Apple Black Friday deals bring the AirPods Pro with USB-C down to $190

Posted on 24/11/2023 by Valentina Palladino

If you've been eager to upgrade your wireless buds to Apple's latest, Black Friday deals will make that a little easier to do. The AirPods Pro with USB-C charging case have dropped to a record low of $190, which is $60 off their usual price. The third-gen AirPods are also on sale for $140. While Apple made tons of improvements to the more affordable buds, the AirPods Pro earned a spot on our best wireless earbuds list instead and are worth the extra spend.

The biggest perk of the latest AirPods Pro is their USB-C charging case, upgraded from Lightning earlier this year. The case is also MagSafe compatible, so you can use either a USB-C cable or a wireless charger to power it up. As far as battery life goes, the Pros should get up to six hours of listening time and a total of 30 hours of use when employing the extra juice from the charging case.

When Apple last updated the buds themselves, the company significantly improved audio quality and noise cancelation. Transparency Mode is a standout as well, which is the most natural sounding out of the many buds we've tested and reviewed. The AirPods Pro are, unsurprisingly, our top pick wireless earbuds for iOS users precisely because of how well they integrate with iPhones and iPads. You get quick pairing and switching with these buds, hands-free Siri access and spatial audio as well.

Apple's third-gen AirPods are a decent option as well, but you won't get many of the advanced features found on the Pros. There's no active noise cancelation, nor USB-C charging (you're stuck with Lightning), but you do get an IPX4-rated design, spatial audio, solid sound quality and all of the same iOS conveniences thanks to the H1 chip inside.

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-deals-bring-the-airpods-pro-with-usb-c-down-to-190-100004586.html?src=rss

The best gifts for runners in 2023

Posted on 22/11/2023 by Valentina Palladino,Dana Wollman

Whether or not you understand your loved one’s desire to wake up before sunrise and get in a 5K is irrelevant when it comes to gifting. Athletes, especially runners, are pretty easy to shop for since they can never have too many of the essentials like socks, gloves, foam rollers, trackers and more. There are plenty of things you can get them that will make their runs more enjoyable, or help them recover more efficiently so they can best yesterday’s time today. Here are the best gift ideas for runners for this year’s holiday shopping season.

Theragun Mini

Rise and Run: Recipes, Rituals and Runs to Fuel Your Day

Roll Recovery R8

Spibelt

Bombas Running Socks

Trigger Point Grid Travel Foam Roller

Yoga Toes

TrailHeads Power Stretch Fingerless Gloves

Apace Vision LED Safety Lights

Garmin Forerunner 55

Beats Fit Pro

Goodr OG Sunglasses

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-gifts-for-runners-140015714.html?src=rss

LG Black Friday deals: Save up to $300 on 2023 OLED TV sets

Posted on 21/11/2023 by Valentina Palladino

LG Black Friday deals include a number of decent discounts on its 2023 OLED TVs, and a couple of noteworthy sales on 2022 models as well. You can currently save $300 on this 42-inch 2023 LG C3 OLED TV, which is down to a record low of $897, and $200 on this 65-inch B3 OLED set, which is on sale for $1,297. If you're willing to get a slightly older model, you can get this 2022 55-inch B2 OLED TV for nearly half off its starting price.

Its worth noting that OLED TV sales around this time of year are mostly a culmination of steadily dropping prices. TV manufacturers often lower the "regular" prices on their high-end TV sets throughout the year, starting shortly after the models debut. Some of these sale prices have been around since the start of the holiday shopping season, but that doesn't change the fact that many of them are record lows.

If you're unfamiliar, OLED TVs stand out for their deep blacks and rich colors when compared to standard sets. LG's 2023 C3 OLED models run on the upgraded a9 Gen 6 processor that brings AI upscaling, object-based picture sharpening and HDR tone mapping, among other things, to the TVs. LG updated its TV operating system to have a simplified UI that requires less scrolling, which should make it even easier to navigate. It also now supports "quick cards" that let you more easily jump into categorical content like music and sports, personal profiles and AI-based search keyword recommendations.

The B3 series is an entry-level alternative for anyone who doesn't want to spend quite as much on a new TV. This year's models run on an older a7 Gen 6 chip and do not support the level of brightness boosting you'll find in the C3 sets, but they do support 4K content at 120Hz refresh rates. If you're still not ready to drop so much money on an OLED set, LG Black Friday deals also include some discounts on the company's QNED sets.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lg-black-friday-deals-save-up-to-300-on-2023-oled-tv-sets-183847464.html?src=rss

This 55-inch Samsung Frame TV is on sale for 35 percent off in Amazon’s Black Friday sale

Posted on 17/11/2023 by Valentina Palladino

Samsung’s Frame smart TVs are cheaper than ever in a Black Friday deal that you can snag right now at both Amazon and Samsung direct. The TVs come in 32- to 85-inch configurations, and all of them have some sort of discount. Of note is the 55-inch model, which is 35 percent off and down to $978 — a new record low, and the steepest percent-discount of the bunch. If you’re looking for the biggest dollar-amount savings, that’s on the massive 85-inch TV, which is $1,000 off and on sale for $3,298.

These are the latest Frame TV models, with QLED displays and support for 4K content, Quantum Dot technology and 100 percent color volume. That quality should be good enough for most people (if you want your next set to be OLED, we recommend checking out these deals on LG, Sony and Samsung OLED TVs), but the real selling point of the Frame series is its ability to blend into your home's decor.

Thanks to its included slim wall mount, anti-reflective matte display and Art Mode, the Frame can mimic a piece of art hanging on your walls when you're note actively watching TV. When we used it, we were also impressed that it comes with an external receiver/port hub/tuner box combo that connects to the panel via a wire, so you could cleverly hide that wire behind a wall or with some accessories to truly make the TV look like it's a floating photo.

The only catch is that Samsung's full collection of displayable art hides behind a $5-per-month paywall. Thankfully, you do get a few pieces of art for free that you can display on the Frame, and you can upload your own photos and images to the Frame from your phone or via a USB drive to display as well. Combine that with the ability to customize the hardware further with a personalized bezel (at an extra cost, of course), and you have a TV that you can make your own and that won't be a big, blocky eyesore in your home like most other sets.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-55-inch-samsung-frame-tv-is-on-sale-for-35-percent-off-in-amazons-black-friday-sale-211336306.html?src=rss

The third-gen Apple AirPods are down to $140 in Amazon’s Black Friday sale

Posted on 17/11/2023 by Valentina Palladino

Apple’s third-gen AirPods have dropped back down to a record-low price for the Black Friday shopping season. This $30 discount comes back around every so often, but it remains rare in the world of AirPod discounts. That also means that these buds tend to sell out quickly when they're on sale, so if you've needed a new pair for yourself or want to gift these to someone for the holidays, now's a good time to grab them.

Released in 2021, the third-gen AirPods brought massive improvements to Apple's popular wireless earbuds. The company redesigned them to be more comfortable and fit better in different ear shapes, and those hardware changes also help lift sound quality. A custom driver and a high-dynamic-range amplifier also bring a lot to the table, and the whole revamped package produces noticeably better sound than that of their predecessors. While these buds do not support ANC, they do support spatial audio, dynamic head tracking and Adaptive EQ, all of which contribute to the overall sound improvements.

Battery life has improved here as well: Apple estimates six hours of listening time on a single charge, and up to 30 hours when factoring in the extra juice their charging case provides. When we reviewed these buds, we managed to get around seven hours of life on a single charge (spatial audio on, dynamic head tracking off), and overall, those battery life estimates are pretty decent when it comes to true wireless earbuds.

These AirPods, like every other pair of earbuds Apple makes, has an H1 chip inside that enables features like hands-free Siri and quick pairing and switching between Apple devices. It's one of the reasons the company's earbuds are so popular: if you live within the Apple ecosystem and use an iPhone, iPad or MacBook, using AirPods with any and all of those devices is pretty seamless. Given this sale, the third-gen buds could make a good gift for the Apple obsessive on your list this year, or a good replacement for any aging earbuds you may have.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-third-gen-apple-airpods-are-down-to-140-in-amazons-black-friday-sale-145507691.html?src=rss

The 12 best gifts under $25 for 2024

Posted on 08/11/2023 by Valentina Palladino

The most hyped tech is often also the most expensive: flagship smartphones, ultra-powerful gaming laptops, immersive VR headsets and the like. But it would be wrong to assume that those are the only pieces of technology worth gifting. You don’t have to drain your wallet to get someone a cool gadget that will both be useful and make their lives easier. There are more solid, affordable gadgets out there now more than ever, but that also means you’ll discover some junk along the way. We’ve collected our favorite pieces of tech under $25 that make great gifts and help you to stick to a budget.

Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-gifts-under-25-140042014.html?src=rss

The best gifts under $50 that make great stocking stuffers

Posted on 01/11/2023 by Valentina Palladino

We wouldn’t blame you if you try to do all of your tech shopping around the holidays. That’s when you can typically get the best sales, both on relatively affordable gear and (more importantly) on big-ticket items. But it would be wrong to think that only the most expensive tech is worth gifting. Since we at Engadget test a plethora of gadgets every year, we know that there are some hidden (and not so hidden) tech gems at lower price ranges — you just have to know where to find them. That’s where we come in — these are the best tech gifts under $50 that you can get this year.