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Black Friday headphone deals 2023: The best picks from Sony, Apple, Bose, Beats and more

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Black Friday is often a boon for deals on headphones and earbuds, and this year is no different. The shopping holiday has brought a plethora of deals on all kinds of headphones, include several top picks from our guides to the best wireless headphones, wireless earbuds, budget wireless earbuds and gaming headsets. Other popular models from the likes of Sony, Beats, Bose and Apple are discounted as well. All of this means it's an ideal time to pick up a new set, whether it's to give as a gift to someone on your holiday shopping list or just to replace your own aging cans. To help you get a good bargain, we've rounded up the best Black Friday deals on headphones and earbuds we could find for 2023.

Sony WH-1000XM5

The Sony WH-1000XM5 is down to $328 at Amazon, B&H and other retailers, which is a $72 drop and ties the lowest price we’ve seen. This is the top pick in our guide to the best wireless headphones, and we gave it a review score of 95 last year. Its active noise cancellation (ANC) is among the better options we’ve tested, its design is comfortable to wear over extended periods and its battery lasts a solid 30 or so hours per charge. The sound goes heavy on the bass by default, which should please fans of hip-hop and pop music, but you can customize the EQ curve through Sony’s app. Like many Sony headphones, it also comes with a number of useful bonus features; “Speak-to-Chat,” for instance, automatically pauses your music when you start speaking.

Sony WF-1000XM5

For an in-ear pair, the Sony WF-1000XM5 is also on sale for $248 at Amazon, B&H and others. (Yes, Sony’s headphone naming scheme is bad.) That matches the lowest price we’ve seen and comes in $52 below Sony’s usual list price. This set tops our list of the best wireless earbuds and earned a score of 87 in our review this past July. Like the over-ear XM5 above, it offers a host of useful features, a warm yet customizable sound, powerful ANC and a comfortably snug fit that naturally isolates a good chunk of outside noise on its own. Battery life should sit around seven to eight hours with average use.

Sony WH-1000XM4

If you don’t want to pay up for Sony’s highest-end noise-canceling headphones, Amazon, Adorama and B&H have the older Sony WH-1000XM4 down to $248 as well. While that isn’t an all-time low, it’s $100 off Sony’s list price and a little lower than the usual sale price we’ve seen over the course of the year. The XM4 delivers similar ANC and battery performance as its successor and has nearly the same feature set. Unlike the XM5, it can also fold up for easier storage. However, its mics aren’t as clear for calls, it’s a little bulkier (though it’s still comfy) and it sounds a bit boomier out of the box. But at this price, it’s still a strong value. We gave it a 94 in our review back in 2020.

Apple AirPods Pro

Apple’s AirPods Pro are on sale for $190 at Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy. That's $60 less than buying from Apple directly and ties an all-time low. This is the “best for iOS” pick in our wireless earbuds guide thanks to its suite of helpful Apple-specific features, including hands-free access to Siri, quick pairing with iPhones and device tracking through Apple’s Find My network. Effective (if not class-leading) ANC, a superb transparency mode and a pleasantly warm sound also stand out. That said, the Pro’s six-hour battery life is just average and, as with any set of AirPods, you pretty much have to be a dedicated Apple fan to get the most out of it.

This deal applies to the latest iteration of the earphones, which come with a USB-C charging case. If you don’t mind using a Lightning charging case, Walmart has the previous version on sale for a new low of $169. Either way, we gave the AirPods Pro a review score of 88 last year.

Apple AirPods (3rd-gen)

The third-gen AirPods are available for $140 at Amazon, Target, Best Buy and others. Typically, these wireless earbuds have retailed between $10 and $20 higher in recent months, but steeper discounts have been uncommon. We gave this pair a review score of 88 back in 2021: There are certainly better-sounding options for the money, but the third-gen AirPods sound noticeably richer than their predecessor, and their haptic touch controls are altogether more convenient. This is another open design, though, so there still isn’t much in the way of deep bass or noise cancellation. Not everyone will find the wider earpieces comfortable either.

Apple AirPods (2nd Gen)

The second-gen AirPods are down to $80 at Amazon and Target, which isn’t an all-time low but comes in roughly $20 below the pair’s usual street price in recent months. These are Apple’s entry-level wireless earbuds, having launched way back in 2019. They’re a bit tougher to recommend these days, as their one-size-fits-all design won’t fit everyone and you can get better sound quality even at this discounted rate. But if you prefer an open design that doesn’t completely seal off your ear canal or just want the typical AirPods conveniences for as cheap as possible, this is at least a more acceptable price.

Apple AirPods Max

Apple’s top-of-the-line headphones, the AirPods Max, are discounted to $450 at Amazon and Best Buy. That’s $20 more than the lowest price we’ve seen but about $30 below the pair’s usual street price. Apple itself sells the headphones for $550. The AirPods Max are still overpriced for most even with this discount, but they remain undeniably premium, with top-tier ANC, a superbly balanced sound profile, a high-quality aluminum design, reliable controls and all the usual AirPods features. They’re hefty, though, and their included “case” is bafflingly flimsy. We gave the AirPods Max a review score of 84 in late 2020.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Bose’s new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are $50 off at multiple retailers, bringing the over-ear cans down to $379. Outside of a very brief drop a few weeks back that may have been a pricing error, this is the first significant discount we’ve seen. Bose only released the QuietComfort Ultra last month. We gave it a score of 86 in our review, praising its predictably comfy design, outstanding ANC, above-average call quality and bassy default sound. We still recommend the Sony XM5 to most, as that pair offers a wider feature set and the ability to be used passively (i.e., without being turned on), but the QuietComfort Ultra may still be worth a look if you must have especially powerful noise cancellation.

We’ll also note that the new, non-Ultra QuietComfort Headphones are $100 off, bringing them down to a new low of $249. We haven’t reviewed this model yet, but it’s the follow-up to 2021’s QuietComfort 45, which we generally liked. Other reviews suggest it has a more bass-heavy sound, though, and we’d expect it to be a slight step down from the Ultra across the board.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds

The new Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, meanwhile, are down to $249 at several stores. That's another $50 discount and an all-time low. We gave these in-ears a review score of 88 in September and recently named them the “best for noise cancellation” pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide. As that title suggests, the main reason to consider this pair over the Sony WF-1000XM5 is its ANC performance, which is the strongest we’ve tested from a true wireless model. We also enjoy Bose’s spatial audio tech. But the earpieces are on the larger side, the call quality and battery life (at six-ish hours) are just OK and there’s no support for multi-device pairing.

Beats Fit Pro

The Beats Fit Pro is back down to $159, which isn’t an all-time low but is still roughly $20 below its average street price. This is the “best for workouts” pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide, as it packs many of the iOS-friendly conveniences of Apple’s AirPods in a sportier and more stable design. It also uses physical control buttons instead of touch panels, and its punchy sound plays well with most popular music. But it can’t connect to multiple devices at once, it doesn’t support wireless charging and its ANC, while fine, isn’t as capable as the AirPods Pro’s. The Fit Pro earned a score of 87 in our review from 2021.

Beats Studio Pro

The Beats Studio Pro is down to $170 for Black Friday at Amazon, Target and Best Buy. That tops the pair’s previous low by $10 and falls about $130 below its average street price in recent months. The Studio Pro isn’t a top pick in any of our guides, but we gave it a solid review score of 81 in July. Its sound is largely pleasant and even-handed, its ANC is strong enough to be useful and it can stream higher-quality audio if you connect over a USB-C cable. It works well with both iOS and Android, too, though it doesn’t support multi-device pairing on the former. There’s no auto-pausing when you remove the headphones, either, and the design is mostly made of plastic. But if you like the Beats style, those flaws should be a little easier to accept at this price.

Amazon Echo Buds (2023)

We recommend the Amazon Echo Buds in our budget wireless earbuds guide to those who hate the feeling of traditional in-ear headphones. They’re now down to $35 for Black Friday, a $15 drop that matches an all-time low. The Echo Buds have a semi-open design, so they let in a good amount of outside noise and can’t produce deep bass, but some will find the shape preferable to a pair that sticks in their ear canals. They can sound perfectly decent with a bit of EQ tweaking, while features like multi-device pairing, wear detection and hands-free Alexa are all nice to have. However, there’s no wireless charging, the battery life (five or so hours per charge) is mediocre and the IPX2 sweat-resistance rating is too weak for the gym. Amazon’s companion app is rather bloated too. But those shouldn’t be deal-breakers for $35. We gave the Echo Buds a review score of 77 in July.

Anker Soundcore Space A40

The Anker Soundcore Space A40 is one of the best values in wireless earphones at its normal price of $79, but now it’s down to $54 for Black Friday. That ties the lowest price we’ve tracked. The Space A40 tops our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds because it delivers most of the features we expect from headphones that cost twice as much. It’s comfortable, its ANC is genuinely capable, its battery lasts up to 10 hours per charge, its tiny case supports wireless charging and it can pair with two devices at once. Its warm sound will be pleasing enough for most by default, but it can also be customized through a clean companion app. The only major downsides are middling mic quality and a lack of auto-pausing when you remove an earbud.

Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC

The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is the runner up in our budget wireless earbuds guide, as it offers a highly similar feature set as the Space A40 but comes in a larger “stem” design reminiscent of Apple’s AirPods. It has a more bass-forward sound by default, which some may find fatiguing, but it also has slightly more extensive touch controls and technically supports wear detection. Right now the Liberty 4 NC is down to $70 at Amazon, B&H and Best Buy, which beats its previous low by $10 and falls $30 below Anker’s list price. If you prefer this kind of bulkier but easier-to-remove shape, this is an excellent value.

Anker Soundcore Space Q45

If you’re after a wallet-friendly pair of noise-canceling over-ear headphones, Anker’s Soundcore Space Q45 is worth a look at its Black Friday price of $100. For that amount, this pair’s better-than-average ANC, softly padded design and multi-device pairing make for a strong value. Its V-shaped sound profile isn’t especially detailed, but it can work well enough for pop music and it’s customizable through Anker’s app. Call quality is mediocre, however. This $50 discount matches the lowest price we’ve tracked, and it's available at both Amazon and Anker's online store; just use the on-page coupon for the latter.

Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT

The Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT is a modest $10 off for Black Friday, bringing the wireless headphones down to $69. We saw this pair fall to $55 during Amazon’s Prime Day sale in July, but this is about as low as it’s been outside of that. The M20 is the budget pick in our wireless headphones guide thanks to its comfortable fit, 60-hour battery life, multi-device connectivity and relatively detailed audio quality. It lacks ANC and doesn’t have the sturdiest design, but it should do the job if you just need a no-frills wireless headphone for cheap.

EarFun Free 2S

The EarFun Free 2S is down to $24.59 at Amazon with a Prime-only discount and the checkout code FREE2SPD1. That’s an all-time low. The Free 2S is the “best under $50” pick in our budget wireless earbuds guide. It has a hugely bass-forward sound out of the box, but some may enjoy that with hip-hop or EDM and the profile is customizable through the EarFun app. The earpieces are comfortable and fully waterproof, the battery lasts around seven hours, and the suite of touch controls work reliably, which isn’t a given in this price range. There’s no ANC, multi-device connectivity or wear detection, however, and the built-in mic will pick up wind noise if you’re on a call outside.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro + $10 Amazon gift card

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are on sale for $160 for Black Friday, and you can get them with a $10 Amazon gift card for no extra cost. That’s a good way from their all-time low — they very briefly fell to $105 last year — but it’s still $30 or so less than their average selling price in recent months. While the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro aren’t a top pick in any of our guides, they’re worth a look if you use a Galaxy phone, as they can quickly pair with and swap between other Samsung devices (including TVs) and support a higher-quality audio codec on the company’s handsets. More generally, this is one of the better sounding pairs of wireless earphones we’ve tested, with impressive clarity and well-controlled bass, and the buds themselves are both comfortable and waterproof. You can’t connect to two devices at once, however, and the five-hour battery life is poor. We gave the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro a review score of 86 last year.

Jabra Elite 3

Another pick from our budget wireless earbuds guide, the Jabra Elite 3, is down to $40 at Best Buy. That matches the best price we’ve tracked. This pair’s mildly bass-boosted sound is great for the money, and its snug, IP55-rated design is well-suited for workouts. It’s a relatively basic set, though, as it lacks ANC, multi-device pairing, wireless charging and wear detection. But those omissions are easier to accept for $40. We gave the Elite 3 a score of 88 in our review from September 2021.

JLab Go Air Pop

The JLab Go Air Pop is available for $17 at Amazon, which isn't an all-time low — the pair was briefly down to just $10 at Walmart earlier this week — but still takes about $6 off their usual going rate. We highlight the Go Air Pop as an honorable mention in our budget wireless earbuds guide. Its IPX4-rated design is light and generally comfortable, its battery lasts around eight or nine hours per charge and, unlike many cheap earphones, its touch controls actually work. Its boomy sound profile won’t win any awards, predictably, but it’s well beyond serviceable for less than $20. JLab even bakes three different EQ presets directly into the earphones. If you’re looking for a cheap backup to your main wireless earphones, this is a great value.

Google Pixel Buds Pro

The Google Pixel Buds Pro are available for a new low of $115 at Wellbots, which is about $50 off their average street price. Other retailers like Amazon and Best Buy have them for $5 more. We call the Pixel Buds Pro the best option for Android users in our wireless earbuds buying guide due to their tight integration with the OS (and Google’s Pixel phones in particular). Their ANC and V-shaped sound are solid (if not superlative) as well, and they can last between up to 11 hours depending on how often you use the former. The fit may be tricky for those with smaller ear canals, though. We gave this pair a score of 87 in our review last year.

Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X

Beyerdynamic's DT 900 Pro X headphones are down to $249 at Amazon and Target from a trusted third-party seller. That’s only $20 off their usual going rate, but we haven’t seen many larger discounts over the past few months. The DT 900 Pro X is a wired pair of open-back headphones designed for critical listening at home. It’s currently the top pick in our guide to the best headphones for gaming, as its wonderfully spacious sound does well to envelop you in the fine details of any given game. Like most open-back cans, it can’t produce truly deep sub-bass, but it delivers enough low-end to give in-game explosions a powerful sense of impact. A set of soft velour earpads keep the whole thing comfortable, though it can’t fold up, and the open design means it won’t block much external noise when you’re outside of the house.

Sennheiser HD 560S 

The Sennheiser HD 560S is another open-back pair of wired headphones we highlight in our gaming headset guide. It’s down to $150 at Amazon, B&H, Sennheiser’s online store and other retailers — that’s not an incredible deal, as the pair often sold for the same rate earlier in the year, but it’s about $30 less than the street price we’ve seen since the summer. Regardless, the HD 560S offers a pleasingly balanced, spacious and detailed sound profile and a frame that’s comfortable to wear for extended periods. It can sometimes sound a little piercing in the treble, it’s not as sturdily built as the DT 900 Pro X and, again, it’ll leak and let in lots of noise. But if you want audio-centric headphones for less than $200, this is one of the better options in the price range.

In other Sennheiser deals, the Drop X Sennheiser HD 6XX is on sale for $169 at Drop, a $50 discount that’s only $10 more than the lowest price we’ve tracked. We haven’t formally reviewed this pair, but Engadget’s audio expert Billy Steele gave some positive impressions in a hands-on way back in 2016, and the pair upon which it’s based (the Sennheiser HD 650) has long been a favorite among audiophiles. If you’d prefer an open-back pair with a little more bass warmth, it might be worth a look.

Astro A40 TR

Our favorite dedicated gaming headset for most people, the Astro A40 TR, is down to $100 at Amazon. That’s a $30 discount. This deal bundles the headset with Astro’s MixAmp M80, an optional amp that connects to Xbox controllers and provides various audio controls. Even without the accessory, we like the open-back A40 for providing a wider soundstage than most gaming headsets. It’s not as open or detailed as the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X or Sennheiser HD 560S, and it misses more detail in the treble range, but it’s immersive, with a slight bass boost gives in-game effects a little extra boom. The headset as a whole looks “gamer-y,” but it’s comfortable. And while its built-in mic isn’t the clearest we’ve tested, it’s at least serviceable for basic chat.

HyperX Cloud Stinger 2

If all you want is a decent gaming headset for as little as possible, the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 is worth considering at $35. That’s only $5 below its usual going rate, but it matches the lowest price we’ve seen. The Cloud Stinger 2 is the budget pick in our gaming headset guide: It sounds narrower and less balanced than the Astro A40, but its built-in mic is great for the money and its bass-heavy profile at least makes action scenes feel a little more exciting. It’s all comfy, too, though it’s largely made of plastic.

Logitech G535

The Logitech G535 is another honorable mention in our gaming headsets guide, one that should specifically appeal to those who want a wireless option for less than $100. If that’s you, good news: It’s available for just under $80 at Amazon, B&H and Best Buy, which is about $25 off its usual street price. The G535’s noticeably light frame, relatively balanced sound and Bluetooth support all impress for the price; just note that it doesn’t work with Xbox, and that its mic sounds a bit thinner than the wired headsets highlighted above. Its battery life clocks in at 30 to 35 hours per charge, which is decent but not great.

Shokz OpenRun Pro

The Shokz OpenRun Pro is back down to $125 for Black Friday, which is $25 more than its all-time low but $55 less than its usual street price. These are bone conduction headphones, which means they go around the side of your head and deliver sound via vibrations to your skull. If you want to listen to music and podcasts without totally blocking the outside world, they might make sense. The flipsides are that they’re harder to use in noisier areas and, generally speaking, not as full-sounding as traditional in-ear headphones. Engadget Editor Jon Turi found this pair to deliver more low-end depth than most of its peers, however. It can also last up to 10 hours per charge.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/black-friday-headphone-deals-2023-the-best-picks-from-sony-apple-bose-beats-and-more-011220591.html?src=rss

The best Black Friday speaker deals from Bose, JBL, Sonos and more

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Engadget has tested out a ton of speakers over the years and now Black Friday sales are making many of our favorites much more affordable. It’s perfect timing too: Bluetooth speakers make great gifts for anyone who likes music, and a new smart speaker in your home may help tame the chaos of the holidays by letting you set timers and reminders while playing a chill mix to calm you. We found deals on Bluetooth speakers from Bose and JBL, smart speakers from Amazon and Sonos, and soundbars from Sony — some are even down to their lowest prices ever.

Bose speaker deals

Bose SoundLink Flex

Bose Portable Smart Speaker

JBL speaker deals

JBL Clip 4

JBL Boombox 3

JBL Flip 6

JBL Xtreme 3

Sonos speaker deals

Sonos Era 100

Sonos Beam sound bar

Sonos Roam

Sonos Arc sound bar

Sonos Ray soundbar

Amazon Echo speaker deals

Echo Dot

Echo Pop

Echo

Echo Studio

Marshall speaker deals

Marshall Emberton II

Marshall Acton II

Marshall Willen

Ultimate Ears speaker deals

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom

Ultimate Ears Epicboom

Speaker deals from Anker, Razer, Sony and Tribit

Soundcore Motion 300

Sony HT-A7000 Soundbar

Razer Nommo V2 Pro

Tribit StormBox Micro 2

Anker Soundcore 2

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-black-friday-speaker-deals-from-bose-jbl-sonos-and-more-140033359.html?src=rss

Black Friday 2023 laptop deals: Save hundreds on notebooks from our favorite brands like Apple, Dell, Lenovo and others

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Laptop deals are always plentiful on Black Friday, but it can be tricky to figure out which are actually good deals — much less decide which deal is the best for you and the notebook you're looking to buy. To make things easier, we've scoured the web's Black Friday laptop deals and collected the best of the bunch below. Our findings include noteworthy discounts on top MacBooks, gaming laptops, Chromebooks, Windows ultrabooks, budget models and more, so if you’re looking for a refresh, there should be something to suit your needs. It's worth noting that most deals you'll find are for pre-configured laptops; we recommend going straight to the manufacturer if you want to spec out your next machine to your heart's desire. But if you're willing to get a premade model, these Black Friday laptop deals could do the trick.

Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M2)

The 13.6-inch Apple MacBook Air is down to $929 at B&H for an entry-level configuration with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and Apple’s M2 chip. That’s $30 more than the lowest price we’ve seen but still $170 less than buying from Apple directly. If you need more RAM and storage space, a model with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD is $200 off at $1,299. The M2 MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and this 13-inch model earned a score of 96 in our review last year. It’s worth noting that a refresh with Apple’s new M3 chip is reportedly planned for the first half of 2024, and the SSD in the entry-level config is technically slower than the storage in higher-capacity models. But if you need a new notebook right away, the M2 Air still ticks all the requisite design and performance boxes for everyday use.

Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M2)

The 15.3-inch MacBook Air is $250 off in various configurations at Amazon, B&H, Best Buy and others. A model with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is available for $1,249, for instance, while another config with twice the memory is $1,449. We gave the 15-inch Air a review score of 96 this past June. It carries a similarly crisp display, comfortable keyboard, long-lasting battery and speedy M2 chip as the smaller Air, but it adds a more powerful speaker system alongside its roomier display. Its base config also comes with a 10-core GPU by default, whereas the 13-inch Air starts with an 8-core GPU. This is another one we expect to see updated with an M3 chip in 2024, though. These discounts have been around for much of the past month, but we haven’t seen the notebook go for less very often.

Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro)

Apple only released its latest MacBook Pros last month, but the new notebooks are already discounted for Black Friday. The 14.2-inch MacBook Pro, for one, is down to $1,749 at B&H for a model with an M3 Pro chip, 18GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. That’s $250 off Apple’s list price. A 1TB model is $200 off at $2,199, while a variant with the more powerful M3 Max chip is $200 off at $2,999.

As the name suggests, the MacBook Pro is really meant for coders, multimedia editors and other professional types who’re willing to trade some portability for additional horsepower and a brighter and faster Liquid Retina XDR display. If you fall into that bracket, though, the new Pros are suitably fast, efficient and elegantly designed. We gave the 14-inch Pro a score of 90 in our review earlier this month.

The new entry-level MacBook Pro with a 14-inch display and a base M3 chip is also on sale for $1,449. That’s a $150 discount, but we advise most people to steer clear of this model. It sits in something of a no man’s land between the MacBook Air and the higher-end MacBook Pros: It has the excellent display of the latter, but few people need that, and it’s limited to 8GB of memory, which is hardly enough for “pro”-level tasks. Most are better off saving some cash and grabbing an Air with 16GB of RAM.

Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch)

The 16.2-inch MacBook Pro is discounted as well. A model with an M3 Pro chip, 18GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is down to $2,299 at Amazon, B&H and Best Buy. That’s $200 off. A variant with 36GB of RAM is $2,649 (or $250 off), while another with an M3 Max chip and a 1TB SSD is $3,299 (or $200 off). The 16-inch Pro is virtually identical to the 14-inch model; it’s just a bit larger and heavier, and its battery lasts a touch longer.

Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M1)

The older 13-inch MacBook Air that was released in 2020 and uses Apple’s M1 chip is also on sale, with an entry-level config available for $750. We’ve seen this deal a handful of times over the last few months, but it matches the lowest price we’ve seen. It’s really worth stepping up to the M2 Air if you can: It’ll get you a more modern design, a faster chip, a sharper webcam and improved speakers. The 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD in this config is only suitable for casual use, and this model will almost certainly be discontinued when we get the inevitable M3 refresh. But if you’re on a stricter budget and really want a MacBook, the M1 Air is still well-built, long-lasting and fast enough for the essentials. We currently highlight it in our guide to the best budget laptops.

Dell XPS 13 (9315)

Dell’s XPS 13 is down to $799 for a configuration with a Core i7-1250U processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 13.4-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution display. That’s $300 off Dell’s list price and only a little bit higher than the lowest price we’ve seen. The XPS 13 is the top pick in our guide to the best Windows laptops thanks to its svelte design, dependable keyboard and trackpad, lengthy battery life and solid display. You’re not getting the latest processor here, but this model is still performant enough for everyday work. The main issue here is port selection: There’s only two Thunderbolt 4 ports and no dedicated headphone jack. Still, if you can tolerate using a dongle every now and then, this is a good price for a high-quality ultrabook.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is down to $379 at Best Buy, which is $120 off its list price. This is the latest iteration of the top pick in our Chromebook buying guide. Its 14-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS touchscreen is good for the money, and it's plenty fast for the web browsing and light work you'd do with Chrome OS. Both its keyboard and trackpad are comfortable, plus it comes with a decent 1080p webcam. This model comes with an Intel Core i3-1315U processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of eMMC storage, one USB-A port, two USB-C 3.2 ports and a microSD card slot. The chassis isn't especially light at 3.6 pounds, and we found the battery to last roughly seven hours in testing, which is just OK. But for less than $400, this is a strong value.

HP Pavilion Aero 13

The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is down to $550 for a model with an AMD Ryzen 5 7535U processor, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. This notebook goes on sale fairly often, but this is the lowest price we’ve seen for this config. The Pavilion Aero 13 is the top Windows pick in our budget laptop buying guide. It’s impressively light (2.2 pounds) and slim (0.67 inches) for the money, while its 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display is sufficiently bright and colorful. It comes with a solid backlit keyboard and the essential ports as well. It’s still a budget laptop, so it doesn’t have the sturdiest chassis, and it’s saddled with a 720p webcam. You’ll also have to navigate some bloatware. But if you want a cheaper notebook that doesn’t totally sacrifice aesthetics, it’s a decent option.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is available for $1,200 at Best Buy for a configuration with a Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. That matches the lowest price we’ve seen and takes $400 off ASUS’ list price. This model also has a 14-inch 1440p display with a 165Hz refresh rate. The ROG Zephyrus G14 is the top overall recommendation in our guide to the best gaming laptops. It’s a compact notebook that’s plenty capable for triple-A gaming but doesn’t totally sacrifice the “laptop” part of the phrase “gaming laptop.” It’s relatively light and portable at 3.6 pounds, and its keyboard and trackpad both work well. Its 720p webcam could stand to be sharper, though.

MSI Stealth 14 Studio

The MSI Stealth 14 Studio is another gaming laptop we like, and right now Best Buy has it for $1,100. This model includes a Core i7-13620H chip, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, an RTX 4060 GPU and a 14-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display with a 165Hz refresh rate. We gave the Stealth 14 Studio a score of 87 in our review this past June; like the ROG Zephyrus G14, it’s light for a gaming laptop (3.75 pounds) and offers capable performance for everyday gaming. This config is a lower-end model than the one we reviewed — it has a slightly slower CPU and its display isn’t as sharp or fast — but the gist is the same. Its biggest flaws are its middling 720p webcam and the fact that it can run hot under load. It’s still a gaming laptop, so battery life isn’t amazing either.

Whether you should get this config over the ROG Zephyrus G14 deal above comes down to whether you can sacrifice a higher-res display for more storage space. The G14 has more ports as well, though the Stealth 14 Studio includes a Thunderbolt 4 port, which may be important if you ever plan on connecting an external GPU.

Dell G15 5530 Gaming Laptop

A version of Dell’s G15 5530 Gaming Laptop with a Ryzen 7 7840HS processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, an RTX 4060 GPU and a 15.6-inch, 1080p, 165Hz display is down to $900 at Amazon. That’s a 22 percent discount and the lowest price we’ve tracked. Another model with a more powerful Core i7-13650HX chip and 1TB of RAM is available for $1,160, which is about $190 below its average street price. This is the most recent version of the “best budget” pick in our gaming laptops buying guide. It’s big, heavy (6.2 pounds) and not especially premium feeling, but it’s strong enough to play many games at high-ish settings, and its memory and storage are user-upgradeable.

Alienware m18

The 18-inch Alienware m18 is down to $2,390 at Amazon for a model with a Ryzen 9 7845HX processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and a 480Hz display with a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. Nobody would call this affordable, but it’s still 20 percent off Dell’s list price and the lowest price we’ve seen outside of special offers. The m18 is another pick from our gaming laptops guide: It’s too huge to be truly portable and weighs nearly nine pounds, but the giant screen is nice for taking in games, it’s sturdily built and it can consistently run demanding titles at high frame rates. It’s also upgradeable, plus it has a wide array of ports. You’ll want to keep it near a charger, though, and it’s far from the quietest notebook we’ve used.

Razer Blade 15

The Razer Blade 15 is down to $2,100 at B&H and Newegg for a config with a Core i7-13800H, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, an RTX 4060 GPU and a 15.6-inch IPS display with a 1440p resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate. That’s $400 off and the lowest price we’ve seen for this 2023 model. The Blade 15 is the high-end pick in our gaming laptop buying guide. This model is powerful enough to play most modern games at high settings in 1080p or 1440p, but the main reason to buy any Blade is its design, which is slimmer and generally more premium than most gaming notebooks. Just don’t expect it to last super long on a charge or stay especially cool under load. We gave the 2022 version of the Blade 15 a review score of 86 last year.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is down to $2,093 at Amazon and B&H for a configuration with a Core i7-13700H, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. That’s $300 below the notebook’s average going rate and the lowest price we’ve seen since the device arrived a few weeks ago. Other models with different RAM, storage and GPU options are also discounted.

We gave the Surface Laptop Studio 2 a score of 85 in our review. The big hook is its hinged touch display, which lets the bottom of the screen pivot and tilt over the keyboard like an easel for digital artists. We found the 14.4-inch, 2,400 x 1,600 resolution panel to look great more generally, while its battery life, build quality and overall performance all impressed as well. It’s slightly bulkier than competing models, and it’s still expensive even at this price, but this deal makes it a little more approachable for those who like the hinged design and want a laptop for media editing.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

A configuration of Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 with a Core i5-1235U processor, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and Microsoft's Surface Pro Keyboard is down to $1,000 at Best Buy. That's $540 off Microsoft's list price. If you don't need the keyboard, a variant with a stronger Intel Core i7-1255U chip is down to a low of $1,100 at Amazon, Microsoft, B&H and other retailers. That's an all-time low and roughly $200 off the config's usual street price. Another Core i7 model with 512GB of storage is on sale for $300 more.

The Surface Pro 9 tops our guide to the best 2-in-1 tablets. While its 12th-gen chip is about to be two generations old, this is still the device to get if you want the functionality of a laptop in the slim design of a tablet. We're past the point of the year when Microsoft would normally announce a refresh, but the current model should still be useful if you're coming from an older Surface in desperate need of an upgrade.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/black-friday-2023-laptop-deals-save-hundreds-on-notebooks-from-our-favorite-brands-like-apple-dell-lenovo-and-others-213631512.html?src=rss

Apple Black Friday deal: Get a $15 Amazon credit when you buy a $100 Apple gift card

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If you're planning to pick up some new Apple gear in the near future, a new Amazon Black Friday deal may be of interest. If you purchase an Apple gift card totaling $100 or more from the retailer, you can get $15 in Amazon store credit for no extra cost. Just use the code APPLET5USA at checkout to see the offer. The deal applies to the digital version of the card; as of this writing, you can get the credit with a physical Apple gift card as well by using the code APPLET5USAP, though you may not want to clip the coupon on those cards' product page, as Amazon's listing says that will only give you a $10 credit. 

Amazon's fine print says you can only apply the credit once per account, and that you'll receive the credit alongside an email confirmation within 24 hours of your purchase. From there, you'll be able to use the credit until January 17, albeit only on products that are listed as shipped and sold by Amazon.com.

As a refresher, you can use an Apple gift card for App Store credit, subscription services like Apple Music or iCloud, and/or purchases made at a physical Apple store. If you often shop at Amazon anyway, this deal effectively gives you a bit of free money, which is always hard to beat around the holidays.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-black-friday-deal-get-a-15-amazon-credit-when-you-buy-a-100-apple-gift-card-134526067.html?src=rss

The best Black Friday SSD deals: Save on microSD cards, SSDs and PC storage

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Whether you're shopping for someone you love or yourself, Black Friday is arguably the best time of the year to stock up on digital storage. If you need a microSD card for your Nintendo Switch or camera, a speedy SSD for your PS5 or a high-capacity portable drive, you can find Black Friday deals on a number of the best models available today. Some of our favorites from Samsung, SanDisk, Crucial and others have hit record-low prices for Black Friday, which may make it tempting to pick up a couple of options to either give as gifts to the techies in your life, or save for yourself to use when the need arises. After combing through the slew of storage deals you'll find this year, here are the best Black Friday deals on microSD cards, SSDs and more that you can get for 2023.

Samsung Pro Plus microSD

Samsung Evo Select microSD

SanDisk Nintendo Switch microSD

Lexar Professional 1066x microSD

Samsung T9

Samsung T7 Shield

Corsair MP600 Pro LPX SSD

Crucial MX500

Crucial X8

Samsung 980 Pro

WD Black SN850X

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-black-friday-ssd-deals-save-on-microsd-cards-ssds-and-pc-storage-133058225.html?src=rss

The best Black Friday TV deals still available: Get up to $750 off OLED sets from LG and Samsung

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Black Friday remains one of the best times of the year for TV deals, typically rivaled only by the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl and the springtime. If you've been thinking about upgrading from an aging set, or if you have a new space that you want to fill with a massive 75-inch screen, you're in luck. Many of the best Black Friday TV deals are still in full swing — so we’ve rounded up the top discounts on all sizes of TVs from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and other retailers. Though we don’t formally review TVs at Engadget, we’ve thoroughly researched user reviews and testing from other sites we trust to ensure our list only includes TVs you’ll be happy to own years down the road. We've also included the best deals we could find for soundbars, streaming devices and other TV accessories.

Samsung The Frame LED TV (LS03B) (55-inch)

The 55-inch version of Samsung’s The Frame TV is down to $978 at Amazon and B&H, which is nearly $400 off its average street price in recent months. It’s available for a couple bucks more at Samsung and Best Buy. If you want something smaller, the 50-inch model is a good buy at $898, too. This LED TV lacks contrast-boosting features like local dimming and mini-LED backlights, so its picture quality, while good, can’t match the best sets in its price range. Instead, you’d buy a Frame TV for its style. The whole thing is designed to look like a mountable piece of wall art, and when you aren’t watching something, you can use it to display artwork and photos. The TV comes with a few pieces by default, while others are available with an optional subscription.

Samsung S90C OLED TV (55-inch)

A 55-inch model of Samsung’s S90C OLED TV is available for $1,298 at Amazon, Walmart and B&H. Samsung itself has it for $2 more. This has been the S90C’s price for the last several weeks but, outside of a brief drop to $1,098 at B&H earlier this month, it matches the lowest rate we’ve tracked. The S90C has received near-universal praise for its QD-OLED panel, which uses a layer of quantum dots to boost its peak brightness and color saturation while retaining the high contrast and deep black tones of a typical OLED display. Put another way, it looks great, and it should hold up better than most OLED TVs in a bright room. It’s also an ideal gaming TV, as it has four HDMI 2.1 ports that support up to a 144Hz refresh rate in 4K (on PCs). The main downside is that, like all Samsung TVs, it doesn’t support the popular Dolby Vision HDR format.

LG C3 OLED TV (42-inch)

The LG C3 OLED TV is down to $897 for a 42-inch model at Amazon and B&H, which matches its all-time low. The C3 lacks the quantum-dot tech of the Samsung S90C, so it can’t get quite as bright or colorful. But it still offers most of the expected perks of a good OLED panel, including high contrast, wide viewing angles and smooth motion. It supports Dolby Vision HDR as well, plus it’s available in smaller sizes than the S90C — hence why we’re highlighting the 42-inch model here. Larger versions are also discounted, but they’re priced close enough to the S90C that most people should opt for the Samsung TV instead. If you want a premium TV for a smaller space — and can keep the set away from glare — this model should fit the bill.

LG A2 OLED TV (48-inch)

The 48-inch LG A2 OLED TV, meanwhile, is on sale for $550 at Best Buy. We’ve seen numerous deals for this set over the course of the year, but this one matches the lowest price we’ve tracked. The A2 is an entry-level model from 2022, so it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, lacks HDMI 2.1 ports and doesn't support other gaming-friendly features like VRR. It has noticeably lower peak brightness than higher-end OLEDs like the C3, too, so it won’t pop as much with HDR content. That said, it's still an OLED TV, so it still delivers deep contrast, bold colors, wide viewing angles and low input lag for the money. At this price, it should be a nice step-up option for smaller or secondary rooms.

Hisense U8K LED TV (55-inch)

The 55-inch Hisense U8K is available for $698, which is an all-time low and $50 less than its typical street price in recent months. Best Buy has it for $2 more. The 65-inch model is also at an all-time low of $897. Several reviews have praised the U8K as one of the year’s best values among midrange TVs, one that gets impressively bright and delivers strong contrast for an LED display. It comes with two HDMI 2.1 ports that play 4K video up to 144Hz, it supports all the major HDR formats and its Google TV platform is easier to use than most smart TV UIs. Its motion and color performance will still trail a good OLED TV, though, and reviews say it’ll wash out much more heavily when viewed from an angle. But if you want to stay under $1,000, it should be a good value.

TCL QM8 LED TV (65-inch)

The TCL QM8 is generally regarded as a close rival to the Hisense U8K in the same price bracket. Its 65-inch model is now down to $898 at Amazon and Walmart, which is the lowest price we’ve tracked. Like Hisense’s set, the QM8 uses quantum dots, mini-LED backlights and an expansive local dimming feature to deliver strong contrast for a non-OLED TV and enough brightness to overcome glare in any room. It, too, runs Google TV, and it has two HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K/144Hz video.

The QM8 isn’t available in a size lower than 65 inches, so those who don’t have the space for a larger TV should get the U8K. But TCL’s TV does have one advantage for gamers: Its eARC port is separate from its HDMI 2.1 ports. That means those with a PS5, Xbox Series X and eARC-enabled soundbar can have all three hooked up at once and enjoy 4K/120Hz gaming on the two consoles without having to change inputs. One of the U8K’s HDMI 2.1 ports, on the other hand, doubles as the eARC port, so it might cause a little extra hassle. Otherwise, the two sets appear to offer similar performance.

Hisense U6K LED TV (55-inch)

The Hisense U6K is down to $350 for a 55-inch model and $498 for a 65-inch model, both of which represent all-time lows. The U6K is a well-reviewed option for those on a tighter budget, as it’s one of the few affordable sets to use quantum dots, mini-LED backlights and full-array local dimming. All of that helps it deliver better contrast and color volume than most TVs in this price range. It can’t get as bright as the U8K or TCL QM8, so it won’t exactly sparkle with HDR content, and its picture will degrade when viewed at an angle. Its 60Hz refresh rate and lack of HDMI 2.1 ports mean it’s not ideal for gaming, either. But trade-offs are to be expected for less than $500; if you don’t want to pay up for a higher-end model, this looks to be a solid compromise.

We’ll also note the Hisense U7K, which is down to lows of $480 for a 55-inch set and $700 for a 65-inch one. As its name suggests, this TV sits between the U8K and U6K in Hisense’s lineup: It doesn’t look as rich or bright as the former, but it’s a step up over the latter if you can afford to stretch your budget a little more.

TCL Q6 LED TV (65-inch)

The 65-inch TCL Q6 is available for $500 at Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy, which is $20 more than its all-time low but still $50 below its usual street price. The 75-inch set is down to a new low of $650, however. The Q6 is another budget-level TV released in 2023. Most reviews we trust say it lags well behind the Hisense U6K when it comes to contrast and HDR performance, but it’s worth highlighting because it supports a faster 120Hz refresh rate — so long as you play at a 1080p or 1440p resolution instead of 4K. If you’re a competitive-minded gamer who doesn’t want to spend a ton on a new TV, that extra smoothness might be worthwhile. Note that this set runs Amazon’s Fire TV platform, which’ll work best if you often use Amazon services like Prime Video.

Sony A95L OLED TV (55-inch)

If money is absolutely no object, the 55-inch Sony A95L is $300 off and down to a new “low” of $2,498 at Amazon and B&H. That’s far from cheap, but this ultra-premium QD-OLED TV has received wide praise for delivering perfect black levels, superb image processing, particularly punchy colors, and high brightness levels relative to other OLED sets. It’s another Google TV and, unlike the Samsung S90C, it supports Dolby Vision HDR. It can even play games at 4K/120Hz with Dolby Vision, and several reviews praise the quality of its built-in speakers. The main negative, apart from its eye-watering price, is that it only has two HDMI 2.1 ports. The S90C should be a better value for most, particularly gamers, but this deal makes the A95L at least a little cheaper than usual.

TCL S4 LED TV (50-inch)

The 50-inch TCL S4 is down to $230 at Amazon when you clip an $18 on-page coupon. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen and about $30 off this model’s usual street price. The 55-inch variant is also on sale for $260 at Best Buy. The S4 is a low-end 4K TV, so it doesn’t get super bright and isn’t ideal for gaming or watching HDR content. If you can step up to the Hisense U6K, you should. But we understand that, sometimes, you just need a cheap TV that does the job outside of the living room. The S4 should be serviceable for that, especially if you keep it in a room that isn’t heavily affected by glare. This model runs on the same Google TV interface as a few of our picks above, but versions that use Amazon's Fire TV OS are also discounted.

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is down to $30 at Target, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Roku’s online store and others. That’s $5 more than its all-time low but still $14 off the average street price we’ve seen in recent months. The Streaming Stick 4K is the top pick in our guide to the best streaming devices: It runs quickly, it works with all the major streaming services and HDR formats, and it has useful features like AirPlay support and a private listening mode. The Roku UI isn’t the sexiest piece of software design, but it’s a breeze to navigate and its search tool does well to find shows across disparate apps.

Roku Express 4K+

A couple other Roku streamers of note are also on sale. The Roku Express 4K+, for one, is within a dollar of its all-time low at $25. That dongle can’t plug directly into an HDMI port, lacks Dolby Vision support and has slightly slower Wi-Fi than the Streaming Stick 4K, but it offers the same general experience otherwise.

Roku Ultra

The Roku Ultra, meanwhile, is about $30 off at $69. This is the “best set-top box” pick in our media streamer guide. It’s pricier than the Streaming Stick 4K, but it adds an Ethernet jack and a microSD slot for expanded storage. It also comes with Roku’s Voice Remote Pro, which has a rechargeable battery, two programmable shortcut buttons, a remote finder function and a built-in headphone jack for private listening. You can buy the Voice Remote Pro separately and use it with most other Roku streamers, though.

Google Chromecast with Google TV

The Google Chromecast is on sale for $38 at Amazon, Walmart and Target. This is a deal we've seen several times before and doesn’t represent an all-time low, but it's still $12 off Google's list price. The Chromecast is the runner up in our guide to the best streaming devices: It was released way back in 2020 and doesn't support Wi-Fi 6, but it still performs competently and supports the major streaming apps. Its biggest selling point is its Google TV interface, which does well to proactively suggest shows you might like based on your viewing history and has a genuinely convenient voice search function. If the idea of a streamer that adjusts to your viewing habits sounds appealing to you, it might be worth grabbing over one of the Roku players above. If you're shopping for an older TV, the 1080p version of the Chromecast offers just about all of the same benefits and is on sale for $20.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max

Amazon's latest Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max have received their largest discounts since arriving in September. The former is 50 percent off at $25, while the latter is 33 percent off at $40. Between the two, the Max has a slightly faster processor clocked at 2.0GHz (instead of 1.7GHz), 16GB of internal storage (instead of 8GB) and support for Wi-Fi 6E (instead of just Wi-Fi 6). It also includes Amazon's "Ambient Experience" mode, which displays artwork and widgets when the streamer is idle. That said, both dongles should be quick to load content. Both support the requisite streaming apps, Dolby Atmos and all the major HDR formats as well.

On the higher end of the Fire TV lineup, the Fire TV Cube is also on sale for $110. That ties the all-time low for the streaming box/Alexa speaker hybrid. The main downside with Fire TV devices is the same as it’s been for years: The UI is saddled with ads and not at all shy about nudging you toward Amazon services like Prime Video and Freevee. For most, a Roku or Chromecast should be a bit less obnoxious. But if you often use Amazon apps (or Alexa) and just want a competent 4K streamer for cheap, this may be less of an issue.

Apple TV 4K

Deals for the Apple TV 4K have been extremely uncommon over the past year and, sadly, we aren’t seeing any new cash discounts on Black Friday. However, if you’re willing to pay the full $129 list price at Apple’s online store (or $149 for a 128GB model), you can get a $25 Apple Gift Card for no extra cost. That’s not much of a deal, but if you’ve had your eye on the set-top box and already planned on paying for Apple Music, iCloud or any other Apple service, it’s better than nothing.

We call the Apple TV 4K the “best premium” pick in our media streamer guide. It’s much pricier than a Roku or Chromecast, but it’s consistently fast, its Siri-based remote works well and it supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. It also integrates tightly with other Apple devices and services; you can quick-pair a set of AirPods, for instance, and beam content directly to the box via AirPlay. Apple’s tvOS interface is slick and easy to read too, though it tends to advertise Apple TV+ shows over those from other services.

NVIDIA Shield TV Pro

The NVIDIA Shield TV Pro is back down to $170 for Black Friday at Amazon and Best Buy, a $30 discount that ties the lowest price we’ve tracked. This is the “best for gamers” pick in our streaming devices guide. It’s a fairly niche option these days: It was released way back in 2019, it’s still not cheap and it uses the older Android TV platform instead of the generally more polished Google TV. But its still-speedy Tegra X1+ chip works well for game streaming and playing Android titles, and it may make sense you’re looking to run a Plex media server or emulate older games. The set-top box is loaded with ports, and its upscaling tech can make 1080p content look crisper on 4K TVs. For enthusiast types, this is a decent chance to save.

Sonos soundbar sale

Sonos is running a Black Friday sale that includes a range of discounts on soundbars and home theater gear. The deals include the flagship Sonos Arc soundbar for $719, which is a $180 discount. The mid-range Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and the more basic Sonos Ray are also on sale for $399 and $223, respectively; that's a $100 drop for the former and a $56 drop for the latter. All three devices are recommendations in our guide to the best soundbars. Elsewhere, the Sonos Sub (Gen 3) subwoofer is $160 off at $639, while the more compact Sonos Sub Mini is $86 off at $343.

We gave the Arc, Beam and Ray review scores of 85, 88 and 82, respectively. The Arc and Beam both technically support Dolby Atmos, but the former’s larger frame and upward-firing drivers help it sound more spacious. The Ray is a smaller and more basic model that doesn’t sound as dynamic, but it still performs well for its size and price. Each device gets you the core perks of a Sonos speaker: easy pairing with other Sonos devices, a simple setup process, a straightforward app with access to a variety of streaming services, AirPlay support, a stylish design and so on. Discounts on Sonos devices are fairly rare, though it’s worth noting that a recent Bloomberg report said the company is working on an updated Arc and other home theater equipment for sometime next year.

Roku Streambar

The Roku Streambar is back down to $100 at B&H, Target, Best Buy and other retailers. That isn't an all-time low, but the deal takes about $15 off the device’s average street price as of late. This is a 14-inch soundbar that also works as a 4K Roku streamer. It doesn’t sound particularly rich or expansive, but it’s an upgrade over most built-in TV speakers. It also supports Apple AirPlay, though it doesn’t work with Dolby Vision or HDR10+. Still, if you’re looking to add streaming support and improved audio quality to an older TV, the Streambar is worth considering. We gave it a score of 86 in our review back in 2020.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-black-friday-tv-deals-still-available-get-up-to-750-off-oled-sets-from-lg-and-samsung-181020692.html?src=rss

Amazon Black Friday deals include 43 percent off the 2023 Fire HD 10 tablet

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Amazon and Black Friday go together like peanut butter and heavily discounted jelly. The web retail giant unveiled a spate of deals for the day, including an extremely attractive offer on its Fire HD 10 tablet. You can snag one for 43 percent off, dropping the price down to $80. This is a record-low for Amazon’s mid-level device.

You aren’t even getting an older tablet here, as the deal’s for the company’s latest and greatest 2023 model. To that end, you get a 10.1-inch full HD screen, an octa-core 2 GHz processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. Not bad for $80, right? This isn’t the fanciest tablet on the block, but it gets the job done for browsing the web, checking social media and, of course, watching streaming apps. It even comes with a dashboard for controlling smart home devices with taps instead of voice commands.

This deal is for the Fire HD 10 with “lockscreen ads”, so you’ll be shown personalized ads on the screensaver in sleep mode. I’ve found this ad delivery method to be relatively unobtrusive, all things considered. There is one serious caveat, however, that impacts most Amazon tablets. You won’t have access to the Google Play Store, so the app selection is limited. However, all the big ones are still available.

There are other Amazon-branded tablets available with steep discounts as part of this larger Black Friday event. You can get the company’s top-of-the-line Fire 11 Max tablet for $150 instead of $230. This tablet boasts 64GB of storage with an SD slot for more, 4GB of RAM, an octa-core processor and a durable aluminum design. The diminutive Fire HD 8 is also on sale for $60 instead of $100.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-black-friday-deals-include-43-percent-off-the-2023-fire-hd-10-tablet-120052541.html?src=rss

Anker Black Friday deals 2023: Portable charges, cables and surge protectors are still on sale for up to 60 percent off

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The holiday shopping period is a great time to stock up on things you might need for yourself in addition to gifts for other people. Charging cables, adapters and other handy accessories are good items grab while they're on sale, and Anker's got a lot of deals for you to choose from for this Black Friday shopping season. A ton of charging gear has been heavily discounted, including this USB-C to HDMI Adapter, which is a whopping 60 percent off. Anker Black Friday deals cover portable chargers, cords, wall plugs, surge protectors and basically every item needed to keep your devices functioning. Here are the best Black Friday deals on Anker devices that you can still get today.

Anker Magnetic Power Bank

Anker's 20W Magnetic Power Bank provides up to 22 hours of extra battery life for the iPhone 12, 13, 14 and 15. It's compatible with MagSafe and has a 10N magnetic force, stronger than the initial MagSafe charger. Its grip makes it super easy to use your iPhone as usual while still giving it a boost. Get the magnetic power bank in Black, White, Purple or Pink — all for the same price.

Anker Prime 100W USB-C Charger

This 100W Anker Prime USB-C Charger is great to have near your desk or bedside table when you want to juice up multiple devices. It comes with one USB-A port and two USB-C ports, with 100W of power evenly distributed when you use two of them (though using all three will still produce a fast charge). It's compatible with every iPhone since the iPhone 12, along with recent MacBooks, Galaxy Tabs, the HP Chromebook 14 and more. 

Anker 563 10-in-1 USB-C Hub

MacBooks are great, but their lack of an HDMI port can sometimes be frustrating. Anker's 563 10-in-1 USB-C Hub solves that problem (and with a 4K display) while giving you plenty of extra ports along with it. The device has two HDMI ports, a USB-C port to connect your laptop, a USB-C data port, two USB-A data ports, an Ethernet port, a 100W max PD-IN port, an SD card slot and a microSD card slot.  

Anker iPhone Fast Charging Cable 2-pack

One charging cable is enough in theory, but it always leads to instant regret the moment you realize it's still at work or even all the way downstairs. Anker's iPhone Fast Charging Cable 2-pack is nearly half off, making it an easy decision to spring for the extra. The 10-foot-long braided cables can charge an iPhone 14 Pro to 50 percent in 30 minutes (if you have a compatible plug, of course). Either way, their length and overall high-speed charges make them a good option to pick up.

Anker Prime Power Bank 200W

Anker's 200W Prime Power Bank is the one to buy if you want super fast charging in a compact device. It comes with one USB-A 200W port and two USB-C 100W ports. The included 100W charging base brings the power bank back up to full charge in just an hour and 15 minutes. 

Surge Protector Power Strip

The last thing you want for your nice gaming desktop or console (besides getting very wet) is for it to face a power surge. For $22, Anker's 12-outlet Surge Protector Power Strip gives you peace of mind that all your devices and game progress are protected. 

Anker SOLIX F1200 Portable Power Station

Are you already dreaming about warmer weather and beautiful camping excursions? If you need a new portable power station for that adventure, now is the time to get it. Anker's SOLIX F1200 Portable Power Station is half off, bringing it from $1,400 to $700. It's still quite a chunk of change, but it's a steal in comparison. It can recharge to 80 percent in just one hour, checks its temperature up to 100 times every second and has a five-year warranty. Plus, it comes with car, AC and solar charging cables. 

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-black-friday-deals-2023-portable-charges-cables-and-surge-protectors-are-still-on-sale-for-up-to-60-percent-off-151931824.html?src=rss

The best robot vacuum deals for Black Friday 2023: We found deals on Shark, Roomba and Anker machines to fit every budget

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It's no secret that robot vacuums are some of the most expensive gadgets you can get for your home. But Black Friday robot vacuum deals make it a bit easier to grab one, and this year is no different. A handful of machines from Shark and iRobot have dropped to record low prices for Black Friday, including a few of our favorite models. You can snag a Roomba for as low as $159, which is one of the best prices we've seen all year.

But before making a purchase, we recommend thinking about the type of home you have and how you'll use the machine: do you have carpet or mostly hard flooring? Do you have pets who shed constantly? Do you want a combo vacuum-and-mop machine? Once you have those details settled, check out the best deals on robot vacuums for Black Friday 2023 below.

iRobot Roomba 694

The Roomba 694 is on sale for $159 in this Black Friday vacuum deal. It's our current favorite budget robot vacuum thanks to its strong suction power, easy to use mobile app and handy spot-clean function. It doesn't come with a clean base, but it has Wi-Fi connectivity and voice control with Alexa.

Anker Eufy RoboVac 11S Max

As part of Anker's Black Friday deals, the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max is down to $140, but a clippable $10 coupon will bring it down to $130. That's close to a record low and a steal on one of the best affordable robot vacuums we've tested. This model has a super slim design, helping it clean underneath tables, couches and other furniture better than competing machines, and it has a solid battery life as well. It's not Wi-Fi connected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It comes with a handy remote with which you can control the machine, making it a decent option for anyone who's never owned a robot vacuum before.

iRobot Roomba s9+

The Roomba s9+ is the most powerful model that iRobot makes, and it's down to $600 in this Black Friday vacuum deal. It's usual high price tag may be prohibitive for most, but it's a much better buy when you can get it on sale like this. We like it's elegant design, extra-strong suction power, home mapping and object detection features, and the clean base that comes with it.

iRobot Roomba j7+

The Roomba j7+ robot vacuum has dropped to $469 for Black Friday. This model comes with a self-emptying base and it has advanced obstacle detection so it can avoid things like pet poop, should your furry friend have an accident. It also supports cleaning schedules via the iRobot mobile app and voice commands from Alexa, Siri and the Google Assistant.

Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum

This Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum is on sale for $300 for Black Friday, or half off its regular price. Shark makes some of our favorite robovacs, and this one has strong suction power, a self-cleaning brush roll and support for home mapping and voice control with Alexa and the Google Assistant. Shark's machines also stand out because their self-emptying bases, like the one included here, are bagless, so you don't have to constantly buy proprietary garbage bags to use with them.

Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 vacuum and mop

Shark's AI Ultra robot vacuum and mop has been discounted to $400 for Black Friday at Amazon and Best Buy. It has all of the same features in the vacuum-only model, but it also includes a water reservoir and a mop pad with which it can automatically mop floors for you. You have to switch out the dustbin for the reservoir whenever you want to mop, but otherwise the machine is pretty automated and convenient. The self-emptying base that comes with this model is also bagless.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-robot-vacuum-deals-for-black-friday-2023-we-found-deals-on-shark-roomba-and-anker-machines-to-fit-every-budget-200206179.html?src=rss

Black Friday 2023 deals are live: These are the best tech deals, hand-picked by our experts

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It's finally here — Black Friday 2023 has kicked off in earnest today and there are tons of great deals and record-low prices to be had on some of the best tech of the year. Even though we've been seeing early Black Friday deals pop up since late October, today is the day many people have been waiting for. If you've held out so far with the hopes of getting the best deals possible on tech like headphones, smartwatches, TVs and more, now's the time to shop. We're seeing record lows on tech across all categories, including some of our favorite gear of the year, too. Follow along with our Black Friday live blog where the Engadget team will be surfacing the best tech deals you can get for Black Friday 2023.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/black-friday-2023-deals-are-live-the-best-tech-deals-hand-picked-by-our-experts-120020255.html?src=rss