It's a big day for people who like to spend a small fortune on consumer technology, as Apple opened up pre-orders for its $3,500 Vision Pro headset earlier on Friday. If you're looking to save some cash on a new gadget, though, we're back with another installment of our weekly deal roundup. This week's highlights include a spate of pre-order discounts on Samsung's new Galaxy S24 phones, which come with a bonus gift card and free storage upgrade at Amazon and Best Buy. Beyond that, Google's Pixel 8 phones are up to $200 off, while Apple's AirPods Pro are still at a low of $189. If you're on a tighter budget, a few affordable keyboards, webcams and wireless earbuds we like are also near the lowest prices we've seen. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-pre-orders-include-a-200-gift-card-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-172928966.html?src=rss
It's a big day for people who like to spend a small fortune on consumer technology, as Apple opened up pre-orders for its $3,500 Vision Pro headset earlier on Friday. If you're looking to save some cash on a new gadget, though, we're back with another installment of our weekly deal roundup. This week's highlights include a spate of pre-order discounts on Samsung's new Galaxy S24 phones, which come with a bonus gift card and free storage upgrade at Amazon and Best Buy. Beyond that, Google's Pixel 8 phones are up to $200 off, while Apple's AirPods Pro are still at a low of $189. If you're on a tighter budget, a few affordable keyboards, webcams and wireless earbuds we like are also near the lowest prices we've seen. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-pre-orders-include-a-200-gift-card-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-172928966.html?src=rss
Samsung formally unveiled its Galaxy S24 line of smartphones at its latest Samsung Unpacked event on Wednesday, including its newest flagship, the Galaxy S24 Ultra. For a fuller idea of what to expect, you can check out my colleague Sam Rutherford's hands-on impressions. In short, though, the main updates are a new titanium frame with flatter edges, a promised seven years of software updates, an expected processor bump, a slightly tweaked camera setup and a host of new generative AI features. Starting at $1,300, the device is also $100 more expensive than its predecessor, though there are some early pre-order deals to lessen that blow a little.
If you're thinking about taking the plunge, we've broken down how the Galaxy S24 Ultra compares to two other top-end handsets, the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Google Pixel 8 Pro, on the spec sheet. As always, specs can't tell the full story, but if you want a reference for what $1,300 (or more) gets you in early 2024, here's how the new phone stacks up.
Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium
Polished aluminum frame
Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-vs-the-competition-a-new-titanium-contender-193434222.html?src=rss
The holidays are just about over, but if you're looking to stock up on some new tech for the new year, we've found a handful of deals worth noting. The latest Apple AirPods Pro are back down to an all-time low of $189, for one, while our favorite budget wireless earbuds, the Soundcore Space A40, are within a dollar of their best price at $55. If you're interested in a new fitness tracker, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is at a low of $70, while the more featured Apple Watch SE is $50 off at $199. And if you're just looking to chill, several PC and Nintendo Switch games we like are also on sale. Here are the best deals from this week that you can still get today.
The USB-C version of Apple's AirPods Pro is back down to $189 at Amazon and Walmart, which matches the lowest price we've tracked. Apple itself sells the noise-canceling earphones for $249, though the pair has regularly sold between $190 and $240 at third-party retailers in recent months.
Either way, the AirPods Pro is the "best for iOS" pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds. They continue to offer a number of helpful features for users of other Apple devices, including faster pairing, hands-free Siri, Find My tracking and spatial audio support. A pleasingly warm sound, a superb transparency mode and effective active noise cancellation (ANC) also help, though battery life and call quality are still just OK. We gave the Lightning-based Pros a review score of 88. If you already own that older model and just want the USB-C case, note that you can buy the latter separately.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is on sale for $70 at multiple retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and Target. That ties the lowest price we've seen. The offer applies to multiple color band options, though a couple of those may come with shipping delays. Fitbit normally sells the fitness tracker for $100, but we've seen it drop to $80 at various points over the past year.
We call the Inspire 3 the best budget option in our fitness tracker buying guide. It accurately monitors step count, heart rate, sleep and other essential metrics in a slim, lightweight and water-resistant design. Its color OLED display is simple to navigate, and its battery can last up to 10 days per charge. It can only access GPS via your phone, however, so more dedicated runners and cyclists may want to look elsewhere. It lacks contactless payment support, too. Other Fitbit trackers are also on sale.
The 40mm Apple Watch SE is down to $199 at Amazon, Walmart and other retailers. While that's $20 more than the best price we've tracked, it's still $20 less than the smartwatch's typical street price and $50 less than Apple's MSRP. We note the Watch SE in our guide to the best smartwatches as a good pick for first-time buyers or those on a budget. It offers most of the same core features as the flagship Apple Watch Series 9: notifications, heart-rate monitoring, accurate fitness tracking, fall and crash detection, emergency SOS and so on. It has a smaller display with larger bezels, but the overall design looks similar, plus it's water-resistant.
The big trade-off is that the display isn't always-on, so you have to raise your wrist or tap the screen to activate it. It also lacks more advanced health features like a skin temperature sensor, ECG monitor and blood oxygen sensor. Still, if you're new to smartwatches and own an iPhone, this is a good value. We gave Watch SE a review score of 89 in September 2022.
Anker's Soundcore Space A40 is the top pick in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds, as it offers many of the features we'd expect from earphones that cost twice as much. Newegg has the pair on sale for $55 with the checkout code NNDNA88, which is $24 off its usual going rate and only a dollar more than the lowest price we've tracked. The Space A40's ANC performance belies its low price, while its compact frame is comfortable to wear for hours at a time. It can connect to two devices at once, and its battery life is solid at eight to 10 hours per charge. It also supports wireless charging. The warm sound profile isn't as detailed as more expensive pairs, but it's pleasant enough, and you can customize the EQ curve through the Soundcore app. Call quality isn't all that great, however, and your music won't auto-pause when you remove an earbud.
You can grab a four-pack of Apple's AirTags for $79 at Amazon, which is a deal we've seen for much of the past month or so but still costs $20 less than buying from Apple directly. Make sure to clip the on-page coupon to see the full discount. The AirTag is the top pick for iPhone owners in our Bluetooth tracker buying guide, as it taps into Apple's giant Find My device network and its own ultra-wideband wireless tech to locate misplaced items accurately. It's also waterproof, and its battery is easily replaceable. It doesn't come with any holes or adhesives, however, so you may need to buy a separate accessory if you want to attach it to a keychain.
If you want a set of Bluetooth trackers but own an Android phone, a four-pack of Tile Mates is down to $38 at Walmart. That's only about a dollar more than the lowest historical price we could find. For reference, we normally see a single Tile Mate go for around $20. Tile's trackers aren't quite as precise as AirTags, but they have the second-largest crowd-finding network after Apple, and the Mate's built-in keyring hole makes it easy to slap on a keychain. That said, you can't replace the battery, and you'll need to pay a subscription fee for separation alerts (which let you know when you've left a tracked item behind). The Mate itself isn't a top pick in our buying guide, but at less than $10 per tracker, this is a solid value.
The 10th-gen iPad is on sale for $349 at Amazon, Target and Best Buy, which ties the lowest price we've tracked and takes $50 off the 10.9-inch tablet's usual going rate. This slate sits in a middle ground between the entry-level 10.2-inch iPad and the iPad Air. It's not as cheap as the former, but it has a more modern design with a larger display, thinner bezels, a faster chip and a USB-C port. Unlike either device, its front-facing camera is situated on the long edge of the device, which is generally more convenient for FaceTime calls. That said, this tablet's display and chipset are both steps down from what you get with the iPad Air, and its accessory support is more limited. It only has 64GB of storage as well. But if you need an Apple tablet today and can't pay for the Air, it's an easier buy at this price. We gave the 10th-gen iPad a review score of 85 in late 2022.
You should only grab this deal if you need a tablet right away, however. According to reliable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple plans to refresh its entire iPad lineup throughout 2024, with the first updates potentially arriving in March. We may not see a follow-up to this iPad until later, but if you can afford to wait, that may be the safest choice.
The 128GB version of Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 is on sale for $700 at Amazon and Best Buy, which is the lowest price we've seen outside of special trade-in and education offers. Normally, it retails closer to $750.
The Galaxy Tab S9 series is collectively the top Android recommendation in our tablet buying guide. This is the entry-level model, but it shares most of the same perks as the larger (and more expensive) Galaxy Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra. Its 11-inch 120Hz OLED display is fast and vibrant, its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip delivers superb performance and it comes with Samsung's reliable S Pen stylus. The sturdy design also has an IP68 water-resistance rating, so you can safely take it in the tub or pool. Android still isn't as optimized for large screens as Apple's iPadOS, but Samsung's OneUI software makes multitasking at least a little more manageable. All of this is still more tablet than most people need, but if you want an Android alternative to the 11-inch iPad Pro, it's likely your best bet.
Beyond the PC, we're also seeing a few lows on digital games we like for the Nintendo Switch. Two picks from our guide to the best couch co-op games, the silly stealth game Untitled Goose Game and the heartfelt adventure game Chicory: A Colorful Tale, are each down to $9 at Walmart. So is the chill puzzler Unpacking, which we highlight in our guide to the best relaxing games. Another couch co-op pick, the tender management sim Spiritfarer, is back down to $7.49 on the Nintendo eShop.
Other highlights include the sharply written adventure Kentucky Route Zero for $12 and the RPG Divinity: Original Sin— the previous game from Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios — for $25. The acclaimed 2D platformer Celeste is also worth a look at $6, though that's not quite an all-time low.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-airpods-pro-fall-to-a-low-of-189-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-155430093.html?src=rss
If you're looking to buy a fitness tracker for the new year, a sale on Fitbit devices that kicked off earlier this week may be of interest. Chief among the discounts is the Fitbit Inspire 3, the top budget pick in our fitness tracker buying guide, down to $70 in multiple colors. That matches the lowest price we've tracked. Fitbit normally sells the device for $100, though we've seen it fall $80 at several points in the past year. The sale is available at multiple retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and Fitbit's online store.
The Inspire 3 is an entry-level fitness band with a simple interface and no built-in GPS, so it's not ideal for dedicated runners or cyclists. (Instead, you'll need to bring your phone with you to map runs and bike rides.) For more casual users who just want a dedicated device to log their everyday activity, however, it should be enough. It's slim, light and easy to wear, and navigating its color OLED display is straightforward. Its step, sleep and heart rate tracking is relatively accurate, and it can detect various workouts automatically. Fitbit rates its battery life at 10 days per charge — you may not always reach that, but it'll last longer than most smartwatches either way. The design is also water-resistant up to 50 meters, so it'll be safe in the pool. And while there's no support for contactless payments or digital assistants, it can still display basic smartphone notifications.
Fitbit's app remains an uncomplicated way to view all your metrics after a recent makeover, though it did lose some longtime social features last year. New users will also need to log in with an account from Fitbit's parent company Google. We wouldn't be surprised to see more Google-related tweaks going forward, but for now, the Inspire 3 is still a good buy at this price for those who only need the essentials.
If you do have a little bit more to spend and want a Fitbit smartwatch, however, the Fitbit Versa 4 is also worth a look at $150. That one is bigger and gets less battery life but has built-in GPS and more of the smart features the Inspire 3 lacks. We've seen this price for much of the last few months, but it's only $10 above the best deal we've tracked.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fitbits-inspire-3-fitness-tracker-drops-back-to-an-all-time-low-of-70-162153884.html?src=rss
If you've got some gift card money to spend after the holidays and are looking to grab a new pair of wireless earphones, here's a deal worth noting: Apple's AirPods Pro are back down to an all-time low of $189 at Amazon and Walmart. If stock runs dry there, other retailers like Target and Best Buy have them for a dollar more. This offer applies to latest version of the earphones, which comes with a USB-C charging case as standard. For reference, Apple normally sells the pair for $249, though it's almost always gone for less at third-party retailers since arriving last September.
The second-gen AirPods Pro are the "best for iOS" pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds, and we gave the Lightning-based model a score of 88 in our review back in September 2022. This USB-C model adds slightly improved dust resistance and lossless audio support with Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset on top of the new charging port but is effectively identical otherwise. That means it still delivers pleasant and warm sound, effective active noise cancellation (ANC), a superb transparency mode, and a host of features that make life easier for Apple device owners, including faster pairing, hands-free Siri, virtual surround sound (which is personalized to your fit) and Find My tracking.
A software update last fall added a few more helpful tricks, including an "Adaptive Audio" mode that automatically adjusts the ANC and transparency modes based on your surroundings and lowers the volume when you start a conversation.
You really need to be an iPhone owner to get the most out of the this, though. Even then, the AirPods Pro's call quality and six-hour battery life are just OK, and its sound isn't as customizable as competing models. Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds offer better ANC, the Beats Fit Pro has a better fit for the gym and Sony's WF-1000XM5 is more well-rounded on the whole. Apple may also add ANC to its lower-cost AirPods at some point in 2024, according to a recent Bloomberg report (though new Pros aren't expected until 2025). And if you already own the Lightning-based Pros and just want the USB-C case, you can now buy the latter separately. All that said, at this price, the USB-C AirPods Pro remain a solid value for Apple diehards in search of a new pair of premium wireless earphones.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-airpods-pro-with-usb-c-are-back-down-to-190-right-now-153404826.html?src=rss
While it's a bit too late to receive most gifts in time for Christmas, there are still a handful of good gadget deals floating around if you're shopping for yourself. If you need a new laptop today, for instance, multiple configurations of the 13-inch MacBook Air are $200 off Apple's list price. The 15-inch Air, meanwhile, is available for as low as $999, a $300 discount. A bundle of Apple's AirTags is down to $79, while a pack of Tile trackers is down to $50. The Xbox Series X is still $150 off, and the major video game storefronts have kicked off their annual winter sales, with sweeping discounts across Steam, the Nintendo eShop, the PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store. We're also seeing price drops on recommended gaming mice, wall chargers, wireless earbuds and more. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
A configuration of the 13.6-inch MacBook Air with an Apple M2 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is down to $1,299 at B&H. That's $200 off Apple's list price. If you can live with less storage and memory, a variant with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD is also $200 off at $899. A version of the 15.3-inch Air with the same specs, meanwhile, is $300 off and down to an all-time low of $999. The M2 MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and both models earned a score of 96 in their respective reviews.
That said, you should only grab one of these if you need a notebook right away, as a recent report fromBloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple plans to launch updated MacBook Airs in the coming months. If you absolutely can't wait, however, the current models remain supremely well-built and should perform well for everyday tasks for years to come.
If you want a more affordable desktop PC, the M2 Mac mini is also on sale for an all-time low of $479. That's about $30 off its usual street price, though, again, it's likely just a matter of time until we see a refresh with Apple's new M3 chip.
It's a great time to pick up a new video game, as Steam, Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox have all kicked off their respective holiday sales. There are simply too many deals for us to list them all here, but one highlight is Baldur's Gate 3 for $54. That's only $6 off its usual price, but it's the first discount to date for the recent game of the year winner and recommendation in our guide to the best couch co-op games. The PS5 version of the RPG is also on sale for $63, another 10 percent discount.
There are hundreds more deals beyond those, so it's worth perusing the sales for yourself if you're looking to pad your backlog. (Use sites like Deku Deals and IsThereAnyDeal to ensure you're getting a good price.) All of these promos will run into 2024, so even if you don't want anything right now, you'll have time to apply any gift cards you may receive over the holidays. PC gamers should note that the Epic Games Store is still running its holiday sale, which includes a recurring 33 percent coupon that makes many games cheaper than they are on Steam and other storefronts.
The Apple AirTag is the top pick for iPhone owners in our Bluetooth tracker buying guide, as it can utilize Apple's giant Find My device network to locate lost items with impressive accuracy. Right now you can get a single AirTag for $24, which is $6 off Apple's list price, or a four-pack for $79, which is $20 off. The former is about $1 off the lowest price we've tracked; the latter is a deal we've seen for much of the past few weeks, but it still comes within $5 of its all-time low. Just be aware that you'll need an extra accessory or two if you want to attach an AirTag to a particular item, as it lacks any keyring holes or built-in adhesive. These deals are available at several retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy.
Tile's trackers are among the better AirTag alternatives for Android users, and right now a four-pack that includes two Tile Mates, a Tile Slim and a Tile Sticker is down to a new low of $50. Normally, this bundle costs about $75. Tile's devices generally aren't as precise as AirTags, but its feature set is mostly similar and its crowd-finding network is still decently large. The varying designs here are more convenient, too — you can easily slip a Tile Slim into a wallet and attach a Tile Mate to a keyring without any third-party accessories. None of these devices have replaceable batteries, however, and Tile locks separation alerts (which let you know when you've travelled too far from a tracked item) behind a subscription fee.
The Xbox Series X is still $150 off and down to $350 at Best Buy, Walmart and Target, though the latter two may require in-store pickup. If those offers run dry, you can still get a bundle that pairs the console with the action-RPG Diablo IV for $50 more. While the console briefly dipped to $340 earlier this week, these are still nice entry points to Microsoft's highest-end game console, which can play many games at a steady 4K/60 fps. The hardware also includes a disc drive, unlike the lower-cost Xbox Series S. And while the Xbox library is a bit light on top-tier exclusives, it still includes a diverse range of games we like. There's a chance Microsoft launches an all-digital Series X refresh at some point in 2024, but the existing model is an easier buy at this price.
The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is down to $60 at Amazon and Target, which is a little more than $20 off the compact portable speaker's typical street price. To sweeten the deal, both retailers are throwing in $10 of store credit alongside the purchase. That'll come in the form of an e-gift card at Target, while Amazon says it'll apply the credit to your account 30 days after shipment. We recommend the Wonderboom 3 in our guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers, praising its rugged, waterproof design and punchy-for-the-size sound quality. Battery life should last between 14 and 20 hours depending on how much you crank the volume.
The Razer Basilisk V3 is on sale for $40 at Amazon, Target and Best Buy, a $10 discount that matches the deal price we saw on Black Friday. This is the top pick in our gaming mouse buying guide. It's not especially light at 100 grams, but it performs reliably, and its sturdy, contoured shape should be comfortable for any grip type. It comes with 11 customizable buttons, and its scroll wheel is impressively versatile, as it can tilt left or right and utilize a free spin mode for faster scrolling. Though the design looks "gamer-y," its RGB lighting isn't overly aggressive, either.
The Anker 735 Charger is down to $30 at Amazon, which is about $10 off its typical street price. This is a fairly compact wall charger with two USB-C ports and a USB-A port. It can supply up to 65W of power, which is enough to refill many smartphones at full speed and charge some smaller laptops. If you need more juice, the Anker 736 Charger is a bit larger but can deliver up to 100W; that one is $15 off and down to $45 with an on-page coupon.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are back on sale for $249 at several retailers, which isn't an all-time low but still takes $50 off the pair's usual going rate. It also ties the deal we saw on Black Friday. The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds earned a score of 88 in our review this past September, and they're currently the "best for noise cancellation" pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide. If you just want the strongest active noise cancellation (ANC) possible in a true wireless form factor, they're better at muting the outside world than any earbuds we've tested. Their default sound goes heavy on the bass, which should please fans of hip-hop and EDM, but you can customize the EQ curve if needed. The design is on the larger side, however, and their battery life and call quality are just OK.
Sony's WF-1000XM5, the top pick in our guide, is currently available for a dollar less, though that discount has been available for most of the past two months. The WF-10000XM5 is still a more well-rounded option on the whole, but the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds' ANC is more adept at muting low-end noises like the rumble of a plane or bus engine.
The Beats Fit Pro is the "best for workouts" pick in our wireless earbuds guide, and it's now on sale for $160 at Amazon, Walmart and others. We've seen this deal several times in the past year, but it's a decent $20 less than the pair's typical street price. The Fit Pro packs many of the Apple-friendly conveniences of the AirPods Pro — hands-free Siri, easy pairing and audio switching, spatial audio, etc. — in a sportier and more stable design. It sounds nice, too, plus it uses physical buttons instead of touch controls. That said, it lacks wireless charging, it can't connect to multiple devices simultaneously and its ANC can't really touch the better options on the market. We gave the Fit Pro a score of 87 in our review. A few other Beats models are also on sale, including the more basicStudio Buds for $80.
The 55-inch version of Hisense's U6K TV is back down to $350 at Amazon and Best Buy, tying the all-time low we saw around Black Friday. Normally, it retails for $50 to $100 more. Though we don't review TVs at Engadget, the U6K has receivedpositivereviewsfrom other sites we trust for delivering better-than-usual picture quality for a budget-level TV. It's one of the few sets in this price range to use mini-LED backlighting, quantum dots and full-array local dimming, which collectively improve its color volume and contrast performance. Reviews say it can't get as bright as more expensive models, so it won't be great for HDR content, and its image will wash out when viewed from an angle. It's also not ideal for gaming, as it's stuck at a basic 60Hz refresh rate and lacks HDMI 2.1 ports. But if you don't have tons of cash to burn, it should provide strong value.
If you're willing to pay a little extra and don't mind dropping down to a 48-inch TV, the LG A2 is also worth noting at its current price of $550 at Best Buy. This is another deal we've seen numerous times, but it ties the best price we've tracked. The A2 is LG's entry-level OLED TV from 2022, but simply being an OLED set means it produces superior contrast, bolder colors, wider viewing angles and smoother motion than most options in this price range. It can't get especially bright, so it's best suited away from glare, and like the U6K it lacks HDMI 2.1 features for gaming like VRR. Still, it should be a nice step-up option for smaller or secondary rooms.
The 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller is on sale for $56 at Best Buy. That's a few bucks higher than the lowest price we've tracked but still $14 off the device's typical going rate. The Ultimate Bluetooth Controller is a comfortable and deeply customizable wireless gamepad for Switch and PC that we've highlighted before. The big advantage it has over most official controllers is its Hall effect joysticks, which use magnets to read inputs instead of contact-based potentiometers. That means it should be less susceptible to wear over time and avoid the dreaded “stick drift” we often see with traditional gamepads. An accurate d-pad, a nifty charging dock and a pair of customizable back buttons are all nice to have as well.
The latest Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is on sale for $90, which is $10 more than the all-time low we saw on Black Friday but still $50 off its usual going rate. At this price, the Fire HD 10 is one of the better values for those who just want a cheap slate for media consumption. Its 10.1-inch 1080p display is decently sharp and bright, its battery lasts a solid 10-ish hours per charge and it performs fine for simple web browsing and video streaming. This model only comes with 32GB of storage, but you can expand that with a microSD card. Its matte plastic design is still a far cry from an iPad's build quality, and Amazon's Fire OS is still a bit of a mess, with lock-screen ads, a limited app store and a general tendency to push you toward the company's own services. But if you really can't spend more than $100 on a new tablet, the Fire HD 10 should be an acceptable compromise.
The 32-inch Samsung Smart Monitor M80C is back down to $400 at Amazon, B&H and other retailers. That's a roughly $100 discount and the best price we've seen outside of education-related special offers. This is one of the more versatile monitors on the market, as it comes with the Tizen platform you'd find on Samsung's smart TVs built-in. This allows the device to access various streaming services without having to connect to a PC. It's a decent 4K monitor in its own right, with a VA panel that delivers high contrast, though it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and will look washed out from an angle. You'd buy it for the extra functionality first: Apart from the built-in app support, it can function as a smart home hub, it supports Apple AirPlay and it works with both Alexa and Bixby. There are built-in speakers and a dedicated webcam as well.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-macbook-air-m2-is-up-to-300-off-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-165034046.html?src=rss
While it's a bit too late to receive most gifts in time for Christmas, there are still a handful of good gadget deals floating around if you're shopping for yourself. If you need a new laptop today, for instance, multiple configurations of the 13-inch MacBook Air are $200 off Apple's list price. The 15-inch Air, meanwhile, is available for as low as $999, a $300 discount. A bundle of Apple's AirTags is down to $79, while a pack of Tile trackers is down to $50. The Xbox Series X is still $150 off, and the major video game storefronts have kicked off their annual winter sales, with sweeping discounts across Steam, the Nintendo eShop, the PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store. We're also seeing price drops on recommended gaming mice, wall chargers, wireless earbuds and more. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
A configuration of the 13.6-inch MacBook Air with an Apple M2 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is down to $1,299 at B&H. That's $200 off Apple's list price. If you can live with less storage and memory, a variant with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD is also $200 off at $899. A version of the 15.3-inch Air with the same specs, meanwhile, is $300 off and down to an all-time low of $999. The M2 MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and both models earned a score of 96 in their respective reviews.
That said, you should only grab one of these if you need a notebook right away, as a recent report fromBloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple plans to launch updated MacBook Airs in the coming months. If you absolutely can't wait, however, the current models remain supremely well-built and should perform well for everyday tasks for years to come.
If you want a more affordable desktop PC, the M2 Mac mini is also on sale for an all-time low of $479. That's about $30 off its usual street price, though, again, it's likely just a matter of time until we see a refresh with Apple's new M3 chip.
It's a great time to pick up a new video game, as Steam, Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox have all kicked off their respective holiday sales. There are simply too many deals for us to list them all here, but one highlight is Baldur's Gate 3 for $54. That's only $6 off its usual price, but it's the first discount to date for the recent game of the year winner and recommendation in our guide to the best couch co-op games. The PS5 version of the RPG is also on sale for $63, another 10 percent discount.
There are hundreds more deals beyond those, so it's worth perusing the sales for yourself if you're looking to pad your backlog. (Use sites like Deku Deals and IsThereAnyDeal to ensure you're getting a good price.) All of these promos will run into 2024, so even if you don't want anything right now, you'll have time to apply any gift cards you may receive over the holidays. PC gamers should note that the Epic Games Store is still running its holiday sale, which includes a recurring 33 percent coupon that makes many games cheaper than they are on Steam and other storefronts.
The Apple AirTag is the top pick for iPhone owners in our Bluetooth tracker buying guide, as it can utilize Apple's giant Find My device network to locate lost items with impressive accuracy. Right now you can get a single AirTag for $24, which is $6 off Apple's list price, or a four-pack for $79, which is $20 off. The former is about $1 off the lowest price we've tracked; the latter is a deal we've seen for much of the past few weeks, but it still comes within $5 of its all-time low. Just be aware that you'll need an extra accessory or two if you want to attach an AirTag to a particular item, as it lacks any keyring holes or built-in adhesive. These deals are available at several retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy.
Tile's trackers are among the better AirTag alternatives for Android users, and right now a four-pack that includes two Tile Mates, a Tile Slim and a Tile Sticker is down to a new low of $50. Normally, this bundle costs about $75. Tile's devices generally aren't as precise as AirTags, but its feature set is mostly similar and its crowd-finding network is still decently large. The varying designs here are more convenient, too — you can easily slip a Tile Slim into a wallet and attach a Tile Mate to a keyring without any third-party accessories. None of these devices have replaceable batteries, however, and Tile locks separation alerts (which let you know when you've travelled too far from a tracked item) behind a subscription fee.
The Xbox Series X is still $150 off and down to $350 at Best Buy, Walmart and Target, though the latter two may require in-store pickup. If those offers run dry, you can still get a bundle that pairs the console with the action-RPG Diablo IV for $50 more. While the console briefly dipped to $340 earlier this week, these are still nice entry points to Microsoft's highest-end game console, which can play many games at a steady 4K/60 fps. The hardware also includes a disc drive, unlike the lower-cost Xbox Series S. And while the Xbox library is a bit light on top-tier exclusives, it still includes a diverse range of games we like. There's a chance Microsoft launches an all-digital Series X refresh at some point in 2024, but the existing model is an easier buy at this price.
The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is down to $60 at Amazon and Target, which is a little more than $20 off the compact portable speaker's typical street price. To sweeten the deal, both retailers are throwing in $10 of store credit alongside the purchase. That'll come in the form of an e-gift card at Target, while Amazon says it'll apply the credit to your account 30 days after shipment. We recommend the Wonderboom 3 in our guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers, praising its rugged, waterproof design and punchy-for-the-size sound quality. Battery life should last between 14 and 20 hours depending on how much you crank the volume.
The Razer Basilisk V3 is on sale for $40 at Amazon, Target and Best Buy, a $10 discount that matches the deal price we saw on Black Friday. This is the top pick in our gaming mouse buying guide. It's not especially light at 100 grams, but it performs reliably, and its sturdy, contoured shape should be comfortable for any grip type. It comes with 11 customizable buttons, and its scroll wheel is impressively versatile, as it can tilt left or right and utilize a free spin mode for faster scrolling. Though the design looks "gamer-y," its RGB lighting isn't overly aggressive, either.
The Anker 735 Charger is down to $30 at Amazon, which is about $10 off its typical street price. This is a fairly compact wall charger with two USB-C ports and a USB-A port. It can supply up to 65W of power, which is enough to refill many smartphones at full speed and charge some smaller laptops. If you need more juice, the Anker 736 Charger is a bit larger but can deliver up to 100W; that one is $15 off and down to $45 with an on-page coupon.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are back on sale for $249 at several retailers, which isn't an all-time low but still takes $50 off the pair's usual going rate. It also ties the deal we saw on Black Friday. The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds earned a score of 88 in our review this past September, and they're currently the "best for noise cancellation" pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide. If you just want the strongest active noise cancellation (ANC) possible in a true wireless form factor, they're better at muting the outside world than any earbuds we've tested. Their default sound goes heavy on the bass, which should please fans of hip-hop and EDM, but you can customize the EQ curve if needed. The design is on the larger side, however, and their battery life and call quality are just OK.
Sony's WF-1000XM5, the top pick in our guide, is currently available for a dollar less, though that discount has been available for most of the past two months. The WF-10000XM5 is still a more well-rounded option on the whole, but the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds' ANC is more adept at muting low-end noises like the rumble of a plane or bus engine.
The Beats Fit Pro is the "best for workouts" pick in our wireless earbuds guide, and it's now on sale for $160 at Amazon, Walmart and others. We've seen this deal several times in the past year, but it's a decent $20 less than the pair's typical street price. The Fit Pro packs many of the Apple-friendly conveniences of the AirPods Pro — hands-free Siri, easy pairing and audio switching, spatial audio, etc. — in a sportier and more stable design. It sounds nice, too, plus it uses physical buttons instead of touch controls. That said, it lacks wireless charging, it can't connect to multiple devices simultaneously and its ANC can't really touch the better options on the market. We gave the Fit Pro a score of 87 in our review. A few other Beats models are also on sale, including the more basicStudio Buds for $80.
The 55-inch version of Hisense's U6K TV is back down to $350 at Amazon and Best Buy, tying the all-time low we saw around Black Friday. Normally, it retails for $50 to $100 more. Though we don't review TVs at Engadget, the U6K has receivedpositivereviewsfrom other sites we trust for delivering better-than-usual picture quality for a budget-level TV. It's one of the few sets in this price range to use mini-LED backlighting, quantum dots and full-array local dimming, which collectively improve its color volume and contrast performance. Reviews say it can't get as bright as more expensive models, so it won't be great for HDR content, and its image will wash out when viewed from an angle. It's also not ideal for gaming, as it's stuck at a basic 60Hz refresh rate and lacks HDMI 2.1 ports. But if you don't have tons of cash to burn, it should provide strong value.
If you're willing to pay a little extra and don't mind dropping down to a 48-inch TV, the LG A2 is also worth noting at its current price of $550 at Best Buy. This is another deal we've seen numerous times, but it ties the best price we've tracked. The A2 is LG's entry-level OLED TV from 2022, but simply being an OLED set means it produces superior contrast, bolder colors, wider viewing angles and smoother motion than most options in this price range. It can't get especially bright, so it's best suited away from glare, and like the U6K it lacks HDMI 2.1 features for gaming like VRR. Still, it should be a nice step-up option for smaller or secondary rooms.
The 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller is on sale for $56 at Best Buy. That's a few bucks higher than the lowest price we've tracked but still $14 off the device's typical going rate. The Ultimate Bluetooth Controller is a comfortable and deeply customizable wireless gamepad for Switch and PC that we've highlighted before. The big advantage it has over most official controllers is its Hall effect joysticks, which use magnets to read inputs instead of contact-based potentiometers. That means it should be less susceptible to wear over time and avoid the dreaded “stick drift” we often see with traditional gamepads. An accurate d-pad, a nifty charging dock and a pair of customizable back buttons are all nice to have as well.
The latest Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is on sale for $90, which is $10 more than the all-time low we saw on Black Friday but still $50 off its usual going rate. At this price, the Fire HD 10 is one of the better values for those who just want a cheap slate for media consumption. Its 10.1-inch 1080p display is decently sharp and bright, its battery lasts a solid 10-ish hours per charge and it performs fine for simple web browsing and video streaming. This model only comes with 32GB of storage, but you can expand that with a microSD card. Its matte plastic design is still a far cry from an iPad's build quality, and Amazon's Fire OS is still a bit of a mess, with lock-screen ads, a limited app store and a general tendency to push you toward the company's own services. But if you really can't spend more than $100 on a new tablet, the Fire HD 10 should be an acceptable compromise.
The 32-inch Samsung Smart Monitor M80C is back down to $400 at Amazon, B&H and other retailers. That's a roughly $100 discount and the best price we've seen outside of education-related special offers. This is one of the more versatile monitors on the market, as it comes with the Tizen platform you'd find on Samsung's smart TVs built-in. This allows the device to access various streaming services without having to connect to a PC. It's a decent 4K monitor in its own right, with a VA panel that delivers high contrast, though it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and will look washed out from an angle. You'd buy it for the extra functionality first: Apart from the built-in app support, it can function as a smart home hub, it supports Apple AirPlay and it works with both Alexa and Bixby. There are built-in speakers and a dedicated webcam as well.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-macbook-air-m2-is-up-to-300-off-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-165034046.html?src=rss
Handheld gaming systems are having a moment. While gaming on the go has been a thing since the Game Boy, the success of the Nintendo Switch and a string of ever-improving processors have brought an eruption of devices that let you play all sorts of games anywhere you want. Because new models seem to arrive every week, however, figuring out the best gaming handheld for you can be complicated. You already know that the Switch is great, but depending on what else you want to play, the right handheld could range from a $100 emulation machine to a $700 portable PC. To help you narrow things down, we’ve researched the best handheld gaming consoles, tested the major contenders and laid out a few top picks.
What to know about the gaming handheld market
Jeff Dunn / Engadget
You can break down the gaming handheld market into three broad tiers. At the top, you have x86-based portable gaming PCs like the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally. These are the most powerful handhelds you can buy, as they seek to replicate the experience of a moderately specced gaming desktop. The Steam Deck runs on the Linux operating system, but most others use Windows. If you want to play modern, recently released PC games on the go (and need something stronger than a Switch), this is the type of device you’d get. They can also emulate the widest range of retro consoles. They’re typically the largest and most cumbersome devices to hold, however, and their battery life can be short. Naturally, they’re also the most expensive, costing anywhere from $400 to more than $1,000.
Further down on the price spectrum are "mobile handhelds" like the Logitech G Cloud or Retroid Pocket. These devices often run Android or Linux and can range from under $50 to $400-ish. They aren’t equipped to play modern console or PC titles, but they’re usually more compact than a portable PC, and you can still use them for mobile games and cloud streaming. While most are marketed toward those ends, many gamers actually buy them to emulate classic games through software like RetroArch. Getting emulators to work can be complicated, and accessing the BIOS and ROM files required to play games this way is legally murky. (Engadget does not condone piracy.) Backing up files of games you already own for personal use only is considered more defensible, though, so for that a mobile handheld can be a more user- and wallet-friendly way to play the classics anywhere. The best mobile handhelds can generally emulate games into the sixth generation of consoles, though newer systems like the Nintendo 3DS and even the Switch are also playable to an extent.
We’ll call the last tier “handhelds that do their own thing.” This is a catch-all for things like the Switch or Playdate: portable devices that run heavily customized software and aim to provide a unique gaming experience. They aren’t necessarily ideal for emulation or playing the latest multiplatform titles; instead, they often have distinct game libraries. They might not have the widest appeal as a result (Switch excluded), but they’re often easier for less tech-literate folks to just pick up and use.
Best handheld gaming PC for most: Valve Steam Deck
Thanks to a recent refresh, Valve’s Steam Deck continues to offer the best balance of price, performance and usability in the gaming handheld market. And the new Steam Deck OLED is a thorough upgrade over the original. Starting at $549 for 512GB of storage, this variant features a 7.4-inch OLED display that’s brighter, faster, slightly bigger and more vivid than the 7-inch IPS panel on the now entry-level model. The higher contrast and richer colors of an OLED screen makes every game look better by default, but this display also supports HDR, with significantly brighter highlights at its peak. The maximum refresh rate has jumped from 60Hz to 90Hz as well, which can help many games look smoother.
Due to the less power-hungry display, a more efficient AMD APU and a larger battery, the Steam Deck OLED also lasts longer than before. No handheld can play resource-intensive "AAA" games for too long, but Valve says the new model can run for three to 12 hours depending on the game, whereas the LCD model lasts between two and eight. A larger fan keeps things cooler and quieter, and the chassis feels lighter. Performance is roughly the same, though the OLED model’s increased memory bandwidth can help it gain a couple extra frames in certain games.
All that said, $549 is a big investment. The entry-level Steam Deck, which uses a more basic IPS LCD display but now comes with a 256GB SSD as standard, is still an unmatched value at $399. Newer AAA games are certainly pushing their limits, but both Decks can run tons of games that just aren’t possible on a Nintendo Switch, from Elden Ring to Final Fantasy VII Remake to the Resident Evil 4 remake. While official game support is limited to a subset of the Steam library, the list of officially verified and still-playable titles is massive, diverse and constantly growing. (There are workarounds to access other storefronts as well.)
A near-constant stream of updates has turned Valve’s SteamOS into a flexible yet user-friendly platform. You’ll still need to make tweaks every now and then to get a game to run optimally, but the process is usually straightforward. That power, combined with third-party tools like EmuDeck, makes the Deck superb for emulation as well. Some PS3 and original Xbox games can be tricky, but just about everything else works beautifully. You can also cloud stream Xbox games with a little setup.
The Steam Deck’s biggest issue is its size: At two inches thick and nearly a foot long, it stretches the definition of a “handheld” device, even if the OLED model is lighter by comparison. The LCD Deck can get warm and noisy fairly quickly, too, and the d-pad on each device is somewhat mushy. But the contoured grips on the back help offset the bulk, and both versions feel sturdy, with responsive face buttons and triggers, smooth joysticks and useful dual touchpads.
Best Windows alternative: ASUS ROG Ally
If you’re willing to spend extra for more power, you can skip the Steam Deck and buy a Windows-based handheld instead. The ASUS ROG Ally is the one that should work for most people, and it’s a decent alternative if you’re willing to trade ease of use for a higher performance ceiling. Think of it like a more portable gaming laptop.
Note that we’re specifically recommending the model with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, which costs $700. ASUS sells another version with a weaker Ryzen Z1 chip for $100 less, but the power drop-off there is too great. With the Z1 Extreme, the ROG Ally can play more demanding games at higher frame rates and resolutions than the Steam Deck. In our review, we saw fps gains of 15 to 25 percent in AAA fare like Cyberpunk 2077 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. While the Steam Deck officially tops out at a TDP of 15W, the ROG Ally’s Turbo mode boosts its power draw to 25W (or 30W when plugged in), letting it eke out more frames. It’s not the absolute fastest handheld, and the Steam Deck can actually outperform it on occasion at the same TDP, resolution and graphics settings. But the ROG Ally has more overhead going forward, which is important if you mostly play graphically demanding games.
The ROG Ally’s 7-inch LCD display isn’t as bright or color-rich as the Steam Deck OLED, but it has a sharper 1080p resolution and a faster 120Hz refresh rate. Most importantly, it supports variable refresh rates (VRR), which helps keep the image smooth even as a game’s frame rate fluctuates. Despite having a similar-size screen, the ROG Ally is also shorter, lighter and thinner than the Steam Deck OLED. That said, it doesn’t come with a case. And though the hardware isn’t as much of a brick as the Steam Deck, Valve’s handheld has more pronounced grips around its back, which could still make it easier to hold for those with large hands.
The ROG Ally’s upgraded performance and sharper display come at the expense of battery life, however. That usually sits in the two- to four-hour range, but it can be even less with certain games and higher performance modes, somewhat defeating the point of a “portable” device.
Because it runs on Windows 11, the ROG Ally can play games from any gaming client, not just a selection of Steam games. If you've built up libraries on stores like Epic, GOG, Itch.io or the Xbox app, you can access them here as you would on any other Windows PC, no special workarounds required. For those who want to play Epic exclusives like Alan Wake 2 or Xbox Game Pass titles, this is a real advantage.
But the biggest issue with all Windows handhelds is the operating system itself. ASUS has made more strides than most by turning its Armoury Crate software into a centralized settings hub and game library, but it’s still slapping a bandage on an OS that simply isn’t designed for this device class.
Whether a game works smoothly right away can feel like a crapshoot on a Windows handheld. Sometimes the UI won’t scale properly, sometimes you’ll have to spend several minutes fiddling with graphics settings and key bindings, sometimes you’ll have to alternate between navigating the OS with buttons and with your fingers. I once had to hard-reset the ROG Ally after a driver issue kept the screen from turning on.
ASUS shows a helpful seven-minute tutorial on how to update and use the ROG Ally upon first launching Armoury Crate, but the fact that it needs a seven-minute intro video in the first place is telling. Nobody will confuse the Steam Deck with a Switch, but it’s much simpler to just pick up and use than any Windows alternative.
The ROG Ally has also had some troubles with quality control. Most notably, several users have reported problems with the device ejecting or outright killing their microSD cards, an issue ASUS has since confirmed. The device’s SSD is replaceable with a little legwork, however, so we recommend taking that route if you need more than 512GB of storage.
Best budget handheld gaming system (for now): Retroid Pocket 3+
The $149 Retroid Pocket 3+ is an Android device with far less power than the Steam Deck or ROG Ally, so it can only play modern games via cloud streaming. It also comes from a lesser-known Chinese company. But if you mainly want a handheld to emulate older games, this is a comfortable and reasonably affordable way to do so.
A word of warning, though: Retroid announced two successors to the Pocket 3+, the $149 Pocket 4 and $199 Pocket 4 Pro, right as we finished the latest update to this guide. Neither device should be a huge leap forward, but they'll feature more powerful chipsets, analog triggers, Hall effect joysticks and more conveniently-placed menu buttons. The Pocket 4 Pro could be a particularly great value, as its MediaTek Dimensity 1100 chip and 8GB of RAM shouldlet it emulate nearly all games from demanding machines like the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The Pocket 4 and 4 Pro went up for pre-order this week and will begin shipping in mid- to late-January, so the vast majority of people should hold off on buying the Pocket 3+ now. We’ll update this guide once we test the new devices.
If you absolutely cannot wait, however, the Pocket 3+ is effectively the same as itspredecessor (the Pocket 3, which we praised in late 2022) but adds a faster chip (the Unisoc T618) and more RAM (4GB). It’s built like a smaller Nintendo Switch Lite: mostly flat, but slim, light (235g) and not fatiguing to hold for long stretches. The 4.7-inch touch display isn’t huge, but it’s bright and saturated, with a sharp-enough 750 x 1,334 resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio that’s nice for cloud streaming and emulating systems like the PSP. (You’ll get borders with some older consoles, though.)
The hardware still has some quirks: The face buttons are a little beady, the start and select buttons are oddly placed on the left-hand side and the triggers aren’t pressure-sensitive. The joysticks are on the shallower side, too, but they’re smooth and accurate. Overall, though, the Pocket 3+ is easy to carry and built well for the money.
The Pocket 3+ can emulate consoles up to the Dreamcast and PSP range comfortably, and you’ll have few issues if you’re mainly looking to play older games from the SNES, PS1 and earlier. After firmware updates, the device’s performance has also improved to the point where some PS2 and GameCube games are at least playable. That’s impressive for the price point — but again, the Pocket 4 and especially 4 Pro should bring a noticeable upgrade. You can still play most native Android titles and stream games from a PC, Xbox or PS5, too. Battery life will depend on what you’re playing but typically lasts a decent five to seven hours.
Retroid makes another handheld called the Pocket Flip that’s essentially the Pocket 3+ with a clamshell design. That one costs $10 more and uses sliders instead of joysticks. Retroid hasn’t announced a follow-up yet, so it’s still worth considering if you’ll stick to lighter emulation and want a form factor that’s closer to a Nintendo DS than a Switch Lite.
Best mobile gaming handheld: AYN Odin 2
If you have more cash to burn on an emulation-focused machine, the AYN Odin 2 is the absolute best retro gaming handheld you can buy right now. This Android device runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the same processor you’d find in recent flagship Android phones. It starts at $300 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is expensive when the entry-level Steam Deck lets you play PC games for just $99 more.
Still, among more compact mobile handhelds, there’s really nothing else that can offer this much performance in this price range. The Odin 2 easily played all PS2 and GameCube games we tested at two to three times their native resolution, while other systems like the PS1, N64, 3DS and Dreamcast were typically playable at a 3-4x upscale. It’s smoother than most with the notoriously tricky Sega Saturn, and it can even play many Switch games (though Switch emulators on Android are still maturing).
It’s not just raw performance, though — the Odin 2 is also a refined piece of hardware. It’s not pocketable, but it’s much less chunky than a portable PC and the ergonomic grips on its back make it easy to hold. Its d-pad, face buttons, triggers and joysticks all feel great. Because the sticks use Hall effect sensors, they should avoid drifting issues over time. Other touches like a fingerprint scanner, a dedicated return button, a micro-HDMI out port and two customizable back buttons are nice perks, too.
The 6-inch, 1080p touchscreen is solid and well-sized (though it can stay a bit too bright in darker settings). Battery life is superb: We got more than eight hours of juice emulating systems like the PS2, but that jumped over 20 hours with lighter tasks. The device supports 65W fast charging as well. Cloud streaming and native Android games work just fine, and since the whole thing runs on a lightly modded version of Google’s OS, its stock interface should feel familiar to most.
The base Odin 2 has been in and out of stock, and we’ll keep an eye on how close the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro can get to it performance-wise for $100 less. But for playing the classics or streaming modern games without a hitch, the Odin 2 is tough to top right now.
A premium device for vintage portable games: Analogue Pocket
The Analogue Pocket is the ultimate Game Boy. Its vertical design is built like a modernized, premium version of Nintendo’s classic handheld, and it can even work with accessories like the Game Boy Camera. Compared to the original, though, the Pocket adds two extra face buttons, a pair of rear triggers, a microSD slot, a USB-C port and a rechargeable battery rated for six to 10 hours of playtime. Most significantly, it has a gorgeous 3.5-inch display that’s both backlit and incredibly sharp (615 ppi) but can be set to look like an old Game Boy panel with different filter modes. The device can also output to a TV with an optional dock.
Unlike the retro handhelds mentioned above, the Pocket is designed to play actual cartridges, not just ROM files. It works with Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games through its cartridge slot, while games from the Sega Game Gear are playable through an optional adapter. (Eventually, one day, adapters for other systems like the TurboGrafx-16 and Atari Lynx will arrive as well.)
Like past Analogue devices, the Pocket uses field-programmable gate array (FPGA) motherboards to mimic its target systems on a hardware level. In practice, this means the Pocket’s “emulation” of older titles is near-perfect, with a level of responsiveness and visual faithfulness that software-based emulation can’t match. Pop in a Game Boy or GBA cartridge and you can essentially play it as intended. That said, thanks to a big post-launch update and an active user community, the Pocket can also run ROMs off a microSD card and thus play systems like the SNES and Sega Genesis.
The Pocket isn’t cheap at $220, and its shoulder buttons aren’t as crisp to press as the excellent d-pad or face buttons. Still, if you have a collection of Game Boy, Game Gear or GBA games, the Pocket is the most elegant way to play them, and it’s only become more versatile over time. Its biggest flaw is that it’s hard to buy — expect to wait a few months for new orders to ship.
Honorable mentions
The Lenovo Legion Go.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Lenovo Legion Go
The Lenovo Legion Go is a capable alternative to the ASUS ROG Ally if you want a Windows handheld with a larger display. It also costs $700, runs on the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and offers a similar set of performance modes, but it has a mondo-sized 8.8-inch panel with a sharper 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and a higher 144Hz refresh rate. It also borrows some ideas from the Switch, including detachable controllers and a built-in kickstand for playing games in a “tabletop” mode. Those controllers have touchpads to make navigating Windows a little easier, something the ROG Ally lacks. Battery life is a little better than ASUS’ machine as well.
But it’s still a Windows handheld, and Lenovo’s software tweaks aren’t as mature (yet) as what ASUS has done with Armoury Crate, so the UX often feels half-baked. The jumbo design is bulkier and a half-pound heavier than the ROG Ally, so some will find it too fatiguing to hold. Its fans are louder, too, and the display lacks VRR. Still, it's not a bad choice if you’re dead-set on Windows.
Miyoo Mini Plus
The Miyoo Mini Plus is much more affordable than the Retroid Pocket 3+ and comes with a well-built, Game Boy-style form factor that fits nicely with older games. Its 3.5-inch display really pops for something in the $60 to $80 range, its battery lasts as long as it needs to and it can emulate consoles up to the original PlayStation without much issue. It runs Linux, so it’s extensively customizable, though it can require a bit of tinkering to get it working optimally. Since it’s from a smaller Chinese firm and isn’t available at major retailers, however, it can be difficult to actually buy.
The Playdate.
Engadget
Playdate
The Playdate, from app developer and Untitled Goose Game publisher Panic, is a tiny yellow box with a 2.7-inch monochrome display, two face buttons, a d-pad and a physical crank built into its side. We called it a “cross between a Game Boy and a business card” in our review, and it is indeed incredibly small at roughly three inches tall and 0.18 pounds. It has a dedicated game library that largely consists of oddball indies, most of which focus on one or two core ideas instead of trying to stuff in as many mechanics as possible. A couple dozen of those games are bundled with the device, while others are available via a built-in store or sideloading from shops like Itch.io. It’s generally well-built, and its battery life is decent at six to eight hours per charge.
At $200, it’s hard to call the Playdate a great value when it’s only designed to play a selection of niche games. Its display isn’t backlit, either. But in a sea of devices that try to be everything for everyone, the Playdate is admirably focused and low-key. If you’re into smaller-scale fare and have some money to play with, it’ll be a fun toy. It may take a few weeks to ship, though.
Anbernic RG405M
The Anbernic RG405M is a good Android handheld if you like the idea of the Retroid Pocket 3+ but want something more compact. This device runs on the same chipset but has a 4-inch display and a more substantial metal frame. Its 4:3 aspect ratio means you won’t have to deal with black bars as much for retro games, though it can feel crunched with newer systems and cloud streaming. It’s more expensive than the Pocket 3+ and upcoming Pocket 4, however, with prices starting around $160.
We’ll also note the Retroid Pocket 2S, another 4:3 handheld that starts at $99. It’s a nice compromise if you’re on a tighter budget, but that lower cost brings a smaller 3.5-inch display, a slightly slower chip and less premium build quality than the RG405M.
Other notable gaming handhelds we tested
The Ayaneo Kun.
Photo by James Trew / Engadget
The Ayaneo Kun is the most decadent Windows handheld we’ve tested. With a sharp 8.4-inch display, a powerful Ryzen 7 7840U chip, up to 64GB of RAM, up to 4TB of storage, a huge 75Wh battery and a whopping 54W max TDP, it’s both a gaming beast and a feasible replacement for a desktop PC. But it starts at $1,000, with a top-end config priced at an eye-watering $1,700. It’s also huge, and it suffers from the usual Windows-related issues. It’s a super device if money is truly no object, one without much genuine competition, but it’s more handheld than most need.
The Ayaneo 2S is another high-power Windows handheld with a sharper display, larger battery and more configuration options than the ROG Ally. It uses the same chip as the Kun as well. But it’s limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and costs a few hundred dollars more.
The Anbernic RG35XX Plus.
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
The Anbernic RG35XX Plus is another wallet-friendly vertical handheld worth keeping an eye on. For about the same price as the Miyoo Mini Plus, it offers a faster chipset, more RAM and a bigger battery alongside a similarly impressive design. It could easily supplant Miyoo’s handheld in the future, but it’s new, so it doesn’t have the same helpful firmware customizations right now, and its stock OS is pretty rough. Also, while its stronger processor is nice, its small screen and lack of analog sticks means you won’t want to emulate much beyond the PS1 anyway.
The Logitech G Cloud would be a great Android pick if it cost about $150 less. Its 7-inch 1080p display is bright, vibrant and more pleasing to look at than the panels on the Retroid Pocket 3+ or AYN Odin 2, its battery lasts a good 10 to 12 hours per charge and its design is comfy to hold for hours at a time. Alas, the G Cloud sells for $300, which is just too much when the Odin 2 offers far more power for the same price.
The PlayStation Portal.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
The PlayStation Portal is a baffling device that can only stream games from a PlayStation 5. It lacks built-in apps, so emulation isn’t possible, and it can’t tap into the cloud streaming service available with a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription. Because it’s entirely dependent on the quality of your home Wi-Fi, we can’t guarantee how well it’ll actually perform for you. It doesn’t work with Bluetooth earbuds, either. Its 8-inch display is fine and the DualSense-style controls are great, so Sony diehards who want a second screen for local PS5 streaming may see the appeal. But there’s nothing here that you can’t do with a smartphone and a mobile game controller, so most people are better off saving their $200.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-handheld-gaming-system-140018863.html?src=rss
The holiday shopping season is reaching the home stretch, but we're here to help if you're looking for a good deal on a last-minute tech gift. The Xbox Series X, for one, is back on sale at several retailers. Walmart has the game console down to an all-time low of $349, but if stock runs dry there, you can still grab it for $399 at Microsoft, Amazon and other stores. Beyond that, a four-pack of Apple's AirTag trackers is $19 off, the latest AirPods Pro are $50 off and a number of Sonos devices are discounted as part of a big holiday sale. We're also seeing price drops on recommended gaming laptops, MacBooks, tablets, microSD cards and more. Here are the best deals from this week that you can still buy today. Just be aware that not everything may ship in time for Christmas.
The Xbox Series X is available for $349 at Walmart at the time of writing, though stock appears to be spotty. If that deal runs out for good, a bundle that pairs the beefy game console with the action-RPG Diablo IV is down to $399 at Microsoft. That's $160 less than the usual cost of buying each separately. Amazon, GameStop and others have the console alone for $399 as well. While the Series X remains a bit light on must-play exclusives, the Xbox library includes a diverse collection of games we like, from blockbusters like Forza Horizon 5 to quirkier hits like Hi-Fi Rush to smaller-scale gems like Pentiment. The hardware itself is powerful enough to play games at a steady 4K/60 fps, with some titles capable of reaching higher frame rates. Unlike the less powerful Xbox Series S — which is $60 off itself — it also includes a disc drive. There's at least some chance we see a Series X refresh in 2024, but the current machine is an easier sell when it's discounted to this extent.
A four-pack of Apple's AirTags is back down to $80 at Amazon, Walmart and other retailers. That's about $9 off its usual street price and $19 less than buying from Apple directly. The AirTag is the "best for iPhones" pick in our Bluetooth tracker buying guide, as its ultra-wideband wireless tech and ability to tap into Apple's Find My device network make it particularly convenient for locating lost items. Its battery is easily replaceable, too, plus it's water-resistant. It lacks any built-in adhesive or keyring hole, however, so you'll need to buy an extra accessory if you want to attach it to an item.
The USB-C version of Apple's AirPods Pro is once again on sale for $200 at Amazon and Best Buy. We saw these noise-canceling earphones fall $10 cheaper during Black Friday, but this is still $20 below their average street price and $49 below Apple's list price. The AirPods Pro continues to offer effective active noise cancellation, pleasingly warm sound and a host of Apple-device-specific conveniences, which is why they're the "best for iOS" pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds. Note, however, that Apple started selling this model's USB-C charging case on its own earlier this week, so if you're sitting on a Lightning-based pair and want to make the conversion, you can now do so without having to buy a whole new set.
You can get a $10 Amazon.com credit for no extra cost when you buy a digital Apple gift card worth $100 or more. Just use the code HOLAPP at checkout. If you'd rather shop at Target, that retailer is offering a $10 Target gift card alongside the same purchase until December 16. As a refresher, you can put an Apple gift card toward services like Apple Music and iCloud, App Store credit and purchases at Apple.com or Apple retail stores. We see promos like this periodically, but any bit of bonus money should be welcome if you often shop at these stores anyway.
Sonos is running a holiday sale that brings many of its smart speakers, soundbars and home theater devices back to the prices we saw on Black Friday. The flagship Sonos Arc soundbar is $180 off at $719, for one, while the mid-range Sonos Beam and budget-level Sonos Ray are down to $399 and $223, respectively. All three are picks in our soundbar buying guide. Beyond that, the Sonos Era 100 is $50 off at $199 — with a two-pack discounted by $120 — while the larger Sonos Five is $110 off at $439. Both of those make our guide to the best smart speakers. Other devices like the Sonos Sub, Sub Mini and Roam are also cheaper than usual.
All Sonos speakers generally provide the same perks: clean sound quality relative to other devices in their price range, easy pairing with other Sonos speakers, uncomplicated setups, AirPlay support and access to various streaming services through the Sonos app. They aren't cheap, and their connectivity can be limited, but they should suit most people looking to build a multi-room audio system. Just note that new Arc, Roam and other devices could arrive in 2024, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
The Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet is back on sale for $60, which is $5 more than its all-time low but $40 off Amazon's list price. That price applies to the model with 32GB of storage; if you want more space (and don't have a microSD card), the 64GB model is available for a low of $70. The Fire HD 8 is far from an iPad in terms of performance and app support, but it may be the cheapest competent tablet for most people. It's light, it lasts 10 or so hours on a charge and it's quick enough for basic web browsing and video streaming. Amazon's Fire OS still includes lock screen ads and heavily pushes the company's own services, but it's hard to do better at this price.
The 10.1-inch Fire HD 10 is also $50 off and down to $90, which is a $10 more than its Black Friday price. That one has the same software issues, but it's faster than the Fire HD 8 and features a sharper 1080p display.
If you'd prefer a more premium Android slate, the Google Pixel Tablet is discounted to $399 at Amazon, Best Buy and others. We've seen this deal pop up a few times over the last month, but it matches the lowest price we've tracked. The Pixel Tablet earned a score of 85 in our review earlier this year. It's a perfectly solid 11-inch tablet in its own right, but what sets it apart is its included charging speaker dock. Pop the tablet onto that and it'll function like a pseudo-smart display. It's not the exact same as a Nest Hub Max, but you can use it to control smart home devices, stream music, display photos and the like. This discounted model includes 128GB of storage, but the 256GB version is also $100 off and available for $499.
A 6.56-foot strip of the Govee LED Strip Light M1 is on sale for $40, which matches the lowest price we've seen. Normally, it retails around $60. We recommend the Strip Light M1 in our smart lights buying guide. It's simple to set up and delivers impressively bright colors to any area of the house where you'd like to add ambient lighting. You can apply different effects to separate parts of the strip through Govee's app, plus it's compatible with the Matter smart home standard. It can be an eyesore when it's not lit up, however, so you may not want to stick it out in the open.
The 256GB version of Samsung's Evo Select microSD card is still on sale for $15, which is within 60 cents of the lowest price we've seen. Normally, it retails around $18. The Evo Select is the "best value" recommendation in our microSD card buying guide: It's not as fast as our top picks, but it's quick enough for most tasks — expanding a Nintendo Switch's storage, for instance — and it provides a better cost-per-gigabyte ratio than most cards.
If you're looking to stock up on a few new PC games, the Epic Games Store has kicked off its latest Holiday Sale. The key here is the Epic Coupon, which takes 33 percent off most games in the store as long as your cart totals $14.99 or more. The coupon will renew after each use, and you can apply it to games that are already discounted as part of the sale. This brings several new-ish titles down to the lowest prices we've tracked: The acclaimed survival horror game Alan Wake 2 is down to $27 with the coupon, for instance, while the shooter Remnant II and the action game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor can be had for lows of $20 and $23, respectively. Others like The Last of Us Part I, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Mortal Kombat 1 are also down to all-time lows. Epic says the sale will run until January 10.
A version of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with a small Olive Alpine Loop is available for $699 at Amazon with a clippable coupon. That ties the lowest price we've tracked and takes $100 off Apple's MSRP. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 puts all the software benefits of the Series 9 in a more rugged design with a bigger and brighter display, twice the rated battery life and a customizable "Action Button" that you can use to quickly start a task. It also offers better waterproofing, more accurate GPS, a depth sensor and a loud siren for emergency SOS purposes. It is entirely too much smartwatch for most people, but this price makes it a little more appealing for endurance athletes with money to burn.
A variant of the 15.3-inch MacBook Air with an Apple M2 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is available for $1,449 at Amazon and Best Buy. That's $250 off Apple's list price and the best price we've seen outside of a couple of special offers for My Best Buy Plus members. We gave the 15-inch Air a review score of 96 in June and currently recommend it in our laptop buying guide. The M2 chip remains plenty fast for everyday tasks, and the chassis is still supremely well-built, with a crisp display, comfortable keyboard, reliable touchpad, long-lasting battery and lively speakers.
We recommend starting with 16GB of memory, but if you really need to save cash, configs of the 13- and 15-inch Air with less RAM and storage are also $200 to $250 off. You should only buy this if you need a new laptop right now, though; according to a report from reliable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple plans to roll out updated MacBook Airs with its new M3 chip in a few months, potentially in March.
Best Buy has a configuration of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 with an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU on sale for $1,100. That's the lowest price we've tracked and $100 less than the deal we saw on Black Friday. This model also includes a 14-inch display with a 1440p resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate. The ROG Zephyrus G14 is the top pick in our guide to the best gaming laptops: This config is plenty capable for playing modern AAA games but, at 3.6 pounds, it's not a complete anchor to carry around. A solid keyboard and trackpad help, too, though the 720p webcam could be sharper and there's a good bit of bloatware installed by default. The 512GB SSD isn't especially large either, though you can upgrade the storage if needed.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-xbox-series-x-is-discounted-again-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-172230913.html?src=rss