If you’re in the market for a new webcam, you can save 20 percent on one of Engadget’s top picks for video calls. The Anker PowerConf C200, our top budget pick even at its standard price, is on sale for only $48.
Anker PowerConf C200 Webcam captures video in up to 2K resolution. Although 1080p will suit most people just fine (and you can lower it to that, 720p or 360p if you want), we appreciated the extra sharpness and clarity the 2K feed brought to our calls. The plug-and-play webcam has a fast autofocus and an ƒ/2.0 aperture to let in more light and help brighten up darker scenes.
Anker
Take 20 percent off Engadget’s top budget webcam pick.
It has dual stereo microphones built in, and you can use its companion software (AnkerWork) to change its pickup sensitivity from the default directional to omnidirectional (the latter for when more than one person is in your room). The webcam has a 95-degree field of view, but you can adjust it to 78 degrees if you prefer a tighter shot.
As far as tradeoffs, it’s a surprisingly short list for this price point. The Anker C200 lacks the fancy AI framing in some of the latest flagship models, and its cube-like shape makes it a bit more challenging than some competitors to adjust while on top of your screen. Its bundled USB-C to USB-A cable is also annoyingly short — not a big deal for laptops, but folks with standing desks or more sprawling desktop setups may need to swap it out for a longer one.
The Google Pixel 8 Pro remains the large-screen Android smartphone we’d recommend to most people, and right now it’s back on sale for $749 at Amazon, Best Buy and Google’s online store. We’ve seen this deal before, but it matches the largest discount we’ve tracked for an unlocked model outside of trade-in or carrier-exclusive offers. The phone technically has a list price of $999, though it’s often sold for $799 since it was launched last October. Either way, you’re saving at least a bit more than usual. This price applies to the base model with 128GB of storage, but higher-capacity models are also $250 off their MSRP if you need more space.
Photo by Sam Rutherford / Engadget
This matches the biggest outright cash discount we’ve seen for Google’s flagship smartphone.
If you don’t mind trading in an old device, however, Google has also raised the trade-in values for certain phones when they’re put toward a Pixel 8 Pro. If you’re upgrading from a Pixel 6 Pro, for instance, you can tack on a $400 refund, while a Pixel 7 Pro in good condition can give up to $500 back. Those are higher than what the company is offering for the smaller Pixel 8 or foldable Pixel Fold. Google says this promo will run through June 22. (Just be sure to follow Google’s instructions if you go this route, as the company uses a third party for its trade-in program.) Best Buy will also take an extra $100 off if you activate the phone with a carrier.
We gave the Pixel 8 Pro a score of 93 in our review last year, and it still offers top-notch camera performance, a vibrant 6.7-inch OLED display and a relatively clean take on Android, with OS updates guaranteed through October 2030. The screen supports a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz, which makes scrolling feel smooth, and the soft glass finish looks and feels nice. The software, meanwhile, is aided by a few AI-based features that are actually handy (and don’t involve eating glue): A Magic Editor tool lets you cut out unwanted objects in the background of photos, for one, while an Audio Magic Eraser feature helps eliminate ambient noise from videos. (You can use Magic Editor features with other phones, but you’re limited to 10 uses per month unless you own a Pixel or pay a subscription fee.)
You’d get the Pixel 8 Pro for the camera and software first, though. Its Tensor G3 chip can handle just about anything you throw at it, but alternatives like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are technically faster and may not get as warm when stressed. Likewise, while the phone’s battery can get you through a full day, it’s not quite class-leading, and its 30W charging speed could stand to be faster. Still, there’s plenty to like here. Our biggest issue with the Pixel 8 Pro was that it costs $100 more than its predecessor out of the gate, but this deal helps soften that blow.
If you want a smaller or more affordable handset, the 6.1-inch Pixel 8 offers most of the same features and is also on sale for $549. That’s not the lowest price we’ve seen, though it’s a better value than Google’s newer midrange Pixel 8a phone when it’s discounted to that extent.
The newest Apple Watch is down to one of the best prices we’ve seen it go for yet, so if you’ve been thinking about upgrading, now would be the perfect time to do so. The 41mm Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS only) is $100 off on Amazon, bringing the price down to $299. There’s also a deal on the larger version (45mm), which is down to $360 from its usual price of $430. The full discounts apply to Series 9 in Midnight and Starlight, but there are varying deals on the other colors as well.
Apple
The Series 9 Apple Watch is you can get today, and our favorite smartwatch in general. It comes with some new features made possible by the S9 system-in-package (SiP) processor. With this model, Apple introduced the Double Tap gesture that allows you to carry out certain actions on the watch without touching the screen, like pausing your music. It also has on-device Siri and an improved version of “Raise to Speak” to more easily activate the assistant.
As with the other Apple Watch models, the Series 9 is water resistant and great for fitness and health tracking, though it currently doesn’t offer the blood oxygen monitoring feature that was initially touted, thanks to a patent dispute. It has an always on display with a peak brightness rating double that of the previous model, and twice the internal storage capacity.
It’s officially ice cream season, and if you’ve been wanting to try your hand at making the dessert yourself, Walmart has a deal you might be interested in. The Ninja Creami ice cream maker is $50 off right now, bringing the price down to $149 — the best price we’ve seen for it all year. The Creami is designed for ease of use and gives you control over the texture of the finished product, so you can make ice cream, sorbet, milkshakes and other kinds of frozen treats.
Ninja
The deal applies to the Ninja Creami model with 5 one-touch progams: Ice Cream, Sorbet, Milkshake, Lite Ice Cream and Mix-in (which lets you toss in embellishments like chocolate chips or nuts). It also comes with two 16oz pints to make and store your ice cream in. The Creami is one of our favorite kitchen gadgets and earned a review score of 90, requiring minimal work on your part to make ice cream with the ingredients of your choice. All you need to do is prep the mixture that will be your base, toss it in the freezer overnight, then pop it in the Creami for processing.
The Ninja Creami won’t take up too much counter space, and most of the parts can go in the dishwasher for an easy cleanup after using it. It operates a bit like a food processor, but uses what the company refers to as a Creamerizer Paddle that has two different types of blades to get a uniform texture. There’s one for shaving the frozen base and another for smoothing it all out. It also has dual drive motors that allow for both a spinning motion and downward pressure to make for a good churn.
In between beach visits and grilling sessions this holiday weekend, it’s worthwhile to turn to the internet to save a little bit on tech you may have had on your wishlist. The Memorial Day sales we’ve seen this year include some of the best prices we’ve seen all year on some of our favorite tech, including tablets, wireless earbuds, power banks and more. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the fact that Amazon Prime Day is just around the corner in July (although the exact dates are to be determined), so there’s a good chance we’ll see even steeper discounts during that shopping event. But for now, if you’ve been meaning to pick up a few new gadgets to upgrade your kit, Memorial Day sales have you covered. These are the best Memorial Day tech deals we could find.
Our top picks
Best Apple Memorial Day sales
Apple
Apple
Along with the announcement of the new M4 iPad Pro and the M2 iPad Air, Apple deemed the 10th-gen iPad its new “budget” option and knocked its price down to $350. Amazon has the base model for $329 right now, which is a new record low. We gave the 10th-gen iPad an 85 in our review when it debuted in 2022, thanks in part to its landscape-oriented, front-facing camera, USB-C charging and design refresh.
Amazon has knocked $200 off the M3-powered, 13-inch MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. That’s a top-of-the-line, pre-made model that will be more than enough for most people’s daily driver, and it’ll make a great notebook for creative professionals and those who really push their laptops to the limit. We consider the M3 MacBook Pro to be the best MacBook for creatives thanks to its stellar performance, nearly 24-hour battery life and its crisp, bright display.
You can pick up the AirPods Max for $100 less than usual for Memorial Day, for a final price of $450. One of our biggest gripes with Apple’s over-ear headphones was their sky-high price tag, so this deal makes them a better buy. We praised them for their excellent sound quality and ANC, plus their comfortable design.
The new Beats Solo 4 headphones are $50 off and down to $150 right now. In our review, we praised these updated cans for their improved sound quality, USB-C charging and over 50 hours of battery life.
Elsewhere in Solo Stove’s Memorial Day sale, you’ll find its fire pits on sale for some of the best prices we’ve seen. The Ranger 2.0 is the smallest, full-sized fire pit the company makes, and it’s $30 off and down to $200 for the holiday. Solo Stove fire pits have long been some of our favorites because they keep excess smoke to a minimum, plus their designs are not only attractive, but also fairly easy to clean.
Ooni Memorial Day deals knock up to 30 percent off pizza ovens and accessories, with your most affordable oven option being the Fyra 12, which is down to $245. Ooni makes some of the best pizza ovens on the market right now, and the Fyra is a top pick of ours thanks to its relatively small footprint and the fact that it runs on wood pellets, which make it much easier to maintain a flame while you’re cooking.
The Meater Plus smart thermometer, a previous version of one of our favorites, has dropped to $70 for Memorial Day. Both Amazon and Meater direct have this sale price, which is the best we’ve seen on this particular model. While the upgraded Meater 2 Plus is one of our new grilling favorites, the Meater Plus remains capable, giving you the ability to monitor food temperatures from your smartphone from up to 1,000 feet away.
One of our top picks for the best budget robot vacuums, the RoboVac 11S Max is down to $150 when you clip the on-page coupon to get $100 off its list price. This model doesn’t have Wi-Fi connectivity, but that doesn’t prevent it from being a solid cleaning machine. It comes with a remote that you can use to control it, plus it’s shorter height allows it to better clean under furniture like sideboards, couches and more.
This is the best price we’ve seen on this particular model of the Dyson V15 Detect at Amazon. It’s one of the few variations of our favorite cordless vacuum, which delivers excellent suction power and works with a Fluffy Optic cleaning head that illuminates the floor in front of you so you can better see which spots need more attention than others. If you go directly to Dyson, you can get a slightly different model, the V15 Detect Absolute, for only $600.
This Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum is 42 percent off and down to $350 for Memorial Day, which is only about $50 more than its record-low price. This is a version of one of our top picks for the best robot vacuum you can buy right now, and it comes with a self-emptying base that can hold up to 60 days worth of debris.
Use the code ENG425 at checkout to get a whopping $425 off the Roomba Combo j9+, one of our favorite robot vacuum-and-mop devices. This robovac is smart enough to know when it’s cleaning hard floors or carpet, and it will automatically deploy its mopping pad when it’s cleaning tile, hardwood and other similar floors. The self-emptying base not only holds dry debris, but it also hold additional liquid cleaning solution to keep mopping abilities going for longer.
Our favorite MagSafe-compatible power bank is 22 percent off and down to $70, which is one of the best prices we’ve seen. Anker MagGo Power Bank has a 10,000 mAh capacity and is Qi2-certified. In our testing, it recharged an iPhone 15 from zero to nearly half full in only 45 minutes. This model also has a small screen on it that will show the remaining juice in the battery itself, and a kickstand that makes watching videos on your phone while powering up much easier.
Another one of our top picks for best power banks, Anker’s Prime Power Bank has a 27,650 mAh, more than enough to charge up small mobile devices like phones as well as larger gear like tablets and some laptops. The built-in screen also shows you how much power is flowing to each device you’re charging simultaneously.
Clip the 30-percent-off coupon here to get this 3-in-1 Anker charging stand for $70, an all-time-low price. This accessory is Qi2 certified and supports 15W charging for iPhones, and it can also charge an Apple Watch and a pair of AirPods at the same time. Another perk is that it comes with its power cable and adapter, so you don’t need to worry about providing your own.
This 65W GaN charger from Anker is on sale for only $43 right now. It’s able to quickly power up laptops, tablets, phones and other gear, and Anker’s ActiveShield 2.0 technology monitors temperatures while powering things up so it can dynamically adjust output as needed. With two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, you’ll be able to charge up three devices at once.
Best Memorial Day sales on streaming services and devices
Paramount+
Until July 14, new and returning subscribers can get one year of Paramount+ with Showtime for only $60 — that’s half off the usual price and one of the best streaming deals we’ve seen in a bit. In addition to access to Showtime content, you’ll get ad-free viewing with this tier (except on live content), along with the ability to download content for offline watching. Just make note when your subscription renews next year because you’ll be charged the standard amount ($120) after the discounted period ends.
One of our favorite streaming devices, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, has dropped to only $34 for Memorial Day. Not only is this dongle easy to set up and use, but it also provides access to a ton of free content via Roku’s interface and channels, plus. On top of that, this streaming stick supports 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Apple AirPlay 2.
The Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Amazon’s most capable dongle, is down to a record low of $40 for the holiday weekend. It supports 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Wi-Fi 6E, plus it comes with double the internal storage than the other, cheaper Fire TV Sticks.
Amazon has discounted the Roku Express streamer by 37 percent, bringing it down to only $19. This is one of our top picks for the best streaming devices you can get right now thanks to the breadth of free content Roku’s OS provides and its ultra-affordable price.
Our pick for the best wireless headphones you can buy are $72 off and down to $328 right now. Sony’s WH-1000XM5 impress with excellent sound quality, stellar noise cancellation and a super comfortable design. They also have the ability to connect to two devices simultaneously, and can last up to 30 hours on a single charge.
The Soundcore Space A40 are our top pick for the best budget wireless earbuds you can buy at their normal price of $100, but they’re an even better bargain when half off like this. They have a warm sound profile and provide excellent noise cancellation for their price. On top of that, they can connect to two devices at once, and they have strong battery life — eight hours on a single charge, plus 40 additional hours with their charging case.
One of our top picks for the best running headphones, the Jabra Elite 8 Active are $50 off right now and down to $150. Along with a comfortable, compact design, these buds have an IP68 rating, which means they’re durable enough to withstand contact with dust, debris and water and keep on working. The buds also have good sound quality, strong ANC, pretty good transparency mode and multipoint connectivity.
LG’s latest C4 OLED TVs are on sale at the moment, so you can pick up a 55-inch model for $1,597, just about $400 off its list price. These are the brands latest, 2024 OLED sets and they boast improved brightness and and updated processor when compared to previous models. They also support 144Hz refresh rates and G-Sync and Freesync compatibility, making them even better options for gamers now.
You can pick up the Galaxy S24+ smartphone for a record low of $800 right now, which is $200 off its regular price. It earned a score of 87 in our review thanks to its clean, minimalist design, slick UI and handy, built-in AI features.
Amazon’s latest Echo Show 8 is on sale for $95 right now, only $5 more than its all-time-low price. This Alexa-enabled smart display has an 8-inch 1280 x 800p touchscreen, an improved speaker array, a front-facing camera with auto-framing for better video chats and a built-in Zigbee smart home hub. The latter allows you to connect devices like smart lights directly to the Show 8, eliminating the need for a separate hub.
As part of a larger sale on Ring cameras, you can pick up the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus for $120, which is an all-time low. It records 1536p video and supports two-way audio, quick replies and motion and package alerts. You can choose to hardwire this video doorbell when you install it, or keep it running on its rechargeable battery pack.
Amazon-owned Blink smart home security devices have been discounted for the holiday weekend, with one highlight being a five-camera system for half off, bringing the final price down to $200. You get everything you need to set up a security camera system for the first time with this set: five cameras, mounts and the Blink Sync Module that ties them all together. These Outdoor 4 cams can be used inside or outside and each have a two-year battery life, so you won’t have to worry about changing them for a while.
When a good deal hits your eye like a big pizza pie, it may be a great day. Maybe more so than usual in this case if you’re in the market for a pizza oven, as some Solo Stove bundles have been discounted ahead of Memorial Day. The company is running a site-wide sale with up to 30 percent off everything, including the Pi Ultimate bundle that includes an oven with support for both gas and wood sources. That has dropped by $280 to $600.
Solo Stove
A bundle of the Solo Stove Pi and a whole bunch of accessories is $270 off for the wood burning-only model.
Meanwhile, a bundle with the Pi model that supports wood burning only is $270 off. That means it can be yours for $480. On the downside, both models are showing estimated shipping dates of June 3 at the time of writing, so likely you won’t get your oven in time for Memorial Day weekend, sadly.
That said, snapping one up will prepare you for a summer of delicious pies. The Solo Stove Pi is one of our top picks for the best multifuel outdoor pizza oven, behind the more expensive Ooni Karu 16.
The Pi has an open-front design and it’s made out of stainless steel. It can reach temperatures of up to 850 degrees Fahrenheit when burning wood and 900 degrees when using gas, according to Solo Stove. That works out to stone temperatures of 750 and 800 degrees, respectively.
The bundles include all kinds of useful accessories, including a stand, bamboo and stainless steel peels, turner, thermometer, silicon mat, pizza cutter and shelter for protection from the elements. One thing the bundle does not include, unfortunately, is a gas burner for the dual fuel model. You’ll need to buy that separately for $120.
Google has an offer for iPad owners who are curious about the Pixel Tablet. The company has a trade-in promotion that covers at least the cost of the Pixel Tablet for iPad owners — if not more, depending on which model you have. It works with Samsung tablets as well, but those trade-in values are lower. The Pixel Tablet costs $399 (without deals) for 128GB storage and no charging speaker dock.
Google
Get the Pixel Tablet for free with an eligible trade-in.
The promo works with iPads as old as the sixth-generation model from six years ago. For that, Google will give you a surprising $399 — matching the Pixel Tablet’s base cost. That iPad model only cost $329 in 2018, so Google is overpaying by a lot for that one.
However, Google balances that with much worse offers for modern, high-end iPads. For example, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with M2 chip (2022) only nets $450. Until this week (when the company launched a new iPad Pro and iPad Air), Apple sold that model for $1,099, so we don’t recommend that trade-in price. If you’re done with a high-end iPad from the last few years, you can likely sell it on places like eBay, Craigslist or Swappa for significantly more.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
The Pixel Tablet stands out from its Android-running competitors by working with a charging speaker base that lets the device double as a smart display, making it much more versatile. Engadget’s Cherlynn Low thought that part overshadowed its core functionality as a tablet. “As a smart display, the Pixel Tablet mostly shines. It has a useful dashboard, an easy-to-read interface and impressive audio quality,” she wrote in our full review.
The tablet has a 10.95-inch display with a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution (276 PPI) and runs on a Google Tensor G2 chip. It weighs slightly over a pound and is lighter than Android rivals like the Galaxy Tab S8 and OnePlus Pad. Its back has a nano-ceramic coating that gives it a premium, glass-like feeling that you may not expect from a $399 device.
Accessories are where the Pixel Tablet stands out the most. Google’s Pixel Tablet Case, sold separately for $79, has a built-in kickstand that makes the slate more versatile. “What I love about the kickstand-hanger-combo is that it allows you to place the Tablet pretty much anywhere,” Low wrote in Engadget’s review. “So when I want to hang it off a kitchen cabinet to follow along with a recipe video or keep watching Love Is Blind for example, I can. And though the 2,560 x 1,600 LCD panel isn’t as vibrant as the OLED on Samsung’s Galaxy Tabs, it still produced crisp details and colorful images.”
The star accessory is Google’s $129 charging speaker dock, which you can use without removing the kickstand case. This product transforms the tablet into a smart display, potentially voiding the need for other smart home control hubs. The speaker has impressive sound for its size, making it easier to hear its responses if you aren’t right next to it.
Google’s fine print notes that the trade-in value will be finalized after receiving the tablet, and it could be lower if it determines the condition doesn’t match what you selected during the trade-in process. The refund will be processed on the credit card you used to buy the Pixel Tablet (or through Google Store credit if you return your purchase during that time).
Last year Amazon upgraded its Echo Show 8 to make it look better, sound better and respond more quickly to Alexa commands. It made our best smart display list, and if you’ve been eyeing one, it’s on sale at a steep discount. The third-gen, 2023 Echo Show 8 is 33 percent off, bringing it down to just $100 ($50 off), only $10 off the all-time low. Amazon also has stellar deals on the Echo Dot and Echo Pop, offering them for $28 and $20 respectively.
Amazon
Amazon’s Echo Show 8 (3rd generation) has a new design and new features that make it more responsive to Alexa commands.
The 2023 Echo Show 8 has a new design with edge-to-edge glass and softer curves that help it blend into your decor. Inside, it comes with new spatial audio with room calibration that allows for fuller sound than previous model. Meanwhile, video calling benefits from crisper audio and a 13-megapixel camera.
The new Adaptive Content feature changes what’s shown on the screen based on where you are in the room. If you’re standing far away, it’ll display easily digestible information in large font, like the weather or news headlines. As you get closer, it’ll switch to a more detailed view. It can also show personalized content for anyone enrolled in visual ID, surfacing your favorite playlists and other content.
It also boasts 40 percent faster response times for Alexa thanks to its upgraded processor. For privacy-conscious buyers, it has a physical camera shutter that’s controlled with a slider on the top of the device. There’s also a button to turn off the mic and camera. As mentioned, the Echo Show (3rd gen) is on sale for $100 in either charcoal or glacier white.
If you only need a small Echo speaker device for an extra room, Amazon is also selling the 5th-generation Dot for just $28, a steep 44 percent off the regular $50 price. That device has the best sound yet for a Dot device, while offering Alexa, smart home features and more. Amazon’s smallest device, the Echo Pop, also offers Alexa features and is on sale for just $20.
Beats might have to blab about, but its older models are nothing to sniff at, especially when you can score solid deals on them. Take, for instance, the . Those true wireless earbuds have . That matches the Black Friday price and it’s just $10 more than the all-time low.
Beats
Our top pick for workout and running headphones is 20 percent off at the minute.
The Beats Fit Pro are our pick for the as well as our top choice for . They’re rated for IPX4 water resistance, which is always welcome to have while you’re working up a sweat. They’re comfortable to wear and have solid battery life (six hours plus an extra 21 hours from the charging case).
None of that would matter if the Beats Fit Pro sounded terrible, but they deliver great sound quality with the help of Adaptive EQ. Spatial audio is always a nice feature to have, while the active noise cancellation and transparency modes are solid. Multipoint connectivity is a plus too.
On the downside, we thought that the charging case felt cheap with a poor build quality. We also found it too easy to accidentally press the onboard controls. Still, if you’re looking for a pair of earbuds for your workouts, you can’t get much better than the Beats Fit Pro right now.
Elsewhere, the are also on sale. they’re effectively half off and just $10 more than the record low of $170.
If you’ve been thinking about picking up a new supercomputer but were waiting on a good price, now might be a good time to put in your bid. Right now, the US government, via GSA Auctions, is auctioning off the Cheyenne Supercomputer to the highest bidder with three days remaining. While we haven’t tested this one ourselves, we assume its 145,152 CPU cores will easily out-perform our current top pick for a laptop. You also won’t need to upgrade the memory anytime soon, as there’s a full 313,344GB of RAM currently installed, and the storage capacity tallies up to around 36 petabytes. No need to delete files to make room for new games or other media downloads.
GSA Auctions
Grab one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers for far below list price during the US Government auction.
The deal was spotted by Ars Technica, who also point out that the fiber optic and CAT5/6 cabling are not included in the sale. While the price the government paid for the supercomputer has not been disclosed, it’s safe to assume the cost was well into the millions, considering the price tags of othersupercomputers. As of this writing, the bidding has reached $28,085, though the reserve has not yet been met. There are still three days to go and there’s currently no deposit required to place a bid.
The reason for such a hefty discount (other than the fact that Cheyenne has been decommissioned) could be faulty quick disconnects causing water spray and the fact that approximately one percent of nodes have “experienced failure” and “will remain unrepaired.” One other caveat to note before you start making room in your arena-sized climate-controlled garage is that shipping is not included. As GSA Auctions notes on the details page, “moving this system necessitates the engagement of a professional moving company” and that “the purchaser assumes responsibility for transferring the racks from the facility onto trucks.”
But where else will you find such steep savings on a machine that can carry out 5.34 quadrillion calculations per second? Cheyenne is also surprisingly energy-efficient, consuming 25 percent less energy per computation than its predecessor, Yellowstone. The massive supercomputer helped researchers understand the rapid intensification of hurricanes, how wildfires impact air quality, and simulated years of climate functions to predict outcomes decades in advance. It should definitely provide you with enough processing power for extreme multitasking at work while handling even the most demanding games after hours.
The latest generation of Apple’s eternally popular AirPods Pro are back down to their all-time low price of $180 at Amazon. The deal takes $10 off the typical sale price of $190 and a solid $69 off the $249 MSRP. The last time we saw this price tag was during Amazon’s spring sale in March. Apple updated the charging case when the iPhone 15 came out last year to give both devices a more universal USB-C port (both can also charge wirelessly). If you have an iPhone, we think these are one of the better bits of audio gear you can stick in your ears.
Billy Steele for Engadget
This matches the all-time low price we saw for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale back in March.
The second-generation AirPods Pro (with the Lightning case) came out towards the end of 2022 — the case refresh didn’t alter the buds themselves too much, other than adding some improved dust resistance. That makes these a little older at this point, but new AirPods are not one of the things we’re expecting to see announced at Apple’s upcoming “Let Loose” event in May (we’re mostly anticipating iPad news). A more likely time for a new AirPods reveal is during the company’s annual iPhone event in September. But if you don’t want to wait around to see if such a debut materializes, this deal is a decent time to get your first pair. Or replace the pair you left on the train.
We gave the AirPods Pro a score of 88 when they came out. Engadget’s Billy Steele praised the effective active noise cancellation (ANC) and called the ambient sound mode one of the best on the market. Plus they work fairly seamlessly with all your Apple devices, offering quick pairing, fast device switching and hands-free Siri support. The audio itself is richer with more depth and clarity than with previous Pro generations.
All of that lead us to name them the best wireless earbuds for iPhones in our buying guide. Of course, they don’t work with non-Apple devices. Our current top pick from our guide for Android phones are the Google Pixel Buds Pro, which are currently down to $140 at Amazon after a 30 percent discount.
The Blink Mini 2 home security camera was only announced a month ago, and it’s already on sale. The camera is 25 percent off in both colors — black and white — in a deal on Amazon, bringing the already budget-friendly system down to just $30. The Blink Mini 2 can be used indoors or outdoors, offers HD footage in the daytime or at night and has an LED spotlight. It can be paired with one of Amazon’s smart displays for Alexa voice controls. The camera is a plug-in device, though, so you’ll need to place it somewhere with an outlet.
Blink
Blink’s new indoor/outdoor security camera is 25 percent off.
You’ll also need to pick up the weather-resistant power adapter if you intend to put it outside. A bundle including that adapter is on sale as well, shaving $10 off its normal price of $50. Amazon-owned Blink announced the Mini 2 camera in March, touting improvements to image quality and the option for HD night view in color thanks to its spotlight. The camera also has motion detection and two-way audio, so you can hear what’s going on and, if you want, let whoever’s on the other side hear you too.
With the Blink subscription, you can get additional features out of the Mini 2. That includes smart notifications, like person detection, the ability to stream up to 90 minutes of live video and cloud storage for event clips. If you already own a Blink Video Doorbell, the Mini 2 camera can be used with that system to work as a chime when someone rings the doorbell. In the box you’ll get one camera, a mounting kit and stand, and one USB-C cable and power adapter for indoor use.
Purchasing the Mini 2 will get you a 30-day free trial of the Blink Subscription Plan, too. If you plan on keeping it after that, it’ll cost $3 per month per device. You can also opt to pay $10 per month to cover an unlimited amount of devices if you have a multi-camera setup.
If you’ve been eyeing earbuds but were put off by the steep price tag, now would be the perfect time to pick up a set. The premium earbuds, normally $300, are down to a record low price of $230 on Amazon, for a savings of $70. This deal only applies to the earbuds in black. The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds were released in summer 2023 and brought major upgrades over the previous model. They boast the best noise cancellation and call quality of Sony’s earbuds lineup, and have built-in Alexa support.
Sony
The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are our top pick for for this year. They’re more comfortable than the WF-1000XM4s, being 25 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter for a much better fit. The charging case, too, is more compact than its predecessor. In terms of sound quality, they further improve upon the already impressive capabilities of the 1000X line. The speakers are slightly larger than the previous model’s, and their Dynamic Driver X drivers make for rich, clear sound and bassier bass. Sony WF-1000XM5 scored an 87 in last year.
The earbuds offer Adaptive Sound Control, which will automatically adjust your noise cancellation settings to work best for the environment you’re in or activity you’re doing. You may want active noise cancellation on when you’re working from home, but switch to transparency mode when you’re going out for a run. You’ll need to enable location services for this feature using Sony’s Headphones Connect app.
The app allows for other types of customization as well, like changing the controls assigned to the touch sensors on the earbuds. Sony’s WF-1000XM5 earbuds also support multipoint Bluetooth connections, which means you can pair them with two devices at the same time. There’s a Speak-to-Chat mode that pauses audio when it senses you’ve started a conversation, and an equalizer in the app where you can adjust your sound settings.
It’s spring cleaning season, but that doesn’t mean you need to get on the floor and scrub. Robot vacuums are a great way to keep your home clean while doing little to nothing, and a few robovacs from Shark are currently on sale. One of the best deals comes courtesy of a 44 percent discount on Shark’s AI Robot Vacuum and Mop. The device is down to $270 from $480 — only $20 more than its all-time low price.
Shark
Shark’s AI Robot Vacuum and Mop is a great option for anyone looking to try a robot vacuum or upgrade their entry-level model. It’s nearly identical to Shark’s much pricier Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop, which appears on our list of the best robot vacuums for 2024 — it just doesn’t have a self-emptying base.
The AI Robot Vacuum and Mop does have quite a few gadgets, including home mapping and AI laser navigation for detecting row-by-row precision and detecting objects four inches or taller. The mop executes 100 scrubs per minute and follows no-mop zones. You can use UltraClean mode on specific, busier rooms, with Shark claiming vacuum work 30 percent better at cleaning carpets in the setting.
Amazon’s is an ereader you can bring with you anywhere thanks to its glare-free display and water resistant build, and it’s currently down to the best price we’ve seen this year so far. The 16GB Kindle Paperwhite with lock screen ads, normally priced at $150, is down to $130 in a deal from Amazon. It’s not an all-time low, but it’s the cheapest the ereader has been since Black Friday. If you’d rather not see ads on the lock screen, the ad-free version is $20 off too, at $150 compared to its usual price of $170.
Amazon
The discount is for the newest version of the Kindle Paperwhite and applies to three color options: Black, Agave Green and Denim. The Paperwhite is nicely sized for readability and a comfortable fit in your hand, with a 6.8-inch display. The backlight is adjustable and can be shifted from bright white light to warm, amber light that’s easier on the eyes. With a 300 ppi glare-free display, the words should be crisp and clear on the screen, and easily readable even if you’re sitting in the sun.
Amazon says this model of the Kindle Paperwhite can last up to 10 weeks on a charge, though that will certainly depend on how heavily you’re using the device. It has a USB-C charging port. The Paperwhite is poolside-friendly, too, with an IPX8 water resistance rating. It’s not only durable against splashes, but should be able to withstand immersion in freshwater as well, within reasonable limits. Amazon says it’s protected for up to one hour in freshwater as deep as 2 meters. It’s a bit different for seawater, though, and only rated to withstand submersion for 3 minutes in .25 meters.
If audiobooks are more your vibe, the Kindle Paperwhite supports that format too, and pairs with Bluetooth headphones or speakers. It doesn’t have built-in speakers or an audio jack, so you’ll need an external device for listening.
Apple’s AirTag is the top pick for iPhone owners in our Bluetooth tracker buying guide (unsurprisingly), and right now a four-pack of the little devices is back on sale for a record low of $75. Most recently, the pack went down to $80, a discount we’ve seen a number of times since the holiday shopping season. But now, the new discount is in line with the best price we’ve seen for four AirTags. Plus, as long as you want to keep tabs on multiple items, it’s also cheaper than buying a few single AirTags, since those are currently going for $24 each.
Photo by Chris Velazco / Engadget
We highlight the AirTag in our guide because it can utilize Apple’s giant network of devices to locate items. If you misplace an AirTag-equipped bookbag, for instance, nearby Apple devices can anonymously alert Apple’s Find My network when the bag is close, then the Find My app will report that location back to you. Since there are more than two billion iPhones, iPads, Macs and other Apple gadgets active in the wild, the odds of finding something are generally better here than with other trackers that use much smaller crowd-finding networks.
Once you’re in the vicinity of a lost item, the AirTag uses a wireless connection called ultrawideband (UWB) to more precisely lead you in the right direction, displaying an arrow and distance estimate when you’re nearby. The tracker has an IP67 rating, so it can survive a brief dip underwater, and it’s one of the few Apple gadgets with an easily replaceable battery. On its own, Apple says the battery is designed to last “more than a year” before it needs changing.
The biggest disadvantage the AirTag has compared to competitors like Tile is that it’s only available in one shape. Its coin-like design is easy to tuck away but doesn’t come with a built-in keyring hole or adhesive. If you want to actually attach it to an item, you need to pay for a separate accessory.
It’s also worth noting that AirTags aren’t designed to find stolen items. They could help with that, but if your AirTag is found moving with someone else, that person will receive an alert telling them so. This feature is meant to hinder those who might use AirTags for stalking, which has beenan unfortunateside effect of the device’s effectiveness. That said, both Apple and Google have issued updates to further combat bad actors. As a bit of extra security against losing your stuff, the AirTag works well, and this deal makes it a little more accessible. There should be no worry about a new model coming anytime soon, either, as a Bloomberg report earlier this year said a second-generation device isn’t expected until 2025.
If you own a Samsung Galaxy phone, meanwhile, we’ll note that a four-pack of Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag 2 is also on sale for an all-time low of $70. This is another pick in our buying guide: It’s not quite as precise as an AirTag and only works with Samsung phones, but it’s easy to setup, it has a built-in cutout and it works similarly if you’re a committed Galaxy user.
Today marks the end of the Amazon Big Spring Sale and there are still a few tech deals still worth checking out, including this bundle of an Echo Show 8 paired with an Amazon Basics smart bulb. If you bought them at full price and separately, you’d pay $163, but now the set is down to $100. That amounts to a 38 percent discount. If you want the smart display on its own, it’s the same $100. That’s about $10 more than its record low price and a 33 percent savings.
Amazon
The Amazon Big Spring Sale is taking 38 percent off the latest Echo Show 8 smart display and throwing in a free Amazon smart bulb.
If you’re just starting on the path towards smart home grandeur, you can think of the set as a starter kit, as the Echo Show gives you voice and routine control over your new bulb. We named the previous generation of the Echo Show 8 the best Amazon display in our guide. It strikes a good balance between not taking up too much space and offering a sizable enough viewing area with its 8-inch screen. We also liked how adept it is at handling video calls.
We were able to get a look at this latest version of the display at a demo during Amazon’s hardware event last fall. It has a new edge-to-edge glass front and a more refined design overall. But perhaps the most interesting update is the introduction of the adaptive content feature. Depending on where you are in the room, the display will show different content: large-font time and weather info when you’re far away, and more personalized calendar and news articles when you get closer.
The bulb lets you change its brightness and color just by talking to your smart display. You can also use the Alexa app to set up routines that will, for example, turn off the light when you say “goodnight” or turn it on an hour before sunset.
The Amazon Big Spring Sale is in full swing. While not as heavy on tech deals as regular Prime Day is, there are some good Amazon deals available on tech we recommend, including a number of Apple devices. In truth, the pickings are pretty slim — and most of these discounts are not explicitly tied to the spring sale — but they’re still worth noting as some of the best tech deals we found amongst all of the clothing, home goods and outdoor gear on sale at Amazon right now. Here are the best Apple deals we could find in the Amazon Spring Sale. As a reminder, this sale will run through March 25 and isn’t exclusive to Prime subscribers.
Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget
The AirPods Pro are on sale for $189, which is close to a record low for the model with a USB-C charging case. The AirPods Pro are the “best for iOS” pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds: They sound nice, their active noise cancellation (ANC) is strong enough for most situations and, most notably, they provide several unique perks when connected to another Apple device, from faster pairing to hands-free Siri to an adaptive EQ. The built-in mic isn’t the best for calls, and the six-ish-hour battery life is just OK, but this is still a good buy if you’re all-in on Apple. We gave the second-gen AirPods Pro a score of 88 in our review. It’s worth noting that new noise-canceling AirPods may arrive later this year, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, but an updated version of the AirPods Pro specifically isn’t expected until 2025.
A single AirTag is on sale for $24, which is $5 off and close to its record low price. These are the best Bluetooth trackers for those with iOS devices since they use the vast Find My network to keep track of your belongings. You can force them to ring to help you find your stuff if you’re within close range, and newer iPhones can even display directions on their screens to guide you to your lost stuff. Just make sure to pick up a holder if you intend on attaching the AirTag to your keys.
The second-gen Apple Pencil is back down to $79, which is another deal we’ve seen a couple of times in recent months but still matches the stylus’ all-time low. Apple normally sells this model for $129, though it often goes for less at third-party retailers. The discount is also available at Walmart and Best Buy. We recommend the second-gen Pencil in our guide to the best iPad accessories. It’s the only stylus to support pressure sensitivity across iPadOS, so it’s consistently accurate for drawing and note-taking. Since it can attach to the side of an iPad magnetically, it’s easy to connect and charge as well. Just make sure your tablet is compatible first.
Do note, though, that Apple is reportedly planning to release a new Pencil imminently, possibly as soon as next week. Exactly what upgrades this new model will include are unclear, but if you want the latest and greatest, it’s worth waiting. That said, we’d expect any next-gen Pencil to start at a higher price than this discount, so this is still a decent chance to save.
As of this writing, the cellular Product Red version of the Apple Watch Series 9 is on sale for $319 during Amazon’s Spring sale. The Series 9 is the top pick in our smartwatch buying guide thanks to its solid performance, spacious and responsive screen, handy Double Tap gesture controls and plethora of workout tracking features.
The newest MacBook Airs were only announced two weeks ago, so we haven’t seen any massive discounts just yet. However, if you’re looking to make the upgrade early, the entry-level 13- and 15-inch models are each $50 off at Amazon. That drops the former to $1,050 and the latter to $1,250 — nothing huge, clearly, but still a bit better than buying from Apple.
We gave the new MacBook Airs a review score of 90 and now call them the top pick in our laptop buying guide. Neither model is a radical departure from its predecessor, but that’s not a bad thing: This design was already thin, light and well-made, with an accurate display, comfortable keyboard and trackpad, long battery life and enough performance for mainstream use. Now, they’re a little bit more powerful with upgraded M3 chips; they support faster Wi-Fi 6E connections; and they can output to two external displays (albeit only when the laptop lid is closed). Just remember that these entry-level models only have 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, so you should only buy one if you’ll stick to less demanding tasks.
We’ll note that the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air is also on sale for $899 at B&H. That’s $100 off Apple’s list price. This model won’t be quite as fast or futureproof as the latest version, but it’s very similar otherwise, so it remains worth considering if you really want to save cash. The now-discontinued M1 MacBook Air, meanwhile, is now going for $699 at Walmart. That one is a more noticeable drop-off from the M2 or M3 models, but at that price it’s still fast and reliable enough that it could make sense for those desperate to buy a MacBook for as little as possible.
The Beats Studio Buds + are back on sale for $130 in various colors, which is roughly $20 off the true wireless earbuds’ average street price and $40 off Beats’ list price. The only time we’ve seen them go for less was a brief drop to $120 around Black Friday. This deal is also available at other retailers, including Target, Best Buy and B&H.
We gave the Studio Buds + a review score of 84 last year. As Beats is an Apple subsidiary, this pair provides many of the iOS-friendly perks you’d get from a set of AirPods, such as faster pairing, Find My tracking, hands-free Siri and Control Center integration. Unlike AirPods, they offer similar features on Android as well. A comfy fit, decent ANC and a mostly neutral sound profile also help. However, other AirPods features like audio sharing and automatic device switching (with Apple gear) aren’t supported, nor is wireless charging or wear detection. And the ANC and audio quality are a step down from the AirPods Pro. Still, if you dig the style and want to save some cash, the Studio Buds + are worth considering.
Most people should hold off on buying a new iPad right now. Apple is widely expected to announce new tablets in the coming weeks, with past reports suggesting that we’ll see two new iPad Pros, a refreshed iPad Air and an all-new Air model with a 12.9-inch display. That said, neither the 10th-gen iPad nor the iPad mini are expected to be updated until later in 2024, so if one of those slates suit your needs and you absolutely must buy a new tablet today, both should be a little safer to buy than the iPad Air or iPad Pro. (Or the older 10.2-inch iPad, which is likely to be discontinued with the next round of refreshes.) We’ll highlight a couple of decent prices on those devices below.
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
As of this writing, the 10th-gen iPad is available for $349 at Amazon and Best Buy. That ties the 10.9-inch slate’s all-time low and comes in $100 below Apple’s list price. We wouldn’t be surprised if this device received a permanent price cut when the new Air and Pro models are announced, but it’s a solid value with this discount either way. We gave 10th-gen iPad a review score of 85 back in 2022. It lacks the laminated display, M-series chip and second-gen Pencil support of the iPad Air, but its design is mostly similar, it’s plenty fast for reading and streaming and it gets the same 10-ish hours of battery life. Its front-facing camera is also located on the landscape edge, which is a more natural spot for FaceTime calls.
The iPad mini, meanwhile, is available for $400 at Amazon and Target. This is another discount we’ve seen for much of the last few months, but it still represents a $100 drop from Apple’s MSRP. This one was released way back in September 2021 and is past due for an update, but it remains the only compact tablet in Apple’s lineup. It’d make the most sense if you want to treat your iPad like a high-end e-reader, as it’s the easiest model to hold with one hand and tuck away in a bag. It’s still durable and fast enough for the basics beyond that, plus it works with the second-gen Apple Pencil. You probably wouldn’t want to use an 8.3-inch tablet for any serious work, though. You can read our review for a full breakdown.
The Amazon Spring Sale is here and if you’re interested in tech deals, you’ve come to the right place. However, don’t mistake this for a spring Prime Day — unlike Amazon’s bigger, traditional sale events, this one doesn’t revolve around Prime-exclusive discounts. And that’s a good thing; that means anyone who shops on Amazon can take advantage of the deals. Given the seasonal nature of this event, it’s not a boon for discounts on laptops, tablets, wearables and the like. However, we were able to find a number of decent discounts worth your time and money. While most of these Amazon deal prices are not the same as those we saw around Black Friday last year, some get pretty close (as a general rule of thumb, a good price in March isn’t necessarily the same thing as a good price in November). Here are the best Amazon Big Spring Sale deals on tech we love that you can get right now.
Best Spring Sale deals on Apple devices
Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget
Apple’s AirPods Pro are once again available for $189, which matches the best price we’ve seen for the latest iteration with a USB-C charging case. Apple normally sells the noise-canceling earphones for $249, though we often see them go closer to $200 at third-party retailers. Either way, they remain our favorite wireless earbuds for iOS users, as they provide an array of perks when paired with an iPhone, from faster pairing to hands-free Siri. Useful ANC, a superb ambient sound mode and a pleasingly warm sound profile help beyond that. Their battery life and mic quality are just OK these days, but this pair should serve you well if you’re all-in on Apple. We gave the second-gen AirPods Pro a review score of 88 back in 2022.
The second-gen Apple Pencil is down to $79, which is one the best prices we’ve seen. It’s important to note that it’s rumored that we’ll see new Apple Pencils when new iPads come out sometime within the next month — but if you already have an iPad and have been looking to snag this accessory on discount, now’s your chance. This is the Pencil that works with most of the latest iPad models and it magnetically snaps to the sides of the tablets for safe keeping. It’s one of our favorite iPad accessories thanks to that, and its generally stellar, little-to-no latency performance.
Best Spring Sale deals on headphones, earbuds and speakers
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Our favorite pair of budget wireless earbuds has dropped to a new record-low price of $50. The Anker Soundcore Space A40 impressed us with their solid sound quality, comfortable fit and impressive active noise cancellation for the price. We think they’re a great value at their normal $80 price, so this sale makes them even more attractive. In addition, they have good battery life and support for multi-device connectivity and wireless charging. They may not have the best call quality, and they don’t support automatically wear detection, but otherwise you’re getting a nearly-full package for a great price.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones are back on sale for $328. This isn’t an all-time low, and it’s a deal we’ve seen numerous times over the past few months, but it’s still $70 off the noise-canceling cans’ list price. The XM5s are the top pick in our guide to the best wireless headphones thanks to their comfy fit, solid active noise cancellation (ANC), clear mic and handy bonus features. They’re bass-heavy by default, but you can adjust their sound profile with EQ tools in Sony’s companion app.
This XM5’s predecessor, the Sony WH-1000XM4, is also worth a note at $248. Again, that’s not an all-time low, but it’s about $50 below the pair’s average street price in recent months. This older model has many of the same benefits as its successor, plus its earcups can fold up, which makes the design a little easier to pack away. Its call quality is worse, however, and it’s not quite as light on the head. We gave the XM5 a review score of 95 in mid-2022, while the XM4 earned a 94 way back in 2020.
One of our favorite pairs of budget wireless earbuds, Amazon’s latest Echo Buds are on sale for only $35 ahead of the Spring Sale. These buds have an open design, which means they purposely let sound in so you can stay more aware of your surroundings. They support adjustable EQ and, unlike many other earbuds at this price, auto-pausing and multi-device pairing. And, as to be expected, they have Alexa built in so you can call upon the voice assistant when you need to while wearing them.
If you’re not tethered to Apple, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are another set of high-end earphones we recommend. Right now they’re down to $249 at Amazon, Bose.com and other storefronts. That’s a $50 discount. We’ve seen this price a few times before, but it still matches the best deal we’ve tracked. Bose says the offer will run until March 31.
We specifically highlight the QuietComfort Ultras in our buying guide for their noise-canceling prowess, as they do a superlative job of muting outside noise and allow you to lower the intensity of the ANC if it ever becomes uncomfortable. They’re another pair with a somewhat bass-heavy sound out of the box, but they don’t sound sloppy, and unlike the AirPods Pro you can customize their EQ through a companion app. That said, they don’t support wireless charging or multi-device pairing, and their six-to-seven-hour battery life isn’t anything special. The earpieces themselves are also fairly large, though we wouldn’t call them uncomfortable. We gave the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds a score of 88 in our review last year.
The Beats Studio Buds + are back on sale for $130 in various colors, which is roughly $20 off the true wireless earbuds’ average street price and $40 off Beats’ list price. The only time we’ve seen them go for less was a brief drop to $120 around Black Friday. This deal is also available at other retailers, including Target, Best Buy and B&H.
We gave the Studio Buds + a review score of 84 last year. As Beats is an Apple subsidiary, this pair provides many of the iOS-friendly perks you’d get from a set of AirPods, such as faster pairing, Find My tracking, hands-free Siri and Control Center integration. Unlike AirPods, they offer similar features on Android as well. A comfy fit, decent ANC and a mostly neutral sound profile also help. However, other AirPods features like audio sharing and automatic device switching (with Apple gear) aren’t supported, nor is wireless charging or wear detection. And the ANC and audio quality are a step down from the AirPods Pro. Still, if you dig the style and want to save some cash, the Studio Buds + are worth considering.
One of our favorite headphones for running is on sale for a near record-low price. Jabra’s Elite 8 Active earbuds have dropped to $160, which is only about $10 more than the best price we’ve seen. They’re rated IP68, which is one of the best protective ratings we’ve seen on workout earbuds. Jabra even put these buds through military-grade testing, so it’s fair to say they can take a beating. They also have great sound quality (that has spatial sound with Dolby Audio), good ANC and HearThrough transparency mode, multipoint connectivity and an easy to use mobile app. Also included in this sale are our budget top pick, the Jabra Elite 4 Active, for only $90.
The Google Pixel Buds Pro are down to $139 from $200. The 30 percent discount doesn’t bring the earbuds to their all-time low, but this is the cheapest we’ve seen the Google Pixel Buds Pro so far this year. These are our choice for the best wireless earbuds for Android.
Engadget’s Billy Steele gave them an 87 in his review thanks to the addition of solid active noise cancellation, punchy bass and reliable touch controls. They also offer IPX4 water resistance so you can take them on a run without worry. The buds get up to 11 hours on a charge and 31 hours in total with the case. And when it’s time to recharge, wireless charging makes a refill a little easier. One catch is the call quality isn’t as great as it could be, but if you’re primarily using them for music and podcasts, you may not notice.
Sonos has kicked off a new round of discounts on its soundbars and portable speakers. The deals include the Sonos Move 2 for $359, which is $70 off its usual going rate and the second-best price we’ve seen outside of a very brief drop to $349 last year. The Sonos Ray soundbar is $56 off and down to an all-time low of $223, while the higher-end Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is available for $399, a $100 discount. The Sonos Sub Mini subwoofer is also down to a low of $343, which is $86 less than usual, while the compact Sonos Roam SL is $32 off at $127. A few speaker bundles are also discounted. These offers are available at several retailers, including Amazon, B&H and Sonos.com. Sonos says they’ll run through March 25.
None of these devices come cheap, but they all deliver relatively clean sound, easy pairing with other Sonos hardware, AirPlay support and an app that (mostly) makes it simple to set up and stream music. The Move 2 is a hefty yet powerful battery-powered speaker for those who are more concerned with sound quality over portability. The Roam SL doesn’t sound as rich, but it’s much more travel-friendly and has a better water-resistance rating. (It lacks built-in mics, though.) The Ray is an entry-level 2.0-channel soundbar meant for smaller rooms and budget buyers. The Beam is a 5.0 model with a more expansive sound, an HDMI eARC port and voice assistant functionality. It also supports Dolby Atmos, though it can’t take advantage of that quite as much as larger models. The Sub Mini, meanwhile, is a handy way to beef up the bass response of an existing Sonos system. You can check out our reviews of the Move 2, Ray, second-gen Beam and Sub Mini for fuller breakdowns of each device.
As part of a larger portable speaker sale, Anker’s Soundcore Motion 300 has dropped to $64, which is a record low. It earned a spot on our favorites list thanks to its solid sound quality featuring crisp highs and generally punchy, bright audio. Its IPX7 design weighs only 1.7 pounds and the built-in loop makes it easy to attach to a bag to take with you on the go. It also works with Anker’s Soundcore app, which lets you customize EQ, button brightness and more.
Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have been discounted for the Spring Sale, down to $499 and $749, respectively. Both run on the Google Tensor G3 chip, and they have great battery lives and excellent cameras. We consider both of them to be the best Android phones available right now thanks in part to those features. Google also added a number of actually useful AI features like Best Take and Magic Eraser for photos, and more accurate voice typing and article summaries for the Google Assistant.
Our favorite midrange smartphone, the Google Pixel 7a is on sale for $374 right now, which is a record-low price. That almost puts it within our “budget” price range ($350) for Android phones, so while it’s still a splurge pick, it’s arguably the best Android phone you can get in that price range at the moment. It runs on Google’s Tensor G2 chipset, plus it has a lovely 90Hz touchscreen, long battery life and an excellent camera array that takes impressive photos in all kinds of light situations, and good selfies, too. While there are plenty of good budget Android phones available today, you won’t find one that offers a better value than the Pixel 7a when on sale like this.
The Elgato Stream Deck Mk.2 in white is back down to $130. This is another deal we’ve seen pop up periodically in recent months, but it’s $20 off the device’s usual street price all the same. The Stream Deck is a macro keypad we recommend in our guide to the best game streaming gear. It has 15 programmable hotkeys that you can set to perform different commands, from launching an app to activating smart lights to triggering on-screen GIFs and sound effects. It’s really meant for content creators and power users first and foremost, but if you think you could benefit from having a bunch of shortcuts within arm’s reach, this is a decent time to pick one up.
Bundles that pair the PlayStation 5 with a digital copy of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 are still $50 off, bringing the standard model down to $449 and the digital-only version down to $400. These deals aren’t tied to Amazon’s Spring sale, but larger discounts on the PS5 have been uncommon, so this is still a good opportunity if you’ve been looking to take the plunge. The offers are available at several retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy and Sony’s PlayStation Direct store. Sony says they’ll last through March 31. My colleague Nathan Ingraham gave Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 a glowing review last year, calling it a “perfectly balanced game with gorgeous graphics, delightful combat and traversal systems, a compelling storyline and characters, plenty of challenge and a huge map to explore.”
The Google Nest Thermostat is on sale for $100 ahead of Amazon’s Spring sale, which is about $10 more than the best price we’ve seen over the past year but $30 below its typical going rate. We’ve highlighted this entry-level smart thermostat in past gift guides. Compared to the higher-end Nest Learning Thermostat, it has a cheaper plastic frame, doesn’t support remote temperature sensors and can’t learn your heating and cooling tendencies to make automatic adjustments throughout the day. That said, it’s a more affordable way to remotely control your home’s climate, and it still supports features like HVAC monitoring and voice assistant control. It’s also compatible with the Matter standard, unlike the pricier model, so it can work with third-party platforms like Apple Home.
The top pick in our guide to the best air purifiers is the Levoit Core 400S. Amazon’s sale is knocking the price down to $190 thanks to a clippable $30 coupon. That’s about $15 more than the all-time low, but still a decent deal on a purifier we found to be better than its higher-priced competition. It removes odors, dust, and small particulates like pollen from your indoor air with a three-layer system combining a pre-filter, activated charcoal layer and a HEPA filter. It’s app-connected and includes an optical sensor to monitor particulate matter levels and adjusts the fan speed accordingly.
The self-emptying Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum is 46 percent off for the Big Spring Sale. That makes it $350, which is $300 off the regular price and not too far away from its record low. This model is a variant of one of our top robot vacuum recommendations and comes with a base that holds up to 60 days of dirt and has a HEPA filtration system to capture dust and allergens. It uses 360° LiDAR to map your home, has an app to set schedules and even works with Alexa or the Google Assistant for literally hands free floor cleaning.
The is the runner up in our and thanks to the Amazon Big Spring Sale it’s now half price, making it just $300. That’s not quite an all-time low — it was $2 cheaper for much of February — but still a significant discount on one of our recommendations.
Engadget’s Valentina Palladino found this one to have powerful suction and an easy-to-use app. She also appreciated the upgraded obstacle detection that particularly avoids pet poop. The bot does take a couple runs before it can create a full map — and it doesn’t clean while it does that, so be prepared to wait a little after unboxing before your floors are truly on auto-pilot.
The Tineco Pure One S15 is the runner up pick in our cordless vacuum guide and right now it’s on sale for $349, but an addition clippable $25 coupon brings the final price down to $324.
This model is slightly less powerful than our top pick from Dyson but it handles dry messes well — including pet hair. It also automatically adjusts suction power depending on the amount of dirt it detects through the sensor. It’s app-connected, though that feature is admittedly not super necessary in a cordless vac. Still, it can help keep you apprised of your filter and battery levels.
As part of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, the Paperwhite Signature is getting a $30 discount — it’s first sale since Black Friday last year. The catch is that this deal is exclusively for Prime members. The Signature Edition is an upgrade over the standard Kindle: It has a larger, 6.8-inch screen, 32GB of storage, auto-adjusting warm front lights and wireless charging capabilities. It also comes standard without lockscreen ads, a great perk since you usually have to pay upwards of $20 to remove those on other Kindle models.
A number of Amazon’s Fire tablets are on sale right now, including the new Fire HD 10 for $95. That’s about $15 more than its record-low price, but it’s still a decent deal for this time of year. Updated in 2023, the Fire HD 10 has a 10-inch 1080p touchscreen, an octa-core processor, up to 13 hours of battery life and it charges via a USB-C port. We still think Fire tablets are best as secondary devices rather than daily drivers — that slab you keep next to the couch to check email or shop online on the fly, or by your bedside to read books and comics. And when they’re discounted like this, it’s much easier to justify getting a secondary device like that in the first place. A bunch of kid-friendly Fire tabs are on sale, too, most of which come with a childproof protective case, a two-year warranty and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+.
A variety of Amazon Blink devices are now discounted as part of the site’s Big Spring Sale. A three pack of the new Blink Outdoor 4 is down to $150 instead of $260. That’s a 42 percent discount and the lowest price we’ve seen this year (the set hit an all-time low of $135 for Black Friday).
If you just need one camera, take advantage of the sale on a single Blink Outdoor 4. It’s currently down to $65 from $100 — a 35 percent discount.
The Blink Outdoor 4 came out last August with a lot of upgrades including a larger field of vision, up to143 degrees and better low-light sensitivity and image quality. Blink claims the devices will go for two years before needing their AA batteries replaced.
The Samsung SmartTag 2 is on sale for only $21 for the Big Spring Sale, which is only $1 more than its record-low price. It’s one of our favorite Bluetooth trackers and it’s easily the best one for those with Samsung smartphones. Its finder network is large and its setup with the SmartThings Find app is quick and painless. If your stuff with the tag is left somewhere, you’ll get alerts when Lost Mode is activated. You can also just use the app to locate your items if you misplace them nearby. Out of all the Bluetooth trackers we tested, we liked the design of the SmartTag 2 the best thanks to its oblong shape, big keyring hole and support for colorful cases.
The Google Pixel Tablet makes a good smart display and tablet hybrid. Right now the 11-inch slate-plus-dock is back down to $399 at multiple retailers for the 128GB model. In addition to Amazon you can save at Target and the Google Store. This matches the lowest price we’ve seen and works out to $100 below the variation’s usual going rate. If you need more storage, the 256GB version is $150 off and available for $449, also an all-time low.
Engadget’s Cherlynn Low gave the Pixel Tablet a score of 85 in her review last June, and we mention the device in our tablet buying guide, though it’s not one of our top picks. But if you’re looking for a tablet that can also be your smart home command center, this is a good pick for controlling smart home devices, showcasing photos, streaming music with the improved speakers, and even cast video from your phone.
Plugable TBT4-UDZ gets a mention in our guide to the best laptop docking stations and right now it’s 20 percent off and down to $239. It’s a rare discount for the brand and the lowest price we’ve tracked. We were a little disappointed that the dock only has one downstream USB-C port, but it has plenty of USB-A and display connections and worked well with the MacBook and Dell laptops in our test, but didn’t work with a Chromebook.
New subscribers can get 40 percent off a Max subscription when you pay for one year upfront. If you want to go all-in on the highest tier, which gives you ad-free viewing and 4K streaming, it’ll cost you $140 for the year (roughly $12 per month). The most affordable tier will set you back a total of $70 for the year, which works out to about $6 per month. Considering how often streaming prices have increased recently, a sale like this is a great time to invest in a year of access to shows like The Last of Us and movies from outlets like Studio Ghibli and A24.
Our top pick for the best cordless vacuum cleaner, the Dyson V15 Detect, is on sale for $600 right now directly at Dyson. We’ve seen this model drop to $550 in the past, but this remains a great sale on a cordless vacuum that’s typically priced at $750. The “Absolute” models are much the same as the standard models, but you can typically only get Absolute versions at Dyson.com. Also, this model has HEPA filtration, a built-in tool and an exclusive gold color. Otherwise, it’s the same as our top pick, which impressed us with its excellent suction power, lightweight design and good battery life. In general, we found Dyson stick vacuums to provide the strongest suction power of any brand we tried, and the V15 is noticeably stronger than older models like the V8. It comes with a number of attachments as well, including the Fluffy Optic cleaner head that illuminates your floors with a laser of light so you can see exactly where the most debris is as you clean.
As part of the Big Spring Sale, Amazon has a similar version, the V15 Detect Complete, for $690 as a Prime exclusive. The main difference here, aside from the lack of HEPA filtration, is that you get a standing dock with Amazon’s model, which will be handy if you aren’t keen on mounting your new cordless vacuum to a wall.
We’ll move beyond Amazon for our last few deals this week. First, a configuration of Apple’s 14.2-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip, 18GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is down to $1,799 at B&H. That’s close to an all-time low and comes in $200 below Apple’s MSRP. We gave the latest MacBook Pro a review score of 90 last year. It’s more Mac than most people need, especially after the recent refresh of the MacBook Air. But for video editors, 3D designers and other professional types who need more power, a wider port selection and a brighter display, it should still fit the bill.
The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard is back on sale for $80 at Amazon subsidiary Woot, a $20 discount that matches the lowest price we’ve seen. This is a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard we recommended in our retro gaming gift guide late last year. You’d mainly buy it for the aesthetic, as it looks like a companion piece for an old NES. Beyond that, it’s sturdily built, it works wirelessly and it comes with a pair of giant “Super Buttons” that you can customize to perform different macros. It’s comfortable for typing as well, though its clicky Kailh Box White V2 switches are fairly noisy. It also lacks any kind of backlighting. The stock switches are hot-swappable, however, so you can easily replace them if needed.
The latest Steam Spring Sale is underway, bringing an enormous range of PC game discounts along with it. There are simply too many deals for us to list everything, but some highlights include the acclaimed CRPG Baldur’s Gate 3for $54 (a small but rare discount), the frantic platformer Pizza Towerfor $13.39, the recently released Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth for $56, the FPS compilation Halo: The Master Chief Collectionfor $10 and the VR adventure Half-Life: Alyx for $20.39. These big Steam sales are always a good time to grab some older classics for dirt cheap, too: The two Portalpuzzlers are available for $1.48, for instance, while the co-op shooter Left 4 Dead 2is just a buck. Valve says the sale will run until March 21.
Outside of Steam, the Epic Games Store has commenced its Spring Sale as well. The selection there isn’t as large, as usual, but it does include some well-reviewed exclusives like Alan Wake 2for $40 and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownfor $30. Before you go padding your backlog on either store, though, we’d recommend using a price tracking site like IsThereAnyDeal to ensure you’re getting a genuine discount.
However technologically impressive a foldable smartphone may be, they’re seriously expensive. A $500 discount can help if you’re ready to grab one. The Google Pixel Fold is one of our favorites, and it’s now down to $1,299 at the Goole Store. It beats the largest discount we’ve seen for the unlocked 256GB model, by $100. If you need more storage space, Google has the 512GB model for $1,419, another $500 discount and record low.
The Pixel Fold is the runner-up pick in our guide to the best foldable phones, and Engadget’s Sam Rutherford gave it a score of 85 in his review last June.
The discount is part of a larger sale Google is hosting on its storefront right now, perhaps in response to Amazon’s event.
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is now live. The early deals of the past few days gave us some insight into what to expect, but now it’s official. Unlike the company’s Prime Day sales in July and October, this sale is by and large for anyone, non-Prime members included. That’s good news for those who don’t pay the $79 yearly membership fee. In another departure from Prime events, the Amazon spring sale looks to be focused on seasonal fare, particularly Spring apparel and home decor. While that’s not our beat, we did find a good number of deals on some of the gadgets and devices we recommend, including a new low price on our favorite Android smartphone, $72 drop on our top wireless Sony headphones and up to 43 percent off Anker charging accessories.
The Big Spring Sale runs through Monday, March 25th. From now until then, we’ll continue to sift through Amazon’s offerings to find the best tech deals on the site, updating this guide as we do. And, since there’s nothing like a sale to inspire other discounts, we rounded up some deals from other retailers across the web at the very end. Here are the best tech deals we could find in the Amazon Big Spring Sale.
Best Spring Sale deals on Apple devices
Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget
Apple’s AirPods Pro are once again available for $189, which matches the best price we’ve seen for the latest iteration with a USB-C charging case. Apple normally sells the noise-canceling earphones for $249, though we often see them go closer to $200 at third-party retailers. Either way, they remain our favorite wireless earbuds for iOS users, as they provide an array of perks when paired with an iPhone, from faster pairing to hands-free Siri. Useful ANC, a superb ambient sound mode and a pleasingly warm sound profile help beyond that. Their battery life and mic quality are just OK these days, but this pair should serve you well if you’re all-in on Apple. We gave the second-gen AirPods Pro a review score of 88 back in 2022.
The second-gen Apple Pencil is down to $79, which is one the best prices we’ve seen. It’s important to note that it’s rumored that we’ll see new Apple Pencils when new iPads come out sometime within the next month — but if you already have an iPad and have been looking to snag this accessory on discount, now’s your chance. This is the Pencil that works with most of the latest iPad models and it magnetically snaps to the sides of the tablets for safe keeping. It’s one of our favorite iPad accessories thanks to that, and its generally stellar, little-to-no latency performance.
Best Spring Sale deals on headphones, earbuds and speakers
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Our favorite pair of budget wireless earbuds has dropped to a new record-low price of $50. The Anker Soundcore Space A40 impressed us with their solid sound quality, comfortable fit and impressive active noise cancellation for the price. We think they’re a great value at their normal $80 price, so this sale makes them even more attractive. In addition, they have good battery life and support for multi-device connectivity and wireless charging. They may not have the best call quality, and they don’t support automatically wear detection, but otherwise you’re getting a nearly-full package for a great price.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones are back on sale for $328. This isn’t an all-time low, and it’s a deal we’ve seen numerous times over the past few months, but it’s still $70 off the noise-canceling cans’ list price. The XM5s are the top pick in our guide to the best wireless headphones thanks to their comfy fit, solid active noise cancellation (ANC), clear mic and handy bonus features. They’re bass-heavy by default, but you can adjust their sound profile with EQ tools in Sony’s companion app.
This XM5’s predecessor, the Sony WH-1000XM4, is also worth a note at $248. Again, that’s not an all-time low, but it’s about $50 below the pair’s average street price in recent months. This older model has many of the same benefits as its successor, plus its earcups can fold up, which makes the design a little easier to pack away. Its call quality is worse, however, and it’s not quite as light on the head. We gave the XM5 a review score of 95 in mid-2022, while the XM4 earned a 94 way back in 2020.
If you’re not tethered to Apple, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are another set of high-end earphones we recommend. Right now they’re down to $249 at Amazon, Bose.com and other storefronts. That’s a $50 discount. We’ve seen this price a few times before, but it still matches the best deal we’ve tracked. Bose says the offer will run until March 31.
We specifically highlight the QuietComfort Ultras in our buying guide for their noise-canceling prowess, as they do a superlative job of muting outside noise and allow you to lower the intensity of the ANC if it ever becomes uncomfortable. They’re another pair with a somewhat bass-heavy sound out of the box, but they don’t sound sloppy, and unlike the AirPods Pro you can customize their EQ through a companion app. That said, they don’t support wireless charging or multi-device pairing, and their six-to-seven-hour battery life isn’t anything special. The earpieces themselves are also fairly large, though we wouldn’t call them uncomfortable. We gave the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds a score of 88 in our review last year.
One of our favorite pairs of budget wireless earbuds, Amazon’s latest Echo Buds are on sale for only $35 ahead of the Spring Sale. These buds have an open design, which means they purposely let sound in so you can stay more aware of your surroundings. They support adjustable EQ and, unlike many other earbuds at this price, auto-pausing and multi-device pairing. And, as to be expected, they have Alexa built in so you can call upon the voice assistant when you need to while wearing them.
The Google Pixel Buds Pro are down to $139 from $200. The 30 percent discount doesn’t bring the earbuds to their all-time low, but this is the cheapest we’ve seen the Google Pixel Buds Pro so far this year. These are our choice for the best wireless earbuds for Android.
Engadget’s Billy Steele gave them an 87 in his review thanks to the addition of solid active noise cancellation, punchy bass and reliable touch controls. They also offer IPX4 water resistance so you can take them on a run without worry. The buds get up to 11 hours on a charge and 31 hours in total with the case. And when it’s time to recharge, wireless charging makes a refill a little easier. One catch is the call quality isn’t as great as it could be, but if you’re primarily using them for music and podcasts, you may not notice.
Sonos has kicked off a new round of discounts on its soundbars and portable speakers. The deals include the Sonos Move 2 for $359, which is $70 off its usual going rate and the second-best price we’ve seen outside of a very brief drop to $349 last year. The Sonos Ray soundbar is $56 off and down to an all-time low of $223, while the higher-end Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is available for $399, a $100 discount. The Sonos Sub Mini subwoofer is also down to a low of $343, which is $86 less than usual, while the compact Sonos Roam SL is $32 off at $127. A few speaker bundles are also discounted. These offers are available at several retailers, including Amazon, B&H and Sonos.com. Sonos says they’ll run through March 25.
None of these devices come cheap, but they all deliver relatively clean sound, easy pairing with other Sonos hardware, AirPlay support and an app that (mostly) makes it simple to set up and stream music. The Move 2 is a hefty yet powerful battery-powered speaker for those who are more concerned with sound quality over portability. The Roam SL doesn’t sound as rich, but it’s much more travel-friendly and has a better water-resistance rating. (It lacks built-in mics, though.) The Ray is an entry-level 2.0-channel soundbar meant for smaller rooms and budget buyers. The Beam is a 5.0 model with a more expansive sound, an HDMI eARC port and voice assistant functionality. It also supports Dolby Atmos, though it can’t take advantage of that quite as much as larger models. The Sub Mini, meanwhile, is a handy way to beef up the bass response of an existing Sonos system. You can check out our reviews of the Move 2, Ray, second-gen Beam and Sub Mini for fuller breakdowns of each device.
As part of a larger portable speaker sale, Anker’s Soundcore Motion 300 has dropped to $64, which is a record low. It earned a spot on our favorites list thanks to its solid sound quality featuring crisp highs and generally punchy, bright audio. Its IPX7 design weighs only 1.7 pounds and the built-in loop makes it easy to attach to a bag to take with you on the go. It also works with Anker’s Soundcore app, which lets you customize EQ, button brightness and more.
Our favorite midrange smartphone, the Google Pixel 7a is on sale for $374 right now, which is a record-low price. That almost puts it within our “budget” price range ($350) for Android phones, so while it’s still a splurge pick, it’s arguably the best Android phone you can get in that price range at the moment. It runs on Google’s Tensor G2 chipset, plus it has a lovely 90Hz touchscreen, long battery life and an excellent camera array that takes impressive photos in all kinds of light situations, and good selfies, too. While there are plenty of good budget Android phones available today, you won’t find one that offers a better value than the Pixel 7a when on sale like this.
Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have been discounted for the Spring Sale, down to $499 and $749, respectively. Both run on the Google Tensor G3 chip, and they have great battery lives and excellent cameras. We consider both of them to be the best Android phones available right now thanks in part to those features. Google also added a number of actually useful AI features like Best Take and Magic Eraser for photos, and more accurate voice typing and article summaries for the Google Assistant.
The Elgato Stream Deck Mk.2 in white is back down to $130. This is another deal we’ve seen pop up periodically in recent months, but it’s $20 off the device’s usual street price all the same. The Stream Deck is a macro keypad we recommend in our guide to the best game streaming gear. It has 15 programmable hotkeys that you can set to perform different commands, from launching an app to activating smart lights to triggering on-screen GIFs and sound effects. It’s really meant for content creators and power users first and foremost, but if you think you could benefit from having a bunch of shortcuts within arm’s reach, this is a decent time to pick one up.
Bundles that pair the PlayStation 5 with a digital copy of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 are still $50 off, bringing the standard model down to $449 and the digital-only version down to $400. These deals aren’t tied to Amazon’s Spring sale, but larger discounts on the PS5 have been uncommon, so this is still a good opportunity if you’ve been looking to take the plunge. The offers are available at several retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy and Sony’s PlayStation Direct store. Sony says they’ll last through March 31. My colleague Nathan Ingraham gave Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 a glowing review last year, calling it a “perfectly balanced game with gorgeous graphics, delightful combat and traversal systems, a compelling storyline and characters, plenty of challenge and a huge map to explore.”
“Mario Day” has come and gone, but Nintendo is still running a handful of deals on Switch consoles and games. At Amazon, you can grab the OLED Nintendo Switch for $10 less than usual thanks to an on-page coupon. If you have any interest in the cutesy social sim Animal Crossing: New Horizons, note that Target is bundling the Switch Lite with that game.
It’s also worth noting that Nintendo is widely expected to launch a new console in the coming months. Even if the latest reports suggest that won’t arrive until 2025, it’s hard to call this a great time to invest in the console. But if you don’t care about hopping on the bandwagon late and just want to catch up with the Switch’s library, getting any sort of deal on a Switch is better than normal. Just remember that the Switch Lite can’t be docked to a TV.
The Google Nest Thermostat is on sale for $100 ahead of Amazon’s Spring sale, which is about $10 more than the best price we’ve seen over the past year but $30 below its typical going rate. We’ve highlighted this entry-level smart thermostat in past gift guides. Compared to the higher-end Nest Learning Thermostat, it has a cheaper plastic frame, doesn’t support remote temperature sensors and can’t learn your heating and cooling tendencies to make automatic adjustments throughout the day. That said, it’s a more affordable way to remotely control your home’s climate, and it still supports features like HVAC monitoring and voice assistant control. It’s also compatible with the Matter standard, unlike the pricier model, so it can work with third-party platforms like Apple Home.
The self-emptying Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum is 46 percent off for the Big Spring Sale. That makes it $350, which is $300 off the regular price and not too far away from its record low. This model is a variant of one of our top robot vacuum recommendations and comes with a base that holds up to 60 days of dirt and has a HEPA filtration system to capture dust and allergens. It uses 360° LiDAR to map your home, has an app to set schedules and even works with Alexa or the Google Assistant for literally hands free floor cleaning.
The is the runner up in our and thanks to the Amazon Big Spring Sale it’s now half price, making it just $300. That’s not quite an all-time low — it was $2 cheaper for much of February — but still a significant discount on one of our recommendations.
Engadget’s Valentina Palladino found this one to have powerful suction and an easy-to-use app. She also appreciated the upgraded obstacle detection that particularly avoids pet poop. The bot does take a couple runs before it can create a full map — and it doesn’t clean while it does that, so be prepared to wait a little after unboxing before your floors are truly on auto-pilot.
A number of Amazon’s Fire tablets are on sale right now, including the new Fire HD 10 for $95. That’s about $15 more than its record-low price, but it’s still a decent deal for this time of year. Updated in 2023, the Fire HD 10 has a 10-inch 1080p touchscreen, an octa-core processor, up to 13 hours of battery life and it charges via a USB-C port. We still think Fire tablets are best as secondary devices rather than daily drivers — that slab you keep next to the couch to check email or shop online on the fly, or by your bedside to read books and comics. And when they’re discounted like this, it’s much easier to justify getting a secondary device like that in the first place. A bunch of kid-friendly Fire tabs are on sale, too, most of which come with a childproof protective case, a two-year warranty and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+.
A variety of Amazon Blink devices are now discounted as part of the site’s Big Spring Sale. A three pack of the new Blink Outdoor 4 is down to $150 instead of $260. That’s a 42 percent discount and the lowest price we’ve seen this year (the set hit an all-time low of $135 for Black Friday).
If you just need one camera, take advantage of the sale on a single Blink Outdoor 4. It’s currently down to $65 from $100 — a 35 percent discount.
The Blink Outdoor 4 came out last August with a lot of upgrades including a larger field of vision, up to143 degrees and better low-light sensitivity and image quality. Blink claims the devices will go for two years before needing their AA batteries replaced.
The Google Pixel Tablet makes a good smart display and tablet hybrid. Right now the 11-inch slate-plus-dock is back down to $399 at multiple retailers for the 28GB model. In addition to Amazon you can save at Target and the Google Store. This matches the lowest price we’ve seen and works out to $100 below the variation’s usual going rate. If you need more storage, the 256GB version is $150 off and available for $449, also an all-time low.
Engadget’s Cherlynn Low gave the Pixel Tablet a score of 85 in her review last June, and we mention the device in our tablet buying guide, though it’s not one of our top picks. But if you’re looking for a tablet that can also be your smart home command center, this is a good pick for controlling smart home devices, showcasing photos, streaming music with the improved speakers, and even cast video from your phone.
New subscribers can get 40 percent off a Max subscription when you pay for one year upfront. If you want to go all-in on the highest tier, which gives you ad-free viewing and 4K streaming, it’ll cost you $140 for the year (roughly $12 per month). The most affordable tier will set you back a total of $70 for the year, which works out to about $6 per month. Considering how often streaming prices have increased recently, a sale like this is a great time to invest in a year of access to shows like The Last of Us and movies from outlets like Studio Ghibli and A24.
We’ll move beyond Amazon for our last few deals this week. First, a configuration of Apple’s 14.2-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip, 18GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is down to $1,799 at B&H. That’s close to an all-time low and comes in $200 below Apple’s MSRP. We gave the latest MacBook Pro a review score of 90 last year. It’s more Mac than most people need, especially after the recent refresh of the MacBook Air. But for video editors, 3D designers and other professional types who need more power, a wider port selection and a brighter display, it should still fit the bill.
The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard is back on sale for $80 at Amazon subsidiary Woot, a $20 discount that matches the lowest price we’ve seen. This is a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard we recommended in our retro gaming gift guide late last year. You’d mainly buy it for the aesthetic, as it looks like a companion piece for an old NES. Beyond that, it’s sturdily built, it works wirelessly and it comes with a pair of giant “Super Buttons” that you can customize to perform different macros. It’s comfortable for typing as well, though its clicky Kailh Box White V2 switches are fairly noisy. It also lacks any kind of backlighting. The stock switches are hot-swappable, however, so you can easily replace them if needed.
The latest Steam Spring Sale is underway, bringing an enormous range of PC game discounts along with it. There are simply too many deals for us to list everything, but some highlights include the acclaimed CRPG Baldur’s Gate 3for $54 (a small but rare discount), the frantic platformer Pizza Towerfor $13.39, the recently released Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth for $56, the FPS compilation Halo: The Master Chief Collectionfor $10 and the VR adventure Half-Life: Alyx for $20.39. These big Steam sales are always a good time to grab some older classics for dirt cheap, too: The two Portalpuzzlers are available for $1.48, for instance, while the co-op shooter Left 4 Dead 2is just a buck. Valve says the sale will run until March 21.
Outside of Steam, the Epic Games Store has commenced its Spring Sale as well. The selection there isn’t as large, as usual, but it does include some well-reviewed exclusives like Alan Wake 2for $40 and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownfor $30. Before you go padding your backlog on either store, though, we’d recommend using a price tracking site like IsThereAnyDeal to ensure you’re getting a genuine discount.
However technologically impressive a foldable smartphone may be, they’re seriously expensive. A $500 discount can help if you’re ready to grab one. The Google Pixel Fold is one of our favorites, and it’s now down to $1,299 at the Goole Store. It beats the largest discount we’ve seen for the unlocked 256GB model, by $100. If you need more storage space, Google has the 512GB model for $1,419, another $500 discount and record low.
The Pixel Fold is the runner-up pick in our guide to the best foldable phones, and Engadget’s Sam Rutherford gave it a score of 85 in his review last June.
The discount is part of a larger sale Google is hosting on its storefront right now, perhaps in response to Amazon’s event.
