yeti mic is on sale for $90 right now — not an all-time low, but close to it. It's a solid choice for game streamers, aspiring podcasters or anyone who just wants to sound better on video conference calls. It supports four pickup patterns, onboard controls and a plug-and-play design.
Logitech's G502 Lightspeed gaming mouse is down to a new low of $90, which is 40 percent off its normal price. We like this wireless mouse for its 25K sensor, 11 customizable buttons, hyper-fast scrolling and adjustable weight system.
A bunch of Corsair peripherals are on sale for Prime Day, including the K65 RGB Mini mechanical keyboard for $80. That's 27 percent off and the best price we've seen it. It earned an honorable mention in our 60 percent keyboard guide; while there are better options out there, the K65 could work for some people, especially at this sale price.
Razer's Anzu smart glasses have returned to an all-time-low price of $50 for Prime Day. We gave them a score of 74 for their blue-light filtering lenses, decent battery life and convenient hands-free audio.
Razer's cute Kraken Kitty Bluetooth headphones are down to $70, which is 30 percent off their normal price. These can help you set the mood in your next streaming session with their cat ears and Chroma RGB lighting. We also like that the headset supports a low latency connection, up to 50 hours of battery life and a built-in microphone.
Razer's Kiyo Pro webcam is just about half off right now and down to $102. This webcam records at 1080p 60fps and has an adaptive light sensor that allows it to automatically adjust your image depending on the lighting conditions.
The Viper Ultimate Hyperspeed wireless mouse from Razer is down to a near record-low of $80. It has a 20K DPI optical sensor, Razer's own switches with light beam-based actuation and an ambidextrous design.
The Razer Iskur chair is on sale for $350, or $150 off its usual price. This model is a bit more high-end than the Enki because it has an adjustable lumbar curve, spill-resistant fabric, denser cushions and angled seat edges.
Razer's BlackWidow V3 Pro mechanical keyboard is close to its all-time-low price and down to $140. We like that it can connect to up to three devices, has Chroma RGB lighting and comes with four media keys plus a multi-function digital dial.
SteelSeries' Artic Pro headset is down to $125 right now, or 31 percent off its normal price. These headphones support DTS X v2.0 surround sound and they have a USB chat mix dial that lets you adjust the volume of your game and chat audio.
The latest portable drive to be added to Samsung's T7 family is cheaper than ever for Amazon Prime Day. The new T7 Shield in 1TB is down to a new record low of $100, which is $60 off its normal price. The 2TB model is $90 off and down to only $200, too. This SSD is only a few months old as Samsung released it in April, so now's a great opportunity to grab it while you can pick it up at a discount.
The T7 Shield is essentially a tougher version of the standard T7. It has a rubberized exterior that surrounds its aluminum body, giving it extra durability and drop protection. Samsung claims the SSD can easily survive p to 9.8-foot drops, plus it has an IP65 rating for water- and dust-resistance. This might sound like overkill for a device that you may intend to keep in your backpack or on your desk at home, but it'll provide extra peace of mind if you ever need to travel with the SSD and work with it in the go.
When it comes to performance, the T7 Shield supports read/write speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s and 1,000 MB/s, respectively, and it works with most devices including Macs, PCs, Android devices, game consoles and more. That's due in part to the fact that the drive comes with both USB-C to C and USB-C to A cables, allowing you to connect it to many different types of gadgets. We also appreciate that it supports AES 256-bit hardware encryption as well.
Even though there's already been one major Kirby game this year, Nintendo's lovable pink puffball is making a second appearance sometime later this summer in Kirby's Dream Buffet.
While Nintendo's official description is a bit sparse, Kirby's next adventure is billed as a four-player party game that will see gamers "roll through a smorgasbord of food-themed stages" while bulking up on strawberries. At the end of four rounds, players will battle it out in a "fruity fight atop a floating platform" to determine which Kirby reigns supreme.
Based on footage from Nintendo's trailer, Kirby's Dream Buffet features obstacle courses reminiscent of Fall Guys, but without the massive 60-player lobbies you get in Mediatonic's popular battle royale-style platformer. In addition to four human players, it appears you'll also have to compete against NPCs in the form of computer-controlled Waddle Dees. You can gain advantages by using various power-ups like speed boosts or Kirby's signature copying ability, while some glimpses of the final round look like an evolved version of Mario Party's classic Bumper Balls mini-game.
So far, Nintendo has yet to provide an official release date for Kirby's Dream Buffet, only specifying that the game will be released sometime this summer on the Nintendo eShop. Pricing is also still to be determined, though based on the scope and nature of the game, I'm not expecting it to feature a full $60 price tag like you usually get with big tentpole Nintendo titles.
Nothing, the company from the former co-founder of OnePlus, is finally ready to reveal its first smart device, and it’s an ambitious one. It’s trying to break into the increasingly samey world of phones. And nothing looks quite like the Nothing Phone 1.
You’ll either love or hate how the Phone 1 looks. Regardless of whether you pick up the white or the black model, the back of the phone is a transparent Gorilla Glass slab that lets you see an array of components, LEDs, a charging coil, camera and, wait, is that an elephant?
This is just our early look at the phone (it’s only been a couple of days), but I’ve already noticed some clever design choices and features in both the hardware and software. Having said that, flagship phone obsessives that love a spicy spec sheet may be underwhelmed. This is the first smartphone from a new company – it’d be impossible to compete with Samsung and Apple, so it’s focused elsewhere.
From the start, the Phone 1 has been framed as a playful reinterpretation of the smartphone, a category that (beside foldables) has become staid, to put it kindly. At the same time, not competing with flagship cameras, screens and processors has ensured the price is surprisingly reasonable, starting at £399 (roughly $476). Sadly, there’s no plan for US availability, but the price puts it in the mid-range phone category, alongside Google’s Pixel A series, Samsung’s Galaxy A53 and Apple’s 2022 iPhone SE.
The most eye-catching part of the phone are all the light-up details on the back. Nothing calls these its Glyph interface. And despite my reservations, it’s not just an eye-catching design choice – though, let’s be honest, it’s mostly that.
You can assign unique light patterns to specific contacts (there’s also a raft of perfectly synced ringtones) and different app notifications. Thankfully, you can adjust the brightness – it’s a little too aggressive at max power. The lower light-up strip also represents the charging status of the phone when it’s plugged in. This means you won’t need to wake the device – or even look at the screen – to check the battery level. You can also use the Glyph Interface to light close-up subjects, like a short-range ring-light without the punch of the flash.
Mat Smith / Engadget
Unrelated to the Glyph interface, Nothing has also added a red indicator light when the phone is recording, which is a nice, and somehow retro, touch. The white panels underneath the Gorilla Glass backing have a papery-looking texture to them, repeating a design choice found on the Nothing Ear(1) wireless buds charging case. It’s a nice touch of family resemblance.
The frame is made of recycled aluminum (over 50% of the plastic components come from bio-based and recycled sources), and the flat edges make it feel a lot like an iPhone – not a bad thing. The Phone 1 has a small, but noticeable bezel around the 6.55-inch OLED screen, a dead giveaway of its midrange nature. The screen seems bright and responsive enough so far, with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz.
Perhaps a curse of a gorilla glass shell: both the screen and the back will pick up fingerprints incredibly easily – especially frustrating when it looks this good.
The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G+ chip. This is a custom twist on the midrange Snapdragon chip we’ve seen in other devices, which means that the Phone 1 can offer wireless charging capabilities. A Nothing spokesperson told me that there are also Nothing’s own custom algorithms for app optimization, which should, as you use the device, optimize launch speeds for your most-used apps.
The Phone 1 features 33W fast-charging to top up the 4,500 mAH battery, and can also reverse charge at up to 5W – perfect for those companion Nothing Ear(1) buds, the company hopes.
On to another important spec: the cameras. The Phone 1 has a dual-camera system with a f/1.88 50-megapixel primary camera with optical and electronic image stabilization. This comes with all the usual features like HDR, Portrait mode, night mode, 120 frames-per-second slow-mo video capture and more. Zoom is limited to 2x optical zoom, with some digital zoom thrown in if you’re desperate.
Mat Smith / Engadget
The primary shooter is joined by a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera with a 114-degree field of view. There’s a front-facing 16-megapixel selfie camera, too, with face unlock capability. (There's an in-screen fingerprint reader too). Expect us to give some more meaningful insights on the camera in our review, coming soon, but for now, early samples suggest that the cameras are pretty capable, offering image quality that wasn’t too far off flagships like the Pixel 6 and the iPhone 13 Pro.
Nothing is going hard on the aesthetic angle, and I’m pleasantly surprised that the phone seems, at least on first impressions, plenty capable. The price is tempting, and it’s certainly eye-catching. I’m looking forward to seeing how it fares against the similarly priced competition.
NASA has unveiled the first batch of full-color images that the James Webb Space Telescope has sent back to Earth. NASA, the European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency and the Space Telescope Science Institute determined the initial targets to show off the JWST's capabilities. They include the Carina Nebula, Southern Ring, SMACS 0723, WASP-96b and Stephan’s Quintet.
The first image revealed today was of the Southern Ring nebula, which was captured by JWST's NIRCam and MIRI instruments. NASA says the telescope was able to observe gas and dust from a dying star in "unprecedented detail" — far more than what Hubble was able to capture in 1998.
Put a ring on it! 💍
Compare views of the Southern Ring nebula and its pair of stars by Webb’s NIRCam (L) & MIRI (R) instruments. The dimmer, dying star is expelling gas and dust that Webb sees through in unprecedented detail: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B#UnfoldTheUniversepic.twitter.com/yOMMmQcAfA
Along with the images, NASA revealed spectroscopic data that JWST captured from WASP-96b to show the atmospheric composition of the gas exoplanet, which is around 1,150 light years away. NASA says it's the most detailed exoplanet spectrum captured to date and that Webb detected "the unambiguous signature of water," well as indications of haze and clouds, which were previously not believed to exist on WASP-96b.
Clouds are in the forecast for exoplanet WASP-96 b! ☁️
The very first full-color image from JWST, which was revealed by the White House on Monday, showed a cluster of galaxies, SMACS 0723, as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. The astonishingly vivid image of thousands of galaxies was just an appetizer.
This is a big moment in advancing our understanding of the universe, as it marks the official beginning of the JWST's general science operations. The images indicate the JWST is working as intended, which should mean we'll gain much more insight into the cosmos in the coming years. JWST is expected to be in operation for at least five years, though NASA believes the observatory has enough propellant to support scientific work for over a decade.
It may be Prime Day, but that doesn't mean you can only save some money if you shop at Amazon. For the past few years, other retailers have used Prime Day as a catalyst for their own sales events. That's good news for all of us because it means that you don't have to be a Prime member, or even shop exclusively at Amazon, to get great deals on Prime Day. When it comes to tech sales, you'll find good deals across Walmart, Target, Microsoft and others this Prime Day and we recommend checking them all out to get exactly what you want at the best price. Some deep discounts you'll find on Amazon may even be matched at other places, so it's worth doing a bit of research before deciding where you want to spend your money. Here are the best anti-Prime Day deals we could find for 2022.
Walmart
Google
Walmart has a number of new rollbacks this week to compete with Amazon Prime Day. There are sales across the entire site, including in tech, home, fashion, food and more. Some of the highlights include the Shark ION robot vacuum for only $129, the Nest Mini smart speaker for $30 and this 58-inch Hisense Roku smart TV for only $298.
Microsoft's back-to-school sale started this week and it knocks up to 50 percent off Windows laptops. On top of that, certain Surface Pro 8 machines with i7 processors are up to $300 off and bundles with the Pro 8 and Pro Keyboard start at $900. Other items on sale include the Surface Laptop Go, which is up to $350 less than usual.
If you need to pick up some new photography or video equipment, Adorama's Create and Save Days sale event could have what you're looking for. A bunch of cameras, lenses, monitors and more have been discounted, and you'll find Sony, Nikon, Shure, LG and other brands included in the sale. The site even has the XBox Series S for only $250, too.
Dell's Black Friday in July sale knocks up to $500 off PCs, while also discounting new laptops and desktops in many of its lineups. Devices like the new Dell Inspiron 3000 and 5000 laptops are included in this sale, along with gaming machines from Alienware and peripherals like monitors, gaming chairs, headsets, keyboards and more.
