The new iPads are finally here. Apple has announced four new entries in its tablet lineup, including two revamped iPad Pros with OLED screens and an all-new M4 chip, a refreshed iPad Air with an M2 chip and a new larger Air model with a 13-inch display. Along with the new slates, the company also unveiled a new Apple Pencil Pro stylus with haptic feedback support and an updated Magic Keyboard with a more MacBook-like design. The updates come more than a year and a half after the company last unveiled new iPads in October 2022.
All of the new gear is available for pre-order at Apple's online store and various third-party retailers. Each device will be fully available on May 15. We plan to put everything through its paces in the coming days, but if you're already 100 percent sure that you want to upgrade, we'll quickly break down what's new and lay out your current purchasing options below. Here's what to know about pre-ordering the new iPad Air, iPad Pro, Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.
Author Archives: Jeff Dunn
A four-pack of Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag 2 trackers is back on sale for $70
We recommend Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 in our Bluetooth tracker buying guide to Galaxy phone owners who want an AirTags-style device that can keep tabs on their keys, luggage and other sensitive items. If that describes you, here's a quick PSA: A four-pack of the little oblong devices is currently $30 off and down to $70 at Amazon. This discount has popped up periodically since Samsung released the tracker last October, but it nevertheless matches the four-pack's lowest price to date. If you'd rather not shop at Amazon, the same bundle is available at B&H for $2 extra.
If you don't need quite so many trackers, meanwhile, single SmartTag 2s are also on sale for $21 each. That's a dollar more than the device's all-time low but still $9 off its usual street price.
The key thing to note with the Galaxy SmartTag 2 is that it's a Samsung-only affair. You need a Samsung phone or tablet running Android 11 or later for it to fully work, and it uses the company's SmartThings Find crowd-finding network to locate items. The latter is Samsung's alternative to Apple's Find My network and Google's recently-launched Find My Device network. (Yes, the names of these things are way too similar.) It's not as large as either of those, so it'll generally be less precise at pinpointing an item that winds up outside of your tracker's Bluetooth range. Samsung hasn't confirmed any plans for the Galaxy SmartTag 2 to support Google's expanded network, either. If you're an Android user who isn't beholden to Galaxy phones, you should wait and see if it's worth buying upcoming trackers from Chipolo and Pebblebee (among others) that are designed to use the Find My Device network.
That said, because there are still a few hundred million Samsung devices that've opted into SmartThings Find out in the wild, we've found the Galaxy SmartTag 2's crowd-sourcing to be effective enough in testing. Its separation alerts — i.e., its ability to ping you when you've left a tagged item behind — worked about as reliably as any model we tested, and it does well to map out its location history over time. It's capable of tracking up to 120 meters (roughly 394 feet) directly over Bluetooth, which is on the longer side, plus it supports ultrawideband tech, which can help it more accurately direct you towards an item once you're close by.
The device itself is simple to set up, and its flat design has a built-in cutout, so it's easy to stash in a wallet or attach to a keychain. It's also IP67-rated, so it can survive a dip underwater. Samsung says the device can last up to 500 days with typical use, and you can replace the battery once it peters out. There are technically more capable options out there (with more to come), and all Bluetooth trackers carry some level of privacy issues. A device like this isn't ideal for warding off theft, either. But for forgetful Galaxy diehards who are looking to save some cash, this is a decent deal.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-four-pack-of-samsungs-galaxy-smarttag-2-trackers-is-back-on-sale-for-70-165237932.html?src=rssXbox Series X/S storage expansion cards from WD and Seagate are discounted right now
For better or (mostly) worse, the only way to fully increase the storage of an Xbox Series X/S is to use a proprietary expansion card. Three and a half years into the consoles' lives, there remain only two official solutions: Seagate's Storage Expansion Card and the WD Black C50. It's a limiting situation, but if you're tired of deleting and reinstalling games to create space, versions of each card are at least a little cheaper than usual right now. The 1TB WD Black C50 is on sale for $125 at Amazon, while the 2TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card is down to $230 at Amazon and Best Buy.
The former is $5 more than the lowest price we've ever seen, but it's still $25 off the card's usual street price. We'll note that Seagate's 1TB model has technically dropped as low as $90 a few times before, but those offers have typically sold out extremely fast; as of this writing, that drive costs $140. The discount on the 2TB Seagate card, meanwhile, matches the best price we've tracked. That one normally goes for $250. Since WD doesn't sell a 2TB card, it's also the highest-capacity option you can buy. Both of these discounts equal the prices we saw during Black Friday last year.
To reiterate, these aren't great prices in the context of the wider storage market. Sony lets you upgrade the PlayStation 5 with a much wider range of traditional M.2 SSDs, almost all of which are available for significantly less per gigabyte. The top pick in our PS5 SSD buying guide, for instance, currently costs $90 for 1TB or $158 for 2TB. This is despite the fact that consumer SSD prices have generally increased over the past few months.
If you own a recent Xbox, though, you don't have much choice. You can use a standard external drive to store Series X/S games or run backwards-compatible titles from the Xbox One and older consoles, but the only way to play current-gen games is via internal storage or one of these official cards. That said, the cards themselves are just about as fast as that internal SSD, and setting them up is a breeze: You simply plug the tiny device into the Xbox's expansion slot, and you're good to go. The sticker shock is the one major negative, but these discounts should lighten the load somewhat.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xbox-series-xs-storage-expansion-cards-from-wd-and-seagate-are-discounted-right-now-163525697.html?src=rssThe second-gen Apple Pencil falls back to $79 ahead of next week’s iPad event
Apple's second-generation Pencil stylus is back on sale for $79, which matches its lowest price to date. We've seen this deal a few times over the course of 2024, but it's still about $35 off the device's usual street price on Amazon outside of those sales. Apple, meanwhile, normally sells the stylus for $129. This offer is available at Amazon, Target, Walmart and Best Buy.
Do note, though: Apple's next product showcase is scheduled for May 7, and it is widely expected to unveil a new Pencil during the event. This next-gen model will include some level of haptic feedback, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, while 9to5Mac has suggested it may include a new "squeeze" gesture and Find My tracking support. If you want the newest Pencil possible, you should hold out for one more week.
However, given the MSRP of this second-gen model, it seems safe to expect any new Pencil to cost a good bit more than $79 out of the gate. If you're on a tighter budget and looking to buy your first iPad stylus for sketching or note-taking, the current Pencil should remain a good value at this price.
For now, the second-gen Pencil is the top stylus pick in our guide to the best iPad accessories. It's still one of the only styluses to offer pressure sensitivity across iPadOS, so the harder you press down, the heavier your lines get. (Last year's USB-C-based Pencil omits this.) Tilt recognition and palm rejection support help it feel natural for drawing beyond that. The pen itself is comfortable to hold, and it can charge and connect to a compatible iPad just by snapping to the tablet's side magnetically, no cables required. We also like its double-tap feature, which makes swapping between a drawing tool and an eraser faster in certain apps. Just make sure you own (and will continue to use) a compatible iPad Air, mini or Pro first.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-second-gen-apple-pencil-falls-back-to-79-ahead-of-next-weeks-ipad-event-152152952.html?src=rssThe second-gen Apple Pencil falls back to $79 ahead of next week’s iPad event
Apple's second-generation Pencil stylus is back on sale for $79, which matches its lowest price to date. We've seen this deal a few times over the course of 2024, but it's still about $35 off the device's usual street price on Amazon outside of those sales. Apple, meanwhile, normally sells the stylus for $129. This offer is available at Amazon, Target, Walmart and Best Buy.
Do note, though: Apple's next product showcase is scheduled for May 7, and it is widely expected to unveil a new Pencil during the event. This next-gen model will include some level of haptic feedback, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, while 9to5Mac has suggested it may include a new "squeeze" gesture and Find My tracking support. If you want the newest Pencil possible, you should hold out for one more week.
However, given the MSRP of this second-gen model, it seems safe to expect any new Pencil to cost a good bit more than $79 out of the gate. If you're on a tighter budget and looking to buy your first iPad stylus for sketching or note-taking, the current Pencil should remain a good value at this price.
For now, the second-gen Pencil is the top stylus pick in our guide to the best iPad accessories. It's still one of the only styluses to offer pressure sensitivity across iPadOS, so the harder you press down, the heavier your lines get. (Last year's USB-C-based Pencil omits this.) Tilt recognition and palm rejection support help it feel natural for drawing beyond that. The pen itself is comfortable to hold, and it can charge and connect to a compatible iPad just by snapping to the tablet's side magnetically, no cables required. We also like its double-tap feature, which makes swapping between a drawing tool and an eraser faster in certain apps. Just make sure you own (and will continue to use) a compatible iPad Air, mini or Pro first.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-second-gen-apple-pencil-falls-back-to-79-ahead-of-next-weeks-ipad-event-152152952.html?src=rssThe Apple Watch Series 9 is back on sale for $299
If you've been planning on buying an Apple Watch Series 9, today looks like a decent time to take the plunge. The smartwatch is currently on sale for $299 at multiple retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart. That's not quite the lowest price we've seen — a couple colorways briefly fell to $269 earlier this month, for instance — but steeper discounts have generally been uncommon. This deal takes about $30 off the watch's typical street price on Amazon, and it's $100 less than buying from Apple directly. As of this writing, the offer applies to the 41mm non-cellular version of the watch in Midnight, Red, Silver or Starlight. It covers models with a rubber, S/M- or M/L-sized Sport Band or a nylon Sport Loop.
We gave the Apple Watch Series 9 a score of 92 in our review last September, and it's currently the top pick in our guide to the best smartwatches. It runs fast, it's water-resistant and it can still handle many tasks that'd normally require an iPhone, from checking iMessages to calling on Siri to using Apple Pay. Most of the essential health and fitness tracking features are still here as well, as are safety-related tools like fall detection and an emergency SOS function. Compared to the lower-cost Apple Watch SE, it has a slightly larger display that can stay always-on, which makes it less cumbersome for checking the time at a glance.
New to this model is a handy Double Tap feature, which lets you respond to notifications without having to physically touch the device, and the ability to complete many Siri requests on-device, without having to always be online. It also has double the internal storage (64GB) as the Series 8, and its display's peak brightness rating (2,000 nits) is twice as high.
That said, the usual caveats with any Apple Watch still apply. The whole thing will only work with iPhones. The battery will last most of a typical day but not much longer. There are better options for sleep tracking. Due to an ongoing patent dispute, Apple has also had to disable the watch's blood oxygen monitoring feature. In general, there's no huge need to make the switch if you own an Apple Watch today and are still happy with it. But if you're looking to upgrade today, this should be a nice value.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-watch-series-9-is-back-on-sale-for-299-150928694.html?src=rssThe Apple Watch Series 9 is back on sale for $299
If you've been planning on buying an Apple Watch Series 9, today looks like a decent time to take the plunge. The smartwatch is currently on sale for $299 at multiple retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart. That's not quite the lowest price we've seen — a couple colorways briefly fell to $269 earlier this month, for instance — but steeper discounts have generally been uncommon. This deal takes about $30 off the watch's typical street price on Amazon, and it's $100 less than buying from Apple directly. As of this writing, the offer applies to the 41mm non-cellular version of the watch in Midnight, Red, Silver or Starlight. It covers models with a rubber, S/M- or M/L-sized Sport Band or a nylon Sport Loop.
We gave the Apple Watch Series 9 a score of 92 in our review last September, and it's currently the top pick in our guide to the best smartwatches. It runs fast, it's water-resistant and it can still handle many tasks that'd normally require an iPhone, from checking iMessages to calling on Siri to using Apple Pay. Most of the essential health and fitness tracking features are still here as well, as are safety-related tools like fall detection and an emergency SOS function. Compared to the lower-cost Apple Watch SE, it has a slightly larger display that can stay always-on, which makes it less cumbersome for checking the time at a glance.
New to this model is a handy Double Tap feature, which lets you respond to notifications without having to physically touch the device, and the ability to complete many Siri requests on-device, without having to always be online. It also has double the internal storage (64GB) as the Series 8, and its display's peak brightness rating (2,000 nits) is twice as high.
That said, the usual caveats with any Apple Watch still apply. The whole thing will only work with iPhones. The battery will last most of a typical day but not much longer. There are better options for sleep tracking. Due to an ongoing patent dispute, Apple has also had to disable the watch's blood oxygen monitoring feature. In general, there's no huge need to make the switch if you own an Apple Watch today and are still happy with it. But if you're looking to upgrade today, this should be a nice value.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-watch-series-9-is-back-on-sale-for-299-150928694.html?src=rssThe best high school graduation gifts in 2024
Surviving high school is a major milestone, but the transition to young adulthood that comes after is often as overwhelming as it is exciting. If you have a recent high school grad in your life, a pragmatic gift to celebrate the occasion could make their next chapter just a bit easier to manage. Below we’ve put together a list of tested and approved gadgets, gear and services that should delight, regardless of if your giftee is heading to a new campus or starting a new job.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra falls to a new low, plus the rest of the week’s best tech deals
Another week is coming to a close, which means it's time for another roundup of good tech deals. This week's highlights include a new low on Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is $200 off and down to $1,100 for an unlocked model. That's not exactly cheap, no, but any savings should be welcome for what we consider the best premium Android phone. Elsewhere, a trio of recommendations from our wireless earbuds buying guide are on sale, including Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds for $249, Google's Pixel Buds Pro for $135 and Anker's Soundcore Space A40 for $49. Apple's latest MacBook Air has dropped to a new low of $989 as well, while Best Buy has the HomePod mini down to $70 in a rare discount. Other gadgets we like are discounted beyond that, so here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-s24-ultra-falls-to-a-new-low-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-181055583.html?src=rssThe Google Pixel Buds Pro are back on sale for $135
Google's Pixel Buds Pro remain one of our favorite pairs of true wireless earbuds, offering robust active noise cancellation (ANC), punchy bass, reliable touch controls and a host of convenient features for Android users in particular. That said, given how competitive the wireless market is these days, they aren't the greatest value at their standard list price of $200.
Today, though, Wellbots is running a sale that brings the pair down to a more palatable $135 with the checkout code ENGPIX65. This isn't an all-time low — the buds fell as low as $117 in a similar deal last October and went for $119 for much of the holiday season — but it's the best price we've tracked in 2024. For reference, the device dropped to $139 last month. This offer applies to each of the set's colorways.
Engadget's audio expert Billy Steele gave the Pixel Buds Pro a review score of 87 back in 2022. By default, they have a sculpted, hyped-up sound with thumpy bass and elevated treble. It's the kind of signature that won't suit audio purists but should work well with modern pop music. As with many pairs, though, you can tweak the sound with a graphic EQ. The earbuds themselves have an IPX4 water-resistance rating, so they should be able to withstand typical workouts. Battery life is solid at roughly seven hours with ANC on or 11 hours with it off, while the case supports wireless charging. You can connect to two devices at once, and the pair supports in-ear detection, so it'll automatically pause when you remove an earbud.
Maybe the biggest reason to consider the Pixel Buds Pro is how tightly they integrate with Android. It's somewhat similar to how Apple's AirPods work with iOS: You can call on the Google Assistant hands-free, quickly swap between paired devices, utilize adaptive and spatial audio modes, ring the earbuds remotely and access Google Translate, among other OS-specific features. Last fall, Google also added a "conversation detection" mode that automatically pauses your music and turns off ANC when you start talking to someone. All of this functionality is natively available on Google's Pixel phones; with other Android devices, you can access most of the same tricks through a separate Pixel Buds app.
There are still issues to note. While we didn't have any comfort issues in testing, the fit may be tricky for those with smaller ears. Call quality isn't great, nor is the included transparency mode. For more discerning listeners, there's no support for higher-quality Bluetooth codecs like aptX or LDAC. And again, this is a busy market: Other pairs like the Sony WF-1000XM5, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 or Anker Soundcore Space A40 can provide better noise isolation, sound quality or overall value in a vacuum. It wouldn't be a huge shock if we saw a new model at Google's I/O conference next month, either. Still, the current model remains a well-rounded choice for Android fans today, and this discount brings them down to a more appropriate price.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-google-pixel-buds-pro-are-back-on-sale-for-135-130026338.html?src=rss